Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of Jose Arredondo. Jose has served as the Executive Director of the Spanish Speaking Citizen's Foundation (SSCF) in Oakland since 1986. Throughout his career, Jose has been known for his tireless work on behalf of the Latino community and the community at large. This year Jose celebrates his retirement after 20 years of unparalleled service to the SSCF, and many more to the entire Bay Area community.

Jose holds a B.A. in sociology and an M.S. in counseling from California State University,

East Bay. Over the years, Jose has served the residents of the 9th Congressional District in a number of different roles, and his professional expertise is supplemented by his deep commitment to building and maintaining the spirit of community.

Jose came to the Spanish Speaking Citizens' Foundation in 1985. Under his leadership, the SSCF evolved into an organization that facilitates inclusiveness by reducing barriers to economic opportunity, healthcare and education for Latinos in our community. Jose broadened the scope and vision of the SSCF to empower the individual and the community to improve the quality of life, while enriching the cultural heritage of Latinos. By working with other agencies, he has not only expanded the SSCF's network of contacts, but also worked to further the organization's services. Jose's leadership has been crucial here in Oakland, and has made education, social services and healthcare vastly more available and accessible to all members of our community.

In addition to his stellar work leading the SSCF, Jose has been and continues to be heavily involved in a number of other boards and organizations here in the Bay Area and elsewhere. He has served the community through his involvement with organizations such as the Oakland Community Organizations (OCO); Educational Coalition of Hispanic Organizations (ECHO); Latinos for Affirmative Action; and the Spanish Speaking Unity Council.

Furthermore, Jose has been recognized for his exceptional service with numerous awards, such as the Marcus Foster Alumni Award; a Personnel Administration Certificate from California State University, East Bay; and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Professional Community Service Award.

Today the friends, family and colleagues of Jose Arredondo have come together to celebrate not only his retirement, but also his legacy of service and his permanent and positive impact on our community. On this very special day, I join all of them in thanking and saluting Jose for his profound contributions to California's 9th Congressional District, our country and our world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and work of Robert L. Harris, a native of Oakland, California. Today Bob celebrates his retirement from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), where he currently serves as the Vice President of Environmental, Health, Technical and Land Services. His outstanding contributions to his company are second only to what he has given back to our community. I am proud to have this opportunity to salute him for his many years of service.

Bob graduated from Merrit College in 1963 and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) in 1973. There he had a memorable career, where he was an associate editor for the California Law Review. He was admitted to the California State Bar on December 13, 1972, and was a state bar examination grader from 1973-1979. He made continuing education a priority throughout his career, completing the Harvard Graduate School of Business Advanced Management Program, as well as the Management Development Program at Duke University's School of Business.

Almost immediately after his graduation from law school, Bob was invited to join the legal staff of PG&E. In 1985, he became the first and only lawyer in PG&E's history to argue and win a case for the company in the United States Supreme Court. The issue he won pertained to free speech.

In 1989, Bob was selected to become the manager of one of PG&E's major operating divisions in its East Bay region in Oakland, California. He was the first lawyer ever appointed to such a position within PG&E. In that position, he proved his exceptional leadership skills in the face of disaster on more than one occasion. In 1989, the Loma Prieta Earthquake devastated the Bay Area and damaged PG&E's facilities. Despite the severity of the situation, Bob was able to keep his division afloat and organized. Two years later, the Oakland Hills Firestorm, the largest urban firestorm in United States history, struck and devastated our region. During this crisis, Bob was once again able to lead a demonstration of commitment to Bay Area residents, and PG&E restored service to the remaining homes in record time. As a result, PG&E won accolades from throughout the East Bay for maintaining service to their customers, no matter how grave the situation.

In addition to his success with PG&E, Bob has distinguished himself in numerous endeavors within the community. He is an active longtime member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and has served as the Sire Archon (president) of Alpha Gamma Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Bob is a former president of the Charles Houston Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area, and in 1970-1980, he served as president of the National Bar Association. He is one of the founders of the California Association of Black Lawyers, and served as a member of the Board of Commissioners at the Port of Oakland from 1996-2000.

Bob is also active in energy matters that impact African Americans. He is the second vice chairman and former general counsel of the American Association of Blacks in Energy. Bob is a board member of the U.S. EPA's National Advisory Council on Environmental Justice. the National Energy Policy Commission, the California EPA Advisory Committee on Environmental Justice, and the California League of Conservation Voters.

Bob is well known for his unparalleled dedication to community service and has received numerous accolades for his work. Among them is the NAACP's highest legal honor, the ``William Robert Ming Award,'' as well as the National Bar Associations highest honor, the ``C. Francis Stradford Award.'' In July 2005, he also received the Kappa Alpha Psi's highest honor, the ``Laurel Wreath.'' Currently Bob chairs the United Negro College Fund's Bay Area Advisory Board, and has received its highest honor, the ``Fredrick D. Patterson Award.'' On five different occasions, he was selected by Ebony Magazine as one of the ``100 Most Influential Blacks in America.''

Today, the friends, family and colleagues of Robert L. Harris have come together to celebrate his career and immeasurable contributions to our community. On this very special day, I join all of them in thanking Bob for his invaluable service, and for the profoundly positive impact his work has had on. countless lives here in California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, across our country and throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, for 4 years, President Bush has been able to run the war in Iraq any way he wanted to, without any questions or proper oversight from Congress. That changed with the November elections when the American people said they wanted a check on the President's power.

This week, the House is checking that power, debating a simple resolution that sends the President the message that this House does not agree with his plan to send more troops to Iraq.

I hope this debate serves as a wake-up call to the President, and that the status quo in Iraq is not acceptable to this new Congress. And this new plan is not a change in direction, but it is an escalation of his same failed and dangerous policy.

The President has already heard from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group and from his own generals that a military solution is no longer possible, and yet that is exactly what he has proposed.

Mr. Speaker, this week, Democrats and Republicans will send the President a strong message that we must change course in Iraq, and it is really time for the President to listen.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership, for yielding, for her deep commitment to our troops and to our country.

As a daughter of a proud veteran of two wars, I know personally that we have a moral obligation to support and protect our brave men and women on the ground in Iraq. However, there is no reason for us to stand behind the President's plan to escalate his failed policy in Iraq. In fact, Madam Speaker, the American people are way ahead of us.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released just today shows that 60 percent oppose this escalation, 63 percent favor bringing our troops home by the end of 2008, and last November the American people soundly rejected the President's failed policy in Iraq at the voting booth. You would think that the President understood what all this meant. After the election he continued his listening tour on options for Iraq, but it seems that he wasn't hearing what the American people were saying.

The Iraq Study Group actually indicated and said very clearly that there was no military solution to this mess. And rather than heed the call of military experts, advisers, and the American people, the President offered an even worse plan: put more troops in harm's way in Iraq. This just doesn't make any sense.

That is why this no-confidence resolution puts the administration on notice: end the occupation and bring our troops home. However, if the President doesn't change course, we must go further. This war has undermined our credibility and standing in the world. It has cost too many lives and injured too many of our troops. This war has cost too many Iraqi lives. This war has cost us nearly half a trillion dollars, and the costs keep mounting. The chaos in Iraq that the President set in motion has further destabilized an already precarious balance in the Middle East.

We must take steps to use the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill to set in motion an end to this terrible and misguided war and bring our troops home from Iraq.

To that end I support fully funding the safe withdrawal of our troops from Iraq over a 6-month period, and I will work with my colleagues to do this. Additionally, along with Congresswomen Woolsey and Waters, we have introduced H.R. 508, the Bring our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act.

This bill would completely fully fund military withdrawal from Iraq within 6 months, while ensuring that our troops and contractors leave safely, and accelerate the training of Iraqi Security Forces. And we would make certain that our veterans, who have given us so much, receive the health and mental health benefits that they deserve.

Our bill would remove the specter of an endless, and that is what this is right now, it is an endless occupation, by preventing the establishment of permanent military bases. Our very presence in Iraq is fueling the insurgency, and our troops have been the targets of this civil war.

Madam Speaker, these are the best and the safest ways to end this occupation. But it really didn't have to be this way. Imagine for a moment what would have happened had Congress adopted my substitute amendment to the authorization to use force against Iraq in October 2002. We would have allowed the United Nations inspectors to finish their job. We would have discovered what we all know now as fact, that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction, and, as then, there was no connection between the horrific events of 9/11 and Iraq. Iraq did not attack us, as many are trying to continue to convince the American public that it did. Iraq did not attack us 5 years ago.

The bottom line is that Iraq also would not be a war-torn country as it is today, and, again, the world is less safe. And if this wasn't enough, over the last several months the President has been saber- rattling on the issue of Iran. We must not go down the same path and end up in another unnecessary, dangerous, costly and disastrous preemptive war with Iran. This notion of the ``axis of evil'' and preemptive war is very, very dangerous.

Madam Speaker, the stakes are too high. We need to stop digging ourselves deeper into this hole. Escalating this war and expanding this war does nothing in terms of our national security. It puts us more at risk. Iraq was not a haven for terrorists as it is now. Again, Iraq, Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, there was no connection, and we have to dispel that notion so the American people know the truth.

So, rather than end this war today, we are saying let's just for today at least take one step and stop the escalation and expansion, and we will be back to talk about how we are going to begin to bring our troops home, and bring them home within 6 months

Madam Speaker, today is Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day when we urge African Americans to get educated, get involved and get tested. On Monday, the House passed my resolution H. Con. Res. 35, recognizing the goals and the ideals of Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic is simply devastating black America, Africa and the Caribbean in disproportionate numbers to the rest of the world. With 40 million people infected around the world, over 1 million of which are right here in the United States, this disease is as much a problem in South Africa as it is in my district in Alameda County.

In the United States, among young people, among women, and among men, African Americans are at the most risk of getting infected with HIV, of developing AIDS and of dying of this disease. The unfortunate reality is that to be black in America is to be at greater risk of HIV and

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Piedmont on the occasion of its Centennial Celebration.

Prior to its incorporation as a city in 1907, Piedmont was comprised of lands owned by individuals such as Don Luis Peralta, Walter Blair and James Gamble. During the late 1800s, Mr. Blair bought 600 acres of land from the Peraltas. He built a dairy on Highland Avenue, a quarry, a hotel and an amusement park known as Blair Park.

In 1877 James Gamble, the president of Western Union Telegraph, bought 350 acres from Mr. Blair. He built a house on Hillside Avenue and planned to sell the rest of the land so others could build houses as well. He called his business the Piedmont Land Company, which he felt was appropriate for the new community due to the fact that Piedmont means ``foot of the mountain'' in Italian.

In the 1880s there were only seven houses where the City of Piedmont is now. During the same time Piedmont had its first and only factory, the Ladies Silk Culture Society. Over 100 women worked spinning thread from the cocoons of silk worms that grew on the mulberry trees, but ultimately there weren't enough trees and the factory closed in 1895.

While major landowners were building large houses in the middle of Piedmont during the early 20th century, many artists and writers lived in smaller houses they built themselves on Scenic Avenue. Jack London, Xavier Martinez and George Sterling all lived in the hills of Piedmont during the early 1900s.

On April 18, 1906, the infamous San Francisco earthquake rocked the Bay Area, sending thousands of city residents across the Bay into the surrounding communities. Many of those who fled the destruction in San Francisco at that time came to Oakland, Berkeley and Piedmont, which grew 10 times larger in one year as a result.

On January 7, 1907, Hugh Craig and James Ballentine filed papers with the State of California to incorporate the City of Piedmont. An election was held on January 26, 1907 and 118 men who owned land in Piedmont voted to become a city. Some residents were displeased with this result, however, and another election was held in September of the same year; the result held and Piedmont became a city by a mere 10 votes. Vamey Gaskill became the first mayor of Piedmont, but only served for three months. In May of 1907 Hugh Craig became the second mayor of the city and is considered by many to be the ``father'' of Piedmont. Piedmont City Hall was built in 1908.

Over the past century, the City of Piedmont has developed a governmental organization that provides its citizens with an exceptionally high level of municipal and educational services by partnering an exceptional staff with a tradition of generous community volunteerism. The residents of Piedmont have a history of service and leadership that extends from local to international endeavors. Their work contributes immeasurably to the quality of life here in

California's 9th Congressional District and beyond, and it is my pleasure to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of Piedmont's residents on the occasion of its Centennial Celebration.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to make a real commitment to the peace that we want to see in the world. That is exactly what H.R. 808, introduced by Congressman Kucinich, with 52 cosponsors, would do by creating the Department of Peace.

We are now spending $8 billion each month on the occupation of Iraq. Imagine if a small portion of that money was invested, instead, in conflict resolution, diplomacy, weapons reduction, and human rights. As the drum beats of war against Iran are now heard, imagine if the debate included not only the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, but a Secretary of Peace. Guaranteed the military option would be taken off the table and our world would not be led again into another useless, senseless war.

Imagine if we were to direct a small portion of the $583 billion Pentagon budget to promoting nonviolence here at home by investing in efforts to stop domestic violence, gun violence, child abuse, gang violence, violence in schools, hate crimes, racial violence, religious intolerance and the mistreatment of the elderly.

Dr. King said that peace is not just the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice. This isn't something we should just hope for, but we must work for it.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from New York for yielding, Mr. Towns, for your leadership, and for managing this bill today, which is very important for not

only my community but for your community and for all our communities throughout the country. And I want to thank Mr. Dingell, also Mr. Burgess, for your leadership and for your support for this effort.

Also let me thank our staff for helping us bring this bill to the floor. Especially I want to thank our leadership's staff, Mr. Towns's, Mr. Burgess's, Mr. Dingell's staff, Mr. Barton's staff; as well as my staff, Christos Tesentas, for their very competent and their very effective work. This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is a bipartisan issue. And our staffs have really exemplified, I think, the best of what staff can do to work together on something this important.

Two days from now, on February 7, we will commemorate, and it is unfortunate that we have to commemorate this, the seventh National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day when we urge African Americans to get educated, to get involved, and to get tested.

The numbers are startling, Mr. Speaker, especially for African American women. According to the CDC, in 2005 African American women accounted for 66 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases among women, and this is climbing as we speak. It is probably now closer to 70 percent. And we are 25 times more likely to be infected than white women. Today, AIDS is the number one cause of death among African American women between the ages of 25 and 34. Think about that for a minute. The number one cause of death. Young women.

Black gay men are also affected by this disease. A recent CDC study found, and this was in 2005 again, that 46 percent, 46 percent, of black gay men in five U.S. cities were HIV positive.

This is simply outrageous. These statistics are quite staggering.

At the end of last year, we took a positive bipartisan step forward to address the spread of HIV and AIDS among the African American community by ensuring the Minority AIDS Initiative, initiated by a great leader on this issue, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Donna Christensen in 1999. We were able to finally formally include this in the Ryan White CARE Act. Now we really do have a responsibility to go even further. We could start by funding the Minority AIDS Initiative at a minimum of $610 million and by fully funding the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act.

But we must also go beyond the money and get at the factors that are ultimately driving this epidemic among African American people, African American men and women. Poverty and discrimination, the lack of affordable housing, the unequal impact of the disproportionate rates of incarceration among black men, poor access to care, limited cultural competency for health workers, all of these deserve our attention and deserve action.

Mr. Speaker, the color of our skin really should never determine our health status or the quality of care we receive. Unfortunately, today to be black is to be at greater risk of HIV and AIDS. And, unfortunately, this disease is really increasing among Latinos and the Asian Pacific American community. So we must do much more for everyone.

As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to do just that, to change these statistics. It is not an ideological issue, and, Mr. Towns, you know this is not an ideological issue. It is a moral and humanitarian call for equality and for justice.

So I urge my colleagues to join us in stopping the spread of this global pandemic, a priority not only throughout the world but also here at home. In Toronto, Canada Congresswomen Waters, Christensen, and myself, we participated in a very effective and very profound international AIDS conference this past year. There were pledges made to make HIV and AIDS a priority with civil rights groups. The NAACP and many of our organizations that have been working for justice and civil rights for many years now understand and are on the front lines in terms of making HIV and AIDS a major, major priority.

So let me just say it is a very important day. This is a very important resolution, and I urge both sides of the House to vote for H. Con. Res. 35.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Burgess and Mr. Towns for your leadership and for yielding the time today.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I am delighted that we have a chance to have this colloquy because I would like to highlight the importance of getting tested.

Congresswoman Waters and I and others last year, actually approximately 16 Members of Congress, were tested publicly. The importance of members of the clergy and Members of Congress and leadership getting tested, showing our communities that it is the correct thing to do, there is a large percentage of individuals living with HIV and AIDS who don't know they have the virus, and in fact, once tested the results are confidential.

There are several tests, but one is a swab test where you get the results back within 20 to 30 minutes. Again, the results of those tests are very confidential. It is important that ministers and, Mr. Towns, you are a great member of the clergy as well as a Member of Congress, and your voice in this entire effort is so important because once people eliminate that fear, then, in fact, they can move forward and get tested and begin to help reduce this pandemic, which is what it is.

So I want to thank you for giving us a chance to talk about this, about getting tested also, because this is one way you actually can have a reduction of the incidences of HIV and AIDS very quickly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the continuing resolution.

Today we are in this colossal mess because last year's Republican Congress failed to do its job.

Instead of passing the necessary spending bills to fund our Government, Republicans decided they would rather pass the buck.

Instead of owning up to their failure today, Republicans are crying foul! What hypocrisy Mr. Speaker!

Under Republican rule we have seen our country's finances literally flushed down the toilet. Our Nation's debt grew by over $3 trillion thanks to the Republicans. They passed massive tax cuts for the ultra rich. They got rid of common sense pay-as-you-go rules. And they started a completely unnecessary war in Iraq, whose true cost of nearly $450 billion, they have tried to hide from taxpayers.

They had their chance to try and make amends last year, but they failed to act.

Today Democrats are picking up the pieces and leading our country in a new, fiscally responsible, direction.

This CR eliminates all earmarks, suspends the Congressional pay raise and provides critical increases to a number of important programs this year.

In particular, I want to thank Chairman Obey and my colleagues on the appropriations committee for providing over $4.7 billion for our global AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs in FY07. This money will ensure the continued scale-up of these programs and will provide lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy to another 350,000 people this year.

I am also very pleased that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will receive an increase of $300 million for its public housing operating fund. This money will help the Oakland Housing Authority in my district to keep our public housing units open so that we can provide stable housing to thousands of low-income individuals and families who are in need.

Additionally the $1.4 billion increase for Section 8 housing programs and the change in formula will provide housing assistance for a quarter of a million people and help California get its fair share of funding to reflect rising rental costs in our state.

Although not perfect, today's CR sends a very powerful message that the Democratic Congress is strongly committed to helping those who are most vulnerable in a fiscally responsible manner.

Although we have still got a long ways to go to re-order our Nation's priorities, this CR is the first step. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of Arnold X.C. Perkins. A longtime resident of California's 9th Congressional District, Arnold has served as the Director of the Alameda County Public Health Department since 1994. Throughout his

career Arnold has been known for his unwavering dedication to promoting health and well being for all members of our community. This year Arnold celebrates his retirement after more than a decade of service to the county and many more years of distinguished work here in the Bay Area.

Arnold holds a B.A. from San Francisco State University, his Teaching Credential from the University of California at Berkeley, and he completed Masters coursework at California State University, Hayward. Throughout the course of his distinguished career, Arnold has served our community as a high school teacher and principal; nonprofit organization executive director; family counselor and advocate; foundation program officer; college teacher and administrator; and restaurant owner and operator.

Arnold came to the Alameda County Public Health Department in 1994. As director he has provided leadership and management of the administrative program and policy activities of the department, which has a budget of $105 million and over 500 employees, and serves a population of 1.4 million people. His professional expertise is supplemented by his diverse experience and deep commitment to building and maintaining the spirit of community.

Under Arnold's leadership, the department has undergone a number of changes that are making its functions reflective of a broader vision of public health. Some of the milestones that have marked Arnold's tenure as director include, but are certainly not limited to, establishing Community Health Teams, through which the department deployed field staff in 10 neighborhoods throughout the county to provide individual and population based services; establishing the Legislative Council, which develops the Health Department's legislative platform and supports the implementation of new policy; and working with my office, the office of Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson and many others to declare an HIV/AIDS State of Emergency in the African-American community. The AIDS pandemic is devastating African Americans and other communities of color, and women in particular in these groups. Arnold's leadership has been crucial in addressing these impacts here in Alameda County and making treatment, prevention and education available and accessible to those who need it most.

In addition to his stellar work leading the Public Health Department, Arnold has been and continues to be heavily involved in a number of other boards and organizations here in the Bay Area and nationally. He has served the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a Member of the Advisory Committee for the National Center on HIV & STD Prevention as well as the Public Health Workforce 21st Century Taskforce. He has served as the President of the West Berkeley Health Center as well as the Chair of the Professional School of Psychology. Furthermore, Arnold has served with distinction as a board member within the San Francisco Foundation; the Family Violence Prevention Fund; Youth Radio; The Mentoring Center; United Way of the Bay Area, and many more organizations. Arnold has been recognized for his service with numerous awards from organizations such as the Center for Independent Living, the U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health, YMCA of the East Bay and Bay Area Strive for Five.

Today the friends, family and colleagues of Arnold Perkins have come together to celebrate not only his retirement, but also his legacy of service and his permanent and positive impact on our community. On this very special day, I join all of them in thanking and saluting Arnold for his profound contributions to California's 9th Congressional District, our country and our world.

Madam Speaker, last Thursday, January 11th, along with our civil rights crusader, John Lewis reintroduced a resolution on the tragedy of modern-day slavery and urging the United States to take immediate steps to end it.

The institution of chattel slavery practiced in the United States for over 200 years was not only a past shame in U.S. history but also world history. Yet, this continues today. Throughout the world, an estimated 27 million people are suffering as slaves including the United States. Each year millions become vulnerable to the resurgence of slavery. People forced to survive with little or no resources fall victim to abuse and exploitation in developing countries whose economies slip further into extreme poverty caused by debt and corruption. Still modern-day slavery is ever more expansive encompassing chattel slavery, human trafficking, indentured or bonded labor, forced labor, forced marriage and the worst forms of child labor.

Slavery is rampant in India, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America, as well as, once again the United States. In Africa, cash crops such as cotton, sugar, and cocoa are produced by child and bonded labor. The Ivory Coast which supplies over half the world's supply of cocoa utilizes child slave labor in at least 90 percent of the cocoa plantations. Slavery still exists in Sudan, remnants from the North and South civil war. In Myanmar, slave labor harvest agricultural products such as sugarcane. In Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, human trafficking and forced marriage run unimpeded. Moreover, I am repulsed that an estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders and disturbed that annual global profits on trafficked forced labor total $44.3 billion.

This is an historic year for many of the victims of slavery and their descendants. 2007 marks the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the transport of Africans as slaves into the British American colonies. Our country can no longer allow the practice of slavery to continue further in the 21st century. We must take action to address this issue. The solution is one of political resolve not capability, for we have at our disposal numerous means that will eliminate these human rights violations.

My resolution expresses the sense of the House that the abolition of modern-day slavery should:

Become a high priority in U.S. foreign and domestic policy to eliminate all forms of modern-day slavery by 2017;

Reflect and advance the commitment of U.S. trade, aid, and investment policies for the freedom for all people;

Expand protection and legal options for victims of modern-day slavery;

Form a comprehensive coalition between governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals to forge a sustained global action plan to fight modern-day slavery; and

Become a priority at the 2007 Group of 8 (G-8) Summit in Germany.

I welcome my colleagues' support and urge the House Leadership to bring it promptly to the House floor for consideration. This year is the time to mark the end of modern-day slavery for victims worldwide.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in introducing this bill.

We are following through with our promise to hold big oil and gas companies accountable to the American people. Now, 6 years ago, when temperatures were spiking around the world, and the effects of global warming were raising alarm bells about the fate of the polar bear, the Vice President was holding secret meetings with energy executives and offering cozy deals and incentives to his Big Oil buddies.

When oil prices spiked, and they spiked after Hurricane Katrina, and oil companies began reporting the highest corporate profits in American history, the President and the Republicans in Congress were eagerly offering their cronies another generous helping of public giveaways. While the American people were emptying their pockets to fill up at the pump, Republicans were lining up to be the first to open our coast to new drilling.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that those days are over. By forcing oil and gas companies to pay their fair share for the natural resources that belong to us, we are recovering more than $14 billion of the taxpayers' money over the next 10 years. That $14 billion represents a real investment in green energy initiatives that will one day allow us to declare energy independence.

Madam Speaker, first, let me thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus, for her leadership and for this special order tonight, because this is historic.

First of all, let me just say that with regard to the Out of Iraq Caucus, Ms. Waters knew, and this was early on, that Members of Congress, whether they supported or opposed the war, needed a space in this body, needed a framework to begin to discuss ways to get out of Iraq. She saw early on that Members of Congress knew that they were misled; that the information and intelligence was distorted; and that whether, once again, they believed then and voted for the resolution or not, that they wanted now to have that dialogue and that debate. So she really did open up the space for the debate which we see now occurring, which is extremely important because the debate, quite frankly, especially with regard to this war, has been shut down. So thank you, Ms. Waters, for your leadership.

Let me also say that tonight we heard from many Members, and I have to thank them for their courage and their very clear statements. They trusted, as they said, the Commander-in-Chief, and the Commander-in- Chief violated their trust. Three thousand of our young men and women now have died and countless Iraqis have died.

The President the other night said that he has made some mistakes, and some of us thought that he was going to talk about how he was going to rectify those mistakes. Instead, he talked about how he was going to continue to escalate this war and continue to dig this country deeper into a hole. He also said, very recently, and his staff, Mr. Snow, said, that if the critics of his policies have a plan on what to do, to come forward with it.

Quite frankly, I believe, and have said this over and over and over again, the President got us into this mess and it is up to him to get us out. But if he wants us to come up with a plan, then we have a plan. We did just that. We introduced, Congresswoman Woolsey, Waters, and myself, H.R. 508, which develops a plan to begin to bring our troops home within 6 months. It also provides for reconstruction of Iraq in terms of our assistance, and it ensures that there will be no permanent military bases in Iraq.

What is going on right now, and we need to call this what it is, is an occupation and it is a civil war. The Iraqi people do not want us there as occupiers. The American people are sick and tired of this war, and we need to bring our troops home.

Let me just remind you that when this authorization to use force was presented to the Congress, Mr. Spratt, as was said earlier, offered an alternative resolution, and I offered an alternative resolution, which basically said that, look, the United Nations has the responsibility for the inspections process to occur. Let the U.N. process move forward. We received, I believe, about 72 Members, some of which came down and spoke tonight on my resolution. And many Members have told me now that they wish they had voted for that resolution because we would not be in the mess we are in now.

Finally, let me just say once again to Ms. Waters, thank you for your leadership. I want to thank you for your voice and for making sure that the debate finally is occurring in this Congress, and I urge members of the public and others who believe that what the American people said in November gives us our marching orders to move forward, that they know that we are hearing.

We are going to continue with this debate. Many of us are going to say no to this escalation and no to this $100 billion supplemental. We want our troops home, we want them protected, and we think the funds should be used to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, the President said that critics of escalation have a responsibility, quite frankly, to offer an alternative. Today, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and myself will do just that. The Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act is a rational alternative to escalation. It will repeal the authorization to use force, fully fund a 6-month withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, provide economic aid to the Iraqi Government and fully fund the VA health care system for all veterans.

It will also prohibit permanent military bases in Iraq and U.S. control over Iraq's oil resources, and it will create a joint bipartisan committee to investigate how our Nation came to be misled into this unnecessary war and ensure that it never happens again.

It is time to bring this war and occupation to an end. It is time for military measures to be replaced by diplomacy. It is time to take the targets off our troops' backs and bring them home now. I am proud to say that today we will be introducing legislation to do just that.

I want to thank Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Congresswoman Maxine Walters of the Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus for their leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to strongly support H.R. 5, the ``College Student Relief Act of 2007.''

I want to thank Chairman George Miller for his leadership on this bill, and thank Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership team for making this a priority during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress.

Madam Speaker, today, we take an important step in the right direction--a direction that leads to closing the gap between the have's and the have not's in this Nation.

And in doing so, Madam Speaker, today the doors of opportunity will swing open to a whole new generation.

Cutting the interest rate on student loans in half will have a tremendous impact on our nation's students and allow millions of others to pursue their dreams of higher education. In my home state of California, the estimated savings for one student will be over $4000. By making this cut, we are alleviating the burden on lower and middle class families, and allowing their children to reach higher.

Madam Speaker, we all know that there are many challenges in our current educational system. Excessive student loan payments are just one of many obstacles. Today, we remove an obstacle placed in the path of the students that need this help the most.

We need to be creating the workforce of the future. It is estimated that 42 percent of all jobs next year will require post-secondary education. That is why, I know, that today is just one step in many this Democratic House will take in improving the accessibility to our institutions of higher education.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5, for the future of our children.