7398 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 158, Pt. 5 May 18, 2012 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES—Friday, May 18, 2012 The House met at 9 a.m. and was bank account, get admitted to a hos- sponsor, the No Budget No Pay Act. It called to order by the Speaker. pital, get out of the country, get into says if we, the Members of the House f the country, buy a gun, check into a and the Senate, don’t adopt a budget hotel, rent a U-Haul, use a credit card, and pass all of the appropriations bills PRAYER buy a lottery ticket, serve on a jury, by October 1, we don’t get paid. The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick get a fishing license, pick up a package The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 J. Conroy, offered the following prayer: at the post office, rent an apartment, requires the Congress complete a budg- Almighty God of the universe, we visit a public school, and sell scrap et annually, and for over 1,000 days, we give You thanks for giving us another metal at a junkyard or hear the Attor- have not done so. The deadlines for the day. ney General speak. You even need a budget and appropriations bills are We pray for the gift of wisdom to all photo ID to vote—in Mexico, but not missed so often that they’re meaning- with great responsibility in this House the U.S. less. This kicking the can down the for the leadership of our Nation. Yesterday, it was reported that 53,000 road mentality has got to stop. People As the Members disperse to their var- dead people and thousands of nonciti- are fed up. And, frankly, America can- ious districts and our Nation enters a zens may be illegally registered to vote not afford it anymore. We have to bal- week which ends with the Memorial in Florida. Sixty-four percent of U.S. ance our books just like American fam- Day, may we all retreat from the busy- voters think that voter fraud is a prob- ilies do. Our constituents have to perform ness of life to remember our citizen an- lem. their job duties to collect a paycheck, cestors who served our Nation in the Even though the Supreme Court has and so should we. I urge you to support armed services. ruled voter ID laws are constitutional, Grant that their sacrifice of self and, this commonsense legislation. Not only the Attorney General is fighting will it help us get our fiscal house in for so many, of life, would inspire all of against those legal laws. Why? It seems America’s citizens to step forward, in order, it will help restore trust in this the people who would be disenfran- institution. whatever their path of life, to make a chised by voter ID laws would be un- positive contribution to the strength of lawful voters. f our democracy. And that’s just the way it is. PREVENTING CUTS TO AIR Bless us this day and every day, and f NATIONAL GUARD may all that is done within these hal- (Ms. HOCHUL asked and was given lowed Halls be for Your greater honor PREPARE FOR PEACE permission to address the House for 1 and glory. (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given minute.) Amen. permission to address the House for 1 Ms. HOCHUL. Mr. Speaker, as we f minute.) begin voting on the National Defense THE JOURNAL Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, if you Authorization Act later today, I want want peace, you prepare for peace. If to remind people that, earlier this The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- you want war, you prepare for war. year, the Air Force proposed cutting ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- The NDAA prepares for war against 5,100 Air National Guard positions from ceedings and announces to the House Iran. It calls for pre-positioning planes, our military. Part of this plan elimi- his approval thereof. bombs, ships, munitions, and for naval nates three C 130s and 800 jobs from the Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- maneuvers in the Strait of Hormuz. Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in nal stands approved. This is not about defense; this is about my own district. f offense. Transparency in government is im- portant to all of us. Yet in this deci- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I was a third-string quarterback on a not-very-good varsity football team, sion, no information was provided to us The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman and I knew the difference and know the as to how these decisions were made to from Connecticut (Mr. COURTNEY) come difference between defense and offense. cut that many across the country. It’s forward and lead the House in the We’re preparing to go on offense clear we need to reduce our spending, Pledge of Allegiance. against Iran, which does not have nu- but we need to do it in a transparent Mr. COURTNEY led the Pledge of Al- and open way. clear weapons and has no intention or legiance as follows: Last week, I was proud to join Re- real capability to attack the United publicans and Democrats on the Armed I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the States. We’re about to make the same United States of America, and to the Repub- Services Committee in offering an lic for which it stands, one nation under God, disastrous mistake we made against amendment to restore these positions. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Iraq. When our citizens need help, whether This bill does not explicitly authorize f it’s fighting terrorism in Afghanistan war, perhaps, but that’s beside the ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER or being rescued from floods in upstate point. It’s licensing it. It sets the stage New York, I say: Who you gonna call? The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- for it in an election year. I want to make sure that the Air Na- tain up to five requests for 1-minute Wake up, Congress. tional Guard is prepared to protect us; speeches from each side of the aisle. f and therefore, today, we need to pro- f NO BUDGET NO PAY ACT tect them. f THE PHOTO ID (Mrs. BLACK asked and was given (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was permission to address the House for 1 COMBAT ACTION BADGE given permission to address the House minute.) AMENDMENT for 1 minute.) Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise (Mr. NUGENT asked and was given Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, you today to talk about an important piece permission to address the House for 1 need a photo ID to rent a car, open a of legislation that I am proud to co- minute.) b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 14:26 Apr 20, 2018 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR12\H18MY2.000 H18MY2 jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BOUND RECORD May 18, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 158, Pt. 5 7399 Mr. NUGENT. Mr. Speaker, on May 2, I applaud Dr. Ingrid Bracey and her but discussion or debate on a bill. In 2005, the Department of the Army au- extraordinary team at the UMass cam- this House, after 3 months of thorized the creation of the Combat pus in Amherst for their dedication to stonewalling, Speaker BOEHNER Action Badge. This badge provides spe- nontraditional students in both the brought a bill to the House which cyni- cial recognition for soldiers who per- classroom and the workplace. As one of cally took money out of a preventive sonally engage the enemy or are en- their strongest and most outspoken health care fund for cancer and heart gaged by the enemy during combat op- supporters, I’m happy to share their disease screening to pay for a 1-year erations. The bayonet and grenade on success story with the American fam- Band-Aid for Stafford student loans, a the badge are associated with the act ily here today in the House of Rep- measure which the Hartford Courant of combat. The oak wreath on the resentatives. this morning—the oldest published badge signifies strength and loyalty. f newspaper in America—described as Current Army policy limits the eligi- ‘‘just sick.’’ bility to those individuals who meet b 0910 My bill, H.R. 3826, will lock in the the criteria of the Combat Action lower rate at 3.4 percent, providing stu- HONORING BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS Badge after September 18, 2001. Unfor- dents and families with a real horizon tunately, this overlooks thousands of (Mr. BARTLETT asked and was given to budget for college. It has over 150 bi- veterans who made similar sacrifices in permission to address the House for 1 partisan cosponsors. It is time for us to previous wars. That’s why I offered this minute and to revise and extend his re- move, fix this issue, and allow students amendment that would expand the eli- marks.) and families the ability to plan for gibility for the Combat Action Badge Mr. BARTLETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise next year’s college year. to also include those who served honor- today to honor two very special schools f ably from December 7, 1941, to Sep- in the Sixth District of Maryland tember 18, 2001.