Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Iowa State Legislator Polly Bukta for her service to Iowa and our country. Representative Bukta is retiring from the Iowa State Legislature at the end of the 2010 state legislative session.

Representative Bukta has represented the Clinton region in the Iowa legislature since 1997. She has been a principled, pragmatic leader. In addition to serving on several committees in the Iowa House--including the Education, Local Government, and Transportation, and Veterans Affairs Committees--Representative Bukta is Speaker Pro Tem of the Iowa House. She was elected to this position because she has earned the trust and respect of her colleagues.

On the first day of the 2010 Iowa Legislative Session, Representative Bukta delivered the following remarks to the Iowa House:

Honor the institution. Thomas Jefferson did it, and so did James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and other builders of our governmental institutions. They worked tirelessly to make representative government work. Now the well-being of our state legislature is in our hands. Preserve and protect it so it remains a strong, co-equal branch of government. Legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. It is an important duty that deserves our time, attention and dedication. To work well, government requires a bond of trust between citizens and their representatives. Try to appeal to the best instincts of the electorate, talk about what you stand for, what you intend to do during your time in office and then work as hard as you can to fulfill those promises. Remember why you ran for office-- to make a difference, a difference for the better.

Representative Bukta has made ``a difference for the better'' for her constituents and the state of Iowa. Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking Representative Bukta and her family for their service.

Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Iowa State Senator Roger Stewart for his service to Iowa and our country. Senator Stewart is retiring from the Iowa State Senate at the end of the 2010 state legislative session.

Senator Stewart has represented Dubuque, Jackson, and Clinton County in the Iowa legislature for the past eight years. He has been a principled, pragmatic leader. Communities throughout Iowa have benefited from his commitment to responsible economic development and common sense business practices. Senator Stewart is chair of the Economic Growth Committee and a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He serves on the Rebuild Iowa Committee which is creating conditions for sustainable development in communities damaged during the 2008 Midwest floods and tornados.

Senator Stewart has also been an effective advocate for Iowa farmers and agribusinesses. He has received several awards for his work on agriculture issues including the Chamber Friends of Agriculture Award and the National Banking Award for work during the 1980's farm crisis.

Madam Speaker, the Hawkeye State is fortunate to have great leaders like Roger Stewart. Please join me in thanking the Senator, his wife Jennie, and the entire Stewart family.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and thank Mr. George Barton and the entire Community Health Care Inc. (CHC) team for working to meet the health care and wellness needs of the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities. This spring George starts as CEO of the federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Madison, Wisconsin, but Community Health Care will continue to thrive because of the foundation this team has built over the past years.

In the Quad Cities--like so many communities in America--we have an urgent need for health care services for low and moderate income families, individuals who are underinsured or have no insurance, Medicaid eligible patients, and children who rely on state children's health insurance programs. Fortunately there are three FQHC's in my district--

including Community Health Care--where thousands of my constituents can get access to high quality care with payment options that meet their specific needs. CHC alone serves 31,000 patients throughout the Quad Cities and manages 119,000 unique visits per year. By 2012 the CHC team will be serving 40,000 patients annually. Under George's leadership, CHC has dramatically expanded their services by opening new outpatient clinics, enhancing relationships with regional hospitals physician groups, and adding multiple dental suites to meet the incredible need for childhood and adult dental care.

Madam Speaker, I advocate for our federal community health centers because people like George Barton and the CHC team get results. They dramatically improve health and wellness in our communities and are invaluable to solving one of the most critical issues facing our country today--access to health care. Please join me in thanking George and this team for their service.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution honoring Workers' Memorial Day.

The recent mining disaster in West Virginia serves as a strong reminder of the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line every day they go to work. Workers' Memorial Day commemorates those who have been injured or killed on the job. And, Mr. Speaker, this is personal to me because when I was 2 years old, my father was severely injured in a workplace accident, and one of the things I am proudest of was setting up a scholarship fund in his name to help injured workers and their families in Iowa get a new start on life.

Over the past several decades in the United States, we have made great progress in preventing injuries and deaths in the workplace. However, there is still much work that needs to be done, and each year more than 5,000 Americans are killed due to workplace injuries and millions more experience occupational injuries and illnesses. Work- related accidents are still too common in the United States. On average, 16 Americans are killed every day due to workplace injuries. We need to continue to work to ensure that every workplace is a safe one.

While in the United States we have improved workplace safety in recent decades, the numbers across the globe are overwhelming. It's estimated that nearly 2 million workers die each year due to work- related accidents or diseases worldwide. More people are killed due to workplace injury or disease than are killed in war.

As a founder of the Populist Caucus, dedicated to strengthening the middle class, I will continue to fight for workplace safety. I am also committed to recognizing this holiday and the millions of workers across the world who have given their lives on the job. That's why I was proud to work with my friends, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and fellow Populist Caucus member Congresswoman Linda Sanchez as we continue to honor the millions of men and women who have given their lives for the continued progress of humankind.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Donna Oliver for her service as CEO of Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, Iowa. Donna has led Mercy for the past 5 years. She is a passionate advocate for her community and her contributions to the Clinton region will be appreciated for years to come.

During Donna's tenure, the Mercy team has fulfilled its mission to assure excellent, cost effective health care services accessible to all persons. Donna has strengthened partnerships with other health care providers and schools training future caregivers. She has made the health and wellness of her coworkers and the broader community a top priority. And despite unprecedented economic hardships, Donna has maintained Mercy's support for programs that enhance the cultural and economic vitality of the Clinton community.

Donna has been a principled and effective advocate for health care reform, especially during the recent months of debate. She has consistently spoken publicly about the urgent need for Medicare reimbursement reform so physicians and hospitals in places like Clinton can meet the health and wellness needs of their community.

Madam Speaker, please allow me in thanking Donna Oliver and her team at Mercy Medical Center.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my colleague from Colorado for his kind remarks.

Madam Speaker, the photograph to my immediate right is what most people think of when they think of the Battle of Iwo Jima. It is the most famous photograph in the world. It was taken by Joe Rosenthal. It was not a staged photograph. It was taken while the second flag was raised on Mount Suribachi. What most people don't know is the rest of the story behind that flag raising.

This is a photograph that was taken on the summit of Mount Suribachi that's commonly referred to as the ``gung-ho'' photograph. It depicts the unit, the platoon, that was the first to reach the summit of Mount Suribachi and raise the first flag.

One thing that's important about this photograph is you can actually see the faces of the marines who made that heroic sacrifice. You cannot see the faces of anybody in the Joe Rosenthal photograph, and that was something

that bothered Joe Rosenthal when he saw his photograph weeks after he took it, because in the heat of the battle, that film was sent to be processed away from Iwo Jima and was published and released in newspapers across the United States. It instantly became the most popular symbol of the struggle in the Pacific.

Now, this photograph is especially important to me because shown right here in this photograph is a young man named Harold Keller, who was a corporal in the Marine Corps from my hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. Harold Keller was one of those uncommon heroes that nobody knew anything about after he came home, but he was the second marine to reach the summit of Mount Suribachi. He slept that night under the flag that was erected on top. And while he and his buddy Chick Robeson slept under the flag, buzz bombs and mortars came in toward that flag, because it was the subject of great debate and competition between the Americans and the Japanese.

Harold Keller was remarkable for many other things that happened in this very brief period on an island that was so small, it was less than 10 square miles, and yet 30,000 Japanese soldiers and 70,000 marines and Navy corpsmen occupied that tiny island during this incredibly intense struggle. When Harold Keller first landed on the beach on D- day, February 19, 1945, the first thing he did was save his commanding officer, Lieutenant Keith Wells, who stuck his head up above the berm of that sandy beach and would have had his head blown off had it not been for Harold Keller, who pulled him down as a large piece of shrapnel soared right over where he had been.

He was also friends with Ernest ``Boots'' Thomas, who was the marine who carried the first flag to the summit and was called down to go on national radio and talk about the historic moment when that flag was unfurled over Mount Suribachi. When Harold Keller was walking up Mount Suribachi with his unit, he saw two stretchers being carried up to the summit, and his comment tells a lot about what they were facing. He told a friend of his, ``We'll probably need a hell of a lot more than that.'' He saved the life of one of his colleagues, Robert Leader, who was later, after the flag was raised, wounded by mortar fire. Harold Keller came upon him, did a field dressing as he found him with his bowels laying outside his body, saved his life, and sent him home, where he became an art professor and gifted artist at the University of Notre Dame.

These are things that are stories behind the flag raising and why this is so important. Another reason this photograph is important to me is, as you look over the shoulders of these marines, you can see the beach down below, and you can see some of the landing craft. One of those landing craft was LST-808 which dropped my father off on Green Beach in Iwo Jima the same day these flags were raised, and you can see LST-808 down below.

My father was 17 years old, Byard Braley, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps after getting his mother's permission, and he was 18 when he landed on Iwo Jima. He served in the Corps Artillery in the headquarters and service battery of the Fourth 155th Howitzer Battalion, which was commanded by Colonel John Letcher. One of the things John Letcher did was he wrote a book about his experience in the Marine Corps called ``One Marine's Story,'' and this is how he described his first night on Iwo Jima at the Corps Artillery headquarters:

``I had been asleep for perhaps an hour when a shell burst which seemed to be right outside the tent. It was followed in rapid succession by others. The shells were bursting in the air a few feet above the ground and were spraying fragments in every direction. The command post area seemed to be their target, and they were making a hit with every shell. Most of our personnel must have been poorly dug in, just as I was, because mingled with the noise of the shell bursts, I heard screams and cries of wounded men. I was trembling uncontrollably and found myself reciting the Apostles' Creed.''

Thirty-five men in my father's unit were killed and wounded during that barrage, and it was something that he carried with him every day of his life until he died 29 years ago. One of the things that we know about the people who served on Iwo Jima is that the ones who were fortunate enough to come home, like my father and Harold Keller, never considered themselves heroes. They considered the heroes their fallen comrades who were buried on that island in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Marine Division cemeteries. And this photo, Madam Speaker, shows the lines of crosses and Stars of David in the Fifth Marine Division Cemetery, with Mount Suribachi in the background.

Probably one of the most compelling cemetery dedications given since the Gettysburg Address was delivered by Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn at the dedication of the Fifth Marine Division Cemetery, and I want you to listen to his powerful words, which we should hear today just as powerfully as when he delivered them. Here is what he said about these fallen comrades:

``Our poor power of speech can add nothing to what these men have already done. All that we even hope to do is follow their example. To show the same selfless courage in peace that they did in war . . . These men have done their jobs well. They have paid the ghastly price of freedom . . . We dedicate ourselves, first, to live together in peace the way they fought and are buried in this war . . . Here lie officers and men, Negroes and Whites, rich men and poor--together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men there is no discrimination, no prejudices, no hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy.''

Madam Speaker, these are the reasons why we gather here today to honor this historic battle, to remember the sacrifice of the most severe battle in Marine Corps history, where one-quarter of the Medals of Honor were awarded in World War II during this one battle. That's why I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and remember, we must never forget.

I thank my friend from Missouri for giving me time to speak on this bill. I thank my colleague from California for his impassioned support of this bill, because I believe this is the little-engine-that-could in terms of how we change the way that the Federal Government communicates with American citizens. And I think the people would find it surprising to know that somebody who spent his life practicing law would be introducing this bill. But the amazing thing is I was introduced to the concept of plain language in the Iowa Supreme Court's 1983 decision requiring all jury instructions to be written in plain language so that people could understand how their laws impact things.

That's why this bill is so important, because it gives the government the responsibility to communicate effectively with the citizens that we serve.

One of the things that is so amazing is that when you look at most government publications, you would think they were not written for their intended audience. And that is the basic premise of the plain language movement. It's when you write, you think about your intended audience and how you communicate effectively with them in words they can understand.

This bill requires the Federal Government to write documents, such as letters from the Social Security Administration, notices from the Department of Veterans Affairs, in simple, easy-to-understand language.

When I first introduced this bill in the 110th Congress, I was pleased when it passed the House floor by a vote of 376-1. Unfortunately, it was never taken up by the Senate. I am hopeful and confident that this time around it will be considered by the Senate and signed into law so that the public will get the kind of government service they deserve.

As my colleague has pointed out, a large array of organizations who deal with our constituents that are impacted by Federal policies support this movement. And I want to thank the Oversight and Government Reform chairman, my colleague, Ed Towns, and Ranking Member Darrell Issa for their support of this important bill and also thank Oversight Government Reform staffer Krista Boyd for all of her help in making this happen.

Anyone who has done their own taxes knows the headache of trying to understand pages and pages of confusing forms and instructions. There is no reason why this bill can't eliminate Federal gobbledygook. And we can honor our friend and former colleague, Maury Maverick, Sr., who coined the phrased ``gobbledygook'' in describing bureaucratic language that is as hard to understand as the call of wild turkeys in his native Texas.

I would also remind my colleagues that this plain language in government communications has been incorporated into the Senate-passed health care bill, it was incorporated into the House-passed health care bill, and it is important that we move forward from this point in changing the way that government speaks to its citizens.

I think you have hit on a very important point and, that is, we don't realize how much time and money are wasted by people trying to figure out forms that they can't understand. They call Federal agencies, they go into phone trees where they go on hold and they wait and wait and wait. This can be small business owners. It can be elected officials at the level that you are talking about, because a lot of the policy we set intersects with local and State government agencies. And, because of that, by improving the quality of information we are providing at the outset, it is going to greatly reduce the demands on many Federal employees.

And that is another side effect of this legislation.

I can't agree more with you that it is important to take this step now so that we can start to send a message that we are serious about improved transparency in our communications with our constituents, and I think that it is great that we are moving forward in a bipartisan step to do that.

Madam Speaker, I missed votes on Monday, March 15, 2010 due to travel delays. If I were present, I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 112, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1145--Recognizing the University of Arizona's 125 years of dedication to excellence in higher education;

``Yea'' on rollcall 113, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1170--Congratulating the winners of the Voice of Democracy national scholarship program;

``Yea'' on rollcall 114, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1163--Recognizing Washington State University Honors College for 50 years of excellence;

``Yea'' on rollcall 115, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 267--Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, expressing appreciation to Iranian-Americans for their contributions to society, and wishing Iranian-Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year.

Mr. Speaker, I was very proud to found the Populist Caucus with a large group of my friends in the Democratic Caucus to focus on economic issues that affect Americans who either make up the middle class or are striving to enter the middle class. We all know that our country has historically been at its best when we have had a large middle class and our economic policies reflect middle class values, and that is why when we decided to settle upon our founding principles, we decided that we wanted to fight for families by providing them access to quality, affordable health care; to provide them and their children with the type of world class education they will need to compete in a global economy; to make sure that we have a fair wage system for all employees in this country; to make sure that our trade policies provide a level playing field to American workers and American manufacturers who compete with trading partners who just frankly don't quite live up to our standards, whether it is child labor, exploitation of workers, environmental issues, those are the types of issues that we want to focus on as we chart a new future for this country to promote and expand the middle class that we all are so proud to have been a part of.

One of the things that we talked about as we were trying to dig ourselves out of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression was what type of a blueprint for recovery we wanted to offer to the American people that was going to be a reflection of the values that we grew up with and give a strong message that, after a bailing out Wall Street, the American taxpayers deserved help on Main Street, and that it was not unreasonable to ask the very people on Wall Street who got us into this mess to help pay for the tab on helping bail out Main Street.

I am proud to be joined by my friends, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen), but one of the things that I want to talk about at the beginning is the things that we hear over and over back in our district, because all of us have been out talking to our constituents, going to town hall meetings, Congress on Your Corner and the other events, and the one thing I hear from my constituents over and over is this question: When do I get my bailout?

This is a legitimate question that Americans deserve an answer to from Democrats and Republicans, because if you are somebody who has lost your job or you've lost your home or you've lost your business or you've lost your health care coverage during this crisis, you need to know what is my Federal Government doing to help me out. So when we talk about our response, we are going to do it by talking about these three core values: The Populist Caucus wants to find a blueprint for recovery that is going to spur job creation; it is going to implement fair compensation for executives who helped put us in this problem; and, finally, bring an end to excessive Wall Street speculation that drove our economy and drove the global economy off the cliff and put us into this deep hole that we have been digging ourselves out of.

So as millions of middle class families look to us and ask when their recovery effort will bring relief to their town on their street, they deserve to know what we are going to be doing to spur job creation, insist on fair executive compensation, and end speculation on Wall Street.

Now, one of the things that we know is that it is very common for politicians and groups across the political spectrum to try to claim the populist mantle. But let me tell you, and I am going to let my colleagues expand on this, the Populist Caucus that we all came together to found was not based upon a bunch of people running through the streets with torches and pitchforks asking for blood. We are there because the problems of the middle class are real. The concerns of our constituents reflect the concerns of America, and we want to come together and talk about serious answers to real problems to help change the lives of middle class Americans.

So with that, I am going to yield to my colleague from Ohio before I yield to my colleague from Wisconsin to talk about some of the critical economic issues she is hearing about from her constituents and why this Populist Caucus response is so critical moving forward.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I think one of the things that we've heard a lot about, Dr. Kagen, is we've heard people try to explain what went wrong on Wall Street and this concept that sometimes big financial institutions are just too big to fail. Now, I don't know how it is up in northeastern Wisconsin; but in Iowa, if something is too big to fail, it's just too big. So maybe you can help enlighten us a little bit about some of the economic policies that we pursued as a country before Barack Obama became President that have contributed to the enormous challenge we have faced this past year in trying to stabilize the economy before we moved on to a broader response to real meaningful financial reform.

Well, that's a great segue because we not only are talking about values; we are talking about solutions. We're talking about legislation that is going to help us create jobs by generating new revenues, not putting this on the back of the middle class, but helping the people who got us into this mess assume some of the responsibility. And I think one of the cornerstones of our blueprint for recovery is this issue of fair compensation. And my good friend from Vermont, Congressman Peter Welch, has introduced a bill called Wall Street Bonus Tax Act. I am going to let him explain what that bill does and how it helps achieve this blueprint for recovery by putting some incentives for Wall Street to help rebuild Main Street.

Congressman Welch, I yield to you at this time.

Well, I thank you for those very insightful comments.

I think everything that we talked about earlier on why we formed the Populist Caucus, to promote and expand the middle class by emphasizing economic principles, that will create policies that help that to happen. We know that small businesses make up a huge part of the middle class. We also know that they are a huge driving engine for creating new jobs in our economy.

That is why I am happy to recognize my good friend from Florida, Ron Klein, who has been a strong advocate for small businesses during his time in Congress and is going to be sharing with us some of the things that we can work on together to try to create the types of incentives that will help small businesses take the risk with sound economic principles and lead us on a path of job recovery.

With that, I would yield to my friend.

Will the gentleman yield on that?

I think there is a big misperception that our trading partners and our competitors in the global economy don't have any ``buy Chinese'' trade policies or ``buy Japan'' trade policies; is that true?

Will the gentleman yield for another question?

One of the things that is frustrating to many Americans is they just don't understand how their government can actually help stimulate economic development.

One of the best examples of this is, when I first came to Congress, I served on the Small Business Committee. I was fortunate enough to chair the Contracting and Technology Subcommittee, and this is when the previous administration was in control of the executive branch. As I talked to people on the committee, it shocked me to learn that the former administrator of the Small Business Administration saw it as his job to bring about the end of the Small Business Administration. Many of the policies were designed to contract the agency whose sole purpose was to try to stimulate small business growth and development.

So, when we are talking about how we create capital and provide economic incentives for small businesses, we have come a long way in 3 years to get to the point where this agency is trying to fulfill its basic purpose, and I think that is going to be critical for achieving the types of results you've just talked about.

I hope you can enlighten us further on this.

Well, I think one of the things we know is that, in order to spur job creation, you have got to be able to have revenues that will help people create jobs through incentives that will help them take that risk.

One of the important things that the Populist Caucus' Blueprint for Recovery does is it talks not only about how you change behavior through the policies you implement but also how you transfer some of the burden from Main Street, which has been suffering so much in this recession, to the very speculators whose wild gambling, which is what most economists call what they were doing, drove us over the cliff.

That is why one of the key elements of this ``ending speculation'' piece is one of the bills introduced by another vice Chair of the Populist Caucus, Congressman Peter DeFazio, who introduced his Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act. This is a very simple concept that existed in this country for almost 60 years, and it worked very successfully, including during the Great Depression.

What it says is that, if you are trading in excessive transactions on Wall Street, we are going to ask you to pay a small transaction fee on those high-volume trades so that we will have an incentive to keep you from engaging in excessive speculation that puts all of us at risk. His transaction fee is estimated to create somewhere between $100 billion and $150 billion in new revenues that can be used for two basic purposes:

One is job creation, which is what we all agree is going to create a huge emphasis for an economic recovery, because when people go back to work,

they not only pay Federal taxes and reduce our burden at the Federal Treasury; they pay State and local taxes, too, to help relieve the burden on our States and cities. This is how you create economic incentives to change corporate behavior from excessive speculation, and this is also how you provide new revenues to stimulate economic development and help to reduce the deficit.

I am going to ask one of our newest members and youngest members of the Populist Caucus, our good friend from Virginia, Tom Perriello, to talk about the importance of having a bill like this to guide us in a new direction for economic recovery and what that means to the people in his district of Virginia.

With that, I'll yield to my good friend.

I appreciate the gentleman's comments about investing in infrastructure because most of what I learned about the need for infrastructure improvements came when I was working for the Poweshiek County Secondary Roads Department to help pay my way through college.

One of the things that I learned was that, as you try to create opportunities for transportation improvements that are going to move goods, services, and people, you see a lot of trickle-down that happens from the Federal Government, to the State government, to the county government, to the city government as right-of-ways are transferred after they are abandoned for bigger and better infrastructure improvements like four-lane highways.

One of the cornerstones of our blueprint for recovery that deals with job creation is a bill introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and cosponsored by one of the vice chairs of the Populist Caucus, our friend from Minnesota, Keith Ellison, the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act.

What it does is it creates an opportunity to take advantage of existing infrastructure needs by identifying about 47,500 jobs and $6.2 billion of potential economic activity that are currently ready, willing, and able to be acted upon, but because we have not had the opportunity to marry private development with public infrastructure projects, we are missing an opportunity to stimulate job growth through this National Infrastructure Bank.

So I would ask my colleagues who support investments in infrastructure improvements that cross the spectrum from expanding access to energy created by wind in the Midwest, by building out our ability to transfer that energy and electricity throughout the country, by building out our world broadband, by investing in roads, bridges, and public improvements, how this type of an investment development bank would make a difference in their districts.

I am going to yield to my friend from Ohio.

I think that is a great opportunity to talk about the importance, because when I served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 110th Congress, our chairman, the legendary Jim Oberstar, always reminded us that our global competitors are investing massive amounts in infrastructure development.

The European Union had a 5-year, $1 trillion infrastructure development plan. You look at China, which has just passed the United States as the leading consumer of automobiles, and you look at the ribbons of concrete that have been poured in that country to respond to growing consumer and commercial demand for transportation.

If we are competing with these people in a global market, Dr. Kagen, we have to make similar types of commitments so that our infrastructure system can make us competitive. I know from visiting your district in northeast Wisconsin, it is a very spread out and remote area in some parts of your district, yet the constituents that you represent in those areas depend just as much on an infrastructure system as the people here in our Nation's Capital.

I yield for your comments.

I appreciate those observations. I want to engage a couple of my colleagues in a conversation about behavior modification on Wall Street. I am going to start with my friend from Vermont, because he served on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee in the last Congress when we had the hearing with the CEOs of AIG, trying to explain why they stood by and watched as their London financial services division drove this economy off a cliff by engaging in excess and speculative trading in high-risk credit default swaps and complex derivatives.

Now, one of the things we learned during that hearing from the economic experts who study those high-risk investments was that long before any of us came to Congress, Congress was confronted with the issue of how we provide some type of oversight of this highly complex and evolving marketplace, which at that time in the late 1990s was a small fraction of the $100 trillion marketplace it has become.

But what was most shocking to me as they testified was when they said Congress was trying to decide what are these products. In a way, they are like an insurance product, because they are an agreement to pay upon a contingent future event. But they are really not insurance, because otherwise we could regulate them through the State insurance commissioners. Then they said, Well, these are kind of like stock trading, so we can have this regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. But it is really not a stock transaction.

So, what is it? Well, about 10 percent of these products, those experts testified, if you remember, Mr. Welch, were real insurance products. And these economists testified the other 90 percent were pure gambling, people trying to make money by turning over transactions, betting on the come that at some point when those commitments came due, they would be able to generate a profit without adding anything of value, other than risk and a possible payment in the future.

So, why is it necessary, when we are talking about ending excessive speculation, to get to the very core, not only of how you do that with a tax policy and with a transfer fee, but also how you deal with the financial oversight of the marketplace to make sure this never happens again?

I thank the gentleman for your comments. We are just about out of time so I'm going to ask my friend from Florida for some closing comments, especially on this critical issue that affects the middle class homeowners, and that's the mortgage foreclosure crisis.

And that's why the Blueprint for Recovery we've been talking about that the Populist Caucus has put forward--real solutions, concrete solutions, that are going to help us get out of this mess, by ending excessive speculation on Wall Street, making sure that we have a fair compensation system for the people who have gotten us into this mess, and spurring job creation with things like the Wall Street Bonus Tax Act, the National Infrastructure Development Act, the Make Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act, and the Buy American Improvement Act.

These four commonsense bills will make an enormous impact on the quality of life for middle class families. They also represent true populist policies that are about building America up, not tearing it down. It's about giving voice to the legitimate concerns of the American people who made this country great.

With that, I thank my colleagues, and I yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, some people may wonder why I am standing here tonight, because almost everyone who's spoken before me knew Jack Murtha longer and better than I did.

But one of the things that I want to share with everyone who cares about Jack is my first meeting in his office, because Jack came to the door and greeted me, and as we were walking in, I looked up on the wall of his office and I saw that famous photograph that Joe Rosenthal took of the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, and it was signed by Joe Rosenthal. And I stopped the chairman, and I pointed it out to him, and I told him that my father landed at Iwo Jima the same days that those flags were raised. And in that instant, Jack Murtha became my friend for life.

And we talked about the photograph, and I showed him that over the shoulder of those Marines on Mount Suribachi, you could see down on the shoreline on Green Beach LST-808, which was the landing ship tank that dropped my dad off on Iwo Jima 65 years ago yesterday.

And after that moment, any time I had a question or a concern or a problem that affected the men and women in my district or my State that served this country in uniform, I knew where to go, and I went to Jack Murtha.

And one of the amazing things about how all of this unfolded is Jack and I had talked about this year being the 65th anniversary of the invasion of Iwo Jima, and we talked about going there together. And unfortunately, because of his tragic loss of life, we never had that opportunity.

And I think about that because my dad died 29 years ago, and so many things about him were like Jack. He landed as an 18-year-old farm boy from Iowa, and he saw horrible things in war. Like Jack, he saw one of his good friends vaporized by a shell burst, and I have read the story of that account by the commanding officer of the core artillery that my dad served under, Colonel John Letcher.

One of the things that I did recently was I got a chance to tape the veteran's history interview of my cousin, Richard Braley, who, like my dad, was a Marine and served in Vietnam as an officer, just like Jack Murtha. And one of the things that is so special about people like my dad and my cousin and Jack Murtha is you never forget and you're always faithful.

So when my dad died 29 years ago, one of the most emotional things that happened was when my cousin flew all the way back from Hawaii so that someone would be at that small rural cemetery where he was buried to play taps, and he played it on his trumpet. And then he came up to me at the very end with tears in his eyes, and he said, I wonder if you could help. I brought this with me and I would like to put it in the casket. And I looked down and in his hand he had a small silver medallion with the words ``Semper Fidelis'' on it.

And when I heard these stories about Jack Murtha all afternoon long, one of the other things it reminded me of was how mad my mother used to get when my dad would stop and pick up hitchhikers, because she didn't think it was safe for him to be doing that. And I think my dad and Jack Murtha realized after the hell that they had lived through on the battlefield, that the rest of their lives was gravy.

And as I was listening here to all of these amazing stories about Jack, I was thinking to myself, I wish my father had lived to meet Jack.

And then it suddenly dawned on me that he probably has.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Defense Appropriations Act for FY10 and am glad that it includes extensions of several laws that are set to expire, such as extending unemployment benefits and COBRA health insurance. I am also pleased that it includes important items such as a delay of the scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors and an extension of highway programs.

I am disappointed, however, that several tax extenders that were passed by the House last week as part of the Tax Extenders Act will not be considered before the end of the year, such as the biodiesel tax credit. Although there has been some discussion to pass these extenders retroactively early next year, Congress' failure to extend the current credit before the end of the year could cause harm to the biodiesel facilities in my District. Unlike other tax extenders, the biodiesel tax credit is liquid and a retroactive tax bill is still not as effective as ensuring the tax credit continues uninterrupted. We not only need to get this extended in the short-term, but we need to come up with a longer-term plan to provide more security for investment in biodiesel which is good for the economy, the environment, and energy security.

I am also concerned that Congress has failed to extend the 1.0 Floor on the Work Geographic Practice Cost Index (GPCI) under Medicare Part B, which expires at the end of this year. This is exactly why we need to address these unfair GPCIs once and for all, which only serve to penalize Iowa medical providers who choose to accept Medicare patients. I have called for a permanent extension of the 1.0 Floor, and I have secured language in the Health Care Reform bill to address geographic disparities in Medicare. However, the current floor is still set to expire at the end of this year. I will continue to urge my colleagues to address this problem through a retroactive fix as soon as possible next year, and through a permanent fix of the unfair geographic adjusters under Medicare.

To help Iowa's farmers, it is also essential to extend the five-year depreciation for farming business machinery and equipment, as well as extensions of provisions encouraging farmers to set aside land for conservation. As we continue to work our way out of the harshest economic climate since the Great Depression, these tax credits will play a tremendous role in encouraging job creation and strengthening Iowa's middle class families. We also need to extend the Research and Development tax credit. By renewing this credit, we are taking meaningful steps to encourage companies to hire Iowa's educated and experienced workers for good-paying 21st century jobs that can't be outsourced.

Thanks again, Madam Speaker, for your leadership. We have gotten a lot accomplished this year, but it is critical that we make the tax extenders package a high priority item. I encourage you to work with the Senate to get this passed into law so that we don't lose

jobs in the industries that rely on these credits at the same time that we are working so hard to create them.

Madam Speaker, I regret missing floor votes on Monday, December 14, 2009 due to travel. If I was present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on rollcall 969, agreeing to H. Res. 779--Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month; ``yea'' on rollcall 970, agreeing H. Res. 942--Commending the Real Salt Lake soccer club for winning the 2009 Major League Soccer Cup.

Madam Chair, I strongly support the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and urge my Colleagues to vote for this bill.

I'm proud to chair the Populist Caucus. One of our founding principles is to fight for America's working families. For the past eight years, our economic policies have put the interests of Wall Street ahead of Main Street. Wall Street and big bank executives exploited loopholes and gambled with our money, which last year led us into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. And while some big banks continue to accept excessive compensation and bonus packages, America's middle class families are still struggling.

The firms that received more than $350 billion in federal TARP funds increased executive compensation by an average of four percent last year. This is outrageous and unacceptable. This legislation will provide shareholders of public companies an annual vote on executive compensation and help reign in excessive executive compensation.

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will hold Wall Street and big banks accountable by ending the practice of ``too-big- to-fail,'' so that America's taxpayers and middle class families are never again forced to pay off Wall Street's gambling debts. It will manage financial crises by requiring banks and other financial institutions worth at least $50 billion in assets to foot the bill for any bailouts in the future.

As we rebuild our economy, we must implement common-sense rules so that big banks and Wall Street don't jeopardize this recovery at the expense of hard-working Iowa families. This bill protects consumers from predatory lending abuses and finally brings transparency and accountability to an out-of-control financial system. It is about time that we put Main Street ahead of Wall Street. Thank you for taking up this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act. While there are many good provisions in this bill, I'm particularly pleased to see funding included in this legislation intended for a Biodegradable Lubricants Study which will reduce our dependency on foreign sources of oil.

In 2008, I successfully included language in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act which authorized a Biodegradable Lubricants Study to reduce our dependency on foreign sources of oil. This authorization language was included in the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act which was signed into law on October 16, 2008.

In 2009, I was pleased to secure an additional $3 million in funding for the Railroad Research and Development Account in the Transportation HUD Appropriations Act. This additional $3 million in funding is intended to fund the Biodegradable Lubricants study authorized in Division B: Section 405 of the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008, as well as other feasibility studies authorized in that bill.

I was pleased to see that additional $3 million for Railroad Research and Development included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act. I was also pleased to see language in the Joint Explanatory Statement which specifies that Railroad Research and Development funding will go towards studies and research authorized in the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008. The Biodegradable Lubricants Study authorized in this legislation will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce our national addiction to petroleum imports. If all industrial lubricants used annually in the U.S. could be replaced with biobased versions, over 2 billion gallons of petroleum per year would be replaced.

In performing this study, the National Ag-Based Lubricants Center (NABL) at the University of Northern Iowa would be a perfect partner for the Federal Railroad Administration. NABL's expertise and resources in biobased lubricants is unmatched, and it is the only entity whose primary mission is the research and testing of agricultural-based lubricants. I thank the Conferees for including the $3 million in additional funding for the FRA's Railroad Research and Development account and I look forward to seeing the Consolidated Appropriations Act signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend, Dr. Jim Young, on his impact on the health care reform debate. Earlier this year, Jim gave me a copy of the book, ``Overtreated,'' by Shannon Brownlee. This book, and Jim's encouragement, opened my eyes to the shortcomings of our country's reimbursement model, a fee-for- services model, and the need to go to a health care delivery system that rewards high-quality, low-cost patient outcomes.

After months of negotiations, I'm proud we were able to secure language in the House bill to finally achieve a quality-based reimbursement model. Jim has been practicing family medicine in Iowa since 1973, following his service in the United States Navy. He's a valuable adviser and friend, and his insights and inspiration helped improve the House Health Care Reform bill to better serve all America. His spirit and his example show what one person can do to change the course of history.