June 4, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3021 THE AFGHANISTAN-IRAQ WAR to Mr. Rumsfeld and to the previous viding a product that is important to a The SPEAKER pro tempore. The administration: thank you for getting million people to be able to treat their Chair recognizes the gentleman from us into this unnecessary war. Mr. business expenses like every other North Carolina (Mr. JONES) for 5 min- Rumsfeld, you were wrong. You said business and be able to deduct them utes. that Iraqi oil was going to pay for the from their operating income for tax Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, like all war. No. The Chinese are benefiting. purposes. Members of Congress during the Memo- This is another article in The New Decades ago, a drug dealer attempted rial week break, I had two occasions to York Times in which it says that China to deduct the cost of his yacht and his give different types of recognition is the biggest winner. According to this weapons as a business expense. Con- speeches to the families of those who article, the Chinese buy almost half of gress, understandably, responded in gave loved ones who never came back the oil produced in Iraq. 1982 by making expenses associated from war; so therefore I had several op- Again, the previous administration with dealing in a controlled substance portunities in eastern North Carolina, got us into an unnecessary war. In fact, ineligible for a deduction. That fixed the home of Camp Lejeune Marine Base a Defense Department official from the the drug dealer, but it is has now en- and Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Bush administration said: snared hundreds of legitimate busi- Station. We lost out. The Chinese had nothing to do nesses operating under State law, by Every time I would make the com- with the war, but from an economic stand- the way, laws usually approved by a ment that it was time to bring our point, they are benefiting from it, and our vote of the people. As a result, they troops home from Afghanistan and Fifth Fleet and Air Forces are helping to as- cannot now deduct entirely legitimate that it was time to stop paying the sure their supply. business operating expenses; they can- crook named Karzai, who is the Presi- Even worse, we are borrowing this not claim the work opportunity tax dent of Afghanistan, truthfully, Mr. Chinese money to fund this corrupt credit if they hire a veteran; and they Speaker, I would get strong applause; leader. cannot depreciate their American- and many times after the speeches, I hope that Congress will wake up. made irrigation equipment. The deduc- people would come up to me and say, Next week, we will be debating the tion for the construction or operating We agree with you. It’s time to stop armed services bill. I am on that com- costs of a facility that they may want spending this money in Afghanistan. mittee. I have worked across the aisle to revitalize is not allowed. As a result, It’s time to start spending the money with my friends on the Democratic side these small businesses end up paying in America and to let the Afghans take to cut the funding for Afghanistan. an effective tax rate that is double or care of themselves. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I have this triple the 15 percent to 30 percent that Mr. Speaker, probably a couple of photograph of a flag-draped coffin. It would normally be associated with the weeks ago, I spoke on the floor of the could have been PFC Chance Phelps’ profits on most businesses. Their effec- House, and probably other Members coffin—it’s not, but it could have tive tax rates often are 60 percent to 75 had seen the article that was in The been—or it could have been the coffin percent. New York Times in which the CIA ac- of 4,400 other servicemen and women Washington and Colorado are about knowledged that, after 10 years, they who died in Iraq. to begin operation of businesses for the had been giving hundreds of millions of God, please continue to bless our men recreational adult use of marijuana au- dollars to Karzai in cash. In that same and women in uniform. God, continue thorized by their voters last fall. The article, Karzai was interviewed, and to bless America; and please, God, let situation is thus to become more com- one of his comments was that of ‘‘an us never forget the sacrifices made by plex and a burden even greater for easy source of petty cash.’’ Karzai so many in these wars that are unnec- more emerging small businesses. wants to continue to get an easy essary and in these wars that are nec- We don’t have to penalize hundreds of source of petty cash—tens of millions essary. legitimate small businesses across the of dollars going to Karzai in order to The SPEAKER pro tempore. As a re- country to deal with a drug dealer. I’m prop him up until the Taliban takes Af- minder, Members should address their introducing bipartisan legislation, the ghanistan over. When I think about the remarks to the Chair. Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2013. number of young men and women being f Any business under this act that oper- killed in Afghanistan to prop up this ates under State law would be able to SMALL BUSINESS TAX EQUITY corrupt leader, it reminds me of an- deduct legitimate expenses for their ACT other tragedy in recent American his- business. tory—the tragedy of the unnecessary The SPEAKER pro tempore. The We shouldn’t impose punitive double, war in Iraq. Chair recognizes the gentleman from triple, or quadruple ordinary rates be- Mr. Speaker, this past week, in being Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min- cause Congress has not modernized ei- home, I watched three times on HBO a utes. ther the Federal drug laws or the Tax movie called ‘‘Taking Chance,’’ which Mr. BLUMENAUER. Since 1996, when Code. We should not force them to dis- is the true story of Lieutenant Colonel California voters legalized the medical continue a vital service for a million Michael Strobl’s journey to escort the use of marijuana, the movement has Americans or drive it underground or, body of PFC Chance Phelps, a fellow spread across America. Over the last 17 frankly, encourage evasion by punitive marine who died in Iraq, from Dover years, 19 States and the District of Co- taxes that are unjustified or unneces- Air Force Base to the young man’s fu- lumbia have been pioneering therapy sary. neral in Wyoming. It is a beautiful involving the medical use of mari- Let’s bring this out of the shadows story of love, of pain, and of concern. I juana. and encourage these small businesses hope that Members of Congress as well It has long been recognized that to be treated fairly. It’s entirely pos- as the American people will get a marijuana had therapeutic values sible that we will end up actually col- chance to see the movie called ‘‘Taking which were utilized with chemotherapy lecting more revenue, fostering more Chance.’’ It’s a true story. In that patients to mitigate or to stop the con- respect for the law, and ensuring a story about Taking Chance home, it is stant nausea. People have used it to vital supply of medical marijuana for a beautiful understanding of the pain deal with chronic paralyzing pain. more than a million people who depend and the love of those at Dover Air There is now a wide range of thera- upon it. Force Base who receive the remains peutic uses, from a system of multiple from Afghanistan and who take care of sclerosis to helping some of our vet- f those remains. It is absolutely heart- erans with PTSD. wrenching to see the love that these BAD DECISIONS people have for those who have given b 1020 The SPEAKER pro tempore. The their lives for this country. A million people seek treatment that Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mr. Speaker, after seeing this movie is perfectly legal under their State Tennessee (Mr. DUNCAN) for 5 minutes. and then reading in the papers that laws. What is not legal is for these hun- Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Iraq is falling apart, I would like to say dreds of legitimate businesses pro- Speaker, I rise this morning to talk

VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:59 Jun 05, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K04JN7.005 H04JNPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H3022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 4, 2013 about a couple of unrelated topics, ex- vote for bigger and bigger government damage and cost American taxpayers cept that they both are examples of of- realize that all they’re really helping $136 billion. That is nearly $1,000 per in- ficials in positions of power overre- are the extremely big giants in any in- dividual taxpayer, or the equivalent of acting to situations and making very dustry and they’re hurting the small- approximately a 2 percent tax increase. bad decisions as a result. and medium-sized businesses. I hope And these are low estimates. Literally Mr. Speaker, when I read that a 5- that this trend will at least slow down thousands of heat, rain, and snow year-old boy in Calvert County, Mary- so we don’t run more small- and me- records were broken. land, had been suspended from school dium-sized businesses out of existence My State of California is particularly for 10 days simply for showing a toy in this Nation. vulnerable to wildfires. In the previous cap gun to his friend on the school bus, Now, finally, as I hadn’t intended to decade, the average size of these I was shocked and saddened. I became say anything, Mr. Speaker, but my wildfires was 89 acres. But in 2012, the even sadder when I read the little boy friend, the gentleman from North Caro- average size was 165 acres, nearly dou- was questioned for over 2 hours by lina (Mr. JONES), spoke about the very ble. And 9.2 million acres, mostly in school officials before his parents were unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghani- the western U.S., were burned. And in called, and the boy uncharacter- stan. He was 100 percent correct. I ad- the last 5 years, fires have been more istically wet his pants during this in- mire his courage in speaking out in the damaging and more costly than ever terrogation. His mother said later this way that he has done. before. boy was all boy and all about rocks, Unfortunately, the Armed Services Other regions are vulnerable to frogs, and cowboys. Committee is about to produce a bill floods, droughts, hurricanes, and torna- This interrogation was ridiculous, that continues this war funding at the does. Just recently, while storm waters and a 10-day suspension was ridiculous rate of $85 billion for the war in Af- were inundating homes in one part of overkill. I wondered if these school of- ghanistan just to continue in other our country, ships were unable to navi- ficials who did this to this little boy overseas situations like in Iraq where gate the Mississippi River due to ex- had lost their common sense and we happen to have had the most deadly tremely low water levels. These are human decency. I am now pleased that month in May that we’ve had in sev- facts we cannot afford to ignore. the situation has been partially rec- eral years. It is true that changes in the Earth’s tified by cutting the 10-day suspension The situations are not getting better, climate have occurred cyclically over back to the 3 days he has already and this country will be far better off eons. But human activity has acceler- served, and I hope the parents’ request when we start putting our own people ated these changes, fundamentally to remove the incident from the boy’s and our own country first and stop try- jeopardizing our environment. And, we school records are granted. ing to be the policemen for the world do not have eons to fix it. We rely on Rigid one-size-fits-all solutions al- and start doing things that need to be this environment for water, air, food most never work and frequently lead to done in this country. and so much economic activity. We very bad, very unfair solutions. I hope f cannot turn a blind eye to climate that school boards all across this coun- change. Instead, we need to start pre- try will at least come to their senses CLIMATE CHANGE paring for it and work harder to stop and do away with so-called ‘‘zero toler- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The it. That’s why I call on Congress to ance policies,’’ especially when it Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from stop the attacks on our environment comes to very small children, and espe- California (Ms. CHU) for 5 minutes. and finally pass legislation to reduce cially 5-year-old boys who simply want Ms. CHU. I rise today to bring much- greenhouse gas and carbon pollution. to be boys. needed attention to a serious threat to f A second topic that I wanted to men- our Nation: climate change. tion today, Mr. Speaker, is about the There are those of my colleagues on MISHANDLING OF COMPETITIVE Dodd-Frank law. The Dodd-Frank law the other side of the aisle that rou- BIDDING PROCESS has produced many thousands of pages tinely dismiss this threat or brush it The SPEAKER pro tempore. The of rules, regulations, and red tape in a under the rug as normal or even false, Chair recognizes the gentleman from misguided attempt to rein in abuses by but the true consequences of climate Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON) for 5 some of the Nation’s biggest banks; change are not lost on the American minutes. however, as is the case with most Fed- people. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. eral regulations, this law ended up Extreme weather is real. From mon- Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my serious hurting the smallest banks in this Na- ster tornados destroying Oklahoma, to concern with Medicare’s implementa- tion and, thus, helping the big banks to Hurricane Katrina destroying the Jer- tion of the durable medical equipment, get even bigger. sey shore, to wildfires raging out of prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies Listen to these words from a col- control in the West, climate change is competitive bidding program. umnist from the Washington Times: not an issue that we can put off. Despite strong congressional concern It’s been 3 years since the Senate passed As Environment Task Force chair on about the need for further trans- the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation. the House Sustainable Energy and En- parency, the lack of binding bids dur- So far, the effects are not what Wash- vironment Coalition, this issue is ex- ing the contract process, and the im- ington promised. More than 200 smaller proper vetting of the financials of banks have failed in the wake of Dodd- tremely important to me. In fact, it Frank. should be important to all of us be- many firms that have been awarded Does it comfort them that politicians pro- cause we all bear the cost. Climate contracts, Medicare still plans to move claim smaller banks were exempt from the change does not have geographic forward with implementing round two market distortions lawmakers created? boundaries and it does not discriminate of the program on July 1. Since community banks are being forced on whom it wreaks havoc. We learned that Medicare awarded to stay below the asset threshold forced on If you do not believe that climate contracts under the program to dozens them by Dodd-Frank, they are lending less of firms that do not have the proper and making less. change is a threat or that the costs are This further strains banks and limits job real today, let me share with you a few credentials to serve these contracts. In growth. facts: other words, leaving Medicare bene- We have learned once again that whenever In 2011 and 2012, there were 25 ex- ficiaries without the needed access to Washington announces new regulations, hold treme weather events affecting 43 the durable medical equipment that al- on to your wallet. States. lows them to live with dignity during Increasing Federal regulations, Mr. In 2013, we have already started with times of disease and disability. Speaker, always end up helping ex- an early and intense wildfire season in Unfortunately, CMS has created a tremely Big Business, but makes it my home of southern California. situation where servicing these con- even harder for our smallest businesses tracts will either violate State licen- to survive. We have this Big Govern- b 1030 sure requirements or leave contracts ment, Big Business duopoly in this Na- Extreme weather events in 2011 and unfulfilled, again leaving beneficiaries tion, and I hope those who continue to 2012 caused $188 billion in economic and consumers without access to the

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