Floor Statements

I thank my colleague for setting up this Special Order.

Bill Gray was a total guy. He would have been able to handle this; that's for sure.

I do want to start by offering my condolences to the family, to Bill Gray's religious family, his community, and actually all Philadelphians who knew him and not only respected him, but loved him and admired him for the work that he did on behalf of Philadelphia and on behalf of the Nation and on behalf of the world.

I think we've all heard a bit about his extraordinary public service both here, of course, in the House and also then when he went on to, of course, help lead the United Negro College Fund.

What I wanted to say was a little more personal. I think my colleague knows this. Congressman Fattah knows some of this history. But when I first decided to run for elected office, I went first to City Councilwoman Marian Tasco, who was part of the northwest coalition of elected officials who

came out of the community that was Bill Gray and the people who he supported and provided inspiration to. She was interested in helping me run for the State senate, and she said, Well, Allyson, I'm going to help you out, but there's one really important person you're going to need to be on your side.

It's an interesting district. My district in the State senate represented northwest Philadelphia mostly and where Bill Gray lived, his house there, and much of the northwest coalition and also part of northeast Philadelphia and then eventually part of the suburbs, as well. So it is a really interesting and integrated community. It is about 40 percent African American.

I went first to see one of his chief aides. I went to see Jerry Mondesire. I'm not sure you're supposed to name names here, but it's a Special Order and we can do some of that. I went to talk with him about who I was and why I wanted to run and what I hoped to accomplish in the State senate. He thought it made some sense and gave me the opportunity to set up that meeting with Congressman Gray. I came to see him here at the Capitol actually to meet him. I think he was in the whip's office at the time, a very grand office. He was a grand man of real stature. It was a good meeting. It was actually a very good meeting, and he did agree to be supportive. We ended up working together and worked hard and won a very competitive primary. I was not the only one running in that primary who went on to win in the general election.

Congressman Gray always was supportive and encouraging, particularly when I decided to run for Congress. When I got elected to Congress, the district was very different. It didn't represent the northwest. It was a very different coalition I had to build for that. But he met with me and gave me some good advice about what to do here as a Member of Congress. He said I should serve on the Budget Committee. I'm not even sure I understood at the time that he was the chair of the Budget Committee, the first African American chair of the Budget Committee and the power he lent to that. I took his advice, and I think it was good advice. It gave me a chance to really rise here fairly quickly in Congress.

What I really want to say is that he was a man who brought great intellect, great commitment to public service, a real understanding of relationships between people and how you forge those relationships and you build on those relationships to find common ground and get things done. He did that for Philadelphia, and he did that here in Congress. He was, as I say, a spiritual leader and really made such a difference to the city.

I did get to hear him preach a couple of times; and when I went to Bright Hope to hear him preach, it was Easter morning. That's kind of a special time to be at Bright Hope, as in many churches across this country. I remember that I brought my son, who is now well-grown, and he was only about 11 or 12 at the time. I asked my son afterwards what he thought of the service and what he thought of the preacher, and my son, good Jewish boy that he is, he said, You know, Mom, it kind of makes you want to believe.

And I have to say that Bill Gray made us all want to believe not only spiritually, but believe in this country and the greatness of this country and what we could accomplish. For that, I will be always indebted and grateful to have known him, to honor his memory, and to share in the sadness at his loss and to wish his family not only condolences, but great memories of the man Bill Gray was.

Mr. Speaker, for the past year, my office has worked with a young female soldier who was raped while serving her country. Active US Army, she says that when she reported the crime, she was threatened and harassed.

The military's solution was to direct her assailant to stay away from her, which he ignored.

This woman acted bravely by reporting the assault--only about 10 percent of victims do--and the military failed her.

She is now AWOL: lost, afraid, without pay, without prospects--and without her justice. Her situation is far too common. And it's unacceptable.

This year's National Defense Authorization includes important reforms. It strips commanders of their authority to change or dismiss convictions and it expands legal assistance to victims.

The military must fully implement these changes and do all it can to ensure that its culture no longer tolerates sexual violence. The military must prosecute sexual abuse offenders and ensure victims have protection and support and the assurance of justice that all victims deserve.

End this shame on America and ensure that women ``can be all they can be'' in the U.S. military, without discrimination, harassment or fear of sexual assault.

I rise in strong opposition to this Republican pay China first bill, which would jeopardize the full faith and credit of the United States. This legislation dictates which of our Nation's bills we will pay and which we will not, and poses a serious, dangerous threat to our economy. The Republicans put foreign creditors ahead of our veterans, Active Duty military, Medicare recipients, and small businesses.

The Republicans' refusal to pay our Nation's bills inflicts another round of unnecessary wounds that weakened our economy in 2011. American families, American workers, and American small businesses have battled economic uncertainty for far too long, and this deeply irresponsible legislation will only exacerbate the challenges we face.

Instead of moving us closer to common ground on a balanced, responsible path for economic growth, Republicans' brinksmanship threatens to undermine consumer and investor confidence and slows economic growth.

I urge opposition to this legislation and instead that we do what we have always done as Americans: pay our bills, pay them on time, pay them in full and protect America's economy and our financial standing in the global economy.

The National Institutes of Health faces significant cuts to basic scientific research funding this fiscal year. These cuts threaten America's capacity to cure diseases, treat chronic and acute conditions, and find new technologies that advance the health of people worldwide.

That is why I am introducing the Inspiring Scientific Research and Innovation Act. It will restore and supplement this funding by appropriating $3 billion for the remainder of fiscal 2013.

NIH is the single largest source of biomedical research. It funds research efforts at the NIH campus here in Bethesda, at medical centers, cancer centers, and universities across the Nation. The agency generated $57.8 billion in economic output nationwide in 2012 alone. This work often takes years and affects every family in America touched by serious health conditions and chronic disease. Failure to adequately and consistently fund this research means lost lives, lost science, and lost economic opportunity.

The funding I propose will not increase the Federal deficit. It is paid for by eliminating tax breaks for corporate jets. We must be clear about our priorities and our values as a Nation.

So the choice is clear: scientific advancement and curing disease or taxpayer support for corporate jets. Choose NIH.

The Federal budget is a statement of our priorities and our values as a Nation. The budget should be fiscally responsible and reduce the deficit, it should make investments to grow our economy, and it should meet our obligations to our seniors, to our families, and to our future. And the Republican budget fails all three. The Republican budget threatens our Nation by undermining our economic growth and by shifting the financial burden for the deficit and for deficit reduction to our seniors and the middle class.

Republicans have made their choices clear: end Medicare as we know it, adding costs to seniors today and ending the Medicare guarantee tomorrow; slash investments for economic competitiveness; and give millionaires an average of $400,000 in tax breaks. The Republican budget eliminates protections for millions of our sickest, frailest seniors who depend on nursing home and home health services. And the Republican budget will increase taxes for average middle class families by $3,000. Their choices will cost 2 million jobs next year alone and decrease economic growth by 1.7 percent.

In contrast, the Democratic alternative preserves the Medicare guarantee; makes key investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure necessary for job creation and economic growth; and protects the middle class from large tax increases. The Democratic alternative reduces the deficit in a fiscally responsible and balanced way, without causing harm today and without threatening our economic competitiveness for the future. It reduces the deficit while meeting our commitments to our seniors, our frailest elderly, and our children.

I urge my colleagues to reject the Republican budget that threatens our seniors, our middle class, and our economic growth, and to vote for the Democratic alternative that builds on our great strengths as a Nation--an innovative, entrepreneurial business sector with a skilled, hardworking middle class. Vote for the Democratic alternative that builds on hope, opportunity, and security for all Americans.

There are just 2 days that are left for Congress to work together to avert these very deep, across-the-board, automatic cuts to our domestic priorities.

The Obama administration released a State-by-State report outlining the harmful impact these cuts would have on middle class families, on jobs and on economic growth. Yet Republicans continue to reject any balanced approach to deficit reduction presented by House and Senate Democrats, which includes spending cuts, additional revenues and economic growth. Moving from crisis to crisis does not move us any closer to finding a long-term solution to deficit reduction. Instead, these crises cause uncertainty, inhibit private sector investment, undermine consumer confidence, and slow economic growth.

In Pennsylvania, thousands of jobs in both the public and private sectors are at risk of elimination due to the inaction of House Republicans--from elementary school teachers to scientific researchers. Here are just a few examples:

Sharon Easterling, who is the executive director of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children, said that Republican inaction would hurt Pennsylvania's children as ``nearly 2,300 Head Start children will lose access to preschool almost immediately'';

Holly Lange, who is the president of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, said:

These cuts may force the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging

to limit vital transportation services for our seniors, who

depend on shared rides to remain independent in their homes;

Cinda Waldbuesser, the senior Pennsylvania program manager for the National Parks Conservation Center, said:

Every national park in the system would be affected,

including treasured places like Gettysburg, Independence Hall

and Valley Forge, and the local economies that depend on

visitor spending would also suffer.

The President and House and Senate Democrats have put forth a balanced solution that would replace the across-the-board cuts with a plan that does cut spending but that raises revenues and builds economic opportunity for all of us in this Nation. Republicans have yet to offer a balanced plan or to be willing to engage in the serious discussions of a reasonable bipartisan alternative for our seniors, our children, our first responders, our teachers, our civilian workers in the Department of Defense, our law enforcement officers, our public health professionals, our qualified medical researchers--who research not only at NIH but at medical centers across our country--and business owners who are seeking loan guarantees.

I could go on and on. You've heard some of the examples, but the fact is that all Americans are counting on us to act. It is our responsibility to act, and we should.

I urge my Republican colleagues to reject their partisan, one-sided approach and to be willing to work with us to find common ground and to reach a solution to deficit reduction that takes a balanced approach; that respects our obligation to Americans, particularly our seniors and our children; that strengthens the middle class; that creates certainty for the business community and for our middle class consumers; and that creates opportunities for families and businesses across the country.

The meeting called this morning by the President is an opportunity to find that solution, and I encourage Republicans to take this moment seriously, to be willing to compromise in order to avert these cuts and to set us on a path to both deficit reduction and economic growth. It is not too late. It is increasingly almost too late, but let's get it done on behalf of the American people and our future.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed.

I rise in opposition to this bill and to offer the final amendment that will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill, as amended, will immediately proceed to final passage.

This amendment rejects the rigid partisan view presented in this legislation that deficit reduction must be achieved by spending cuts alone, regardless of the consequences. Moving from one crisis to another and failing to meet our responsibilities, as Republicans have done time and time again, has hurt our economic growth. Most recently, in December, our economy contracted for the first time in 3 years as a result of delayed action by Republican leadership in the House.

This amendment makes clear that there's a better way. It recognizes that our Nation faces serious fiscal challenges. We agree, as the President does, that these fiscal challenges must be addressed. We believe that we must reduce the deficit over time and we must work to stabilize the debt. But we must do so in a way that does not hurt our economic recovery, that enables us to meet our obligations to our seniors and to our children and to our future, and ensures our economic competitiveness and economic growth.

Every bipartisan commission has said that the only way we can meet these goals--to reduce the deficit, to meet our obligations, and to make investments necessary for economic growth--is to do so in a balanced way with a combination of spending cuts and new revenues. And the American people agree. American consumers and American businesses agree. Economists and investors, workers and managers, older Americans and young adults all agree. We need a balanced approach. We need to find that common ground and we need to make decisions now that provide certainty and stability for our families, for our businesses, and for our Nation. Yet the Republicans reject this balanced approach. They prefer to place blame and to seek to deflect attention from the realities before us.

The automatic across-the-board cuts of $85 billion will go into effect in just 22 days. Rather than work with us and to work with the President to find a better way to avoid the sequester with a mix of cuts and revenue, they suggest a new budget process that may not be constitutional and surely will not be productive.

The bill before us is simply a political message. We should reject that narrow message. Instead, we should make clear that we are willing to find that balanced approach that enables us to put our great Nation on sound financial footing by providing certainty during economic recovery, reducing the deficit over time, sustaining Medicare for seniors now and into the future, protecting Social Security, and by creating opportunity for middle class Americans and investing in education, research, science, innovation, and infrastructure to ensure our economic competitiveness. Because if we do, we will not only reduce the deficit, we will expand opportunity and prosperity for all Americans.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 7 on H.R. 41 ``To temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program,'' I am not recorded because I was absent due to illness.

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

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 9, on final passage of H.R. 152, ``Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013'' I am not recorded because I was absent due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

I rise this evening in strong support of the Jobs Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012. By passing this bill, Congress provides economic security and certainty for middle class families.

This legislation, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, permanently extends tax cuts for 99 percent of American families and small businesses, it protects seniors' access to doctors, it expands affordability of college for millions of young people, it makes vital investments that build economic growth and new jobs in this country, and it averts the fiscal cliff and the harmful economic consequences that might have resulted.

As we close out this Congress, we've reached resolution on a major issue facing this Congress and our Nation: fairer tax policy for our families and our businesses.

There's more work to do. In the next Congress, my guess is that it will be just as difficult to reach bipartisan solutions, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. Tonight's vote, I hope, demonstrates that in fact it can, and it benefits American families and American businesses and America's future.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was shattering for Americans everywhere. For such an unspeakable act of violence to take place at an elementary school--a place of safety, learning and lively spirit--was devastating. My own sons are grown, but my memories from their first days at school are still very vivid.

The shooting was both a deeply personal family tragedy and a tragedy for the community of Newtown and for our Nation. I, along with all American parents, feel the loss personally. It brought not only tears, but also deep sadness. The youngest victims were 6, 7. It's unacceptable.

We feel the loss of each child, so innocent, so joyful--their hopes, their dreams and their potential never to be fulfilled. We mourn the loss of the teachers and staff who were a comfort to their students and who did all that they could to protect them. My thoughts and my prayers are with each of the families and all of Newtown. did all that they could to protect them. My thoughts and my prayers are with each of the families and all of Newtown.

We have seen far too many moments of violence and loss. This loss is too devastating to ignore. I believe that even in this time of deep sadness and grief we must resolve to end such violence. We must do better to understand and treat mental illness. And we must come together to move our Nation towards commonsense, reasonable gun laws, laws that recognize the responsibility of gun ownership and ensure safety and security in our homes and our schools and our communities and in our public spaces.

One of the Nation's greatest strengths that we have as Americans and as a people is that our Nation and each of us is so resilient. We must use that resilience to not only grieve together at this really difficult time, but to work together to prevent yet another devastating act of violence and to be shattered once again.

We should act, and I join my colleagues in a willingness and a commitment to do so.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, November 30, 2012, I was unable to cast my vote on rollcall vote 612, H.R. 6429, the STEM Jobs Act of 2012 and the Motion to Recommit 613, the STEM Jobs Act of 2012.

Had I been present, I would like the Record to reflect that I would have voted in opposition of rollcall vote 612 and I would have voted in favor of the Motion to Recommit 613.

I oppose H.R. 6429 because it eliminates the long-standing Diversity Visa program and prevents unused STEM green cards from being reused as another visa.

personal explanation

Our Nation is facing serious economic and fiscal challenges. We have seen economic recovery over the last 4 years, but we have work to do.

The fiscal policies that expire at the end of the year, known as the ``fiscal cliff,'' present a rare opportunity to set aside politics and find common ground to reduce our Nation's deficit in a balanced and fiscally responsible manner.

Actions we take must be based on our priorities and our values. It means strengthening the middle class and building economic opportunity. It means spending cuts and new revenues.

We will need to make tough choices, but there is a path forward if we are fair, if we are committed to our obligations to our seniors and our children, and if we recognize the importance of strategic investments to grow our economy now and into the future.

I was proud to be one of just 38 Members to support a bipartisan proposal by Representatives Cooper and LaTourette that included tax reform and spending cuts to reduce the Nation's deficit.

Let's move our country forward by taking responsible, meaningful, and timely action.

I thank you, Mr. Minority Whip.

You have spoken out every week both on the floor of Congress and around this country. You've spoken out on the actions we ought to be taking in order to strengthen our Nation, protect our seniors, grow our economy, and make sure our children have a great future. You speak eloquently about that every week, so I really am pleased to be able to just join you in calling attention to the fact that we do have serious economic and fiscal challenges in this Nation.

Instead of coming together and trying to find common ground--trying to find that agreement so we can solve these problems that the American people are asking us to do, which is to solve these problems--the Republicans have been doing nothing. They're trying to roll us back, move us backward. In fact, the Republicans, as we know, just decided to recess and head home. We know the Republicans, yet again, have made their choices, their priorities, their values very clear not only to us and to our constituents but, really, to all Americans, who are seeing more clearly what the Republicans' choices have been. They are determined to dismantle the progress we have made. They continuously try and roll back our accomplishments that we have made so as to take our country back to a failed economic agenda that has hurt so many Americans.

The Republicans' goals are stunning, and we have seen them every week on the floor of Congress for the last year and a half, almost 2 years: repealing health care reform and eliminating the benefits for seniors and access to affordable coverage for millions of Americans; repealing the financial regulatory system; eliminating those consumer protections with regard to environmental regulations, thus threatening clean water and clean air; ending Medicare as we know it. Reducing the Federal Government at any cost, that has been their goal.

I want to mention just quickly two things that you're going to talk some more about and some of my colleagues. I fought so hard on Medicare. We all have. The Republicans have been absolutely clear on this, their willingness to undue Medicare for all seniors. I've said this before that whether you're 65 and expecting Medicare and living under Medicare right now, you'll see a reduction in your benefits. Whether you're 55 or 45 or 35 and you're paying into Medicare and want Medicare to be there in the future, they are threatening that promise of Medicare. They are deliberately working and have voted to end Medicare as we know it. We've seen that time and again. It's not just the Republican leadership, not just Mr. Ryan. There are many. Most of the Republicans, not all of them have voted for this. Rather than guarantee benefits under Medicare, the Republicans will leave seniors on their own to buy benefits that they can afford or not. The voucher will be inadequate to buy Medicare benefits that exist now, costing our seniors about $6,400 more per year.

They threaten our fellow seniors as well in nursing homes by voting for a third of a cut in Medicaid that affects, really, the costs of our seniors in nursing homes. Any of us who have loved ones or visit nursing homes know that these are people who require a great deal of care. This is the agenda of the Republicans.

Instead of tackling what we're willing to do together such as middle class tax cuts, they're holding it hostage to tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent or 2 percent. They won't move forward on that sort of certainty or on many of the issues facing us at the end of the year as we're on a fiscal cliff that many of us talk about and are really not doing the kind of work that needs to get done to create that certainty, to be able to protect Medicare, to be able to make the strategic investments, to make sure the tax policy is fair, and we do fiscal policy for our Nation in the right way, in a fair way, in a responsible way, and an achievable way.

I thank you for this Special Order, and I'm calling on the Republicans to meet these challenges for our Nation, and to do that together.

Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to participate in this debate in some ways, although I do have to say that this is not really the kind of honest debate that we need to be having. We should be having a conversation. We should have been having a conversation well before now about how we would avoid sequester and do it in a bipartisan way and do it in a balanced way. That is not what is happening. Right now what we're seeing is a Republican plan without that kind of conversation, without that kind of willingness to find common ground or balanced approach.

The Federal budget is about choices. The choices we make matter. Do we choose to protect our seniors, to grow the middle class, to make smart investments in our economy, to be able to reach agreement on deficit reduction in a way that is fair to the American people or not?

Republicans have made their choices, their priorities, and their values very clear. Once again, they are wasting America's time playing politics instead of working to find that common ground.

Sequestration was put in place to push us, to force us in Congress to work together on a bipartisan, balanced approach to deficit reduction. We knew it would be tough. We all knew we would not want to implement sequester, that that would be difficult. But we put on the table what needed to get done if we couldn't have that kind of conversation, and we have not yet seen the Republican leadership in the House be willing to engage in that kind of serious deficit reduction conversation that takes a balanced approach, respects our obligation to Americans and our future.

Today's legislation does not move us any closer to achieving the goal of deficit reduction done in a balanced way, in a fair way, in a real way. We know we must reduce the Nation's deficit in a balanced and fiscally responsible manner. We've seen every bipartisan independent commission tell us that.

It means, and they've told us and we know, that we have to take some hard hits in spending cuts, that we have to require greater efficiency and greater effectiveness from all sectors of government, that we must do this with a balance, with increased revenue. It cannot be done without it.

In order to build economic growth in our Nation, we need to do all of this. Deficit reduction means spending cuts, it means increased revenue, it means a balanced approach if we're going to grow the economy for now and the future.

The Republicans in Congress have rejected this balanced approach, and in doing so they have made it clear that they are not serious about deficit reduction. They are, in fact, willing to add $800 billion to our deficit with tax breaks to the wealthiest. That's what this legislation does today. They are adding $2 trillion more in defense spending, more than the Pentagon has said it needs to keep us safe and defend our Nation. They're willing to do this at the expense of our middle class, our seniors, and our economic recovery.

The Republican approach to replacing the sequester means that we will be less prepared to compete in the 21st century economy. Now is not the time to make drastic cuts in transportation and infrastructure, in innovation and clean energy, or in education and health care. And that's what this would do.

The Republican plan creates false and unfair choices for the American people.

Let's get serious. Let's have some real solutions. Let's move forward on deficit reduction and economic growth for the American people.