Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following vote: S. 1000--Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2014. Had I been present, I would have voted ''yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot support this legislation, and I hope nobody expects me to.

Mr. Speaker, I am the beneficiary of the greatest executive order ever written, the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1863, when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the country was at war, it was being torn apart, and yet he signed that proclamation. While it did not liberate the slaves, it did lead to the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865.

I can't agree with this legislation because Truman in 1948 signed an executive order integrating the military, and it went on to integrate the broader society because it was a part of the avant-garde effort. And I would note that at the time he did it, the Dixiecrats were formed. They split from the Democratic Party.

We have always had times of strife in this country, but great Presidents have always stepped forward, and they have done the right thing.

Now let me address something quickly that has to be addressed: the question of this is a magnet, that it attracts a lot of people to the country. You can't be serious about this. If you

were serious about the magnetic approach, you would have done something about wet-foot, dry-foot. Wet-foot, dry-foot allows any person who is from Cuba who gets one foot on American soil to come right on in and get into a pathway to legalization, just by getting one foot on. Have the other foot in the water, one on land? Come on in. And that is the policy of the United States Government. You would end that if you were serious. That is a magnet. But you don't see magnets until it comes to certain people, it seems.

Mr. President, I salute you for what you have done. I commend you, I stand with you on this issue, but more importantly, I stand with bringing people out of the shadows of life into the sunshine of a new life.

God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to the many persons who serve in law enforcement. They have difficult jobs, and they do their jobs well. I salute them.

I also salute the many persons who have been engaged in peaceful protests. What they have been attempting to do, I support. A peaceful protest is the best protest. Peaceful protests can make a difference in the lives of people. I know, because I stand here today because of peaceful protests.

I would like to continue what I started on yesterday, when I indicated that I would give a response today to a query that was made on Morning Joe. And I want my colleagues to know that I don't believe the query was made with malice aforethought. I think it was a genuine expression of concern. While intonations and expressions may connote otherwise to some, I believe that this is a question that should have been asked and that needs to be answered.

The question was: What is wrong with these people?--meaning three Members of Congress. What is wrong with these people that they would come to the well of the House of Representatives and they would hold their hands up? What is wrong with them?

Here is the answer, my dear brother: the same thing that was wrong with the Pilgrims and caused them to come to Plymouth Rock; the same thing that caused persons to throw tea into the Boston Harbor; the same thing that caused farmers to traverse the country on tractors and come to the United States Capitol to protest; the same thing that caused Rosa Parks to take a seat on a bus against the law; the same thing that caused Dr. King to march from Selma to Montgomery; the same thing that caused them to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what is known as Bloody Sunday.

What is wrong with these people? They refuse to accept injustice. I refuse to accept injustice. What happened in Ferguson was an injustice. I refuse to accept injustice. Injustice anywhere is still a threat to justice everywhere. Dr. King was right. Injustice in Ferguson is a threat to justice in Houston, a threat to justice in Boston. Injustice anywhere is still a threat to justice everywhere.

And so I will continue to hold my hands up. I will continue to support those who engage in peaceful protest. Because holding one's hands up is an indication that you don't have anything that will be harmful, an indication that you are willing to move freely and give an opinion about something that you believe to be important. I think that this will symbolize a movement that will metamorphose far beyond the initial reason for it being developed. I am absolutely convinced

that this will not eviscerate, this will not evaporate, that it is not going to go away. It is going to become part of the protest movement.

I also want to note that what happened with the Rams players was a seminal moment, and I want to legitimize what they did. I have already said that I will have flags flown over the Capitol of the United States of America in each person's name.

Somebody is going to say, well, what about the people who may have committed a crime? Washington wasn't perfect, but we honored him. Jefferson wasn't perfect; we honor him. I am going to honor them for what they did at that seminal moment, just as I believe John Carlos and Tommie Smith should be honored for what they did when they held their hands up, indicating that they were protesting at the Olympics in '68.

So I, Mr. Speaker, am honored to have this opportunity today to indicate to the world, finally, that Dr. King was right when he said the truest measure of the person is not where the person stands in times of comfort and convenience, when everybody is patting you on the back, when everybody loves you, all your bills are paid, when things couldn't be better. The truest measure of the person is not where you stand in times of comfort and convenience. The truest measure of the person is where do you stand in times of challenge and controversy, when people are throwing the slings and arrows of life at you because you took a simple stand against injustice.

And it was injustice. I can explain it. I regret that I wasn't invited on the program to give my point of view. So I had to take to the floor of the House of Representatives to give what I would have given, if given the opportunity.

God bless you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, November 30, we had a seminal moment occur in the history of our country. When those football players came out and held their hands up, they were speaking to the masses; and they were using these words, ``Hands up; don't shoot,'' in this symbolism.

I believe so strongly in what they have done that I will have flags flown over the Capitol of the United States of America in honor of each of those players, and I will pay for the flags with my personal U.S. dollars.

I also want to mention something that happened this morning on the Morning Joe show. The question was posed: ``What is wrong with these people? Don't they know that this is a lie?'' meaning what happened in Ferguson in terms of the hands up; don't shoot.

I want to tell you what is wrong with these people. These people refuse to accept an invidious whitewash. I will say more about this tomorrow when I will have 5 minutes around 10 a.m. or sometime shortly thereafter, because I want the American people to know that there are some people who are willing to take a stand.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted mention Mr. Horsford. He is not here tonight, but I always associate him with Mr. Jeffries. They have been a great dynamic duo. And they have done outstanding work with these Special Order hours. In his absence, I want to let him know that we still greatly appreciate him and we miss him.

Mr. Speaker, I had a John Carlos moment. For edification purposes, John Carlos was the athlete at the 1968 Olympics who went to the podium, along with Tommie Smith, and raised his hand in what was called at that time a Black Power salute.

At that time, much was said about John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Many people criticized them for taking the podium and making this gesture. They were said to be outside of the mainstream. But I believe that history has vindicated them because they were a part of the avant- garde. They actually were causing many people to understand that the Black Power movement at that time was much bigger than many thought.

I had a John Carlos moment because I saw this clip where the Rams players came into the arena: Hands up; don't

shoot. It was a John Carlos moment because this has become the new symbol, a new statement, a statement wherein people around the country now are calling to the attention of those who don't quite understand that this is a movement that will not dissipate; it will not evaporate.

It is a movement that is going to continue because young people--a new generation--have decided that they are going to engage themselves in the liberation movement, the freedom movement, if you will, the continuation of what happened in 1968 with John Carlos and Tommy Lee Smith.

I want to make sure that those who participated on the Rams team, that their names are chronicled in history. I want people who look back through the vista of time to know who they were when they search the Congressional Records. So I want to add their names to this Record. I want Kenny Britt to be recognized, Tavon Austin to be recognized, Stedman Bailey to be recognized, Jared Cook, Chris Givens, and Tre Mason. These are persons who in the years to come will be acknowledged as a part the avant-garde.

I want people to know also that I appreciate and support what the President is doing with his executive action. I support what he is doing with body cameras, and I support what he is doing with body cameras because I believe that body cameras can exonerate, and they can as well incriminate. They can exonerate officers who are falsely accused. They can provide empirical evidence of what actually transpired. There won't be ``he said'' or ``she said.'' There will be the empirical evidence of what the camera actually saw. They can also incriminate those who would try to perpetrate a fraud upon the American people. Body cameras can identify those who would engage in criminal conduct and then try to excuse their conduct with words that don't match what the camera will reveal.

I believe in body cameras. This is why I have filed H.R. 5407, the TIP Act, Transparency in Policing. The TIP Act would cause the Justice Department to examine the circumstance in this country, the costs for body cameras, and would then allow those jurisdictions that cannot afford to incorporate body cameras into their police departments, there would be an exemption for them, but would require those generally speaking who receive Federal dollars to move to body cameras.

I regret that we are getting to a point now where we are getting it right after the fact. We shouldn't get it right after the fact. This is what is happening in Ferguson. After the fact, Ferguson is moving to body cameras. But we don't need another Ferguson. There are other communities around the country where after the fact they are moving to body cameras. We don't need to have an injustice take place before we move to a just circumstance and incorporate these body cameras.

My hope is that we will follow the President's lead and that we will incorporate body cameras into police departments across the length and breadth and the scope of this country, if you will. But I also pray that this bill, H.R. 5407 will get a hearing. It is overwhelmingly supported by members of the CBC as well as others. It is not a CBC initiative, but it is supported overwhelmingly by the CBC, and my hope is that this bill will get a fair hearing because we should not get it right after the fact.

We should have an opportunity to eliminate a lot of what we see as confusion and chaos. We need not continue to add fuel to the flame of confusion. That flame can be eliminated if we but only had these body cameras. They are not a cure-all, and they are not a panacea, but they are a positive step in the right direction. I salute the President and thank him for what he is doing, and I pray that we will get a fair hearing on H.R. 5407.

God bless you, dear brother, and I pray that you will continue to do what you are doing on the floor of the House in giving us this voice so that we may reach the American people.

Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following votes:

Waxman/McNerney Amendment. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 4795. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

H.R. 4795--Promoting New Manufacturing Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill.

Personal Explanation

Mr. Speaker, I believe, in the inner sanctum of my soul, that we are the home of the free because we are the land of the brave.

I salute those who are willing to serve their country, who are willing to go to distant places, and who don't always return home the way they left. I highly commend them, and I believe that those who serve us in our military, the men and women who serve us, should always be appreciated for their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I also believe, Mr. Speaker, that we spend a huge amount of money-- about $1 trillion in one circumstance--to put them in harm's way. I believe that if we can spend $1 trillion to put them in harm's way, we can spend whatever it takes when they return home to make sure they have got the best health care, they get the best housing, and that they get good jobs.

I also believe that we have a responsibility and an obligation in the Congress of the United States of America to make sure that their needs are met. This is why I have introduced certain pieces of legislation to deal with the issues that are confronted by our veterans.

I would like to mention a few pieces of this legislation today. And I rarely use the personal pronoun ``I,'' but in my business, if you don't use the personal pronoun, somebody else will.

I would like to talk about H.R. 384, Homes for Heroes. This piece of legislation would place a person in HUD, who would have the responsibility of filing a report with Congress annually on the status of veterans and who would be there to look out for veterans. There is currently a person there, but the person is not there in a legal capacity such that it would continue beyond this President or ad infinitum.

I also have sponsored H.R. 2362, Transportation for Heroes. We have veterans who need to get to jobs and who need to get to the VA who cannot afford public transportation. I believe that we need to make sure that they get the same opportunity to take a public transportation system, to utilize it, that persons who are senior citizens have and persons who are disabled have. We have to provide a means by which veterans can get to those places that can be a benefit to them.

This is why we have also sponsored H.R. 3876, Burial with Dignity for Heroes. This piece of legislation would allow those veterans who die in poverty, who have family members who are in poverty, who cannot afford to send them to a tribal cemetery once they die in some place that is distant from a tribal cemetery or a State facility--if you can't send them currently, you have to try to scrape the money up as best you can--I think this country ought to be grateful enough to make sure these veterans cannot only get to these places where they may be buried, but also they should get there and have

a casket or an urn. They should have the opportunity to be buried with dignity. No veteran should die in poverty and then find that they can't get a burial with dignity.

I also believe that we should have our veterans who are hurt after they leave the military be accorded the opportunity to have places to live such that they can access them easily and use them efficaciously. This is why we have filed the HAVEN Act, H.R. 3743. The HAVEN Act would accord $20 million--by the way, that we don't have; I believe that if we can spend money we don't have to put them in harm's way, we can spend money we don't have to take care of them when they get home--$20 million, $5 million a year, a pilot program to allow NGOs to match the $20 million and provide the type of facility that a veteran would need to move efficaciously, to move and have a great degree of functionality within his or her home. This is the kind of thing that a grateful nation ought to do. This piece of legislation is currently in the Senate defense authorization bill, and in that bill this legislation lies. But there is some question as to whether or not it will survive a conference committee. I pray and I hope for this piece of legislation, $20 million over 5 years to modify homes for disabled veterans, those who are hurt after they have left the military, to help them. There is already a program for those who are hurt while they are in the military. This is not duplicative. This does help veterans who need help.

I believe we are the land of the free because we are the home of the brave. I believe that if we are going to continue to be the land of the free, we must make sure we must protect those who are the brave.

God bless you.

Thank you very much, Congressman Jeffries. I also thank in his absence the gentleman from Nevada, Congressman Horsford. The two of you have been almost inseparable when it comes to these Special Order hours. I want to compliment you on the outstanding job that you have done.

I would also like to compliment Congressman Horsford for the outstanding job that he has done on the Financial Services Committee. He brought his talents. He brought his brilliance, and he has represented his constituents exceedingly well, and I know that in the annals of history, when they look back through the vista of time, it will be said that he served us well in the Congress of the United States of America.

With reference to the relevant question of the hour, as it relates to a more perfect Union, as we ponder and query where we go from here, it was appropriate, I think, that you introduced this topic by referencing President Lincoln.

It was appropriate because you are eminently correct. It was a time of great turmoil when he announced that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and in January of 1863, when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the country was in the midst of a Civil War, being torn apart.

There was much to be said about his announcement that he would issue the

Emancipation Proclamation. There was great debate, and there were many people who said that it should not be done, that it was not worth the paper it would be written on, to be quite candid with you, it was said, because it would only free the slaves in the States that had left the Union, States that, quite candidly, at the time, he had no control over.

But he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and I thank God that he did, because by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, he laid the foundation for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America that was in fact executed in December 1865.

But for the Emancipation Proclamation, I don't know that I would be standing here in the Congress of the United States of America tonight. By issuing that Emancipation Proclamation, he changed the course of history.

Dr. King was right, ``The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.'' However, it doesn't do it on its own accord. It takes the hand of man and women to bend it, so I am pleased that he did so.

I am also pleased that there was another opportunity for a President to forge a more perfect Union. President Harry Truman had the opportunity in 1948 to issue an executive order, as was the case with Lincoln and the executive order for the Emancipation Proclamation. He issued an executive order to desegregate the military.

There was much to be said about it. In fact, that executive order led to the birth of the Dixiecrats. There was a split in the Democratic Party because the Honorable Harry Truman decided that he would issue Executive Order 9981, to desegregate the military.

He issued it, the military was desegregated, and I contend that this was also one of the many reasons why the country itself moved along to desegregation and integration.

These were two outstanding and well-noted executive orders issued by Presidents of the United States. If President Lincoln could issue an executive order--an Emancipation Proclamation--if Harry Truman could issue an executive order--to desegregate the military--surely, President Barack Obama can issue an executive order to liberate many people who are living in the shadows of life, an immigration declaration, if you will. I believe the President should issue this order, notwithstanding all that is being said.

There was much being said and much being done when Lincoln issued his executive order, much said and much being done when Truman issued his, much said and much being done now, but I think the President should do this, and I think he should be bold when he does it because he will be lifting people out of the shadows of life.

I am confident that while many will be angry with him, God will not. I think God will smile on the President for issuing this executive order.

More than 15,000 executive orders have been issued. Not one President has ever been impeached for issuing an executive order, not one. There is talk of impeaching President Obama.

If we didn't impeach Lincoln and we didn't impeach Truman and we didn't impeach Reagan and we didn't impeach many of the other Presidents who have signed the more than 15,000 executive orders, I don't think that we ought to impeach President Obama.

Finally this, as an aside: there is much talk about the President's legacy and what he has done to form a more perfect Union while being President, if you will, but all of this talk about his legacy misses the mark, in my opinion, because there are many who think that the Affordable Care Act will be the centerpiece of his legacy.

I think it is a great piece of legislation. I supported it. I still support it. There are many who think that saving the auto industry would be his legacy. I think this is significant, exceedingly so. I supported what he did.

There are others who believe that his work in human rights and human dignity, especially as it relates for equal pay for equal work for women, will be his legacy. I think it is a great piece of work, and I commend him for what he has done.

But the President's legacy in the eons to come will be that he became President of the United States of America. The mere fact that the Honorable Barack Obama was elected not once, but twice, speaks to our efforts to form a more perfect Union.

I think that his greatest legacy will be his having served as President of the United States of America. That fact alone will be something that we will never, ever erase from history.

I thank you for the opportunity to visit with you, and I pray that the President will be bold and sign the executive order, will lead with the executive order that may lead to comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for those who are living in the shadows of life. God bless you.

Mr. Speaker, today I missed the following vote: Senate Amendment to H.R. 4194--Government Reports Elimination Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am on a mission of mercy. I have a constituent who is missing in Syria. He is the son of Marc and Debra Tice. His name is Austin Tice.

On August 11, 2012, he celebrated his 31st birthday in Syria. On August 13, he was reported missing. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, and he was there pursuing his career in journalism.

Mr. Speaker, his parents are gravely concerned, and we are asking anyone with any information concerning this young man, Austin Tice, to please contact the FBI hotline at 1 (800) 225-5324, repeating 1 (800) 225-5324. My number is (202) 225-7508.

I would like to now have a moment of silence for his return.

Thank you very much, Representative Horsford. I am honored to be with you tonight. Nevada's Fourth District is most capably and competently represented by your presence in Congress. I am also grateful to Mr. Jeffries, who represents New York's Eighth District. The two of you have done a stellar job in hosting these Special Order hours.

I am grateful to the President of the United States of America, the Honorable Barack Obama, for appointing the Honorable Eric Holder as Attorney General. I am grateful because Mr. Holder is intelligent.

He has the intellect necessary to comprehend the breadth of these issues. I am also grateful in that he is a person of courage. I am grateful because intellect without courage can be intellect wasted. His intellect is not wasted. He has had the courage to take on the challenges such as what we have with Ferguson.

The Justice Department is there. They are investigating. There is good reason for the Justice Department to be in Ferguson. The Justice Department is in Ferguson because Ferguson is 67 percent Black, and only one African American is on the city council of seven, if you count the mayor--67 percent Black.

The police department is 83 percent White. Three Blacks out of 53 officers--good reason to be in Ferguson; school board, one member Black of seven. Of the officers that are on the police department or were on the police department, one of them is on the city council--good reason to be in Ferguson.

Five officers or former officers, either they are on the department now or not, have been alleged to be involved with some sort of civil rights violation, accused--allegation--of choking and hog-tieing a young person--another circumstance wherein a person was tased and died afterwards; another circumstance wherein a person was beaten by a peace officer and then charged with destroying public property when he bled on the officer's clothing--good reason to be in Ferguson.

A prosecutor who has decided that he will not recuse himself, notwithstanding his father's tragic circumstance--the father died at the hands of a person who happened to have been African American, who was a peace officer by the way, his father was--refuses to recuse himself, and he refuses to have a preliminary hearing with this case.

This case does not have to go to a grand jury. This case could be heard by way of a preliminary hearing after an arrest warrant has been issued.

I submit to you that there is sufficient probable cause to indict this officer or to arrest this officer, more appropriately. In any jurisdiction in the United States of America, there is probable cause to arrest.

Then you would go to a preliminary hearing, and you would have transparency. The world would hear what the witnesses have to say. There is good reason for the Justice Department to be in Ferguson.

So I am honored to be here tonight to stand with my colleagues, especially the Honorable Lacy Clay, who has been a real champion on behalf of this family. I am honored to be here because I understand that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and injustice in Ferguson unchecked can lead to injustice in Houston.

I think that the President of the United States of America made a wise choice when he chose the Honorable Eric Holder. I pray that the natural order of things will not continue to be circumvented. Mothers and fathers should not--n-o-t--should not bury their children. We must circumvent this kind of behavior. Thank God for you, Mr. President.

I thank you, sir, for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I support Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which would secure our borders, create a pathway to citizenship, and provides for electronic employment verification. I believe more than ever after having seen the humanitarian consequences of the crisis firsthand, we must act now. Having a broken system that is in dire need of reform only exacerbates the issue.

However, I oppose H.R. 5230, Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes, and H.R. 5272, To prohibit certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens not lawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes. These bills do not adequately address the problems in our immigration system or deal with the current influx of unaccompanied minors. These bills will also end protections that have provided relief to millions of people currently living in the U.S.

H.R. 5230 emasculates current anti-trafficking law, meant to protect minors from certain countries and allow them to apply for asylum in this country. The bill provides a fraction of the $3.7 billion requested by President Obama to address the humanitarian crisis at our border. The bill would likely produce simulated hearings with fast- track adjudication that mimics due process for unaccompanied minors.

H.R. 5272 eviscerates the vital Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has provided much needed relief for millions of undocumented immigrants who arrived in this country as minors. DACA allows the Department of Homeland Security prosecutorial discretion towards some undocumented immigrants who immigrated to our nation as children not of their own volition.

Mr. Speaker, the humanitarian crisis caused by an influx of unaccompanied minors from mostly Central American countries with staggering crime rates has tested our nation's laws and values. We are a nation of laws but we are also a nation of values. We must treat all individuals, especially minors, in a way that is consistent with our values.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. King reminds us that the truest measure of the person is not where you stand in times of comfort and convenience, but where do you stand in times of challenge and controversy.

In these times of challenge and controversy, I stand with those children at the border and I stand for due process. I don't stand for a fast-track adjudication that mimics due process and makes a mockery of justice.

I stand with the DREAMers. They have been given hope by our President. I will not vote for a bill that will destroy hope for those DREAMers. We must keep their hope alive.

I stand for due process, I stand with the DREAMers, and I stand for hope. I stand with the President.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring up H.R. 1010, a minimum wage increase, to jump-start the middle class, instead of the partisan lawsuit attacking the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States of America.

I thank you, Madam Ranking Member of the full committee. I am exceedingly proud to be a part of this effort. And I want to you know that when we succeed, it will be due in no small part to the energy that you have provided to help us get this legislation through.

I would also like to thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck) for H.R. 4950, an outstanding piece of legislation. It extends the Export-Import Bank for 7 years, and it will increase the cap to $175 billion. I think it is an outstanding piece of legislation. And, of course, I am one of the persons who is supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by indicating that the Export-Import Bank is not one of the too big to fail institutions. It wasn't involved in the credit default swaps. It wasn't involved with derivatives. It wasn't involved with no-doc loans. It wasn't involved in all of these exotic products that nearly caused the collapse of the economy.

If the truth be told, the Export-Import Bank was one of the reasons why the economy was able to survive. It has been thriving. It has done well. It pays for itself by virtue of the loans that it makes, by virtue of the fees that it collects, by virtue of the products that it insures. The Export-Import Bank makes good sense.

I find no businesspeople in my community who are in opposition to the Export-Import Bank. It is not too big to fail, and it should not be too small to save. We ought to do what we have done 16 times in the previous 80 years, and that is, reauthorize the Export-Import Bank in a clean bill, and do it with very little fanfare.

Unfortunately, that is not the circumstance that we confront presently. Unfortunately, there are persons who believe that the Export-Import Bank no longer serves a useful purpose.

Well, it serves a useful purpose for the people in my district. And the facts speak for themselves. In my district, between 2007 and 2013, in the Ninth Congressional District, we had a total of 88 export- importers.

We had 39 small businesses, 13 minority-owned businesses, and four women-owned businesses, and we are proud of these businesses that are owned by women because we still contend that when women succeed, America succeeds. The Export-Import Bank is on the agenda to help women succeed.

I would add that there are businesses that have indicated that they are supportive. I have a letter from a company in Houston, the style of it is the South Coast Products Company, and I just shall read an excerpt from their letter. I have many letters to read, but I shall pick a few and just read excerpts.

This one reads--and it is addressed to the Honorable Maxine Waters:

We are a small manufacturer in Texas that exports thread

and valve lubricants primarily to the oil and gas industry.

We have used Export-Import Banks' export credit insurance for

13 years. During that time, our export business has grown by

a factor of 15 because of the security offered by our policy

with Export-Import.

I shall go to the last paragraph which reads, ``Please emphasize to your colleagues that Ex-Im Bank is not corporate welfare''--this is a business, a business that has written this to us--``or a charity of any kind. It facilitates U.S. exports, especially for small businesses like us, while supporting itself. Please do not let them put our livelihoods on the chopping block for their own political gain.''

This is from South Coast Products, a Texas business.

I would also like to read a letter from the Greater Houston Partnership. The Greater Houston Partnership is the preeminent chamber of commerce in my area. It is called the partnership because we do things differently in Texas, and the partnership has also joined in this letter by a good many other entities that I shall name after having read an excerpt from this letter.

It reads:

The Houston region continues to enjoy strong economic

growth driven in large part by the Export-Import Bank. In

order to keep momentum, it is crucial that Congress supports

tools encouraging businesses to expand into new markets and

create new jobs. The Export-Import Bank of the United States

is one of these tools, and we ask that you support this

legislation.

The letter is addressed to me.

It goes on to add:

Small- and medium-sized businesses in our region also

benefit directly from Export-Import. Small businesses account

for nearly 85 percent of Ex-Im Bank's transactions; further,

these transaction figures do not include the tens of

thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses that supply

goods and services to large exporters using the bank.

This is signed by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, the Brenham/Washington County Chamber of Commerce, the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, the Houston East End Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, League City Chamber of Commerce, Pearland Chamber of Commerce, West Chambers County Chamber of Commerce, and the Wharton Chamber of Commerce.

I close simply with these words: businesses are supportive of the Ex- Im Bank. People understand the necessity for it. We but only need to have a vote on it to get it continued.