[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 142 (Thursday, September 22, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FUND FEMA NOT AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
  You know, Madam Speaker, it is so ironic that the American people are 
hurting in many, many ways, including those in my district from 
Hurricane Irene which did damage all of the way up to Vermont, the 
fires in Texas, and tornadoes, and yet we can't come together as two 
different parties to find agreement to increase the funding for FEMA so 
they can help victims of these disasters, and yet we can find $10 
billion a month to send to a corrupt leader in Afghanistan so that he 
can wear his robes and his caps and American kids can die and lose 
their legs and arms.
  I do not understand why this Congress and the President of the United 
States do not understand that it's time to bring our troops home.

                              {time}  1010

  The American people are hurting in many, many ways, and the folly of 
the last day here in Washington where we cannot come together to 
increase the funding for FEMA is absolutely unacceptable--
unacceptable--to the people of this country.
  I was listening to C-SPAN coming in today, and it was just really 
somewhat ironic that the people are so angry with Congress, both 
parties actually, and cannot figure out why we are not doing what's 
necessary to fix the economy and create jobs to fix the infrastructure 
that my friend from Oregon just talked about. Oh, yes, but we can still 
find $10 billion a month for Mr. Karzai. Let's fix his roads in 
Afghanistan. Let's train his people to be troops and policemen.
  Madam Speaker, that brings me to this poster I brought down to the 
floor today. Two little girls, Stephanie and Eden, their daddy, 
Sergeant Kevin Balduf, a United States marine stationed in Camp 
Lejeune, which is in my district, and Colonel Palmer, stationed at 
Cherry Point Marine Air Station, which is in my district, were sent to 
Afghanistan to train Afghans to be policemen.
  One night, they were having dinner, the trainees, the colonel, and 
the sergeant, and one trainee pulled out a pistol and killed both of 
them. What is ironic is the day before Sergeant Balduf and Colonel 
Palmer were killed, Sergeant Balduf emailed his wife, Amy, and said: I 
don't trust them. I don't trust them. I don't trust any of them.
  So these two little girls are standing at their daddy's funeral at 
Arlington. And you can see in their faces, Madam Speaker, a look of 
pain and a look of misunderstanding of what has happened. They don't 
understand what has happened.
  So, Madam Speaker, I hope we in Congress will find the will to 
encourage President Obama to bring our troops home, because Secretary 
Gates has already said and been recorded that we will be there until 
2015. How many young Americans have to die in the next 4 years to prop 
up a corrupt government? It makes no sense.
  I hope the American people will rally behind those of us in both 
parties who want to bring our troops home, and let's get them home 
before 2015.
  Madam Speaker, I close this way, the way I always do: God, please 
bless our men and women in uniform; God, please bless the families of 
our men and women in uniform; God, in Your loving arms hold the 
families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and 
Iraq; God, please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is 
right in God's eyes for God's people; and I will ask God to give 
wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama that he will do what 
is right in the eyes of God for God's people. And three times I will 
say, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

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