Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of the Pancyprian Association's Women's Issues Network (WIN) on the occasion of its annual Woman of the Year Award dinner dance. WIN's 2005 honoree, Dr. Mary Marangos, is a longtime community leader and dedicated public servant.

WIN was founded in 1996 to serve the Cyprian-American community, promote the Hellenic Cypriot culture and provide opportunities for future generations of Cyprian women. The organization sponsors health lectures, health fairs, cultural events and breast and cervical cancer screening for women with no health insurance. Additionally, WIN has worked against the Turkish occupation of Cyprus since 1974.

This year, WIN is honoring the noted community leader and civic activist, Mary Marangos. Dr. Marangos has served the people of the New York's 14th Congressional District with distinction, providing a critical link between the residents of western Queens and their representation in the United States Congress. She has worked to gain access for New Yorkers to constituent services and educational and cultural programs in those communities. Active in numerous causes and community organizations, Dr. Marangos has devoted herself to the Women's Issues Network and other organizations that promote and protect the Hellenic culture.

Dr. Marangos is a recent retiree of the N.Y.C. Public School System where she has served as an educator, administrator and coordinator in vocational and alternative high schools; additionally, Dr. Marangos served as a coordinator of the G.E.D. program of the Vocational Training Center at LaGuardia Airport. Dr. Marangos also coordinated an AIDS Prevention Program on the high school level, training teachers on AIDS prevention instruction, organizing conferences and workshops on the epidemic and promoting staff development on the elementary level.

A graduate of the City's public school system, Dr. Marangos earned an Associate Degree in dental hygiene from Brooklyn Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in dental hygiene/education from the New York State Education Department. Dr. Marangos went on to earn a Masters Degree in high school administration and supervision from Fordham University and a Ph.D. from Florida State University in International- Intercultural Developmental Education under a U.S. Department of Education full fellowship.

The loving and devoted daughter of Pantelis Marangos from Kalavasos, Cyprus and Despina Kyriacou, descendant from Lesvos, Greece and Cyprus, Dr. Marangos was steadfast in her devotion to her parents.

Dr. Marangos truly exemplifies the tradition of community involvement that makes America the greatest nation in the world. On behalf of the residents of the Fourteenth Congressional District of New York, I would like to extend to Dr. Marangos, the Pancyprian Association and the Women's Issues Network my continuing respect, admiration and support.

Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to this wonderful organization and its 2005 Woman of the Year, Dr. Mary Marangos.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute Siblings Day, a day to honor our brothers and sisters for the many ways in which they enhance our lives. This celebration gives us the opportunity to show our appreciation for our siblings, much like Mother's Day and Father's Day are celebrated. Siblings Day was founded by my constituent, Claudia Evart. Ms. Evart has worked tirelessly to promote the observance of Sibling's Day on April 10th.

Siblings make important contributions to our lives, and often, when our parents have passed away, siblings are our only remaining family. Siblings Day helps us remember the integral role brothers and sisters play in our lives, and it also provides an opportunity to remember siblings who we have lost at an early age.

April 10th marks the birthday of Claudia's sister, Lisette, who died tragically in 1972 at age 19 in a car accident that also killed their father. An additional tragedy struck in 1987, when Ms. Evart's older brother, Alan, died in an accident at his home. He was 36 years old.

According to the Siblings Day Foundation, Siblings Day was recently marked in 22 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin); the governor of each of these states proclaimed the 10th of April to be Siblings Day.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the importance of family by saluting the contributions of siblings. I applaud the work of Claudia Evart, who has created a loving tribute to her deceased siblings through her work to establish Siblings Day. Her dedication should serve as an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, today we are introducing a bill to end government subsidies for private clubs that discriminate against Americans based on sex, race, or color. The Ending Tax Breaks for Discrimination Act of 2005 makes it illegal to deduct expenses at clubs with discriminatory membership policies. We think it's wrong for corporations to write off big expenditures for entertainment, meetings and advertising at clubs that keep women out on America's dollar. Men play and women pay.

I am joined by my distinguished colleague, Representative Brad Sherman from California. In the early '90s Mr. Sherman, as a member of the California tax board, implemented legislation similar to this Act. Since then, other states have followed. The time for the federal government to take a stand and end government-subsidized discrimination is long overdue.

Right now, conventions and meetings are considered legitimate business deductions for corporate income tax purposes, including those held at private clubs that discriminate. Half the price of a business lunch is deductible. But if you're a woman, you subsidize one half of a man's lunch with your taxes, even though you can't join the club.

Augusta and other clubs on par with it are already way out of bounds by discriminating. For taxpayers to have to foot the bill for business conducted under these discriminatory conditions is obscene. This is something that comes into focus every Masters Week, but people need to know they are subsidizing discrimination every day of the year.

Members of these clubs profit--either indirectly through career opportunities and board appointments, or directly through tax deductions. Women can't get these same financial gains--just because they're women. Men get the membership, the deal, the deduction, and women get the bill. Ending Tax Breaks for Discrimination Act of 2005 would put a stop to that. It ends deductions for advertising, travel, accommodation and meals associated with these clubs, and it requires discriminatory clubs to print right on their receipts, ``not tax deductible''.

This bill is not an attack on deductions for big business. Legitimate tax deductions should continue, but when these deductions support clubs that bar Americans from becoming equal partners, equal players, and equal earners--just because of their sex or race--they are NOT legitimate. The time for discrimination is over.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 184th anniversary of Greece's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire. Against impossible odds, the Greeks defeated one of the most powerful empires in history and gained their independence.

In March 1821, after 400 years of Ottoman rule, Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the traditional Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavras, inciting his countrymen to rise against the Ottoman army. The Bishop timed this act of revolution to coincide with the Greek Orthodox holiday celebrating the archangel Gabriel's announcement that the Virgin Mary was pregnant with the divine child. Bishop Germanos's message to his people was clear: a new spirit was about to be born in Greece.

Greek Independence Day is an appropriate time to reflect upon the strong ties between Greece and the United States. Indeed, when the Greeks of 1821 fought for independence from the Ottoman Empire, they drew inspiration from the ideals and institutions of the fledgling United States. During their War of Independence, the Greeks also received encouragement from many Americans, including Presidents James Madison and James Monroe and Representatives Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, each of whom gave memorable speeches in Congress in support of the Greek revolutionaries. Just as our defeat of the British army was remarkable, so too was the Greek triumph over the Ottoman Army, a momentous achievement in world history.

As many of my colleagues know, 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 on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, along with a great many cultural events and private gatherings. These events, hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies and other Hellenic and Philhellenic organizations and friends, remind us of the Hellenic-American community's many contributions to our nation's history and culture.

On April 10, the President of the Federation of Hellenic Societies, Nikos Diamontidis, along with the organization's officers and board members, will join Parade Committee Chairman Dinos Rallis, Co-Chairmen Tasos Manesis and Philip Christopher and Co-Chairwoman Georgia Kaloidis in reminding New Yorkers of the glory of Greece, the joy of the Olympics and the hope of freedom and human rights for all. The Grand Marshals of this year's parade are my distinguished colleague, Senator Paul Sarbanes, his wife, Christine, Anthony Diamataris, the Editor and Publisher of the National Herald and his wife, Litsa. Adding to the day's ethnic pride will be parade emcees Nick Gregory, Anthoula Katsimatides and Petros Fourniotis.

In 2004, the Athens Olympics united the world. Today, while New Yorkers pay tribute to Greece's accomplishments, we also seek to add our hometown to the list of great Olympic host cities. It is my hope that one of Greece's most enduring contributions to world history will finally come to New York City in 2012.

As the founder and co-Chairperson of the Hellenic Caucus in Congress, 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 contributions to our city and nation.

``Zeto E Eleftheria!'' (Long Live Freedom!)

Mr. Speaker, people around the world of all faiths share a deep sadness for the passing of His Holiness John Paul II.

New York City mourns the loss of John Paul II with special remembrance and appreciation for the care and attention he showed our city, visiting twice as Pope and before that as Cardinal.

I was personally touched and grateful for the prayers and blessings he offered to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, their families, and all the rescue and recovery workers who responded to Ground Zero after the attacks.

He met personally with several New York firefighters who had responded to the attacks, praying for their strength and the health of their fellow firefighters, families and fellow New Yorkers in a dark and difficult hour.

This is just one example of how Pope John Paul II was always attentive to the needs of those suffering.

His Holiness John Paul II traveled the world for twenty six years in his Papacy, delivering

a consistent message of the need for peace and the promise of hope.

Through his faith, his words, and his example in life, Pope John Paul II helped democracies to blossom and greater tolerance to flourish across the world.

Crowds of thousands will mourn the passing of Pope John Paul II in the days and weeks ahead.

I hope that in this time of sadness and reflection, we also remember the gifts that John Paul II brought into the world, celebrating his life and his ministry to the world's greatest troubles and needs.

We should keep Pope John Paul II's actions for the betterment of others always in our mind.

He fought for the dignified treatment of all people, he stood up for the downtrodden, and he worked to unify the world in common missions for greater good.

Mr. Speaker, on March 21, 2005, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote number 90. Rollcall vote 90 was on S. 686, a private bill to provide for the relief of the parents of Theresa Marie Schiavo.

Had I been present I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 90.

Mr. Chairman, the $81 billion that the president is requesting for the war in Iraq is his 3rd request for emergency spending--and still there is no exit strategy and no plan for success in Iraq. This is a war that was sold to the American people and Members of Congress under false pretenses, and the American people cannot continue to fund indefinitely this administration's gross incompetence, particularly without any real oversight tied to it. The administration is rapidly bankrupting this country for this war, while starving our most important priorities here at home, such as homeland security, social security and education. The administration has raised the debt ceiling three times to a record $7.6 trillion, grown the largest budget deficit in our history, $412 billion last year, and expanded a record trade deficit of $619 billion.

Mr. Speaker, I support and honor the troops. My father is a veteran of World War II and my brother is a veteran of the Vietnam War. The National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division is made up of brave New Yorkers--I am deeply concerned for their safety. Which is why I was shocked and appalled when some photos straight from the 42nd I.D. in Tikrit were given to me recently.

Despite the billions already allocated for Iraq, these photos show humvees with metal sheets slapped on to their sides like makeshift armor; with empty oxygen canisters being used to anchor the soldiers' weapons; with junkyard quality doors. You can view these pictures for yourself on my website.

I want to know, why hasn't every cent we have appropriated gone to properly equip the troops until they are all safe and secure? Mr. Speaker, the lack of equipment for our troops is the most awful example of misspending of the money we have already allocated, but it is not the only one.

And then there are billions of dollars that we either can't find or that were spent unwisely. The Coalition Provisional Authority completely lost $9 billion in Iraq. And now we have reports that the administration actually assisted Haliburton in concealing at least more than $100 million in overcharges out of its $7 billion in no-bid contracts.

We must have stronger oversight. The administration should be able to tell the American taxpayer what is going on with its money in Iraq. There should be open and honest accounting. But even though previous spending bills set out specific requirements for reporting how the money is being spent and for an estimate of future costs, we have yet to receive either. How do mismanagement, poor decisions and no-bid contracts help our troops?

Certainly, there are parts of this supplemental spending bill that I strongly support. The $650 million for tsunami relief and reconstruction is very important, and my amendment that was accepted will designate $3 million specifically for the UNFPA's efforts to aid maternal health in the tsunami-stricken areas. I also support the provisions to aid the peace in the Sudan, as well as development assistance for the West Bank and Gaza.

Still, it is extremely troubling that we cannot get an honest accounting of the billions we are spending on this war. I'm deeply disappointed that the Republican House voted down an earlier amendment that would have ensured proper accounting of the money we spend. This administration needs to implement oversight and accountability, but it fails to do so. Before I can vote for another enormous expenditure of the American taxpayers' money for this war, I must be convinced that this administration will keeps tabs on the money and make sure it benefits our troops. Doing so is good for the war effort, and it's good for the troops.

We cannot continue to hemorrhage the hard-earned money of American taxpayers when the troops need it, and we need it here at home. There is no end in sight to the loss of lives on all sides, and this administration still has no answers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a tireless public servant, friend to all New Yorkers and one of our Nation's foremost spiritual leaders. On Sunday, March 20, 2005, Rabbi Schneier will celebrate his 75th birthday and 50th year as Rabbi at a dinner benefitting the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Center for International Affairs at Yeshiva University, which was established in 2004 to promote international peace and the exchange of ideas across cultural divides.

As a young man, Rabbi Schneier was a resident of Nazi-occupied Bucharest, where he experienced firsthand the depths of mankind's capacity for evil. Throughout his distinguished career, Rabbi Schneier has turned his experience as a Holocaust survivor into an incredible drive to stamp out hatred and intolerance throughout the world. In 1965, Rabbi Schneier founded the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, which works to foster religious freedom and human rights and to end ethnic conflicts.

During the long and bloody war in the former Yugoslavia, Rabbi Schneier convened the Religious Summit on the Former Yugoslavia in Switzerland and the Conflict Resolution Conference in Vienna, Austria, mobilizing religious leaders to help end the ethnic violence plaguing leaders to help end the ethnic violence plaguing the region. Additionally, in Sarajevo, Rabbi Schneier met with top government and religious leaders to promote healing and conciliation amond the Serbian Orthodox, Muslim, Catholic and Jewish communities.

Rabbi Schneier has also served our Nation in an official capacity as an Alternate U.S. Representative to the U.N. General Assembly.

Additionally, as Chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, Rabbi Schneier was one of three American religious leaders appointed by President Bill Clinton to initiate a dialogue on religious freedom with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. Recently, Rabbi Schneier was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Stockholm International Forum for the Prevention of Genocide.

Rabbi Schneier's accomplishments here at home have been equally impressive. He is the Senior Rabbi of the Park East Synagogue, established in 1890 to serve the Jewish community of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Centered in the heart of the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, the Synagogue has expanded significantly under Rabbi Schneier's leadership and is an invaluable part of New York City's spiritual and cultural life. Additionally, Rabbi Schneier, recognizing the growing desire among the American Jewish community to provide their children with a strong Jewish education, initiated and led a successful effort to establish a Jewish day school in New York. In 1977, both the Minks Cultural Center and the Park East Day School opened, furthering the Synagogue's ability to meet the Upper East Side's educational and social needs.

Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to Rabbi Arthur Schneier and wishing him a wonderful 75th birthday celebration. Rabbi Schneier's dedication to tolerance and international peace serves as an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of James McManus, a tireless public servant, legendary New Yorker and very good friend of mine. Additionally, I am pleased to offer my warmest wishes to the McManus Democratic Association for another year of outstanding service to New York City residents.

St. Patrick's Day is a time when Americans of all ethnicities gather with friends and relatives to have fun and to celebrate the Irish- American community's many contributions to our nation and culture. On this happy occasion, it is fitting to honor Jim McManus, who has never forgotten his Irish roots and who continues to be the driving force behind one of New York City's most effective public service organizations.

The McManus family has been a fixture of New York City politics for more than one hundred years. For the past three decades, Mr. McManus has been an advocate, ombudsman and friend to residents of midtown Manhattan. It is a testament to Jim McManus's leadership that the McManus Democratic Association is just as vibrant and strong an organization as when his great-uncle Thomas founded it.

Throughout his career, Mr. McManus has strived to strengthen the McManus Association's tradition as a center of service to the community. The Association's dedication to public service is perhaps best demonstrated by its efforts to welcome immigrants to New York and help them integrate into the life of the City. Mr. McManus has organized citizenship drives and helped immigrants prepare to take the test to become American citizens--so that they can take full advantage of the benefits and responsibilities of living in the United States.

The McManus Association, an active social-service organization, has also conducted registration drives that have helped thousands of New Yorkers register to vote; works with seniors who are having difficulty finding housing; helps its members locate jobs, educational opportunities and better medical care; and strives to promote the interests of working-class New Yorkers through collective action. Furthermore, the Association has made a longstanding commitment to young New Yorkers, introducing students to the political process and to government service.

I commend James McManus for his lifelong dedication to improving the well-being of New York City residents. Time and again, the McManus Association exemplifies the notion that we work best when we work together.

Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to James McManus and the McManus Democratic Assocation. To Mr. McManus and the dedicated professionals, volunteers and friends of the McManus Association, I offer my continuing admiration, respect and support.

Mr. Speaker, last year, using the 9/11 Commission Report as a guide, we passed the National Intelligence Reform Act. In addition to reorganizing our nation's intelligence system, it created a Civil Liberties Board. Unfortunately, this newly created Civil Liberties Board is only a shell of what is needed in order to be effective. Therefore we are introducing ``The Protection of Civil Liberties Act'' to amend the current board. With the exception of making the Board an independent agency, this bill would reinstate the provisions that were taken out in conference. These commonsense provisions give the Board the authority it needs. Specifically the bill:

1. Gives the Board subpoena power. Currently the board needs the permission of the Attorney General to issue a subpoena. Also, the Board lacks access to the private contractors who currently perform many critical intelligence functions.

2. Creates the Board as an independent agency in the executive branch. Currently the board is in the Executive Office of the President.

3. Requires that all 5 members of the Board be confirmed by the Senate. Currently only the Chair and the Vice Chair will be confirmed.

4. Requires that no more than 3 members can be from the same political party. Currently there is no provision that ensures a bipartisan Board.

5. Sets a term for Board members at 6 years. Currently members will serve at the pleasure of the President.

6. Creates the chairman as a full-time member of the Board. This increases the likelihood that the Board will meet regularly.

7. Restores the qualifications of Board members that were originally included in the Senate bill. This would require that members have prior experience with protecting civil liberties, among other things. Currently there are no such requirements.

8. Restores reporting requirements to Congress. One of the main recommendations of the 9/11 Commission was the need for more Congressional Oversight. Restoring the reporting requirement language requiring semiannual reports helps achieve this goal.

9. Requires each executive department or agency with law enforcement or antiterrorism functions should designate a privacy and civil liberties officer. Currently the law only expresses a sense of Congress that a privacy and civil liberties officer be established.

This is important legislation and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

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

As a member of the Joint Economic Committee, I am pleased to speak on the economic goals and policies reflected in the budget.

When it comes to the economy, this is a record-setting administration. The problem is, the administration is setting records for debt and deficits. We now have the largest debt, the largest budget deficit, and the largest trade deficit in the history of our Nation. Republicans have become the party of debt and deficits.

Even worse, the administration continues to repeat the same economic mantras even as experience continues to prove them wrong and more wrong.

This administration has turned a surplus projected in January of 2001 to be almost $400 billion by 2004 into a budget deficit of over $400 billion. And, Mr. Chairman, there is no end in sight. The budget deficit for last month set another record as the first time the budget deficit has gone over $100 billion in a single month in the history of our country. The administration has raised the debt limit three times to a record $7.6 trillion, which means $26,000 of debt is owed for every man, woman, and child in America.

This week the lead story is our Nation's trade deficit; and to no one's surprise, this deficit is breaking records too. Data released today by the Department of Commerce shows that the trade deficit in 2004 was at an all-time high, nearly $666 billion, 5.7 percent of our GDP. Another unfortunate record. The all-time monthly trade deficit of more than $59 billion was set in November, and the total for January was just barely shy of setting a new record.

The administration keeps saying that the ever-weaker dollar will correct our trade deficit for the last several years, and this has proven to be wrong. Our deficits are soaring because it is the policy of this administration to spend money we do not have and to borrow from foreign sources to cover ourselves.

Since the administration is content importing money lent by foreign banks to cover the cost of foreign goods, we are increasingly at the mercy of our overseas benefactors. As of January, foreign governments own $1.2 trillion of our public debt, the highest it has ever been. What if one day they decide to stop propping up our spend-and-borrow habit? We had a tiny taste of that recently when South Korea hinted that they would not buy more dollars and the markets trembled.

America is the greatest economic engine in the world. We should never build our economic system on a foundation of foreign loans. Any day that foundation could become a house of cards. There is absolutely no evidence in the budget resolution before us in the House or in the policies of this budget that the majority understands or even cares about these risks to our economy.

This budget uses smoke and mirrors to give the allusion of cutting the deficit in half, but it leaves out necessary actions such as fixing the alternative minimum tax, which is hurting the middle class more and more and must be dealt with sooner rather than later.

This budget is also mean spirited. In order to preserve the Republican tax cuts, the budget cuts programs for Americans who are struggling just to make it in what for them is a very difficult economy.

Mr. Chairman, this President continues to have the worst job record since President Hoover and the Great Depression. Even worse, the gains the economy has made benefit the bottom line of large corporations at the expense of ordinary hard-working Americans. The gap between the haves and have-nots is growing, and that should be of great concern to everyone in America.

The administration continues to say the economy is recovering, but how good a recovery can it be if ordinary American families can buy less and less with their paychecks? Over the period of job gains since May of 2003, the average hourly earnings of workers in nonfarm industries has actually fallen by .6 percent after inflation.

The administration's budget does not even address the biggest and largest budget buster of them all: the President's plan to privatize Social Security. As a new study by the Joint Economic Committee Democratic staff shows, the President's plan for private accounts would create $5 trillion of new debt in the first 20 years, but it would do absolutely nothing to address Social Security's solvency and would do nothing to increase national saving. In fact, it would weaken the solvency of Social Security and probably reduce national saving, exactly the opposite of what is needed.

Mr. Chairman, I think the President's plan for Social Security is a perfect example of what is wrong with the economic goals and policies of this administration. It manufactures a false crisis around a real, but manageable, problem and then offers a proposal that makes things worse without even addressing the original problem. As I have seen in my own town meetings, Americans understand that privatization of Social Security is a bad idea.

We need honest budgeting and an honest economic policy if we are to foster true economic prosperity to ordinary hard-working Americans.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey), a member of the committee and a very outstanding colleague.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the immediate past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Mr. Chairman, how much time remains?

Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt), the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt).

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

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment moves $3 million from the Economic Support Fund, which has over $1 billion available, to the Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction Fund, which now has over $600 million available. It is not subject to a point of order and is both budget authority and outlay neutral.

The reason for this amendment is very simple. It is to help pregnant women impacted by the tsunami. The intent of my amendment is to give $3 million to the U.N. Population Fund to assess tsunami victims in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives for very specific, pressing needs that I am very sure we can all agree are absolutely necessary at this time.

I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Yes.

Mr. Chairman, $3 million.

Mr. Chairman, more than a 150,000 women are currently pregnant in the tsunami-affected areas, including 50,000 anticipated to give birth during the next 3 months.

UNFPA is determined to enhance the likelihood of deliveries occurring in safe and clean conditions by providing emergency care, basic supplies, and helping to rebuild health care facilities. They are uniquely qualified to provide these services. In fact, they are and have been on the ground since that tragic day, helping save the lives of women, children, and families.

With these funds, UNFPA can provide safe delivery kits, such as the one I have here. It includes basic supplies such as soap, plastic sheeting, razor blades, string and gloves, laundry detergent, dental supplies. These are supplies that are needed to prevent and treat cases of violence against women and youth. They also offer psychological support and counseling and promote access of unaccompanied women to vital services.

Each of these areas is a serious problem and will go a long way towards helping save the lives of thousands of women and their children.

Disasters put pregnant women at greater-than-normal risk because of the sudden loss of medical support.

I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for accepting the amendment, and I would like to note that because of the tsunami most of the midwives lost their lives. Fully 30 percent of them died in the tsunami, and many of those who survived are still dealing with personal trauma.

So it is incredibly important that this funding be moved to UNFPA, the U.N. Population Fund, to help the tsunami victims and particularly those who need maternal health care services.

Many of my colleagues, including the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), who has worked so hard on helping women and children, she traveled to the region early this year and was able to witness firsthand the horror along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) and others, and they were able to see the work UNFPA has been doing to help these people.

I thank the leadership for accepting the amendment. It is an important one. We appreciate the consideration.

My amendment moves $3 million from the Economic Support Fund, which has $1.06 billion available to the Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction Fund, which now has $656 million available. It is not subject to a point of order and is both budget authority and outlay neutral.

The reason for this amendment is very simple: it is to help pregnant women impacted by the tsunami.

The intent of my amendment is to give $3 million to the U.N. Population Fund UNFPA, to assist tsunami victims in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives for very specific, pressing needs that I am sure we can all agree are absolutely necessary at this time. More than 150,000 women are currently pregnant in the tsunami-affected areas, including 50,000 anticipated to give birth during the next three months.

UNFPA is determined to enhance the likelihood of deliveries occurring in safe and clean conditions by providing emergency care, basic supplies and helping to rebuild health care facilities. They are uniquely qualified to provide these services. In fact, they are and have been on the ground since that tragic day, helping save the lives of women and children.

With these funds, UNFPA can provide safe delivery kits: soap, plastic sheeting, razor blades, string and gloves; personal hygiene kits: sanitary napkins, soap, laundry detergent, dental supplies; reestablish maternal health services; prevent and treat cases of violence against women and youth offer psychological support and counseling; and promote access of unaccompanied women to vital services.

Each of these areas is a serious problem and will go a long way toward helping save the lives of thousands of women and their children.

Disasters put pregnant women at greater than normal risk because of the sudden loss of medical support, compounded in many cases by trauma, malnutrition, disease or exposure to violence.

In times of high stress, pregnant women are more prone to miscarriage or to premature labor, both of which require medical care.

The infrastructure for helping pregnant women in the tsunami region is severely damaged. 1,650 of the Indonesian Midwife Association's 5,500 members--fully 30 percent--died in the tsunami. Many of those who survived are still dealing with personal trauma and the loss of equipment used to safely deliver babies.

About 15 percent of pregnancies under normal conditions require urgent assistance from midwives or doctors to ensure the health and survival of the babies and mothers. Many maternity hospitals, women's health clinics, and other infrastructure for providing health services to women, maternal health assistance, safe delivery, contraceptives, emergency obstetric care, and preventing sexually transmitted diseases have been destroyed by the tsunami.

Mr. Chairman, to date, the United States has provided no funding to the U.N. Population Fund to help tsunami victims. The last time the United States contributed resources to UNFPA was $600,000 for similar kinds of emergency assistance in Afghanistan in 2001.

We have several colleagues who traveled to the region earlier this year and witnessed the horror of the tragedy. They were able to see the work UNFPA has been doing to help these women. I hope that they will be able to relay their experiences today.

It is time to put politics aside. These people have suffered enough. We must do everything we can to help them.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his leadership. I am delighted to join my colleague from Florida (Mr. Foley) on the other side of the aisle in support of this legislation. The bill before the House does the right thing for the disaster victims of Florida and Louisiana, but it does wrong, truly wrong, for the New York victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. I would like to appeal to my colleague on the other side of the aisle to join me in trying to reverse the unfair taxation on grants to the victims of 9/11, specifically the businesses, as we go forward.

When thousands of lower Manhattan small businesses were on the brink of complete failure as a result of September 11 and the terrorist attack against our country, these businesses accepted Federal recovery grants but were then told months later that those grants would be taxed and treated as income. That, in my opinion, wrongful taxation was the straw that broke the back of many small businesses in New York after 9/ 11 and it continues to this day to be a burden on small businesses who were forced to take out loans to pay taxes on disaster recovery grants. Granted it was not a FEMA mitigation grant but it was a disaster recovery grant, so it was in the same feeling or in the same purpose as the legislation before us.

What causes me so much concern today, Mr. Speaker, is that we have sought the same treatment, the exact same treatment for 9/11 victims for more than 3 years that the Members are seeking today for victims in their States. Along with the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) and the bipartisan delegation of New York, I have introduced legislation to reverse taxation on the 9/11 aid grants. We have offered amendments to reverse this taxation with the active support of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), Ways and Means members and others from the New York delegation. We have testified before the Committee on Rules, made numerous speeches before this body, sought hearings for the legislation and held countless events to seek action from House leaders to reverse this wrongful taxation on 9/11 aid grants. We have been trying for more than 3 years to have the small business victims of 9/11 treated fairly, but this body has not found a way as yet to advance that legislation. Again, I am appealing to my colleagues from Florida and Louisiana to help our constituents as they are helping theirs today.

Now, today, we are watching a bill sail to the floor for passage, without a hearing, without a markup in committee, without any of the months and years of effort that the New York delegation and business leaders from New York City have put into seeking redress for 9/11 disaster victims that were treated unfairly and wrongly.

Let me be absolutely clear that I find no fault with the repeal of wrongful taxation on the recovery grants for Florida and Louisiana victims of disaster. I feel they are entitled. The purpose of disaster relief is to relieve them, to get that money back in the community, to help them restore and be made whole, not to tax it. But I do find fault with the exclusion of 9/11 victims in this bill when we have fought so long and so hard to achieve the exact same fairness for them. If the Federal Government should not collect taxes on aid to hurricane victims, then it should not collect taxes on 9/11 relief grants which is truly the worst disaster that this country has ever suffered. It is an act of war. We are still suffering from that terrible, terrible action against innocent people.

I again want to make clear that I am supporting the legislation. I would like to place in the Record a report from the Joint Committee on Taxation where they estimated that approximately $268 million was sent back to Washington in the form of taxes on the

relief grants following 9/11. It is unfair to New York and to those who suffered the most from the terrorist attacks against our Nation.

I call upon the authors of this legislation and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley), whom I know has many friends in New York and has been a strong ally in working with the recovery of New York after 9/11, and I call upon the House leadership and appropriate committee chairmen to do the right thing for the 9/11 victims. I really implore my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the right and fair thing for the victims of 9/11 because of the wrongful taxation on their recovery grants and we call upon this body to treat them with the same attention and care that we are rightfully showing to the victims of disasters in other parts of our Nation today.

Again, I support this legislation. Again, I appeal to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to give the like, same fair treatment to the sufferers and the victims and the grants for 9/11.

Congress of the United States,

Joint Committee on Taxation,

Washington, DC, June 17, 2003.

Hon. Carolyn Maloney,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Ms. Maloney. This letter is in response to your

request of June 9, 2003, for a revenue estimate of a proposal

to exclude from gross income certain Federal funds granted as

a result of the terrorist events of September 11, 2001.

In general, under present law, unless income is received

for ``general welfare'' or for compensation for losses that

are not otherwise compensated, grants from the Federal

government are included in income. To the extent not already

excluded under present law by the general welfare doctrine or

otherwise, your proposal would exclude from gross income

payments of certain Federal funds made as assistance on

account of property or business damaged by, and for economic

revitalization directly related to, the terrorist attacks on

the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.

Assuming that your proposal would be enacted on July 1,

2003, and effective for taxable years ending after September

11, 2001, we estimate that your proposal would have the

following effects on Federal fiscal year budget receipts:

Fiscal years Millions of dollars 2003................................................................-24 2004...............................................................-135 2005................................................................-61 2006................................................................-30 2007................................................................-11 2008.................................................................-5 2009.................................................................-2 2010.................................................................-- 2011.................................................................-- 2012.................................................................-- 2013.................................................................-- 2003-08............................................................-266 2003-13............................................................-268

I hope this information is helpful to you. If we can be of

further assistance in this matter, please let me know.

Sincerely,

George K. Yin.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) for his leadership on this issue and so many others. I rise in strong support of S. 384 that would extend the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group for 2 years.

The 1989 law opened up the government files of Nazi and Japanese war activities. Many, many agencies cooperated and declassified an enormous amount of documents, including the CIA, FBI, NSA, DOD, the Army, and many others. The law resulted in the largest specifically focused declassification effort in American history. It provided important information for historians to better understand World War II and the Cold War. Already, over 100 million documents have been screened and over 8 million have been declassified.

The extension will allow time for the remaining documents to be released and studied. The remaining documents are mainly in the CIA. We thank them for their agreed cooperation as we go forward.

Madam Speaker, I want to make clear that the original legislation required the disclosure of Nazi war criminal records specifically related to individuals. It should in no way be interpreted as inhibiting the release of other more general records such as policy directives or memoranda. If such records are uncovered during the search of files, the bill requires and necessitates that they become public along with the rest of the documents. The intent of the original legislation was to bring to the light information which may be in the files and archives of the U.S. Government. This may well include information from the postwar period showing a relationship between those agencies and Nazi war criminals.

It was not the intent that the exemptions included in the underlying bill be used to shield this type of information from disclosure. We included the exemptions that currently exist in executive order. They should not be revoked simply to protect any agency from embarrassment.

It is important that this move forward, and it is important that we pass this extension today as the terms of the Interagency Working Group were set to expire at the end of March 2005. So we are at a critical juncture which this bill addresses.

Madam Speaker, I first introduced the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act in

1994. It was in response to an article that I read in the New York Times written by Mr. Abe Rosenthal. In the article he described the work of a professor from the University of South Carolina who was trying to obtain information on Kurt Waldheim, a former director of the United Nations. Yet our government would not allow him to have access to any information.

The KGB had opened up their files; many governments had opened up their files. It was many years after the war, and I could see no reason why this information should be kept from the public.

I introduced the bill, along with former Congressman Steve Horn. At first there was great opposition to the bill from the intelligence community. In 1996, we passed a sense of Congress in support of the bill because nothing passes without the support of the intelligence community. The bill drew the attention of former Congressman Porter Goss, Senator DeWine, and then-Senator Moynihan who worked with me and others to finally pass the bill 7 years ago in 1998. It was signed into law by President Clinton in an Oval Office ceremony that year.

In December of 2000, we extended the law for an additional 2 years and expanded it to cover the Japanese crime documents. Then in January of 2004, we extended the term of the Interagency Working Group another year so it would be able to fulfill its charter and produce a comprehensive, historically accurate report on the United States' knowledge of Nazi and Japanese war criminals and their activities.

Now because of the bill, the legislation, millions of pages of U.S. intelligence documents are organized and available to the public through the National Archives. As a result of this law, we are beginning to understand the relationship of the U.S. Government to Nazi war criminals in the aftermath of World War II and during the Cold War.

While it is a difficult subject to address, finding out about the terrible and ugly aspects of the wartime era will help to shed light and bring us closer to the truth. ``U.S. Intelligence and the Nazis'' is one book that has already resulted from the documents. I know there will be many more in the future. In this book, they talk about the role of intelligence agencies, especially the U.S. of war criminals by U.S. intelligence organizations after the war.

We now understand because of these documents that German spymaster General Reinhard Gehlen, who served as Hitler's most senior military intelligence officer on the Eastern Front, was an officer who became a key U.S. intelligence resource after the war. During the postwar period, he ran an extensive network of spies, some with Nazi collaborationist backgrounds, that made them vulnerable to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.

As we can see, the documents provided thus far to the IWG have revealed that there was a closer relationship between the U.S. Government and Nazi war criminals than previously known. It is an important fact that is crucial to the understanding of history. This significant knowledge would not have been possible without the cooperation of so many in this body, and so many agencies. But particularly I cite the dedicated work of the Interagency Working Group, former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, Tom Baer and Richard Ben-Veniste. They served with great dedication, without compensation and are continuing to serve and have been appointed by two Presidents.

Many people worked to bring this bill to the floor, and I want to especially express my gratitude to the gentleman from Virginia (Chairman Tom Davis), who went beyond the call of duty to ensure there was a markup so we could get this to the floor to extend it before the time expired. I appreciate the work of his staff, Mason Aligner and Rob Borden; and I also want to thank the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), and his staff, Michelle Ash and David McMillan, who are always helpful and supportive, and this time was no exception.

I also express my appreciation to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority leader, and his staff, Brad Loper. They were extremely helpful in making sure we are debating this bill on the floor today and that the Interagency Task Force will be able to continue its work.

I would also like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and Robert Tracci on his staff who have been extremely accommodating so we could move this forward. But I would especially like to thank my colleague in the other body, Senator DeWine, and his staff, Peter Levitas, and his former staff member, Louis DePartt, for their tireless and selfless work and for the energy they put forth to ensure that we know as much as we can about our government's past involvement with Nazi war criminals.

I would also like to recognize Ben Chevat and Orly Isaacson of my own staff who have shown tremendous persistence and dedication.

I also thank former Senator Moynihan. Today, I was supposed to be in Syracuse for a dedication to a research facility that bears his name to continue his work. He worked with me on this bill. Part of his devotion was protecting privacy and combating unnecessary confidentiality of government papers. I really feel being here today helps extend and empower the work that he so brilliantly did in this body.

Our work today is extremely important; but it is far surpassed by the persistence that Holocaust survivors, historians, and researchers have shown for their search for the truth. I thank everyone who has worked to make this happen today.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, today I introduce an important piece of legislation that will help rape victims across the country avoid unwanted pregnancy, the Best Help for Rape Victims Act.

Recently, the Department of Justice has issued its first-ever medical guidelines for treating sexual-assault victims, the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination. While otherwise a thorough step-by-step medical treatment guide, the Justice Department omitted any mention of the option of Emergency Contraception, ignoring a crucial opportunity to provide vital and time-sensitive healthcare to victims of rape and sexual assault.

Of the 300,000 women who are sexually assaulted each year, an estimated 25,000 will become pregnant as a result. If Emergency Contraception was regularly offered to rape victims, its 89 percent success rate could avert up to 22,000 unplanned pregnancies every year--many of which may ultimately be terminated in abortion.

The Best Help for Rape Victims Act would address this problem by simply requiring the Department of Justice to include language in the Protocol stating that a victim of sexual assault who is at risk of pregnancy be offered information about Emergency Contraception, and if requested, provide Emergency Contraception to the victim on site.

The vast majority of Americans believe we should be doing everything we can to help rape victims recover from sexual attacks, not withholding important health information from them, and certainly not making fathers out of rapists. Unfortunately, since the Justice Department apparently has a different set of values, we must pass the ``Best Help for Rape Victims Act'' to protect the health and rights of victims of sexual assault by ensuring that they receive all available information and the best medical care available.