JOHN CARTER

It’s official. Gas prices have hit $4 per gallon. Heading into last weekend, Chicago’s CBS 2 News reported, “Premium gas at some Chicago pumps has reached an unfortunate milestone-$4 a gallon-and its not even Memorial Day yet.”

While prices have yet to hit $4 in Texas, they are certainly heading that way, much to the dismay of Texas families and businesses. The Associated Press reported this week that gas prices spiked once again, according to analysis from AAA, “Gas and diesel pump prices jumped to yet another record Friday, piling on the costs for motorists as well as consumers reliant on trucks, trains and ships that deliver goods to market.”

In 2006, then House-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi promised Americans that “Democrats have a common sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.” The truth is-over a year later-the price of gasoline in Central Texas has risen from $2.74 to $3.31 and diesel has jumped from $2.88 to $4.04, according to AAA. With the travel season just a month away, this news could not come at a worse time for Texans planning their summer vacations.

Now, in what seems to be a desperate attempt to discredit progress being made in Iraq, many Democrats are linking the slowing economy and record gas prices to the success our troops are having in Iraq. According to leading columnists and economists, this presumption is false. Below are quotes from recent articles, many written by liberals, discrediting this assumption.
• Princeton University Economist and New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman: “An Iraq recession? One thing I get asked fairly often is whether the Iraq war is responsible for our economic difficulties. The answer (with slight qualifications) is no…” (“Conscience of a Liberal,” 1/29/08)
• Martin N. Baily, a former chairman of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers: “…[T]he current problems the United States is facing [with the economy] have very little to do with the war in Iraq.” (The Washington Post, 4/15/08)
• Max Boot, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations: “In short, it is absurd to suggest that a lack of Iraqi production is responsible for the rise in oil prices; the likely culprits are increased demand in China, India, and other emerging markets.” (Commentary Magazine, 3/21/08)
• Trilby Lundberg, editor of the nationwide Lundberg survey on the “essential causes” of high gas prices: “The essential causes are strong crude oil prices, dramatically higher ethanol prices and seasonally rising gasoline demand.” (Reuters, 4/6/08)

The truth is that the rising cost of gas can be linked to simple supply and demand. Demand continues to go up, but our supply is starting to decrease. According to the U.S. Energy Department, inventories of gasoline fell 5.5 million barrels last week, a much bigger decline than forecast by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires. Crude inventories fell 2.3 million barrels last week, the department’s Energy Information Administration also reported, compared to the gain analysts expected. We can’t expect to see gas prices go down if we don’t increase our supply.

Congress needs to stop blaming our soldiers, blaming the President and blaming each other for skyrocketing gas prices. Legislation that simply raises taxes on American oil companies isn’t going to alleviate the problem either. In fact, it will only make the burden heavier for consumers. We need to get down to the facts and start passing legislation that will encourage conservation and promote the research and innovation necessary to develop new technologies. But, while doing this, we must also unlock new oil supply. We live in a world where people still put gasoline in their cars, so we can’t expect new technology to take the place of oil and gas over night. Good reforms to energy problems are the only way Americans are going to see lower energy prices, and it is time Congress starts doing something about it.

Far to the Southeast of Texas lies the South American country of Colombia. This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Colombia with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and other members of Congress. The purpose of this trip was to witness first-hand the importance of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided, however, that there will be no trade agreement with Colombia, and in fact, has changed the rules in the House causing this solid, good-faith agreement that took years to mold and months to negotiate, to completely disappear.

Seven years ago, Colombia was nearly a failed state. Violence was rampant, Colombians were fleeing their country, and economic activity was plummeting. Colombia and the United States have worked to combat this violence over the years, and together we have made substantial progress. President Uribe has made major progress in stemming the tide of violence in his own country and the shipment of drugs into ours. Colombia is doing a good job fighting terrorists despite support for Colombian guerillas by Hugo Chavez, the dictator in Venezuela. Yet, we refuse to pass this agreement. We are sending the wrong message to one of our strongest South American allies and to those countries who are working to follow Colombia’s example.

The Colombia Free Trade Agreement would have represented the completion of a trade relationship-not the beginning of a new one. Through unilateral preference programs already approved by Congress, nearly 92 percent of Colombian imports enter the U.S. duty-free. American exported goods face heavy tariffs, which can run as high as 35 percent for our manufactured goods and even higher for our agricultural products, putting our Texas farmers, ranchers, workers and small businesses at a sever disadvantage. The current status is unbalanced. This agreement would have created a free and fair trade system for both parties.

Traveling to Colombia with Ambassador Schwab gave me an opportunity to witness the benefits our global competitors reap because of their expanded exports to Colombia through trade agreements. The United States cannot afford to fall behind, and killing this agreement will create further uncertainty for our fragile economy.

Since September 11th we have made this nation’s prosperity our number one priority. Halfway around the world, we fight terrorism and promote freedom with the strength of our military. Within our own hemisphere we hold different weapons in the strength of our economy, our business and our trade. We must utilize these tools to prevent tyranny and evil from gaining power in our own backyard. Instead, Nancy Pelosi and the party in control of Congress put the prosperity of our nation on hold for purely political reasons. When will these games stop? When will this Congress stop working towards their own agenda and start working for the country and the people we represent?

What do a rock star and the Congressman from Central Texas have in common? Trust me, I was asking myself that same question on my way to meet with Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2 and founder of the One Campaign established to eliminate poverty and global disease. Our common ground wasn’t that hard to find. We both agree that America is a blessed nation, and we believe it is our moral obligation to help those that cannot help themselves.

During the State of the Union address, President Bush called on Congress to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and double our historic commitment with an additional $30 billion over the next five years.

The statistics of the HIV/AIDS crisis are truly alarming. This pandemic kills an estimated six million people every year. According to the Joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, an estimated 33.2 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in 2007. Of these, more than two million were children and some 330,000 of the 2.1 million that died in 2007 were under the age of 15. Nearly 90 percent of all children infected with HIV reside in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 2.2 million of the estimated 2.5 million children living with HIV worldwide. Each day in 2007, approximately 1,000 children worldwide became newly infected with HIV, due in large part to little access to treatment that prevents the transmission of HIV from mother to child.

Equally startling, if current rates of infection continue to rise, we could begin to see new epicenters for the disease arise out of India, China and Eastern Europe with numbers that could surpass Africa in just a few years.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic poses a real threat to our national security. If not addressed, this plague will continue to weaken nations throughout the third world, crippling countries and economies leaving them vulnerable to extreme violence.

This is truly a global crisis and because the United States can provide timely assistance, I believe have a moral responsibility to do so.

This week Congress voted to authorize billions of dollars for the president’s global AIDS initiative, a program started in 2003 that has been successful for millions around the world suffering from AIDS or are at risk of contacting the HIV virus. Originally I had concerns about another foreign aid program, but after seeing these funds produce such large success, I knew they were worthwhile.

According to the Congressional Research Service, through September 30, 2007, the president’s global AIDS initiative has supported anti-retroviral treatment for approximately 1.4 million people; prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services for women during more than 10 million pregnancies and an estimated 152,000 infant infections; care for nearly 6.7 million people, including more than 2.7 million orphans and children; and counseling and testing services for over 30 million people.

Not only does this plan address the crisis by providing medicine and health benefits to those infected, but also addresses the crisis at its core. The bill passed by Congress is consistent with our values and will maintain a continued focus on HIV/AIDS treatment, care and prevention goals, including meaningful funding resources for evidence-based programs that teach abstinence. We cannot send billions of dollars to Africa without initiating programs that will help prevent the transmission of this disease by changing behavior.

I believe that it is possible to be both fiscally responsible and be obedient to our moral calling. History is filled with great moments of mankind’s enduring compassion to help those in need. Now it is Congress’ turn to put politics aside and do something truly great to help those humans who desperately need America to step in and help them survive.

Securing our borders is the backbone of our national security, and something I have dedicated my years in Congress to protecting. Unfortunately there are those in Congress who don’t seem to think it is a priority.

Porous borders pose a grave threat to the security of America, and to the economic stability of cities and towns, especially in Texas. Concerned members from both parties, including myself, believe this issue demands action now and should not wait for a new president or a new decade. Unfortunately Nancy Pelosi has stopped legislation that I have co-sponsored that would protect our borders from coming to the House floor for a vote and being signed into law. To that end, Representative Thelma Drake has filed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 4008, the SAVE Act. This bipartisan bill would address the security loopholes in our borders. If 218 Members sign the petition, Democrat leaders will be forced to hold a vote on this bill.

The SAVE Act, which is sponsored by Representative Heath Shuler, a Democrat, has 145 co-sponsors, including myself and 48 of my Democrat colleagues. The bill provides for a number of things that will drastically improve the security of our borders including:

• An increase in border patrol agents by 8,000 over the next five years; and additional 1,150 ICE agents, 140 Criminal Alien Program officers, and 250 state and local law enforcement for immigration support.

• Strengthening of alien smuggling penalties.

• Expedited removal of and increased detention facilities for illegal aliens.

• Authority for additional border infrastructure and aerial vehicles/surveillance equipment.

• Strengthened Employer Enforcement: (1) mandates usage of the E-Verify system which allows employers to make an efficient and accurate check of a hire’s employment eligibility; (2) requires employer/employee notification of Social Security number mismatches and multiple users; (3) requires establishment of electronic birth and death registration databases; (4) penalizes specified employers for failure to correct information returns; and (5) prohibits employers from deducting from gross income wages paid to unauthorized aliens.

Not only does this bill help to strengthen our borders immediately, but it is a good step towards reforming our immigration process. Last year, I introduced the Secure America for Everyone (SAFE) Act which consists of four straightforward bills addressing law enforcement, border security, and a secure ID system, ultimately leading to a practical immigration process that will make it easier to come into this country legally and harder to come illegally. Our country was founded on the principles of freedom and opportunity for all citizens, and I stand ready to work with my colleagues to create a system that makes sense.

Securing our borders should be at the heart of our national security strategy. Although we are in an era where common sense legislation too often gets caught up in partisan gridlock, this is not an issue we can afford to delay on any further. The American people have called on Congress repeatedly to act to secure our borders, and the Democratic Leadership should listen to them.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the past five years, Iraq has become a nation that lives in freedom, not fear. The efforts of our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq have made the World and America safer from terrorists.

I have had the opportunity to visit Iraq four times since the beginning of the war. During my visits, I have had the great honor of visiting with our troops from Fort Hood, and I have been able to see first hand the progress we have made. We owe eternal gratitude to the brave men and women fighting for the safety of America and the freedom of the Iraqi people.

Violence has declined throughout Iraq, particularly in Baghdad and al-Anbar Province. Total civilian deaths and coalition deaths have dropped by more than 70% since July of 2007, according to the House Armed Services Committee. Coalition forces have captured or killed thousands of extremists and key al-Qaeda leaders. This major reduction in violence has been made possible by the troop surge and the Sunni rejection of al-Qaeda.

A neighborhood watch program called the “Sons of Iraq” movement is now 90,000 strong and has been the inspiration for other Iraqis to take up the fight. This neighborhood watch program has helped protect communities from terrorists and insurgents. During the past year, the Iraqi government has added its own surge of 100,000 new Iraqi soldiers and police officers, and the Iraqi government is now responsible for the security in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces. The increase in Iraqi forces has also enabled them to become more capable of executing their own missions.

Political progress is also taking place in Iraq. The Iraqi Council of Representatives and the Presidency Council are working through key pieces of legislation that will balance the central government in Baghdad with the strong local governments. They are also working to pass election laws and legislation that would set the framework for foreign investment in Iraq’s energy sector.

While the surge has enabled us to reduce the amount of violence, the stakes in Iraq are still great. We are witnessing the first large scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden and his terror network. Defeating al-Qaeda in Iraq will show that we are capable of defending liberty and defeating terrorists.

In the past five years, we have learned that when we pull our forces out too fast terrorists and extremist step in and spread violence. General Petraeus has warned that too quick of a withdrawal could result in a surge in violence again. I believe that we must listen very carefully to our experts on the ground in Iraq and trust that their advice to Congress is in the best interest of America, our troops, and the people of Iraq.

I cannot talk about the success in Iraq without mentioning our troops. Brave American men and women have fought and sacrificed for the freedom of the Iraqi people and the War on Terror. Back home, many families are sacrificing while their loved one serves in Iraq. We should all remember our military families and be thankful for their contribution to our freedom. This has been a long struggle – frankly, longer than many of us realized. But we owe it to the Iraqi people, and to the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to finish the job. Our military needs to leave Iraq in victory under the American flag, not in defeat under a white flag. I ask that the residents of the 31st District continue to show support for these brave souls by flying your flag, thanking a troop and their family, and letting them know that you stand behind them.