December 31, 2012 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 158, Pt. 13 18531 fight a war and the good fight continually! pose to do it? By cutting over $310 billion from RICHARD ARMEY’S $8,000,000 For you are all so much alike in so many domestic programs. These were cuts to nutri- GOLDEN PARACHUTE ways! tion assistance programs for low-income sen- And yet Dawson, you are just a little boy! iors, people with disabilities, and working fami- HON. BARNEY FRANK Who out of such heartache can still find so lies; cuts that will deny more than 200,000 OF MASSACHUSETTS low-income children their school lunches; cuts much joy! IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES And yet, to the Meals on Wheels program critical to dis- already so much you so understand! abled seniors, and cuts to programs that pro- Monday, December 31, 2012 And what we could so learn from you, tect vulnerable and abused children. These Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, if we but so walked hand in hand! will have a real and severe impact on Amer- given the role that former Majority Leader If Dr. King, ican families. Instead of asking the Pentagon is a King Among Men! Richard Armey has played in significantly in- Then, you Dawson . . . to make tough choices and eliminate wasteful creasing the role in militant conservatives in are but a Prince Among Children! spending programs, House Republicans would the Republican party, the article in the Wash- For he’s for MLK Jr., rather balance the budget on the backs of our ington Post on December 25 is important in- all the way Nation’s most vulnerable citizens. formation that all Members should know. Heroes, Here is just one example of Pentagon [From The Washington Post, Dec. 25, 2012] our children should not so have to be, spending that House Republicans are pro- FREEDOM WORKS TEA PARTY GROUP NEARLY but sometimes this is what our Lord has cho- tecting by cutting programs for low-income FALLS APART IN FIGHT BETWEEN OLD AND sen for us to teach! NEW GUARD To be inspired! children, seniors, and working families: in this To take and lift our hearts higher! fiscal year, the Department of Defense plans (By Amy Gardner) To show us all that against all odds they to spend $389 million for its 150 military bands The day after Labor Day, just as campaign never tire! and more than 5,000 full-time, professional season was entering its final frenzy, All in their profiles of courage don’t you see? military musicians. This is a prime example of FreedomWorks, the Washington-based tea And to remind us to hold our families close! excessive military spending that we simply do party organization, went into free fall. To so remember what so but means the not need, and can no longer afford. Earlier this Richard K. Armey, the group’s chairman most! year, the House passed my bipartisan amend- and a former House majority leader, walked And to against all odds to always so believe! into the group’s Capitol Hill offices with his And, that is why . . . ment to this bill limiting the amount the military wife, Susan, and an aide holstering a hand- with tear in eye Dawson you so complete me! spends annually on military bands to no more gun at his waist. The aim was to seize con- Dawson! than $200 million—not an insignificant sum. I trol of the group and expel Armey’s enemies: You Are So Awesome! am very disappointed to see that this lan- The gun-wielding assistant escorted You Are So Dawsome! guage was not included in the Conference Re- FreedomWorks’ top two employees off the So Dawsome As Can Be! port. This smart cut would have continued to premises, while Armey suspended several Because, provided $200 million for military bands in fis- others who broke down in sobs at the news. it’s with your heart you so run! cal year 2013, ensuring that America would The coup lasted all of six days. By Sept. 10, On earth as it will be in Heaven, Armey was gone—with a promise of $8 mil- as Thy Will Be Done! maintain its strong tradition of military bands, lion—and the five ousted employees were And that smile, while saving taxpayers $2 billion over the next back. The force behind their return was and that wit, decade. Richard J. Stephenson, a reclusive Illinois and that mind, Lastly, the Conference Report does virtually millionaire who has exerted increasing con- so very creative and so quick I’ll carry with nothing to correct the civil liberties abuses trol over one of Washington’s most influen- me every day! passed in last year’s defense authorization bill. tial conservative grass-roots organizations. Because, you are my new best friend. . . House and Senate Conferees stripped a bipar- Stephenson, the founder of the for-profit Dawson, your Major ‘‘D’’ . . . Cancer Treatment Centers of America and a And you are as Awesome as Awesome so can tisan amendment offered by Senators FEIN- director on the Freedom Works board, agreed be! STEIN (D–CA) and Senator LEE (R–UT) which to commit $400,000 per year over 20 years in would have helped ensure that no one can be f exchange for Armey’s agreement to leave the denied a fair trial and detained indefinitely group. CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. when they are captured in the United States. The episode illustrates the growing role of 4310—THE NATIONAL DEFENSE I am appalled that this commonsense amend- wealthy donors in swaying the direction of AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FIS- ment to protect the most basic American civil FreedomWorks and other political groups, CAL YEAR 2013 liberties was not included in the legislation be- which increasingly rely on unlimited con- tributions from corporations and financiers fore us today. for their financial livelihood. Such gifts are HON. BETTY McCOLLUM Mr. Speaker, there are several positive pro- often sent through corporate shells or non- OF MINNESOTA visions of this bill that I support, including the profit groups that do not have to disclose IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES continuance of DOD clean energy programs, their donors, making it impossible for the Monday, December 31, 2012 lifting restrictions on servicewomen’s access to public to know who is funding them. reproductive health care, and addressing mili- In the weeks before the election, more Ms. MCCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply tary sexual assault. It also takes steps that than $12 million in donations was funneled disappointed that I must rise in opposition to through two Tennessee corporations to the the Conference Report on H.R. 4310, the would help eliminate hazing in the military and FreedomWorks super PAC after negotiations FY13 National Defense Authorization Act. prevents any increase in new TRICARE fees. with Stephenson over a preelection gift of America’s men and women in uniform de- Unfortunately, the underlying legislation con- the same size, according to three current and serve, and Congress must pass, legislation tains too much wasteful spending and does former employees with knowledge of the ar- that provides them with the resources they not correct the egregious human abuses that rangement. The origin of the money has not previously been reported. need to preserve our national security. Unfor- were part of the fiscal year 2012 bill. One of our primary duties as Members of These and other new details about the tunately, this bill does not reflect the range of near-meltdown at FreedomWorks were 21st-Century threats the United States must Congress is to provide the resources and pol- gleaned from interviews with two dozen cur- prepare for, nor does it reflect the urgent fiscal icy guidance necessary to protect our Nation. rent and past associates, most of whom crisis this Congress must address. What this We must make certain that every dollar in this spoke on the condition of anonymity in massive $633 billion defense bill does reflect, bill contributes to our national defense. It is order to talk freely. however, are disastrously misplaced priorities. time for tough choices and smart cuts that The disarray comes as the conservative On May 10th of this year, House Repub- save taxpayer dollars, even at the Pentagon. movement is struggling to find its way after the November elections, which brought a licans passed the Sequester Replacement Wasteful and excessive Pentagon spending is no longer acceptable as low income families, second term for President Obama and Demo- Reconciliation Act (H.R. 5652), which exempts cratic gains in the House and Senate. Armey the Pentagon from $55 billion in automatic seniors, and disabled Americans to go without said in an interview that the near-meltdown spending cuts agreed to in last year’s Budget the critical services. at his former group has damaged the con- Control Act (P.L. 112–25). How did they pro- I urge my colleagues oppose this legislation. servative cause.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 11:19 Aug 09, 2017 Jkt 019102 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR12\E31DE2.000 E31DE2 rmajette on DSKBCKNHB2PROD with BOUND RECORD 18532 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 158, Pt. 13 December 31, 2012 ‘‘Freedom Works was the spark plug, the Brandon, FreedomWorks’ executive vice said one junior staff member who spoke on energy source, the catalyst for the move- president, told colleagues starting in August the condition of anonymity because he was ment through the 2010 elections,’’ Armey that Stephenson would be giving between $10 not authorized to talk to the media. ‘‘So said, referring to the GOP midterm sweep. million and $12 million, these sources said. when a man with a gun who didn’t identify ‘‘Harm was done to the movement.’’ Brandon also met repeatedly with members himself to me or other people on staff, and a Stephenson, 73, declined a request for an of Stephenson’s family who were involved in woman I’d never seen before said there was interview. Matt Kibbe, the group’s president, arranging the donations, the sources said. an announcement, my first gut was, ‘Is Free- and Adam Brandon, its senior vice president, Stephenson attended a FreedomWorks re- dom Works in danger?’ It was bizarre.?’’ declined to discuss the issue. treat in Jackson Hole, Wyo., in August at By nearly all accounts, including from ‘‘I don’t comment on donors,’’ Brandon which a budget was being prepared in antici- those loyal to him, Armey handled his at- said. ‘‘He’s on our board, he’s a board mem- pation of a large influx of money, according tempted coup badly. Armey says he was step- ber like anyone else. That’s it. I see him at to several employees who attended the re- ping in because of ethical breaches by Kibbe board meetings.’’ treat. At the retreat, Stephenson dictated and Brandon, accusing them of improperly Stephenson, a longtime but little-known some of the terms of how the money would using FreedomWorks staff resources to be spent, the employees said. player in conservative causes, is a resident of produce a book—ironically, named ‘‘Hostile ‘‘There is no doubt that Dick Stephenson Barrington, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chi- Takeover’’—for which Kibbe claimed sole arranged for that money to come to the cago known for its affluence and sprawling credit and was collecting royalties. The use horse estates such as his Tudor Oaks Farm. super PAC,’’ said one person who attended the retreat. ‘‘I can assure you that everyone of internal resources for Kibbe’s benefit He founded the Cancer Treatment Centers of could jeopardize the group’s nonprofit tax America in 1988 following his mother’s death around the office knew about it.’’ Among other things, Stephenson wanted a status; the group denies any impropriety. from bladder cancer, according to the for- substantial sum spent in support of Rep. Joe ‘‘This is not only about this one incident,’’ profit company’s Web site and his public re- Walsh (R–Ill.), a tea party favorite and Armey said. ‘‘But that one incident was a marks. Stephenson also holds investments in Stephenson’s local congressman, several who matter of grievous concern.’’ a broad portfolio of other businesses, includ- attended the retreat recalled. Walsh gar- Armey also accused Brandon, Kibbe and ing finance and real estate companies. nered national headlines during the cam- Stephenson has a passion for libertarian other staff members loyal to them of squeez- paign when he questioned whether his oppo- ing him out of media appearances and man- politics stretching back to the 1960s, when he nent, Tammy Duckworth, a former attended seminars featuring ‘‘Atlas agement decisions while using his name to Blackhawk helicopter pilot who lost both market the group. Shrugged’’ author Ayn Rand and economist legs in Iraq, was a ‘‘true hero.’’ Despite in- Murray Rothbard, according to those who Armey appeared out of touch and unsure of ternal misgivings about the value of the in- how FreedomWorks operated when he took know him at FreedomWorks. Like Armey, vestment, FreedomWorks spent $1.7 million Stephenson was an early supporter of Citi- over that Tuesday morning, according to on ads supporting Walsh; he lost the race. interviews with more than a dozen employ- zens for a Sound Economy, the conservative Two watchdog groups last week asked the ees on both sides who witnessed the take- lobbying group founded by oil billionaires Federal Election Commission and the Jus- over. Sitting in a glass-walled conference Charles and David Koch in 1984 that split tice Department to investigate the donations room visible to much of the staff, he placed into Freedom Works and Americans for Pros- from the two Tennessee companies. The three young female employees on adminis- perity 20 years later. The Kochs, known for groups, Democracy 21 and the Campaign bankrolling a variety of conservative causes, Legal Center, say the arrangement could vio- trative leave, then reversed himself when kept control of AFP, while Stephenson and late federal laws that prohibit attempting to they burst into tears; his wife lamented Armey stayed with FreedomWorks. hide the true source of a political contribu- aloud that maybe they had ‘‘jumped the FreedomWorks has been on a remarkable tion by giving it under another name. (Bran- gun.’’ run in recent election cycles, growing its an- don declined to comment on the complaints, In subsequent meetings, Susan Armey nual budget from $7 million to $40 million in but he said the group’s books were in order.) passed her husband notes that several em- just a few years and helping lead the tea PARTNERSHIP UNRAVELS ployees assumed contained suggestions on what to say. According to a recording of a party movement against Obama’s agenda. For years, FreedomWorks was headed by staff conference call provided to The Wash- The group was among several that rose up an unlikely duo: Armey, 72, the old-guard poi ington Post, Armey bewildered his audience last week in opposition to a failed proposal who wears a black cowboy hat even when by demanding more FreedomWorks support from House Speaker John A. Boehner (R– he’s not on his Texas ranch, and Kibbe, 49, for Todd Akin, the Missouri Republican Ohio) to raise federal taxes on millionaires. who sports mutton-chop sideburns and has a whose Senate campaign had already cratered The group played a crucial role in ushering passion for the Grateful Dead. a wave of tea party candidates into office in But the most important relationship ap- after his comments about ‘‘legitimate rape.’’ recent years, staging rallies, hawking books pears to be the bond between Kibbe and Ste- ‘‘It was clear that under Armey’s leader- and videos, and organizing media appear- phenson, who bridged their age gap through ship, the organization as we knew it was ances with conservative personalities such as shared libertarian views and Kibbe’s battle going to be driven into the ground,’’ said one Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. with testicular cancer a decade ago, Armey junior employee. ‘‘I’ve enjoyed my association with and others said. They said Kibbe, after being Enter Stephenson, who agreed to the mul- FreedomWorks,’’ said Sen. Mike Lee (R– given a terminal diagnosis, was encouraged timillion-dollar financial incentive to push Utah), who defeated incumbent Bob Bennett by Stephenson to get treatment at his can- Armey out and install Kibbe back at the with help from the group. ‘‘Matt Kibbe and cer clinics; more than a decade later, they helm. Dick Armey endorsed me early in my can- said, he is cancer-free. The payments were necessary, several didacy for the U.S. Senate, and they were a Until this year, the partnership between FreedomWorks leaders said, because Armey big help to me.’’ Kibbe and Armey worked well. Armey’s re- was threatening to sue over Kibbe’s book Despite such testimonials, FreedomWorks nown as a former House member drew media deal. has struggled with accusations that it is an attention and crowds of conservative activ- ‘‘It was very clear to him that I would not ‘‘astro-turfer’’—a national organization of ists—most of them old enough to remember work with Matt,’’ Armey said, referring to big-money donors that swept in to lay claim Armey’s role in the Republican revolution in Stephenson. ‘‘He felt that Matt knew the le- to an independent movement. Congress in 1994. And Kibbe’s youthful intel- vers and understood it better than I did and According to public records, lectualism drew a new generation of liber- was very urgent to reinstate that.’’ FreedomWorks received more than $12 mil- tarian soldiers into the FreedomWorks fold. lion before the election from two corpora- In 2010, the two co-wrote a book, ‘‘Give Us Brandon, back in the No. 2 spot as execu- tions based in Knoxville, Tenn.: Specialty In- Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto,’’ that be- tive vice president, scoffed at the notion that vestments Group and Kingston Pike Devel- came a New York Times bestseller and a suc- the group is in trouble or that the dispute opment. The firms were established within a cessful marketing tool for FreedomWorks, with Armey was indicative of a larger prob- day of each other by William S. Rose III, a which collected the book’s proceeds and used lem for the tea party. He said Freedom local bankruptcy lawyer. it to attract donations. Works has 2.1 million members, nearly 4 mil- Rose, who could not be reached for com- The partnership came to a crashing end lion fans on Facebook and a budget that has ment, has said publicly he would not answer when Armey marched into FreedomWorks’s grown sixfold in five years. He also pointed questions about the donations. But accord- office Sept. 4 with his wife, Susan, executive to the elections of Senate conservatives Ted ing to three current and former assistant Jean Campbell and the unidentified Cruz in Texas and Jeff Flake in Arizona as FreedomWorks employees with knowledge of man with the gun at his waist—who prompt- evidence of the group’s electoral success. the donations, the money originated with ly escorted Kibbe and Brandon out of the ‘‘We doubled our budget, and we doubled Stephenson and his family, who arranged for building. our membership,’’ Brandon said, referring to the contributions from the Tennessee firms ‘‘This was two weeks after there had been the group’s growth since 2011. ‘‘That’s how to the super PAC. a shooting at the Family Research Council,’’ we ended up the year.’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 11:19 Aug 09, 2017 Jkt 019102 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR12\E31DE2.000 E31DE2 rmajette on DSKBCKNHB2PROD with BOUND RECORD December 31, 2012 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 158, Pt. 13 18533 (Alice R. Crites contributed to this report) same settlement, by consultants hired by the and all the Pushmataha County Historical So- f servicers, Grassano says. ciety volunteers for preserving and celebrating The Monday deadline should be lifted and their part of our nation’s history through dedi- MILLIONS FORGO FORECLOSURE review requests should be allowed as needed, cation, passion, and professionalism. They are REVIEWS the community groups say, especially since more recent outreach efforts have been more preserving the heart of America. consumer friendly. f HON. MARCY KAPTUR The reviews are separate from a $25 billion OF OHIO settlement, reached between five servicers THE PARK SCHOOL CENTENNIAL IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and, state and federal officials, that’s also Monday, December 31, 2012 meant to address past foreclosure abuses. HON. KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this is the arti- f OF NEW YORK cle I referred to in my one-minute speech this IN TRIBUTE TO PUSHMATAHA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES morning. COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Monday, December 31, 2012 (From USA Today) Ms. HOCHUL. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor MILLIONS FORGO FORECLOSURE REVIEWS HON. ELTON GALLEGLY to congratulate The Park School of Buffalo on (HOMEOWNERS DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME TO OF CALIFORNIA recently commemorating its Centennial. In ASK FOR ACCURACY CHECKS) 1912, a group of parents embarked on a truly (By Julie Schmit) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES remarkable journey by making a commitment Millions of homeowners who were in fore- Monday, December 31, 2012 closure in 2009 or 2010 could miss a chance to to promote excellence in education with an have their cases reviewed for errors—and Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in trib- emphasis on the personal development of possible compensation—if they don’t act by ute to the Pushmataha County Historical Soci- their students. Monday. ety in Antlers, Oklahoma, and in particular Over the past 100 years, The Park School That’s the deadline for eligible home- Myrtle Edmond and Madge Jentry. has carried out its mission of building a di- owners to request a free review required by a As historical societies go, the Pushmataha verse and creative community that nurtures settlement last year between federal bank County Historical Society is relatively new, the joy and responsibility of active learning for regulators and 14 mortgage servicers and having been founded in 1984. But the Soci- all. From its founders, John Dewey and Mary their affiliates. The deadline has been ex- ety’s staff and volunteers know their town, its tended three times due to poor response from Hammett Lewis, to the current administration, homeowners. history, its people, and their place firmly root- Park has truly left its mark on Snyder and the More than 4 million notices were mailed a ed in the heart of America. Western New York community. year ago informing homeowners of their My family hails from the Antlers, Oklahoma, I am confident that The Park School will right to a review, but only 356,000 had asked area. When I was a young boy, I would travel continue its mission of educating our youth for one by Dec. 13, according to the Office of by train, arriving and departing from the Frisco and strengthening our community as success- the Comptroller of the Currency. Depot, which now houses the Pushmataha fully over the next 100 years. Compensation could range from hundreds County Historical Society. Myrtle Edmond and of dollars to more than $100,000, the OCC has f Madge Jentry were at the Society head- said. It is overseeing the settlement with the IN HONOR OF COMMANDER Federal Reserve. quarters when my wife, Janice, and I stopped Requests must be submitted at by on a recent trip and asked a few questions HALSEY ‘‘BULL’’ KEATS independentforeclosurereview.com or be about my ancestors. Myrtle and Madge re- postmarked no later than Monday, the OCC sponded by enthusiastically researching every- HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK says. Answers to questions can be found on thing they could find on the Gallegly and Wil- OF PENNSYLVANIA the website or by calling 888–952–9105. liams family branches. Myrtle even wrote ‘‘The (response) numbers are not terribly IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES down, by hand, all their research in great de- impressive,’’ says Bruce Mirken of the Monday, December 31, 2012 Greenlining Institute, a consumer advocacy tail and gave it to me. group. In addition, Myrtle had previously served on Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today Greenlining, like other consumer groups, the society’s cemetery identification project to honor Commander Halsey ‘‘Bull’’ Keats says borrowers may still not be aware of the and helped identify and inventory almost upon his retirement from the United States review opportunity. 12,000 burials and grave sites at approxi- Navy, where he served 20 years. CDR Keats Notification materials—including the 4 mately 119 locations. With that information, completed four deployments throughout the million letters—may have been ignored be- cause they were written in legal jargon, were she was able to locate the gravesites of my world which have included ports in over 12 hard to read and looked too much like those grandparents and many other relatives. countries. During Enduring Freedom, he was used in foreclosure scams, says James Can, a The wealth of information Myrtle and Madge the only Lieutenant Commander who stood in senior policy fellow with the Opportunity were able to provide on my family is even the ship’s Captain during combat flight oper- Agenda, a non-partisan think tank. A Gov- more impressive when one considers that the ations, and during Operation Iraqi Freedom he ernment Accountability Office report in county courthouse burned during the Great was selected to lead the first ever deployment June echoed those concerns. Depression. Society volunteers have painstak- of the Real-Time Sensor Data Link ground The settlement followed a federal probe in which regulators found significant weak- ingly rebuilt ancestral records from U.S. Cen- station to Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq pro- nesses in foreclosure processes, including im- sus, newspapers, and other items in the his- viding the Commanding General tactical con- proper foreclosure document preparation. torical record. trol over the Surveillance System Upgrade S– To meet regulators’ deadlines, the GAO Mr. Speaker, Antlers, Oklahoma, is America. 3 which boasted a streaming video capability. noted that servicers had just 60 days to de- It has seen its share of hardship yet continues CDR Keats was selected as the Naval Flight velop outreach materials. That didn’t leave to bounce back. One of the most devastating Officer of the Year in 1997. In 2004 he grad- time to test them with focus groups, one tornadoes in the history of the state struck uated from the Operational Planners Course servicer representative told the GAO. About 95% of the letters were successfully Antlers on April 12, 1945. Out of a population with distinction at the Naval War College in delivered, the OCC has said. of 3,000, 55 were killed, including my uncle, Newport, Rhode Island. He has logged over The reviews are intended to address a wide Dennis Dixon Gallegly. One third of the city 2,000 flight hours. For his exemplary service range of foreclosure errors, including exces- was demolished. The city has suffered dev- CDR Keats has received the Defense Meri- sive fees, wrongly denied loan modifications, astating fires. Floods have washed away torious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Serv- misapplied payments or wrongful fore- homes, but they can’t wash away Antlers, or ice Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy closures. Borrower restitution will vary by the spirit of its people. and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, in ad- case and financial harm, the OCC says. It’s Mr. Speaker, the pride Myrtle Edmond and dition to numerous unit commendations. provided no cost estimate to servicers. No one has yet received restitution, OCC spokes- Madge Jentry have in their community and in His final tour was Chief, Special Activity man William Grassano says. America was evidenced in their enthusiastic plans at U.S. Central Command Operations The requested reviews are in addition to research of my family’s roots. I know my col- Directorate from July 2010 through his retire- 159,000 reviews being done, as part of the leagues join Janice and me in thanking them ment on 1 April 2013.

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