Charles Wilson

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. I thank you for that observation. I truly believe this is what the American people said in this November's election. They said: We need accountability. We need people to be responsible. And that is why the election turned the way it did. And I believe now that it is important for us to pursue every opportunity to make sure that we have fiscal responsibility, to make sure that we are doing the right things for the people, and keeping an eye on our national debt. Just last week, I received a graph in my office, and the amount of debt that we are paying to foreign countries is huge in comparison to what we are spending on education or health care for our seniors. That is the thing that is most difficult to understand about this, is how we can let the really important things go and spend all this money on interest. I know as a businessman, I could not run my business that way. As a person, I couldn't run my personal finances that way. And so there is no reason to think that we should run our government that way. Moving forward, I just think that we need to be sure that this Congress is responsible. And one of the primary ways of doing that, that the Blue Dogs are advocating, is PAYGO, and that is as we pay as we go, just like you and I do in our budgets at home. If we are going to buy a new car, we need to make a sacrifice of something else. If we are going to go on a vacation, there needs to be something traded for that. PAYGO, quite frankly, Mr. Scott, says that what we really have to do is to make sure, if we are going to pay forward, that we eliminate something that we are doing now, and then we pay as we go.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the Iraq resolution that we are debating here is bipartisan. Over the last 2 days, Democrats and Republicans have come to this floor to voice their opposition about the escalation plan for this war. There is also strong bipartisan support for a resolution in the Senate that would express the Chamber's opposition to the President's plan there. Unfortunately, Senate Republican leaders are preventing the debate and the resolution, preferring instead to blindly follow the President. Why have Democrats and Republicans come together to express our opposition to the President's plan? Unlike the President, we have listened to the military experts, his own generals, the American people, the troops fighting in Iraq, and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that said this war no longer can be won militarily. Congress must express an opinion to this President's plan. Over the last month, the House and Senate committees have conducted 52 hearings on Iraq, conducting oversight of an administration that is off course internationally. The oversight will continue and we will bring a change of course in Iraq

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Thank you, Mr. Delahunt. Mr. Speaker, the costs keep climbing. Thousands of our young brave men and women have been killed. Next month we enter the fifth year of this war, a war that has lasted longer than World War I or World War II. Hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money has been spent, and some of that money seems to have just disappeared into the desert air. The costs keep climbing, and nobody, not a single Republican or Democrat, can deny that. The question before us now is clear: Should we escalate this war and send 21,500 more of our sons and daughters to referee a civil war in Iraq? The American people have spoken out for change, and many of us here have listened carefully. But escalating this war does not reflect the hard reality at home or on the ground in Iraq. Saying ``support our troops'' is easy, but actually standing up for our troops overseas and their families here at home demands so much more from us. We must ask the tough questions and provide real support, instead of empty rhetoric. Supporting our troops requires that we protect their bodies and lives with the best armor available. Supporting our troops means equipping them with the most reliable weapons and effective training. Supporting our troops does not stop when they come home from the war. It is the Nation's solemn obligation to care for those who have given so much. Supporting our troops means we must ask ourselves the hard question, should we send more of our sons and daughters into the constant crossfire of Iraq's civil war? The answer is no. Mr. Speaker, it comes down to supporting our troops. In addition to the best armor, the proper respect and the right benefits, our troops deserve the right plan. In fact, nothing matters more than the right plan. Our heroic soldiers have done everything that we have asked them to do. Without a realistic plan to guide them, we cannot say that we are supporting our troops. While sacrificing health care for children and pharmaceutical needs for our seniors, this administration has shipped 363 tons of cash on pallets to Iraq. When it got there, the American officials turned it over to Iraqis, without any idea of where they were spending it or what they were doing with it. That defies common sense. It should not be a surprise that nearly $9 billion are missing. Again, Mr. Speaker, the costs keep climbing. As high as the cost is in dollars, it pales compared to the high price many of our military families have had to pay. Our troops are over-stretched, their families are overstressed, and there is no relief in sight. Every one of our active duty military brigades have served at least a year long in Iraq or Afghanistan. When a mother or father or husband or wife is abroad for a year, it places tremendous strain on the family. Too many families have been torn apart by this war. The cost of broken families will never be entered into an accountant's ledger, but the cost is too high, and it just keeps climbing. This month, one young man from my district was killed in Iraq. I know that this country will feel his loss. He left behind his parents, his wife and an infant son, Mr. Speaker, that he never had a chance to meet. I feel their loss deeply, and I ask all of my colleagues to remember that every man and woman that has been killed in Iraq cannot be replaced and leaves behind many people who depended on them. The resolution before us today could not be any more clear. It states that the Congress will continue to support and protect our troops. I will never vote for any legislation that will endanger our troops in the field, and we will never vote to cut off funding that will help to compromise the safety of our men and women in uniform. But escalating this war and sending 21,500 more troops to referee a civil war is not the answer. The American people have spoken and they demand that we support our troops with a real change in direction. As the voice of the people, Congress will make sure that this administration finally takes notice.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, the President's proposed budget is another step down the long road of fiscal irresponsibility. While this administration's budget claims to reach balance in 2012, in reality, it actually will remain in the red all along those years. After all, over the last 6 years, the Bush administration's fiscal policies have posted the highest deficits in our Nation's history. The administration has squandered the budget surplus it inherited, transforming $5.6 trillion projected surplus into a $2.8 trillion deficit over the same period, completely losing focus of what we need to do in America. Even with this continued deficit, the budget still hurts American families. It proposes substantial cuts to Medicare and Medicaid both. What does this out-of-whack budget really fund? The President's tax cuts for the wealthy, of course. Mr. Speaker, the President has put forth another budget that raises our national debt while cutting vital programs to Americans. His priorities haven't changed. Fortunately, the leadership in this Congress has changed.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, President Bush sent Congress a budget for 2008 for the fiscal year that continues the misguided priorities of this administration. Last November, the American people rejected the status quo, saying that we can do better. It is time for a change, it is a time for a change in direction. Unfortunately, the President's budget is more of the same. His budget for the Department of Homeland Security is only 1 percent more than it was in 2007. This is a modest increase for a department that is charged with such a critical mission and has yet to meet the goals of protecting our country. Particularly disappointing is the President's request for programs to support first responders. The President has reduced the preparedness and training by 33 percent. The firefighters' grants would be reduced by 55 percent. State and local law enforcement grants would also undergo cuts, depriving our communities of critical support when they need it most after 9/11. Mr. Speaker, House Democrats are serious about ensuring that our local police departments and our firefighters have the equipment they need to better protect our communities. The President's budget must be rejected.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word, and I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I reclaim my time and give it to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation as a government to provide assistance to the men and women who have bravely served our Nation in our military; but once again, President Bush sent us a budget this week that significantly shortchanges veterans health care. While our brave troops are fighting abroad as of right now, the President proposes a $3.5 billion cut in veterans health care over the next 5 years. His budget also provides less than veteran service organizations say is needed to meet the growing needs of veterans, including the fact that we have a growing robust amount of veterans with the Iraq-Afghanistan war. For the fifth year in a row, the budget raises health care costs on 1.3 million veterans, imposing $4.9 million in increased copayments on prescription drugs, and new enrollment fees on veterans over the next 10 years. The budget also increases TRICARE health care premiums for the Nation's military retirees, and includes several other changes in military health care that have been rejected by Congress in previous years. If these proposals are not successful during the 2008 fiscal year, the budget for military health care will continue to be underfunded by at least $1.8 billion. Mr. Speaker, America's veterans deserve better, and they will get it from this Democratic House.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Thank you, Mr. Ross, and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak on the budget that has been sent to us just as recently as yesterday. I was elected by the people of eastern Ohio and sent to Washington to try to bring a commonsense approach to what is going on down here. I must say that the budget that we received yesterday and have looked through today making different points, it is astonishing, the math that is used. The budget doesn't add up, the numbers don't fit together, the lack of real fiscal responsibility, the tax increases on the middle class, the continued cutting of programs that are good for people, the lack of oversight over our war that is going on right now. It is frightening. It is frightening for everybody. There are several things that are wrong, though, that I would like to talk about. As I said, the numbers don't add up; they just don't come together. There are assumptions that are made that are unrealistic, and it provides us with an opportunity for real failure, more so than we have now. As Mr. Ross recently indicated, we are near $9 trillion right now in debt, and with everyone's share, with 300 million residents of America, we are looking at $29,000 per person. That is man, woman, child. Looking at this, it is unfortunate that under this budget proposal there are crucial investments that have been cut to programs that are important to people. For example, they are cutting commodities for seniors and people with low incomes and people who have disabilities, but yet we are making real strong assumptions on the scenario of what can happen for the right things to give more tax breaks. I did an interview today, Mr. Speaker, with a newspaper in Ohio, and was asked, how will you pay to restore the commonsense benefits that are in this budget? Well, one of the ways would be to eliminate some of the tax breaks for the people who need them least, and this would certainly be a thing that we as the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition would be supportive of. We need to look at common sense. We need to find ways, such as PAYGO, which we are putting forward, to say that no program goes forward for more spending, Mr. Speaker, without eliminating a program that is costing us in the present time. This is what PAYGO is about. It is a direction that our country needs. PAYGO stands for common sense, and that is really what we are trying to do. When we look at this budget, we say that in the President's budget this time for the 2008 series, it is more of the same, that there has been no change. It takes many, many assumptions that it is going to be a best-case scenario. But when you really look at the numbers, Mr. Speaker, it winds up quite bad again. We are moving in the wrong direction, doing the wrong things. The unbid contracts in the war, the situation that we have where money is being drained on a daily basis out of America, I can't help but wonder all the good that could be done if we had fiscal responsibility, if we had people that were looking at the realities of what this budget could do. So I am confident as a new Democrat in this Congress that we are going to work hard to try to bring common sense to the budget to try to benefit the American people. This best-case scenario assumption is just not a fair way to go. It hasn't proven good in the last 6 years, and I doubt very much it is going to prove good in the next 2 years. I am happy to be part of the Blue Dog Coalition, to look for fiscal responsibility and fight for the rights of what should be done in America.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, a new report from the Budget and Appropriations Committee says that the new Congress faces a fiscal challenge of historic proportions. The cost of the war in Iraq, coupled with the growing price tag of tax cuts passed over the previous 6 years, have left the Nation deeper in debt than ever before and with one of the largest benefit deficits in the Nation's history. Last year, Democrats committed to begin the process of restoring fiscal sanity by reinstituting a budget rule that helped Congress create a surplus in the 1990s. It is this fiscal discipline that is so important to House Democrats that we restored a pay-as-you-go budget rule on the second day of this new Congress. Madam Speaker, historic debts are not good for any of us. They lead to rising interest rates, which cost middle-class families as much as $1,700 a year on credit card and mortgage payments. It also simply is irresponsible of us to continue to pass this debt on to future generations. Madam Speaker, this week we will pass a final budget for the 2007 fiscal year after Republicans refused to pass these must-pass appropriations bills last year. It's time we get our fiscal house in order.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to comment on the good feeling of having the 100 hours' strong start and the issues that we touched upon. Many have talked about it today, but I believe it was very much an important part of fulfilling our promise to the voters throughout our campaigns in '06 to be able to come here in '07 and make a difference. In less than 100 hours, we were able to move some major legislation, things like prescription drug negotiations with the Health and Human Services Administration, being able to negotiate, which just makes sense. When it is done on everything else that we buy in America, it is actually part of the way business is done, and why there is this protection to keep that from happening, I have no idea. It has been a great opportunity I think to see, and I think it will be a great benefit for seniors. There are so many things that have happened in this 100 hours. And even though the other side says it is not perfect, it is not; but it is certainly a good start. To do something as simple as enacting the 9/11 Commission, to have the recommendations for safety and scanning our containers that go onto our boats and containers that go into our airplanes so that we know that we are not allowing illegal things into our country and things that can hurt us, this is just a really positive move in the right direction; and I believe it is a good one. And the minimum wage, to do that raise for the working families of our country that have been neglected for 10 years, it is the right thing to do. I am so proud to be a part of the minimum-wage increase. I believe, Mr. Speaker, what we did on energy planning yesterday in stopping the royalties that are being given to the large oil companies that are exhibiting exorbitant profits, and to be able to do something where we can say we are going to work towards energy independence in this country. We are going to look at options and how we can do ethanol. I have an ethanol plant in my State of Ohio that we are trying to get up and running. We want to have alternative fuels. Coal-to-liquid is very exciting. In the Ohio Valley that I represent, we have an abundance of coal, coal that we will be able to use in a liquid plant to be able to produce fuel that could be used by the military. They are working on that contract as we speak. One of the things that I like about the coal-to-liquid process is it is going to be a long-term investment. As leaders in government, we need to provide the leadership that needs to be done because we can't make the investment in coal-to-liquid plants and then have oil go down to $36 a barrel. It has to be a long-term investment for people to invest in it. It has to be an opportunity where we can work toward our energy independence. I believe it is a very significant thing, Mr. Speaker. And to know that, again, it is one of the important things that we have done in this 100 hours. And to know that by reducing the interest on student loans we have provided more students with access to college and higher education, that is what it is about. This is the kind of thing that I believe helps us give people opportunities because so many times we have had bright people who just can't afford to go to higher education. By cutting the loans $4,400 for the average student in their college expense, I think it is a great opportunity. Last but not least, to finish up with the ethics part, to know that we have done something, to shine the light on the ethics that is in this very body, and that we are going to operate a Congress that is going to be above board and we are going to do things right. In our first 100 hours, although it is not perfect, it is certainly a great first step in the right direction.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker and ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk about the commonsense energy debate that we are going to have today in regard to the bill that we are proposing. Being from the Midwest and from Ohio, I truly believe that our energy costs in Ohio are one of our most significant problems with why we haven't been able to do as much business development as we would like to. We have the opportunity right now instead of paying royalties to the companies that are providing us with our energy, we can now invest in alternatives ways of finding resources to be able to provide the energy for our people and to stimulate the business growth, especially in Ohio and hopefully in America as well. It is important to realize that we have the opportunities to burn ethanol. I am excited about the fact that certainly in my area we have an abundance of coal, and with clean coal technology we can create more energy. We have the opportunity now, Mr. Speaker, to look at coal-to- liquid fuel as an alternative to lessen our dependency on foreign oil. I truly believe that this is a move in the right direction, Mr. Speaker, and something that will help. I am looking forward to resolving the energy problems of our country. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, Ohio students and their families are struggling. In fact, Ohio ranks 49th in affordability of college. Sadly, this is a barrier many hard-working families cannot overcome. Bright young Ohioans are being shut out because college costs too much. Today, by cutting student loan rates in half, we are opening up important opportunities for thousands of young Ohioans and young people across the nation. Just in the first two years, this bill will save Ohio students an average of $2,230 and in four years $4,320. We should ease the burden on our working families. We should put our students in a position to succeed in school and beyond. This bill, which cuts student loan rates, does just that.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to point out some of the issues why I believe I was elected by the people in Ohio to come to Congress to help with the deficit spending and the problems that we have. How we have gone from a surplus in 6 years to a record deficit under this administration, I believe that is why we had the turnout at the polls that we had this year. Mr. Speaker, I believe the American people are concerned. They are worried about the amount of money that is being spent on interest, on the money we owe on this deficit. They are concerned about the money that is being taken away from the education of our children. They are concerned about the money that is taken away from the health care of our families because of the interest that is paid on this debt. It is just irresponsible; and at this point, Mr. Speaker, every man, woman, and child in this country owes $29,000 in this deficit budget that we have, or lack of budget that we have. There has to be a change, and I truly believe that is what the people in America said all across America when they changed the face of Congress. It is now that we need to be responsible for what is going on. I believe that by being a member of the Blue Dogs that I have the honor of being one of the frontrunners in asking for fiscal responsibility and demanding that we know what we are buying before we go forward and we know what we are paying for and that we use PAYGO in such a way that we do not start buying new things until we figure out how we are going to pay for them. I believe that is one of the pledges that I and many of the new Congressmen that have come to this body made to the people that we dealt with on the campaign trail on a regular basis. We are concerned about what is going on. It concerns me, Mr. Speaker, that people in this administration have said there is nothing to be concerned about with the deficit, that what has been spent, it will take care of itself. I believe that all of us know that that is not really how it works. I know myself, as a small businessman, I have to be concerned that my spending does not overcome my income, and I realize the government has to live within those same means. We have to be sure that what we are doing is the right thing for the people in America, and even though it has been reckless and we find ourselves in a difficult situation, it starts with this 110th Congress, that we move forward to try to do responsible things for the people in America. I believe that starts with thinking about what money could be directed to the education of our children. I cannot stress enough the fact of the money that is being taken away from programs that will improve people's lives in America because of the debt we have. For that reason, we feel that fiscal responsibility is a major thrust of this 110th Congress, and we believe that the Blue Dog Coalition is one of the leaders in what is going to happen in the future. This is the difference, Mr. Speaker, that we make sure that new bills are going to fit the budget of what we have. We are not going to just be radical in spending money and not caring about what is in the future and what we need to do. I am happy, Mr. Speaker, to be part of this Blue Dog Coalition and to be a new Member of Congress to try to bring about fiscal responsibility, and I look forward to working with the other 43 members of the Blue Dog Coalition to bring about this result.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond also to some of the things that both of these gentlemen have been saying, and that is in regard to putting a lid on the spending that is going on in our country today. In 2001 through 2003, our spending just soared. And from that point the Blue Dogs have been saying that we need some spending caps, we need to be able to evaluate what we are spending on various programs. The Blue Dogs feel that the purpose of holding the line on discretionary spending is where we need to go with fiscal responsibility. We feel, Mr. Speaker, that our budget needs to be held in place. And as was said earlier, 49 of our 50 States have budgets that they operate by. And I can only tell you from the State of Ohio, that we had a budget, and we even had a budget surplus, which was a savings account that we could use when there was a special need that came up in our State. And that is the kind of plan I would like to see us do in Congress as well, is to not only stop the runaway spending, put the lids on spending, but then also create a mechanism where we would have a safety valve if a special need came up that we needed to be able to do for the people by having a type of savings account that we could use, and that would be something that I think would be very much in order. Also, if I may, Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention about the auditing of the various programs that we have in the government. It just makes good sense to know how they are doing, and if they are not doing well we need to hold people responsible for that. That is part of the Blue Dog Coalition approach, is to how we can audit and test where we are doing well and where we are not, and certainly to limit our spending where we are not doing well. This is all part of the future and part of the fiscal responsibility that we need to be doing.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise to say that what will be going on today is righting a wrong for working families in America, and that is raising the minimum wage. It has been a full 10 years since President Clinton was able to raise the minimum wage to help the people who work for us on a daily basis. With all the increased costs we have today, of housing, of health care, it is just impossible for people to be able to make it. In Ohio, we have seen people suffer because the minimum wage has not been relevant to what is going on in their life. Many years ago, Henry Ford was criticized for saying that he paid his workers better than others, and his logic was his workers would be able to buy the cars that they manufactured. We want the people today to be able to have the right to be able to buy the things that they need, certainly for their families. So raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, as Congressman Ross said, I am a new Member, Mr. Speaker, and it is a pleasure to be here from Ohio. And one of the major concerns is the amount of debt that we have created in this country. One of the reasons that I have joined the Blue Dogs is I like the idea of us having a balanced budget. I truly believe, Mr. Speaker, that Congress cannot buy on credit without being responsible for the credit card. This is not the principle that I have lived by all my life as a successful businessman and these are not the principles that our government can run by. We need to be accountable. We need to be able to step forward and show what our money is being used for, and not to spend more than we have. Each and every one of us has budgets within our home, we have budgets within our life that we use every day. We know that we have to live within our budget or we have bad consequences. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker, there is no difference for us as a government. We have to live within our means. And to see the transformation that has happened in the last 6 years in going from a large surplus of $400 billion to now a nearly $9 trillion balance of debt, D-E-B-T as Congressman Ross says, in our government. It is time that we start saying to the Congress and to the administration we must live within our means. We have to know that the Blue Dogs are going to be watching and are going to be concerned, and one of the plans that has been set forth by the Blue Dogs is what we call PAYGO. That means that you don't buy anything that you are going to pay for to go forward until you decide what you are going to eliminate. It is just like each and every one of us does in our lives every day. We know that we can't just go out and buy anything, that we have to budget for it, we have to make an opportunity so that we are able to pay for it. And so one of the new plans that you are going to be hearing coming out of this 110th Congress is going to be the PAYGO, that means that our spending must be paid for before we go forward. This is just one of the plans that the Blue Dogs are taking responsibility for to help us put a lid on the spending that is going on within our country. I am so proud to join these other 43 people and now 44 of us in the Blue Dogs in bringing about accountability and helping us to put spending caps on what is going on in our government. I am delighted to be one of the speakers today that is concerned about what is going on in our country and look forward to working to bring fiscal responsibility to this government.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Thank you, Congressman Ross. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just speak for a moment, if I could, in regard to putting the lid on the spending. One of the things that we all know we came here to do is to stop the runaway inflation and debt that is just climbing up in our country on a regular basis. The thought that spending from the year 2001 to 2003, total government spending, Mr. Speaker, increased by 16 percent, these types of raises and just continual going into debt is what has put our country where every man, woman and child now is at the level of $29,005. We need to have the right kind of controls, and I believe in Ohio, Indiana, Florida, certainly please speak out as to what you feel the issues are in your State and what we can do about it.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida. I rise basically to support my colleagues for introducing this important and long overdue rules package. This sets the tone for a more open and ethical Congress. In addition to other changes, the resolution creates important pay-as-you-go rules to clean up our fiscal house. As a successful business owner, I learned the importance of balancing the books. If I hadn't, I would not have been successful in business. Our government needs to live by the same rule, and I join my fellow Blue Dogs to push PAYGO as part of the solution to the problems we are experiencing today. We know it works. When PAYGO was on the books in the 1990s, we saw the deficits disappear. Now with an out-of-control national debt, we need PAYGO more than ever. We need fiscal responsibility in America.