Mr. Speaker, on Friday, January 29 Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter jet — with stealth capabilities — successfully completed its first test flight.  This is an ominous development indeed, as it comes on the heels of the Obama Administration’s decision to terminate production of our own fifth generation air superiority fighter, the F-22A Raptor.

The Administration’s decision to end the F-22 program at 187 aircraft was clearly not driven by military requirements, as the long-standing Air Force requirement for the F-22 — developed to meet the national military strategy — is 381.  While President Obama and Secretary Gates were expending great capital in shorting the Air Force by nearly 200 F-22s, it should be clear to all of us what the Russians have been doing.

Air superiority is not something we should take for granted, Mr. Speaker, for owning the skies is what enables us to control the battlefield.  The President’s short-sighted decision on the F-22 ignores the possibility that — at some point in the future — we could find ourselves in a conflict with a conventional military power that could challenge our air superiority, a possibility I don’t think any of us would like to imagine.

I yield back.

On Christmas Day, our country faced a security breach that could have resulted in a catastrophic terrorist attack.  Only because of a faulty explosive and a few brave passengers was this tragedy avoided.

Now, not even six weeks later, this incident has made its way out of the news headlines, and seemingly off of the Administration’s radar.  Last week, the President hardly touched on national security in his State of the Union address, which led me to think about how dramatically different his speech would have been if the terrorist attack was a success.

It is imperative that we do not grant terrorists –such as the would-be Christmas Day bomber –the same rights that American citizens enjoy when it comes to prosecution.  These terrorists are privy to insider Al Qaeda information, and once they are able to “lawyer up” they stop telling us what we need to know to keep our country safe.  Terrorists who wish to kill us should not enjoy the same rights as American citizens.

Just this week, top intelligence testified that it is a near certainty that there could be another attempted terrorist attack on the United States within the next three to six months.  This reality cannot be ignored, and we must do everything to protect our country.  I will continue to introduce and support anti-terrorism legislation, such as my bill H.R. 4464, “The Prevent Terrorists from Reuniting with Terrorist Cells Act.”   This legislation would keep detainees from being released to countries deemed as terrorist safe havens or state sponsors of terror.  In addition to these efforts, I will maintain my strong opposition to the closure of Guantanamo Bay, and to transporting terrorists to the U.S. for prosecution.

This past week I signed a letter with other Republicans calling for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s resignation.  Americans everywhere are concerned with the failures of our security system, and the secretary’s minimal response to the attempted terrorist bombing of Flight 253 combined with her lack of attention to our security problems beforehand.  This is deeply troubling to me.

I believe it is imperative that we have a Homeland Security Secretary who understands the threat our nation is under from terrorists and has the resolve to implement a strong and effective system that stops terrorists before they act. 

If Secretary Napolitano refuses to sign, I believe that President Obama should act responsibly, and dismiss her immediately.  The War on Terror is very much so a reality, and the leaders of our country need to start acting accordingly.

The United States has been providing immediate aid to Haiti and I know many individuals are looking to help as well.  If you would like information on a secure way to donate, you can contact the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army at www.RedCross.org or www.salvationarmyusa.org/.

www.facebook.com/RepPhilGingrey

Please become a fan of my facebook page where I post daily thoughts, links, videos, and more!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/01/06/costello.aarp.health.care.cnn?iref=allsearch

I hope you have been enjoying the holiday season with your families.  It has been wonderful to be at home in Georgia with mine and have the opportunity to see many of you, but I am anxious to get back to Washington to continue to fight the health care legislation which was recently passed by the Senate.

By now I am sure you know that I do not believe this health care overhaul is the best prescription for the American people.  Many of you have shared your similar concerns with me, and I appreciate you taking the time to tell me your thoughts so I can bring your concerns before Congress.

My friends, this fight is far from over, and in 2010 I will continue to stand firmly against government run health care in any form, taking whatever action I can to prevent the legislation from reaching the President’s desk.

Lastly, I’d like to briefly touch on the recent airline terrorist activities in Detroit.  This serves as a stark reminder to the current Administration that we still face terrorists who wish to do us harm and we need to be vigilant in our efforts to defend our nation and secure the safety of our citizens.  I believe in taking every measure possible to protect our country against all forms of terrorist attacks, and urge our leaders to sternly respond to these incidents so there is no chance for reoccurrence.  Protecting our homeland should be the first and foremost concern of our leaders at all times.

As 2009 comes to a close, I hope you and yours enjoy the rest of the Holiday season.  I wish you a very wonderful start to a new decade, and I truly hope we can turn the tides of 2010 to our favor!  Happy New Year!

As the House enters recess, I’d like to give you a quick recap of my week in Washington.  It was a busy week with Democrats trying to force through their remaining pieces of legislation before the year came to an end.  Unfortunately, what has resulted is careless spending, bad policies, and the wrong legislation for the American people.   In these tough economic Americans are looking to our elected officials for guidance, leadership, and a sign that things will indeed get better.  Working families and small businesses that are struggling to make ends meets do not need policies that spend more money, increase our national debt, and don’t create a single new job.  Democrats responded by simply passing legislation that will raise our national debt limit to $12.4 trillion so they can spend more money instead of making tough choices.  Worse, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues left Washington Wednesday night to attend a summit on climate change in Copenhagen. My Republican colleagues and I understand that you, your families, and our small businesses need help.  I have spoken with so many of you on the phone, through letters, and via Facebook about your concerns, and believe me, I hear you.  Government run healthcare, amnesty for illegals, massive spending packages, cap and trade – I am against all of this.  Rest assured, I will be working hard over the Holiday season to continue to fight against these bad policies and I urge you to do the same. Thank you for continuing to share your thoughts with me and please be safe in your travels this holiday season.       

This week in Washington, Congressional Democrats are attempting to explain the failure of their one trillion dollar economic stimulus package, which they promised would save jobs and prevent unemployment from rising above 8 percent.   Instead, across the United States, unemployment has hit a 26 year high at 10.2 percent, and more than 2.8 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus went into effect. In Georgia alone, all 9 of the counties in my district have unemployment rates over the promised 8 percent.  In fact, 8 of them have rates over 10 percent, while 2 have rates reaching as high as 13.6 percent.  However, I know I do not need to tell you this because all of us are feeling the effects of a struggling economy and we all know friends and family members that are trying to find work. That is why we do not need the legislation the Democrats are prescribing for our economy, health care and energy, because their plans do nothing but raise taxes and in the process sacrifice more jobs.   The people of the 11^th District, and across the country, need real help that keep more money in their pockets and create jobs, not Speaker Pelosi’s agenda.

As promised, I would like to provide you with further details regarding the second portion of my trip to the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan. Like I said before, it is absolutely crucial for President Obama to follow through on his campaign promises pertaining to the needs of our troops overseas. I can say conclusively that after meeting with our service men and women, their lives truly depend on the resources that are needed on the front lines right now.

In Afghanistan I had the opportunity to sit down and share a meal with some soldiers from Georgia. It was a very meaningful experience for me to be able to spend some time with them and thank them for their service. I also took some pictures with them that I was able to send to their families back home in Georgia. To view some pictures from my trip, click here:

I also had the opportunity to speak with military commanders, both from the United States and Afghanistan. I specifically asked the American commanders if, with the additional troops that our top commander on the ground, General Stanley McChrystal, requested from the President, they could achieve their mission. Without hesitation, their answer was yes, but only if the President follows the advice of the General and sends additional troops.

My friends, I assure you I am fully committed to holding the President accountable to his campaign rhetoric, and I will work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure we achieve our mission overseas and that our brave men and women have the support they need while deployed and here at home.

This morning, I landed in the United States after traveling on a Congressional fact-finding trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan. I traveled overseas with two other Members of Congress – Democratic Members Jane Harman (Chairwoman of the Intelligence Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee) and Brian Baird. Both portions of the trip were extremely interesting and informative as I was particularly interested in getting a first-hand assessment of the situation in the region. As you know, the trip was very timely as President Obama is preparing to release his decision on whether he will follow the recommendation of his top commander on the ground, General Stanley McChrystal, that 40,000 additional troops be deployed there, or if we will pursue another course of action. I wanted to share with you some more details of my trip and what I learned. Today’s blog will focus on Pakistan and I’ll post more next week on Afghanistan.

In Pakistan, we began in Islamabad where we met with President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in late 2007 by a suicide bomber. The political climate is extremely challenging for the Pakistani President given that he does not enjoy the support of the military. We then traveled to the Northwest Frontier Province, to Peshawar, where we met with government officials, including the Governor of the province and the Chief Minister. From Peshawar, we traveled into the Swat Valley, north of Peshawar, to the city of Mingora. Click on the link for a map of Pakisan to see where we were: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/maps/maptemplate_pk.html. The Taliban had burned all of the schools in Mingora, but the Pakistani Army has since overthrown the Taliban in the area. Thus, it was particularly poignant and meaningful for us to be able to visit an all-girls school while we were there. To see young girls have the opportunity for an education, a right that the Taliban had denied, was a reminder that progress has been made.

Check back early next week for more on my travel to Afghanistan and what I think the President should do. In the meantime, be sure to tune into Fox& Friends Sunday morning at 9:45 AM to hear me talk more about my trip.

Today, the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-9 to report their health care reform bill out of Committee to the full Senate for consideration. Unfortunately, this bill represents more of the same bad policy. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the Senate Finance Committee health care reform bill and there is much to be concerned about. By the CBO’s estimate, the Senate bill will increase premiums for young Americans by 10-20 percent, something those who are just starting out in their careers can ill afford. Additionally, three million people in employer-sponsored plans will lose their current coverage and 14 million people will be moved into the CHIP program (PeachCare in Georgia) and Medicaid. According to the Republican staff on the Senate Budget Committee, when the bill is fully implemented, the 10 year cost is actually $1.8 trillion while cuts to Medicare/Medicaid add up to $1 trillion from FY2014 – 2023. A study by PriceWaterhouse Coopers found that, on average, the cost of a family plan would increase an average of $4,000 by 2019 over the predicted baseline. Premiums would increase for every insurance market, with the largest increases felt by small businesses and individuals without employer-sponsored coverage.

Want to know what’s worse than this plan? Click here to find out.

Voting against the Democrats’ Cap and Tax Bill today. Call your Congressman and encourage him to vote ‘no’!

Tune in to C-SPAN’s Washington Journal program on Tuesday morning to see Congressman Gingrey talking about health care reform and fielding questions from Americans throughout the country. Congressman Gingrey will be hosting between 7:25 AND 7:55 AM. Check your local listings and be sure to tune in.

Congressman Gingrey met this week with the Polk County Chamber of Commerce to discuss the issues facing Polk County and the State of Georgia. Congressman Gingrey spent the morning fielding questions and concerns from Chamber members and local government officials on issues such as economic development opportunities and health care reform. A photo of this group is attached.

Congressman Gingrey submitted the following remarks, recognizing the contributions of the Polk County Chamber of Commerce, to the Congressional Record:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a delegation from my district that has traveled to Washington representing Polk County, Georgia and its Chamber of Commerce.  The delegation includes representatives from the Chamber, elected officials from the City of Cedartown, elected officials from the City of Rockmart, county elected officials, as well as local business leaders.

Located just outside metro Atlanta on the Georgia-Alabama line, Polk County offers a number of great opportunities for both residents and businesses that are looking to locate to Georgia.  However, like counties across America, Polk County and its citizens are facing their own economic challenges.  For this reason, this delegation has come to Washington to advocate on behalf of their community and to discuss both the potential positive and negative impact that actions here in Washington can have not just on Polk County, but on all of our nation’s communities. 

I want to take this opportunity to commend the Polk County Chamber of Commerce for taking this proactive approach in representing the best interests of the people of Northwest Georgia.  I look forward to our visit as we continue to work together to facilitate a stronger and even more economically vibrant Polk County.

Congressman Gingrey will have a representative in Gordon County on June 12th to assist constituents with case work, legislative questions and other concerns and inquiries. Stephen Smith, Constituent Services Representative for the Congressman, will be at the Calhoun Depot, on Friday, June 12th from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.  All members of the community are invited to stop by for assistance with federal agencies, answers to questions about Congressional legislation, and an opportunity to voice comments or concerns they would like brought to Congressman Gingrey’s attention. This service is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Stephen Smith at (706) 290-1776.

U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey will have a representative in Polk County on May 27^th to assist constituents with case work, legislative questions and other concerns and inquiries. Linda Liles, Constituent Service Representative to the Congressman, will be at City Hall, 201 E. Avenue in Cedartown on Wednesday, May 27^th from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon.  All members of the community are invited to stop by for assistance with federal agencies, answers to questions about Congressional legislation, and an opportunity to voice comments or concerns they would like brought to Congressman Gingrey’s attention. This service is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Linda Liles at (706) 290-1776.

I just wanted to make sure you knew that I had created a twitter account. You can find instant updates there:

http://twitter.com/RepPhilGingrey

President Obama’s promise to cut the budget by $100 million in 90 days is little more than a publicity stunt that misses the mark. This proposal would only cut 0.0025% of his record-breaking $4 trillion dollar spending for this year alone; prompting one journalist to point out that Obama’s new “thrifty proposal” is the equivalent of asking a family that spends $60,000 in a year to save $6. Check out this AP article which gives perspective on the proposed “budget cuts.”