I thank the gentleman for his statement.

Repealing the Feres Doctrine is not the solution.

I am heartened that we now have a presidential budget request that prioritizes funding towards areas that are of great importance to Tennessee's Ninth Congressional District.

We are in the midst of an economic maelstrom that is hurting virtually every sector of our Nation's economy.

I think that once you take that into account, it makes for a much smoother and more predictable process.

But we do have to recognize that the Congress is not able to repeal the laws of mathematics here, though we try on a regular basis, and that reality always has to be remembered, and will have the last word.

I urge you to develop a Fiscal Year 2010 budget that will continue to level the playing field for solar and other clean energy technologies.

It is my hope the funding in the budget will address our Nation's infant mortality rate.

I would also like to hope that the budget would do more to sustain our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

I think it would be a good thing if we could do some spending on a regional basis.

I have never had the opportunity to be in this committee room to the best of my knowledge.