I too join that letter that hundreds of Members of Congress sent to you and let me just say thank you for that quick response.

I am glad that people in high places want to come and learn about what we do.

I want to make sure that we stay focused on that. I think we can do better than that.

I am going to have something that is called the Beatty rule where we would like to start with Federal organizations like yours and simply say that, as you look at these positions, you actually identify and at least interview one person who…

the overwhelming unemployment rate facing young African American men.

I and my cosponsors have introduced two pieces of legislation that I certainly hope you will say a kind word for.

We want scholarships to get these young kids in there.

Mr. Chairman, absolutely. In the right way, I certainly would support that. Mr. DeFAZIO. Reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

How much time do I have remaining, Mr. Chairman? The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Carter of Georgia). The gentleman from Texas has 2 minutes remaining.

Mr. Chairman, I want to say, for a private business entity to get muck off the bottom of a slip or a channel's having to go through this, this is what this is all about. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr…

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the preamble at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Strike the preamble and insert the following: Whereas the deterioration of basic…

Mr. Chairman, I urge the passage of my amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 4 Offered…

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the text of the resolution at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: That the…

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of title I, add the following: SEC. __. AUTHORIZATION OF FEDERALLY MAINTAINED…

Reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 5…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of title I, add the following: SEC. __. WORK DEFINED. Section 14 of the Act of March 3…

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer this amendment to direct the Corps of Engineers to focus on the tasks that it can do, and should do, when it comes to section 408 reviews. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, enacted in the final days of the…

Mr. Chairman, one of the great honors I have here in Congress is to represent four great ports--Orange, Beaumont, Cedar Bayou, and the biggest port in Texas and one of the largest in the world: the Port of Houston. When America's…