Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the chairman for his very effective work on this bill and for your leadership and for really bringing this forward to the committee so that all of us could have an opportunity to weigh in, and talk about, and amend, and include many of the provisions that we believe allowed us to come to this floor today to support this bill.

I believe, like many believe, that addressing Pakistan, rather than an escalation of the war in Afghanistan, is a much more effective way to address terrorism and our national security. I'm greatly encouraged by the goals of this legislation, which aims to put United States ``smart power'' to work, which many of us have been talking about for many years. The smart power. This helps to reshape our relationship with Pakistan based on a long-term commitment to social, economic and political development. The legislation integrates key benchmarks and limitations absent in previous aid packages which resulted in really $10 billion in United States aid since 2001, yielding little or no results or progress on many fronts in Pakistan. So you can imagine why some of us initially were very skeptical of this.

This legislation also seeks to reshape the U.S.-Pakistan relationship by shifting unconditional United States military assistance away from this historical trend of exclusively unconditional military assistance. I want to make that point very clear. This is not unconditional. This is conditional. And it also provides a two-to-one ratio in terms of the development assistance, economic assistance, social and democratic priorities, which we all believe we should support.

Simply put, this bill really reflects the sentiments shared by many of my colleagues, that the national security of our Nation hinges upon much more than military might. Instead, it hinges upon the success of diplomatic and development efforts around the globe.

Let me just say that as a supporter of nonproliferation efforts all of my life, I am very pleased and want to thank Chairman Berman for working with myself and other members of the committee to address the concerns regarding the potential expansion of Pakistan's nuclear program. I wanted to make sure that the possible fungibility of these funds was not a factor. In President Obama's bold and brilliant speech in Cairo last week, he strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nation holds nuclear weapons. So we wanted to make sure that that was the case here with Pakistan in this bill and that we minimized any type of fungibility of funds.

Mr. Speaker, let me first say thank you to the gentleman from Florida for introducing this resolution, and I rise in strong support of it.

The Congressional Black Caucus extends our heartfelt condolences to the

family of Officer Stephen Johns. He was an American hero. He was an African American. He was slain in this senseless act of violence at the Holocaust museum, which preserves the memory of a period in the world, a period borne of violence, of hatred, of death, a period that must not be forgotten.

The death of Officer Johns reminds us, however, that racism and anti- Semitism in all its ugly forms must be condemned and fought at every, every turn.

We extend to Mr. Johns' family our deepest sympathy as you mourn the loss of your loved one. He will be a hero in all of our minds who we will remember and who will remind us of the unfinished business of our country. We offer our condolences and our assistance to the family, should the family need us during this time of need.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act and want to thank our Chairman for his outstanding leadership and work on this major legislation.

In the words of President Obama, ``America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity,'' and this legislation rightfully commits the resources necessary to uphold that promise.

I want to just take a moment to highlight a couple of provisions that we worked to have included in this bill:

First, I want to thank Chairman Berman for including the United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Program from legislation I introduced which previously passed the House in the 110th Congress, the Shirley A. Chisholm United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange Act.

This valuable initiative will promote better understanding of U.S. values and culture by offering scholarships to Caribbean students to pursue studies in the United States.

Second, I am pleased this legislation includes reporting language I offered regarding the enduring and horrible humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Improving the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza is essential to fostering conditions necessary for stability, economic and social development, and lasting peace.

Finally, on the heels of President Obama's brilliant speech in Cairo, I want to take a moment to underscore the importance of supporting the President, Special Envoy Mitchell and Secretary Clinton as they bring renewed focus and energy toward advancing a two state solution that will bring lasting peace. And that includes supporting Israel's right to exist and the call for an end of the continued Israeli settlements.

Again, I want to thank the gentleman for the time and encourage support for this important bill.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding.

Let me just rise to oppose this amendment and just very briefly say why.

Every country has a right under international law and under their own laws to defend their own sovereignty, their own country, to protect their country from attacks. Israel certainly has that right already, and it should exercise that right. We all recognize the security of Israel in terms of its being essential in any foreign policy that we develop as it relates to a peace process that is really so critical to the security of Israel.

I just have to say, with regard to this amendment, however, I am very reluctant to support it, and I'll just say why very briefly.

If you will remember, right after the horrific attacks of 9/11, we passed a resolution that I opposed, and I opposed it for many, many reasons, one of which was that the resolution was, in essence, a blank check to use force against any nation that harbored--and this is in this language here--terrorist organizations. I'll tell you that I believe that that casts a blank check once again in terms of allowing for an attack against any country. It could be Pakistan or any country which harbors terrorists, terrorists who may or may not be responsible for any unfortunate attacks.

So, for those reasons, I think this amendment is not necessary. Israel and other countries have a right and should defend themselves from any threat from Iran, from terrorist organizations or from any country. As to any country that harbors terrorists or those who want to do harm to Israel, to me, this provides for an opening, which, unfortunately, I did not believe was correct for our own country nor do I believe we should give that authority, or that rubber stamp, to any country to allow for an attack. It's just a broad blank check. For those reasons, I oppose this.

Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. Chair, I want to be clear that I agree with the fundamental principle that every nation, including Israel, has the right to defend itself against an imminent military threat.

Unfortunately, this amendment goes far, far beyond that bedrock principle.

Nearly 8 years ago, I stood on this House floor and confronted a very similar issue. On that day, September 14, 2001, I voted against the authorization of use of United States force against Afghanistan because it granted the US a blank check to wage war any place and any time against any enemy. It went far beyond any authority granted for international war making.

Today this amendment raises the same issue and I am compelled to draw the same conclusion.

I was unable to support US government broad blank check power, in good conscience

I am not able to support that type of excessive authority for any other nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 505.

Like the vast majority of people throughout our nation, I was appalled by the unconscionable act of violence that took the life of Dr. Tiller at his place of worship.

I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and many friends of Dr. Tiller. My thoughts and prayers are with them as they struggle with this tremendous loss.

Dr. Tiller was a medical pioneer who, for two decades, worked to provide the highest quality of care to his patients.

Despite encountering constant harassment and threats Dr. Tiller remained committed to providing abortion services and other reproductive care to women and their families.

Often times, Dr. Tiller provided these services to women during the most challenging and heart-wrenching of circumstances.

The shooting death of Dr. Tiller is an affront to all physicians who provide abortion and reproductive care to women; it's also an affront to a woman's right to choose.

Moreover his death was an affront to our nation's rich religious and democratic traditions.

No matter which side you may stand on in regards to protecting a woman's right to choose, we can and should all agree that violence has no place in our political discourse.

I thank my colleague Ms. Slaughter for authoring this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of its passage.

Thank you, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, the gentlelady from Ohio, for continuing to, as I say, beat the drum every Monday night on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, on behalf of many of our communities, which have been really shut out and marginalized for years and years and years but also on behalf of the American people because we know and we recognize, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus, that what's good for our communities, especially communities of color, the African American community, makes America stronger. It's good for the country. So thank you very much for continuing to lift our voices on behalf of the people.

Tonight you've done a great job talking about really the reason and the rationale that we have to embrace workforce development training, job training. Because so many of our constituents are not only recently unemployed, but they just haven't been employed for many, many years, for many, many historic reasons, many of which are systemic. The opportunities just have not been there. As I was listening to you, I was reminded of the new green industry. It's a trillion-dollar industry, but of course there are many in our country who don't have the requisite skills to be able to even apply for these jobs in this new industry.

I want to just call attention to one organization in my district, in Oakland California, the Oakland Green Job Corps, where young people are learning green technology, are learning to weatherize homes, are learning to put solar panels on roofs. They are learning and developing the skills necessary to be able to be fully employed in this new industry, and these are young people who may not have had a chance, had it not been for the Cyprus Mandela Training Center, Mayor Ron Dellums, our city of Oakland, and of course the Department of Labor and all of the partners who have helped put that together. Our energy czar from the White House, Ms. Browner came out, and she looked at the Green Job Corps, and we are hoping that this will be seen as a model to replicate throughout the country.

Let me just remind you that the Congressional Black Caucus has historically been known as the conscience of the Congress, and we recognize that the dignity of all human beings is extremely important in our work to close these--some of us call it these moral gaps that exist, these disparities. And tonight of course we're talking about jobs, employment and unemployment.

Well, the good-paying jobs recognize the dignity of all human beings; and when people are unemployed, when they don't have jobs, it's very difficult to take care of their families, take care of themselves. As a person who majored in psychiatric social work, I understand all the psychological effects. We just see that each and every day now, the emotional trauma, the depression. Suicide rates are soaring now as a result of this Bush recession. So we have to remember that when people are unemployed, it's not only that they don't have a job to make money; but it's their self-esteem, their self-worth, it's their dignity that becomes shattered as a result of this, and so we have to work very hard each and every day to make sure that we provide the vehicles and the opportunities for everyone in our country to get a job.

The trigger may have been, of course, the bubble in the housing markets in terms of the unemployment rate; but I tell you, these excesses on Wall Street and the failure of the Bush administration to enforce any securities laws, the deregulation of the financial services industry--and I was on the Financial Services Committee for 8 years, and we kept talking about that with Chairman Greenspan, and there were very few who really wanted to bite the bullet and say, we have to not do this. But we did, unfortunately. So now we have an industry that's just run wild, really. It's run amok. We also have to remember that there was very little oversight of the banks, and this unfortunate situation has spread this crisis to each and every household and business in our country. We've seen 7 million jobs lost since the beginning of the Bush recession, and the unemployment rate has now risen to 9.4 percent nationally--14.9 percent, however, for African Americans and for Latinos.

Now during the Bush administration, 5 million more people fell into poverty. Unfortunately now we have 37 million Americans living in poverty, 47 million with no health insurance, and that is rising. So we have to tackle this because if we don't tackle this, we will have millions more living in poverty. Actually, last week the Congressional Black Caucus released our agenda as well as our biannual report, and we call it Opportunities for All--Pathways Out of Poverty.

All members of the CBC put one of their bills on this agenda. We have 42 bills, and if you look at each and every one of the pieces of legislation that is pending that we consider our priority legislation, each one provides a pathway out of poverty and an opportunity for all.

We also, unfortunately, in the last few years have watched company after company cut their benefits, and millions more Americans now, as I said earlier, have lost their health insurance and their retirement plans and pension plans have fallen, unfortunately, off the table.

The last administration has left us and our Nation in shambles, and it is really critical that we come together to begin the work of providing opportunities for all in America and ending this spiral of poverty that is spiraling downward, unfortunately, with millions more people in this situation.

We have got to expand and extend the proven anti-poverty programs that were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, like expanding access to the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. We have to maintain support for the vital extensions of unemployment insurance and COBRA health insurance.

Millions of Americans need these subsidies, while millions of Americans continue to face job loss and extended periods of unemployment. These are stopgap measures, but this has to be seen as necessary just to stop the hemorrhaging and give people some relief so they can survive and sustain themselves until the jobs that we are working so hard to create are created.

We have got to maintain support for and invest in education and job training programs, as Congresswoman Fudge talked about earlier, and fully support initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which our colleague Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who chairs the Housing and Opportunity Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee, worked so hard with the Congressional Black Caucus' support to bring some stability to our hardest-hit communities.

But we all know we have to do more. We need to raise and index the minimum wage so that every working person can be assured that they will earn a wage that will lift them up and out of poverty each and every year without having to rely on legislation to keep up with increases in the cost of living. Yes, we increased the minimum wage several years ago; but I believe, like many of my colleagues believe, that we must support and find ways to provide for a living wage. Raising the minimum wage is not enough.

We also must ensure access to early childhood education, guarantee a quality public education for every American student, and make sure that every working family has access to affordable, quality child care.

Again, why is child care so important? Well, we have millions of women, millions of single moms and single men who want to work, but they can't afford the child care. So we cannot look at creating jobs without understanding we must provide for the job training and child care assistance so that they can really afford to get a job and will not have to worry about their young people.

Also, and oftentimes we forget this, there are millions of men now that we call in my community ``formerly incarcerated individuals'' who have been released from jail. We know that the recidivism rate is very high, and part of

the reason is because there is very little employment for these individuals. So we have to provide support for our reentry initiatives.

I am very proud of the fact that Congressman Danny Davis, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus from Illinois, continues to work on behalf of those who would not have this second chance. We passed the Second Chance Act a couple of years ago, but we must fully fund this so that we can provide for that job training and those jobs for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Also our disconnected youth. We have young people who need jobs. Many families now, because of the fact that mothers and fathers are unemployed, oftentimes young people have to help, and they deserve to be able to get a job too. So we have to fully fund and support summer job programs for our young people, which I am very proud of the fact that President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and all of our leadership here, our majority whip, Mr. Clyburn, supported with the economic recovery package to make sure we have funding in there for our summer jobs program for youth.

Also access to health care. Some of us believe, and I know many of us in the Congressional Black Caucus believe, that health care should not be a privilege. It is a basic right. It is a basic right, and as we begin health care debate, again we cannot forget that closing health care disparities in communities of color must be part of any health care reform package. Otherwise, those communities, those individuals who have historically been discriminated against in our health care system, and really that is what has happened over the years, it has been discrimination, they deserve to have some of these gaps closed. So this has to be part of, again, a comprehensive approach to job creation and employment.

So let me just conclude by saying that during this economic crisis, we think that we have to see this also as an opportunity to make the changes that we seek, some of the systemic changes that we seek, to guarantee access to health care, to guarantee and ensure fair and adequate housing for all, and to provide top-flight education for all of our children and support the growth of the new green living wage economy that will carry America into the 21st century.

We have to support the Employee Free Choice Act, because many of us in the African American community know if it hadn't been for labor unions, many of our families would not have become middle income. So the right to organize, the right to participate and to be in a union is essential, because when we are talking about jobs, we are not just talking about a job; but we are talking about a job with justice, jobs with good pay, with benefits, with a pension, with health care, the type of a job that any American deserves. So this Employee Free Choice Act is an extremely important part of any jobs movement that we have developed here in the Congress.

The Congressional Black Caucus continues to be the conscience of the Congress, and we are going to continue to speak out and work with those who don't have a voice, who have been marginalized, and who could possibly be left behind were it not for members of the Congressional Black Caucus who stand strong, 42 of us, in moving forward an agenda, opportunities for all, pathways out of poverty.

Let me thank Congresswoman Marcia Fudge again for stepping up to the plate and for bringing this very critical debate once again on a Monday night to the country.

If the gentlelady will further yield for a moment, please, let me talk about very quickly one of the aspects of job creation and the issue as it relates to pay equity for women.

As I remember, the numbers are really staggering when you look at women. They make I think it is maybe 70-some cents on the dollar; African American women a lot less, maybe 60-some cents on the dollar; and Latinas even less than that.

I think it is very important as we talk about jobs and job creation, we have to really first applaud the President for signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, and, secondly, in each and every initiative that we take here in the House, make sure that we look at the bills in terms of the type of equity and justice it brings to women, because women have a long way to go in our society.

We have made tremendous gains, but when you look at these moral gaps in terms of wages, we have to understand that we do need to take, and some don't want to say affirmative action, but I consider affirmative action a very Democratic policy, and so we do need to take affirmative action to make sure that these disparities in wages as they relate to women are closed and closed very quickly as we create these new jobs in the industries of the future.

Well, I thank the gentlelady for her comments, and I just want to say, we have to look at what is taking place with everyone in our country during this economic downturn. Many have said, why would we do some of the things we did in the economic recovery package, such as many of the initiatives that you spoke of? How could we not do it? Otherwise we would leave millions behind once again. So that was a mandate that we had to do.

Another area that you helped us so brilliantly on was the involvement of and ensuring the involvement of minority and women-owned businesses in the economic recovery package.

Oftentimes, as difficult as it is when you lose a job and are unemployed, new opportunities open up. Small entrepreneurs now have the opportunity, those with creative ideas, to establish small businesses. We put I believe it was $35 million in a micro-loan program, so the small entrepreneurs, people who have been unemployed, who want to start a business, who want to start whatever type of a business, can go to the SBA now and apply for a loan without having to go through all of the rigmarole that oftentimes businesses have to go through. Now people who

have been recently unemployed can have the opportunity to actually establish a small business so that they can take care of themselves and their families during this very difficult time.

We also made sure that we put some very strong language in terms of the involvement of minority and women-owned businesses in all the Federal funding that was coming through the agencies in our package, for example, the Department of Transportation and the infrastructure money.

Well, I am saying this loud and clear now to everyone in this country in terms of minority and women-owned businesses: that money that will be coming to these States, you have to make sure that you involve your minority and women-owned companies in contracts and subcontracts in this construction money, in this infrastructure money, because it is all well and good to be able to hire people for the jobs, but there are many who have the skills and the businesses who want to participate in the economic vitality of our country through the business route. So it is very important that our small and minority-owned and women-owned businesses are able to create the jobs themselves.

That is a Federal requirement. Hopefully, States are complying with the law. But if they are not, we definitely have an oversight process that is going to be looking at this.

I happily yield back to my colleague from Ohio.

Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor Albin Gruhn of San Anselmo, California, who passed away March 18 at the age of 94. Mr. Gruhn was a respected an beloved labor leader and consumer rights activist whose calling was the welfare of the working people of California. His 36 years as president of the California Labor Federation and his role as a founder of the Association of California Consumers were at the heart of a remarkable career.

Mr. Gruhn was born in Eureka, California, in 1915. At the age of 19 he began working for the Hammond Lumber Co. where he joined the Sawmill and Loggers Federal Union. A strike shortly afterwards resulted in the deaths of three union picketers and deeply affected him, resulting in a life-long commitment to the labor movement.

He was also blacklisted as a result of his participation in the strike but soon found employment in construction, joining the Laborers Local where his membership continued for over 60 years. At the age of 22, he became secretary of the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and led that council for over 20 years.

In 1940 Mr. Gruhn was first elected to what is now the California Labor Federation as district vice president and became its president in 1960. He led with skill, enthusiasm, and passion until his retirement in 1996. He helped build the organization into a strong and effective advocacy group for the rights of workers, inspiring several generations of political and labor leaders along the way.

During the 1960s, Mr. Gruhn was also a founder of the Association of California Consumers, California's first consumer group, and later became a founding officer and then president emeritus of the Consumer Federation of California. He also devoted some of his considerable energies to the California Apprenticeship Council and the California Constitution Revision Commission as well as serving on various state commissions. These were appointments over the decades by five California governors and covered a variety of issues from fair housing to air pollution. One of the commissions dealt with children and youth, reflecting his deep involvement in the annual scholarship program established by the California Labor Federation.

Mr. Gruhn was always politically active as a means of supporting the causes he believed in. From campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt at the age of 17 to serving as an Adlai Stevenson delegate in 1956, he stayed engaged in the process. In 1944, he founded the Northern California AFL Political League.

Mr. Gruhn was married to the former Dorothy Coon for over 37 years. Dorothy predeceased him in 2005, and the couple are survived by a large family of eight children, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, Albin Gruhn was proud to fight for working people, and all those with whom he came in contact--from family and friends to political leaders and co-workers--drew inspiration from his commitment. It is fitting in honoring him today to remember the remarks he always used to conclude his labor speeches: ``In unity there is strength. United we stand, divided we fall. An injury to one is an injury to all.''

Thank you very much. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, for his generous comments, and for your leadership.

And a couple of things I'd just like to say as I was listening to the discussion tonight.

First of all, and Doctor, Congressman McDermott, I'm very pleased and delighted that you laid out why a public option is necessary to reduce health care costs. That fact, I think, is often missed in this health care reform debate.

I personally think that single-payer--and I have to applaud Congressman Conyers and all of those who are supporting H.R. 676.

That's where we should start. That's where we should start. And whether one agrees or disagrees with single-payer, that option has to be on the table for us to even move toward universal affordable health care for all. But I hope that we end up with single- payer.

And when you look at Medicare and when you look at single-payer, it works. It has worked for many of our veterans in terms of cost containment of medical costs. The VA is allowed to purchase pharmaceuticals and drugs at a price that is lower than on the open market, and so it just makes a lot of sense. So a public option is absolutely necessary, and I'm very proud of the fact that the Congressional Black Caucus has gone on record calling for a public option.

Also, let me just mention the importance of closing health care disparities. I was listening to Congresswoman Watson earlier talking about that. When you look at the disproportionate rates, for example, of HIV and AIDS or of diabetes or of other diseases in communities of color and, of course, on top of that, we have the poor, and rural communities.

So, if we don't look at closing health care disparities and look at a strategy for that and at health care reform, we're going to end up with another two-tiered system. We will have health care reform for those who can afford it, but we'll have the millions of people who have historically had these disparities, because of the economics of their lives and because of the circumstances of their lives, who won't be included at all in any new health care reform effort.

I, personally, don't believe health care should be an industry. I mean profits should not be made off of sicknesses and illnesses. We should begin to understand that, as we keep health care as a profit motive only, we'll never have the type of system that's affordable and accessible for all.

Prevention: What is it? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We have to focus on prevention in any health care reform. Many of us have ended up in emergency rooms with our families, and we see what happens in emergency rooms. Many people, especially in communities of color, end up going to emergency rooms for primary care or they go to emergency rooms when it's really too late and when they could have had some form of preventative treatment. So we have to look at prevention as key in this reform debate.

Also, community clinics: Community clinics provide access to the poor and to rural communities as well as to urban communities and to communities of color. So I hope, in any debate and in any health care reform we have, that community clinics become central in that effort.

Mental health care: Congressman McDermott, you are a psychiatrist by trade, by profession. I'm a clinical social worker. We've fought for years for mental health parity. Now mental health parity, thanks to Congressman Patrick Kennedy and to Senator Kennedy, it's the law of the land. In any health care reform efforts, we have to include mental health as being as important as one's physical health.

So, Congressman Ellison, I'm really pleased that you're continuing to beat the drum for the Progressive Caucus on the issue of health care reform. You are putting forth our vision of health care reform, which is really a vision that addresses the majority of Americans in our country. It actually affects all Americans and it impacts all Americans. So the progressive promise, which the Progressive Caucus laid out several years ago, is a promise for the entire country.

Tonight, once again, we're talking about that promise. Hopefully, that promise and that dream will be realized as we move forward and provide health care for all.

Yes, I will yield.

Sure. The chronically ill should be a priority in our health care reform effort. Unless one has health care insurance--which, of course, in any health care reform plan, one can maintain one's health insurance. So, if one has the insurance to cover chronic illness, that's great and that's fine. That coverage will be maintained. For the chronically ill who have run out of funds and who don't have any money and who don't know what to do next, we have to include the chronically ill in our health care reform package. We have to include long-term care and other types of provisions and policy initiatives for our senior citizens, for example, or for the disabled, who deserve long-term care. This has got to be covered. This is a must.

I believe the Progressive Caucus gets it, and I think the rest of the country gets it. So we have to make sure that this is part of our effort and of our legislation.

Health care is big business. It's profit- driven. It's big business such as any corporate entity in our country. In any health care reform package, we have to make sure that it is not the profit motive that's driving health care reform. All of us have instances where we know of either constituents or of family members who have to wait on an account executive to make a medical decision for them, and that account executive has to go back to the corporate officials to determine whether or not this individual will be allowed a certain medical treatment. That is wrong. It's really unethical. It's hard to believe that that is still happening in our own country.

Let me just say that I lived in England for 2 years, and I'm not saying there is any system that we need to look to as a model, but I have to just tell you that I lived in Great Britain. My first son was born in Great Britain. I've lived under a different health care system, and I know what that system provided, not only to British citizens but to me, and I was a U.S. citizen who was living there for 2 years. It was a system that was much further advanced than, I think, we have ever had in our own country.

I say that because there are other ways to do this, and we need to look to see what the best ways are in terms of health care systems throughout the world. It's being done differently, and people are benefiting in other countries, and we just need to know that there are other options.

Well, let me just say that, by any stretch of the imagination, I don't believe that England is a socialist country, and I'm not talking about socialized medicine. I know what ``socialized medicine'' is.

What I'm talking about is making sure of our values as American people, as people who care, the least of these being ``I am my brother's keeper;'' ``I am my sister's keeper.'' I'm talking about the most powerful, the most wealthy industrialized country in the world having 47 million people uninsured, and it's growing. There are 10 million more now as a result of this economic downturn that has resulted from these last 8 years of Bush's economic policy.

So come on. We have to begin to look at how we begin to reflect our values as Americans in this great democracy, and we have to begin to say that we're going to be concerned about everyone who deserves health care but who does not have health care. So, no, that's not socialized medicine. Trust me. I know what socialized medicine is, and I don't think anybody on this House floor would want to see our country enact a socialized medical system.

What we want is a universal, accessible, affordable health care system for all regardless of one's ability to pay, regardless of one's disability, regardless of preconditions, regardless of one's ethnicity, regardless of one's economic status. As long as people don't have the money to purchase a large health care policy, then they should at least be provided with a public option so they can live. This is about, you know, life. This is not about counting beans. This is about life and death issues.

Thank you.

Yes. I would just like to say that the question has to be asked of the public:

Why would companies with big bucks run these advertising campaigns? It's to try to scare people. This money that's going to be put out there is very, very--I would say--wrong. Again, Congressman McDermott said that it's almost preying on the most vulnerable when they need help, when they need something. So it's sinister to mount that type of a campaign and to believe that any of us would want socialized medicine. It's a scare tactic. I think we all have seen this before.

I thank you, Mr. Ellison, for having these Special Orders, because we've got to sound the alarm and beat the drum and let people know that no one is talking about socialized medicine.

I hope the country hears us loud and clear. No one is talking about socialized medicine. We're talking about affordable, accessible health care for all with choice as being central to that policy.

You can't tell me that the 47 million uninsured in our country are all in Democrats' districts. You can't tell me that it's only Democratic Members' constituents who are uninsured. The lack of health insurance is an equal opportunity destroyer. So just as with the economic recovery package, I said over and over again, people have lost their jobs not only in Democrats' districts but in Republican districts. And so the public wants health care reform. I don't care what party they're registered with and who represents them.

We have to also remember that given this economic downturn, the first reason for bankruptcies, the top of the list, health care. Health care. That's the reason people are filing bankruptcy. The first reason, the cost of health care.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that the billions of dollars going for administrative cost that drive up the cost of health care is what I'm talking about when we're talking about the profit motive and the fact that there are big bucks being made in the health care industry. And that is what is driving up the cost of health care in many respects.

So we have to get to a system that allows for, yes, profits for those who want to make profits, for those who have those types of health care, you know, who can afford those types of health care premiums. But also we've got to have some fairness and some justice in this health care system for those who can't afford those kinds of plans.

And, in fact, single-payer, as Congressman McDermott said earlier, it's been shown that you drive down the cost of health care if you have single-payer. And I think the American people need to believe this and understand this, and if they just look at what you just showed us earlier in terms of the cost of health care and if you have a system that is fairer, then you will drive down those costs and then everyone will be able to afford health care. And that has nothing to do with running any company out of business. I support companies, the business sector, making money, making profits. I was a business owner for 11 years. So I get it. But I don't get how in the world can you do that at the disadvantage of 47 million-plus who are desperate for some kind of health care coverage.

So we have to deal with this quickly.

I will tell you as a former small business owner, had we had single-payer, my business would have thrived a little more. Small businesses need help. Small businesses want to insure their employees because they know that a happy workforce, a workforce that has good benefits, good wages, decent wages, living wages, that's how productivity is ensured. When you have businesses that are struggling to survive because they can't afford the cost of health care, they need some help.

A single-payer system would help small businesses with their health care costs. And I have talked to many, many, many small businesses about health care reform, and many of them agree they need some help because they know that health care reform could drive their costs up and they don't want that, they don't need that. And we have to make sure that our small businesses are treated fairly and that the employees have health care coverage. And the single-payer system would certainly help small businesses move forward and insure their employees.

You know, right now people are worried. First of all, in a country as great as ours; in a country that spends over $600 billion for defense, and more; in a country that spent close to a trillion dollars on wars that should not have been fought, it is a shame and disgrace that a person has to fear and worry about losing a job and health care. I can't understand this. I can't believe that our values are there.

I think that this is a debate that has ethical and moral dimensions for us as a people. And I can't imagine any Member on this House floor wanting to see a person lose a job, and then health care, and not want to do something about it immediately.

So I want to thank you for your leadership. I want to thank the Progressive Caucus for their leadership. And we're going to stick with this public option. We want disparities closed. We want community clinics, we want prevention. There's big, big pieces of this health care reform bill that we're insisting on.

Thank you, Mr. Ellison.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was first established in 1978 through a joint congressional resolution. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two key anniversaries--the arrival in the U.S. of the first Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Fourteen years later, Congress expanded the week to a month-long celebration.

Today, I am proud to join with all Americans in celebrating the tremendous contributions of the Asian American and Pacific Islander,

AAPI, community in to this country. The AAPI community is the fastest- growing minority group in the United States. The Census Bureau estimates that by 2050 more than 33.4 million Asian Americans will live in the United States.

I am extremely proud to represent several emerging AAPI neighborhoods in my District representing cultures from Vietnam, Korea and China just to name a few. In particular, the Chinatown neighborhood located in Oakland, California has grown and evolved into one of the most cohesive and vibrant business and arts communities in the, Ninth Congressional District.

As we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I encourage the people of my district and this nation to learn about the rich and proud heritage of Asian Pacific Americans.

Thank you for yielding.

Let me say once again as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus how grateful I am to Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, the gentlelady from Ohio, for continuing to lead our Special Orders on Monday evening and for continuing to keep our caucus very focused on the key issues addressing and facing our Nation today. And also let me thank you for your sacrifices and everything you do each and every day to make sure that this hour is solidified so the rest of the country really understands the Congressional Black Caucus's agenda as the conscience of the Congress. Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge.

Let me thank and acknowledge our colleague, Congresswoman Donna Christensen, who Chairs the Congressional Health Caucus Health Brain Trust and also serves as the second vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She has been such a phenomenal leader in leading the House of Representatives and, really, our country to address racial and ethnic disparities, health disparities in our country.

Let me take a moment to thank Representative Danny Davis who co- chairs the Congressional Black Caucus' Health and Wellness Taskforce along with Congresswoman Christensen. Together they have developed a very comprehensive set of principles with regard to health care reform, and I would like to insert, Mr. Speaker, a copy of those principles for the Record this evening.

Congressional Black Caucus Health and Wellness Taskforce Benchmarks for

the 111th Congress

1. Every measure must apply equitably to American Indian

tribes and the Territories.

2. The elimination of health disparities of any population

group must be a central goal of any healthcare reform

process, and the process must be coordinated within HHS and

across all agencies at the state, local and community levels.

3. Coverage and every other provision must extend to

everyone residing legally in this country.

4. Communities must be engaged from the identification of

the challenges to the crafting of solutions and their

implementation. They must receive the funding, education and

technical assistance to fully carry out this role.

5. In this process, health and health care must be

comprehensive and include mental and dental health services

fully and equitably with physical health.

6. Creating and expanding a diverse workforce on all levels

must be a priority, and these efforts must begin in concert

with efforts to improve K through 12 education and with

outreach efforts beginning at least in junior high school

with underrepresented minorities including those with

disabilities.

7. There must be increased focus and spending on

prevention, irrespective of any offset.

8. Recognizing that the traditional ``medical home'' has

been the office of the family and other primary care

provider, efforts must be undertaken to increase their

numbers and their reimbursement and they must be an integral

part of the implementation of this program.

9. Health information technology (HIT) must be an integral

part of any reform effort and access to it by all providers

must be supported where needed so that every provider and all

communities enjoy its benefits and savings. Additionally, all

HIT systems included and subsequently implemented must ensure

patient privacy, as well as robust penalties for any

violation of such privacy.

10. There must be an increase in research that is community

based, looks at the causes of disparities and includes

minorities in clinical trials. Beneficial findings must be

fast tracked into practice.

11. The collection of data by race, ethnicity, language,

geography and socioeconomic factors must be mandated and

uniform.

12. Reform must be done within the context of and include

provisions that address the social, ambient and built

environmental issues affecting health.

Also, let me thank and recognize Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this health care debate. As a registered nurse, she has been very involved in health care reform for many, many years.

First, let me just say as one who personally supports a single-payer form of universal health care, I also believe that health care must be and should be a fundamental human right. But I also know that whatever form health care reform takes, that we must have a public option very similar to that of Medicare.

Forty-seven million people lack health insurance in America, and although racial and ethnic minorities account for about one-third of the American population, they account for about half of the uninsured. In my district alone in Alameda County--and also throughout the country--there are very profound inequities in health insurance coverage between various racial and ethnic groups. Among non-elderly adults 18-64 years of age, Latinos are five times as likely as whites to be uninsured; African Americans and Asian-Pacific Islanders are also more likely than whites to be uninsured.

And because medical costs have been steadily rising, medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. In today's economic climate with unemployment numbers--for instance, in my own State of California reaching over 11 percent--that means that millions more are falling into bankruptcy every day, and, of course, that means millions more are losing their health care coverage. And, of course, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian-Pacific Islanders, unfortunately, are disproportionately affected.

The statistics are irrefutable. African American women are nearly four times more likely to die during childbirth than white women from pregnancy complications. Nearly half of all those living with HIV and AIDS in the United States are African Americans, and the AIDS rates for African Americans are nearly 10 times that of whites. And a recent study by the CDC found that nearly one in two young African American girls is infected with one of the four more commonly sexually transmitted infections as opposed to one in four among the general population.

African Americans are two times more likely to have diabetes than whites, and African Americans are nearly 3\1/2\ times more likely than whites to have an amputation as a result of the diabetes. African American men with colon cancer are more than 40 percent less likely than white men with the same condition to receive major diagnostic and treatment procedures. While medical science has made a lot of advances over the last 10 years, the gains made by the discovery of new drugs and treatments have not passed on to all segments of our population.

For example, going back to my own district in Alameda County in California, from 2001-2003, we had an average rate of 2,033 people die of coronary heart disease, a mortality rate of about 160 per 100,000 people. Across every category, African American men and women in my district had higher mortality rates than any other group: 286 per 100,000 for African American men and 199 per 100,000 for African American women. While the overall mortality rate has declined in my district

by 7 percent since 1998, the gap, mind you, the gap between African Americans and the overall county rate has grown dramatically. In 1990- 1991, the African American rate was 16 percent higher than the county rate. In 2002-2003, it was 50 percent higher. Something is seriously wrong.

The story is the same with cancer and with diabetes, and these statistics are not only in my district but they are reflected throughout the country and all of our Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus members' districts. It is a shame and a disgrace.

This is a serious health care crisis that warrants a clarion call immediately. Our Nation has failed to guarantee what is often federally funded, health research, which fully benefits everyone across the Nation.

So that is why we're here tonight, Mr. Speaker, to speak with clarity, with one voice, to demand health care reform now and to demand an end to the factors that perpetrate racial and ethnic health disparities in this country. We can't do one without the other.

I'm sure that Congresswoman Dr. Christensen is going to review tonight the Health Equity and Accountability Act. Let me mention a couple of the provisions. It will bolster efforts to ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and remove language and cultural barriers to health care; it will improve workforce diversity; it will strengthen and coordinate data collection; it will ensure accountability and improve evaluation, and it will improve health care services in general. This is the Health Equity and Accountability Act which Congresswoman Christensen has worked so hard on with our tri- caucus for several years. It will help put our country back on track to eliminating health disparities in our country. So I must applaud again Congresswoman Christensen and her staff for spearheading the development of this initiative, and I look forward to its introduction in the next few weeks.

Finally, let me just say we all know that the profit motive has driven the health care industry. It should not be an industry. It's an industry that has rewarded and provided profits for the wealthy and for the insurance industry; yet it's been, unfortunately, at the expense of the people it's intended to serve.

And so as the conscience of the Congress, we are insisting that the public health option or a public health option similar to Medicare be part of any health care reform package and that closing health care disparities be part of any health care reform effort. These are central principles that we are making sure our perspective incorporates as it relates to whatever health care bill that comes out because, quite frankly, we can't have some of the same old business in the health care business.

So thank you again, Congresswoman Fudge, for this evening. And let me just say we're sounding the alarm once again that members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we're not going to stand for any health care bill that doesn't include closing health care disparities which our community, unfortunately, has suffered under since our presence here in the United States of America.

Thank you very much, Congresswoman Fudge.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Also let me thank Chairman Obey and Chairman Murtha for their hard work on this bill and for including provisions that I offered, prohibiting the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I opposed the 2001 resolution authorizing the use of force because it gave President Bush and any future President an open-ended blank check to wage war anywhere on the globe, starting in Afghanistan.

Nearly 8 years later, I continue to oppose the supplemental appropriations bills for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because it continues us down the wrong path and can lead to war without end. Unfortunately this will continue to happen if we don't repeal that 2001 authorization.

I oppose this $94 billion supplemental because it favors military activities over diplomatic, development and reconstruction efforts by a ratio of 9-1. Afghanistan will not be stabilized through military action.

As noted by the Carnegie Endowment, the presence of foreign troops is the most important element driving the resurgence of the Taliban. This is counter to our national security interests. This does not include an exit plan for Afghanistan. It does not fully fund the redeployment of troops out of Afghanistan.

Thank you very much for yielding.

This does not prohibit the drone attacks. It does not include a strong regional approach, which the situation demands, including a strong nuclear nonproliferation effort in Pakistan.

The supplemental appropriations bill does not reflect a new direction. Therefore, I cannot support it.

Let me just mention that our friend and colleague Congressman Pete Stark is unable to be here today for this important debate. So I wish to conclude by reading one sentence from his statement. He said, ``President Obama is moving America's foreign policy in a better direction, and he has shown superior judgment to President Bush on when we should send our troops into harm's way. However, I cannot support any more funding for these wars.''

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1728, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.

I want to thank Mr. Brad Miller and Mr. Mel Watt for sponsoring this important legislation and for being a champion for consumers and borrowers. I also want to thank Chairman Frank for his commitment to finally bringing real reform to our mortgage markets and ending predatory lending and misleading and abusive lending practices.

I served for 8 years on the House Financial Services Committee with my colleagues and we repeatedly warned the, then majority, Republicans, the Bush Administration, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve about the need for stronger oversight and critical reforms that would end the pattern and practice of predatory lending.

Our warnings fell on deaf ears.

They chose to allow kickback schemes like yield spread premiums which put the mortgage lender's financial incentives in direct conflict with the interests of the consumers they are supposed to serve.

They chose to allow the reprehensible act of ``steering'' lower income, senior and minority borrowers into higher rate sub-prime and alt-a loans than they qualify for.

They chose to blindly trust financial institutions to ``regulate themselves''.

And we and our entire nation know where that got us.

It is long past time that we bring sound, reasonable regulation and oversight to our mortgage markets.

And this bill will do that.

I am also very pleased that this bill will protect renters and tenants who have been silently suffering due to the wave of foreclosures.

Too many renters who have paid their rent on time have been finding out for the first time that the property they live in is being foreclosed when the sheriff delivers an eviction notice.

Innocent tenants should be protected and let me thank Mr. Ellison, Mr. Miller, Mr. Watt and Mr. Frank for acting on behalf of innocent renters.

I encourage my colleagues to vote yes on H.R. 1728.

Mr. Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and congratulate the people of Israel as they celebrate the independence of their country.

I am hopeful that this year we make substantial progress to the goal we all share which is to see Israel and its neighbors living side by side in peace. To achieve this goal, it is important that the parties, aided by the United States acting as an honest broker, address and resolve all of the major issues standing in the path to peace.

The appointment by President Obama of former Senator George Mitchell as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace is an outstanding gift from the United States to Israel on the occasion of its 61st birthday.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution honoring the historical significance of Cinco de Mayo.

This holiday, as we all know, recognizes Mexico's remarkable defense against foreign intervention, a feat marked by great courage, sacrifice, and devotion to the right of self-termination.

But as we also know, the day transcends a single battle at the City of Puebla, where, many years ago, Mexican forces defeated a far more advanced and well-equipped military force.

For Americans, the holiday has come to symbolize the rich and diverse experience of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. It is a day on which we celebrate the rich and varied contributions of Americans of Mexican ancestry to the history, culture, and progress of the United States.

Whether you celebrate the day by watching a mariachi performance on the National Mall, or by listening to a lecture on the activism of Cesar Chavez, or by simply going to a backyard barbecue with your family and friends, you know that this holiday is, at its essence, an American holiday.

In my home state of California, in fact, Americans have been celebrating this day as far back as 1863, just one year after the historic Battle of Puebla.

Thus as we commemorate this day, let us honor our brothers and sisters who have contributed to the rich diversity of the United States. Let us remember that this diversity, far from being a recent phenomenon, or a distinct chapter in American history, has been with us since our Nation's founding, and has enriched our country throughout each and every chapter of our history. Let us continue to celebrate this diversity, and recognize that it will continue to be the great blessing and strength of our country.

First, let me thank the chairman for yielding and for his tremendous leadership in bringing this very important bill to the floor today.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that the critical protections contained in this legislation will strengthen the regulations issued by the Federal Reserve, and I strongly support its passage.

However, Mr. Chairman, I am concerned that during these incredibly difficult and challenging economic times, our constituents are increasingly being squeezed with egregious fees and dubious business practices by the very banks that their tax dollars have been bailing out. The newspapers are rife with stories about consumers being gouged, mind you, gouged by banks that have been suddenly jacking up their interest rates on their credit cards or imposing new monthly service charges or reducing credit limits with little or no explanation. In most cases these tactics are being used on consumers, although they carry a balance from month to month, they pay their bills on time, they're playing by the rules, and they make at least their minimum payment. We've heard countless, countless stories of bait-and-switch tactics by credit card issuers who suddenly raise interest rates because a consumer is a few days late in paying another creditor. This is just downright wrong. It's outrageous.

Years ago I worked with now-Senator Sanders on legislation, and this was when I was on the Financial Services Committee, to address this practice of universal default. I am pleased that this language is included in this bill, but it's critical that the protections banning this practice are put into place immediately.

Mr. Chairman, the Federal Reserve has already determined that the use of these unfair bait-and-switch profit-maximizing tactics must end. I believe that we can and we should end these practices at the earliest possible date, like now.

I certainly thank you for your very strong statement.

I just want to mention that originally, as I understand it, this bill did contain a 3-month window following the date of enactment. And I want to thank Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York for her leadership on this bill, who really understands the need to do this as quickly as possible.

The fact is, as the chairman noted, the banks know that the handwriting is on the wall. They're boosting up fees and rates on consumers now, and we have a lot of evidence of that. And the longer we wait to ban these practices, the more our constituents will suffer.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Democratic budget. This budget makes the vital investments that America needs to stabilize the economy and lay the groundwork for a new environmentally sustainable and energy independent green economy.

Let me thank the Chairman for his hard work on a budget that makes many hard choices and I thank him for his consideration of the budget priorities of the Congressional Black Caucus which augments and strengthens the President's budget.

The Democratic budget contains many of the shared priorities with the CBC and makes targeted investments in strengthening education, healthcare, clean energy, transportation, and strengthens foreign aid during a critical downturn in the global economy.

We must pass a budget that will continue the anti-poverty investments that we made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

It is critical during this economic crisis, which we inherited from the Bush Administration, that we pass a budget that will lift up the millions of Americans who have fallen into poverty.

Our budget must continue our economic recovery and return our nation to the fiscal responsibility that we last saw with the budget surpluses under President Clinton.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the Democratic budget.