Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it comes as no surprise that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are opening the second session of the 112th Congress by once again driving us to the brink of default. By voting to disapprove of the debt limit increase, the Majority is ignoring essential actions like extending the Payroll Tax Cut and unemployment benefits. The American people have called on Congress to create jobs, reduce the deficit, and grow the economy. Today's resolution does none of these and hurts the American economy by politicizing the debt limit increase. Now is the time for the House Majority to bring to the floor critical pieces of the President's American Jobs Act that would spur small business growth, rebuild our school and transportation infrastructure, and prevent layoffs in crucial jobs like teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

Vote ``no'' on this irresponsible legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two important paintings in the Capitol Visitors Center that were recently placed for public viewing by the Architect of the Capitol. I refer to the famous 19th century painter Albert Bierstadt's works ``The Discovery of the Hudson River'' and ``Entrance into Monterey,'' which can be viewed near the starting point for visitor tours through the Capitol. These paintings represent a uniquely American point of view as part of the Hudson River School of Painting.

Within my district in New York City, there are many connections to this first indigenous American school of painting and its artists. One artist, Asher Durand, stands out in particular.

Durand helped found what is known today as the National Academy Museum and School, which I am proud to have in my district. Durand was a very accomplished artist of the 19th century and he served as president of the Academy for many years. His style was highly detailed, a hallmark of the School, and one of his most famous pieces, ``Kindred Spirits,'' is often cited as one of the works most emblematic of the School's ideals. This painting, which resided in the iconic New York Public Library in my district for over 100 years, cemented Durand's place at the forefront of the movement created by the Hudson River School.

As the School's prominence grew, many of the painters traveled abroad to study and were introduced to the culture of the capitals of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. These travels inspired many of the artists to join with other leaders to found the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1870. Located in my district on Fifth Avenue, around 5 million visitors walk up the steps of this landmark institution each year. Some of the School's painters later served as trustees and members of the Executive Commiftee for the Met. Today, many works from the Hudson River School, including several by Durand, hang there.

Some painters also traveled to the American West, which at the time, was an exciting, undiscovered region that captivated Americans in the East. The members of Congress were so inspired by the works produced on these trips that they dedicated national parks, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite, to protect the awe-inspiring landscapes many had only ever witnessed on canvas. This spirit of environmental conservation became more and more popular, and these paintings were later used to support the creation of the National Parks Service in 1916.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the importance of painters like Asher Durand and his contemporaries of the Hudson River School, whose contributions to our country's art, culture, and society are innumerable and still important to every American today.

I thank the gentleman for his leadership and for yielding.

The Senate has gone home for Christmas. And just 5 minutes before I came to this floor, the President made an announcement from the White House that he supported the bipartisan Senate compromise bill that passed the Senate 89-10. And we need to pass it and wrap up this Christmas present for the middle class.

Instead of the pattern of obstruction that is constantly coming from the other side of the aisle, we should introduce the Senate bill here in the House and pass it for the American people. The House leadership should allow an up-or-down vote and extend the payroll tax cut, the unemployment benefits, and the doc fix for the middle class.

Without this 2-month extension, 160 million Americans will face a tax hike starting January 1. The idea that it is somehow acceptable to let this happen is to be blind to the economic struggles that American middle class families are now facing and to be totally, totally deaf to the cries for help from the many people--the 2.2 million Americans--who will see their unemployment benefits expire if we do not pass the Senate bill. This is an exercise in rigid partisan ideology that will also result in an additional 48 million seniors being denied access to their doctors.

No bill will make everybody happy. But to stop this Senate bill now, one that is so important to so many Americans, just to please the rigid ideology of the very few, it is the tail wagging the elephant, and it is obstructionist to the American people. And it is just in time for Christmas, and it is indefensible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012. The conference report provisions regarding the treatment of terrorism detainees in U.S. custody contained in the bill simply do not go far enough to ensure that counterterrorism officials have the ability to effectively deal with the threats our country faces, while upholding our constitutional values.

These detainee provisions put into law the authority of the military to indefinitely detain without trial individuals determined to be members or substantial supporters of terrorist organizations. But the bill does not define in clear terms those who are subject to this provision and leaves open the possibility that even American citizens arrested on U.S. soil could be detained indefinitely.

I fully support many provisions in this bill, including those that provide our service members with the pay and equipment they need and deserve. I also strongly support provisions that make much-needed improvements to the sexual assault and harassment policies of the Defense Department, and ensure that victims have access to a military lawyer and maintain their option of confidential reporting even if they seek legal counsel.

But, the language regarding detainees contained in this bill threatens the rights and liberties of American citizens. We must state unequivocally that no American may be arrested on U.S. soil and detained indefinitely without trial. This bill fails that test and compromises our most basic constitutional values.

That is why I vigorously oppose H.R. 1540 and urge my colleagues to join me in a strong ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise our troops--and our President--as we end our involvement in Iraq.

America's armed forces were called to duty, did everything asked of them and served with distinction. Their valor and dedication in serving our country half a world away has been an inspiration to me and to our nation. And now, as they leave the nation of Iraq, we here at home honor their sacrifice, the sacrifice of their families, and welcome them with open arms and open hearts. As we welcome those who are coming home, we must not forget the nearly 4,500 servicemembers who lost their lives and the more than 30,000 troops who were wounded in this conflict who, along with their families, have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

President Obama deserves much credit for keeping his promise to the American people to withdraw from the Iraq conflict and have our troops home by the holidays. Those of us in the House and the Senate must continue to honor our commitment to our veterans and their families, helping to ensure a future in which they can fulfill their hopes and dreams for themselves and their children.

Mr. Speaker, Iran's quest for nuclear weapons puts the entire globe at risk.

Iran has proven itself to be less than truthful in its discussions about its nuclear weapons program. It hid its nuclear enrichment facility in Qom from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It told the world it was enriching uranium for non-military purposes, but the enrichment site at Qom and elsewhere appear to have no civilian application.

And while sanctions have had some impact, Iran has persisted in its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Iran has also succeeded in evading the impact of existing sanctions by creating one front company after another to shield its activities.

What's particularly troubling, is that at the same time as it is building its nuclear program, Iran has continued to threaten its neighbors. It has armed and funded Hezbollah and Hamas, which are dedicated to eradicating the state of Israel. In 2005, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map. In 2008, he said: ``The people of the region would not miss the narrowest opportunity to annihilate this false regime.''

But Israel is not Iran's only target. In November a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to bomb NATO bases in Turkey. Iran is currently threatening to close the straits of Hormuz, which will affect shipping, with particular impact on the crude oil exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq and liquid natural gas from Qatar.

Given Iran's success in developing a nuclear program, a number of its neighbors have suggested that they may follow suit, creating further instability in the region. Earlier this month, Turki al-Faisal, who has served as the Saudi intelligence chief and as ambassador to the United States, suggested that Saudi Arabia may seek nuclear weapons. Wikileaks revealed that Egypt's leaders told U.S. officials that Egypt would acquire nuclear weapons if Iran did. This lends greater urgency to the need to persuade Iran to end its nuclear ambitions.

Nuclear weapons are particularly threatening when held by a nation whose leaders have no apparent respect for human life. Iran has an unrivaled record of human rights abuses, from the imprisonment of people of the Ba'hai faith, to the use of the death penalty against minors, to the use of torture and amputation against prisoners, to discrimination against women, to the suppression and murder of members of the democracy movement. With thousands of its citizens murdered, tortured or imprisoned, Iran's record of human rights abuses is among the worst in the world.

History shows that when dictators threaten their neighbors, there's good reason to fear. And given Iran's history of threats, its dedicated progress in enriching uranium, its evident determination to hide its nuclear program from the world and its abysmal human rights record, the world should do everything possible to hinder it from obtaining nuclear weapons.

That's why I strongly support H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act, which would implement a commonsense enhancement of existing sanctions--by providing greater options to sanction entities doing business with the Central Bank of Iran; by expanding the types petroleum-related activities that could trigger sanctions to include certain petroleum resource agreements with Iran, purchasing Iranian debt and supporting port facility construction and management; by imposing sanctions on individuals involved in human rights abuses or terrorism; by imposing sanctions on those who do business with Iran's Revolutionary Guard; by allowing states or other organizations to divest from Iran; by identifying those entities that are helping Iran evade sanctions, among other things.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in support of H.R. 1905.

Mr. Speaker, the House Republican Majority has done nothing to create jobs during the first session of the 112th Congress and now they're adding further injustice by hurting the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The Republican unemployment insurance proposal would cut in half the total number of weeks of benefits provided, harm those States with the highest rates of prolonged unemployment, and allow unemployment funds to be used for other purposes.

If Congress does not act on an extension of unemployment benefits, more than one million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits next year. This is compounded by the Economic Policy Institute's findings that the drop in consumer demand resulting from expired unemployment benefits would cost the U.S. economy more than half a million jobs. This is unacceptable. According to the Congressional Budget Office providing federal unemployment benefits is one of the most effective ways to help boost the economy--in fact, for every dollar of benefits, nearly $2 in economic growth goes into the surrounding community. We should be working to support American families instead of causing more damage.

This bill should be about extending tax incentives and not pushing through the Majority's anti-environment agenda. This legislation includes a provision that bypasses the Keystone XL pipeline environmental review process by requiring the President to make a decision whether to approve the project within 60 days, even though a final route has not yet been proposed. It is responsible and critical that the Administration complete a proper assessment of the health risks and potential toxic contamination to the surrounding communities posed by the pipeline. Any effort to rush this process and compel a decision before a thorough review should not stand.

The Majority also is attempting to block air quality standards that have been thoroughly reviewed. The EPA is more than a decade late on issuing emissions standards requiring incinerators and boilers to reduce toxic air pollutants. While this would impact less than 1 percent of all boilers in the U.S., the Republican Majority is again attempting to nullify and delay the discharge limits. The pollutants from these emissions are linked to asthma, cancer, and heart disease, with the EPA estimating that the pollution reductions required by the rules would prevent up to 8,100 premature deaths, 52,000 asthma attacks, and 5,100 heart attacks each year and yield $12 to $30 in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards. Such controversial provisions as the pipeline and the emissions standards have no place in tax legislation.

The issue of spectrum allocation should not be pushed through at the end of this session. While H.R. 3630 grants the Federal Communications Commission the authority to conduct incentive auctions, it does not ensure proper oversight of the process. This is especially

concerning as it relates to the public safety network. In the immediate aftermath of September 11th the importance of a strong and consistent public safety network was clear--first responders and emergency workers must be able to communicate in emergency and disaster situations. There is an insufficient amount of funds to research, build, and develop the public safety communications network as well as no requirement that the network providing for effective governance and national operability.

Finally, while I wholeheartedly believe that we must fix the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate Physician payment formula (or ``doc fix''), we cannot do it on the backs of the hospitals. This bill would cut Medicare hospital outpatient reimbursement rates to equalize them with rates for services provided in physician offices. The proposal is misguided because it ignores the significant differences in cost structures between hospitals and physician offices, including the added costs hospitals incur for caring for the uninsured. All of these cuts are on top of $155 billion in hospitals cuts from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and more than $40 billion in cuts just created by sequestration. Hospitals simply cannot sustain these cuts and patient care will suffer if they are forced to do so.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The President has announced that we cannot leave Congress without passing an extension of the middle class tax cut and an extension of unemployment benefits.

Now, originally, the ``no new taxes'' folks in the GOP Republican Senate said that they couldn't do that, that they were going to let the middle class tax increase expire, they were going to let the taxes increase on the middle class, but they were going to refuse to raise taxes on the superrich. Now, if you were not superrich, this was bad news for 99 percent of all Americans; and they spoke out, and they said they would like this tax cut.

Now the Republicans have come back with all types of riders that the President does not support. We need a clean bill.

The payroll tax cut that the Democrats are supporting would mean that a typical middle class family would have 1,000 extra dollars to spend.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the payroll tax cut is one of the most powerful tools that we could use to increase the number of full-time jobs. The other policy option that they supported for stimulating the economy was extending the unemployment benefits.

So it's time for our colleagues across the aisle to get with the spirit of this season. Pass the tax cut without the harmful riders; pass the extension of unemployment benefits; and--excuse my Dickens-- stop with all the humbug and let's get forward with helping the economy and helping the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3421, the Fallen Heroes of 9/11 Act.

After 9/11, I have never seen this body so united and determined; and this same determination and united spirit is behind the bill that we are passing today, with well over 300 cosponsors.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of that tragic day where we had innocent Americans murdered on our soil, invaded; the first act of terrorism that we are confronting and combating today in this Congress.

The bill will symbolize in the gold coin the 9/11 site in New York, the site at the Pentagon, the heroic flight over Pennsylvania, and will have the gold coin put on display in the museums in these three locations.

On 9/11, we lost thousands and thousands of Americans, innocent Americans, who did what we did today, went up and went to work and were murdered because they were Americans. It was outrageous. We will never forget. This is another way that we can memorialize the heroic actions, the heroes and heroines that worked hard to try to protect them, and really recognize how outrageous it was that an American citizen was murdered just for being an American.

Since 9/11, thousands and thousands more have lost their health. And I thank this body for acting in the last Congress to provide health care and compensation and monitoring for those who risked their lives to save the lives of others.

No other act has changed this country as much as 9/11. We totally reorganized our priorities, created a Homeland Security Department, totally reorganized our intelligence gathering, and implemented 43 of the 53 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. It was this Congress at its best.

The 9/11 Commission report, which was a bipartisan product, came forward with concrete recommendations. Their report sold more copies than ``Harry Potter.'' It was an important report, and this Congress took that report and enacted those recommendations into law. With that same bipartisan spirit, we should be attacking the economic challenges that we confront today.

I compliment my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for sponsoring and working on this legislation. It will mean a great deal to the men and women that I have the honor of representing to have a bronze coin that they can purchase to remember, to have their input into the artistic framing of the message for these three tragedies in our country. It is thoughtful, it is purposeful, and it is historic. I thank my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Investing in America's Small Businesses Act of 2011, or the ``Micro Biz'' Bill.

This bill fills an important need in this country to advance the practice of microlending to small start ups, and because it allows Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to do more of the great work that they already do.

This bill will expand a vital source of seed money for entrepreneurs who don't have access to bank loans. The billion-dollar corporation that began in a dorm room or a garage is no urban myth, as the employees of Facebook and Hewlett-Packard can tell you, but the Great Recession has made it harder than ever for entrepreneurs to access credit. It's my hope that this ``micro biz'' bill will be a bridge not only to vital financing for entrepreneurs, but also to a brighter economic future for our country.

Indeed, we in Congress talk quite often about the need to create jobs. And even with the unemployment rate falling to 8.6% from a high of 9.2%, our economic recovery is slower than all of us would like. So the goal of my bill is to get to the heart of job creation, the small business--and more specifically, the small startup. And because I think this is a goal that even big business should share, a critical component of the bill is to foster public private partnerships. I have focused on CDFIs because they are on the ground every day financing projects, lending to small businesses, and engaging in economic development in underserved areas.

My bill will provide grants to CDFIs to create or enhance their loan- loss reserves so they can either begin to do micro lending or so they can do more of it. Loan-loss reserves are critical for institutions to be able to extend loans and for corporations to partner with them. Loan-loss reserves cover the institution in the case of a loan default but also allow the institution to be in the ``first loss'' position. So, if a larger institution or corporation wants to partner with them, the loan-loss reserve ensures that the CDFI, not the larger institution or corporation, will be on the hook should the loan default. I should note, though, that historically, loans in this category through the CDFI's have a very low loan default rate--just 3% in the first quarter of 2011. But the loan-loss reserve provides critical protections for CDFIs and their partners.

The bill also provides grants for technical assistance so that CDFIs can engage with small businesses and help them get off the ground. Loans made through this program must be under $25,000 and the CDFI must be able to match the grant by 50%. Most importantly, for every dollar of public money, the CDFIs can leverage six dollars of private money.

I believe this bill is essential to helping CDFIs create new financial products and services that are appropriate and accessible for millions of American small businesses that do not have access to the financial mainstream.

Often we are talking about a young Steve Jobs who invents the first computer in his basement but needs startup capital to get it out there. Unfortunately most entrepreneurs aren't Steve Jobs and need loans to get their ideas off the ground. But if they do, they grow, they take on a partner and business takes off from there. Job creation flows from that first loan.

That is exactly what this bill is about and why I think it is so important. It is not a comprehensive solution, but it is a way to get money out there to small business and support job creation from the ground up.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose H.R. 10, the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.

This bill is another instance of the Republican Majority playing politics, rather than focusing on passing legislation that creates jobs, grows our economy, and protects the American people. Requiring that Congress approve all agency rules and regulations with an annual economic cost of $100 million or more would not only handicap our government's ability to regulate health and safety laws, it would also distract Congress from addressing pressing issues like job creation, national security and reducing our deficit. After an entire year in which the Republican Majority has demonstrated an inability to take up a productive legislative schedule--forcing last-minute votes on critical issues and not even introducing any kind of serious jobs agenda--it seems ludicrous to suggest that Congress should be spending its time nitpicking federal agencies about enacting regulations that Congress has authorized or ordered be done.

Additionally, this bill would actually harm job creation and hurt businesses. By creating a scenario in which regulations are proposed, and then potentially overridden, and then potentially proposed yet again in a new form, businesses will be forced to spend significant time and resources just keeping track of all the changes--decreasing their productivity and bottom line. This will create uncertainty for businesses and harm job creation--the very thing that the Republican Majority asserts that this bill will prevent. This is nothing more than blatant political posturing, as evidenced by the fact that Congress already has the authority to review and override federal rules under the Congressional Review Act.

The fact is that federal agencies need to be able to issue rules in a timely and efficient manner to protect the health and welfare of the American people and help grow our economy. Industries and individuals in areas from finance to farming rely on rulemaking and regulations to facilitate their businesses, and this bill would undermine that. I urge a no vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Time Warner Cable, which is headquartered in my district, for its investment in local television news coverage, specifically for opening a Washington, D.C., news bureau that will cover stories and events here in Washington that are important to the communities served by its 14 local news channels throughout the country.

Mr. Speaker, Time Warner Cable is dedicating significant resources to high quality local news channels that provide critical local news, weather, traffic and sports coverage in the local communities that they serve. These stations are good for the public, and for our republic, at a time when many local television news budgets are being cut and local newspapers are cutting back, too. Thus it is important to note the rare times when we see new investment in local news coverage.

I applaud Time Warner Cable for recognizing the importance of local news, for investing in it, and creating jobs while providing this critical service to its customers--many of whom are my constituents. With more local news coverage, it's a certainty that we will have a better informed citizenry, which can only improve our nation.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation with my colleagues, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Rep. Madeleine Bordallo, Rep. Mike Honda, and Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, which would simply allow Christian Indonesian citizens fleeing persecution, many of whom arrived during a five-year timeframe (January 1, 1997-November 30, 2002) and were denied asylum solely for missing the one-year filing deadline, the opportunity to reopen their claims during the two-year period following enactment.

Beginning in 1997, many Indonesian Christians fled religious persecution in Indonesia, where extreme violence and destruction of churches drove them from their homes. These individuals came to this country, seeking relief from extreme violence and persecution for their religious beliefs, but were unable to make the one-year filing deadline. They deserve the opportunity to have their claims heard.

The United States has long sought to protect refugees fleeing persecution and provide a process to fairly consider their claims. This bill does not, in itself, grant asylum, but merely removes a procedural barrier to their claims being considered. These individuals seeking asylum deserve a second chance to avoid the persecution they have fled and remain united with their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 3463, legislation that terminates taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions and the Election Assistance Commission.

Once again, the Republican Congress is bringing legislation to the floor that puts more control of our elections in the hands of big business. H.R. 3463 combines two bills that have previously been brought before this House that I opposed and that were roundly rejected by Democrats.

In the wake of the Watergate scandal, Congress established the current system of public financing of our presidential elections, enabling taxpayers to voluntarily contribute a small donation to the fund. While there has been bipartisan agreement that this system should be fixed, not eliminated, one of the Republican House majority's top priorities is, not to focus on creating jobs and building our economy but, to give corporate secret donors more control of our presidential elections.

The American people are rightly concerned that only big money and special interests get a hearing in Washington. The Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case opened the floodgates to greater influence by powerful special interests--effectively drowning out the voices of average Americans. Last year, House Democrats worked on bringing fairness and transparency to campaigns with passage of the bipartisan DISCLOSE Act, legislation that would ensure Americans' voices are not drowned out by corporate dollars.

Unfortunately, before us today is legislation that did not receive an opportunity for debate or amendment, which would make presidential candidates more dependent on big corporate money that corrupts our political system.

I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose H.R. 3010 and H.R. 527, bills that would create unnecessary requirements and hurdles to federal rulemaking. These bills seriously hinder the ability of federal agencies to protect our public health, including the safety of our food, our drinking water, the toys our children play with, and the quality of the air we breathe. These bills would create excessive delays for important rules that help provide workplace safety, consumer protection, support for small businesses, and veterans' assistance. Both these bills would add a cost to the taxpayers--H.R. 3010 would impose enormous costs by requiring a cost-benefit analysis of even the most minor of rules and CB0 estimates H.R. 527 would cost $80 million just in the next few years. By expanding judicial review H.R. 3010 will favor well funded special interests, a blatant attempt to impede an agency's factfinding process. Such processes will create greater and extended amounts of uncertainty, making it harder for businesses small and large to plan for the future. I urge my colleagues to vote No on these overreaching and onerous bills.