Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 68, the NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act. Since it was first introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) at the beginning of this Congress, it has gathered almost 300 bipartisan co-sponsors, and I am very proud to have worked with him in this effort.

It is not surprising that it has such strong support. NASA is a national institution that has always had strong support in this body. Its quest for scientific knowledge and new frontiers of exploration has often pulled this Nation together.

In the half century since its founding, NASA has so often given us something to be proud of and patriotic about. When President Kennedy first told the world that the United States would be the first to put a man on the moon; when Neil Armstrong fulfilled that promise with one small step seen around the world, and I do not think any of us who had the honor of seeing that will ever forget it; when the Hubble telescope sent back those first amazing photos of far away galaxies 15 years ago; when the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity found evidence of a former sea deep beneath the surface of the red planet, these are just a few of the very proud moments that this coin remembers.

This coin also honors those brave men and women who have given their lives in their pursuit of knowledge. The crew of the Challenger, the crew of the Columbia, the Apollo I crew. These are true heroes, and it is imminently fitting that the proceeds of this coin will go to the families of NASA personnel who have died in the line of duty.

It is particularly appropriate that we consider this bill today just hours before the important launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery tomorrow. That launch begins the mission stage of the Return to Flight program NASA undertook after the Columbia tragedy. That review included new safety procedures, new analysis and reporting procedures, and new cost efficiencies. Let us hope that it is the successful beginning of a new and exciting era of this agency.

Commander Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission, and her crew of 7 will once again take the shuttle to the International Space Station testing new safety procedures and delivering supplies. Although there have been several well-known women astronauts before, Commander Collins is still a new first, and I for one am particularly excited about this mission. We, the world, will be watching as Discovery lifts off tomorrow.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 68, which commemorates the proud history of our National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and I would like to join my colleagues in thanking Joe Pinder, a member of the committee, for his very, very hard work in bringing the bill before us today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) a member of the committee whose district is very close to where the shuttle will take off tomorrow and who is also a member of the Committee on Financial Services.

(Mr. AL GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), who has the honor of representing many NASA employees.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and advise that that concludes the speakers on this side. As revealed by the eloquent statements from my colleagues, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), a 10-year member of the Committee on Science; and the gentlemen from Texas (Mr. Al Green) and (Mr. Gene Green), both of whom represent NASA employees, I would say there is great enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle, with over 300 cosponsors.

This is important legislation. It honors not only NASA on its 50th anniversary but the commitment of this country and body to science and scientific advancement. I thank very much the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker), and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson), who has really been the fight behind moving this to the floor, along with the fine help of Joe Pinder.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to return to private airline screeners, now is the time to continue to focus on passenger safety.

Last November, airports were given the option to start the process to opt-out of having Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners in favor of hiring private screeners. Thankfully, no airport has opted out. If this is allowed to happen, it will be a step backwards in airline security.

TSA has only been in existence for a few years and has certainly suffered through some growing pains. Because of this, we should be focused on ensuring the success of TSA rather than adding the new challenge of privatization that could jeopardize their future and potentially endanger the security of airline passengers. That is why I am introducing the Passenger Safety Act which will repeal the opt-out language in the law that created the TSA. I urge my colleagues to support this important initiative to protect passenger safety.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the life and achievements of Gershon Jacobson, the veteran Yiddish journalist, who founded and published the Algemeiner Journal. I am saddened to report that Mr. Jacobson passed away on May 29, 2005. He is survived by his loving family and his many friends, who have established the Gershon Jacobson Jewish Continuity Fund to serve as an anchor for the perpetuation of Mr. Jacobson's legacy.

Mr. Jacobson was one of our Nation's most respected and influential journalists. He was born in Moscow in 1933 and soon emigrated to France, where he began his writing career. He then moved to America and immediately began working for the New York Herald Tribune. In the 1960s, Mr. Jacobson replaced Eli Weisel as the U.N. correspondent for Israel's largest daily, Yediot Achronot. During this time, Mr. Jacobson became renowned for excellent reporting on the capture of German war criminal Adolf Eichmann and for his interviews with world leaders and other notable figures. In 1972, Mr. Jacobson founded the Yiddish- English weekly, Der Algemeiner Journal. For the next 33 years, Mr. Jacobson served as its editor and publisher, and made it into a vital source of information for the Jewish community.

Mr. Jacobson stood at the forefront of Jewish life in America for close to 60 years and served the public as an indispensable guide to the post-World War II period. The prominent Israeli daily Haaretz stated, ``Gershon Jacobson created a revolution in the Yiddish Press. Till his day, the Yiddish press occupied itself primarily with memories of the Shtetel, with romantic tales, and Yiddish literature and prose. Mr. Jacobson introduced into Yiddish journalism an acute awareness of the reality of Israel and the burning issues of contemporary Jewish life.''

The Gershon Jacobson Jewish Continuity Fund will honor Mr. Jacobson's legacy and continue his work to battle for spiritual integrity and moral clarity. The fund's overall goal is to create a broad range of vehicles that will serve as a voice for Jews in the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in honoring the late Gershon Jacobson, whose keen insight into international and domestic affairs made him a strong and courageous voice on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. With his passing, the community has lost one of its true heroes. My heart goes out to his family and friends who will miss him deeply.

Mr. Speaker, ending violence against women should be a concern not just for the victims; it should be a national priority.

In 1994, Congress moved violence against women from behind closed doors into national policy. The Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized in 2000, and it must be reauthorized and fully funded this year.

The Violence Again Women Act is a comprehensive program that strengthened legal sanctions against stalkers, batterers, and rapists. It established a toll-free national domestic hotline. It funded battered women's shelters, and it provided funding for programs to improve both prosecution and victim services.

Last year, Congress strengthened VAWA by passing the Justice For All Act, which included my legislation with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Green). Our legislation gave law enforcement tools to process the backlog of rape kits containing DNA evidence that could convict rapists.

But there is still much, much more that remains to be done. We must pass the reauthorization and fully fund it this year.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Nadler-Velazquez amendment to restore partial funding for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. The underlying bill cuts some $314 million for vouchers that enables low-income families to rent safe, affordable housing. This amendment would restore a third of that money, $100 million, and thereby save about 15,000 low-income families from across this country from losing their homes.

If you are concerned about the homeless, then this should be a definite vote in favor of this amendment. This is very much a bipartisan issue. This past spring over 170 Members from both sides of the aisle signed a letter this spring to the appropriators urging them to restore full funding for the Section 8 voucher program. Those Members recognized that the Section 8 voucher program is the only effective Federal program supporting affordable rental housing in large urban areas such as New York City and Chicago and would be very much affected if this amendment does not pass.

Section 8 vouchers provide millions of families across the country a safe and affordable place to live and are critical to State and local efforts to end homelessness.

These cuts come at a time when Section 8 is already under attack due to program changes in April that threatened to cut over $50 million in vouchers in New York City alone. Due to underfunding in the last bill, many housing agencies have had no choice but to reduce the number of vouchers and cut the subsidy below local rental levels.

The proposed cuts make this very, very bad housing crisis a much worse situation. The money to fund this amendment comes out of a program for computer upgrades that the committee criticized in its committee report as ``poorly managed and inefficient.''

I would certainly say that keeping 15,000 families in their homes instead is a better choice that supports family values. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle constantly talk about family values. I cannot think of a more important family value than keeping families in their homes. This is what this amendment does.

In fact, a wide range of faith-based organizations have written an open letter to me and other Members of Congress making exactly that same point. And these faith-based organizations call the effort to save Section 8 vouchers ``not just a matter of charity but of responsibility and social justice.''

There are so many drastic cuts in this bill for worthy housing programs that protect the most vulnerable among us, cuts to housing for those with HIV/AIDS, cuts to fair housing programs that reduce discrimination in housing, and cuts to the Community Development Grant, program just to name a few.

I do want to compliment my colleagues for accepting the Miller amendment. It is very, very important to have monies in the budget for brownfields, particularly urban areas in order to spur economic development.

You cannot really build affordable housing without a Federal role. The Section 8 voucher program has been one of the most successful in this country's history in providing affordable housing to those in need, and it is unconscionable to have this cut. It would literally put 15,000 families out on the street and increase the need for more homeless housing.

So if you care about housing in general, if you care about not reducing the need for homeless housing, and the other cuts that the leadership of our ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), has pointed out so clearly on the floor, you should support this amendment. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be modified in the form at the desk.

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

(Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I thank very much the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), for accepting my amendment and this modification which we worked on together with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).

Our amendment would double the funding for the government wide Privacy and Civil Liberties Board.

Mr. Chairman, one way Congress and the President can show their support for a program is the level of funding appropriated.

When we passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act last year a key aspect of this legislation was the creation of a government-wide Privacy and Civil Liberties Board.

In the legislation, Congress and the President negotiated that this board would receive ``such sums necessary'' for the board's operations. We recognized that a robust civil liberties board is a critical tool in the fight against terrorism.

The board we have is a giant step toward this goal and I am pleased that the necessary appointments to this board have been made. Right now we are awaiting Senate confirmation of the chair and vice-chair.

The appropriations bill before us today and the budget the President submitted both include a sum of $750,000 for this board. This board is to be funded from the $53 million account provided for the Executive Office of the President.

Since the President made the request of $750,000, there has been concern that this was not an adequate funding level for a board charged with monitoring civil liberties and privacy government-wide. That is why we are offering an amendment to today's bill to increase funding for the board from $750,000 to $1.5 million.

Our amendment would increase the amount reserved for the board in the funding for the

Executive Office of the President. Should our amendment prevail, the Executive Office of the President will still have discretion of over $50 million of their $53 million budget.

Increasing funding from $750,000 to $1.5 million is a modest, but important increase. Quite frankly, we provide much more than $750,000 to each Member to fund the operation of their Congressional Office. How can we expect a board to monitor privacy and civil liberties government-wide for less than the cost of funding one of our offices?

This funding will be the difference between a board that will struggle standing itself up due to budget constraints, to a board that is able to do their job with the staff and infrastructure needed to appropriately monitor privacy and civil liberties. Supporting this amendment will send a message that Congress fully intends to support this important board and that we take the job of protecting the American people's civil liberties seriously. To put this in perspective, a $1.5 million funding level is still far less than the $13 million budget for the Privacy Office at the Department of Homeland Security.

It should be noted that the 9/11 Commission in their Reports stated in their recommendation for the creation of a civil liberties board stated: ``If our liberties are curtailed, we lose the value we are struggling to defend.''

I know that I do not have to remind anyone here about the importance of preventing a future attack, but in order to make sure that the American people remain steadfast in our fight and we do not unduly violate the privacy and civil liberties we must empower this board to do their job.

I have a poster here of some very questionable headlines regarding civil liberties. Including: A New York Times headline: ``Secret court says F.B.I. misled judges in 75 cases'' or A Washington Times headline ``Bill seen as threat civil liberties'' and a CBS News headline of ``Patriot Act Abuses Seen'' They may speak the truth or they may be hyperbole, but we may never know unless we appropriately fund this board.

One issue that I would like the new board to investigate is the Social Security's use of their ``adhoc'' authority to release Social Security data after 9/11. While I have confidence that the Social Security Administration acted properly in releasing data, a front page story last week in the New York Times, as well as documents the administration released in a FOIA request, raises more questions than answers.

The story reported that the Social Security Administration has relaxed its privacy restrictions and searched thousands of its files at the request of the F.B.I. as part of terrorism investigations since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

This might be all above the board or there might be something that is worth looking into. Regardless we need a board that has the resources to undertake such a project.

I would also like to mention that I and the other sponsors of this amendment have been advocates for an even more robust board. In the future I think we need to consider such things as granting subpoena power to the board. But today, we must make a commitment of funding to this board.

To quote former 9/11 Commissioner Richard BenVeniste: ``The proposed budget of $750,000 for the new Board is plainly inadequate to carry out the robust oversight function the 9-11 Commission deemed critical to ensuring that enhanced governmental powers to combat terrorism are not misused.''

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the chairman for accepting the amendment and for accepting the doubling of the funding.

Mr. Chairman, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

(Mr. SHAYS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall).

(Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, this Bush administration keeps setting records, only they are the wrong kinds of records.

We have a record debt of over $7 trillion that breaks down to each citizen's share being over $26,000. And now they have a new record, a new record debt on our trade deficit. It set a new record of $195 billion in the first 3 months of this year. That is 6.4 percent of GDP on an annual basis, the largest such trade deficit ever in our history. This deficit has been created by the irresponsible trade policies of the Bush administration, and it is also being supported by the willingness at least so far of foreign investors and governments to keep extending us credit.

The administration cannot continue to ignore this problem. Even if we avoid a sudden flight from the dollar and an international financial collapse, the burden of paying off our mounting international debt will be a drag on our future standard of living. It will be a drag on the lives of our children and grandchildren. We need a new trade policy.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3057, the FY06 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act.

I am pleased that the bill includes $55 million in funding for Afghan women, including $5 million for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. This funding builds upon funding for Afghan women and girls included in an amendment that I offered to the FY04 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill.

Over the past four years, the United States has invested in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan both because it is the right thing to do and because it is critical to our security.

Afghan women were brutally oppressed by the Taliban regime, but they have been reclaiming their role in society, in part because of critical U.S. assistance provided to Afghanistan. Millions of girls are attending primary schools, equal rights for women are guaranteed in the constitution, and approximately three million women voted in the election held last year. These victories are especially important given that women comprise 55-60 percent of the total Afghan population and should be a driving force in Afghanistan's economic and political viability.

However, while women are vastly better off than they were, many continue to endure many hardships including targeted violence, limited mobility, illiteracy, and the highest rate of maternal mortality in the world. By improving health care facilities and by giving women access to the skills and opportunities that they need to become partners in creating Afghanistan's future, we will ensure that women will no longer be second-class citizens.

While I hope that all the aid for Afghanistan will help women, I commend the Appropriations Committee for continuing to recognize the needs of Afghan women.

I also am pleased that the bill includes $34 million for the life saving work of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA is a global leader in providing reproductive health care, including family planning services to the world's poorest women. UNFPA helps women undergo pregnancy and childbirth safely and helps women and men to plan their families and avoid unintended pregnancies and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS infections.

UNFPA also is a leader in addressing the reproductive health care needs of women in emergencies. Humanitarian crises are often reproductive health disasters. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death for displaced women of childbearing age, and UNFPA takes the lead in providing supplies and services to protect the reproductive health of people in crisis. Most notably, UNFPA has played an instrumental role in helping to save the lives of women in Afghanistan by providing mobile health facilities as well as rebuilding maternity hospitals. The Afghan government was so grateful for this assistance they gave UNFPA a symbolic donation of $100 to support their work.

As we are all aware, for each of the last three years, President Bush has refused to release the funding that Congress has appropriated for this vital program due to this Administrations' unproven assertions that UNFPA supports coercive abortion in China. It has been estimated that the loss of each year's funding could prevent 2 million unintended pregnancies; nearly 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, nearly 60,000 cases of serious maternal illness; and more than 77,000 infant and child deaths. The Bush administration's refusal to release these funds puts at risk the very lives and health of women and children in the world's poorest regions.

It is my hope that this year, President Bush reconsiders the impact of his decision and releases the life-saving funding that this chamber is wisely approving today.

Offered By: Mrs. Maloney

Amendment No. 8: Page 150, line 1, strike ``$750,000'' and

insert ``$3,000,000''.

Mr. Speaker, today, Representative Shays and I introduce legislation to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations and to commend the organization on its history of diplomatic achievement throughout the world.

Since its founding, the United Nations has made many contributions to the global community in the fields of health, medicine, education, peacekeeping and humanitarian aid.

One of the organization's most noteworthy actions is its recent outpouring of aid and support to the people of the nations affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Southeast Asia in December 2004. The United Nations is critical to the balance and well-being of all nations, and makes significant advances in the world every day; however, structural reforms are necessary to ensure that the organization can continue its noble efforts to effect positive change. As the United Nations seeks to reform itself, this resolution sends the message that Members of Congress are willing to work with them to ensure a future humanitarian successes.

I look forward to working with Representative Shays and my other colleagues to honor the United Nations for 60 years of good work and to pledge the support of Congress as the organization moves forward.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2745, the Henry J. Hyde United Nations Reform Act, because I believe that withholding funds from the United Nations will not help it reform. Rather, decreased funding will slowly starve the organization and prevent it from fulfilling its mission of peace and high standards of human rights all over the world.

With the passage of H.R. 2745, the United States declares it will withhold half of the dues it owes the United Nations. Restricting United Nations funds will have a devastating impact on the effectiveness of the Convention to Eliminate Discrimination Against Women: Treaty for the Rights of Women. This treaty supports international standards for basic human rights for women. It establishes a universal definition of discrimination against women, seeks legal protection for victims of violence, and equality in areas of health care, education and employment. Funds are essential in the establishment of equal rights for women: access to health care, education, and legal protection services is not free.

The United States is the only industrialized nation that has not ratified the Treaty for the Rights of Women. Our Nation's withdrawal of funding for the organization that supports this essential doctrine of human rights is shameful, and not the action the world expects of a nation that declares freedom and liberty its unchanging identity.

The need for the Treaty for the Rights of Women is undeniable. At least 4 million women and girls are sold into sexual slavery every year, two-third of the world's 799 million illiterate adults are women, and an estimated 25-30 percent of all women suffer domestic violence. The Treaty for the Rights of Women establishes international standards that serve to encourage world nations to eradicate injustices imposed on its female citizens, and to establish standards for basic human rights; the Treaty does not impose laws on any nation. For these reasons, the Treaty is in line with past treaties that support international standards, treaties that the United States has supported and subsequently funded through dues paid to the United Nations.

Until this Nation, the seat of freedom and the land of liberty, declares to the world its commitment to equality, as embodied in the Treaty, and makes that commitment a reality through essential funding, we cannot expect other nations to follow our lead and adopt freedom as their creed. If we starve the United

Nations of necessary funding, we cannot expect it to become a more effective organization. Withholding funds from this worthy organization is the wrong way to urge its reform. It hinders the organization's efforts to reform and deprives the world of the benefits that treaties such as the Treaty for the Rights of Women advocate.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Obey amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Obey-Lowey-Leach amendment to restore funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

PBS is exceptional because it's local. Unlike the mammoth international media conglomerates that dominate commercial TV, who answer only to their shareholders, the 348 PBS stations are locally owned and operated--accountable to the local communities they serve.

The bulk of CPB funding--67 percent--goes directly to local stations, allowing them to serve their communities with the excellent and highly valued programming that is the hallmark of PBS. This cut will slice between 30-40 percent out of most stations' overall budgets.

My district in New York is served by PBS channel Thirteen/WNET. If this cut to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is passed, Thirteen's budget would be cut by as much as $5 million. I want to be very clear about what that means for my constituents: A substantial number of local programs produced entirely out of discretionary funding would be eliminated. These are programs like New York Voices, Inside Albany, REEL New York, Women's History Month, Cantos Latinos, Harmony & Spirit: Chinese Americans in New York, Korean-American Spirit, The Irish in America, and New York Kids, outreach service programs to schools and other community partners would be completely cut, at least 40 jobs would be lost, and in addition the indirect impact of cuts would affect nation-wide programing like Great Performances, Wide Angle, and the Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and of course Sesame Street, as we've heard so much about today.

With its gold standard historical and cultural programming, PBS captures the culture and history of America. As we Americans face vast new challenges in a post-9/11 world, PBS helps us to understand who we are and where we have been--and to help us to see where we're going.

It is imperative that we restore CPB funding to ensure PBS's ability to continue to serve our country and our local communities in this vital role.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time, and I thank him and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) for their commitment and work on restoring these moneys; and I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Regula) for agreeing to this colloquy. I know that the rescission of 9/11 funds was not the gentleman's idea and that he has been put into a difficult position with OMB; but we sincerely appreciate the gentleman's help.

I would also like to thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Lewis) and, of course, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Ranking Member Obey), and all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who responded with great commitment in helping New York City with the recovery.

Finally, I need to mention the names of some of the rescue workers who have come here today to Washington to put a human face on those who selflessly gave of themselves on 9/11 and still need our help. They are here with us today in the gallery. They are Marvin Bethea; John Feal; Mike McCormack, the rescue worker who literally found the flag on 9/11; John Sferarzo; Scott Shields; and Ron Vega. These men responded selflessly to the largest emergency of our time. They risked their lives to save others; and, today, they are first responders once again, but this time to save the health and compensation aid needed for their fellow workers at Ground Zero. They should be proud of the progress that we are making here today, but there is still much more that needs to be done.

It has been reported that 10 times the claims have been turned down by worker's compensation in New York State, and there is no question that there are still many workers who need health aid. Many of them are literally here today trying to speak with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle about their need.

I think it is absolutely an insult not only to the 9/11 workers but to all emergency aid workers to deny them the aid and compensation that they need, especially those that were hurt on 9/11.

We are asking for this money to be restored. It was allocated. It was part of the commitment this country made to helping New York and its workers and its people recover, and I will say that the New York delegation is totally united on this in our effort to preserve this money for the rescue workers and volunteers.

Again, we thank all for their commitment and hard work.

Mr. Speaker, this Republican Congress may go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible Congress in the history of this country. Our record budget deficit, our record debt, we have over $7.8 trillion in debt, and each citizen's share is over $26,000. Last week we learned that our trade deficit set a new record, over $195 billion in the first 3 months of this

year. That is 6.4 percent of GDP on an annual basis, the largest trade deficit in the history of our country.

This Congress is not just raising the debt ceiling, and we have raised this debt ceiling three times recently, this Congress is shooting the Moon. It is totally out of control. And these irresponsible, wanton budget policies will be borne by our children and our grandchildren. Is that the legacy we want to leave?

Madam Speaker, I offer an amendment.

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

Our amendment requires the President to keep the Congress and the American people updated monthly on the progress of the implementation and operation of the National Counterterrorism Center until it is fully implemented and operational.

The Congress and the President recognize the National Counterterrorism Center as a critical office for the safety of our country. The Congress and the President agreed that it had to be up and running, fully operational and fully staffed, by June 17, 2005, or last Friday.

While director Admiral John Redd was nominated on June 10, he has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, and he

has many challenges before him, chief among which is to get this center fully staffed and operational.

The Bush administration manages by goals and reports. A fully operational and staffed NCTC is a goal that must be attained as quickly as possible.

The National Counterterrorism Center was a core element of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The center must be the central organization for analyzing and integrating all foreign and domestic intelligence on terrorism.

It also is to conduct strategic operational planning for counterterrorism operations at home and abroad, integrating all elements of national power. In short, the NCTC was created to bring all of the pieces together to prevent a future attack. The Congress and the President established June 17, last Friday, as the deadline for the

Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Madam Speaker, I appreciate very much the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Hoekstra) not opposing my amendment and all the hard work that he and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman) did on the intelligence bill.

I would like to note the concern that the gentleman reported to me or gave to me about the reporting requirement.

Modification to Amendment Offered by Mrs. Maloney

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be modified to accept changing the reporting requirement in the amendment from the President to the Director of National Intelligence, Ambassador Negroponte.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), the ranking member.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), and I commend his leadership and support on this amendment and his hard work on the intelligence reform committee. We both had many victims that were lost from our respective districts and we worked closely throughout that period with the families and with our colleagues on that important bill. I thank the gentleman for his hard work.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Hoekstra) for accepting the amendment. Certainly certain issues are above partisan politics. The defense, the protection of our Nation, intelligence reform, is certainly among them.

The gentleman and the ranking member have really worked together in the best interest of the American people on this important issue. I thank the gentleman for his support.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Moran amendment to restrict the exportation of 50 caliber sniper rifles.

This weapon was not built for hobbies or marksmanship, but for military purposes. According to its original patent filing, it was designed to destroy aircraft at long range, beyond security perimeters.

Semi-automatic versions of these guns can fire as many as ten rounds in one minute at a plane, but it only takes one accurate hit to the fuselage, engine or cockpit to cause disaster.

There are even two published books on the market that explain how to use this sniper weapon to attack planes and helicopters.

All this may be why the conservative Rand Corporation, in a 1995 report, found the 50 caliber sniper rifle to be a serious threat to U.S. military air bases.

Today, nine years after that report and three and a half years after 9/11, these terrorist weapons remain under extremely loose regulation.

They are as easy to purchase as a regular rifle and even easier to purchase than a hand gun and yet we know terrorists and criminal organizations have sought them.

According to the Violence Policy Center, Al Qaeda has at least 25, the Church Universal and Triumphants has at least 10, the IRA has 2, and the Militia Training Camp in Canada has 1.

This weapon not only threatens American planes and airports, but also chemical and refinery plants.

The military's top choice of ammunition for the 50 caliber is not only armor-piercing, but also explosive and incendiary--meaning it causes fire.

That type of ammunition could easily cause a huge disaster.

We should protect ourselves and pass the Moran Amendment.