Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the supplemental war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. After 9 years of war, the time has come to bring our troops home.

I would like to thank Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership for bringing this bill to the floor today in a manner that allows clear up or down votes on funding for the war and other domestic priorities.

The challenges in Afghanistan are great. As the violence and attacks on our troops continue to increase, we still do not have a clear path forward or a way to measure progress there.

We cannot afford to sustain an open-ended commitment with no clear definition of success.

Reports of corruption abound in Afghanistan, and without a true partner in the Karzai government, our prospects for making real progress have grown dim.

Our troops have fought with honor and professionalism in the face of great challenges, and at great cost--I am truly humbled by their service and sacrifice. These brave men and women in uniform deserve our full support and commitment to return them home safely to their families and loved ones.

I support the president and our military leadership in bringing this war to a responsible end. President Obama did not start this war, and I was among those who have spoken out in support of allowing for the time necessary for a new strategy in Afghanistan to turn the tide.

But after years of war that has strained our military, their families, and the country, I am unable to continue to support what increasingly looks like an intractable situation in Afghanistan.

That is why I vote against this war funding today.

Despite my opposition to the troubling war funding, the bill does include critical domestic funding that I will support. These include saving teachers' jobs, Pell Grants, emergency food assistance for hungry Americans, and disaster aid to respond to the Gulf oil spill catastrophe.

For example, today we are providing $10 billion for an Education Jobs Fund to provide additional emergency support to local school districts to prevent impending layoffs. Estimates suggest that this fund will help keep 140,000 school employees on the job next year.

Moreover, when we invest in education, we save jobs in other sectors and spur economic recovery. According to the Economic Policy Institute, for every 100,000 education jobs lost, another 30,000 jobs are lost in other sectors due to reduced consumer spending and tax revenues.

The list of important programs this bill funds is both extensive and impressive: Among other priorities, we are providing $304 million for the Gulf Coast oil spill; $50 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program for food purchases to distribute through local emergency food providers; $13.377 billion for the payment of benefits to Vietnam veterans and their survivors for exposure to Agent Orange, which has been linked with Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease, and hairy cell/B cell leukemia; and $2.93 billion for Haiti.

These are extremely important priorities which are fully paid for and which I support.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3962, which will protect patient access to their doctors and prevent a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors, and also boost physician payments by 2.2 percent through November 30.

Congress has spent the last decade--under both Republican and Democratic leadership--overriding the Sustainable Growth Rate, SGR, formula to prevent America's doctors from facing pay cuts in Medicare and to ensure seniors can keep their doctor.

Last November, the House passed H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act, permanently fixing the SGR. Democrats have long recognized that this formula is fundamentally flawed and have been working to fix it only to be stymied by Republicans in the Senate. This bill, though necessary, will require Congress to review the formula again in December when the current fix expires.

Temporary fixes are not the answer. We must have a permanent solution to this problem to protect our Medicare patients and retired military veterans.

I urge my colleagues to work toward a permanent fix of the Sustainable Growth Rate.

Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Stop Deceptive Advertising in Women's Services (SDAWS) Act with 11 other Members of the House of Representatives. Senator Menendez is introducing the companion legislation in the Senate as well.

Fake reproductive health clinics that sometimes bill themselves as legitimate crisis pregnancy centers entice women with unintended pregnancies through their doors under the pretense of providing a full range of reproductive options, and then try to dissuade women from

abortion by subjecting them to inaccurate medical information, anti- choice propaganda, and intimidation. This bill would help stop the fraud that these crisis pregnancy centers are perpetrating on the women of America.

The SDAWS Act directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules declaring it an unfair or deceptive act for an entity, such as a crisis pregnancy center, to advertise as a provider of abortion services if the entity does not provide abortion services. Organizations that are not deceptive in their advertising or marketing will not be impacted by this bill.

The Stop Deceptive Advertising in Women's Services Act (SDAWS) serves to protect women seeking information about reproductive options from being subject to disturbing anti-choice propaganda and misinformation about the nature of abortion and its medical effects. Women have a right to unbiased pregnancy counseling, and should not be subject to deceptive advertising from anti-choice centers about the nature of their services.

Too many studies have documented that some CPCs are intentionally deceiving women, providing false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion, the effect of abortion on future fertility, and the mental health effects of abortion. Women deserve accurate medical information when making tough medical decisions. We must not allow this type of behavior to be perpetrated against women seeking reproductive health services.

Thank you, Chairman Frank, for yielding, for your leadership, and for presiding over the most open and transparent conference process in the history of this Congress.

The Dodd-Frank bill is landmark legislation which will protect consumers and investors while allowing our financial services industry to continue financing the creativity and innovation which has, even in these very difficult times, made the American economy the envy of the world. This bill restores safety and soundness, reduces the likelihood of another systemic crisis, restores faith and confidence in our institutions and markets, while safeguarding Americans from predatory, unfair, and deceptive practices.

I have made it a mission throughout my career to help put consumers on an equal footing with their financial institutions through laws like the Credit Card Act. And today, we can take a huge step forward toward a more level playing field with the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

For far too long in our financial system and its products, any concerns about consumer protection came in a distant second or a third or none at all. Now, anyone who opens a checking or savings account, anyone who takes out a student loan or a mortgage, anyone who opens a credit card or takes out a payday loan will have a Federal agency on their side to protect them. For the first time, consumer protection authority will be housed in one place. It will be completely independent, with an independently appointed director, an independent budget, and an autonomous rulemaking authority. And, very importantly, it will have a seat at the table at the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Continuity and oversight of our financial system will consider not only safety and soundness but also the best interests of the American consumer, the American taxpayer, the American citizen.

I am particularly pleased that two items that I offered were included that will give consumers direct access to the CFPB through a consumer hotline and consumer ombudsperson. The bill also addresses the challenge of interchange fees. Working with Senator Durbin and Representative Meeks, we were able to craft a balanced compromise that addressed both the concerns of merchants about high interchange fees and the concerns of the financial sector to be fairly compensated for their services. This bill ensures transparency, establishes accountability, and protects consumers and investors.

America has long been the world leader in financial services. With this landmark bill, we can set an example and take the lead in global financial reform. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections, or DISCLOSE Act. This legislation addresses serious concerns raised by the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC by increasing transparency in our electoral process. My colleague from Maryland, Mr. Van Hollen, and my fellow New Yorker, Senator Schumer deserve thanks for their leadership on this issue.

The recent Supreme Court ruling grants even greater influence to powerful special interests--effectively drowning out the voices of average Americans. This legislation provides voters with the opportunity to make informed decisions--shedding light on the millions of dollars being spent with the intent to influence elections and politicians in Washington.

The DISCLOSE Act eliminates ``pay-to-play'' by preventing government contractors--and TARP recipients--from spending money on elections. The bill extends the current ban on political spending by foreign nationals to include domestic corporations controlled by foreign nationals, requires corporate CEOs to stand by their political ads in the same way candidates must, and enhances disclosure requirements for political expenditures by organizations who lobby government officials.

The legislation before us today is not a perfect bill, but it is a necessary first step to rein in the influence of special interests in our political process. The American people are greatly concerned by the recent Supreme Court ruling, and they rightly fear that only big money and special interests get a hearing in Washington. Passage of the DISCLOSE Act will bring transparency and accountability to campaigns and ensure Americans' voices are not drowned out by corporate dollars.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the fourth anniversary of the kidnapping of Israeli Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit and call for his immediate and safe return to Israel.

Four years ago, Hamas militants attacked an Israeli outpost near the border between Israel and Gaza. Two soldiers, Staff Sergeant Pavel Slutzker and Lieutenant Hanan Barak, were killed and Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit was kidnapped. Less than a month later, two other Israeli soldiers, Sergeant Major Ehud Goldwasser and Sergeant First Class Eldad Regev were captured and killed by Hezbollah. On July 16, 2008, their bodies were returned in exchange for over 200 prisoners demonstrating Israel's special concern for the redemption of their captured soldiers--going so far as trading live and dangerous terrorists for the remains of their fallen heroes.

Hamas continues to inhumanely hold Staff Sergeant Shalit for ransom and has denied him basic medical needs. Since his capture, Gilad Shalit has been deprived of every basic right a captured soldier should be able to expect: visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ability to send and receive letters to his family, and protection from being used involuntarily for propaganda footage. The captivity of Shalit is unacceptable and in clear violation of the laws of the Geneva Convention. I urge Congress to reaffirm Israel's right to defend itself and that the path to peace in the region lies in the recognition of Israel's right to exist, the dismantling of Hamas' terrorist infrastructure, and the release of Gilad Shalit.

As we continue working to secure Staff Sergeant Shalit's safe return, we also keep Corporal Shalit's parents, Aviva and Noam, his older brother Yoel, and his younger sister Hadas in our thoughts.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5481, granting Subpoena Power to the Commission Investigating the BP Oil Spill. Last month, President Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, a panel that will be vital to investigating the disaster and assuring this does not happen again. However, this Commission does not have subpoena power--something critical to ensuring the full disclosure of evidence and witnesses.

In the aftermath of 9/11, I supported similar legislation that gave subpoena power to those investigating the terrorist attacks. Now we face a different kind of attack from the oil gushing out of the Gulf of Mexico. Similar to the work done post 9/11, the clean up workers are getting sick from this toxic waste.

The Commission must have the ability to investigate the shortcuts, cost-cutting and lack of oversight by BP and other responsible entities. Such unprincipled actions cost the lives of 11 men, injured 17, and continue to destroy an ecosystem and change a way of life for those along the Gulf. In order for the task force to mitigate the risks of future oil spills, the Commission must have full understanding of what led to the explosion on the Deepwater Oil Rig.

We need answers to the causes of this ecological man-made disaster. We need to be able to prevent this from happening again. The oversight inquiries Congress has already conducted into BP, Transocean and Halliburton have yielded crucial information. And now, with subpoena power, the Commission can conduct its investigation to the fullest.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for H.R. 2194, a powerful package of sanctions against Iran. These new measures increase pressure on Iran to do the right thing and put an end to its sponsorship of terrorism and its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. I am pleased that the United States has worked with the United Nations to secure multilateral sanctions, but the United States should also be increasing pressure on Iran by implementing the sensible, targeted sanctions contained in this bill.

This conference report contains a package of sanctions that ups the ante on Iran's trading partners, making it clear that doing business with Iran has a price. It targets Iran's energy and banking sectors, and imposes sanctions on foreign companies that are supplying energy and know-how to Iran. It allows the government to restrict access to America for the purposes of banking, foreign exchange and property investment. It requires companies seeking procurement contracts to certify that they are not engaging in sanctionable conduct. The executive branch will have to report sanctionable activity and must either implement sanctions or waive them. Our sanctions will no longer be tough on paper and weak in implementation. Iran can secure an end to them at any time by ending its sponsorship of terrorism and by ending its quest to develop or acquire nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and ballistic missiles and ballistic-missile launch technology.

Iran has shown, time and time again, that it is determined to acquire nuclear weapons. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Iran has enriched 17 kilograms of uranium to 20 percent purity, and that this is a significant step toward the 90 percent enrichment required for weapons-grade uranium. In April, Iran unveiled a third generation of centrifuges and has indicated that the testing phase is nearly complete and that its scientists are working on a fourth generation. It is clear that Iran is racing toward its goal of becoming a nuclear nation.

Iran has also been one of the chief state sponsors of terrorism, sending funding, weapons and know-how to terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. These organizations specifically target civilian populations and have no compunctions against lobbing missiles at homes, schools, hospitals and nursing homes. There are reports that Iran has backed militants in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Iran's leaders have also targeted their own people, viciously putting down the fledgling democratic movement last year and working to restrict communication among its own people. I am pleased that these sanctions specifically ban procurement contracts to any foreign company that exports to Iran technology used to restrict the free flow of information or to disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict freedom of speech. We must do everything we can to persuade Iran to change its reckless course.

A nuclear Iran will be dangerous for the entire world. Iran has been most outspoken in its threats against Israel, but Israel is not the only Middle Eastern nation with reason to fear a nuclear Iran. There is longstanding tension between Shi'ite Iran and its Sunni neighbors. Some argue--because Iran's President has threatened to wipe Israel off the map and Iran has provided weapons and resources to terrorist organizations that are actively trying to accomplish that aim--that America is acting solely to help Israel. And indeed, when Iran threatens to annihilate Israel, I think we should take it at its word, and should assume that it intends to use its nuclear weapons to turn its threat into a reality. But, these sanctions are also necessary because a nuclear Iran threatens all of its neighbors and it has been exporting terrorism to a wide range of nations around the globe.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the conference report for H.R. 2194, and in voting to increase pressure on Iran to turn from this dangerous path. These sanctions are a reasonable and necessary augmentation of existing restrictions and an additional means to put pressure on a state that seems intent on exporting terror and death throughout the world.

Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victim Support Act of 2010, bipartisan legislation that would take a multi-disciplinary, cooperative approach to shutting down human sex trafficking of children in the United States. I am pleased to be joined by original cosponsor Mr. Chris Smith, who along with me co-chairs the Human Trafficking Caucus. Representatives Blumenauer, Steven Cohen, Ted Poe, Laura Richardson, and David Wu also join me as original cosponsors. The legislation is the House companion to S. 2925, introduced by Senators Ron Wyden and John Cornyn in the Senate.

While many think that child sex trafficking is a problem only in foreign countries, experts estimate that over 100,000 children in the United States are currently exploited through commercial sex. Although it is hard to believe, the average age of first exploitation is 12-13. We can no longer ignore that children in our country are being so horrifically exploited for economic gain.

The legislation takes a comprehensive approach to reducing trafficking of minors. It would create block grants to provide shelter and care for the victims, ensure adequate resources for law enforcement and prosecutors to rescue victims and put pimps behind bars, strengthen deterrence and prevention programs aimed at buyers, and require timely and accurate reporting of missing children.

We have a moral obligation to help the neglected victims of sex trafficking and to crack down on their abusers.

Mr. Speaker, this past Monday the Wall Street Journal ran an excellent article on the challenges facing small businesses. It began with a question that small businesses all across America are asking: Where is the money?

The Journal article cites a survey by the National Federation of Independent

Business that found that half of the small businesses that tried to get the loans last year were either denied the loans or they were not given the money that they needed.

We found that small businesses in the Joint Economic Committee report have been badly hurt by the tighter lending standards that resulted from the financial crisis. That is why passing the Small Business Lending Fund Act last week was such an important step forward and sending it to the Senate.

Where is the money is an important question to ask, and the answer is, it is on the way. We hope that the Senate will act quickly and pass this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, according to the latest figures from OSHA, at this time there are over 27,000 workers employed by BP or its contractors and more than 2,000 Federal employees directly involved in the massive cleanup operation now underway in the gulf coast. At a hearing last week, another Federal agency, the CDC, tried to assure Congress that it was doing all it could to keep these workers safe and that it is closely tracking surveillance data across the Gulf Coast States for health effects that may be related to the oil spill. This was good to hear.

But a workshop held by the Institute of Medicine down in New Orleans this week made one thing abundantly clear. When there are that many people engaged in such a complex cleanup effort of such unprecedented size over such an unforeseeably long time, the true danger levels for exposure simply are not known. As a story in USA Today put it: ``While some health officials say they don't think long-term illnesses are likely, they've never seen pollution of this scale, and there are just too many unknowns to say for sure.''

The Institute for Medicine workshop participants noted that proper protective gear can help keep exposure at safe levels, but the problem comes when heat and humidity cause workers to remove their gear. The average daytime high temperatures in New Orleans for the next 2 months is 91, very hot and very humid.

Now, consider an assessment of BP's overall attitude toward worker safety that was contained in a letter sent to BP by an OSHA official back in May: ``The organizational systems that BP has in place, particularly those related to worker safety and health training, protective equipment, and site monitoring, are not adequate for the current situation or the projected increase in cleanup operations.'' The letter also noted that ``these are not isolated problems. They appear to be indicative of a general systematic failure on BP's part to ensure the safety and health of those responding to this disaster.''

The unknowable risks of an environmental disaster of this scale, the foreseeable weather conditions of the near future, and the known failures of BP in the recent past should all raise some great big red warning flags for OSHA, for the Centers for Disease Control, and for NIOSH. I am writing OSHA to ensure that the workers have the proper protective gear, such as respirators, in order to ensure their safety and to protect their health.

This is a region of the country that was previously devastated by a natural disaster that was made worse by the Bush administration's failure to respond with timely assistance and adequate safeguards. Many lost their lives. The gulf coast is now under siege by a manmade disaster. Far too many have already lost their livelihood. The entire region is at risk for losing a way of life. No one should also lose their health simply because we failed to help them when more help was clearly needed.

In my great City of New York, we have witnessed firsthand the terrible price that can be paid over time by those who labor day after day in a toxic environment helping their city recover from a terrible blow on 9/11. I hope that this Congress will do everything in its power to ensure that those who have been asked to clean up this mess and are cleaning up this mess are not asked to pay for their efforts with the loss of their health.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in expressing support for the State of Israel. Israel is a tiny country that has been under attack since its founding 62 years ago. Nonetheless, it has developed into a vigorous democracy. With a free and active press, freedom of religion, free elections and a free and independent judiciary, Israelis of all religions and nationalities enjoy rights and opportunities unimaginable elsewhere in the Middle East.

Israel is our strongest and most reliable friend in the Middle East. Israel is a strategic ally, helping to improve American anti-terrorism efforts, working with the US military to improve training, intelligence gathering, research and development, preparedness and protection of travel and trade.

Despite the threats against it, Israel's economy is thriving, in large part as a result of her agricultural, technological and medical innovations. Israel constitutes a fraction of 1 percent of the land mass and only 2 percent of the population of the Middle East. Nonetheless, Israel far outshines much of the world in terms of academic, scientific and technological achievement. Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees per capita in the world and produces more scientific papers and more books per capita than any other nation in the world. It is the only nation in the world that has had a net increase in the number of trees. Israel has transformed itself from an impoverished backwater to a gleaming modern nation, ranking among the very highly developed countries of the world.

The threat against Israel is growing. Hezbollah, along Israel's Northern border with Lebanon, is heavily armed with increasingly powerful weapons. Hamas, along the Gaza Strip, is vocal about its determination to destroy the Jewish State. And the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is refusing to pursue direct talks with Israel, believing that they will get a better deal if the United States or other countries do the negotiating for them. Fatah leaders and the Abbas-controlled official media of the Palestinian authority continue to deny Israel's existence.

The recent Gaza flotilla in which armed thugs challenged Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip makes clear that Israel is facing a clear and present danger. If the blockade is broken, weapons will flow freely into Hamas's hands. In the years preceding the blockade, Hamas launched more than 8,000 missiles at civilian targets in Israel, killing and injuring thousands. If the blockade is lifted without a peace agreement, Israel's cities and towns can expect the bombardment to resume.

Israel has to be vigilant in defense of its borders. The stated desire of Hamas and many Fatah leaders is to wipe Israel off the face of the world. When the world condemns Israel for defending its population, they are currying favor with terrorists at the expense of a democratic nation. And condemning Israel makes peace much less probable. I hope the Obama Administration will continue to make clear that Israel has no obligation to lift the blockade, and that it is Hamas and its terrorist allies who are responsible for the situation in Gaza.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in strongly expressing my support for Israel.

Madam Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of Mr. Edward Geffner on the occasion of his retirement as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Project Renewal, a not-for profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of homeless persons in New York City.

Edward Geffner began his work with Project Renewal in 1976. For the past third of a century, he has served the organization as its Executive Director, leading it with extraordinary compassion and commitment. Under his able management, Project Renewal has reached out to countless homeless men and women in need of support.

Under Mr. Geffner's leadership, Project Renewal has taken a comprehensive approach in providing critical assistance to its clients. The organization reaches out to homeless men and women on the streets of our nation's greatest city through mobile medical and psychiatric teams. Project Renewal helps provides essential services to those who are also coping with mental illness or drug addiction by linking residents to treatment programs that help them combat addiction or learn to manage their mental illness. Edward Geffner and the Project Renewal staff recognize that a good job is critical to independent living, and they have created a wide range of employment initiatives, including a culinary arts program that has successfully placed 85 percent of its graduates in jobs. I have seen the effectiveness of the programs that Project Renewal operates in the district that I represent.

Supported largely by private philanthropy and corporate sponsors, Edward Geffner and Project Renewal have worked in collaboration with numerous public, private, and not-for-profit organizations and social service providers to help homeless and formerly homeless individuals and families find employment and housing. Trained social workers and staff members, many of whom were formerly homeless,

visit and coordinate services for those in need of assistance in managing and in accessing benefits and medical and social services to which they are entitled. Project Renewal provides information, referral and ongoing monitoring and care management as well as providing some special services that are not offered by other service providers. The agency also collaborates with organizations at all levels to develop and improve coordination of services for the homeless and formerly homeless persons who need individualized community-based preventive protective services if they are to live safely in their own homes. Thanks in no small part to Edward Geffner's expert leadership, Project Renewal now provides dedicated and compassionate assistance to more than 10,000 New Yorkers every year.

Madam Speaker, in recognition of a lifetime of service to others, I request that my distinguished colleagues join me in paying tribute to Edward Geffner, a great New Yorker and a great American. Throughout a career of professional and voluntary activity, he has fought for and secured immeasurable improvements to the quality of life of his fellow New Yorkers. Edward Geffner's selfless and enduring dedication to public and community serves as an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5502 and commend my colleague Representative Dan Maffei for his leadership on this bill.

The gift card provisions were part of the Credit Card Act that I sponsored and the President signed in May, 2009. The Fed was directed to promulgate rules associated with the provisions and I fully support the rules that the Fed adopted. However, many companies that issue cards whose funds do not expire will have to remove gift cards from store shelves that will be out of compliance starting August 22 when the provisions become effective.

Replacing these cards entails not only the production of sufficient new cards to replace in-store inventory, but the additional cost of restocking retailers and pulling all noncompliant cards off the shelf and destroying them.

A short transition period will allow the companies who issue cards with non-expiring funds to sell through their existing card stock on store shelves during the holiday season without having to discard and destroy 100 million cards. It is estimated that this volume would take up more than eight football fields buried 12 feet deep in such cards.

I wrote to the Fed, along with several of my colleagues, asking that they extend the compliance date to January of 2011. However, the Fed felt that since they had been directed to promulgate the rules, they did not want to preempt Congress's authority. This bill will codify the request I made to the Fed in my letter.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill so that it can become law before the August 22 implementation date.

Mr. Speaker, it's been more than 30 days since the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. In that time, at least 40 million gallons of oil have entered our oceans. To give you some idea what this means for the gulf coast, if the oil disaster was centered in my district, it would completely cover New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, and northern New Jersey, and far more in the east and the west.

With a disaster of this enormous magnitude, it's absolutely critical we know everything we can about the oil, its scope and its effect on the Gulf of Mexico. But according to recent reports, BP is refusing to provide critical samples and data to scientists studying the disaster. Scientists researching the vast underwater damage of the oil spill have been denied oil samples from BP. Other scientists studying the flow rate at the source of the oil haven't received high quality video they requested from BP's underwater robots. Still more researchers have asked for, but not received, access to much-needed data to study oil plumes beneath the surface of the ocean.

It is imperative for BP to give scientists inside and outside of government access to every sample, every data point, and every other resource they need to help us understand the truth about BP's oil disaster. The American people have a right to know.