Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it has been my honor and privilege to serve in Congress for the past 10 years, representing the people of the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania.

As many of you know, my mother came to this country alone at the age of 16, a refugee of the Holocaust. America offered her safety, freedom, and opportunity. Her experience of fear and tragedy, resilience and hope inspired my commitment to public service, my love of our country, and all it can be.

As I conclude my congressional service, I want to thank my family and friends who believed in me and supported me, my constituents who trusted me, the civic and elected leaders, activists and advocates who gave voice to the wide array of concerns and causes, and to my talented staff, who enabled me to do all that we did.

I am proud of what we accomplished together, from the new parks and bike paths along the north Delaware River in northeast Philadelphia to the revitalization of main streets in towns across Montgomery County. We made our streets safer, promoted economic growth, and improved the lives of families across the Philadelphia region.

I came to Congress in 2005 at a time of war. As the daughter of a Korean war veteran, I know how important it is for veterans to find meaningful work to support themselves and their families when they come home. That is why my first legislative initiative to become law addressed the needs of young men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by offering incentives to employers to hire our newest veterans.

In the time since that first legislative victory, I have sought to embrace innovative ideas, to find common ground, and to turn these ideas into action. I successfully championed legislation that is now law, including extending tax credits for energy-efficient commercial buildings, establishing incentives that changed the way physicians write prescriptions to reduce errors and save lives, new tax credits and grants to startup biotech companies, and changes in Medicare to improve access to primary care for our seniors.

Ensuring all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care has been a priority for me throughout my professional life, in both the private sector and in elected office. I am proud of the role I played in the achievement of health coverage for all Americans and protecting and strengthening Medicare and advancing access to care for women and for children, including those with preexisting conditions. Today, we see the benefits of this effort, with millions of Americans who now have meaningful health coverage for themselves and their families.

For this success and others, I want to express my appreciation to the other Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who enabled us to get things done for the people we represent and for the Nation. I value the work that we did together, and I value your friendship.

As the only woman in the Pennsylvania delegation, I am proud that I had the opportunity to stand up for women's rights and for women to be leaders in Pennsylvania and across our Nation.

I am so honored to have served my State and our Nation here in Congress. It is my hope that we, Democrats and Republicans, activists, and everyday Americans can come together to continue to seek ways to ensure safety and security, prosperity and justice, hope and opportunity for the people of our great Nation, just as my mother would have hoped.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 520, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 495 I was unable to attend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, Bill Gray was a friend and mentor.

With his unwavering dedication to public service, Bill made an indelible mark on the history of Philadelphia and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bill was a trailblazer and was truly one of the most remarkable public figures in Philadelphia.

He was a proud leader and representative of the people of Philadelphia and a staunch advocate for the working families and those less fortunate in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

In the House, Bill was the first African American to serve as Chairman of the Budget Committee and the first to rise to the rank of Majority Whip.

I am proud to support this measure to name Philadelphia's 30th Street Station in his honor.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation has been described by the Republican majority as an extension--an improvement--of the child tax credit, important to many American families, but the fact is this bill is deeply flawed. At a cost of nearly $100 billion, it increases the child tax credit for those with higher incomes while failing to extend needed relief for lower-income families.

Consider the consequences.

A single mother, with two children, working full time at minimum wage, earns just $14,500 annually. She will see a tax increase of $1,725. A lance corporal in the Marine Corps, with 2 years of service, married, with two children, earns about $23,000 a year in base pay. This family will see its taxes go up by $750. Yet those with higher incomes, including Members of Congress, who earn $174,000, and who have two children, will receive a tax cut of $1,600. Then in a hastily added provision, a child who is a legal resident or is a U.S. citizen and whose parent uses an individual tax ID number rather than a Social Security number will be denied the child tax credit no matter what the level of income.

As a result of this legislation, 6 million children will fall into-- or deeper into--poverty. In my own home State of Pennsylvania, families making less than $40,000 a year will see their taxes increase by an average of $456, while families making more than $100,000 will see their taxes cut by $685.

This bill ignores these harmful consequences. It will hurt too many hardworking families and children in our Nation. It is wrong. It is a bill that is fiscally irresponsible, and it is morally reprehensible. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Madam Speaker, let me begin by commending my fellow Congressmen, Hank Johnson and Congressman Butterfield, for their initiative and their advocacy in fighting for and speaking up for Medicaid expansion in each of our States that have not taken it.

More than 5 million people in this country now have health coverage using Federal dollars available to every State to expand Medicaid eligibility to hardworking Americans and their families, but not in my home State of Pennsylvania. Instead, hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania are left out. Madam Speaker, 305,000 people in Pennsylvania could have health coverage today but for the decision of our Governor. This is morally unconscionable and economically shortsighted.

Months have gone by, people are sicker, hospital bills go unpaid, and health providers struggle to stay at the forefront of innovation. Health care, whether it is to detect an illness or to treat a chronic condition or to save a life, is not optional. Consider the working mother who earns just enough to cover her basic expenses but not enough to get that mammogram so her breast cancer is detected early, and once it is, it is well advanced and life threatening.

Or the 9-year-old girl whose parents work full time at minimum wage and neither can afford to lose a day's pay to visit a pediatrician, so her need for glasses, something simple and correctable, or the early detection of diabetes, something more serious, is delayed or missed, with serious consequences not only for her health but her success in school.

Or the 52-year-old man who knows he should get that test that his doctor recommended, but simply does not have the $2,000 it costs. So he puts it off, thinking he will get it one of these days, and never gets that simple prescription, that medication that can well save his life. These are hardworking men, women, and children across this country and in Pennsylvania who could have health coverage today but do not.

With $8.2 billion available to Pennsylvanians, these are Federal dollars, dollars that Pennsylvanians have paid that are not coming back to Pennsylvania but would be available to us, are available to us. Over the next 3 years, we should use these funds to get health care to our people, to hire tens of thousands of health care workers to contain costs, to improve the health status of the people of our State, and yes to save lives.

There is no more time to waste. Pennsylvania should seize this opportunity. So should the other States that have Federal dollars available to them to do the same thing for the people of their State. We should use these Federal resources to expand lifesaving health coverage, to help our kids succeed, and to help us be healthy, to create jobs, and to ensure our economic growth. Let's do the right thing in Pennsylvania and across this country. These States should take Medicaid expansion and do right for the economy of our States, for the people of our States, and for the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, our manufacturers, small business owners, and everyday commuters require a modern transportation system. Simply put, our daily lives, our safety, and our economy all require a first- rate transportation system. But our Nation's infrastructure is crumbling, endangering travelers, lengthening commutes, and holding back economic growth.

In their latest report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave my own home State's roads and transit a D-minus. Sadly, Pennsylvania has the largest number of crumbling bridges in our Nation, at over 5,000. This is simply unacceptable.

With the highway trust fund running out of funds, we must act to ensure that important projects continue, that workers stay on the job, and that we do not fall further behind. But the bill before us is a temporary fix. Instead, this Congress should act on a robust transportation bill--not for a few months, but for years--a plan that will not only create jobs now but will help ensure our economic competitiveness and economic growth locally and nationally for years to come. We should do our job and pass a fully funded 6-year Federal transportation and infrastructure bill this year.

Putting this off does not make it easier. It does not build a stronger economy. While necessary, this bill is another missed opportunity by House Republicans who are short on vision, too willing to rely on fiscal gimmicks, and unable to find common ground to get the bill done--and done right.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of the American Society of Clinical Oncology on the occasion of its anniversary this May, marking 50 years of

progress in cancer treatment and ensuring access to high quality cancer care in the United States. When ASCO was founded in 1964, cancer was largely untreatable and there were only a handful of therapies available, most of which were ineffective and difficult for patients to tolerate. Less than one-half of patients with cancer lived five years after diagnosis. But today, more than two-thirds of patients with cancer are alive five years following their diagnosis, and more than 170 drugs are available for treatment.

While ASCO has many achievements to celebrate this year, we cannot afford to rest in the fight against cancer. Workforce shortages, payment cuts and consolidation of oncology practices are causing potential access issues for cancer care. With more than 1.6 million Americans, including nearly 80,000 Pennsylvanians, diagnosed with cancer each year, Congress must ensure that organizations like ASCO have access to the resources they need to continue this groundbreaking research. In Pennsylvania alone, the National Institutes for Health (NIH) funds more than 3,000 projects. We must continue to work together to ensure there is access to high quality cancer care in America.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and all of its contributions to the fight against cancer.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 187 I was unable to attend.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 193, I was unable to attend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work of The Etz Chaim Center on the occasion of their anniversary this June, marking 25 years of providing quality Jewish education from a spiritual perspective to the Delaware Valley. Etz Chaim is a welcoming, non- judgmental organization dedicated to bringing the beauty and depth of Judaism to the contemporary Jew. Through a diverse menu of educational and spiritually-focused programs, Jews of all backgrounds are able to grow and connect more passionately with their heritage. Based in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, in my Congressional district, Etz Chaim provides programming for Jews and families in Montgomery County and the Philadelphia area.

Etz Chaim was founded in 1988 by Rabbi Dovid Wachs and Rabbi Moshe Ungar in Northeast Philadelphia. Since then, both their space and their programs have grown. Etz Chaim's new headquarters in Elkins Park opened in 2012, allowing them to expand their numerous class, forum, and event offerings, providing hundreds of educational and spiritual programs for the community. Each year, Etz Chaim reaches almost 1,000 people, from community based events attended by many, to one on one learning sessions for individuals looking to advance their personal growth.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in celebrating the 25th anniversary of Etz Chaim and all of their success in supporting the Jewish community in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 177 I was unable to attend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker on rollcall No. 166, I was unable to attend.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 141, I was unable to attend. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 147, I was unable to attend.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''