The United States Senate has rejected a sweeping immigration bill that would have provided amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. I opposed this bill, and am glad to see that it has been soundly defeated in the Senate.

We need immigration reform, but the American people want legislation that secures our border first, creates an employment verification system, and establishes English as our official language. If we do these three things, we will do something meaningful to control our borders and honor our best traditions of being a melting pot of nationalities.

Illegal immigration is eroding the public’s support for legal immigration. There is a big difference between the two, and we must never reward people who have broken our laws to enter our country. Amnesty is insulting to the millions of immigrants who came to our country in the right way and it sends a permissive message to would-be illegal aliens that America is not serious about border security. That is exactly the wrong message to deliver in a post 9/11 world.

This morning, I introduced legislation to challenge the unfair yen subsidies that the Japanese government are providing to automakers like Toyota, Honda and Nissan. The Japanese government has taken aggressive steps to weaken its currency to bolster auto exports to the United States. The yen subsidy ranges from $4,000 to $15,000 per Japanese exported vehicle. This export subsidy is fueling the Japanese automakers’ efforts to grab more of the United States market and is costing America good-paying manufacturing jobs.

Pressing Japan to address its currency manipulations is one of the top priorities of the Auto Trade Policy Council, which represents the trade interests of General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford.

For more information on this issue, please visit www.autoyensubsidy.org.

GM produces more vehicles that get over 30 mpg than any other automaker in the world. The largest of Detroit’s 3 automakers has 23 models that exceed 30 mpg. The Pontiac G-6, which is manufactured at the Orion Assembly plant in my district, is one of these great fuel-efficient offerings from GM.

Toyota and the Japanese automakers have a reputation for being more fuel-efficient automakers. But GM’s top selling sedan, the Chevy Impala, averages 31 mpg on the highway. This is exactly the same fuel economy number as Toyota’s top selling sedan, the Camry, and it’s actually 2 mpg better than Honda’s bread and butter sedan, the Accord, which comes in at 29 mpg on the highway.

So why does Detroit get skewered in the media for being less environmentally-conscious than Toyota and Honda? The only rational answer is that the proponents of unrealistic CAFE mandates are opposed to trucks and SUVs and would like for them to be regulated out of existence. They won’t admit to this, but Toyota hasn’t figured out how to make a truck get 35 mpg either. The reason the CAFE increases being contemplated in DC cut against Detroit harder is because our carmakers dominate the pickup truck market with 91 percent of the domestic share in this most profitable sector of the industry. Detroit needs the higher profits from trucks and SUVs to honor its wage, health care benefit, and pension obligations to UAW workers and retirees.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan have never really been full-line automakers. But now Toyota wants to become a bigger player in the U.S. truck market. They have invested big $$$ in a TX factory to make the Tundra truck, which is less fuel efficient than Detroit’s best selling pickup trucks. The Toyota truck investment, if successful, will bring down the company’s combined fleetwide fuel economy average. This is why Toyota also opposes the mandates being debated in DC.

If politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein are ultimately successful in raising CAFE to unrealistic levels, we will see a huge loss of manufacturing jobs in America. UAW workers in Michgan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, and scores of communities around the country will either lose their jobs or be under more pressure to have their wages and benefits reduced during contract negotiations with the Big Three.

The new Democrat majority in Congress can pass legislation like the union card check bill and an increase in the minimum wage and say they are pro-manufacturing worker, but make no mistake their anti-auto crusade will ultimately lead to the destruction of the best paying manufacturing jobs the world has ever known.

On Friday night, I had the good fortune of being honored by Lighthouse PATH, along with Mr. Ernie Harwell and Ms. Sue Nine. Lighthouse PATH, which is part of the excellent Lighthouse charities in Oakland County, is dedicated to helping homeless people move to self-sufficiency. During my tenure in Congress, I have worked closely with Lighthouse on numerous initiatives. I am very honored to have received their 2007 Award for Outstanding Community Leadership.

Below are the remarks I delivered on Friday evening in acceptance of this award:

 I am honored to be here tonight to receive this award from Lighthouse PATH. It is a great honor to share this recognition with Ernie Harwell and Sue Nine. I also want to thank Huel Perkins for serving as this evening’s Emcee. 

I am proud to be a friend of Lighthouse and the PATH program. Over my years in Congress, I have been touched by the work that is done by this tremendous organization. Lighthouse PATH is a true innovator in providing social services to people in need of a hand-up. This effective, compassionate, and results-oriented program lifts people up from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Many of us who are fortunate in life take things for granted. We have troubles in Michigan right now, but we are still blessed to be living in America, which is truly the land of opportunity. But there are many times when people, for a multitude of reasons, get off track in their lives and are forced into difficult and heart wrenching situations.

That’s why the work of Lighthouse and its PATH program are so important.  A strong and compassionate nation must look after its vulnerable people. I believe that with every fiber of my being and have tried to work closely with Lighthouse and scores of other social service organizations in Oakland County to help turnaround lives. I have seen first-hand the amazing success stories that result from Lighthouse’s work. Please be assured that I will continue to support this truly unique organization in its good works whenever and wherever I can.

Thank you for this special recognition. It means a lot to me and my wife, Sandie, who is here this evening with me. Thank you.

Last night, the House voted on the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2008. I have served on the subcommittee that drafts this bill for over 12 years and in that time I have never voted against passage of the bill…until this year. This year,the Democrats tried to play politics with our foreign assistance programs by inserting language in the bill that would have funneled U.S. taxpayer dollars to organizations around the world that promote and carry out abortions. I can not support such a bill and therefore could not support passage of this important piece of legislation. This bill funds scores of important international assistance programs and appropriates money to our allies around the world; most notably it provides $2.4 billion for Israel and almost $70 million for Armenia. While I wholeheartedly support these provisions, I can not support a bill that goes against the will of the American people and gives money to abortion clinics. I hope the new majority will work with Republicans to ensure these provisions are removed before the bill is sent to the President for his signature.

President Bush will not sign this bill into law with the taxpayer funded abortion provisions in it. Tensions are high in the Middle East. We cannot hold Israel’s aid package and assistance to countries like Armenia hostage to a political agenda that has no business being played out in this legislation. The Democrats know the president won’t sign the bill with the abortion language in it. They are trying to score political points at the expense of international relations and foreign policy. It’s time for the Democrats to stop playing politics with national security and our relationships with our allies around the world. The foreign aid bill can and should pass with strong bipartisan support and I am optimistic that when all is said and done the Democrats will retreat and that is exactly what will occur.

I had the good fortune of attending the grand opening of Lynn Alexander’s new aging well consulting firm at Automation Alley yesterday morning. I have known Ms. Alexander for more than two decades. She has distinguished herself as a tireless advocate on aging issues and for senior citizens in the state of Michigan. Lynn held a Cabinet level position on Aging Issues in the Engler Administration and served as the Senior Advocate for Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

Lynn’s new business endeavor will provide consulting services to organizations involved with serving the 50 + community. We are living longer, healthier and more productive lives thanks to advances in modern medicine and science. When people used to turn 50, they began thinking about retirement. Now they are increasingly thinking about second careers. Lynn’s consulting firm will provide counsel and advice on critical issues like wellness and health care, financial planning, and other matters related to aging well.

I know that Lynn Alexander’s new business will be successful and that her services will help improve the lives of senior citizens and the 50 + community in Oakland County. Lynn is a true Oakland County innovator. It was only fitting that the launch of her exciting new business was held at Automation Alley, the hub of innovation in Southeast Michigan.

For more information on Lynn’s new business, please visit www.youragingwelladvisor.com

The House passed an important resolution last night that calls on the United Nations to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This resolution, which I cosponsored, puts the United States on record of supporting international action against the denial of the Holocaust by the Iranian President. It is time for the U.S. and the international community to stand up to Ahmadinejad and force him to recognize the State of Israel and the Holocaust. The president of Iran has publicly called for the destruction of Israel and is hellbent on developing nuclear weapons. He is a menace to free people everywhere.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the largest increase in veterans funding in the 77-year history of the Veterans Affairs Department. The bill provides more than $37 billion for veterans programs. I strongly supported this level of funding for our veterans.

America’s service members and veterans have served our nation with honor and distinction. They deserve the full and unequivocal commitment of Congress.

Since 2001, I have voted to increase funding for our veterans from $48 billion to approximately $72 billion in 2006. We need to take care of the veterans who risked so much to defend our national security and strategic interests in the world.

As I have written here before … politicians from California who have an utter lack of respect for auto manufacturing and what it means to the American economy are waging a campaign to impose devastating regulations on the most important manufacturing sector of our economy.

In addition to the job-destroying CAFE mandates being contemplated in our nation’s capital, California wants to go even further by imposing its own emissions standards that would require a combined fuel economy standard for cars and trucks of 43.7 mpg by 2016. This standard and the regulations being considered in Washington are opposed by the Big Three and Toyota alike because the laws of physics make them unobtainable and the laws of economics make them catastrophic for the hundreds of thousands of people directly employed by the auto companies and the millions more whose livelihoods are tied to auto manufacturing.

I am organizing a letter to the EPA today from members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation requesting that the agency reject California’s waiver request to set its own unrealistic CAFE mandates. Today is the last day of the public comment period.

Nolan Finley, the editorial page editor of the Detroit News, has a fascinating blog item today on the enormous investments in alternative R&D made by GM, Chrysler and Ford. Contrary to the uninformed opinions of politicians in California, the Detroit car companies are working diligently to develop advanced fuel technologies that will enable us to cut our consumption of Middle East oil and lower our emissions of C02.

It’s time for some facts to find their way into the debate on auto regulations and what it means to the future of manufacturing in the United States.

Click here to read Mr. Finley’s blog posting.

I am supporting legislation in Congress to establish a Trade Prosecutor position in The Office of the United States Trade Representative. The Trade Prosecutor would be dedicated to ensuring that international trade agreements are honored. This official would also be responsible for reviewing trade agreements and making recommendations to trade laws that relate to foreign goverment barriers. The Trade Prosecutor would also be responsible for studying and issuing a report on non-tariff barriers to U.S. exports.

The bill I am supporting would also establish an Office of Trade Assistance for Small Business to assist small businesses with trade enforcement issues.

Trade and competition are good for the American economy and Michigan businesses. That’s why presidents from the Republican and Democratic parties have strongly promoted international trade. President Clinton pushed hard at the beginning of my tenure in Congress for adoption of NAFTA and GATT trade agreements. And Republican and Democrat presidents alike have lobbied Congress hard for fast track trade negotiating authority.

Our state’s economy is the 10th largest in the nation, but Michigan is the 5th leading export state. Jobs linked to exports pay significantly more than non-export related positions. The automotive sector of our economy is the nation’s leading exporter. GM, Ford, and Chrysler export approximately one million vehicles to international markets each year. And the total value of American vehicles and auto components attributed to exports exceeds $87 billion.

We need to ensure that American products have access to growing foreign markets. We also need to ensure that foreign countries are following the provisions of our trade agreements. A U.S. Trade Prosecutor would be responsible for advocating for American businesses and ensuring that trade works right for our economy.

This is an important priority for Michigan manufacturers and it will benefit companies from GM down to the small tool and die shops. The bill I am supporting has a companion in the Senate that is being promoted by United States Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

I am hopeful that this bipartisan legislation will be adopted in the 110th Congress.