Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues who yesterday were announcing so passionately their love of the flag and all it represents, how 75 short days ago in this same room we stood in the People's House and stripped the veterans budget by almost $30 billion.

I have heard my colleagues on the other side accuse those who oppose the flag amendment as being unpatriotic. No, Mr. Speaker, what is disgracefully unpatriotic and a flagrant dishonor to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died defending this country, and to those who even now are still in harm's way overseas, are the reverse Robin Hoods that walk these halls of Congress, the ones who find it so easy to sneak money to their country club buddies for their tax breaks while stripping the benefits and services from those who fought to defend the very freedoms that our flag represents. To all of those who are so quick to question their opponents' patriotism, where was your patriotism when you cut almost 20,000 VA nurses? Where was your patriotism when you voted for the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits? Were you waving your flag as you voted to drop over 160,000 veterans from the VA health care system? I missed the rendition of the Star Spangled Banner when you voted to reach into the pockets of our Nation's service-connected veterans and rob them and their survivors, their widows and children, of a portion of their promised compensation.

And the list goes on. Just today these same hypocrites, calling themselves patriots, fought to take away women's constitutionally protected rights. This administration laughs in the face of our Bill of Rights as it holds thousands of people in jail without any due process under the guise of national security. At this very moment there are Haitians being held illegally in prison even after a judge ruled in their favor. They offer no threat to this country, but Attorney General Ashcroft is arbitrarily taking their rights. Not only is this administration arresting adults but they are arresting children. These are the actions of a dictator. And worst of all, the administration has lied time and time again to the American people when trying to invent reasons to preemptively invade Iraq. I cannot find a shred of patriotism in any of this.

Mr. Speaker, I call on my so-called patriots here who proclaim so loudly their love of the flag to put their money where their mouth is. Everybody can talk the talk. It takes a real patriot to walk the walk. I stand in protest of this House being derelict in its duties and leaving our veterans behind. Wake up, America.

Mr. Speaker, let me just remind the Members of this House that just 74 short days ago in this same room we stood in the People's House and stripped the veterans' budget by about $30 billion. That is $30 billion. We cut 20,000 VA nurses. Where was the patriotism when we lost 6.6 million outpatient visits? Where were you waving your flag as you voted to drop over 160,000 veterans from the VA health care?

Mr. Speaker, we can talk the talk; we need to walk the walk. Let us support the veterans, not with our discussion of the flag, but with service to our VA veterans.

Mr. Speaker, this administration should be referred to as the administration of hard knocks. It is simply amazing that George W. Bush, who has been in office for only 2 years after being selected by the Supreme Court, has led this country into one of the worst economic downturns in our Nation's history; 2 years, selected by the Supreme Court, and he has led this country into one of the worst economic downturns in the Nation's history. We have lost over 2 million jobs in the last 2 years and as many as 500,000 jobs in the last 3 months alone.

The only answer the Republicans have to our economic problems is tax cuts, tax cuts, and more tax cuts. This is supposed to be the People's House, not a House that just represents the country club buddies of the Republican Party.

On this weekend before Memorial Day we have an unemployment package before the House, and once again the Republican Party is playing politics with the American people. They again block the Democratic proposal, which would have given workers an additional 13 weeks to find a job in these difficult markets.

Watch out, Republicans. They can fool some of the people some of the time, but they cannot fool all of the people all of the time. The 1 million people left out in the cold are paying attention and will remember them on Election Day.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn), the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for all of their efforts to bring this bill to the House floor.

This will be our fourth effort to enact this legislation. Each time it has passed the House, only to die from inaction by the other body. I hope that the fourth time is the charm.

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to believe that this bill has not been passed by both Houses and signed into law by the President years ago. The bill simply provides intercity rail passengers and their families the same basic assistance and protection that we provide airline passengers and their families.

In the event of a serious accident involving major loss of life, the bill provides that the National Transportation Safety Board provide assistance to the families of the victims. By designating an NTSB employee to be responsible for facilitating and recovering and identification of those killed in the accident, and by designating an independent agency like the Red Cross as primarily responsible for communication with the family members of the victims, we ensure that these delicate tasks are performed by professionals trained to respond to transportation tragedies.

The bill spells out the specific details of what is expected from the NTSB, the independent relief agency, and the railroads, all with the purpose of getting information to the family members as quickly as possible and providing compassionate care for those who have lost loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, these services and protections have been available for airline accident victims and their families since 1996. It is time we treated railroad passengers and their families with the same respect and compassion. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this unfair rule. Once again, the Republican Party is slamming their agenda through this Congress with little debate late at night.

Mr. Speaker, you can tell something about a country's priorities by how they spend their budget. As we can see from the Republican Party's budget, they do not see children, the poor, the hard-working people of this country, minorities, health care, education, or veterans as important. To begin with, our Nation's veterans, on the same day that this House voted to commend our troops in Iraq, the Republican leadership pushed through a budget that cut the VA budget by $30 billion.

Who else is the victim of this Republican budget?

This administration's tax-cutting plans have ruined our economy and have helped push African American unemployment up by 10.5 percent, and our country's poverty rate has gone up while the median income has gone down.

This budget is also bad for public housing. HUD is slated for a huge cut, including plans to slash section 8 vouchers that help millions of low-income residents to pay their rent. They plan to zero out HOPE VI. This list goes on and on and on.

I want to conclude by adding that it should not be a surprise to anyone that this administration has not fully funded election reform. Their proposal falls nearly $1 billion short from the amount authorized in the Help America Vote Act. In the end, the Republican Party does not want election reform. They are just fine with the 2000 election results since they came out on top, even though they did it by stealing with the help of colleagues from Florida. Wake up, America. Wake up. It does matter who is in charge.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 124 I voted ``yea,'' and I am a definite ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his leadership in organizing this Special Order, and to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus for participating.

Mr. Speaker, I have served on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for 11 years, and I do not think I have ever been as outraged at the shameful act of this Republican leadership as I am today. On the same day that this House voted to commend our troops and the work that they are doing in Iraq, this same Republican leadership pushed through a veterans budget that cut the VA budget by almost $30 billion. Let me repeat that. Thirty billion dollars.

Republicans can talk the talk, but they do not walk the walk. Or as one veteran group says, they do not roll the roll. It is not what you say, Mr. Speaker, it is what you do.

Our troops today are tomorrow's veterans. These cuts mean the loss of almost 20,000 VA nurses at a time when we are already experiencing a nursing shortage. These cuts mean the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits. These cuts mean the disenrollment of over 160,000 veterans in a 1-year period from the VA health care system.

Not only that, but these cuts also mean reaching into the pockets of our Nation's service-connected veterans and robbing them and their survivors of a portion of the promised compensation. And the veterans are not the only unlucky recipients of the Republican budget ax. Elementary and secondary education as well as teacher quality programs also get the ax. Head Start and school lunch programs get the ax. The Office of Minority Health and the Ryan White program all get the ax.

Mr. Speaker, I do not have enough time here today to let the American people know about all the crucial programs that the Republican leadership does not think are more important than funneling money to their country club friends.

Mr. Speaker, this budget dishonors the service of millions of veterans and our Nation's commitment to care for its defenders. Mr. Speaker, I cannot express it any better than the Disabled American Veterans did so appropriately in testifying on this budget, and I quote, ``Is there no honor left in the hallowed halls of our government that you choose to dishonor the sacrifices of our Nation's heroes and rob our programs, health care, and disability compensation to pay for a tax cut for the wealthy? `` Let me repeat that again. Somebody out there needs to hear what I am saying.

The Disabled American Veterans, in testifying before the Committee on Veterans Affairs said, ``Is there no honor left in the hallowed halls of our government that you choose to dishonor the sacrifices of our Nation's heroes and rob our programs, health care and disability compensation to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy?''

Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues who so vocally supported the troops 2 weeks ago on the floor to stand up today and put their money where their mouth is. This budget is one of the best examples of what I call reverse Robin Hood, robbing from the poor to give tax breaks to the rich. Wake up, America.

Mr. Speaker, we talk a great talk here, and on Veterans Day we are all involved in the parade; but what is very discouraging is when we get in the closed rooms of the conference and they say, well, we do not have enough. Well, the Bible tells us, and many of my colleagues talk about the Bible and the poor will always be with us, but our job in Congress is to help raise the standards.

How can we deny our veterans fighting for us today? They will come home tomorrow, they are going to need assistance and counseling, and yet we are cutting programs. It is a disgrace. I say, wake up, America.

One last thing as far as our veterans are concerned. Many of them are African Americans. They are fighting for this country today when we have a Commander in Chief who says you are good enough to go fight, but you are not good enough to go to our universities, and that is a disgrace. Wake up, America.

Mr. Speaker, I stand 100% behind our troops. The brave men and women in uniform who have volunteered to defend our country are in my thoughts, and in my prayers. I pledge to work to ensure that they have all the resources necessary to help them accomplish their mission quickly and safely so that they can return home to their families.

I also pray for the family members who sent their loved ones into harm's way to protect the freedom that every American enjoys. They are to be commended for their sacrifice and unwavering support for our troops.

My home state of Florida has sent over 5,000 Reserve and National Guard personnel to Iraq with the full understanding that not all of them would return to their families and loved ones, and my heart goes out to these brave Floridians.

Every member of our Armed Forces deserves our deep and unending gratitude for their professionalism and commitment to the ideals of this great country.

For the record, I would like to express my support for the second and third Whereas clause of the resolution we are currently debating, and I would like to submit Congressman Hastings' Resolution support the troops which I support in its entirety.

May God continue to bless America.

H. Con. Res.--

Whereas the valiant and dedicated members of the United

States Armed Forces consistently perform in an exceptionally

professional manner befitting an all-volunteer military

force;

Whereas the members of Reserve and National Guard

components of the Armed Forces consistently demonstrate their

readiness and ability to respond and deploy quickly to become

an integral part of the active components;

Whereas the families of the active and reserve forces

provide exceptional and unwavering support for deployed

forces;

Whereas the valiant members of the military forces of the

allies of the United States share common goals and objectives

with the United States in the war on terrorism and the war

with Iraq; and

Whereas all citizens of the United States and the allies of

the United States have demonstrated a show of unity in the

aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and

against the threat to global security and crimes against

humanity posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: Now,

therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--

(1) each member of the Armed Forces of the United States be

commended for serving with such distinction and

professionalism;

(2) the family members of members of the Armed Forces of

the United States be commended for their special role in

providing support for the members of the Armed Forces;

(3) each allied service member be commended for serving

with such distinction and professionalism; and

(4) all citizens of the United States pay homage to the

members of the Armed Forces and their families and to allied

service members and their families.

This irresponsible Republican budget needs to be sent back to the drawing board. The war in Iraq is no reason to ignore the needs of this country. This budget cuts programs for our neediest citizens, while rewarding the wealthiest with huge tax cuts. It is particularly disturbing that at the very moment we send our young men and women into harms way, we fund the veterans budget at a level that keeps these national heroes waiting 12 months to see a doctor. This Congress can always seem to find plenty of money for tax cuts, but when it comes to veterans healthcare, we have nothing but lip service.

This Republican budget is bad for America, and bad for my home State of Florida which is suffering badly from the one-two punch of the Bush Brothers. The President's budget:

Cuts $20 million for After School Programs in Florida; cuts $3.7 million in Teacher Quality Funding for Florida; cuts $40 million in transportation funding for Florida; cuts $38 million from Election Reform efforts in Florida; cuts $16.5 million in Clean Water Funding for Florida; cuts $4.3 million from Community Service Block Grants in Florida; cuts $1.2 million in Energy Assistance Programs; and cuts $765 million for the COPS program, which put 7,280 new officers on Florida's streets.

All this while his brother Governor Jeb Bush slashes funding for state education and health programs, squeezes Medicaid resources to pay for Capital Gaines Tax Cuts, and uses money meant for Local First Responders to pad his budget shortfalls.

This Republican budget was written for their political contributions, and not for the people of this country with real needs. Reject this sham budget, and support the CBC/Progressive budget. It's the right budget for every American.

Mr. Speaker, a longtime friend of mine, Mr. William R ``Billy'' Lee, passed away on Friday, January 3rd, 2003, at his residence in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Billy was born in Russell, Florida, on October 28th, 1934, and lived his entire life in Green Cove Springs, Florida, located in my congressional district, Florida's third. A religious man, Mr. Lee was a Baptist by faith, and was a dedicated member of Russell Baptist Church. In fact, Mr. Lee was a former Deacon of the church.

Billy joined the International Association of Machinists in July 27th, 1956, in Local Lodge 1098, in Palatka, Florida. A dedicated union activist, Billy served as the Florida State Council of Machinists Vice President for 10 years before he was elected President in 1998. He served in this capacity until retiring in 1998.

I have always been a devoted friend of the organized labor movement. I have spent a great deal of time here in my 10 years in Washington advocating on behalf of America's working men and women. It has been a privilege for me to be able to work with brave local

labor leaders like Billy Lee, in the pursuit of defending the interests of working Americans. In my 20 years as an elected official--I have never voted against the working men and women in this room. I stand as a proud friend of labor and always will be.

In Billy Lee's time as International Association of Machinists President, he served among those brave leaders on the front lines of the fight to achieve greater worker compensation, improved employee health benefits, social security and pension benefits, and better worker rights. The International Association of Machinists, a large and diverse organization, represents 730,000 members across North America. The Northeast Florida branch, with dedicated Members like Billy, fights to carry out the IAM's union's righteous cause, to stand up against big business and fight to protect the workers of America.

Billy was survived by his wife Joyce, his son Michael Ray Lee, daughter Marilyn Lee, and eight grandchildren. A family oriented man, Billy enjoyed fishing, gardening and particularly loved cookouts. Billy Lee was loved and well respected by everyone that knew him. He will be dearly missed by his family, the community, and by those who fought alongside him in the labor movement.

Mr. Chairman, if I had been present, I would have voted no on final passage and yes on the Democratic substitute. I needed to return to my district earlier than planned because of an urgent matter and because of the weather emergency.

I believe that this measure is simply going too far since it bans all human cloning. This would lead to a terrible stifling of important scientific research that could potentially have been conducted to save the lives of countless human beings who suffer from degenerative and life-threatening illness.

The bill is so extensive that it would not only ban reproductive cloning but also therapeutic cloning for research or medical treatment. Moreover, it would impede research that is designed to help those who suffer from a variety of disease such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries.

The bill would make it nearly impossible for our country to benefit from ongoing stem-cell research. Many people I have spoken with that are informed on this subject argue that the technology banned by this bill is vital to any breakthrough in the use of these ``master'' stem cells. Enactment of this legislation would stop stem cell research in its tracks and deny Americans the benefit of research that the National Institutes of Health has described as having ``enormous'' medical potential in the treatment of any number of life-threatening diseases and conditions.

Additonally, I believe that those who oppose stem cell research on ethical grounds are simply misunderstanding the issue. Currently, there are tens of thousands of frozen embryos already in fertility clinics around the nation, which, if not used for research, will merely be destroyed. These are cells that are not yet specialized to perform a specific task, but can take on the character of virtually any cell in the body. Numerous studies demonstrate that these cells may be capable of repairing what goes wrong with other cells, and therefore hold the cure to many horrible diseases and conditions that attack the human body on the cellular level.

In my view, not to take advantage of this research by yielding to the excessive influence of our country's powerful conservative activists would be a terrible mistake. I also do not believe that an all out ban on human cloning needs to include a ban on nuclear transfer research. The former brings a new child into the world; the latter is concerned only with the study of embryonic development and curing disease. In a word, this bill would prevent vital research from taking place.

Mr. Chairman, the Bible says the poor shall always be with us; but our job in this Congress is to help raise the standard. I know most Republicans think that only means the rich, but it also means the poor and the working people in this country.

What happened to ``leave no child behind''? As we all know, mothers newly off the welfare rolls struggle every day to find affordable, reliable, and safe care for their children while they work. The situation is even more desperate for nearly half of the mothers getting off welfare who can only find work in the evenings or late at night.

Yet we are faced with a Republican bill which demands that mothers work more hours, while actually taking money away from mothers to care for their children. Leave No Child Behind just proves that the Republicans can come up with great slogans. This is a perfect example of Republicans knowing how to talk the talk; but when it comes to walking the walk, there is nothing whatsoever compassionate about this Republican conservativeness. This Republican bill is a shameful attack on our Nation's poorest working mothers and their children. I urge support of the Kucinich substitute in the name of Patsy Mink.