[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 92 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2346, SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009

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                               speech of

                            HON. TODD TIAHRT

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 15, 2009

  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, in response to the devastating attacks of 
September 11th 2001 our nation was forced to take strong and decisive 
action in Afghanistan and throughout the world with the Global War on 
Terror to protect and defend the values and national interests of the 
American people. For eight years, Congress has dutifully provided the 
resources our troops need to carry out the will of this nation.
  Today we are considering H.R. 2346, the FY2009 War Supplemental 
Appropriations bill, to once again provide these resources our troops 
require. Sadly Congressional Democrats have chosen to use this vitally 
important funding bill to advance the Obama administration's reckless 
national security and economic policies. I cannot support a bill that 
places our citizens and military servicemembers at risk, as well as 
advances irresponsible economic policies that put our economy at risk.
  The detainees currently housed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are among the 
world's most dangerous, hardened terrorists. These detainees 
masterminded the September 11th terrorist attacks, plotted numerous 
terrorist attacks around the world, and killed American troops and 
civilians. In developing a policy to deal with such dangerous people, 
though, the Obama administration has focused on one single goal: close 
the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Although the facility at 
Guantanamo Bay is the world's most secure prison, the administration 
has instead developed a two-pronged plan to abandon these facilities 
and bring detainees to the United States either for release into our 
streets or release into our prisons.
  I do not want terrorists to come to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, or any 
American town. Bringing detainees to Fort Leavenworth would conflict 
with its primary mission of being the educational center of the Army 
and is impractical from a facilities and logistical perspective. Most 
importantly, it would place the citizens of Leavenworth, Johnson 
County, and the greater Kansas City metro area at unnecessary risk.
  Unfortunately, this policy, which is designed to placate anti-war 
activists, fails to address the serious national security concerns that 
are clearly seen by the American people. In multiple opinion polls, the 
American people overwhelming reject the notion of bringing terrorists-
detainees to the U.S. They know that bringing terrorists to our street 
or prisons places our nation at risk.
  Democrat leadership has rejected the views of the American people and 
included a provision to create a process for the administration to 
bring terrorist-detainees to the United States. This provision provides 
little of the protections and guarantees the American people expect. 
Let me be clear, this provision will do nothing to prevent the Obama 
administration from moving terrorists from a secure military facility 
to our hometowns.
  In addition to placing American citizens at risk, this legislation 
also places American military servicemembers in harm's way by the 
removal of the bi-partisan Lieberman-Graham amendment. This critical 
amendment would have blocked the release of photographs of individuals 
captured or detained by the U.S. military during overseas operations. 
Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) who sponsored 
the original amendment, clearly stated, ``the release of the photos 
will serve as propaganda and recruiting tool for terrorists who seek to 
attack American citizens at home and abroad.'' Even President Obama has 
said that the release of these photographs would ``put our troops and 
civilians serving our nation abroad in greater danger.'' Instead of 
acting in the best interests of our troops, however, Congressional 
Democrats have sided with the extremist left and lawyers from the 
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) by removing this important 
provision.
  Although Congressional Democrats left out language to prevent 
terrorists from being brought to our shores and to protect our troops, 
they found room to add two unrelated provisions that continue this 
administration's favorite cure-all for our economic woes: bailouts.
  Perhaps most concerning, the War Supplemental Appropriations bill 
contains a $108 billion loan authority for the International Monetary 
Fund (IMF)--a Global Bailout. Unrelated to the war effort, this Global 
Bailout represents a ten-fold increase in the U.S.'s current IMF 
contribution to fund an expansion of IMF lending. In addition, through 
the IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), countries that oppose U.S. 
values and national interests would receive access to additional hard 
currency. Iran will receive a benefit up to $1.8 billion, Syria $305 
million, Venezuela $3.2 billion, and Sudan $202 million. I find it very 
disturbing that Democrats would use a war spending bill to prop-up 
state sponsors of terrorism.
  Finally, I object to the ``Cash for Clunkers'' provision included in 
H.R. 2346. The automobile manufacturers have already received $110 
billion in bailouts from the federal government. Yet, Congressional 
Democrats have decided to funnel another $1 billion in bailout dollars 
to the very same industry. I have opposed the bailouts from the 
beginning. Instead of enacting real solutions to address this economic 
crisis, Democrats are again pushing their tired, old ideas of more and 
more government spending. Bailouts and more government spending have 
proven ineffective in jump-starting the economy. These are the wrong 
solutions for our economy, and however well-intentioned, will only 
prolong our economic woes.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this bill. 
As currently written, this bill offers the wrong solutions to real 
problems. It places our citizens, troops and economy at risk. H.R. 2346 
should instead return to the Conference Committee and focus on funding 
our troops and keeping the American people safe.

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