Thanking Vancouver for hosting the world during the 2010 Winter Olympics and honoring the athletes from Team USA.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1128) thanking Vancouver for hosting the world during the 2010 Winter Olympics and honoring the athletes from Team USA, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include

extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Last month, over 2,600 athletes from 82 nations came together in the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada, to compete in the 21st Winter Olympic Games. All of us were proud to watch as Team USA not only won more medals than any other country, the first time they had done that since 1932, but the most medals ever won by a single nation in any Winter Games.

Apollo Anton Ohno won his seventh and eighth Olympic medals in short track speed skating, making him the most decorated American Winter Olympian of all time. Americans Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller both won multiple medals in the thrilling alpine skiing events. American athletes won Olympic medals in the sport of Nordic combined for the first time ever and the first gold in bobsled since 1948. And Evan Lysecek won the gold in the men's figure skating, the first time an American has done that since 1988.

As we celebrate the incredible achievements of Team USA, it is also important to recognize the accomplishments of other nations and athletes. Host nation Canada won 14 gold medals, more than any other country. Some nations won their first Olympic gold medals, others competed for the first time ever.

We will never forget the performance of Canadian Joannie Rochette who had the courage to compete just days after her mother died and ended up winning the silver medal in women's figure skating. And we mourn the loss of an athlete from the country of Georgia who was killed in a luge training run just before the opening ceremony.

Simply getting to the Olympics required an enormous sacrifice from each and every one of the participating athletes. The vast majority of them did not win medals, but all of them tried their best and all had the unique experience of being Olympians. Their determination in the face of adversity helps us all recognize our common values and foster the mutual respect that brings nations closer together.

Olympic athletes inspire young people around the world to set their highest and most ambitious goals, to pursue those goals and to believe that they can achieve their dreams. We salute the athletes of Team USA for serving as role models and for their important contributions to the Olympic ideal.

Finally, we send our thanks to the Canadian people for being such gracious hosts and commend the Vancouver organizing committee for all their efforts to ensure that the games were a great success. And I thank my good friend and colleague from California, Susan Davis, for taking the initiative to introduce this important resolution. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Representative Susan A. Davis, a member of the Committee on House Administration.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado, Representative John T. Salazar, member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to Representative Jim McDermott from Washington. He's the chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support.

(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. I'd like to thank the House for the opportunity to honor the achievement of all Olympic athletes who participated in the 2010 Winter Games and the nation of Canada for their successful execution of this event.

The lighting of the Olympic torch every 2 years for both the Summer and the Winter Games initiates the beginning of a great global coming together. All around the world, people are uniquely unified by the thrill of competition and a spirit of sportsmanship.

I recall my own relative back in 1964 who ran in the Japanese Olympics and won the 100-yard dash, and she became quite interested in where this ability came from because her mother played tennis at UCLA. And so she traced us way back and found out that we came from Nancy, France, through Quebec, and then down to and through New Orleans, through the Louisiana Purchase.

But I say all this to say that being an American and having a good health care system is essential. And she would say to me now, We need to reform health care. We need to provide every American with the best health care that money can provide. And so, we are proposing to this House that we do the right thing.

I want more Olympians in my family. My brother has eight children, and I want to see that they all have an opportunity to be their best, like our young people were, and we won the most medals.

I was so happy. And I used to ski when I was teaching school in France, and I am so happy that we are preparing our youth to be winners. And we can only do that if we have a health care system that provides for every American, and that's what we are attempting to put in place.

So I am so proud. And I want to thank our ranking member for bringing health care reform to the attention, and all this morning, from 12 to just a few minutes ago, all their people came, and they weren't too happy with what we were trying to do.

But we're going to clarify the misstatements and we're going to let America know that we cannot wait. We cannot delay health care because we want champions. We want winners in this country. And America has been known for being a Nation of winners, and other countries need to look up to us again. And that is what we are preparing to do.

So I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of House Resolution 1128 and join my colleagues in congratulating Team USA and Vancouver, Canada, for an outstanding 2010 Winter Olympics. Though this year's events were initially marked by tragedy, there were also many historic achievements. This year, the United States won the overall medal count for the first time since 1932. In fact, it was the highest medal total by any one nation in the history of the Winter Olympics. I would like to applaud and congratulate our Olympians for this amazing accomplishment.

The determination, the sacrifice, the commitment required of the athletes, their coaches and their families to qualify for the Olympics, let alone medal in the Olympics, is tremendous.

I would like to especially recognize Jennifer Rodriguez, a four-time participant of the Winter Olympic Games and a proud native of my home district of Miami, Florida. Considered to be one of the best long distance skaters in the United States, Jen also carries the unique distinction of being the first Cuban American to win an Olympic medal after taking the bronze in the 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters in 2002.

Again, I would like to congratulate all of the Olympians who competed in the 2010 Winter Games and thank our friends in Canada for hosting us.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I'd like to take a moment to highlight the fact that shortly before our friends in Canada were kind enough to host the Olympics in Vancouver, my home district of Miami, Florida, was hosting Canadian Premier Danny Williams as he underwent cardiac surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, located in my congressional district of Miami Beach.

Responding to criticisms of his decision to receive medical treatment in the U.S., Premier Williams said, and I quote, ``This was my heart, my choice, and my health. I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics.''

And that is exactly, Mr. Speaker, what the Republican response to health care reform is all about, making the necessary changes to strengthen our health care system so that the American people may receive the best possible health care in the world. By instituting commonsense, responsible solutions, we can lower health care cost. We can expand access to quality care without a government takeover of our Nation's health care system.

Instead, the majority leadership is hoping to force a health care system on the American people. This would kill jobs, will raise taxes. It will cut Medicare for our Nation's seniors. We have seen time and time again what happens when health care is not patient-centered. Why would we wish that on the American people? Especially when the American people have made it abundantly clear that this is not what they want.

It is time that cool heads prevail so that responsible decisions can be made. We must listen to the American people and not force this health care bill through.

I have no further requests for time, Mr. Speaker, so I thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank my colleague from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the Olympics entertain us, inspire us, and humble us. The athletes who participate are committed to a dream, a dream that we, as spectators, are all privileged to witness.

I introduced House Resolution 1128 to honor the athletes who represented the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and to thank Vancouver, Canada, for showing hospitality to athletes from around the world. American athletes won 37 medals for the United States, the most medals ever won by any nation at a single Olympic Winter Games.

The Olympics fosters good-natured competition between nations and builds a sense of camaraderie in cities and communities around the world. In the United States, we don't identify our Olympians as Californians or Coloradans. We honor and respect them as Americans. With the help of families, coaches and their own inner strength, these athletes continue to break records and set new standards of athletic performance. We celebrate their victories as national achievements and respect them for their hard work and their dedication in getting there.

The athleticism and dedication of our athletes should be an example to all Americans. Adults and children alike can aspire to be dedicated to a healthy exercise regimen. We can't all be Olympic athletes, but we can all try to keep our bodies fit and healthy.

Mr. Speaker, you may wonder why a San Diegan is honoring Winter Olympians. It's true we don't get quite as much snow as they do in other parts of the country, but we have a strong connection to this Winter Games. Rachel Flatt, the graceful figure skater, and the two Shauns, Shaun Palmer and Shaun White, both accomplished snowboarders, all have ties to San Diego. And also, the U.S. Olympic Training Center south of San Diego is an important training ground for winter athletes.

Athletes benefit from the temperate climate and natural resources of San Diego. They are able to train with Navy SEALs and participate in wind tunnel assessments. This Olympic Training Center helps athletes train for alpine skiing, for freestyle skiing, for bobsled and skeleton, speed skating, luge and snowboard events.

The unsung heroes of the Olympics are the organizers and support staff who create a safe and enjoyable experience for the athletes and spectators. And I want to join all of my colleagues again in thanking Vancouver, Canada for opening its doors to the world and completing the behind-the-scenes work involved in a public event of this nature.

The first-class resources used for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are now being used for the 2010 Paralympic Games, which began on March 12, and I certainly wish all the participating paralympic athletes an exhilarating and safe competition.

May the flame of the Olympic torch burn bright, and may the dedication and perseverance it represents inspire us for years to come.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed the following recorded votes on the House floor the week of Monday, March 15, 2010.

For Monday, March 15, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 112 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1145), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 113 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1170), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 114 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1163), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 115 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 267).

For Tuesday, March 16, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 116 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 4628), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 117 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 311), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 118 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 605), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 119 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1128).

For Wednesday, March 17, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 120 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1089), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 121 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1167), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 122 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1184), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 123 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1141), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 124 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to S. 1147), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 125 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3954), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 126 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 946), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 127 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 4825).

For Thursday, March 18, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 131 (on motion to refer H. Res. 1193, raising a question of the privileges of the House), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 132 (on motion to table H. Res. 1193, raising a question of the privileges of the House), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 133 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3542), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 134 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 3509), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 135 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1173).

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by congratulating Canada and Vancouver, specifically, for putting on a great Olympics this winter. They are our neighbor in Seattle, and we welcome and were pleased with having our neighbor have such a good party.

To compete in the Olympics is an enormous accomplishment, and I want to commend each and every one of the Olympians who participated. It's not a national team that goes; it's individuals. The spirit of the Olympics is that an individual strives to have his best or her best performance in whatever event he or she is involved in.

And I want to take this time to recognize at least one athlete from my district, in particular, whose career I've followed since he was a young man in Seattle. Apolo Ohno exemplifies what it means to be an Olympian. He trained not in Seattle, but he went up to Canada, to Vancouver, and trained every week. And after winning his eighth medal in this Vancouver Olympics, he is now the most decorated American athlete to compete in the Winter Games. He has now appeared in three Winter Olympics and has both won and lost races, but he has always returned to compete against younger and sometimes even faster opponents.

I also want to congratulate his father, Yuki Ohno, who has raised Apolo by himself, and helped him realize the dream of competing in the Olympics.

When I think about Apolo's achievements and all he has overcome, I recall a quote from Teddy Roosevelt, who said, ``The credit belongs to the man or the woman who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his or her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.''

To all the athletes, and to Apolo Ohno especially, I commend you for your performance in this Winter Games.