H5536 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE August 1, 2012 

Mr. KUCINICH. Article I, section 8, 

clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution gives 

Congress the responsibility to establish 

and ensure operations of the postal 

service. Today, August 1, 2012, 234 years 

after the Constitution was ratified, 

Congress is presiding over the disestablishment of the postal service. 

Today, a manufactured default created by congressional legislation is 

pushing the postal service to the brink. 

Today, the postal service will not make 

a payment that it should have never 

had to make in the first place to pay 

for prefunding 75 years of retiree 

health benefits in 10 years. A manufactured default, encouraged by banks and 

other interest groups, a move towards 

privatization of one of America’s most 

vital services. The Congress has a responsibility to stand up. But here in 

the USA under Citizens United, everything is up for auction, including the 

postal service. 

Wake up, America. Universal service 

is on the line. Wake up, America, and 

stand up for the Constitution, the 

575,000 postal service workers, and our 

obligation to the American people to 

see to it that the postal service is rescued from those who want to push it 

into default or privatize it for their 

own profit. 

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HONORING THE SERVICE AND 

SACRIFICE OF ADAM ROSS 

(Mr. GOWDY asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. GOWDY. Madam Speaker, I rise 

to say thank you to Adam Ross and his 

parents, Dudley and Amanda Ross, 

from the Boiling Springs community in 

Spartanburg, South Carolina. Adam 

Ross has been described as a ‘‘wellmannered, good-spirited, and allaround good American boy.’’ When he 

left Spartanburg to follow in his father’s and his brother’s footsteps to go 

fight for this country he loved so 

much, he told his family, Madam 

Speaker, I know where I am going, I 

know why I am going and what the 

purpose is. 

Madam Speaker, Adam Ross’ body 

was returned to this country he loved 

and believed in last week in a flagdraped coffin. His parents buried him 

at the tender age of 19. He died defending this country and fighting for the 

qualities that make this the last best 

hope for mankind. 

So, Madam Speaker, I rise to honor 

his service, to honor the sacrifice his 

parents made, to pray for their peace 

and their wisdom, and to pray that 

when Adam Ross looks down from 

heaven and sees the America of years 

to come, he may believe his sacrifice 

and service were worth it. 

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MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUT 

(Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, 

now is the time for Congress to stand 

up for middle class families. I urge my 

Republican colleagues to abandon their 

plans to hold middle class tax cuts hostage to their demands for another tax 

cut for millionaires and billionaires 

and to pass a balanced tax plan, such 

as that contained in H.R. 15 that extends tax cuts for 98 percent of all 

Americans and 97 percent of small businesses. 

If Congress fails to act, an estimated 

400,000 families in Rhode Island could 

face an average tax increase of $1,600. 

The Republican tax proposal will end 

the expanded earned income tax credit 

and expanded child tax credit and 

eliminate the American opportunity 

tax credit. In my State of Rhode Island, it’s estimated that more than 

100,000 families would lose an average 

of $1,000 in 2013 if the child tax credit 

expansion is allowed to expire. 

The Republicans’ misguided plan 

would protect tax cuts for the wealthiest, while effectively raising taxes on 

25 million lower- and middle-income 

Americans. I urge my colleagues to 

support a balanced plan that protects 

the middle class, strengthens our small 

businesses, and strengthens our economy. 

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BUFFALO-NIAGARA AND THE 

URBAN AREA SECURITY INITIATIVE PROGRAM 

(Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, on 

Monday, I hosted a field hearing of the 

Homeland Security Subcommittee on 

Counterterrorism and Intelligence, on 

which I serve as ranking member. This 

was an opportunity for the committee 

to hear from local officials on the decision to eliminate Buffalo-Niagara from 

the Urban Area Security Initiative program. 

Niagara County Sheriff Voutour and 

Erie County Commissioner of Emergency Services Daniel Neaverth testified that the capability gains made 

under this program cannot be sustained without fully funding this program. The Federal investment that 

supported the security gains achieved 

over the past 8 years in this program 

will be lost unless we fully fund this 

program. 

Madam Speaker, the witness testimony made clear that the decision to 

eliminate Buffalo-Niagara from the 

Urban Areas Security Initiative program was ill-advised, shortsighted, and 

counterproductive. Congress and the 

Department of Homeland Security 

must reverse this course and restore 

Buffalo-Niagara’s eligibility for this 

all-important program. 

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NEW PREVENTIVE SERVICES FOR 

WOMEN 

(Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given 

permission to address the House for 1 

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) 

Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to mark a key milestone in women’s access to affordable health care 

services. Starting today, and thanks to 

the health care reform law, women will 

have guaranteed access to a host of 

preventive services in new health care 

plans, without additional costs. These 

benefits—including annual well-women 

physicals, birth control coverage, and 

screenings for domestic violence 

among them—are a critical step to ensuring that all women get the care 

they need to stay healthy and treat 

disease early. 

Far too often, women put off needed 

care because of the cost; but this new 

coverage benefit makes some of these 

tough decisions a thing of the past, decisions like whether to pay for treatment or to pay for groceries. 

As we celebrate this day, we must 

also remember that these health care 

services continue to be politicized and 

face many attacks. These attacks are 

not only divisive but an intrusion into 

women’s private health decisions. We 

must stand up to such partisan attacks 

and support these important health 

care benefits and thus ensure that all 

women and their families have access 

to affordable preventive care services. 

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BRIGHT SPOTS IN COLORADO 

(Mr. PERLMUTTER asked and was 

given permission to address the House 

for 1 minute.) 

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, 

it’s been a hard summer in Colorado, 

but we have a lot of bright spots. And 

I want to focus on three today—one 

thing and two people. 

The ‘‘thing’’ is the patent office. In 

this country, we’ve had one patent office. It’s been here in Washington, D.C. 

And now we’re going to have three patent offices across the country, and Colorado got one of those. We’re going to 

have a satellite patent office in Colorado, and that will help us continue 

our innovative and entrepreneurial 

spirit. 

Now, of the two people I would like 

to highlight, one is Chief Dan Oates. 

We had tremendous heroes in this recent tragedy that we had in Colorado. 

But Chief Dan Oates and his leadership 

of the Aurora Police Department were 

fantastic, and I want to compliment 

him on that. 

Now, the last person I want to highlight, who is a bright spot and will 

keep getting brighter, is Missy Franklin who has won a bronze medal and a 

gold medal in swimming. And she is 

going to win a lot more. 

So even though we’ve had a tough 

summer, there are a lot of bright 

things and a lot of bright people in Colorado, and it’s going to be better from 

here on out. 

f 

JOE BACA MIDDLE SCHOOL 

(Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 

minute.) 


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