Lynn Westmoreland

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 3825, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4053 offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis). This bill would designate this post office in Covina, California, as the Lillian Kinkella Keil Post Office. Lillian Kinkella Keil, a registered nurse, was one of the first airplane stewardesses hired by United Airways. Keil was happily attending to her passengers when the United States entered World War II. She decided to send a letter to the School of Evacuation in Bowman Fields, California, and within 2 weeks she was accepted. By the summer of 1943, she was in England pulling wounded and frost-bitten soldiers out of B17s returning from bombing raids over Europe. Keil made 250 evacuation flights, including one to collect the wounded after the invasion of Normandy. Twenty-three of these missions were transatlantic, moving from one man to another, stopping blood flow, bandaging wounds, and giving medicine and comfort. After World War II ended, Keil returned to the United Airways as an assistant chief stewardess, but her career was interrupted again by the dawn of the Korean War. In 1950, she returned to her duties as an Air Force flight nurse. During the next 16 months, Keil flew 175 air evacuations out of Korea, logging 1,400 hours of flight time. Her experiences as a flight nurse were used as the basis for the 1953 Hollywood movie ``Flight Nurse'' starring Joan Leslie and Forrest Tucker. Her experiences in World War II and Korea ultimately resulted in her being one of the most decorated women in American military history. She was awarded 19 medals, including a European Theater medal with four battle stars, a Korean service medal with seven battle stars, four air medals and a Presidential Citation from the Republic of Korea. Lillian Kinkella Keil was a true American hero. I urge all members to come together to honor this brave and patriotic humanitarian by passing H.R. 4053. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4053, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4053) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 545 North Rimsdale Avenue in Covina, California, as the ``Lillian Kinkella Keil Post Office''.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act to stop the systematic civil rights violations that were the status quo in my home State of Georgia and various other States. In those dark days, the Federal Government rightly stepped in to extend the guarantees of our Constitution to every American, regardless of race. Georgians have worked together closely for the past 40 years to heal the wounds of the past, and we have progressed tremendously. Black Georgians today are equal partners, not only in access to the voting booth but also to elected positions of power. In the parts of Georgia that experienced the most oppressive and violent abuses of civil rights, that is in counties and cities where African Americans are a majority, black Georgians are now the leaders of those local communities. African Americans hold a significant portion of the seats in the Georgia legislature, where many have held positions of great influence. Nine of our 34 Statewide elected posts are held by African Americans, a percentage that comes close to mirroring their proportion of the State's population. Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker is an African American who has twice won Statewide election to that post. Our Statewide elected labor commissioner is black, as are three justices on our State Supreme Court. Four African Americans hold seats in our 13 member House delegation. Two of those black members defeated white candidates in majority white districts. African Americans have exercised their electoral muscle for decades now in Georgia. Blacks in Georgia have higher levels of voter registration and participation than do whites. In fact, blacks in Georgia have higher registration rates than do most blacks outside the South. Furthermore, black and white candidates for public office draw comparable support from white voters. In other words, black and white candidates of the same party win or lose at the polls with similar vote percentages. No longer will Georgians vote against a black candidate simply because he or she is black. With these facts in mind, I call on Congress to let Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act expire. Section 5 was implemented as a temporary statute to correct a specific problem. In the late 1960s, the Supreme Court ruled that Section 5 was constitutional only because it was narrowly tailored and temporary. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest to my colleagues here in the House that 40 years is more than temporary. Now Congress is considering extending Section 5 for another 25 years, to 2030, without giving any consideration to the changes that have occurred since 1965. If there is a need for Section 5 today in Georgia, it must be needed everywhere. If it is good for Georgia, it will be good for your State too. But if you do not think your State election laws should be subjected to Federal oversight, then I challenge each and every one of you to at least, Mr. Speaker, look at the facts of today's Georgia before casting a vote that does not affect your constituents, but does affect mine. Georgia has fulfilled the vision of the Voting Rights Act and should be treated the same as every other State.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, Republicans are moving forward to protect one of the most foundational rights we cherish, the right to own private property. One of our great former Presidents, John Adams, said: ``Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty.'' The first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said: ``No power on Earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent.'' We have seen our Supreme Court rule that property can be taken from one private owner and given to another. Republicans in Congress are taking action to fix this problem with legislation we will consider today on the House floor. Government should not and must not have the authority to take property away from private landowners for the sole sake of giving it to another private landowner. Madam Speaker, I applaud the efforts of the majority in bringing forward this important legislation and look forward to supporting it on the floor this afternoon.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I hope the American people are watching this debate; and if they are watching this debate on TV, I hope they have a video recorder, because they need to record this debate. When you are talking in your church or in your home or where you work about high fuel prices, you can play this and let people see why we have the prices that we have right now; why they are going to be paying more for home heating oil; why they are paying more for gasoline, because this side of the aisle over here does not understand the problems that we have in this country. Play it; listen to it. You are an individual out there. You can car pool if you want to. If you want to buy a car that gets 50 miles to the gallon, they make them every day. You can go buy them by the hundreds. If you want to buy a car that gets 10 miles to the gallon, that is up to you. You are an individual, and you have individual responsibilities. Let us quit blaming the people who are trying to be leaders in this country and put us on the right track for an energy policy. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Georgia for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 178, bringing attention to the need to research and to find a cure for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I am one of more than 50 bipartisan cosponsors of this legislation. I first learned that the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Norwood) had this disease a few years ago, and I was amazed to learn of its effects. There is no cure or treatment for IPF, and the disease continues to build up scar tissue in the lungs until fatality results in many cases. More than 31,000 Americans are diagnosed with IPF each year, and the median survival rate is only 2 to 3 years. Although IPF is three times more common than cystic fibrosis, it only receives a fraction of the research funding. This resolution does the right thing by calling attention to it and increasing public awareness. Increased awareness will also help the diagnosis process to help ensure that the disease is caught as early as possible. Many times the disease is misdiagnosed in the early stages and doctors do not even realize the effects the disease is having until it moves on to its later stages. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood), my friend, has been incredible in his strength and has been an example to me. He did not let the difficulties he faced prior to his lung transplant slow him down. And after the transplant, he continued to zoom around the Capitol, often quicker than I, as he has recovered. Even when he was still on oxygen full time, he was up speaking to this House and addressing the issues and concerns of his constituents. He did not miss a beat. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be able to serve with such a great American as the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood). I ask for support of House Concurrent Resolution 178.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of a great American, John Stacy. It is my privilege to bring before the House of Representatives the occasion of his 60th birthday. John Stacy was born on October 5, 1945 in Coleman, KY to his proud parents, John and Bertha Stacy. After he completed his education, he began serving his country, entering the United States Marine Corps in June of 1965. After completing the rigors of boot camp, he went on to serve in a number of capacities, including the area of Motor Pool Transport, as a colonel's personal driver, then as a career planner and a member of the Hostage Negotiations Team. Eventually he became an instructor for the Officer Advanced Course for Military Police. He also served overseas on a number of occasions between 1966 and 1981, including a tour in Vietnam, two tours of duty in Okinawa, and time at Subic Bay in the Philippines. During this time, John was continuing to rise through the ranks, achieving the rank of gunnery sergeant. But others saw the distinction he brought to his duties, and he was recognized as the Marine Corps Outstanding Military Citizen for Georgia in 1984. In 1985, John retired from the Marines at his gunnery sergeant rank after 20 years of service to our Nation and to our freedoms. That alone would seem to be enough to make a life worthwhile. But as those of us who have friends who are Marines know, a Marine never truly retires. And John didn't retire either--he had begun working with the Boy Scouts of America before finishing his time with the Marine Corps, and his ``retirement'' from the Marines only meant he had more time to invest in the lives of others. He served with the Boy Scouts for a total of 10 years, working as a camp ranger and the program director of Camp Osborn. During that time, he had an active role in molding the lives of young men through the Boy Scouts, and led them by his example of service as he helped turn those boys into men. But John wasn't finished yet. His experience in police duties and law enforcement led to the request that he serve as executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, GACP, the largest professional association for law enforcement administrators in the State of Georgia. In that role, he took an active part in ensuring law enforcement was effectively represented at the State Capitol, and that the more than 1,000 executives representing agencies from across the State had their voices heard. The position with the GACP also moved John and his family to Columbus, GA. Soon John received another call to service, and saw his influence grow wider. Senator Paul Coverdell needed regional representatives as he sought to put his staff together to effectively serve constituents from across the State after his election in 1992. John served effectively in that position, representing the Senator, and serving people in need from around the area. Tragically, however, Senator Coverdell passed away while in office after a stroke, and Zell Miller, a former Governor of Georgia, was appointed to fill the great void left by the death of Senator Coverdell. After the transition was complete, Senator Miller asked John to stay on his staff, and he continued to serve as regional director, and eventually assisted in the opening of an office in Young Harris, the Senator's hometown. John continued to serve with Senator Miller until the Senator's retirement at the conclusion of his term in January of this year. And, as my term in the U.S. Congress began, John came on to my staff as my district director. He has served with distinction already, and his knowledge of the people of the Eighth District has been invaluable. But if you set aside all the things a person has done, you can always learn a lot about a man by his family. And John meets that test as well. During all of his service to our Nation and the great State of Georgia, John has been married to a truly wonderful lady, his wife Elaine. They have just celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. And John is the father of two children, Graham and Janet, who continue to carry on their father's vision of service to others. And this great man, and great American, who has achieved so much, is now celebrating his 60th birthday. Mr. Speaker, I lay before you the life and achievements, so far, of a great American, and hope all the House will join me in wishing him the best birthday wishes as he continues to serve all of us in this country.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the accomplishments of a great citizen of the Eighth Congressional District, Dr. Frank Brown. Dr. Brown is best known to those of us from Georgia as the President of Columbus State University, and has served in that capacity since 1988. Dr. Brown has overseen the dramatic growth of the university, and worked closely with the City of Columbus to make the school a central part of the city. But we were able to see another side of Dr. Brown last month, when he was awarded the Distinguished Citizen Award by the Boy Scouts of America, Chattahoochee Council. The Chattahoochee Council gives the award to recognize an individual or group that undertakes outstanding service to our nation, the state, or the local community. By presenting the award, the Chattahoochee Council calls attention to the honors the contributions and good works of individuals. Dr. Brown is a worthy recipient, due to his commitment to his community. It is my privilege to lay such an achievement before the House.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, organizations like the Boy Scouts embody the spirit of our Nation--giving to others, selfless sacrifice, and patriotism. A group of young men in my district recently demonstrated the highest ideals of our nation when faced with a difficult situation. The Scout pledge includes a promise to ``help people at all times'' and these young men demonstrated that. They didn't stop to help in order to get attention, but to do what was right, to do to others as they would have done to them. And the result was a heroic effort that saved lives. While on their way away from a Scout camp on their night off, these young men witnessed an accident on the road just behind them, and instead of leaving it to someone else to help and heading on to dinner, they stopped to help. One of the cars involved was already on fire when the Scouts jumped into action, as some of the young men began directing traffic around the scene as others began rescuing children from the burning car. They stabilized the injured children, assessed the immediate injuries, and worked to find a fire extinguisher to get control of the fire. When paramedics and other first responders from Pike County arrived, they worked hand-in-hand with the Scouts in taking control of the scene. The Scouts also assisted in clearing an area for a LifeFlight helicopter to land to transport the most seriously injured. These young men, Chris Henry, Paul Hutchens, Neal Wilson, George Boggs, Zack Deckner, and Joseph Fernander, demonstrated the highest ideals of American and Boy Scout values by stopping to help those in need. They sacrificed their time, and used their skills bravely, and saved lives. Although tragically, Mrs. Christy Redenz and her 5-year-old daughter died at the scene, the Scouts' quick action and training resulted in the other children being safely airlifted to local hospitals. Many people in this life look for opportunities to be heroes, to be something great; but the greatest heroes are those who accomplish great things while doing their duty in the small things. These young men are true heroes, and I am honored to bring their actions to the attention of this House. President Reagan once said something that is very appropriate in this situation--``Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference . . .'' In the case of these brave young men, they don't have that problem. Mr. Speaker, the light of the United States of America will continue to burn brightly as long as we have young men like these surrounding all of us and leading the way.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3673, the Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005. Along with the other members of the House, I have been shocked and saddened to watch the devastation that has been caused by the Hurricane in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I have also been encouraged by the heroic efforts both of private individuals and our military in saving the lives of many people, and evacuating those who simply could not get out of the affected areas. This has also been a time for Americans to draw together--donations to private relief agencies are more than $500 million in just the first week after the tragedy, and organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army have been right at the forefront in providing relief to the people affected. I strongly supported the efforts of Congress in allocating the initial $10 billion in immediate relief to keep the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Army Corps of Engineers functioning to assist in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane and flooding. However, I rise in opposition to this $51.8 billion relief package. I do not oppose all funding for the emergency, but one of my major concerns with the government response to disasters in general is the tendency to throw money at problems with very little accountability on how that money is being spent. The $51.8 billion we are about to spend is nearly three times the entire annual State budget of my home State of Georgia, the ninth- largest State in the country with a population of 8.8 million people, and will be spent in about five weeks from what we are being told. According to the Office of Management and Budget, we are spending money at a rate of $2 billion a day, and yet we in the Congress do not have many details at all on how that money is being spent. I strongly support continued government funding of relief work in the affected areas, but the legislation we are considering is sorely lacking in effective accountability. The legislation allocates funds to Federal agencies with barely any explanation, except for one thing we know--that not a dime of the $51.8 billion will be spent on reconstruction in the affected areas. The funding is only for immediate response over and above the $10 billion we are already spending. This legislation holds no one responsible, and I cannot in good conscience allow such a tremendous amount of taxpayer's money to be spent without holding someone accountable for its disbursement. The legislation does provide for the inspector general to oversee the funding, but even that is after-the- fact as the money is being spent. The more than $60 billion Congress will have allocated after this legislation passes is enough to give every family of four affected by the hurricane a cash payment of $120,000, and yet none of that $60 billion will be spent to actually rebuild anything in New Orleans, Mississippi, or Alabama. We need time to absorb information about what is happening. We know more today than we did yesterday, and we will know more tomorrow than what we know today. We do not need more knee-jerk reactions of spending money to fix problems. There are only three ways to pay for hurricane relief--raising taxes, which will stifle the economy; cutting Federal spending to offset the money; and passing the cost along to our children and grandchildren by increasing the deficit. We need to carefully consider this spending, and work diligently to ensure that the funds are being spent wisely. I have personally donated to the Red Cross and Salvation Army, as has my staff, and I will continue to support relief efforts. I would prefer that the votes in Congress on spending these disaster dollars take place in $10 billion installments, where we can see how effectively the money is being used. This is an extremely difficult time, and I applaud the leadership both of our President and other government agencies, along with the military, who have acted so decisively and effectively to alleviate suffering. We are a great nation, and we will continue to be great and rise above the challenges we face. May God continue to bless America.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) for his leadership in the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the fact that he has been able to pass reasonable legislation that not only helps the employee but the employer and gives us a better business atmosphere in this country. I would also like to thank my friend and fellow Georgian (Mr. Norwood) for his leadership in fine-tuning our occupational safety and health laws. The gentleman from Georgia has waged a years-long effort to improve the relationship between small businesses and the Federal Government's regulatory agencies, and for that I thank him. Madam Speaker, I am a small businessman. I started my own construction business 25 years ago, and that is how I supported my family until my recent election this year to Congress. OSHA regulations are not just an interesting debate topic for Washington dinner parties. For me and the millions of other small business owners, they are tough rules with real consequences. No one wants to regress to the days when workers had few rights and worked in ridiculously dangerous situations with little or no regard for their safety. In the end, good precautions are good for workers, good for businesses, and good for the economy as a whole. We are not keeping OSHA from enforcing Federal safety regulations with this legislation. We are just ensuring that regulators are fair and reasonable when enforcing regulations. In the construction business, I worked closely with subcontractors who were small business owners themselves. One of them, a good friend of mine, ran into trouble with OSHA over this very rule that we are debating today in the Small Business Day in Court Act. He and an employee were digging a hole for a septic tank. They made a mistake during the process, and it was a mistake with horrible consequences. The walls of the hole caved in, killing the employee. While my friend was recuperating from and dealing with all the painful consequences that come with the death of an employee when you are a three-or four- man business, OSHA gave him a summons. I think everyone would agree that during those 15 days after the accident, responding to an OSHA summons should not and could not be at the top of his priority list. He missed the deadline; and, of course, under OSHA rules he was not given another chance to defend himself. This legislation will help small business owners such as this, who run small shops but who employ the vast majority of American workers. They cannot employ full-time OSHA compliance officers and most owners are not going to be experts on the fine print of Federal regulations. When it comes to our Nation's job producers, we should not be tying their hands. We should be giving them a hand up. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, H.R. 739.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 29, and Thursday, June 30, I was attending a hearing of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in the state of Georgia regarding the proposed base closures and realignments for the southeastern states. I had the opportunity to testify on the importance of bases in Georgia, and particularly how vital Fort Benning is to my district and to our national security. Due to my efforts in fighting for bases in the state of Georgia, I was unable to vote on some of the amendments proposed to the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development FY06 Appropriations legislation (H.R. 3058). On the amendment of Mr. King of Iowa, rollcall Vote No. 341, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Ms. Herseth of South Dakota, rollcall Vote No. 342, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Ms. Hooley of Oregon, rollcall Vote No. 343, had I been present, I would have ``no.'' On the amendment of Mr. Souder of Indiana, rollcall Vote No. 344, had I been present, I would have voted yes. On the amendment of Mr. Davis of Florida, rollcall Vote No. 345, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Ms. Lee of California, rollcall Vote No. 346, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Mr. Sanders of Vermont, rollcall Vote No. 347, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Mr. Rangel of New York, rollcall Vote No. 348, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' On the amendment of Mr. Souder of Indiana, rollcall Vote No. 349, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.'' I strongly support Second Amendment rights, and the ensuring that the people have the right to personal protection. I strongly support allowing the people of the District of Columbia to defend themselves, and the crime prevention results it will bring. I applaud Mr. Souder for bringing this amendment, and its passage will be helpful to the people of the District. On the amendment of Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, rollcall Vote No. 350, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.'' On the amendment of Ms. DeLauro of Connecticut, rollcall Vote No. 351, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of the House a momentous occasion occurring in the Eighth District of Georgia--the one-year anniversary of the new sanctuary of Rock Springs Church in Milner, Georgia which will be celebrated on August 14 of this year. The ministry of Rock Springs is an amazing demonstration of the faithfulness of God in the lives of His people. The church has been a lighthouse for more than 150 years, faithfully calling on people in Georgia to follow the Lord in accordance with His Word. It was 1852, when some of the first Congregational Methodist churches were being formed, that Rock Springs first began. The church began serving the area immediately, and moved into its first sanctuary in 1855. From that point, a number of faithful men served in the pulpit, proclaiming God's Word to all who came to hear, and going out into the community to spread the message of truth. The church has continued to grow, and now Dr. Benny Tate leads the work that has been carried on by so many before him. Dr. Tate's vision of ministry for the community has continued to grow, and the church stands as a lighthouse, true to the Word of God. Dr. Tate's messages on the importance of Christian involvement in government have been an encouragement and challenge to me, and I appreciate his vision for Christians serving all throughout the halls of government. But true Christian statesmanship involves a deep commitment to living out the truths of the Bible, and that is the message that comes out loud and clear from the people of Rock Springs. One year ago, Rock Springs dedicated the new church sanctuary, as Solomon dedicated the temple, to the glory of God. This is the base of operations for ministry to the community. But the building itself is not the church. As we celebrate this new sanctuary, dedicated to the worship of God, the equipping of His people, and the evangelization of the lost, we also thank God for the people of Rock Springs and the testimony they are to a watching world around them. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to lay before this House the ministry of Rock Springs Church, and pray God's richest blessings on the ministry there as they look back on the past year of the new sanctuary, and look forward to many, many years of ministry in the future.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Title II of H.R. 458. This provision protects our service men and women from the predatory practices of high cost military lenders. Companies such as Pioneer Financial have demonstrated the need for increased lending restrictions due to their avaricious behavior. Pioneer Financial has realized that it can prey on military customers by charging unjustifiable rates, high fees and selling them expensive and often unnecessary credit insurance, and then refinancing the loan within a year to generate more fees. Some military customers have found alternatives to Pioneer's costly loan products, and because of this Pioneer has fought back and launched a targeted campaign to pass legislation that cripples its payday lender competitors and stops them from being able to sell to our military personnel. Mr. Speaker, no one deserves to be taken advantage of, and it is despicable that someone would specifically target the very people that are protecting the freedoms that allow us to participate in commerce at all. That is exactly why I support this bill. H.R. 458 protects and balances military borrowers' responsibilities and rights. It is important to note that the bill applies not only to payday advance lenders, but also to other higher-cost creditors like Pioneer, small loan companies, title lenders and finance companies. This legislation also ensures that military borrowers are given additional warnings and special protections if their lender targets military personnel and charges higher rates. In particular, borrowers are protected from garnishment and other collection activities while on active military duty. Further, H.R. 458 takes care to maintain access to many types of credit. By doing so, this bill provides both choice and protection for our service members. Mr. Speaker, I commend the members of the Financial Services Committee for addressing these abusive lending practices, and for protecting those who risk their lives to protect us every day.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on my colleagues in the House to support the continued operation of the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. If it is proven that detainees have suffered abusive treatment, we should take corrective action, but continue to operate the detention facility. I ask my colleagues, what good does it do to simply move to a different location? The fact is, we have to put these enemy combatants somewhere. What better place than a heavily guarded island? Mr. Speaker, the detainees at Guantanamo are not there for jaywalking or stealing a Snickers bar from the 7-Eleven. They are well-trained, hate-filled jihadists inflamed by an anti-American ideology. If they were released back into the wild, they would not return to a quiet family life of shepherding in the mountains of Afghanistan. They would simply take up arms to fight Americans again. Already we have recaptured combatants on the battlefield who had been released from Guantanamo. We should learn a lesson from that. Let us make sure they stay there.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, in fairness to Members of this body who have been subjected to a cloud of suspicion over ethics allegations, I rise today to call for the House to disband the current Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and reconstitute it as a panel that can convene and hear the cases pending before it. A report in the Washington Post today says the committee may be inactive for months and it may not take up politically charged accusations against a high-ranking leader until next year, which just happens to be an election year. The Post says, ``Democrats are hoping to gain political advantage from investigations into DeLay's activities and overseas travel and his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.'' Even the Democratic-friendly Washington Post sees the political calculations behind the minority's tactics. The Committee on Standards of Official Conduct is stalled by a partisan logjam, and I see only one way to unplug it: reconstitute the panel with Members resolved to work together so that it can move forward with its work. If this good-faith effort fails again, the House needs to install a Republican majority on the committee so that the wheels of good government can turn once more. Mr. Speaker, this body rescinded the ethics rules passed earlier this Congress to appease the minority's demands. Yet, the minority party continues to obstruct the objectives of the Ethics Committee at every turn. I believe the Republican majority should pass whatever rules necessary so the committee can and will act fairly to hear the pending cases before it--cases that involve both Republicans and Democrats. Members accused of violations deserve a chance to make their cases and perhaps clear their names.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, during an amendment vote on H.R. 1817, the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, rollcall Vote 184, Representative Hooley's Amendment, an amendment numbered 13 printed in part B of House Report 109-84 to prohibit any of the money in the DHS authorization bill to come from an increase in airline ticket taxes I inadvertently voted ``no'' when I meant to vote ``yes.'' I would like to add this statemnt to the Record to reflect this.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Chairman, I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding me this time to talk about an issue that is extremely pressing to the citizens of the 8th district, and I rise in support of the Norwood amendment. Illegal immigration is a difficult issue, but it is one that Congress must address and address it now. We have seen the ineffectiveness of border security and how the addition of more eyes can make a difference. There are now more ropes in the net helping stop our porous borders. During my most recent time in my district, nearly all the questions I received related to the issues of immigration. It is extremely important. Right now it does not make sense to prevent law enforcement officers from protecting the people of the United States. There are about 700,000 State and local police officers, compared with only about 2,000 Immigration and Customs enforcement officers. Our ICE agents are wonderful, but simply do not have the physical ability to be in every place to work on enforcement all throughout the interior of our country. In contrast, our police officers encounter illegal immigrants every day, whether it be through a traffic stop or serving a warrant. It does not make sense to stop them from helping enforce our immigration laws. This amendment takes a baby step toward the goal of better interior enforcement by clarifying the legal authority of local officers and giving them some real training on the issue. It simply does not make sense for us to ignore the eyes and ears of hundreds of thousands of local officers. Madam Chairman, I urge the adoption of the Norwood amendment.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share good news with the American people. We are beginning to see signs that the economy is clearly on the road to recovery. In fact, since May 2003, more than 3 million Americans went back to work. We have had 22 straight months of job growth. Last month alone, more than 110,000 Americans found jobs. Clearly, the economy's growth is a direct result of the pro-growth agenda of the President and this Republican Congress. By holding the line on fiscal responsibility in the budget and passing pro-growth bills such as the death tax repeal and the bankruptcy bill, Republican Members continue to show their commitment to America's economy. However, other steps must be taken to ensure our economy continues to grow. Today I urge my colleagues in the Senate to give Americans some relief at the pump by passing the energy bill, which would create 500,000 new jobs and begin the end to our dependence on foreign oil. It has programs that allow us to depend on our own resources, and that is the American way. Over the past 100 days, House Republicans have demonstrated that we are dedicated to promoting policies that better the economy and help families out there who are counting on us. I hope that we can count on our friends in the Senate to follow our lead.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, during my absence for the birth of my granddaughter, Kate, the House considered a motion to instruct the conferees on the budget resolution, H. Con. Res. 95. On rollcall vote No. 134, I would have been proud to join my colleagues from Georgia, led by Mr. Deal of Georgia, in opposing the motion to instruct. One thing I have learned about Washington during my time here so far is that a ``cut'' is actually not a cut at all--it is merely a reduction in the rate of growth. When we have so many programs driven by formulas that continue to grow year after year, the way to deal with the problem is not by denying any problem exists, but by taking steps to deal with the underlying issues that created the problem. The House Leadership has taken admirable steps to deal with the problems of continued growth in mandatory spending, and I am thrilled that we are moving forward with reductions in mandatory program spending. These are not cuts, but are commonsense steps to manage the people's resources wisely.

Mr. WESTMORELAND

Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, while I was with my son and daughter- in-law during the birth of their daughter, the House considered an important vote on the ethics rules governing the House. Being with my family during the birth of Kate was a thrilling experience, and I am grateful for the blessing she has already been to our extended family. Had I been present for Rollcall Vote #145, I would have joined my 20 colleagues in opposing the change in the rules. The changes proposed at the beginning of the 109th Congress made sense, and should have been implemented.