Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1149, which expresses support for the designation of April 2008 as National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that produces tiny lumps of cells called granulomas in the lungs, lymph nodes or skin. The cause of sarcoidosis is unclear, but it has been associated with exposures to organic and chemical dusts, metals, silica and wood dust or smoke.

We know that New York City Fire Fighters who responded to the World Trade Center collapses in the aftermath of 9/11 have markedly higher rates of sarcoidosis. In the year immediately following 9/11, there was a 6-fold increase from pre-9/11 levels.

There's no doubt that many heroes of 9/11 are sick because of their exposure to Ground Zero toxins. Raising awareness of sarcoidosis and encouraging funding for research into the disease is one small way we can honor the heroes and heroines of 9/11.

I thank the gentleman from Illinois for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and congratulate him on this resolution and all of his hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I want to thank Chairman Hinojosa and Congresswoman Biggert for their leadership in this area as co-chairs of the bipartisan Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus.

As this resolution states, we need to work to encourage government and private sector initiatives to enhance financial literacy. Given the current turmoil in the financial markets, the housing crisis, increasing credit card indebtedness and the economic downturn, it is very important that all Americans become better educated and more responsible financial consumers.

Financial literacy is important for many reasons, not the least of which is to learn how to save. As some point out, we have lost that ability. The Department of Commerce reports that personal saving as a percentage of disposable income, already low, declined to zero in the fourth quarter of 2007, and with the economic downturn, the situation will likely get worse. We need to help individuals develop personal savings skills, and this resolution will encourage them to do so.

The deregulation of financial markets and the rapid increase in the number and complexity of financial products stump even the most financially savvy. We know that financial literacy is especially low for certain groups, such as those with lower educational attainment and low income. If you don't understand how finance charges on mortgages, credit cards or car loans work, you can't make decisions that help you, and these decisions could push you further into debt without you realizing it.

The efforts of our school system are uneven, and we need to encourage them. In its 2007 Survey of the States, the National Council of Economic Education found that only 41 States require economic standards to be implemented in the high school curriculum, only 17 States actually require an economics course for graduation, only 22 States actually test students' knowledge of economics, only seven States require that students take a personal finance course for graduation, and only nine States actually test students' knowledge of personal finance.

Just last month, the Jump$tart Coalition released its annual study, which found that the 2008 high school senior class knows less about principles of basic personal finance than their 2006 counterparts. This does not bode well for their ability to manage their finances as a result.

This resolution shows our commitment to improving financial literacy through both public and private sector efforts. I urge my colleagues to support it. I congratulate the authors, and I congratulate the chairman and the ranking member for their efforts in moving it through the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4332) to amend the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Act to require the Council to establish a single telephone number that consumers with complaints or inquiries could call and be routed to the appropriate Federal banking agency or State bank supervisor, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 4332, the Financial Consumers Hotline Act of 2008, which has received strong bipartisan support from the Financial Services Committee.

The bill establishes a single toll-free telephone number that consumers can call if they have a problem with their bank and want to speak to someone who can help them.

Given that depository institutions in the United States can be regulated by any of five Federal regulators or a State regulator, consumers often don't know what entity to call if they have a problem with their account.

In a hearing in my subcommittee, the regulators and consumer groups testified that customers often end up calling their Attorney General. Since State authority over national banks has been preempted by the Federal OCC, AGs can't help in this category.

This legislation builds on a suggestion that Comptroller Dugan put forward to provide consumers with a single number to call to get help with their banking issues, and we drafted it in close consultation with all five regulators.

As the OCC, the FDIC, and the OTS all testified, this legislation will be cost efficient as well as consumer friendly. I should note that CBO came out with an estimate last week. The bill would have no significant effect on direct spending or revenues. So this legislation can help our constituents without spending any money.

Right now, each of the agencies has a Web site and provides a phone number for consumers to call with questions and has a staff to follow up on complaints or inquiries, some of which may be unique to their responsibilities. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has systems in place to respond to consumer inquiries about deposit insurance and bank failures.

This bill would not replace these existing consumer response systems, but helps consumers find them. It adds a simple one-stop routing method to minimize confusion for consumers who are unclear about where to call for help and directs them to the right agency for specialized assistance. The establishment of a single toll-free number will help encourage greater use of the agency's resources to help their consumers.

Establishment of a single toll-free number will also assist the banking regulators in compiling consumer complaints and inquiries so that better information would be available about problems or issues that cut across the institutions that the various agencies supervise. It would help governments spot developing problems. Congressional legislation and oversight would

also be better informed by such centralized statistics.

This legislation directs the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to set up the hotline. The Council is an existing interagency body established by statute to prescribe uniform principles and standards for financial institutions and to otherwise coordinate regulatory activity among the Federal banking regulators. The Federal Reserve, FDIC, NCUA, OCC, and OTS are all members of the Council.

The legislation also directs the Council to work with State banking regulators to integrate them into the hotline service. And, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors testified that they have already started to implement such a plan. The act also requires the Council to report to Congress 6 months after enactment on the agency's efforts to establish a public interagency Web site, likewise directing and referring consumer complaints and inquiries received on the Internet concerning any financial institution to the appropriate Federal or State financial institution regulatory agency.

I should note that not only the OCC but the Council as a whole has taken some steps in this direction on its own initiative, with an eye to both cutting costs and improving service to consumers. Last summer, the Council formed a working group to study ways in which the separate consumer complaint handling systems of each regulator could be streamlined and leveraged to better and more efficiently serve consumers.

With this legislation, we give consumers a statutory mandate and a timetable to support and guide these efforts, as well as a framework for congressional oversight.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I thank the Chair and the ranking member and subcommittee Ranking Member Biggert and many others for their help on this legislation. I urge a ``yea'' vote.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, as a proud member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the representative of a large and vibrant community of Armenian Americans, I rise to join my colleagues in the sad commemoration of the Armenian genocide.

Today we declare once again that the Turkish and American governments must finally acknowledge what we have long understood: that the unimaginable horror committed on Turkish soil in the aftermath of World War I was, and is, an act of genocide.

The tragic events began on April 24, 1915, when more than 200 of Armenia's religious, political and intellectual leaders were arrested in Constantinople and killed. Ultimately, more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered at the hands of the Young Turks, and more than 500,000 more were exiled from their native land.

On this 93rd anniversary of the beginning of the genocide, I join with the chorus of voices that grows louder with each passing year. We simply will not allow the planned elimination of an entire people to remain in the shadows of history. The Armenian genocide must be acknowledged, studied, and never, ever allowed to happen again.

Two years ago I joined with my colleagues in the Caucus in urging PBS not to give a platform to the deniers of the genocide by canceling a planned broadcast of a panel which included two scholars who deny the Armenian genocide. This panel was to follow the airing of a documentary about the Armenian Genocide. Along with Representative Anthony Weiner, I led a successful effort to convince Channel Thirteen in New York City to pull the plug on these genocide deniers.

The United States must join the parliaments of Canada, France, and Switzerland in passing a resolution affirming that the Armenian people were indeed subjected to genocide. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs took an important step last year in passing H. Res. 106, and I am hopeful that this resolution will make it to the Floor.

An acknowledgment of the genocide is not our only objective. I remain committed to ensuring that the U.S. Government continues to provide direct financial assistance to Armenia. Over the years, this aid has played a critical role in the economic and political advancement of the Armenian people. This year I have joined with my colleagues in requesting no military aid for Azerbaijan in the FY09 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. We also have requested $70 million in economic assistance for Armenia and $10 million for Nagorno-Karabakh.

Legislation passed in the 109th Congress and signed into law to reauthorize the Export Import Bank included important language prohibiting the Bank from funding railroad projects in the South Caucasus region that deliberately exclude Armenia.

American tax dollars should not be used to support efforts to isolate Armenia, and these provisions would prevent that by ensuring that U.S. funds are not used to support the construction of a new railway that bypasses Armenia. A railway already exists that connects the nations of Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, but because it crosses Armenia, an expensive and unnecessary new railway had been proposed. Allowing the exclusion of Armenia from important transportation routes would stymie the emergence of this region as an important east-west trade corridor.

On this solemn day, our message is clear: the world remembers the Armenian genocide, and the governments of Turkey and the United States must declare--once and for all--that they do, too.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for her very strong support and thoughtful work on this legislation, and I am proud to join Congresswoman Matsui and Congressmen Shays and Poe on this amendment which would require the Coast Guard to maintain an online database about missing persons and alleged crimes committed on cruise ships and to require cruise lines to include a link to this database on their public Web sites.

Like my good friend from Florida, I also represent many fine ports and many fine cruise lines that have taken steps to improve their procedures. But certainly individuals going on trips should know the track records of cruise lines, and know the steps they have taken to improve safety. The absolute most important part of a vacation is to make sure you have a safe, enjoyable time.

This is a commonsense amendment, and it will provide the public with valuable information before booking their trips, as well as give an indication of where there are challenges in the industry and improvements that have taken place. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Madam Speaker, on April 22, 2008, I missed rollcall votes numbered 205, 206, and 207. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 205, 206, and 207.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my strong support of H.R. 5613, the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008. This important legislation will prevent the implementation of seven Medicaid regulations before April 2009. Passage of H.R. 5613 is vitally important to my home state of New York. These regulations are estimated to cut Medicaid funding by nearly $20 billion over five years and will impact payments for safety net providers, hospital clinic services, rehabilitation services, graduate medical education and case management services. In my home district, the New York

City Health and Hospitals Corporation, HHC, the largest municipal hospital system in the country, would lose over $500 million a year, 10 percent of the HHC budget. To give perspective, HHC operates 11 acute care hospitals and more than 80 community clinics which serve 1.3 million patients, 400,000 of whom are uninsured.

Another of the proposed regulations would eliminate Medicaid funding for graduate medical education, GME. My district is a center for graduate medical education. If the GME proposed regulation goes into effect, the impact would be devastating to New York teaching hospitals which educate a disproportionate number of our nations doctors. New York trains one of every seven doctors in the country. The loss of Medicaid funding for physician training would be $590 million a year for all of the hospitals in New York City and $675 million a year for all of the hospitals in New York State. Reducing the GME would not only dramatically impact New York, it would negatively impact the entire country which relies on New York trained doctors.

We must not rush to cut services to beneficiaries. Instead, Congress must have the opportunity to thoughtfully and deliberately evaluate what is happening in the States and address any concerns.

Mr. Speaker, today we recognize the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel. On May 14, 1948, thousands of volunteer Yishuv fighters led by David Ben-Gurion celebrated as the Jewish Agency declared Israel an independent nation in accordance with the 1947 U.N. partition plan. The difficult months of fighting ahead were only eased by the knowledge that the volunteer army was fighting for its new and independent nation. U.S. President Harry S. Truman immediately recognized Israel as a sovereign and independent nation forging a bond between our two great democracies that has been one of mutual support and friendship ever since.

The people of Israel have, over the 60 years since Israel has become an independent state, established a vibrant democratic political system, including freedom of speech, association, and religion; a vigorously free press; free, fair and open elections; the rule of law; a fully independent judiciary; and other democratic principles and practices. Israel has developed an advanced, entrepreneurial economy, and is among the world's leaders in the high-tech industry. Israel has also bravely defended itself from numerous military attacks and acts of terrorism.

I stand with my colleagues and with my nation to celebrate the 60 years of a special relationship based on mutually shared democratic values, common strategic interests, and bonds of friendship and mutual respect. I am a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 322 that was introduced by Speaker Pelosi to celebrate this important milestone. On this occasion I also want to highlight the efforts that Israel and its leaders have made to make a lasting peace with its neighbors. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to the Israeli people for a peaceful, prosperous, and successful future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his hard work on so many important issues to the great city of New York and our country.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 3033, the Contractor and Federal Spending Accountability Act, legislation I have authored to help bring integrity and accountability to the Federal procurement system. I want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis, Chairman Towns and their staffs, and my own staff, for working so hard on this legislation.

The bill before us today has been modified from the version reported out by the committee to address concerns raised by some Members, including Ranking Member Davis. I want to thank him for his positive efforts on this bill, and for many positive efforts he has given to this committee in working in a collaborative way, and express my regret that he is retiring this year from this body.

Also, the concerns of the Chamber of Commerce have been addressed in the underlying bill. H.R. 3033, as amended, will fortify the current Federal suspension and debarment system by establishing a centralized and comprehensive database on actions taken against Federal contractors and assist participants requiring a description of each of these actions.

While the government has several separate information systems, currently there is no centralized comprehensive database for contracting officers to review prior performance and to review information on contractors before making an award or an additional contract award to contractors.

It requires the contracting officer to document why a prospective awardee is deemed responsible if that awardee has two or more offenses which would be cause for debarment within a 3-year period. H.R. 3033, as amended, specifies and clarifies that a ``concluded'' proceeding is one in which there is a finding of fault on the part of the person and the payment of restitution to a Federal or State government of $5,000 or more.

Additionally, it improves and clarifies the role of the Interagency Committee on Debarments and Suspension, and requires the administrator of General Services to report to Congress within 180 days with recommendations for further action to create the database.

This legislation has been strongly and consistently supported by the Campaign for Quality Construction and the Project on Government Oversight.

Currently the Federal Government's watchdogs, the Federal suspension and debarment officials, lack the information that they need to protect our business interests and taxpayers' dollars.

This system will give government procurement officers who are making these decisions more information about the qualifications and track records of the contractors. Beyond a listing of currently debarred or suspended persons, officials are now limited to their individual agency's knowledge of an entity's track record. This bill will make it easier for these procurement officers to prevent them giving contracts to those who repeatedly violate Federal laws or have poor performance, and it will prevent them from receiving future dollars from the Federal Government.

As a New York City councilwoman, I successfully led an effort to reform the contracting system of New York City. Included in that effort was a Vendex system which checked the backgrounds and the work of the contractors before awarding contracts. It has been credited with saving the city of New York hundreds of millions of dollars.

The United States is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the world, spending more than $419 billion on procurement awards in 2006, and over $440 billion on grants in 2005. It is Congress's responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely and not wasted, certainly not wasted in our contracting system, and we should not be giving awards to contractors who have poor performance records.

I believe by improving the system for awarding contracts, I believe that this is critical for boosting the public's faith in our government and it will save taxpayers' dollars. I urge my colleagues to support this reform bill.

Madam Speaker, today on behalf of myself, Chairman Danny Davis, Chairman George Miller, Mr. Hoyer, Ranking Member Tom Davis and 17 other members, I introduce a new version of the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008.

This new version of the bill will provide 8 weeks of paid parental leave to all employees of the Federal Government. In the legislative branch, this includes employees of the Chief Administrative Officer, the Capitol Guide Service, the Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, Office of Compliance, Office of Technology Assessment, Member and committee offices, and employees of the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress.

As our Nation's largest employer, the Federal Government should be a leader in family-friendly workplace policies. Current policy not only does not lead, but in fact lags behind what most private sector employers provide. In a time when the Federal Government is struggling to recruit and retain the most qualified workforce, offering family- friendly workplace policies will not only make the Federal Government a more attractive employer, but will also set a standard for other industries to follow.

Madam Speaker, today, along with Representative Melancon, I am re-introducing ``The Mortgage and Rental Assistance Restoration Act of 2008.''

My bill would reauthorize the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Act, MRA, which was discontinued by the Disaster Mitigation Act, effective May 2002. The MRA provides mortgage or rental payments to people who suffer a loss of income due to a federally declared disaster such as a hurricane or terrorist attack. Without a job, most people would be unable to keep their homes due to the financial burdens of mortgages or rents. The MRA provides cover for both homeowners and renters.

After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, individuals who required temporary housing assistance relied upon the MRA, included in the Stafford Act, for aid. Under the MRA program, many were eligible for grants to repair homes to a habitable condition, or to obtain mortgage or rental payment assistance to prevent foreclosures or evictions.

The MRA program was a crucial component to help victims of the September 11 attack in my home State of New York. However, in 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the MRA was not available for mortgage or rental assistance. As a result many people who would have been eligible for mortgage or rental assistance were unable to receive it. This was unfair and detrimental to the recovery process.

The United States Government has a responsibility to help communities recover from unpredictable disasters and help citizens keep from losing their homes. The MRA program helps provide stability during unstable times, and that is why it must be reauthorized.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). We call it FYROM for short. FYROM is located just north of present day Greece, and its capital is Skopje. It is one of the countries formed from the breakup of the former Yugoslav Republic, Yugoslavia.

FYROM is an interim name. The U.N. oversees a framework where Greece and FYROM have agreed to negotiate a mutually agreeable permanent name for this new nation. As the founder and cofounder of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, this is an issue of tremendous importance to Greece and the Caucus.

All historical and archaeological evidence demonstrates that the ancient Macedonians were Greek. Macedonia is a Greek name that was designated in the northern area of Greece for 2,500 years.

In 1944, the name of Skopje region was changed to Macedonia as part of Tito's imperialistic campaign to gain control of the Greek province of Macedonia. The United States opposed Tito's use of the name Macedonia at that time, but in November 2004, unilaterally and without warning, this present administration decided to recognize the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia as Macedonia, using the Greek name. It was a shock and a disappointment to the Greek American community, and myself and many others, that the White House went against prior U.S. policy to recognize FYROM as Macedonia just 2 days after the 2004 presidential election, and before talks were completed among the nations most directly affected by the outcome.

Along with former Representative Bilirakis and 68 of our colleagues, we sent a letter to the former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, expressing our concerns about this decision. We also organized meetings with the American Ambassador and other officials in the State Department. We believe that the name ``Macedonia'' properly belongs to Greek culture and, therefore, should not be used by any other country. Greek Macedonia is one of the oldest civilizations known to man, and the history of this name should be recognized and respected.

Along with my colleagues, Bilirakis, Sarbanes and Space, we have introduced legislation, H.R. 356, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the FYROM should stop the utilization of materials that violate provisions of the U.N.-brokered interim agreement between FYROM and Greece regarding hostile activities or propaganda, and should work with the U.N. and Greece to achieve long- standing U.S. and U.N. policy goals of finding a mutually acceptable name. Our bipartisan resolution now has over 114 cosponsors.

I just want to say that, in a major good will gesture, Greece has already agreed with the word Macedonia in the name. And they say it would be acceptable as long as it is combined with some type of qualifier to make clear that there are no designs on the historical boundaries of the provinces of Macedonia. But Skopje keeps doing sort of antagonistic things. This week, they erected a billboard in Skopje that depicts the Greek flag, but in the area where the cross is, they have put in a swastika. I would like to say to my colleagues, if someone erected billboards with the American flag and put a swastika where our stars are, we would be somewhat upset.

Also, in their textbooks, and I have examples here, they print maps that show that Skopje includes territories of Greece. They have also printed on their currency the symbol of Greece; the white tower was on their currency. We have since had them remove it. But I would say to my colleagues, if at the height of the power of the USSR, if they started printing maps that showed their boundaries, including Alaska, and decided to take our Statue of Liberty and put it on their flag, I think we would be a little upset that our symbols and our territory had been used in such a way.

I bring this to my colleagues today because just this week the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold a Heads of State and Government summit in Bucharest, Romania. One of the major issues considered will be the expansion of NATO and the possible extension of membership invitations to Albania, Croatia and to the FYROM. In this context, I will submit for the record the March 27th article in the Huffington Post entitled, ``NATO Enlargement--the View from Athens,''

written by Greece's Ambassador to the U.N., Alexandros Mallias.

NATO Enlargement--The View From Athens

An important NATO summit will take place next week in

Bucharest, Romania. Our discussion will focus on two main

issues: the first, NATO enlargement and developments in the

Western Balkans; the second, an evaluation of the Alliance's

operations in Afghanistan (ISAF) and Kosovo (KFOR). In both

of these U.N. mandated operations, there is an important

Greek contribution of 2,000 men.

Greece, for over 15 years now, has held the position that

the future of Southeastern Europe lies in its integration

into the Euroatlantic Institutions. On the basis of this

strategic choice, we support NATO's ``open door'' policy. An

open door policy, however, must be based on the principles of

good neighborly relations and allied solidarity.

Greece supports the enlargement of NATO in the Western

Balkans, with the invitations to Croatia and Albania. It is

ready also to welcome the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia (FYROM), provided that our northern neighbor shifts

from their nationalistic logic and agree to a mutually

agreeable name for international use that differentiates the

new Balkan state from the Greek province of Macedonia; a name

that will not be a vehicle for propaganda and irredentism

against a neighboring NATO member.

Athens has shown its good will towards Skopje in many ways.

It has supported its neighbor, both politically and

economically, ranking as the number one foreign investor in

that country, with $1 billion invested capital that has

generated 30,000 new jobs. Most recently, we went the extra

mile, or rather the most important mile, when we expressed

our readiness to agree to a composite name with a geographic

qualifier. This is a major shift from Greece's initial

position, which excluded any use of the term ``Macedonia'',

in the name of our neighbor.

Some have questioned our stance on the name issue and the

possibility of a Greek veto at the NATO summit, if the name

issue is not resolved by then. Some are suggesting that we

are re-fighting old battles, not seeing the ``big picture'',

that we are drawn into the past.

My answer to these claims is that the name issue is not a

bilateral one. It is an international issue, which concerns

our broader region. Directly, or indirectly, it concerns NATO

and the U.N. And, if not resolved now, it may fester to

poison future generations, undermining stability and

cooperation in the 21st century.

We hope that with active U.N. mediation and U.S.

involvement, a resolution of this issue will be achieved

before the Bucharest summit.

On this issue, we are not alone. 115 members of the U.S.

Congress, from both parties, support House Resolution 356,

expressing the ``sense of the House of Representatives that

FYROM should stop hostile activities and propaganda against

Greece, and should work with the United Nations and Greece to

find a mutually acceptable official name''.

A similar resolution, S.R. 300, was introduced in the

Senate by Senators Menendez, Obama, Snowe.

The immediate settlement of the name issue before the NATO

Summit in a mutually agreeable way, will allow Greece, the

U.S.'s strongest ally in the Balkans, to support FYROM's

membership to NATO and ultimately to the European Union, a

strategic goal also shared by the U.S.

A prerequisite for a proper relationship as allies and

partners is that of good neighborliness. We have lived

together through good and bad times, we have shared tragedy,

but also share hope for a bright future. Let's leave behind

the former and invest in the latter.

Greece has called upon FYROM's leadership to act

responsibly and show political courage and meet Greece half

way. It will be a responsible move on the part of an aspiring

candidate, a move that will win them a European future, a

future of stability, peace and economic prosperity, based on

the principles upon which NATO and the European Union are

founded.

Alexandros P. Mallias is Ambassador of Greece to the United

States.

Greece has consistently stated its desire to have the FYROM admitted into NATO provided that they cease the use of the name ``Republic of Macedonia'' and adopt a mutually acceptable name for both parties. Along with the 114 cosponsors, we urge them to take this into consideration.

Madam Speaker, today I am introducing a bill with my colleagues Mr. Wynn, Mr. Hoyer, Mrs. Holmes Norton, Mr. Tom Davis, Mr. Turner, Mr. Honda, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Ruppersberger, and Mr. Cohen to name the new Census Bureau Headquarters building for Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson. The Founding Fathers' recognition of the need for fully representative government which put power in the hands of the people was unprecedented at the time of the Constitution's adoption. The modern decennial census is a uniquely American invention. Naming the Census Bureau Headquarters for Thomas Jefferson, who oversaw the first national census, underscores this historic contribution.

Mr. Chairman, as Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, I am pleased to speak in the time reserved by the Budget Act for a discussion of economic goals.

America has the strongest and wealthiest economy in the world. When government makes the right choices, economic growth helps all Americans live a better life today and provides a good future for our children tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has not been making responsible choices over the past 7 years. We must chart a more sensible course for economic policy than has been pursued by this administration. Our Democratic majority has made important progress, but there is still much more to do.

President Bush was once fond of saying that his policies were working to make the economy strong. But the economy is now teetering on the brink of what may be the second recession of the Bush Presidency.

It is now clear that even the relatively weak economic growth experienced earlier in this administration was built on an unstable foundation.

The soaring housing prices that helped fuel our economic recovery now appear to have been a classic asset bubble. The collapse of that bubble is spreading throughout our entire financial and credit system.

American families are optimistic, by nature, but they are understandably worried about the future. Most American families have struggled just to hold their economic ground.

Under President Bush's management, our economy has set record after record, but they have been the wrong kinds of records, historically, poor levels of job growth, the greatest gap between the haves and the have not since the 1920s, record numbers of uninsured Americans. Over 47 million Americans lack health insurance.

A record $9 trillion Federal debt, the largest in our history, and the largest single-year deficit in U.S. history. Record oil prices, record declines in the value of the dollar, record trade deficits that are the largest in history, record declines in housing prices and home equity that are leaving families owing more than their homes are worth.

Bush's job growth record is among the worst of any President since Hoover. As this chart shows, since the Great Depression, only his father has presided over a slower rate of job growth. As you see, the rate of job growth under President Clinton was four times higher than President Bush or Bush's father.

Wage growth has been even slower. Wages are up less than 4 percent in real terms since President Bush came into office. This chart shows the contrast between sluggish wage growth and soaring prices for such basic needs as education, health care, and gasoline. These basic costs of living have grown over 10 times faster than wages.

Look at this chart. The average wages are up 3.8 percent; public university tuition, 40 percent. Family health insurance premiums are up 46 percent, and a gallon of gas is up 87 percent. Middle class workers are being left behind because their hard work has not translated into bigger paychecks.

This chart shows the divergence between strong productivity growth, shown on the top blue line, and much weaker growth in real compensation for ordinary workers, shown in the bottom red line.

Workers' productivity and their compensation used to grow together, but now they grow apart, as this chart shows. This was still true as recently as the late 1990s, but it is not true today. So here you see that for decades the productivity per hour and real compensation per hour basically grew together at the same time, at the same rate. But now look at the great difference between the productivity per hour, the output per an average worker, and the real compensation that the average worker takes home.

If our increased wealth has not gone to ordinary workers, then where has it gone? One answer is that it has gone to a very few at the top of our economy. The divide between the haves and the have-nots is reaching yet another record, a poor record level. We have the largest gap between the haves and the have-nots in many a long time. This chart shows that the share of income held by the top 1 percent of taxpayers is not at the highest level, 19.4 percent, since the Roaring 20s.

The compensation growth that the middle class has received came much more from benefits than from wages. Benefit costs have been increasing because health insurance costs are increasing, are rising up 47 percent in inflation-adjusted terms since 2007.

As this chart shows, rising health costs have driven the number and percentage of uninsured Americans to record levels; 47 million Americans are uninsured today, up 8.6 million since President Bush took office. Yet again another unfortunate record from this administration.

Slow job growth and stagnant wages during much of the Bush administration have depressed families' real incomes. The typical American family is earning almost $1,000 less than they did when the President took office and after taking inflation into account. As families struggle to make ends meet, they borrowed more and more from their major source of wealth and savings: the equity in their homes.

Under the Bush administration, families' equities stake in their homes has declined to the lowest level ever recorded. As housing prices drop, families will no longer be able to draw on this source of income to make up for slow wage and job growth. Yet, the President and his supporters react to these disturbing trends by pressing tax cuts that largely benefit our most fortunate families.

This chart shows the distribution of the benefits received from the tax cuts. The tall bar on the right shows that households earning $1 million or more in 2007 income received over 100 times more money in these tax cuts than middle income families did. Incredibly, one-fifth of tax benefits went to these few families who make up just three- tenths of 1 percent of taxpayers.

The Bush administration claimed that these tax cuts would drive investment creating growth in wages and employment, but these claims have proven to be false.

To make matters worse, the tax cuts have been funded using borrowed money. According to the Brookings Institution, the Federal Government has already borrowed some $1.6 trillion to fund the tax cuts.

When President Bush came into office in 2001, he inherited a projected 10-year budget surplus of $5.6 trillion. He inherited a government in good financial shape prepared to deal with the budget challenges posed by the retirement of the baby boomer generation and prepared to invest in improving the future standard of living of all of our children and our grandchildren. But this administration has presided over a stunning reversal of fortune.

This year our gross Federal debt will top $9.6 trillion, the largest in history, or more. That means that every American owes $30,000 per person to pay off this staggering debt. As a share of our economy, that's the highest level since 1955 when we were paying off debts from World War II. This is the financial mess that we have to clean up.

Thanks to the President's policies, we are now a nation of debtors relying on the rest of the world to finance our budget deficits and the cost of the war in Iraq. As former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers has said: There is something very odd about the world's greatest power being the world's greatest debtor.

Our current account deficit, which is the broadest measure of our trade deficit with the rest of the world, rose to yet another record, a record smashing $857 billion in 2006. And last year was likely even worse. The amount of Federal debt owned by foreigners has more than doubled under Bush's watch, rising to nearly $2.4 trillion, with Japan and China alone holding more than $1 trillion of our debt.

How does the administration address our financial problems? They turn to cuts and benefits from middle and working-class families. The President's proposed some $30 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program. That's a program that provides health care for some 27 percent of our Nation's children. These cuts couldn't come at a worse time. A recent study by the staff of the Joint Economic Committee estimated that should the economy enter into even a mild recession, some 1 million additional children per year would require Medicaid benefits. So these cuts are especially cruel.

Even while proposing these cuts and benefits, the administration wishes to continue massive levels of spending on the misguided priorities that landed us in this fiscal mess. The President's budget calls for all of the 2001 and 2006 tax cuts to be made permanent. But Democrats are not about to mortgage anymore of our children's future for all of these irresponsible tax breaks.

What is more, we have heard no plans for lessening the enormous fiscal and economic drain created by the mismanaged war in Iraq. This chart shows the steady upward march in the administration's requested spending for the war. That's over $600 billion just so far, with no end in sight. In fact, in this year's 2009 budget, the administration even refuses to tell us what the full-year cost for the war might be. Future costs will be truly massive if the Nation does not change course.

The Joint Economic Committee has submitted that over the next decade, a continued presence in Iraq will cost us a total of $1.9 trillion in Federal spending and $2.8 trillion in total impacts on the economy. You can find this report on my Web site.

But the good news is that we have a choice. We don't have to continue spending on the misguided priorities of the last 7 years. If we make responsible choices, our government can once again help middle class families improve their quality of life while saving and investing to improve the lives of future generations.

Our Democratic Congress has made important progress on this agenda. We have worked with the President to increase the minimum wage, expand Head Start, assist struggling homeowners, and increase opportunities in higher education. We've expanded investments in energy independence, green technology, and America's future competitiveness in science and technology.

What is more, we have paid for it all in a fiscally responsible manner. We've also worked with the President to pass an economic stimulus package that was truly targeted to middle class families who needed the assistance most.

Unfortunately, the President has blocked progress on many other initiatives. He has vetoed health insurance for America's uninsured kids, a change of course in Iraq he vetoed, and dozens of other bills. We must turn away from the failed policies of the past which has given us record levels of debt, trade deficit, and deficits of the highest records in history and an order to fully deliver on what the economy can do for all Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time.

I thank the gentleman for his testimony, but I want to point out that you have to remember that the Republican Congress and President Bush have been in charge of this economy for 7 years. And when President Bush came into office in 2001, he inherited a projected 10-year budget surplus of $5.6 trillion. And he inherited a government in good financial shape, prepared to deal with the budget challenges that the country confronts. And yet under his tenure, under his leadership and a Republican Congress, they turned this surplus into an $8.8 trillion hole, the biggest reversal in history.

And we have to remember that President Bush gave us a series of records, but they're the wrong kinds of records. This country now has the largest debt in the history of our country, $9.6 trillion. Each American owes $30,000 of this debt. And we have the largest trade deficit. They have dug us into an $8.8 trillion reversal, and this was given to us by the Bush administration and the Republican Congress.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

May I inquire of the Chair how much time remains on the Democratic side and how much remains on the Republican side.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

To respond to some of the points made by the gentleman from Texas on the high cost of the war, the gentleman from Texas has pointed out that the war is not paid for, that it's off budget, and I support his recommendation that it should not be in a supplemental emergency spending bill.

This chart here shows the Federal spending on the Iraq war versus other priorities in the 2008 budget authorization. The Iraq war is costing, the request, twice as much as is in the Federal budget for transportation for the entire country, and it is five times more than what is in the budget now for the National Institutes of Health. It is seven times more than the college tuition assistance. So this is really costing Americans a great deal of money that could be spent on other priorities.

This chart here shows that the administration wants to spend $435 million on Iraq every day. And each year that money could be used to enroll for an entire year 57,000 children in Head Start, fund an additional 150,000 Pell Grants for low-income students for an entire year, save 290,000 families from losing their homes. It could hire for an entire year an additional 10,000 Border Patrol agents. It could hire more than 9,000 police officers for a year, and provide health insurance for 330,000 low-income children through the SCHIP program. So, for $435 million that they are requesting for Iraq every day, you could provide for an entire year health insurance for over 330,000 low- income children.

So I really want to join my colleague from Texas in his comments on the spending on the war.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, how much time is left on the Democratic and Republican sides?

Mr. Chairman, I would like to comment on the statement that my good friend and colleague from the State of Tennessee claims that this is the largest tax increase in history. But all we are doing as Democrats is applying the basic rules of fiscal responsibility to expiring tax provisions.

Tax cuts should not be financed with borrowing. Tax cuts are not true tax cuts if they are not paid for. We have committed to preserve middle-class tax cuts if they can be properly paid for in 2010.

And if I could, Mr. Chairman, I will quote from nonpartisan budget groups that agree that the House budget resolution does not raise taxes. These are nonpartisan groups, The Hamilton Project of the Brookings Institute,

``The House Budget Committee's budget resolution would not raise taxes.'' The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, ``Neither of the plans that the House and the Senate recommended this week by the Budget Committees include a tax increase.'' The Concord Coalition, ``Applying PAYGO, pay-as-you-go, rules to expiring tax cuts does not constitute a tax increase. It constitutes a policy decision requiring a balancing of priorities. That is what budgeting is all about.''

I reserve the balance of my time. I yield to my colleague, Congressman Brady. And we have no other speakers on my side. So after you close, I then will close for my side.

I thank the gentleman for his participation tonight.

And I just would like to respond that the Republican budget proposal claims to pay for tax cuts with enormous, but unspecified, cuts in government spending. But when my Republican colleagues were in charge of Congress, along with the President, they did not cut spending. Instead, spending and earmarks grew massively. And so did the Federal debt.

My Republican colleagues and the President gave this country a series of records, but they were the wrong kinds of records. They gave us record debt, $9.6 trillion, the largest in the history of this country. So when they talk about financial responsibility, this is what they gave this country when they inherited a surplus. They gave us the largest debt in history. Every American owes $30,000 to this debt. They also gave us the largest trade deficit in history. And they also gave us the largest deficit in history.

So what we have before us, Mr. Chairman, is a responsible budget put forward by the Democratic leadership. And, Mr. Chairman, the challenge for this Congress is to return to the fiscal discipline that has been squandered by the President and his party over the past 7 years giving us the largest debt in history.

Today, Democrats in Congress present a realistic budget plan that adheres to PAYGO principles. We eliminate President Bush's deficits by 2012 and make the investments necessary to strengthen our economy and make Americans safer.

I want to remind my colleagues that under the Clinton administration, every year the deficits got smaller. But under the Bush administration, every year they have gotten larger. Our budget, the Democratic budget, provides health care for millions of additional uninsured children. We make critical investments in defense and our veterans health care. We also restore crucial funding for Medicare and Medicaid, as well as State and local law enforcement programs.

In order to spur innovation that will keep America number one, we provide increased funding for math and science education and research. We also expand renewable energy and energy efficiency programs to reduce global warming and our dependence on foreign oil. And we provide new training opportunities to prepare workers for green collar jobs. Our budget makes important investments in infrastructure to begin to rebuild our crumbling bridges and levees.

Democrats target tax relief to families struggling to make ends meet in the face of an economic downturn. Our plan extends middle-income tax breaks, including the child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, and we protect 20 million middle-income American families from being snagged by the alternative minimum tax.

Mr. Chairman, this budget resolution is an important step towards putting our financial fiscal house back in order and creating greater economic opportunities and prosperity for all American families.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move that the Committee do now rise.

I thank my colleague and friend for yielding and for her leadership.

As an original cosponsor of this legislation and co-Chair and founder of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic issues, I rise to celebrate the 187th anniversary of Greece's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Against incredibly difficult odds, the Greeks defeated one of the most powerful empires in history to win their independence. Following 400 years of Ottoman rule, in March 1821 Bishop Germanos raised the traditional Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavras, inciting his countrymen to rise up against the Ottoman army. Bishop Germanos' message to his people was clear: A new spirit was about to born in Greece. The following year, the Treaty of Constantinople established full independence of Greece.

New York City is home to the largest Hellenic population outside of Greece and Cyprus. Western Queens, which I have the honor of representing, is often called ``Little Athens'' because of the large Hellenic population in that neighborhood.

New Yorkers celebrate Greek Independence Day with a parade down Fifth Avenue, along with many cultural events.

These events, hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies and other Hellenic and philhellenic organizations and friends, remind us of the strong Hellenic American community's many strong contributions to our Nation's history and culture. Relations between the U.S. and Greece remain strong with a shared commitment to ensuring stability in southeastern Europe. I hope permanent solutions can be found for ending the division of Cyprus and finding a mutually agreeable name for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

We have over 110 cosponsors of my legislation, and with the upcoming NATO summit, the time is more important than ever to find a solution to the name dispute.

Additionally, I strongly support the inclusion of Greece in the Visa Waiver Program, and I have legislation before this body on this issue. Greece is the only member of the original 15 European nations not to belong to the Visa Waiver Program, and I was pleased that the administration formally nominated Greece for the Visa Waiver Program this September, and we will continue to monitor Greece's progress.

I ask the Nation to join me in celebrating Greece's independence. Additionally, it is my sincere pleasure to pay tribute to New York's Hellenic American community for its many, many contributions to our city and our Nation. ``Zeto E Eleftheria,'' long live freedom.

May we join in celebrating Greece's independence and its many contributions to our democracy through its form of government and its history.