H1582 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 27, 2012 through all the U.S. Senators and at- as well as when they were invaded in Help us this day to draw closer to tempt to try to get to the magic num- 1940 during World War II. The enemy You so that, with Your Spirit, and ber of 60. was then forced to divert troops to aware of Your presence among us, we f Greece to protect its southern flank in may all face the tasks of this day. 1941. Alongside the American and Al- Bless the Members of the people’s COMMEMORATING GREEK lied Forces, Greece played an integral House. Help them to think clearly, INDEPENDENCE DAY role in defeating the enemies. speak confidently, and act coura- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The I would be remiss if I stood on the geously in the belief that all noble Chair recognizes the gentleman from floor today and did not also pay hom- service is based upon patience, truth, Florida (Mr. BILIRAKIS) for 5 minutes. age to the American and Greek soldiers and love. Mr. BILIRAKIS. Today, I rise to who fought side by side during the Ko- May these decisive days through honor and commemorate Greek Inde- rean War and, most notably, at Out- which we are living make them gen- pendence Day. post Harry. As many of you know, each uine enough to maintain their integ- On March 25, 1821, Archbishop night the outpost was defended by only rity, great enough to be humble, and Germanos of Patras raised the flag of a single company of American or Greek good enough to keep their faith, always revolution over the Monastery of Agia soldiers. The Chinese had anticipated regarding public office as a sacred Lavra in the Peloponnese, and an easy capture; however, they did not trust. Give them the wisdom and the ‘‘Eleftheria i Thanatos,’’ which means anticipate the resolve of our soldiers to courage to fail not their fellow citi- ‘‘Liberty or Death,’’ Mr. Speaker, be- hold Harry at all costs and, therefore, zens, nor You. came the battle cry. This day to start making withdrawal not an option. Due And may all that is done this day be the Greek War of Independence was not to Harry’s defense, the enemy ulti- for Your greater honor and glory. chosen by chance because it coincides mately called off their attacks due to Amen. with the Greek Orthodox Church’s cele- the heavy losses suffered. This, ladies f bration of the Annunciation to the and gentlemen, was heroic. THE JOURNAL Mother of God. Again, this was not a For the first time in United States The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- coincidence because to the Greeks of military history, five rifle companies ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- 1821, Mr. Speaker, the Mother of God together—four American and one ceedings and announces to the House was their champion and their pro- Greek—would receive the prestigious his approval thereof. tector. Distinguished Unit Citation for the Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- As we all know, the price of liberty outstanding performance of their nal stands approved. can be very high. Socrates, Plato, Peri- shared mission. cles, and many other great minds In expressing his sympathies with f throughout history warned that we Greece revolting its Ottoman rulers, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE must maintain democracy only at Thomas Jefferson said: The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman great cost. Our Greek brothers earned No people sympathize more feelingly than from North Carolina (Mr. MCHENRY) their liberty with blood, as did our ours with the sufferings of your countrymen, come forward and lead the House in the American forefathers. The freedom we none offer more sincere and ardent prayers Pledge of Allegiance. enjoy today is due to the sacrifices to heaven for their success. Possessing our- Mr. MCHENRY led the Pledge of Alle- selves the combined blessing of liberty and made by men and women in the past. giance as follows: Like the American revolutionaries order, we wish the same to other countries, and to none more than yours, which, the I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the who fought for independence and estab- United States of America, and to the Repub- lished this great Republic, Greek free- first of civilized nations, presented examples of what man should be. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, dom fighters began an arduous struggle I stand here before you today to com- indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. to win independence for Greece and her f people. After four centuries of Ottoman memorate the Greeks who fought oppression, they faced what appeared against oppression. I stand here before MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE to be insurmountable odds. This was you today to celebrate that day, March A message from the Senate by Ms. the 19th century David versus Goliath. 25, 1821. By doing so, we reaffirm the Curtis, one of its clerks, announced The revolution of 1821 brought inde- common democratic heritage we share. that the Senate has passed with an pendence to Greece and emboldened And as Americans, we must continue amendment in which the concurrence those who still sought freedom across to pursue this spirit of freedom and lib- of the House is requested, a bill of the the world. It proved to the world that erty that characterizes both of these House of the following title: a united people, through sheer will and great nations. H.R. 3606. An act to increase American job perseverance, can prevail against tyr- f creation and economic growth by improving anny. access to the public capital markets for RECESS The lessons the Greeks taught us emerging growth companies. then continue to provide strength to The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- The message also announced that the victims of persecution throughout the ant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair Senate concurs in the amendment of world today. By honoring the Greek declares the House in recess until noon the House of Representatives to the struggle for independence, we reaffirm today. bill (S. 2038), ‘‘An Act to prohibit Mem- the values and ideas that make our Na- Accordingly (at 10 o’clock and 54 bers of Congress and employees of Con- tion great. minutes a.m.), the House stood in re- gress from using nonpublic information I take great pride in both my Greek cess. derived from their official positions for and American heritage, and each time f personal benefit, and for other pur- I perform my constitutional duties, I poses.’’; am doing so in the legacy of the an- b 1200 The message also announced that cient Greeks and early Americans. AFTER RECESS pursuant to Public Law 105–292, as amended by Public Law 106–55, and as 1050 b The recess having expired, the House further amended by Public Law 107–228, As Thomas Jefferson once said: was called to order by the Speaker at and Public Law 112–75, the Chair, on To the ancient Greeks, we are all indebted noon. behalf of the President pro tempore, for the light which led ourselves, American f upon the recommendation of the Ma- colonists, out of gothic darkness. jority Leader, appoints the following Throughout American history, PRAYER individual to the United States Com- Greece and her people have stood as a The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick mission on International Religious staunch and unrelenting ally of the J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: Freedom: United States. In 1917, Greece entered Loving and gracious God, we give Katrina Lantos Swett of New Hamp- World War I on the side of the Allies, You thanks for giving us another day. shire, vice Dr. Don H. Argue.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 05:40 Mar 28, 2012 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K27MR7.010 H27MRPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE March 27, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1583 ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER budget, contrasting the Republican These manganese alloys are vital raw The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- plan, which would actually strengthen components to the steel industry and tain up to 15 requests for 1-minute and extend Medicare, and the Presi- are used in a wide variety of industries, speeches on each side of the aisle. dent’s plan that would actually maybe including defense and the automotive allow Medicare to go bankrupt only 2 industry, just to name two. f years later than it would otherwise. The proposed EPA rule would require LOWER THE PRICE OF GASOLINE One particular provision in the Presi- scientifically unproven and costly AT THE PUMP dent’s budget, a cut in reimbursement process controls to be installed on the to critical access hospitals, would en- two facilities, and the EPA has ignored (Mr. MCHENRY asked and was given danger access to nearby hospital care the warnings that if the proposed rule permission to address the House for 1 for millions of seniors, including those is finalized it will not be economically minute.) served by the 48 critical access facili- feasible for these plants to continue to Mr. MCHENRY. Mr. Speaker, my con- ties in Nebraska’s Third District. operate. stituents in western North Carolina However, the Republican budget pro- Furthermore, if this rule is finalized, and my neighbors and I are really vides an alternative which ensures ac- American steel companies will be upset about what’s happening at the cess to care without relying on arbi- forced to import this vital raw mate- price of gasoline at the pumps. trary cuts. Our plan would also focus rial from China or other foreign What we see out of this administra- future Federal support on the sick and sources. tion and what we see out of some ex- poor, while ensuring no change for Today I will begin work with my treme environmentalists is an unwill- those at or near retirement. House colleagues to ensure the EPA ingness to tap our natural resources to Madam Speaker, inaction now will does not go forward with this job-kill- relieve the price at the pumps today. only guarantee Medicare is more prob- ing rule. We’ve seen out of this administration lematic in future years. We must act f Solyndra. We’ve seen scandal after now to ensure it remains solvent for STAND BEHIND OUR VETERANS scandal with this green energy policy those who depend on it most. (Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and lending coming out of the stimulus f from a couple of years ago and out of was given permission to address the liberal policies in Washington. POSTAL SERVICE FACILITY House for 1 minute and to revise and What my constituents want to see is CLOSURE PROCESS extend his remarks.) real exploration so that we can lower (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam the price at the pumps. That’s what we permission to address the House for 1 Speaker, I rise today to bring an im- deserve, and that’s an action that I ask minute.) portant concern to my colleagues. this administration to take. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise Every one of us here has a sacred com- to express my deep concerns about the mitment to care for those warriors who f postal service’s facility closure proc- are willing to serve us overseas, and REPUBLICAN PLAN TO END ess. one of our major concerns is making MEDICARE Testimony at a recent Postal Regu- sure they’re employed when they re- (Mr. BACA asked and was given per- latory Commission hearing brought to turn back home. What’s alarming is the Department mission to address the House for 1 light details of a study kept secret be- of Defense recently issued a change in minute.) cause it projected billions of dollars in their policy that will undermine our Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, here we losses, despite facility closures. It also ability to do that. I’m referring to the go again. This week, the House will revealed mail volume would take a Department of Defense Post-Deploy- vote on yet another Republican plan to huge hit due to service standard ment Mobilization Respite Account. end Medicare as we know it. changes. This important policy is designed to America’s seniors have given a life- Yet the postal service has no plans to change its course, further proof that give our brave warriors sufficient time time of service to our Nation. They de- to transition back into the private sec- serve better than to be left out in the the postal service is operating under an ill-conceived ‘‘decide now, justify tor. PDMRA, as it’s called, is an impor- cold. tant tool that gives them that oppor- If it becomes law, the Republican later’’ strategy. The Buffalo Mail Processing Facility tunity. budget will end the Medicare guarantee recently developed a training session The change by the DOD reduces the of secure health coverage for our sen- for postal employees that is now the number of paid transition days that iors and replace Medicare with a template for a national model. Surpris- were promised to our men and women voucher system that would, instead, ingly, this facility is scheduled for after they deploy to the war zone. Half- give our seniors a premium support closing. It doesn’t make any sense. way through, for many of them, their payment. My colleague GERRY CONNOLLY is third or fourth deployment, DOD is Even worse, the Republican budget asking the postal service to release the now taking that back when their plans gives new tax breaks to millionaires, full results from the study, and I agree. were set this spring when they re- billionaires, and Big Oil companies. We should not—and cannot—stand by turned home. While they’re in Iraq and Economists agree the Republican budg- and watch these facilities close with- Afghanistan, that is certainly not the et plan would destroy 4.1 million Amer- out taking all facts into account. right thing to do. ican jobs by the end of 2014. Every single one of us wants to bal- f Last year the American people ance the budget and must focus us on weren’t fooled by the dangerous and THE JOB-KILLING EPA MUST BE that, simply not on the backs of vet- unfair House Republican budget. If it STOPPED erans and warriors serving this Nation. didn’t work the first time, it’s not (Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio asked and I ask my colleagues to join me in going to work this time. was given permission to address the asking the Department of Defense to Let us work together on a bipartisan House for 1 minute and to revise and reverse course on this policy, hire our budget that does not favor the super- extend his remarks.) veterans, and keep our moral commit- rich over seniors and the middle class. Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Madam ment to them. f Speaker, President Obama’s job-killing f EPA is at it again. Last year, the EPA b 1210 REPUBLICAN BUDGET proposed a rule on manganese alloy (Mr. SMITH of Nebraska asked and production that would close down the HONORING DR. JEROL SWAIM FOR was given permission to address the last two manganese alloy production 48 YEARS OF SERVICE TO WIL- House for 1 minute and to revise and facilities in America, costing over 500 LIAMS BAPTIST COLLEGE extend his remarks.) direct American jobs and thousands of (Mr. CRAWFORD asked and was Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Madam indirect jobs. One of the facilities is in given permission to address the House Speaker, I rise today to discuss the my hometown of Marietta, Ohio. for 1 minute.)

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