Charles Wilson

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 252) recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s historic achievement in becoming the first United States astronaut to orbit the Earth.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 252, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 252, recognizing the 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s historic achievement in becoming the first United States astronaut to orbit the Earth. This resolution recognizes John Glenn's distinguished career as a military officer in the United States Marine Corps, during which he served in combat in the South Pacific and the Korean conflict and received many honors for his military service, as a test pilot on Navy and Marine Corps jet fighters and attack aircraft, and especially as an astronaut on the first manned orbital mission of the United States. Madam Speaker, on February 20, 1962, John Glenn piloted the Mercury- Atlas 6 Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first U.S. manned orbital space mission, completing three orbits of the Earth and landing some 5 hours later 800 miles southeast of Kennedy Space Center near Grand Turk Island. With that pioneer flight, John Glenn joined his fellow Americans, Alan Shepard and Virgil Grissom, in realizing the dream of space exploration and engaging the minds and imaginations of his and future generations in the vast potential of space exploration. This resolution recognizes that John Glenn, having retired from the space program, continued his public service as a distinguished Member of the Senate for 24 years and through his work at the John Glenn Institute at the Ohio State University, which fosters public involvement in the policy-making process. In 1998, John Glenn returned to space after 36 years as a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery, helping researchers study how weightlessness affects the body of an older person. Madam Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to support House Resolution 252, to honor this 45th anniversary of John Herschel Glenn, Jr.'s landmark mission, piloting the first manned orbital mission of the United States, and to recognize the profound importance of his achievement as a catalyst to space exploration and scientific advancement in the United States. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space).

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton).

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I welcome my good friend, Monsignor George Coyne, to the Congress this morning. I have known Monsignor Coyne since I was a young boy and he was a student in the seminary. At that time, he was also working for my grandfather in our family business. My entire family came to know him well. Monsignor Coyne set such a good example that his brothers, Jerry and Tim, followed him as employees of our family business. Even back then, Monsignor carried a deep faith and a commitment to serving others in our community, which he has all of his life as a priest. All of these years later, his faith and commitment are more evident than ever. Today, Monsignor Coyne serves the parishioners at two churches in eastern Ohio: Saint Joseph Church in Tiltonsville, and Saint Lucy Church in Yorkville. Just as I have, parishioners at Saint Joseph and Saint Lucy have witnessed Monsignor Coyne's passion firsthand. Today the Congress and the viewers across the Nation have had their chance to see what makes Monsignor Coyne such a special person. For that I am deeply grateful. In closing, I would like to thank Monsignor Coyne for joining us here today and for his years of dedicated service to the people of eastern Ohio.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, being from Ohio and speaking on this issue is really quite easy because Ohio leads the Nation in predatory lending and in foreclosures, an unfortunate statistic that we are not proud of. As a new Member of Congress and one that has worked very hard in the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate to pass legislation against predatory lending, I feel it a real calling to be one who speaks up strongly here in the Congress on the same type of issue that people are being taken advantage of in a big way. So, Mr. Speaker, Ohio's working families are paying the price, and in many cases, they are paying with their homes. In fact, Ohio leads the Nation, as I said, in foreclosures. In my district, Mr. Speaker, in southeastern Ohio, from the suburbs of Youngstown to the small rural communities along the West Virginia and the Kentucky borders, predatory lenders are targeting honest Ohioans who only want one thing: they want a chance to purchase a home of their own and live the American Dream. For millions who struggle with bad credit, these subprime and adjustable rate mortgages seem like the perfect opportunity to correct their problems. But in reality, when it sets in, it is the worst solution that they could choose. Rates begin to skyrocket, late fees pile up, and before long it is too late. Too many families are losing their homes to foreclosure. Too many families are being left out in the cold. The numbers are alarming. These subprime loans account for 63 percent of Ohio's foreclosures. Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that has spread far beyond Ohio to our major cities all across America. In fact, two-thirds of the subprime loans are used in non-urban areas as well. Today's working families are being challenged in so many ways. While wages stay flat or decline, we have seen people's gas prices and health care costs continue to soar. It's time that our working families finally get the relief they deserve, and taking on predatory lenders has to be a part of the solution. As a member of the Senate, as I said, I joined colleagues to work on Ohio's predatory lending laws. I work on this important issue here in Washington also, because I believe it's an important one for the people of this country. One of the things I did was to take a first step in introducing House Resolution 1723. It's a bill that I introduced that targets FHA home loans. It clearly outlines unacceptable practices that could be used in an attempt to influence an appraisal on a home. It also puts in place a blind draw, a system that would randomly select the appraiser, rather than having loan companies have favorites that they use to make unrealistic appraisals. Ensuring that homes are appraised fairly is an important piece of the puzzle. Many borrowers cannot refinance or sell to avoid defaulting because their property is not worth what they owe on the home. Too often, the original mortgage is based on the inflated appraisal, and H.R. 1723 will keep that from happening when it comes to FHA loans. Families across the Nation are now feeling the kind of pain that we in Ohio have suffered; 2.2 million subprime home loans made in recent years have already failed, or will in foreclosure. These foreclosures will cost homeowners as much as $164 million, and that figure only begins to describe the cost to the families. Our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers, are losing their homes, and in the process they are losing their hold on the American dream. Our working families deserve real relief, not just empty words. I urge this Congress to take a strong stand on predatory lending. We must make sure that Americans' dream of home ownership does not turn into a nightmare for even more families.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, this is a taxing time for America. As a member of the fiscally conservative Democrat Blue Dog Coalition, I welcome these opportunities to come to the floor and talk about fiscal responsibility and what we need to draw our attention to in this Nation's most pressing problem. Mr. Speaker, it is a skyrocketing national debt. As Congressman Ross has pointed out and indicated in numerous ways, it has just gotten out of hand. We are paying so much money of our tax dollars to pay the interest on the debt to foreign countries that we are borrowing from that it is really changing the face of America. Tonight, Mr. Speaker, the timing is especially good because April 17 is the tax filing deadline for this year. As Americans, we race to the mailboxes with our taxes to meet the deadline, and it is important to note how our national debt affects each and every U.S. taxpayer. The average U.S. household devotes almost $2,000 a year in taxes to pay interest on our national debt, $2,000 a year just to pay the interest. That is about twice the amount they pay in taxes to help fund the Department of Education, veterans' health care, and homeland security programs. Under this administration's budget, the picture only gets worse for American taxpayers. By 2014, the GAO says that more than two-thirds of revenues will be required just to pay the interest on our debt. Under this projection, net interest would become the largest Federal spending program, larger than Social Security, larger than our defense budget, and larger than Medicare and Medicaid combined. This defies commonsense and is not in line with our national priorities. An approach that faces this troubling reality is long overdue, and in the first 100 days of this Congress, we have proved that we are up to the challenge. We passed bills, Mr. Speaker, that benefit small businesses, and above all, we passed a responsible budget. It funds our top priorities, like strengthening our military and our homeland security. This is commonsense and this is what the Blue Dogs stand for. We want to make a difference by requiring and demanding fiscal responsibility. This also does something very important. It restores fiscal discipline and returns us to surplus by 2012. Mr. Speaker, as American taxpayers, we send our hard-earned money to the IRS. They should know where it is going. Today, too much of it is going towards paying interest on our national debt. With fiscal responsibility and cost accountability in place, this Congress can change what is going on and bring real relief to America's working families.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 76) honoring the 50th Anniversary of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) and its past contributions to space research, and looking forward to future accomplishments.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on House Concurrent Resolution 76, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 76, honoring the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, and would like to take this opportunity to recognize Chairman Mark Udall for his hard work on this resolution. This resolution marks the 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year, honors its contributions to space research and looks forward to future accomplishments. Mr. Speaker, the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958 was a highly successful international effort in involving 67 nations that came together during the Cold War to coordinate global observations and measurements of the solid Earth, the oceans, the atmosphere and the near-Earth space environment. During the IGY, the successful launches of the first artificial satellites took place, Sputnik 1 by the former Soviet Union and Explorer 1 by the United States, marking the dawn of the Space Age. Explorer 1 also enabled one of the most notable achievements of the IGY, the discovery of belts of trapped, charged particles in the Earth's upper atmosphere by the late Dr. James Van Allen of Iowa. This year's commemoration serves not only to remember the great scientific work that was done during the IGY, but also, Mr. Speaker, to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, who will be critical to our continued progress and economic well-being. In that regard, Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 76 encourages the public, in particular our young people, to participate in the celebrations that are planned for this IGY anniversary year and to embrace challenging goals for future research in space science and Earth science. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not mention the activity of the International Polar Year and its 200 approved IPY research efforts, including studies of environmental changes in the Arctic and marine life in the Arctic Ocean. I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 76 and honor this 50th anniversary of the International Geophysical Year. Through future research in Earth, science and space science, including that of the IPY, we have tremendous opportunities for new knowledge and new discoveries, and I hope we can look back 50 years from now on equally exciting accomplishments. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I join my distinguished colleague from Ohio, Mr. Ryan, in welcoming Father Thomas McCarthy to the Congress today. After an active and impressive career serving the people of northeastern Ohio, Father McCarthy has retired to St. Paul's Parish in Salem, which is in Ohio's Sixth Congressional District which I represent. As the Sixth District Representative in Congress, I am honored to represent Father McCarthy, and I am also pleased to welcome him here today. While Father McCarthy may have officially retired, he is showing no signs of slowing down. To this day, Father McCarthy remains active in the diocese, where he serves as the Bishop's Delegate for Retired Priests. The people at St. Paul's describe Father McCarthy as a beloved and dedicated member of their close-knit community. They say he is someone who never hesitates to help someone in need, whether that means making a late-night hospital visit to pray with the sick, or comforting a family member during the death and funeral of a loved one. We are so lucky to have Father McCarthy among us here today in Congress. We are even more fortunate to have his unwavering commitment and faith guiding us each day in the Ohio Valley.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, this is the first year that the Democrats have controlled Congress in a long time, and we are dedicated to bringing a budget to the floor next week that balances the budget within the next 5 years without any new taxes. Earlier this year, the President made the same pledge. Unfortunately, earlier this month the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the President's budget and says that it falls short by 2012. Since taking office, this has been a difficult proposed budget. Not only does the President's budget remain in the red for the next 5 years, but he also proposes raising taxes on some of the middle-class families. The President's health care proposal would result in a tax increase of $500 billion over 10 years by increasing taxes on middle- class families who are fortunate to have employer-provided health insurance. Madam Speaker, Democrats propose a budget that is balanced by 2012, and a budget that is balanced without raising taxes.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, last year Democrats pledged to make Congress an open and accountable process to the American people. This week the House will consider a series of reform measures that deliver on that promise. This week we will vote on legislation reforming the Freedom of Information Act, requiring a more timely disclosure of government documents, and another bill that nullifies the 2001 Presidential executive order so that the access to Presidential records is finally restored. Both of these important bills open up government to the American people so that they can hold their government accountable. Finally, the House will debate a bill providing real oversight of government contracts by limiting how long Federal no-bid contracts can last and requiring agencies to minimize the use of no-bid contracts. Real oversight will return to Washington, and this week we will pass important legislation that brings real accountability along with it.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. I thank the gentleman from Georgia. I appreciate this opportunity. Madam Speaker, when we sent cash over to Iraq on a pallet with no accountability, no understanding, and those hundreds of millions of dollars just disappeared into the desert air, we know that we need accountability. We need accountability in this war for the financial money that we have sent there. We also need accountability for the body armor and the proper rest for our soldiers, the proper training for our soldiers. We need to be able to show that we are showing accountability. I am so proud to be a new Member of this Congress that is willing to stand up for our soldiers and for the right things to do for America. When more than $400 billion have been poured into Iraq with little oversight on how that money is spent, we have to ask ourselves, we can't wait any longer for the accountability that needs to be done. I am proud to be a member of the Blue Dog Coalition to be able to stand up and say what the national debt is. If we could see the money that we spend every month, and month after month and year after year on the interest debt of our Nation, almost $9 trillion now, it is just hard to believe that we can continue down this lane of not making the proper decisions and not having accountability. House Resolution 97 goes straight to the heart of the matter. It sets up the issue and the framework of how we are going to consider having the proper accountability so that we can know where we are going, where the money is going. These are hard-earned tax dollars, and many of these dollars are being spent that are not being spent on education and are not being spent on health care for our seniors. These dollars are being funneled into foreign countries that were borrowing money to help pay this debt. It is not the right direction. House Resolution 97 does call for regular reports to the Congress that outline how military and reconstruction funds are spent from now on. It also says the accounts for the terms and contracts that are awarded by our government, how long are the contracts? What is the accountability of them? Are they all no-bid contracts, and, if so, how long are they in place for? We need to have that kind of accountability, and House Resolution 97 does that. It details how future taxpayer money will be spent. That is the kind of accountability that we need. The costs just keep climbing in Iraq, and we must get a true handle to know where these costs are. The American taxpayer deserves to know the truth. They deserve to know what is going on, and this is what House Resolution 97 does. It shines the light of day on the process that is going on in Iraq. I am hopeful, if we can lean forward and move forward on this legislation, we will be able to have accountability that people will feel that we are doing the right things. Our soldiers will know that they are having the right kind of support, and we, as Members of Congress, are providing the service and the change in direction to get America back on the right track.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Thank you to the gentleman from Georgia. You could not be more right, and it is evident in what we have seen in the Walter Reed Hospital situation we have just seen recently. The conditions are deplorable, to think that our men and women and our soldiers go and put their life on the line, and just thousands and thousands have been injured and they have returned to substandard medical care, poor conditions and sometimes horror stories of people waiting 18 hours to be seen by a doctor. This type of lack of accountability just cannot continue, and I am proud to be a Member of this Congress and this Democratic Caucus that are going to move forward toward doing the right thing for our soldiers, supporting them with the money that they need and moving forward to bring common sense to this entire situation.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, when we send our Nation's young men and women into harm's way, it is always with the commitment that we will provide them with all the care they need if they are wounded in combat. Unfortunately, this administration has broken its commitment to our soldiers. Saying that they support the troops is easy for the President and the Vice President; actually coming up with examples is becoming more difficult every day. Dana Priest, the Washington Post reporter who uncovered the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital recently, said that money is the root of the problem exposed at Walter Reed. Yet in testimony before the House Oversight Government Reform Committee on Monday, top military brass said they were given all the money that they needed. How could this be? If they indeed have all the money they need, then why are we attempting to nickel-and-dime the injured soldiers who have put their life on the line for our country? Mr. Speaker, this is just another example of this administration's inability to make government work. Fortunately, this Democratic Caucus is not going to let them get away with it.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe when the Katrina accident happened that we were out of line as much as we were and not responsive, as has been indicated here this evening, and it is even harder to believe that after the correction of that, we are back in the same boat again. I know they changed FEMA directors. Mr. Brown was terminated and went on. And then now we have a new group of people running FEMA, but it does not seem to be any better. Mr. Speaker, the Blue Dogs stand for accountability. We stand for accountability in a lot of different ways. We feel that there are some truly misguided priorities that are hurting our country and hurting us as people here. Mr. Speaker, just Sunday evening, millions of Americans watched ``60 Minutes.'' We heard what the Blue Dogs have been talking about for more than a decade. In the report, the U.S. Comptroller General, the Nation's top accountant, urged people to wake up to our budget crisis before it is too late. These are his words, Mr. Speaker. ``What's going on right now is we're spending more money than we make.'' Couldn't be much more simple. ``We're charging it to a credit card and expecting our grandchildren to pay.'' Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely wrong. The Comptroller General is absolutely right. Our fiscal mess is outrageous, and we as Blue Dogs stand for accountability. Reckless budgets and irresponsible spending has got us into the fix we are in, and now it is the responsibility of this Congress to help us get out. The administration has had misguided priorities that have been painfully clear. They send pallets of cash to Iraq while our veterans at home suffer in dirty, broken-down facilities, not getting the medical care that they need after putting their life on the line for our country. Recent reports of the deplorable conditions and the roach- infested rooms at Walter Reed are an outrage, and they are unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, it is an understatement to say that our brave veterans deserve so much more than the way they are being treated. We must hold this administration accountable for this reckless approach that has allowed millions of dollars to go missing in Iraq while our brave young men and women who need proper medical care have gone without it. We must provide real oversight to keep this from happening again, just like we need to provide real oversight as we work for a responsible budget. Mr. Speaker, what will happen if we do not clean up this fiscal mess? We only need to listen to the words of the Comptroller General again in last Sunday's ``60 Minutes'' presentation. He said, ``We suffer from a fiscal cancer. It's growing within'' our country. ``And if we do not treat it, it could have catastrophic consequences for'' America. As Blue Dogs, Mr. Speaker, we will shine a bright light on this cancer and nurse our budget back to health. Our future and the future of our children and our grandchildren depend on it.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Chair, today the administration says that our economy is moving. And in my section of eastern Ohio, it is moving, it is moving overseas. The middle class of our country is being left behind. It is time for some much needed fairness and relief to what is going on in our labor movement. Madam Chair, the Employee Free Choice Act is a step in the right direction. The facts speak for themselves: Workers who belong to unions earn an average of 30 percent more than ones who do not belong. Union workers are also much more likely to have health care and pension benefits and a better opportunity in life. As our middle class continues to feel the squeeze, it is time that we give workers a fair chance for representation and the benefits they deserve. Right now that isn't happening. The current system is broken. Workers are often denied the right that they need to form a union. Those who take part in legal organizing activities are often punished. Some even lose their jobs. The Employee Free Choice Act also cuts through the red tape and delays. Finally, Madam Chairman, the Employee Free Choice Act puts into place another important common sense measure. It provides workers with union representation when a majority of those workers have signed up for union representation. This option doesn't eliminate the existing ``secret ballot'' election process. It just gives workers another choice in how to select a union. Madam Chairman, our middle class is hurting. Costs for basic needs like health care and transportation are climbing, but wages are not keeping up. The Employee Free Choice Act helps open up important opportunities for working families, and it brings balance to a system that sorely needs it.

Mr. WILSON of Ohio

Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I am here this evening to support the Blue Dog Coalition, and ask for a realistic and responsible budget as we move forward. I believe that for so long, we have been out of touch, and I believe that the debt that has been created by this administration has been overwhelming. And I know that more people in America need to understand what really has happened and how there has been wasteful spending, not accountability, difficulties that have just been swept away and we need to stop and look at it. So I am pleased as a new Member of Congress from Ohio to be a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. I believe that, as we take a closer look at what is going on with this budget that has been submitted to us, that we realize that there are not only numbers that don't add up, but there are assumptions that are made that really would go against any principle of gap accounting and any type of realistic obligations that we have to the American people to explain to them. The numbers show that while real fiscal responsibility is so sorely needed, this is not what we have in this budget. And it becomes important that we have people like the Blue Dogs who have, and I have my new sign outside my new door in the Cannon Building at 226, of which I am very proud to be a member of the Blue Dog Coalition to show that every man, woman, and child in this country is in debt $29,000 as of today. And that number may be realistically much lower than what it actually is. The numbers also show that we need accountability. In 2004 alone, the Federal Government spent $25 billion that cannot be accounted for. I have heard other rumors and other stories of money that just disappeared. This is not fair. It is not fair to the people, the taxpayers whose money it belongs to. It is not fair for the programs that we could be doing for our seniors, for the education of our children, the health care that we could provide, and to help those in middle America, the working families to help with opportunities for them. We were able in this new Congress, to move forward. And just yesterday, Congressman Scott, I did a TV interview in Youngstown, Ohio. And the person interviewing me asked why did we prohibit the other side from being able to amend and change in our first 100 hours. And I said, quite frankly, that I thought we needed to do that in order to be able to get the issues taken care of that we did. And it was with this kind of responsibility that we moved forward, and that I believe now we can work together and accomplish what needs to be accomplished, but certainly looking at the realism of what is going on with our national debt. We need to work together, not a Democrat or a Republican, but rather an American initiative, to make sure that every dollar we spend, every decision we make is for the betterment of our country.