mr. courtney. mr. courtney: your offices are like mine, this is the number one issue that we are getting calls, emails. are you going to stand up to your duty to protect these programs, social security, medicare and medicaid. mr. tonko: nine out of 10 comments that we get are save medicare. don't mess witness. we are fighting the good fight. america needs to know there is a risk of losing medicare. there are those who want to end it. with that, we yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: under the speaker's announced policy of january 5, 2011, the gentleman from arkansas, mr. griffin is recognized for the remaining time until 10 p.m.. mr. griffin: i have been listening to some of the speeches here tonight and i thought i would take a little time to address some of the arguments and first i would like to welcome my friend from wisconsin, representative did you have if i, who has joined -- duffy who has joined me here on the floor tonight. i have listened to the discussion of tax loopholes, tax e

mr. courtney, you pointed out how we got into the deficit, please, if you have some final thoughts. mr. courtney: i know and every one of us here knows there are a lot of older americans watching this debate extremely closely, worried about the social security check at the beginning of next month, worried if their medicare will be there. we all understand it is our solemn duty to protect a program that just celebrated its 45th anniversary, medicare, which has made a difference in terms of every single one of us, in terms of our parents and fwrarntes and we understand that we are not going to allow this political bullying effort to use the tool of the default as a device to butcher the medicare program and that is a solemn pledge which i know every single one of us believes in and we are going to fight until this episode is over to make sure we protect the basic components of retirement security for seniors in america which is social security and medicare. mr. garamendi: how about the view from colorado? mr. perlmutter: i say and i thank my friend from california, the view from colorado i

mr. courtney, for five minutes. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. in march of 2009 the u.s.s. hartford, a 17-year-old los angeles class submarine was steaming into port in the straits of hormuzz. visibility was low -- hurmuz. visibility was low. out of the blue they were struck by the u.s.s. san antonio, an lpd amphibious ship, which collided with the hartford. the hartford rolled 35 degrees, throwing sailors, anything that wasn't tied down flying in the air. the good news the collision did no have a breach in the submarine. there was no leak in the pressure hull. it was badly torn 20 to 25 degrees. the ship limped home in groton, connecticut, which was a tough voyage going across the atlantic, again, riding at the surface, which people who knows submariners, is the worst place to ride a subman, but it made it back to port. the challenge was for the ship yard of how to repair a ship that was 17 years old, that was built with totally different technology, hand-drawn prints, a work force that had largely retired and parts that really weren't in existence anymore. but the folks a

mr. courtney, that he could see fit to tell us where he left brooke.our family and to go on with our life. >> did it surprise you to hear mrs. wilberger family say thank you to joel courtney? >> it didn't surprise me. they are a giving and caring family. you can only hate for so long. at some point as people we have to be able to get beyond that. >> people always throw the world closure around. >> when people use that term, they are trying to be helpful and comforting. but i think in the death of anyone there's no closure. >> it is the end of a horrible ordeal, one that lasted much longer that it needed to. for brooke's killer, joel courtney, a lifetime of solitude awaits at the penitentiary of new mexico. >> you have no sympathy for this man? >> no. i think he's an animal. i hope he feels trapped, caged, defeated, weak. he's been beaten at his game and, like it or not, accountable. >> and many wonder, would joel courtney have been caught if a waitress and mom in new mexico named dara hadn't taken the time to save another woman from an unknown fate. >>

mr. courtney of connecticut. page 7, line 15, insert before the period at the end, provided further that an addition there is appropriated $808 million which shall be derived from the harbor maintenance trust fund. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey rise? >> i reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. the chair: a point of order is reserved. the gentleman from connecticut is recognized for five minutes. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, this amendment is simple. it would increase the army corps of engineers' operation and maintenance budget by $808 million in 2012. this number is not a random number that is just picked out of the air, mr. chairman. this number represents the difference between the tax revenue collected through the harbor maintenance tax and the amount of money that's actually being spent out of the harbor maintenance trust fund for the purpose of maintaining dredging in america's harbors. again, for some listeners it might be helpful to

mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. when former president harry truman and his wife, bess, were officially enrolled as the first medicare beneficiaries on july 1, 1956, only 66% of america's seniors can pay for health care. it made seniors basically uninsurable. that all changed 45 years ago last week when medicare was established as a guaranteed benefit providing a basic level of care for seniors regardless of income or illness. from the beginning, medicare has proven resilient, adapting to rapid changes in medicine and serving in wartime and peace and in economic boom time and recession. medicare has faced more difficult financial challenges in the past than the ones that face us today. preserving medicare's guaranteed benefit for future generations is our solemn duty and we must stop the push for vouchers which will ruin america's middle class. on the 45th anniversary of this landmark program, we must rededicate ourselves to protecting medicare as a guaranteed benefit for today's and tomorrow's seniors, not butcherin

mr. courtney: the boehner plan called for three separate votes over the next 15 months for a debt ceiling increase, exactly the kind of political instability that rating agencies are not looking for. it is time for a comprehensive, balanced solution which the president has said he will work with the congress to pass to get this economy moving again and create jobs. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania rise? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. tonight representative gabrielle giffords' office is organizing a special order to recognize border patrol agents who were killed in the line of duty of last year. mr. pitts: i want to thank her and her staff for working to acknowledge these dedicated people who died serving our nation. while i won't be able to speak tonight, i want to take a moment to honor agent michael gallagher who grew up in lancaster, pennsylvania. on september 2 last year agent galla

mr. courtney: president ronald reagan said the following, the full consequences after default or even serious prospect of default by the united states are impossible to predict and awe some to contemplate. denigration of the full faith and credit of the united states would have substantial effects on domestic financial markets and the value of the dollar in exchanges markets. the risks, costs, disruptions, and the damage lead me to one conclusion, the senate must pass this legislation before the congress adjourns. thank goodness congress had the good sense to listen and pass a higher debt limit with no conditions at a time, by the way, when medicare solvency was far worse than it is today. and 16 more times during the reagan presidency. today we have the head of the national republican party saying yesterday, don't worry, the government will find some other way to pay its bills. that is dangerous nonsense. it is time for the republican party to stop playing russian roulette with the american economy and american families. let's pass a clean debt limit and move on to growing the u.s. economy a

mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to honor the life of arthur of estonian, connecticut. it's important for us to remember art's remarkable service to his community. he was part of the greatest generation serving in the submarine force for 20 distinguished years. his career in the navy include time aboard one of the substance that executed the wolfpack attack strategy in the sea of japan. it was instrumenting in the pacific and a central ingredient to final victories. during the conflict he earned the bronze star and after the war rows to the rank of command -- rose to the rank of commander. he tried to improve the quality of life in southeastern connecticut. he taught math to high schoolers all across the state. he coached little league, served on the board of education and became one of the first mayors in his district. he will be missed by his wife, child and grandchild. his service is an inspiration for us today and for generations to come. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose

mrs. hutchinson announced they were married in may. steven tyler is suing him for lifestyle infringement right now. the bride's name is courtney.s parents gave their daughter permission to marry. they are okay with it. this is a photo from their wedding. who would have ever imagined that the leader of the dharma initiative would turn out to be couple? the couple says there is nothing strange about the relationship, except, of course, for the fact that when he was her agag she was, what, negative 19. [ laughter ] even hugh hefner is like, really, that's gross. maybe it's not that bad. maybe he traveled forward and she time traveled backward and somehow they met in the middle where they are only four years apart. but that is probably not the case. courtney is an aspiring singer. in fact, we found some of her music videos online. this is a song called "car candy." ♪ black leather dress on ♪ burning rubber down the street ♪ >> jimmy: i wonder what he sees in her. it doesn't make any sense. [ cheers and applause ] what could they possibly have in common? i think, watching that, you almost understand why the taliban insists on burqas