Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to join the Hellenic- Americans and Philhellenes in my district and throughout the country in celebrating ``OXI Day (No Day),'' which falls on the 28th of October. This year marks the 67th anniversary of a very important day in Hellenic history, the day on which brave Greek patriots said ``No'' to fascism, ``No'' to injustice, and ``No'' to slavery. For those individuals who lived through that momentous period and their descendants, many of whom live in the 14th Congressional District of New York, ``OXI Day'' is more than a memory: it is the embodiment of Hellenism and its highest ideals.

At dawn on October 28, 1940, General lonnas Metaxas was confronted with an ultimatum. An Italian ambassador delivered a message directly from General Mussolini demanding that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory and occupy certain unspecified ``strategic locations'' or face war. General Metaxas simply replied ``No!'' and committed the brave people of Greece to resistance against Axis oppression. With level-headed determination and steadfast resolve, the citizenry of Greece mobilized. Men went calmly to their closets and retrieved their military uniforms and weapons. Women went about their necessary tasks, and the children assisted as they were able.

On OXI Day, the people of Greece chose the harder path, the path of resistance. That brave generation of Hellenes refused to submit to oppression even at the cost of their homes, their land, and their lives. Theirs was an act of self-sacrifice that clearly proclaimed the humanitarian ideals of their Orthodox Christian faith and their ethnic heritage. The Greeks' brave defense of their land was a crucial turning point in the Axis eastern advances. Dogged resistance by Greek patriots weakened Axis morale and derailed the Nazi war effort by delaying the eventual attack on Soviet Union. The Greeks' sacrifice will forever be remembered and honored by the free nations of the world.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the heroes of OXI Day. In their brave words and deeds we see all of the highest virtues of Hellenic heritage: passion for justice, courage at a time of trial, unity in the midst of conflict, and willingness to sacrifice one's life for the good of others. On this day, we thank Greece for saying ``OXI.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2868, bipartisan legislation that would enhance the competitiveness of U.S. capital markets by allowing exchanges to establish developmental tiers to expand listing opportunities in the U.S. for smaller companies.

H.R. 2868 would remove the barrier to creating developmental listing tiers on several of the major exchanges in the U.S. by amending Section 18 of the National Securities Markets Improvement Act (NSMIA). Under the bill, all securities listed on a developmental tier would be subject to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight and state blue-sky regulations in an effort to uphold investor protections.

Right now, the inability to develop an additional, developmental tier can be a significant impediment to an exchange's ability to compete in the global marketplace. These barriers make our markets less competitive for small cap listings and can drive companies to list outside the United States.

London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) for example, is attracting capital worldwide and recruiting U.S. IPO's. According to a recent International Herald Tribune report, companies listed on London's AIM raised $30 billion in capital in 2006. The exchange has tripled its number of listed companies to 1,640 since 2000, with about one-third of them international. A total of 63 companies worth about $11 billion are from the United States--the highest representation on

Madam Speaker, I was unable to cast floor votes during the week of October 8, 2007, and on October 15, 2007, because of a death in the family.

Had I been present for the votes, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 958, 960, 961, 962, and 963, and ``no'' on rollcall votes 956, 957, 959.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Free Flow of Information Act, H.R. 2102, legislation that would prevent journalists from being forced to reveal their confidential sources in legal proceedings.

This important bill has strong bipartisan support and the endorsement of countless news organizations and the Newspaper Association of America.

The ``press shield'' is critical to the functioning of our democracy. Compelling reporters to testify and reveal the identity of confidential sources hinders the free flow of information. Many people with important information about government wrongdoing would rather stay quiet than reveal their identities. Sometimes the only way a reporter can gain access to a source's information, and bring it to the public's attention, is by guaranteeing that source confidentiality.

H.R. 2012 strikes a common sense balance between the public's need for information and fair justice. It would compel reporters to reveal the identity of a source if the court finds it necessary to prevent ``imminent and actual harm to national security'' or ``imminent death or significant bodily harm.''

The First Amendment states that, ``Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.'' The Founding Fathers clearly envisioned a free press that would enable the electorate to make informed decisions and hold the government in check. That's precisely what this bill would do.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2012 and protect the free press that our Founders envisioned.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Phoenix House, an honorable organization that has been an outstanding member of my community and many other communities nationwide for 40 years. The praise is well-deserved, and I am proud to recognize its invaluable service to our country.

Phoenix House is a provider of substance abuse treatment and prevention services operating in nine states across the country. In my district alone, it provides critical services to nearly 600 people each year. Phoenix House utilizes an approach based on mutual support and success through community. Today, we celebrate Phoenix House's 40 years of commitment to and success in serving those struggling with addiction and substance abuse.

Six heroin addicts started the Phoenix House in 1967 when they came together at a dextoxification program at a New York hospital. Today, it is the nation's leading nonprofit substance abuse treatment and prevention agency--operating more than 100 programs in New York, California, Texas, Florida, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont.

Over the years, Phoenix House has treated approximately 150,000 substance abusers and currently cares for nearly 6,000 men, women, and teens each day. Phoenix House operates more than 100 programs including residential centers for adults, as well as outpatient, and prison programs--at close to 120 locations in nine states. It also provides education and prevention programs, with in-school and after-school programs that reach more then 30,000 young people every year.

Moreover, for more than two decades, Phoenix House has operated the Phoenix Academies, where teens can make up schooling lost to drugs and recapture opportunities for higher education and careers. As a result, thousands of at-risk youth every year are given the tools and support they need to leave drug abuse behind and become contributing members of their communities. There are now eleven Phoenix Academies operating in seven states, and they were designated by the U.S. Department of Justice as a ``model program'' in 2005.

A 2004 study by RAND Corporation, a respected research organization, found that adolescents treated at a Phoenix House Academy demonstrated substantial reductions in drug use and unlawful behavior and improvement in psychological status--and that the Academy outperformed other juvenile programs in achieving these objectives.

Phoenix House is also the leading research organization among treatment providers. Its expanding research agenda reflects the broad array of services it provides; its growing number of research partners; and the historic imperative of Phoenix House to improve, refine, and innovate to make its services better, stronger, less costly, more accessible, and more predictably effective. I believe that those are objectives that all of us, as a Congress, can support.

Phoenix House was recently featured in an HBO documentary series titled Addiction. The project is one of the most ambitious efforts ever undertaken to educate the American public about drug addiction as well as recent advancements in treatment. Addiction aired on HBO in March, April, and May of 2007. I am honored to join Phoenix House in celebrating its 40 year commitment to fighting the war on drugs. I want to thank Phoenix House for the lives it has touched and its leadership in battling this harmful addiction that affects every family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 405, of which I am a cosponsor, which expresses the strong support of the House of Representatives for the implementation of the July 8, 2006, U.N.-brokered agreement between President of the Republic of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat relating to the reunification of Cyprus. As a co-founder and co- chair of the Hellenic Caucus, I want to thank Representative Bilirakis, my fellow co-chair, for introducing the bill and working to bring it to the floor today.

On July 8, 2006, President Papadopoulos and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed, under the auspices of the United Nations, to a set of principles to begin a process of discussions aimed at ending the division of Cyprus. The agreement calls for a commitment to the unification of Cyprus based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and political equality, as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions. The agreement also called for the establishment of technical committees and working groups to examine and discuss a variety of issues including those that affect the daily lives of the people.

I believe that the United States must play an active role in the resolution of the serious issues facing Cyprus, and I hope that passage of H. Res. 405 by the House today will be a positive influence in moving this process forward in preparation for new comprehensive negotiations leading to the unification of Cyprus within a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3648, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act.

This bill will end the double-whammy of paying taxes on the lost value of their homes by providing a permanent exclusion from gross income of discharged home mortgage debt.

We are passing this legislation at a time when anxiety over the state of the economy remains high and concerns mount that the subprime mortgage meltdown will infect the rest of the economy.

Last month, RealtyTrac released the latest bad news that foreclosures reported in August increased 36 percent since July and 115 percent since this time last year.

Expectations are that the next 18 months will be even worse, as many subprime loans reset to higher rates. We have real concerns that this subprime crisis will cause 2.2 million people to lose their homes.

The credit crunch, the worsening housing slump, market volatility, and weak consumer confidence point to a gathering storm that could drag down the economy, possibly taking thousands of American jobs with it.

In the face of this gathering storm, Democrats in Congress are working to help families stay in their home and are working to prevent another crisis. The House has passed FHA and GSE reform bills. We are working on a predatory lending bill.

We are working with regulators to advocate forbearance and with servicers to engage in workouts for strapped borrowers.

We recognize this crisis in homeownership and we are doing everything we can to respond in a forceful and responsible way.

Again, I support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, on October 2, 2007, I was unable to cast my floor vote on rollcall votes 927, 928, 929, 930, and 931.

Had I been present for the votes, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 927, 928, 929, 930, and 931.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 928, the ``Improving Government Accountability Act.'' I commend Chairman Waxman for his leadership on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a member, and for his efforts to ensure that the government is working for the American people. This legislation includes provisions of a bill that I introduced earlier this year which will provide for the enhanced protection of the Internal Revenue Service and its employees.

In 1998, Congress passed the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act, which created the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The legislation gave TIGTA the responsibility for protecting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against external attempts to corrupt or threaten IRS employees. At the same time, it excluded the provision of providing ``physical security'' from TIGTA's responsibilities.

Prior to the enactment of this law, the former IRS Inspection Service had been responsible for protecting the IRS against external attempts to corrupt or threaten IRS employees. The IRS Inspection Service was responsible for providing armed escorts for IRS employees who were specifically threatened or who were contacting individuals designated as ``Potentially Dangerous Taxpayers.'' The law transferred most of those duties to the new Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Inexplicably, ``physical security'' was excluded from TIGTA's statutory responsibilities.

In its current statutory mission, TIGTA investigates all allegations of threats or assaults involving IRS employees and assists U.S. Attorneys' offices with appropriate prosecutions. However, if TIGTA determines that any of the threats or assaults it investigates call for the provision of physical security, the language of the 1998 law precludes TIGTA from taking action.

Authorizing TIGTA to have armed escort authority would be both more efficient and more effective in advancing tax administration and ensuring the safety of IRS employees.

I want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis for their support of this provision, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 928.

Mr. Speaker, we are at a critical juncture with respect to the subprime mortgage crisis. I see my colleagues here on the floor that are members of the Financial Services Committee and other important committees that have been working with the Democratic leadership and the Democratic Congress to help families stay in their homes and prevent another crisis like this from happening in the future.

Today, I joined with House and Senate leaders and colleagues in urging the President to join us in aggressively working to turn back the tide of foreclosures. Parallels have been drawn between this administration's management of the subprime crisis and Hurricane Katrina, when some 300,000 people lost their homes. Millions of Americans may lose their homes to foreclosure as a result of the subprime mortgage meltdown. And once again the response from the Bush administration has been slow and small. This crisis requires a bolder response. Foreclosures have spiked nearly 115 percent since this time last year, and expectations are that the next 18 months will be even worse as many subprime loans reset to higher rates. Some economists think that the collapse of home prices that we will see might be the most severe since the Great Depression. The worsening housing slump, the credit crunch, and weak consumer confidence point to a gathering storm that could drag down the economy, taking thousands of American jobs with it.

As losses mount for borrowers and lenders, economic pain is already being felt in communities across this country as the ripple of default spreads to local economies, governments and neighborhoods. The time to act is now.

Under Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Frank's leadership, the House swiftly passed legislation that will enable the FHA to serve more subprime borrowers at affordable rates and terms, and offer refinancing to homeowners struggling to meet their mortgage payments. The President should sign that bill the minute it gets to his desk.

We have passed also important GSE reforms in the House, but we should also raise the cap on their portfolio limits at least temporarily so that they can provide additional liquidity and help with the subprime crisis. If there was ever a time for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to have more liquidity to help people, it is now.

The caseloads for nonprofits aiding strapped borrowers are growing larger by the day. The Joint Economic Committee, which I am honored to serve on, reported earlier this year that it cost $1,500 to prevent a foreclosure of a single family home. And that's the first thing that we should be doing is keeping people in their home, helping them stay there. And that shows what it's like for one family home, only $1,500. But foreclosure prevention specialists are absolutely in critical need of more resources in order to save more homes.

Foreclosures have a significant negative impact on entire communities because of lower property values, decreased property tax revenues, and higher municipal maintenance costs. In fact, we estimate that the total cost of each foreclosure to the community can be up to $227,000, as the right-hand column shows.

The impact of these foreclosures will be devastating on African American and Hispanic owners, as 52 percent of all mortgage loans sold to African Americans and 40 percent of those sold to Latinos were subprime over the last 2 years. The sad irony here is that up to 40 percent of subprime borrowers, they would qualify for prime fixed-rate loans. We need to help them renegotiate their loans and get into the prime, more affordable loans. Securing additional funds for foreclosure prevention is critical to bringing subprime borrowers and lenders together to achieve loan workouts.

For $200 million in Federal Foreclosure Prevention Funding, which passed the Senate this month, 130,000 families, let me just show this one thing that is happening, Mr. Speaker. For $200 million, we can save a lot of people and keep them in their homes, and yet we're spending that much in Iraq.

The sad irony here is that up to 40 percent of subprime borrowers would qualify for prime, fixed-rate loans.

Securing additional funds for foreclosure prevention is critical to bringing subprime borrowers and lenders together to achieve loan workouts.

For $200 million in federal foreclosure prevention funding, which passed the Senate this months, 130,000 families could be helped to avoid foreclosure, as the bar on the left shows.

That is less than the cost of the Administration's Iraq war spending for one day, which is now about $330 million and to rise, as the big red bar on the right shows.

To help the two million households that are at risk of foreclosure would cost one week of our spending in Iraq.

We invite President Bush to join us in our efforts to aggressively help protect and expand the American dream of home ownership.

Mr. Speaker, the price of doing nothing is just too high.

Madam Speaker, today, along with Representatives Tom Lantos and Sheila Jackson-Lee, I am reintroducing the ``International Women's Freedom Act.'' This legislation establishes an Office of International Women's Rights within the State Department headed by the appointed Ambassador at Large, and additionally, would create a United States Commission on International Women's Rights. The positive links between the empowerment of women and effective and sustainable development are very clear and this legislation would seek to protect women's rights by channeling U.S. security and development assistance to countries that are not found in gross violations of women's rights. I believe that all people, regardless of gender, should have the power to shape their lives and participate in their communities without the fear of oppression. When given the tools they need, such as education, access to employment, land, and economic assets, and the opportunity to contribute to civic life, women and girls improve their situation in society and have a positive impact on society as a whole. By annually reviewing the status of women's rights in each country and designating countries of particular concern, more succinct policy recommendations can be made to the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress.

We require the State Department to issue reports on battling international bribery, religious freedom, and narcotics control, among many others. Creating a report on the status of women's rights is vitally important to assuring the rights of women worldwide.

Madam Speaker, on Friday, September 28th the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group presented to Congress its final report on the United States' knowledge of Nazi war crimes.

First, I want to thank the Archivist, Mr. Allen Weinstein, for serving as the chair of the Interagency Working Group. I would also like to thank his staff at the Archives for all of their hard work on this project throughout the years.

I am also grateful to the IWG's public members--Tom Baer, Richard Ben-Veniste and former Congresswoman Liz Holtzman. They have all performed a great service for our Nation. They undertook a 7-year, nearly $30 million, government-wide effort to locate, declassify, and make publicly available U.S. records of Nazi and Japanese war crimes. We now have their final report.

This project really was an example of government working well. So many different agencies and branches came together to work on it. I want to thank all of the government agencies--the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, Treasury Department, and others. Without their help, we wouldn't have a report in hand. This part of the process wasn't always easy going--this I realize--but so many staff members throughout all of these important agencies worked hard on this project. It would be impossible to name them all, but they all deserve our thanks.

I--and indeed the whole world--was shocked to discover that Kurt Waldheim, one-time U.N. Secretary General, was a Nazi. The critical question that followed was how much information did the U.S. Government have about Waldheim's actions during the war and before he became head of the U.N.? And why wouldn't they reveal it? I introduced the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act back in 1994 to get to the bottom of important questions like these. From the start, there was great opposition to the bill from the intelligence community. But in 1996 we were able to pass a Sense of Congress in support of the bill. And, with the help of former Senator DeWine and former Congressman Horn, the bill finally passed in 1998. Former counsel to Mr. DeWine, Louis DuPart also deserves credit and thanks for helping to write the bill that finally passed. Peter Levitas, another DeWine staffer, deserves thanks for helping to shepherd the bill through its different iterations.

In 2005, we expanded the War Crimes Disclosure Act to cover the Japanese crime documents, and extended it an additional 2 years to give the IWG more time to do its work. As a result of it, more than 8 million pages of government documents have been declassified and opened to the public.

The declassified records include the entirety of the operational files of the Office of Strategic Services--the predecessor agency of the CIA--and more than 163,000 pages of CIA materials of a type never before opened to the public.

One of the IWG's aims was to uncover documentation that would shed light on the extent to which the U.S. Government had knowingly used and protected Nazi and Japanese war criminals for intelligence purposes. In fact, the IWG found that there was a closer relationship between the U.S. Government and war criminals than previously known. This revelation, while difficult to accept, is crucial to the understanding of our Nation's history.

Researchers, private citizens, in fact anyone who is interested, are now able to comb through the documents that will bring us closer to the truth of the Holocaust. Moreover, as the Archivist of the United States, the Honorable Allen Weinstein explained when presenting to Congress IWG's final report, ``Perhaps more important even than the declassified records, this effort stands as a lasting testimony to the fact that declassifying significant documents such as these will not impede the operations of government. Indeed, the work of the IWG should set a new standard for declassification.''

In today's world, our government faces enormous pressure--not only from our own agencies but also from foreign intelligence agencies--to keep all records out of the public realm. In the end, disclosure of these files and records is better for our intelligence agencies and better for history.

Madam Speaker, the best chapters of our history provide a model for great democracy and leadership. Our worst chapters show us the dark consequences of apathy and intolerance.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 47th Anniversary of the Republic of Cyprus. It was on October 1, 1960, that Cyprus became an independent republic after decades of British colonial rule.

I am honored to represent Astoria, Queens--one of the largest and most vibrant communities of Greek and Cypriot Americans in this country. I truly enjoy participating in the life of this community and treasure the wonderful and vital Cypriot friends that I have come to know.

As a member of the European Union, Cyprus is playing a vital role in European affairs while also strengthening relations with the United States. Unfortunately, the commemoration of Cyprus' Independence Day this year, as in the past, is clouded by the fact that Turkish military forces continue illegally to occupy Cyprus, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, and to this day continues to maintain an estimated 40,000 heavily armed troops on the island.

I have introduced legislation, H. Res. 407, which expresses the strong support of the House of Representatives for the positive actions by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus aimed at opening additional crossing points along the cease-fire line, thereby contributing to efforts for the reunification of the island. On March 8, 2007, the Government of the Republic of Cyprus demolished a wall at Ledra Street in Nicosia, a key thoroughfare through the divided capital, as a gesture to facilitate the opening of Ledra Street as a crossing point. Two months later, the Government demolished a National Guard post at Kato Pyrgos. I commend the Government of the Republic of Cyprus for taking these actions, and I continue to believe that it is time for Turkey to remove its troops from the island so that Cyprus can move forward as one nation. I remain hopeful that an end to this division will be achieved.

I believe that the United States must play an active role in the resolution of the serious issues facing Cyprus. Cyprus and the United States share a deep and abiding commitment to democracy, human rights, free markets, and the ideal and practice of equal justice under the law. The relationship between Cyprus and the United States is strong and enduring, and we stand together celebrating democracy and freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove Representative Emanuel Cleaver as a cosponsor of H.R. 946, the Consumer Overdraft Protection Fair Practices Act. He was added to the bill in error.

Mr. Speaker, in Alan Greenspan's new memoir, ``The Age of Turbulence,'' the former Fed Chair criticizes Republicans for abandoning fiscal discipline.

It's no wonder: the current Bush administration has racked up over one-third, about $3.2 trillion, of our nearly $9 trillion total national debt. In fact, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush are responsible for incurring almost three-quarters of our total national debt, according to a new analysis from the Joint Economic Committee.

Republican administrations over the last 30 years have made us a Nation of debtors, vulnerable to the economic and political decisions made half a world away. We need a new direction.

Democrats in Congress are committed to getting our fiscal house back in order.