September 13, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5927 

already rejected by the elected representatives of the American people, 

the House and the Senate, so-called 

SOPA and PIPA. 

These intellectual property restrictions in this agreement, it is rumored, 

will far exceed those already rejected, 

yet they would be binding on the 

United States of America, again going 

around our elected representatives. 

It is also rumored that the U.S. pharmaceutical industry is seeking to roll 

back previous reforms that even 

George Bush negotiated in the U.S.- 

Peru FTA that enhanced access to affordable medicines. The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t like inexpensive, affordable, life-saving medicines. 

That would be rolled back. 

Further, it would allow drug companies to challenge the price formularies 

in Canada. Remember, U.S. citizens 

can buy drugs made by U.S. companies 

in the U.S. much more cheaply in Canada than here because the Canadian 

government negotiates on their behalf. 

It’s rumored that this agreement would 

force Canada to raise their drug prices. 

It is also rumored that it might actually prohibit the United States Government from negotiating or allowing 

under part D Medicare—pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies are involved but the insurance 

companies can negotiate under authority of law lower drug prices. It may 

also prohibit the drug formulary for 

Medicaid which saves hundreds of millions and billions of dollars a year, and 

the VA, which provides our veterans 

with low-cost pharmaceuticals. 

All of those things may be preempted 

by this Trans-Pacific Partnership. 

b 1020 

Now, this is really an extraordinary 

thing that this is being done in secret 

and no Member of Congress is allowed 

to review it. 

It has one chapter we know about, 

which is so egregious that Australia 

has said they have to have a total exemption. And the U.S. has said, sure, 

okay. We understand you want to protect your people. We’ll let you do that, 

but we don’t want to protect ours. 

This is a little provision, similar to 

NAFTA, which gives corporations the 

power to challenge in foreign tribunals—not U.S. courts—our domestic 

laws that protect consumers and the 

environment. We would now give this 

authority to corporations, if China accesses to this, that are run by the Communist Government of China because 

they own many of the corporations in 

their country. The People’s Liberation 

Army owns those corporations. 

This is extraordinary. Six hundred 

corporations have access to this document, but no Member of Congress has 

access to this document, and yet this is 

the trade future. This is the 21st century trade agreement, we’re told by 

this administration. 

Further, the chief negotiator for the 

United States has said it’s his greater 

desire that China become part of this 

because then China would be bound by 

these rules. Oh, yeah, I heard that before. We used to vote annually on China’s trade performance and we had a 

stick called ‘‘most-favored-nation status.’’ When we gave up that stick—I 

voted against it—we gave them permanent most-favored-nation status, then 

they could join the World Trade Organization. But they said, don’t worry, 

now they’ll have to follow the rules. 

Guess what? They don’t. And if they 

get in this agreement, they won’t follow the rules either. 

Kiss our economy good-bye if this secret agreement goes through. 

f 

FARM BILL 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 

South Dakota (Mrs. NOEM) for 5 minutes. 

Mrs. NOEM. Mr. Speaker, as we approach the end of this week, we come 

even closer to the date on which our 

farm bill will expire, which is on September 30, in just a short period of 

time. 

Yesterday, we had a rally here on the 

Capitol grounds that hundreds of farmers from across the Nation came together and talked about the importance of doing a farm bill now. That 

was the driving theme because we recognize the responsibility that farmers 

across this Nation have to feed our 

families and to make sure that they 

have food that they can put on the tables across this world. 

Recently, I received a letter from 

some producers in South Dakota. 

Myron and Mary are real people, and 

they live near Wall, South Dakota. I 

wanted to read this letter for you 

today. They have a farming and ranching operation that they have had since 

1969 near the Badlands of South Dakota. They farm around 750 acres of 

corn and wheat in South Dakota, and 

like many producers, they’re struggling through this drought that has afflicted our country. I want to read a 

portion of that letter to you: 

Our area was designated extreme drought 

early July. The corn usually yields 60 bushels per acre; wheat, 50 bushels per acre; safflower, 1,200 pounds per acre; alfalfa, 1 ton 

per acre. This year, the corn was cut for hay 

and silage, the safflower yielded half, and the 

alfalfa was next to nothing. We usually raise 

enough hay to meet our needs. To date, we 

have spent $120,000 to buy hay, and we still 

need more. 

The farm bill is important to our operation 

in two areas in particular: Number one, crop 

insurance that is all inclusive (hail, fire, 

drought); and, number two, disaster assistance as provided in the last farm bill but expired last year. Disaster assistance is desperately needed now due to the drought. 

It is the time of year to plant wheat and to 

wean calves, which we will do. We don’t 

know if it will rain, but if we knew that a 

farm bill was in place, we could make the decisions whether to maintain our cowherd 

numbers and if we plant crop. Please pass a 

farm bill before the end of the year. 

I want you to take a look at this picture that’s next to me that is a cornfield in South Dakota. It was taken a 

while ago. If you would look at this 

field, traditionally, when this picture 

was taken, that corn should be lush 

and green; it would be setting ears, it 

would be building test weight, and it 

would be ready for harvest. Instead, 

these stalks are falling over due to the 

drought. They weren’t able to provide 

much in growth and are struggling. 

This corn, more than likely, will be cut 

for silage—for feed for cattle—instead 

of returning on the investment for the 

producers that planted it hoping to get 

a crop. 

We need to give Myron and Mary and 

producers such as those that own this 

corn and their families that depend on 

the food grown in this country the certainty of a farm bill. We cannot wait 

for the next disaster. We need to do our 

job. We need to continue to provide for 

our families across this country that 

need affordable food policies and depend upon this country and the security that a strong food program can 

bring them through doing a farm bill 

now. 

f 

POVERTY 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 

California (Ms. LEE) for 5 minutes. 

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, 

as cofounder of the Congressional Out 

of Poverty Caucus, I rise today to call 

for an immediate response to the ongoing crisis of poverty in our Nation. 

The census numbers released yesterday underscore the urgent need to act 

boldly and to create jobs in this country, to protect our safety net, and to 

target resources where they are needed—basically, to communities of color, 

low-income communities, those communities, rural areas, who were hit 

hardest by the economic downturn. 

It’s really beyond shameful that over 

45 million Americans, including over 16 

million children, are living in poverty 

in the wealthiest nation in the world. 

The data also shows a wide racial disparity, with the poverty rates for 

whites standing at 9.8 percent, while 

the rates for African Americans and 

Hispanics remain unacceptably high at 

27.6 percent and 25.3 percent, respectively. 

In 2005, I founded the Congressional 

Out of Poverty Caucus because of the 

rising tide of poverty. Some of us saw 

this unfortunate day coming. That was 

beginning under the failed policies of 

the previous administration. 

Of course, we also know the terrible 

economic impact of the massive financial crisis that they left us on their 

way out of office. With the swift efforts 

of President Obama and congressional 

Democrats, we are finally beginning to 

dig ourselves out of the hole that was 

left by the Bush administration and 

slowly moving the poverty rate in the 

right direction. 

Mr. Speaker, we must do more and 

we can do more. 

One of the most critical responsibilities we have as a government is to 


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H5928 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 13, 2012 

promote and enact policies that keep 

our middle class strong and provide opportunities and a safety net for those 

striving and fighting to become middle 

class and to get into the ranks of the 

middle class, to enhance their quality 

of life. But far too many Americans are 

continuing to suffer joblessness and 

have dropped out of the middle class 

and into poverty because of this Republican do-nothing Congress. 

Republicans in Congress have continually blocked efforts to extend and expand vital safety net programs which 

safeguard millions of American families and children who face stark realities of unemployment, hunger, and 

homelessness. Further, their continued 

blocking of critical Federal support to 

our States and localities has caused 

widespread layoffs of dedicated public 

servants like teachers, police officers, 

and firefighters in communities all 

across the country. 

This attack on our country’s public 

servants has had a particularly hard 

impact on communities of color and on 

women across the country. I just have 

to tell you, African Americans and 

women have long found job opportunities in the public sector, in public employment. African Americans, in particular, often found work with the city 

or the State because of racial bias and 

barriers and obstacles in the private 

sector. 

Mr. Speaker, the American people 

know that you can’t have it both ways. 

Government spending cannot kill jobs 

on one hand, when spent on hiring 

teachers and police officers, and create 

jobs on the other hand. And those services are desperately needed throughout 

our country. We need more police officers on the street. 

My colleagues on the other side of 

the aisle must begin to accept the reality of history. Federal investments in 

our Nation’s infrastructure, in our 

schools, and in programs that help 

struggling families are critical to 

boosting our economy and spurring our 

economic recovery. 

Tax cuts for millionaires don’t pay 

for themselves; they create massive 

deficits and weaken our country. 

Markets don’t regulate themselves. 

Deregulation allows rampant fraud and 

creates massive bubbles that inevitably 

burst and threaten our entire economy. 

We need a balanced approach that ensures that every American pays their 

fair share and is invested in a united 

and prosperous future for all Americans of every background. We need a 

balanced approach that ensures that 

millionaires and billionaires pay their 

fair share so that we can reignite the 

American Dream for all. 

How this Nation treats the least of 

these is not just a measure of our Nation’s moral priorities, but it will directly impact whether the American 

Dream survives and thrives for all. Let 

us not forget that our greatest 

strength is the freedom and opportunity that our democracy created to 

allow us to work together to build the 

largest and most prosperous middle 

class the world has ever known. 

b 1030 

But this means that we must reduce 

and we must eliminate poverty. And I 

hope in the few days that we’re left 

that this Congress will come together 

and figure out a way to pass the President’s American Jobs Act, because in 

that legislation we have critical investment to rehire our police officers, 

teachers and firefighters who desperately need their jobs, but also the 

services are desperately needed in our 

communities. 

f 

COMMEMORATING NEIL 

ARMSTRONG 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentleman from 

Alabama (Mr. BROOKS) for 5 minutes. 

Mr. BROOKS. Mr. Speaker, I represent Alabama’s Fifth Congressional 

District, home to NASA’s Marshall 

Space Flight Center, home to the Saturn V rocket that carried American astronauts to the Moon. 

Today, the Fifth District’s talented 

scientists, engineers, and others work 

tirelessly to develop the Space Launch 

System for manned space flight both to 

and beyond low Earth orbit. 

In the early 1960s, President John F. 

Kennedy challenged America to do the 

impossible, send an astronaut to the 

Moon and safely return him. As a 

young boy in the 1960s, I vividly remember the Earth tremble, dishes rattle, and windows pulsate as America 

tested our Saturn V rocket on nearby 

Redstone Arsenal. In 1969, America’s 

hard work paid off. 

I will never forget watching the 

grainy, black-and-white footage on TV 

as American astronaut Neil Armstrong 

stepped on to the lunar dust. The thrill 

of that moment, our pride in America, 

our awe of what Americans could do 

have belonged to all Americans ever 

since. Armstrong’s walk on the Moon 

helped define America and changed 

world history as we left Earth behind 

and ventured into the mysteries of 

space. 

Neil Armstrong was an accomplished 

aerospace engineer, Navy pilot, astronaut, and the first man to walk on the 

Moon. Neil Armstrong will be forever 

immortalized as a brave and great explorer. 

Toward the end of his life, Neil Armstrong spoke frequently and passionately about the future of manned space 

flight. Neil Armstrong understood that 

American exceptionalism is in jeopardy and may be lost to future generations. 

As a member of the House Science, 

Space, and Technology Committee, I 

recently had the privilege to meet Neil 

Armstrong during a public hearing on 

NASA’s Space Launch System, the 

Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, and 

America’s role in space. During that 

hearing, Neil Armstrong expressed concerns about the direction of America’s 

space program. 

Neil Armstrong testified, and I quote: 

The past year has been frustrating to 

NASA observers as they tried to understand 

NASA’s plans and progress. NASA leadership 

enthusiastically assured the American people that the agency was embarking on an exciting new age of discovery in the cosmos. 

But the realities of the termination of the 

shuttle program, the cancellation of existing 

rocket launcher and spacecraft programs, 

the layoffs of thousands of aerospace workers, and the outlook for American space activity throughout the next decade were difficult to reconcile with the agency assertions. 

Neil Armstrong continued, and again 

I quote: 

So, much has been accomplished. But 

NASA, hobbled by cumbrous limitations, has 

been unable to articulate a master plan that 

excites the imagination and provides a semblance of predictability to the aerospace industry. 

Neil Armstrong concluded by testifying, and again I quote: 

Predicting the future is inherently risky, 

but the proposed Space Launch System includes many proven and reliable components 

which suggest that its development could be 

relatively trouble free. If that proves to be 

so, it would bode well for exploration. 

In the midst of America’s current 

economic malaise and deficit-ridden 

Federal spending on programs that do 

nothing or little to advance technology 

or humanity’s condition, I share Neil 

Armstrong’s concern for the future of 

NASA and whether Washington has the 

inspirational leadership exhibited by 

President Kennedy in the 1960s, or ‘‘the 

right stuff’’ that is essential for space 

exploration. 

Today, American astronauts hitch a 

ride from Russia. Oh, how far we have 

fallen. Quite frankly, America and the 

human condition beg for the White 

House leadership once shown by President Kennedy, but which now is sorely 

lacking. 

Mr. Speaker, there is a whole universe out there waiting for us to explore. Just as America did in the 1960s, 

today’s Americans can accomplish 

what is seemingly impossible. All 

America lacks is the vision needed to 

help us understand where we should go 

and the leadership needed to get us 

there. 

Mr. Speaker, America will best honor 

the memory of Neil Armstrong and his 

achievements by striving for the American exceptionalism exemplified by 

Neil Armstrong in continuing his 

dream of manned space flight and exploration. 

f 

TAKE POLITICS OUT OF THE POST 

OFFICE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

Chair recognizes the gentleman from 

Georgia (Mr. JOHNSON) for 5 minutes. 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues 

in this do-nothing Congress to take 

politics out of the post office. 

The post office was explicitly authorized in article I, section 8, clause 7 of 

the United States Constitution. It 


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