Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hannah Kranzberg, who today is receiving the Guardian of Democracy award from the New Israel Fund for her longtime service to the global community promoting peace, justice, and social and economic equality.

Before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area from her native New York in the 1970's, Hannah taught in an all-day neighborhood school program in Brooklyn as part of a broader effort to provide enrichment programs to children who lived in disadvantaged communities.

Then, as an activist in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hannah continued her interest in making and supporting social documentaries that brought important issues to the attention of the public. As an artist, she was also one of three principal individuals who painted the People's Park mural in Berkeley in 1976, which is now a local landmark with major historic and cultural significance.

In the last 40 years, Hannah's significant philanthropic work has left a lasting impact on our society. She has supported organizations that advocate everything from human rights and civil rights, economic and social justice, and conflict transformation in a local, national and global context. I am proud to call her my confidant, my supporter, but most importantly, my friend.

As part of her long term efforts to advance women's equality locally and throughout the world, Hannah was a supporter of the San Francisco Women's Building, the first woman-owned and operated community center in the country, which advocates self-determination, gender equality and social justice. She has also supported the Global Fund for Women, a non-profit that provides grants to women-led organizations worldwide to enable women and girls to reach their potential, and to live free of discrimination and violence. In addition, she has been a founding contributor to the Urgent Action Fund for women's human rights, which provides rapid response grants to women human rights defenders throughout the world.

The spectrum of Hannah's philanthropic work is wide-reaching. She contributed to the founding of La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, California. She is also an ongoing advocate of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland, California, which offers nonviolence classes and civic engagement for youth from diverse racial and cultural communities. She has been a supporter of the Funding Exchange, the Berkeley Community Fund, the Women's Initiative for Self-Employment, the Rosenberg Fund for Children, the American Jewish World Service, Jewish Family & Children's Services of the East Bay, Equal Rights Advocates, the ACLU, The Center for Constitutional Rights, MALDEF, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the United Negro College Fund, the Freedom Archives, California Rural Legal Assistance, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, to name just a few.

Beyond that, Hannah is a coalition builder. She serves on the Regional Board of the New Israel Fund, and as a longtime supporter of the Peace Development Fund, she has sought to bring together communities as well as oppressed and marginalized groups of people to enhance opportunities for movement building.

Hannah continues to be a supporter of innovative community-based cultural institutions, including groundbreaking social documentaries, among them, the Oscar nominated ``Forever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade,'' a documentary about seven American veterans of the Spanish Civil War, ``The Barber of Birmingham,'' a documentary about James Armstrong, one of the unsung heroes of the U.S. civil rights movement, and ``Discovering Dominga: A Survivor's Story,'' about the 1982 Guatemalan massacre of 200 villagers who opposed the construction of a dam sponsored by the World Bank.

Therefore, on behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I salute you, Hannah Kranzberg. Your 40 years of committed activism for peace, justice, and equality, has made an indelible mark in our community, and you are truly worthy of being called a Guardian of Democracy.

First of all, let me thank you, Congressman Jeffries, for your tremendous leadership, for your vigilance, and for your dedication. Every week, you have brought forth these discussions to really inform and educate the public about the very important work of the Congressional Black Caucus, which, of course, is part of our work to strengthen our Nation with policies and a budget that will reignite the American Dream for all. So I just have to thank you for the time that you have put into this because this is so important, and your voice and leadership is tremendously needed at this moment in our history.

Also, I just have to salute our phenomenal chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentlewoman from Ohio, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, for her very bold and her brilliant leadership, ensuring that the entire Congressional Black Caucus continues to be the conscience of the Congress.

As a member of both the Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee, I have seen firsthand the Tea Party Republican vision for our country's future, and believe you me, it is not a vision of shared prosperity or economic growth. This was reaffirmed earlier this month when the Tea Party Republicans held the government hostage in a failed attempt to take away health care from millions of Americans across the country.

This week, as House and Senate conferees meet to develop a broader budget plan, I am pleased to join my CBC colleagues calling on Congress to adopt a fair and equitable budget, such as the budget the Congressional Black Caucus proposed earlier this year.

And I, too, must thank the gentleman from Virginia, Congressman Bobby Scott, for his stellar and dedicated leadership in leading the Congressional Black Caucus' task force in the development of this. It is a pro-growth, pro-people, and pro-American budget.

Now we have already seen through the Republican Ryan budget, which was released earlier this year, what the Tea Party's priorities are. Their budget would shortchange 99 percent of the American people in order to give even more tax breaks to millionaires and to billionaires. It protects tax loopholes for special interests and Big Oil, and at a time when we need job creation the most, the Tea Party Republican budget would kill more than 2 million American jobs in 2014 alone.

The Republican budget would take away food from hungry children and families, take thousands of children off of Head Start, and close the door to college for thousands of students next year. In fact, Mr. Speaker, two-thirds of all of the Tea Party Republican budget cuts target programs for people who are poor or low income. Communities of color, once again, would be hardest hit, communities that have already borne the brunt of the last economic recession. And all this is taking place as income inequality only continues to grow.

The Tea Party's vision of America is very clear. Their budget would shred the safety net, shatter our economic recovery, and push millions of struggling families over the edge.

Now, in stark contrast, the Congressional Black Caucus budget is a different way forward. This is a document that shows our Nation's priorities and values.

A budget is a moral document. How we spend our money reflects our values, and the CBC budget spends money where we value it the most. It protects and enhances Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, better known as TANF, and all of our vital safety net programs that keep millions out of poverty. The CBC budget also protects all of our safety net programs, including

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank you and all of the cosponsors of this amendment for putting this forward.

Mr. Chairman, this would actually delay the so-called ``environmental streamlining'' provisions in this bill, which would fast-track the critical review process and significantly limit public input. This amendment would also preserve the current review process that helps the Army Corps of Engineers foresee harmful environmental impacts before undertaking any project.

This safe, sustainable infrastructure is not really produced by cutting corners. WRRDA projects have wide-ranging consequences. I have several projects in my district, and I know how complex they can be. It is important to fully understand the effects that these projects will have on public health, on public safety, and on the environment.

History, quite frankly, has shown us that robust environmental reviews are good for the environment, the economy, public safety, and taxpayers. This bipartisan amendment would protect the environment and would really save taxpayer dollars. So I urge a ``yea'' vote, and I thank the gentleman for his tremendous leadership on this.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise in support of this bipartisan budget deal. By voting in favor of this bill tonight, we will finally shut down this awful government shutdown.

While I am pleased that common sense and cooler heads have finally prevailed, make no mistake, this unnecessary shutdown has caused real pain for millions of innocent families. Never again should the American people be taken hostage to a political agenda. This is wholly unacceptable, and these tactics must be rejected once and for all.

Now, I hope that tomorrow people can begin to put their lives back together, go back to work, and provide the government services that our veterans and our seniors and our children so deserve.

While I am pleased that this deal will reopen the government and pay our bills, much more work needs to be done. The temporary spending level of $986 billion keeps sequester level cuts in place that are hurting our economy, children, seniors, workers, and communities across this Nation. So I hope that as we move forward, we will understand that we need to protect vital programs that make for a functioning government so everyone can have the opportunity to climb, strive, and reap the rewards and security of the American Dream.

First let me thank you both, Congressman Jeffries and Congressman Horsford, for your tremendous leadership, your vigilance, and your diligence. We appreciate your conducting these Special Orders to make sure that the American people know the truth about what is taking place here in Washington, D.C.

Also, I have to salute our chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentlelady from Ohio, Congresswoman Marsha Fudge, for her leadership and ensuring that the entire Congressional Black Caucus continues to be the conscience of the Congress.

Here we are 14 days into the Tea Party Republican shutdown and 3 days away from the Tea Party Republican government default, which would be the first in American history. Since taking control of the House of Representatives 2 years ago, the Tea Party has governed by brinksmanship. First, they were unable to accomplish their goals of decimating the government through legislation, so they have resorted to the type of tactics that eventually led to the sequester and to the shutdown of the Federal Government.

Now, the last time that the Republicans refused to lift the debt ceiling and relied on brinksmanship to get their way, a supercommittee was formed as a way to reach compromise--which of course didn't work and led to the sequester, which has caused devastating, across-the- board cuts to programs that the American people rely on, including 57,000 slots which were cut from Head Start already, and services such as Meals on Wheels that our seniors depend on for a nutritious diet.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee, I have joined Democrats in demanding an end to sequester and fought to restore the cuts to these vital programs. Yet even though we disagree with the funding level that these reckless cuts enacted--the sequester was a horrific action that we took, unfortunately. It has wreaked havoc on the lives of so many people. Even though we oppose that, we have agreed to vote for this budget, to reopen the government, and to put people back to work, and to provide the desperate services that people need.

Then, of course, to add insult to injury, Republicans insisted on shutting down the government all because of an obsession with repealing and destroying the Affordable Care Act. Now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. It has been upheld by the Supreme Court, and Americans are finally enrolling in coverage that they have been waiting for for years just to gain access to affordable health care. In fact, in its first week, the Covered California exchange in my home State had nearly 1 million visits to its Web site; and Californians have begun filling out nearly 44,000 applications for coverage.

The only thing that the Tea Party Republicans have accomplished with this shutdown is the loss of nearly $4 billion in economic activity and misery and pain for the American people. They continue to deny Federal workers, the National Park Service, lifesaving cancer research, pregnant women, mothers, young children, seniors and veterans who have risked their lives for the Nation; they have denied them a fully functioning government. It is a shame and disgrace.

In my own county, funds for the Women, Infant and Children nutrition program and funds for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, these funds will run out at the end of the month.

Now, the consequences of the default: Republicans have simply refused to listen to what the vast majority of Americans are saying, and now the Tea Party Republicans are willing to risk the Nation's credit rating and the world economy to achieve their goal. If the Tea Party refuses to raise the debt ceiling and forces a default on this Nation's debt--which, mind you, are bills that we have already agreed to pay-- every American household will feel the impact. Retirement savings will be lost; mortgages will be harder to get.

The full faith and credit of the United States is nonnegotiable. We are not a deadbeat Nation and should pay our bills. It is time for the Tea Party Republicans to end the brinksmanship, open the government up, put people back to work, pay our bills, and let's begin to negotiate on a real budget that will ensure the American Dream for millions of Americans for whom this dream now, quite frankly, is turning into a nightmare.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, to open the government and go to conference on a budget so that we can end this Tea Party Republican government shutdown and put people back to work.

Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for his determination to eliminate hunger, not only in our own country, but throughout the world.

Mr. Speaker, there are 46 million Americans living in poverty, 16 million of whom are children. Instead of focusing on serious ways to lift people out of poverty and into the middle class, Republicans have insisted on placing a larger burden on the backs of the poor and the most vulnerable, effectively kicking them while they are down. That is what the Republicans' farm bill nutrition title did when it was passed on September 19. It would have decimated the anti-poverty SNAP program and would have left hundreds of millions of veterans, children, seniors, and millions of working poor hungry and with nowhere to turn for a meal. SNAP has one of the lowest fraud rates amongst government programs.

House Republicans were unsuccessful in their attempts to pass a farm bill this summer, so the Republican leadership doubled down on this immoral stance, surrendered the governing of the House down to the extreme Tea Party fringe of their party, and passed $40 billion in cuts, which means cutting 24 meals a month for a family of four. This would be in addition, I might add, to SNAP cuts already scheduled to go into effect on November 1. This means about $29 less per month for food for a family of three. These cuts to the SNAP program are really heartless. Let me tell you that I know from personal experience that the majority of people on food stamps wants a job that pays a living wage, and SNAP provides this bridge over troubled waters during very difficult times.

In my own congressional district, for example, over 22,000 households would have been impacted in more than 1.6 million homes throughout California. In 2011, SNAP lifted 4.7 million Americans out of poverty, including 2.1 million children. In addition to feeding the Nation's hungry, SNAP is vital to our economy. For every $1 increase in SNAP benefits, we have received back in economic activity $1.70.

Without SNAP, millions of families would fall into poverty while millions more Americans would suffer extreme hunger and our economy would create even fewer jobs.

Let me remind you that millions of people on food stamps are working. Their wages are stagnant and low. Many make less than $8 an hour; yet they are working every day to feed their families. Paying billions in farm subsidies and cutting SNAP benefits for the most vulnerable is not a value that a majority of Americans embrace. Cutting SNAP benefits is not the American way.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, but also for your tremendous leadership on this issue and on so many other issues. It is a pleasure to serve with you. You have really hit the ground running as a new Member of this great body. I also want to thank you for your work on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. As a fellow member of the Bay Area congressional delegation, you have made such an impact and your work is so important for our entire California delegation, so thank you.

My district is California's 13th Congressional District, right next door to your congressional district. As you said, it is home to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Let me just say first how proud I am to represent one of the most esteemed centers for scientific research and technological advancement in the world. I have had many, many opportunities to visit the lab where I have met some of the most brilliant scientific minds on our planet. The employees, the scientists, all of those who work at the lab are phenomenal individuals, and it is just amazing to see how the scientists and engineers especially use our Federal investments in our national laboratory system to make unbelievable leaps in every field, from nanotechnology and supercomputing to energy efficiency and astrophysics.

The history of the lab is unbelievable. It was established in 1931 by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Orlando Lawrence. The lab has been associated with 13 Nobel Prizes. Fifty-seven of the lab's scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences. Thirteen have won the National Medal of Science, our Nation's highest award for lifetime achievement in the field of science.

Over the years, Berkeley Lab scientists have discovered 16 elements; made the world's smallest motor, 100,000 times smaller than a human hair; used ultraviolet technology to bring safe drinking water to thousands across the world; and helped decipher the human genome.

I could go on and on, but we are not here today to laud the accomplishments of the national labs in our district, but I think it is very important to do that even in this very difficult environment.

We are here because these institutions of innovation are under a real

and immediate threat, thanks to the Republican shutdown of our government. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory employs over 4,200 scientists, support staff, and students in my congressional district. Its economic impact is even greater, creating 5,600 local jobs and 12,000 jobs nationally, with a total economic impact estimated at $1.6 billion a year.

If this shutdown continues, the Berkeley Lab will be forced to furlough its employees in waves beginning in late October. Not only does the shutdown threaten the livelihood of my constituents, the scientists, the administrators, and the support staff that keep the lab running, it also threatens to stall projects that could be the next scientific breakthrough that changes how our world works or produces the next Nobel Peace Prize winner. So this is really an absurd price to pay for the Republican insistence on keeping people from receiving affordable, quality health care. That is where all of this started.

For the life of me, I don't understand why my Republican Tea Party colleagues are continuing these cynical ploys that threaten our Nation's competitiveness and force our Nation's most brilliant minds out of their labs. We need to end this shutdown. We need to fund the entire energy and water bill, which provides funding for our national laboratories through the Department of Energy's Office of Science. We need an up-or-down vote on a clean budget bill to reopen this government.

Democrats have already--and I know you have heard this over and over again, Mr. Swalwell, because you know we have already accepted a short- term budget bill to reopen our government even though we don't believe its funding level is nearly adequate.

The American people deserve a functioning government, and they deserve affordable, quality health care. They deserve both. I hope more people are listening and more people understand that we know how to open the government. We know how to begin to negotiate on a real budget that makes our entire government, including our national laboratories, whole.

And so hopefully this alarm that we are sounding tonight, Mr. Swalwell, will continue to wake up the country and continue to ensure that people know that we have their backs and that we know how to open this government and we want to shut down this shutdown immediately. Thank you again for your leadership.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, we all know that we're 8 days into this Tea Party Republican government shutdown with $2.4 billion in lost economic activity. This hostage-taking continues.

The Tea Party Republicans continue to want to deny millions of Americans health care. That's why this shutdown continues, and the public knows this.

Because of the devastating sequester, already more than 57,000 students have lost their Head Start spots. At the same time, the Tea Party Republicans insisted on cutting food stamps by $40 billion for these same children.

So you can't tell me that today they care about these kids when they fight to cut Head Start and every other program for young people in the Appropriations Committee.

The National Head Start Association doesn't buy this very sinister approach, which will not reopen the government. They know that there are enough votes to open the government up if Speaker Boehner brings the Senate budget bill to the floor.

Also, let me just say many Democrats did not want the funding level of the Senate budget bill, but compromised just to get the government open.

Let's shut down this shutdown.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Also, let me just associate myself with the gentleman from Massachusetts' comments with regard to Speaker O'Neill. I, too, was a staffer during that period when the great Speaker, Mr. O'Neill, was Speaker, and there is no way that he would have allowed this hostage- taking to occur.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. Again, I just have to say, we've seen this 8 days, unfortunately, and it is a Tea Party Republican government shutdown. We've seen $2.4 billion in lost economic activity; and so, yes, this hostage-taking, it continues.

Hostage-taking really is a deplorable tactic. The Tea Party Republicans continue to want to deny millions of Americans health care--and, yes, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, which the Supreme Court has upheld. That's why the shutdown continues, and the public knows it.

Yet, instead of bringing up a budget bill to open up the government or pass a debt limit increase to pay our bills, the House has taken up two more last-minute bills to distract from their Tea Party Republican shutdown. This most recent bill establishes a supercommittee to make recommendations on spending and changes.

I want to remind my colleagues, this is the same proposal--or very similar--that got us into this devastating sequester in the first place. We've been there; we've done that. Thanks, but no thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Now, as a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, I can tell you that both the House and Senate have passed budget resolutions. Democrats have been trying to work out our budget differences for 6 months, but Republicans continue to block these efforts. The American people deserve a functioning government.

The public understands that we can open up the government. And I have to say, the Democrats did not want the funding level of the Senate budget bill, but we are compromising to get this government open.

It's also important to recognize, again, as an appropriator and as a member of the Budget Committee, I hear and see each and every day, whenever we're in committee, the tactics and the discussion with regard to cuts to Head Start and the women and children nutrition assistance program--all of those programs that just very recently the Republican Tea Party Members have started to say that they support. So let's see what happens. I hope that they do support this when we get to these budget negotiations.

It's time that we shut down this shutdown. We need to reject this rule. Let's have an up-or-down vote to open up this government and let the chips fall where they may.

Thank you very much. Let me first thank you both for continuing to sound the alarm and to really conduct these Special Orders so the American people can know the truth about what's really going on here in Washington, D.C. So thank you, Mr. Horsford, thank you, Mr. Jeffries, for your remarkable leadership and for what you're doing tonight once again.

As I'm listening to what we've been talking about, there are two things that I want to drive home.

One is many of us did not want to and will continue to oppose sequester. What sequester has done is really gutted many of our safety net programs, such as Head Start, where 21,000 young people cannot have access now to Head Start in many of our districts. Senior citizens, Meals on Wheels, they won't be able to really get their Meals on Wheels, which is what they need to have a nutritious diet.

We see over and over again the impacts of sequester in people's daily lives, and it's wrong; and, as a member of the Appropriations Committee, the subcommittee that really works on all of our domestic programs, we've been fighting so hard to end the sequester so that people do not have to live through this pain, given what they're going through now as a result of sequester. So for us to support a bill that would open the government up at that level causes us a lot of pain and grief.

And what we're hoping is that, by our support of that $986 billion bill to open the government up, we can open the government up so that people can get back to work, so that we have a functioning government, and so that we can begin to negotiate what makes sense for the American people in terms of the type of programs and the type of resources and services they need until we can get the Republican Tea Party Members of this House to understand that we need to create jobs and support a jobs bill. But until we do that, we have to minimally ensure that the Federal Government provides for the basics for the American people, and so many of us would support that level of funding just to get the government open.

I think, and as you said, the Speaker, I think they know that they have enough votes to put up with our Democratic votes to open the government up; and so, for the life of me, I don't know why they don't just bring that bill to the floor. Let's see. Let's have an up-or-down vote. I think the American people deserve that.

A government shutdown is wrong. People deserve to have health care. Millions of people now are accessing the Affordable Care Act. They didn't have health insurance before. Now they'll be covered.

So, once again, we have to see why in the world, or ask the question: Why in the world would people who need health care, why would they be held hostage to people who want to work in a government shutdown?

So I hope that more people are listening, more people understand that we know how to open the government up and we know how to begin to negotiate on a real budget that makes sense for not only our domestic programs, but for the Pentagon and for our foreign assistance, State Department, all of those necessary programs that make for a functioning government.

So thank you again for your leadership, and thank you for giving me the time tonight to speak.

Mr. Speaker, here we are day seven of the hurtful devastating Republican government shutdown.

We all know that Tea Party extremists came to Congress--not to govern--but to achieve the goal of shutting down the government.

Well, congratulations to them for achieving a dream come true.

Now, millions of families, children, seniors, federal employees and our economy are paying the price.

In my congressional district, and throughout the state of California, families are already feeling the impact of the Republican government shutdown.

The California Women Infant and Children program is on the brink of turning away low-income pregnant women and new moms if this shutdown continues.

And schools throughout the state of California are cancelling field trips to national parks and monuments which are closed to visitors due to this Republican shutdown.

Across the country our vital national interests are also taking the hit.

The shutdown threatens to derail the already unacceptable Veterans Administration disability backlog.

There are no new business loans or assistance for small businesses or for our farmers.

Without the CDC conducting disease surveillance and taking calls about infectious diseases--our public health is at serious risk.

If the Republican shutdown continues--13 million children will lose access to school breakfast and 31 million will lose access to school lunches.

8.7 million women and their young children will not receive nutrition assistance through the WIC program.

And 47.5 million people who rely on SNAP will go hungry.

Yes, the Tea Party is getting exactly what they wanted--and millions of children and families will go hungry because of it.

To add insult to injury, Republicans have shut down the government because they are obsessed--obsessed mind you--with destroying the Affordable Care Act.

The vast majority of Americans--who, by the way, continue to blame Republicans for the shutdown--see how senseless it is to shutdown the government because you want to deny health care to millions of Americans.

Despite the Republican government shutdown, health care exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act have successfully opened for enrollment.

Now millions of uninsured Americans are less than just three months away from having the health care coverage they so desperately need.

For the nearly 7 million uninsured African Americans, October 1st marked the opportunity to have fewer health inequities, and increased access to quality and affordable health care and preventive medicine.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, 500,000 young, African American adults have already gained coverage from a parent's health care plan.

And for the 7.3 million African Americans who have private insurance and the 4.5 million who have Medicare coverage, the Affordable Care Act now means access to key preventive health services, including vital screenings, at no extra cost.

With health disparities continuing to have a huge financial burden on the health care system, these key changes as provided through the Affordable Care Act will not only save money--but they will save lives.

California--the first state to commit to establishing its own exchange--launched the Covered California exchange.

In my Congressional District alone there are nearly 100,000 uninsured constituents and the opening of the exchanges means they are one step closer to health care coverage that can literally mean the difference between life and death.

``Making Good Health MY Reality'' tour

Mr. Speaker, this summer I, and many of my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, co-hosted the ``Making Good Health MY Reality'' tour health care town halls to help educate our constituents about the Affordable Care Act.

Two hundred constituents attended my town hall, and while there were many many questions, people were undeniably excited and looked forward to the open enrollment period.

There were many who already had private insurance, but attended in order to learn more so that they could tell their friends and family members about the Affordable Care Act.

Some attended just to speak about the good health care reform has already done in their lives, like the mother whose daughter became very ill while away at college and had to rely on her health insurance to seek treatment.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, her daughter was able to stay in college, graduate, and now has her own health care insurance.

But that isn't enough for Tea Party Republicans.

It isn't enough that websites across the country are crashing because of the interest millions of Americans have in getting affordable health care coverage.

As one constituent, after working for 3 hours to successfully enroll in a health care plan, put it: ``Do I now have doubts about the Affordable Care Act? Absolutely not.''

I would go through much more to get affordable health insurance. I experience more stress every day worrying about getting . . . a disease like cancer and having to face a hospital bill I can't afford on my own.'' (Janice Worthen wrote of her experience in The Alamedan)

That is what is driving Americans to the health care exchanges. That is what the Tea Party Republicans are holding this country hostage for.

Mr. Speaker, while all of us believe it is important to keep the government functioning, hostage taking is no way to run federal departments and agencies.

Members of Congress are elected to make sure our government functions.

Yet, instead of working together to do our jobs, Republicans continue to double down on the tea-party plan to destroy and decimate our government.

Instead of working on a serious option to reopen the government, Republicans latest strategy is to exploit our veterans, cancer patients, pregnant women, and young children, by voting on piecemeal bills that will not end impacts of a shut down that extend across our country.

Madam Speaker, first I rise in strong opposition to this bill, but I just have to say what nerve the Republicans have to bring this bill to the floor.

As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have witnessed Republicans vote over and over again to cut funding for the Women, Infants and Children's program. In the past year alone, they have cut $500 million, which cuts, in my district alone, 21,000 participants. But let me tell you, they have refused in committee to listen, and they have insisted on these massive cuts.

Now, today, they are pretending, pretending that they care about the WIC program with this cynical ploy. It is simply outrageous to play politics with pregnant women and their children. What nerve.

Republicans are now trying to pretend that they want to reopen government that they shut down, using our most vulnerable as pawns. It is hard to believe what I'm hearing today from Republicans about their support for nutrition assistance for women and children, when, in the Appropriations Committee, they say and they vote just the opposite.

How hypocritical can they get?

Americans are not fooled. They want the government, the entire government, open.

They want us to shut down the shutdown that the Tea Party extremists shamefully created. We can reopen the government today, right now, on a bipartisan basis, if Republicans would allow a vote on the bill that would reopen the government.

So I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this shameful bill and insist on a vote to open the entire government up. The American people deserve that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Advanced Light Source (ALS) research facility at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. For two decades, this remarkable scientific tool has provided scientists, students and organizations from around the United States and the world access to extremely bright sources of intense and coherent short- wavelength light for use in scientific experiments.

The intensity of the ALS's light source is one billion times brighter than the sun, allowing researchers to characterize the electronic structure of matter and to reveal microscopic structures with elemental and chemical specificity.

This extraordinary tool, by revealing the molecular and chemical makeup of organic and inorganic materials, offers unprecedented opportunities for state-of-the art research in materials science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental sciences. Uniquely focused on providing ``soft'' x-ray's unlike most other light sources, discoveries made at the Advanced Light Source research facility have led to Nobel Prizes, the development of new energy solutions, and advanced health care solutions.

The planning and design process of the Advanced Light Source began in 1987, and ground was broken in 1988, with construction completed in 1993. The official dedication took place on the morning of October 22, 1993.

Funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science, the nation's largest funder of the physical sciences, the Advanced Light Source has contributed directly to the nation's innovation vitality and economic security.

Through a rigorous and independent peer review process, only the most important research proposals are accepted each year to utilize ALS's 40 beamlines, which operate simultaneously over 5,000 hours per year. More than 2,000 researchers from academic, industrial, and government laboratories worldwide use the ALS and publish an estimated 600 scientific publications annually.

To date, extraordinary research at the ALS has led to a number of discoveries, including: longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles; nanoscale magnetic imaging for compact data storage; plastic solar cells that are flexible and easy to produce; inroads into developing artificial photosynthesis for clean, renewable energy; fine- tuning of combustion for cleaner-burning fuels; more effective chemical reactions for fuel cells; the use of microbes to clean up toxins; cheaper biofuels from renewable sources; characterizing protein structures for rational drug design; and production of even-smaller transistors for more powerful computers.

Truly, the Advanced Light Source continues to be among our country's most important and relevant research tools for the advancement of science and technology. Moreover, the scientific discoveries and contributions resulting from its use are fundamental to the growth and vibrancy of our nation's economy.

On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I offer my congratulations and best wishes to all employees of the ALS, former and current, on reaching this important milestone. I look forward to working with the Lab and with the Department of Energy on securing a bright future for this extraordinary scientific resource.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the exceptional life of Mr. Warren Hamilton Widener. Mr. Widener was an accomplished community activist, serviceman and humanitarian whose trailblazing work and strong commitment to social justice touched countless lives. As the first African-American mayor of Berkeley, Mr. Widener has left an indelible mark on the entire Bay Area community. With his passing on June 25, 2013, we look to Warren Widener's public legacy and the outstanding quality of his life's work.

Warren Widener was born on March 25, 1938 in Oroville, CA, in the Sacramento Valley. As a young man, he served his country as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, and he served his church leading the Methodist Youth Fellowship with his wife, Mary, at Downs Memorial United Methodist Church. Warren received his Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall, School of Law. He worked as a lawyer and as President of the Urban Housing Institute before beginning his groundbreaking political career with his election to the Berkeley City Council in 1969 and his historic two-term election as the first black mayor of Berkeley, California, in 1971.

As stated in the October 1971 edition of Ebony Magazine's article on Warren's historic election, The Guard Changes in Berkeley, ``Widener . . . was a somewhat shy man . . . Somewhat enigmatic, Widener was, if there was such, a cautious radical, a man who according to one of his colleagues on the council, 'is really more of a liberal in that he seems temperamentally capable of lobbying and staying cool and working patiently with political opponents' . . . ''

After his last term as mayor, Warren would again return to public service with his election to the fifth district of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 1988, succeeding John George, the first African-American supervisor for Alameda County.

A modern day renaissance man, in addition to his political career, Mr. Widener also had an appreciation and respect for the arts community and served as President of the Berkeley Repertory Theater Board from 1985 until 1986.

On a personal note, I met him when I was a student during the early 70s; I admired and respected Warren's quiet strength, his bold leadership, and his commitment to our community. Warren Widener was a good friend and longtime supporter.

He was a man for all seasons who lived life to its fullest and made this a better world. As

a humanitarian, Warren's tireless and successful efforts to improve his community, especially to improve the lives of the homeless following the Loma Prieta earthquake, will be long remembered.

Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes and honors an outstanding individual and a stalwart community member, Mr. Warren Widener. In addition to being a beloved husband, brother, father of three, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he was a respected colleague and dear friend. I offer my sincerest condolences to Warren Widener's extended group of loved ones and to all who benefited from his generous spirit over the course of his incredible life. Warren's legacy of compassion and concern for others will continue in the years to come. May his soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary individual and former member of my staff, Mrs. Elaine Pomeroy McKellar. Elaine recently retired after an exceptional 46 year career dedicated to serving others, with the last 8 years serving on my staff. We join together in praise of her remarkable contributions to the Bay Area and our great nation.

She was born Elaine Pomeroy on August 3, 1944 in Thomasville, Georgia, where parents were stationed during World War II. Following the war, she and her family moved to Valley City, North Dakota where she grew up with her three younger siblings Linda, Earl, and Glenn. She received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of North Dakota, and obtained her Masters in Social Work (MSW) at the Washington University in St. Louis.

Armed with her MSW, Mrs. McKellar eagerly headed to the San Francisco Bay Area determined to work in the progressive political climate and change-oriented environment. She met her husband, Larry McKellar, while out on the front lines advocating for fair wages and walking a picket line for the United Farm Workers. They have one son, Dominic McKellar, who works with his father in the family-owned courier business.

She started her career off in the 1970s at Catholic Social Services in San Francisco. She primarily worked on foster care services and with youth transitioning out of the foster care system. She later went to the Children's Home Society as the Coordinator of Emergency Foster Care Family and recruitment, a non-profit agency serving children and families through critical child welfare services.

In the late 1980s, Mrs. McKellar's career took her to Bay View Hunters Point Foundation, where she helped to implement elementary school mental health programs with her experience and expertise in social welfare. Following her experience at the Bay View Hunters Point Foundation, Mrs. McKellar worked at the UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion, through a Robert Wood Johnson grant, and provided critical mental health services to children victimized by domestic violence.

Then in 2005, Mrs. McKellar came to work in my Oakland District Office. While initially starting as a part-time caseworker, she quickly rose to become the Senior Caseworker managing the casework services. She had spent the last 8 years providing outstanding constituent services to the residents of the 13th Congressional District. Mrs. McKellar's experience as a social worker was an asset to my office, as her institutional knowledge and expertise in social welfare easily allowed her to work closely with federal agencies and handle sensitive situations with the upmost professionalism and ease. She was committed to ensuring that my constituents received timely responses from agencies, frequently going above and beyond what was required of her.

Mrs. McKellar worked closely with veterans and constituents with issues relating to Social Security and Medicare. Her many contributions to the office have not gone unnoticed. For 5 years, she was responsible for organizing An Artistic Discovery, an annual Congressional high school art competition aimed at encouraging students to express themselves through the arts. Mrs. McKellar worked tirelessly to build relationships with high school art teachers and community stakeholders, which helped to successfully grow the event. In 2012 and 2013, Mrs. McKellar worked closely with staff from Congresswoman Jackie Speier's office to host the Veterans' Fix-It Event, an event to address the backlog in veterans' claims and cases with the Oakland VA Regional Office.

Elaine is an exemplary example of a public servant. She demonstrates the highest ethical standards and truly embodies the social work codes of ethics in all aspects of her life.

On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, Elaine Pomeroy McKellar, I salute you. Your more than 40 years of experience committed to serving others has been unparalleled. We thank you for your service, and best wishes to you and your loved ones in the years to come.