Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in congratulating the chairman, who has served so honorably as a Member of the House and for all of these years as chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and wish him our absolute best.

I join my colleagues today in standing up in support of stronger intelligence. That is what this debate is about.

This bill is simply too weak and dangerously underfunds the intelligence efforts that are so absolutely essential to preventing the next big terrorist attack. Every American will understand that 100 percent is 100 percent. You cannot be committed 100 percent to funding if you only fund 33 percent, one-third, of the entire counterterrorism budget.

Opponents of the amendment to fully fund counterterrorism intelligence throw around a lot of numbers to try to argue that the level of funding in this bill is adequate. But you need to know only one thing: The President knows this is not enough funding, and said in his transmittal letter of May 12 of this year that he will ask for the rest of the money ``in early 2005.'' That is an admission that this is not fully funded, and that is what we are debating.

The problem is the terrorists are not waiting until early 2005. There are indications that they plan to conduct a major attack inside the United States before the end of the year, according to administration officials. The CIA cannot wait until early 2005 to plan its operations to prevent that next attack.

Senior officials testified repeatedly to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that the practice of funding counterterrorism by supplemental makes it impossible for them to plan, this is what they said to all of the members of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and it forces them to rob Peter to pay Paul in an effort to make due.

Does this body really want to make the men and women of the intelligence community make do when so much is at stake? They are the tip of the spear. We have to give them the resources they need. It is our job now, not in early 2005.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished ranking member for her leadership in the committee, and to the chairman of the full committee, who has given much for this country, both in service and in representing his congressional district, as well as this committee, I salute him, and we all salute him for it.

To the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter), who will be leaving the House of Representatives, I salute him as well for his wonderful service on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. Chairman, last week was really quite an extraordinary week for those of us who serve on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Breaking with past precedent, all committee Democrats voted against the intelligence authorization bill in the committee markup. And there was one primary reason for that, and that is that counterterrorism is underfunded significantly, by two-thirds, in this authorization bill.

I have said more than once you cannot have a 100 percent commitment to counterterrorism and the global war on terrorism if you are only going to fund it by 33 percent.

We have failed, I believe, to do everything we can to strengthen the oversight. Truth is the oxygen of democracy, and it is the responsibility of members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to pursue the truth through strong oversight.

We offered amendments to fully fund the intelligence community's counterintelligence operations, and we offered amendments in the committee to

strengthen oversight. They were rejected by the majority. I offered the amendment at getting the straight story on the Defense Department's relationship with a man by the name of Ahmad Chalabi.

I want to know why the Department invested so much political and financial capital in a man with such a checkered past. The CIA terminated its relationship with him because it found him to be unreliable. The State Department could not account for how he was spending U.S. Government funds. And despite the obvious warning signs, the Defense Department could not wait to give him more money. Now we are finding out that Mr. Chalabi's organization may have fed the intelligence community misleading or fabricated information on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. He may have been instrumental in persuading the administration that the Iraqi people would welcome U.S. soldiers with open arms, rather than improvised explosive devices.

That is why we have come to the floor. That is why we have come to the floor with our objections. Bipartisanship means that people come together. It does not mean that one side stands and says, you have to meet us 100 percent in order to make it bipartisan. We should be able to agree on the money for counterterrorism and for stronger oversight.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to place in our Nation's Record the statement issued by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious on May 7, 2004, regarding the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious joins its

voice with other faith-based organizations and human rights

groups in expressing our abhorrence and shame at the abuse

perpetrated on Iraqi prisoners by some members of the U.S.

military. These inexcusable atrocities violate our common

humanity.

We do not accept the explanation of our government leaders

that these acts were the behavior of a few individuals.

Rather, we see these abusive actions as symptomatic of a

deeper, pervasive sickness. All of us share the

responsibility and the blame--the soldiers who performed

these heinous acts, military officials who have oversight for

the treatment of prisoners, U.S. government officials who

ignored reports of these abuses, and all of us who have

contributed in some way to our culture of violence.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an

organization representing 73,000 Catholic women religious in

the United States, urges that the following actions be taken

to begin to address these serious violations of human dignity

and human rights:

Now that President Bush has issued a late and limited

apology for the abusive treatment of Iraqi prisoners, that

there be a thorough investigation, and that the results be

made public

That this investigation include any personnel regardless of

rank or office who had knowledge of these atrocities and

allowed them to continue with impunity

That any military, intelligence, or privately contracted

personnel found to have engaged in or encouraged acts of

torture or inhumane treatment be prosecuted

That there be a complete and public Congressional oversight

hearing and investigation into the treatment of all detainees

held by the U.S. military anywhere in the world, an

investigation which will allow Members of Congress to

exercise their powers and rights to enable the balance of

power to be restored

That all prisoners held by the United States be granted

access to international monitoring groups such as the Red

Cross, the Red Crescent, Amnesty International, and the

United Nations

That U.S. government and military officials make a

commitment to protect the human dignity and rights of the

Iraqi people.

As leaders of religious congregations we reach out to our

Muslim sisters and brothers. We grieve with you. We share

your outrage. We will continue to pray and work for social

justice, peace, and respect for human dignity and human

rights of all people. As a nation we share in the shame.

Together we must work to assure that these abuses never

happen again.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the words of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and all they represent as we work toward human rights for all individuals around the world.

Mr Speaker, I'm pleased to join my colleague Representative Pickering in introducing the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act of 2004, which authorizes programs and funding that will allow the Federal Government to better coordinate and increase our investment in efforts to prevent, treat, and care for persons with arthritis and related diseases. The bill represents the most significant Federal effort to address arthritis in a generation. The Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act of 2004 addresses this important issue by:

Enhancing the National Arthritis Action Plan by providing

additional support to federal, state, and private efforts to

prevent and manage arthritis;

Developing a National Arthritis Education and Outreach

Campaign to educate the healthcare profession and the public

on successful self-management strategies for controlling

arthritis;

Ensuring greater coordination and intensification of

federal research efforts by organizing a National Arthritis

and Rheumatic Diseases Summit to look at challenges and

opportunities related to basic, clinical and translational

research and development efforts;

Providing greater attention to the area of juvenile

arthritis research through the creation of planning grants

for innovative research specific to juvenile arthritis, as

well as the prioritization of epidemiological activities

focused on better understanding the prevalence, incidence,

and outcomes associated with juvenile arthritis; and

Creating incentives to encourage health professionals to

enter the field of pediatric rheumatology through the

establishment of an education loan repayment and career

development award programs.

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. with 70 million Americans living with a form of the disease. With the aging of the baby boomers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicts the number of people over 65 with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms will double by 2030. Nearly 300,000 children in the United States are living with a form of juvenile arthritis. Arthritis is a painful and debilitating chronic disease affecting men, women and children alike.

Currently, the Federal investment in juvenile arthritis research is only $23 per affected child. The CDC estimates that the annual cost of medical care for arthritis is $51 billion, and the annual total costs, including lost productivity, exceed $86 billion. Early diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate management of arthritis are critical in controlling symptoms and improving quality of life.

In 1975, nearly 30 years ago, Senator Alan Cranston of California introduced the last major piece of arthritis legislation. It was signed into law by President Gerald Ford. The bill, the National Arthritis Act, set our Nation on an important path in the fight against arthritis. It led to the creation of an institute at NIH focused on arthritis, and laid the foundation for a national arthritis public health strategy.

However, arthritis is still claiming the lives of millions of Americans and we must reinvigorate our research and education efforts to offer individuals with arthritis a better chance at life and eventually a cure. I believe the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act of 2004 will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very disappointed that I can't support this legislation because there are parts of the bill that I do support and also because American industry needs to have a resolution to avoid debilitating trade sanctions and tariffs.

I support the bill's extension of the Research and Development tax credit which is set to expire at the end of this month. I also strongly support the inclusion of incentives for corporations to repatriate their overseas profits which would stimulate the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in our domestic economy. I've been a strong advocate of both of these provisions which were included in the alternative offered by Representative Rangel. In fact, the alternative includes language on repatriation of overseas profits that would provide even greater benefits than the bill before us.

Unfortunately, with this bill, what began as an opportunity to correct the tax code and avert retaliatory tariffs has turned into a special interest handout for everything from tobacco to tackle boxes. None of the special interest provisions added have anything to do with amending international tax law but are merely an attempt to buy votes for this misguided bill. The bill also discriminates against small businesses, excluding them from many of the tax breaks granted to large corporation.

Not only does this bill not do enough to create American jobs, as the title claims, but it adds $34 billion to our nation's deficit at a time when the Administration and the Majority in Congress are underfunding important priorities such as education, health care, and antiterrorism.

In contract to this bill, Representative Rangel's alternative is a responsible approach and I'm pleased to vote for it. Instead of a $34 billion price tag, the alternative is revenue neutral; every provision in the bill is offset with other revenue. In addition to the Research and Development tax credit extension and reduced taxes on repatriated profits, the proposal also provides tax relief for domestic manufacturers--including small businesses and farms--to promote job growth here in America and boost our economy.

I'm hopeful that the conference committee will report back to the House a bill that addresses the necessary reform of international tax law without creating special interest loopholes and exacerbating our record national deficits.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, we are debating an energy bill which does plenty for energy companies, but does precious little for energy consumers.

The elephant in the room is still the failure to address the 2000- 2001 western energy crisis. Two weeks ago, CBS News broadcast tapes of conversations in which Enron employees bragged about stealing money from California during the energy crisis. They talked about shutting off power plants, they bragged about all of the money they stole from ``those poor grandmothers in California.'' Some of the language was so profane it could not be broadcast. The language was shocking and the facts in the transcripts chilling. They are part of a litany of widespread market manipulation.

Today, we have the smoking gun memos in which Enron admitted how it gamed the market. We have today the transcripts of employees of Reliant Energy describing how they gamed the market. We have today 3,000 pages produced by the State of California. We have today the Department of Justice's indictments and plea agreements with many energy traders and producers. We have today even the language that FERC found ``significant market manipulation.''

What we do not have are refunds for the consumers who were gouged to the tune of $8.9 billion and $1.1 billion in the Pacific Northwest.

The law requires that this money be refunded, but for 4 years consumers are still waiting. For 4 years this Congress has failed to investigate, and the administration has continued to perpetrate the myth first stated by Vice President Cheney that ``The basic problem in California was caused by Californians.''

Have you listened to the tapes, Mr. Vice President? For 4 years, the administration has lectured consumers about supply and demand and free markets. Now the Enron tapes make it clear that consumers in the West were robbed.

I want to repeat that. Consumers in the West were robbed. Once again, in this bill the House is turning its back on these consumers by doing nothing to hold industry accountable, but then again we are living in an era of total unaccountability. It is a culture of unaccountability.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. It is deeply flawed, and it does nothing for consumers in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the very distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for yielding me this time.

I rise today in support of this motion to recommit. And, Mr. Speaker, I do so for the following reasons. One of the great things about our country is that we recognize when mistakes have been made, when the American people have suffered an injustice, a wrong, and we stand to make it right. That is what this motion to recommit is all about.

Two weeks ago the people of our country heard all over the airwaves the disgraceful and disgusting tapes, the audio tapes of the Enron traders and how they planned and how they executed the gouging and the manipulation of the energy market in the Pacific Northwest and in California. Time and again we have sought amendments. Time and again we have gone to the Speaker of the House. Time and again the three delegations from the Pacific Northwest and California have attempted to make this right.

Today in this energy bill we ask that it be recommitted, and with this recommittal we will direct the Federal Energy Commission that is charged with the consumers' best interest to refund the dollars that were robbed out of greed from the American people. We are a great and good Nation. We can correct this. That is what the motion to recommit is all about. Every single Member of this House, Republicans and Democrats, have a stake in this. If they vote against the motion to recommit, they are saluting those that robbed American consumers. So stand with them. Do the right thing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Kelly Shea Gallo, the beloved wife, mother and teacher who lost her young life to breast cancer on May 3, 2004. Throughout her illness she was an inspiration to others, remaining strong despite the ordeal she was undergoing. Shortly after being declared cancer free, the disease recurred and she died at a San Francisco hospital, surrounded by her family.

Kelly Shea Gallo was a sixth grade teacher, a basketball, volleyball and softball coach and a swimming teacher. As the San Mateo Times said of her, ``she brought cheer into the lives of those she met. Her infectious smile brightened classrooms and endeared her to the dozens of pupils who had the honor of sharing even a moment of her brief life.'' The Principal of Taylor School, where she taught, remembers her as the culture and spirit of the school, a teacher who had a unique and natural rapport with her students.

Kelly Shea Gallo was born in San Francisco and was raised in South San Francisco and Millbrae. She was a graduate of Mercy High School, California State University, Chico, and earned her teaching credential from San Francisco State University.

Kelly was the loving mother of Mia, age 7, and Chloe, age 3, and the devoted wife of Mark Gallo, whom she met and married in 1995. She leaves behind her loving parents, her brothers and her sister, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest sympathy to Kelly Shea Gallo's family. She was a treasure and a shining light and will be missed by all who knew her. Our community will long remember her as an extraordinary educator and a good and great woman.

Mr. Chairman, the export control amendments in H.R. 4200 will limit Presidential authority to effectively promote U.S. national security and will hobble the U.S. information technology industry by preventing it from selling commodity commercial products to our allies.

This bill requires an export license for all exports of goods and technologies on the Military Critical Technologies List to all countries.

This legislation would roll back export controls on computers below the levels implemented five years ago--thus preventing our technology industry from exporting computing products that are a few generations old.

This amendment is so broad that it would immediately require export licenses for exports of things such as laptop and desktop computers, which can't possibly serve any national security interest.

By passing this amendment, we are immediately cutting off American manufacturers from customers around the world, including key export markets such as Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia.

The amendment is so arbitrary, and the list so outdated, that it bears no rational relation to U.S. national security, and threatens to derail America's economic recovery.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to protect our critical technology industry and vote against H.R. 4200.

Mr. Speaker, every day in America there are over 150,000 911 calls made from a cell phone. This represents more than 25 percent of all 911 calls made in our country. Each one of these calls is singly one of the most important ones that an individual will make. Yet most Americans would be shocked to learn that the majority of our country's Public Safety Answering Points still do not have Enhanced 911, or E- 911, technology needed to track the location of the emergency caller on their mobile phone. This is unacceptable. Most, if not all, mobile phone users buy them for the added security of knowing that if they need to make a 911 call, help will be on the way shortly.

I am proud that the House, supported by the E-911 Caucus, passed legislation providing Federal grants to enhance our emergency communications system and make E-911 a reality. Now it is time for the other body to act. With so much weighing on these calls, we have to do everything we can to accelerate the deployment of this lifesaving technology.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor my constituent Maeva Neale who passed away on May 8, 2004. She was a physician, leader, a poet, and a hero to those who lived in the coastside town of Pescadero, California. She lived a life filled with values, devoting herself to improving the lives of everyone around her.

Maeva Neale was born in Chicago, the daughter of a minister and Spanish teacher. She majored in Russian studies at Cornell University and was fluent in Swahili, Spanish, French, German, and Arabic. She began medical school at the University of Chicago and completed her studies at the University of California at San Francisco. In the spirit of her thirst for knowledge and adventure, she moved to Kenya for a decade where she practiced medicine and raised her two children, Ama and Geoffrey. Looking for new adventure, she then moved to Saudi Arabia for two years.

In 1989, our community was blessed with Maeva Neale's decision to move to Pescadero, where one of her first acts as a member of our community was to foil an attempt to drop sewage sludge above the ecologically vital coastal area of Pigeon Point. She spent ten years on the Pescadero Municipal Advisory Council, including one as the Chair, leading the drive to stop chemical spraying along Pescadero's roadways. She wrote volumes of beautiful poetry in several languages that were illustrated by local artists and was commended by President Clinton for her work on behalf of Russian children who were devastated by severe pollution.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to honor the life of Maeva Neale. She brought our community together, no matter how divergent its opinions. She was an artist and a healer, and always was an inspiration to me. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and remembering Maeva Neale for her extraordinary life of service to our community and humanity. We are better people because of her gentleness, her leadership and her incredible spirit.

Mr. Speaker, every American is appalled by the images and reports of the mistreatment of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, images which have now been shown around the world again and again over the past week. These criminal actions have greatly undermined America's credibility around the world, humiliated the prisoners and their families, besmirched the reputation of our Armed Services, and placed our troops and civilians at heightened risk. The good work of American troops has been diminished significantly and the Arab world is outraged.

While it's highly appropriate for Congress to condemn these criminal actions, this Resolution does not go far enough in offering a remedy. The Resolution does not call for a full Congressional investigation. Indeed, the Majority has blocked the Minority today from adding a provision that would launch such an investigation. The Resolution ignores the necessity of an investigation to examine the role that intelligence officials and private contractors may have played in these crimes. We have to pursue the truth wherever it takes us and as high up the chain of command as we must go. Finally, the Resolution does not call on the Administration to be fully accountable and to report fully to Congress and the American people about the scope of this most serious issue.

The Congress has been kept in the dark for months about the abuses in Abu Ghraib prison, yet no one from the Administration has informed Congress or offered an apology. In fact, Secretary Rumsfeld came to Capitol Hill to brief Congress on Iraq last week, but never even mentioned these serious abuses and the catastrophic fallout internationally against the United States.

Mr. Speaker, there must be consequences. Reprimands aren't enough. The people in charge should be replaced, beginning with the Secretary of Defense.

A year ago I traveled to Iraq and Kuwait and met with our troops and intelligence officers. The vast majority were doing their jobs superbly well under very trying and dangerous conditions. Their efforts have been made immeasurably more difficult by the actions of a small group.

While we express our outrage, we must do more. There must be a full accounting and there must be consequences. Unfortunately, this Resolution demands none. I vote for this Resolution with all these reservations and concerns, but it cannot be the end of the story. We could have done so much better on a bipartisan basis, and it is regrettable that we did not. Congress now has its constitutional responsibility of oversight and investigation to bring out the entire truth and then move to shape policies that will help assure this doesn't ever happen again.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the members representing Silicon Valley, including Representatives Stark, Lantos, Lofgren, Honda and Farr, I rise to honor California State Senator John Vasconcellos, one of the most highly respected legislators in California, who is retiring this year after representing Santa Clara County in the California Legislature for nearly forty years. Senator Vasconcellos will be honored on Friday, April 30, 2004 by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party for his extraordinary public service career.

John Vasconcellos is a graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose and the University of Santa Clara, where he was the first person in the history of the institution to graduate as Student Body President, Valedictorian and recipient of a medal given to the outstanding member of the senior class. After two years in the Army, he returned to attend Santa Clara University Law School where he again was Class President and a top student. He practiced law in San Jose and served in the Administration of Governor Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown.

John Vasconcellos was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1966, where he served for 30 years before being elected to the State Senate. During his tenure in the Assembly, he served as the Chairman of the powerful Assembly Ways and Means Committee where he earned a reputation as a masterful negotiator and conciliator, and for the superior legislation he produced.

In 1996, John Vasconcellos was elected to the California State Senate, where he has served on the Budget, Public Safety, and Energy, Utilities and Communications Committees and as the Chair of the Committees on Education, Economic Development, Preparing California for the 21st Century, and the Internet Caucus. He founded the California Task Force to Promote Self Esteem and Personal

and Social Responsibility. He has been called ``the conscience of the Legislature'' and ``the Johnny Appleseed of Self Esteem.'' He has made a commitment to recognizing California as the leader in the development of new technologies, the global economy, and to meeting the challenge of realizing the promise of our multicultural democracy, with every person being given the opportunity to fulfill her or his full potential his mantra.

Mr. Speaker, we're proud to call John Vasconcellos our friend and our colleague in public service. This pragmatic idealist and visionary is a source of great pride to the Democratic Party, to our mutual constituents, to all Californians and to our entire nation. We ask our colleagues to join us in honoring and thanking Senator Vasconcellos for his lifetime of extraordinary service to California and our country. Because of him and his distinguished service, we are unmistakably a stronger, better and more decent nation.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the members representing Silicon Valley, including

Representatives Farr, Honda, Lantos, Lofgren and Stark, I rise to honor California State Senator Byron Sher, one of the most highly respected legislators in California, who, after representing San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties in the California State Legislature for nearly a quarter century, will retire. Senator Sher will be honored on Friday, April 30, 2004 by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party for his career of extraordinary public service.

Byron Sher graduated from Washington University, St. Louis, and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1952. He held academic teaching positions in law at Southern Methodist University, the University of Southern California, Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, and was a Fulbright Research Scholar in New Zealand. His elective public service spans from serving on the Palo Alto City Council with two terms as Mayor, to service on the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Committee on Environmental Quality for the National League of Cities, and the League of California Cities.

In November, 1980, Byron Sher was elected to the California State Assembly where he served with distinction as the acknowledged leader of environmental policy for over fifteen years. In 1996, he was elected to the California State Senate in a special election to represent the 11th Senate District which currently spans three counties and stretches from San Carlos in the north to the City of Santa Cruz in the South, and which borders on both San Francisco and Monterey Bays.

During his tenure in the California State Legislature, Byron Sher expanded his reputation as the foremost expert on environmental issues. He is the first Chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, as well as the author of landmark laws to protect our environment and serve as legislative models for the rest of the nation. Among the laws he has authored are the California Clean Air Act, the Integrated Waste Management Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act. He has strengthened the State's timber regulations with his Surface Mining and Reclamation Act and he has been at the forefront of computer recycling programs to ensure that the dangerous byproducts of the information age, such as mercury, don't contaminate our landfills and water supplies. Senator Sher also authored the Nation's first law to prevent toxic contamination of water supplies from leaking underground storage tanks. Virtually all his legislation is considered the gold standard for environmental conservation and protection laws in our country.

Mr. Speaker, we're proud to call Byron Sher our friend and our colleague in public service. This quiet, humble, decent and brilliant man is a source of great pride to the Democratic Party, to our mutual constituents, to all Californians and to our entire Nation. We ask our colleagues to join us in honoring and thanking Senator Sher for his lifetime of extraordinary service to California and our country. Because of him and his distinguished service, we are unmistakably a stronger and a better Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank our very distinguished ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), for the time.

Mr. Speaker, we are just about a year to the day that America with our very brave forces invaded Iraq. So it is coming up to the moment where we commemorate those that serve, those that did serve and lost their lives, through a resolution that is on the floor.

This resolution has good parts to it. Of course, we commend our troops who are second to none. They are the best led, the best equipped, and the best performing troops in the world, the best military. But this resolution is not necessarily a celebration, nor should it be. Because what it does not include are the sacrifices that have been made: 558 American troops, 101 allied troops, and some 10,000 Iraqi citizens have died since this war began. They are not mentioned in this resolution.

Where is our commitment in this resolution? It should be stated and restated in more than one ``whereas'' about the 115,000 troops in Iraq with all the protective gear that they should have. Nowhere in this resolution do we affirm or reaffirm our commitment to our troops and veterans.

Today the House Committee on the Budget cut over $1 billion. So there is a bit of double speak to this. Nowhere in this resolution are the people that serve in our intelligence community, some of the most dangerous jobs that anyone could ever have, are they set apart and thanked in this resolution relative to Iraq.

Turn on the TV sets. Iraq is not safe. There are more people that have lost their lives today. There are more fires; there are more blow- ups. So this is a very sobering resolution. And I think the good parts of it should be underscored. But we have not been allowed to add to it the things that I just stated that I think should be very much a part of it.