Speeches

This bill presents us with a simple question: "It is possible - just possible - that from time to time Congress has passed a spending bill or two that ought to have had greater scrutiny?" The answer to this question might elude some members of the House, but I assure them it is self-evident to everybody else.

Thank you for the invitation to join you again this year. What has brought me to support Indian gaming is not just the commerce and prosperity that it produces. There are two more fundamental principles at stake that make this a just and noble cause. One is the tribal sovereignty that made the once impoverished Indian reservations islands of freedom in an ocean of anti-business regulations emanating from local, state and federal governments.

A family that excludes from its budget the mortgage payments it knows it must make is deluding itself and sabotaging its own finances. That's precisely what the federal government is doing right now with respect to billions of dollars of liabilities because of its ill-fated sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The subcommittee on Water and Power meets today to consider what steps need to be taken to remove government-imposed impediments to the construction of new dams and reservoirs. The need for action can be summarized quite succinctly: The Bureau of Reclamation has built over 600 dams and reservoirs in the last century, but two-thirds of them were built in the first 60 years of its existence – more than 50 years ago.

The simple question now before us is whether it is better for Congress to have more information or less information when it is deliberating on matters that directly affect the economy of this nation. The answer should be self-evident, but apparently, some members of this house prefer blissful ignorance than having to go to the fuss and bother of actually assessing the full ramifications of the policies they are enacting.

Today I have introduced a bill to name the United States Post Office in Granite Bay, California in honor of United States Marine Corps Private First Class Victor Dew. This young man was only 20 years old when he left his family and friends in late September of 2010 for Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Just three weeks later, on October 13th, Private Dew was killed in action when his convoy was ambushed.

In all this debate, I fear both parties have missed a critical point. Both versions of this bill impose a permanent new tax on every mortgage backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.