The House is currently adjourned for the Memorial Day District Work Period and will reconvene on Tuesday, June 6, 2006.

Defending Dignity

On Memorial Day, President Bush signed H.R. 5037, the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act, which I co-sponsored to ensure that military funerals performed at national cemeteries are allowed to take place without being interrupted by those who are callous enough to disturb the mourning of loved ones in order to wage a political protest. This step is needed to thwart the sad and twisted effort underway by some anti-war radicals to express their views by taunting the families of fallen soldiers – during funerals. Our heroes should be afforded the same dignity in death that they possessed in life.

Also in support of military families, the House has passed the Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07) Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. This bill reaffirms our commitment to our nation’s veterans by providing historic levels of funding for Veterans Medical Services. In fact, it increases funding for this purpose by 6.3 percent over FY06 to accommodate the spike in veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This constitutes a 70 percent funding increase over the last six years. Additionally, we approved increases in resources for mental health services, prosthetics, and dental care. I stand proudly with the Republican Congress as it continues to strongly support our troops and veterans.

Strengthening Homeland Security

Late last week, the FY07 Homeland Security Appropriations Act passed the House. This important legislation balances critical homeland security and anti-terrorism activities with legacy missions; aggressively addresses new threats such as nuclear detection and the persistent challenges of border and immigration security; and requires changes in disaster assistance based upon lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. It also significantly moves the Department of Homeland Security forward in the area of port, container, and cargo security.

Notably, the funding bill includes $2.33 billion for border security, adding 1,200 new Border Patrol agents, for a total of 13,580. It also contains $4.1 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, adding 1,212 officers, for a total of 11,500. This reflects the strong approach the majority in the House is taking regarding the crisis of illegal immigration.

Economic Boom

A revised assessment of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the first quarter of 2006 released last week revealed that the economy boomed at a staggering 5.3 percent pace, the fastest in two and a half years. This was even stronger than the 4.8 percent annual rate first estimated a month ago, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Gross domestic product measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States and is considered the best barometer of the country’s economic health. In short, the American economy is the envy of the world thanks to our entrepreneurial spirit and tax policies that allow that spirit to soar. This economic boom is a tribute to the American people’s resilience in withstanding the economic devastation wrought by the 9/11 attacks and the unprecedented hurricane season of 2005.

Quote of the Week

“Reading about Gettysburg, Okinawa, Choisun, Hue, and Mogadishu is often to wonder how such soldiers did what they did. Yet never has America asked its youth to fight under such a cultural, political, and tactical paradox as in Iraq, as bizarre a mission as it is lethal. And never has the American military—especially the U.S. Army and Marines—in this, the supposedly most cynical and affluent age of our nation, performed so well. We should remember the achievement this Memorial Day of those in the field who alone crushed the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, stayed on to offer a new alternative other than autocracy and theocracy, and kept a targeted United States safe from attack for over four years.” – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review Online, May 26, 2006.