Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3077, which reauthorizes title VI of the Higher Education Act to authorize grant programs designed to increase the number of graduates who are trained in foreign language and international studies. I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan, Chairman Hoekstra, for his leadership on this bipartisan resolution and in the Subcommittee on Select Education. I would also like to thank Ranking Member Hinojosa for his leadership as well.

I believe we can all realize the great need to have educated individuals in our Nation with the main focus being in foreign language and international studies after the events of September 11. This bill will allow our country to strengthen that aspect of our education system by offering competitive grants to our nation's colleges and universities. Some of the included grants offer institutions of higher education to establish graduate and undergraduate language area centers and programs as well as to create new programs or to strengthen existing programs in international studies and foreign language. I am pleased that this resolution has expanded the role of international centers and programs by allowing the centers and programs to serve as a national resource for courses and materials for elementary and secondary schools. This encourages an outreach to all school children to become more familiar and knowledgeable on international affairs and cultures.

Another section of this resolution will make grants available to establish centers for international business education. These centers promote the ability for our Nation to strengthen our economic enterprise and knowledge of international understanding. I believe this is a great quality for our future business and small business leaders to have to not only support their businesses but as a way to expand and enrich their businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my colleagues, Chairman Hoekstra and Ranking Member Hinojosa for an outstanding job on a solid piece of important legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.

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

As a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of S. 1591, legislation naming a postal facility in Nyack, New York, after Edward O'Grady, Waverly Brown, and Peter Paige. This measure was introduced by Senator Charles Schumer on September 8, 2003. S. 1591 was unanimously passed by the Senate and unanimously approved by the Committee on Government Reform. The gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) has an identical bill, H.R. 3167, that has met the committee cosponsorship policy and has the support of the entire New York delegation.

Twenty-two years ago on October 20, 1981, members of a radical group, the Weather Underground, killed two police officers and a Brinks guard in two separate but deadly incidents. On that Wednesday, gunmen held up an armored vehicle just outside the Nanuet National Bank and killed Brinks guard Peter Paige. Minutes later, while on the run, the killers opened fire and mortally wounded two Nyack policemen, Edward O'Grady and Waverly Brown. These men paid the ultimate sacrifice for doing their job and died in the line of duty.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Senator Schumer and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) for seeking to honor the memory of these slain individuals by naming a postal facility in their honor. I am indeed pleased to join with the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) in consideration of this measure and urge its swift passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join with my colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays), in support of H.R. 3068, legislation naming a postal facility in Sarasota, Florida, after Brigadier General John H. McLain.

This measure was introduced by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) on September 10, 2003. H.R. 3068, which was unanimously approved and reported by the Committee on Government Reform on September 18, 2003, has the support and cosponsorship of the entire Florida congressional delegation.

General McLain served his country bravely for nearly 4 decades, both on active duty and as a Reservist. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1940 and served in World War II and the Korean War. He attained the rank of brigadier general in 1972 and was inducted into the Field Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 1976. During his career, he received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal, among others.

An active member of his community, General McLain passed away last month on September 23, 2003. He left behind a wife, four children, grandchildren, and a great grandchild. General McLain will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on November 5, 2003.

Mr. Speaker, naming a postal facility after the late General John H. McLain continues in our tradition of honoring individuals of great character and service to their community and to their country. I urge swift passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the 57th year of the National School Lunch Program, which is dedicated to the health and well being of our Nation's children. National School Lunch Week commenced on October 13 and will run until October 17th. The National School Lunch Program has been joined through the years by several excellent child-feeding programs, such as: School Breakfast, Food Stamp, Child and Adult Care, Emergency Food Assistance and Summer Nutrition Programs, among others, and there is definitely a need to continue these programs in order to inspire nutrition education and awareness in our children.

President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act on June 4, 1946, which authorized the National School Lunch Program, which is the oldest and largest of child nutrition programs. The legislation came in response to claims that many American men had been rejected for World War II military service because of diet-related health problems. The Federally assisted meal program was established as ``a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities.'' To continue the spirit of the program, in 1998, Congress expanded the National School Lunch Program to include reimbursement for snacks served to children in after school educational and enrichment programs for children through the age of 18.

In this day and age, we are even more focused on providing nutritious, well-balanced, low-cost or free meals for our young boys and girls. The Program contributes to the development of healthy eating habits by providing the children with no more than 30 percent calories from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. All children can take advantage of this program, but if the child comes from a family with an income at or below 130 percent of the poverty level, that child is eligible for free meals. With about 57 percent of children

receiving free or reduced price lunches, the National School Lunch Program often times provides the most nutritious meal or the only meal that some children receive in a day.

We celebrate another year of this Program because it has helped combat the growing hunger and poverty levels among children in our country. According to the Food Research and Action Center, National School Lunch Program has grown from about 7.1 million children participating in 1947 to over 27.2 million in the 2001-2002 school year. The program operates in more than 99,800 public and non-profit private schools and residential childcare institutions, with over 187 billion lunches having been served.

National School Lunch Program is just one step in developing our children into the prosperous, successful individuals we want them to become. The Program's Team Nutrition Initiative focuses on teaching and motivating children to make food choices that enhance their energy, growth, and potential. In addition, the Program is vitally important to achieving our educational goals. Poorly fed children have more difficulty learning, are less attentive in class, and suffer more chronic problems, such as absenteeism and tardiness, than children who are properly nourished. By making nutritious meals available to all school children, the National School Lunch Program will help us ensure that we leave no child behind. According to the Food Research and Action Center, proper nutrition improves a child's behavior, school performance, and overall cognitive development. All in all, properly nourished children more actively participate in the education experience, which benefits them, their fellow students, and the entire school community. Studies have shown what we already have known--that healthy school meals play a critical and positive role in students' development and learning process. Unfortunately, we have a double-sided battle to fight, with regards to mal-nourishment and obesity. A peer- reviewed study conducted by academic researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, found that girls in food insecure households had a significantly lower risk of being overweight if they participated in the National School Lunch Program. The findings suggest that participation in these Federal child nutrition programs can combat our growing problems with obesity in children.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2000, 10.5 percent of all U.S. households, representing 20 million adults and 13 million children, were ``food insecure'' because of lack of resources. In 2001, Illinois reported 9.2 percent of households are food insecure, which represents 3,239,229 children under the age of 18. Thanks to the National School Lunch Program, there are over 4,446 schools participating in Illinois, with over 1,083,548 students that benefits from it. Specifically in Chicago Public Schools, over 350,000 students are registered in the Program.

If President Truman found this to be important to our national security in 1946, we should continue his vision in 2003 by continuing to support National School Lunches. As the Committee on Education and the Workforce, of which I serve, continues to examine this program during its reauthorization, I will continue to ensure that good nutrition is promoted among our children, thus helping them to become healthier, positive, citizens within our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer condolences to the family of my good friend Carl D. Ashley. Carl was indeed a role model a good provider, a good husband, a good father, grandfather, uncle, a good friend to all of those who needed a friend, a good citizen and a great American.

Mr. Speaker, as I listened to speaker after speaker at the funeral testify and extol the virtues of Carl, I sat in amazement, young lawyers, doctors and other successful young people talked about the impact Carl had on their lives. He was not a professional teacher and yet he taught, he was not a psychologist and yet he gave counsel, he was not a clergyman and yet he preached a great gospel. He was a lover of people and he displayed that love each and every day of his life.

I met Carl in the early 1960's when we both worked at the post office, a job from which Carl retired. While we did not see each other on a regular basis our friendship maintained itself and bloomed. Carl married a great lady and they were able to raise a wonderful family, taught to achieve, accomplish and to be actively engaged in all aspects of life, including politics, Carl was a judge of election and took his politics seriously.

I extend heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Carl D. Ashley and thank God for having been able to know him and to see firsthand his efforts to help make the world a better place in which to live. Carl served his country in Vietnam and continued to serve until his death. May his soul rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Dorothy Height is a steadfast pioneer of women's rights and racial justice for people of color. She has set an example of what can be achieved through commitment and group activism.

As the fourth elected president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Height led a crusade for justice for Black women. To help strengthen the Black family, Height conceived of and organized the Black Family Reunion Celebration which has been held here in Washington, D.C. since 1986.

Under the leadership of Ms. Height, the NCNW achieved tax exempt status; raised funds from thousands of women in support of erecting a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune (NCNW's founder) in a federal park; developed several model programs to combat teenage pregnancy and address hunger in rural areas; and established the Bethune Museum and Archives for Black women, the first institution devoted to Black women's history. She has been instrumental in the initiation of NCNW sponsored food, childcare, housing and career educational programs.

No stranger to political activism, in the 1960's, Height called on NCNW to sponsor ``Wednesdays in Mississippi'' when interracial groups of women would help out at Freedom schools and conduct voter registration drives in the North and voter registration in the South. She worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Roy Wilkins to prevent lynching, desegregate the Armed Forces, reform the criminal justice system, and provide equal access to public accommodations.

Dr. Dorothy Irene Height has a long legacy as a leader in the struggle for equality and human rights. She through words and deeds have proven her distinguished service to humanity and her many contributions for equality, social justice and human rights for all peoples. She is to be commended for her efforts.

I encouraged all my colleagues to support H.R. 1828 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Dorothy Height in recognition of her many contributions to the nation.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 1828 as a part of my hope and commitment to finding a just, permanent, democratic, prompt, non-military conclusion to our occupation of Iraq and as part of my hope and commitment to doggedly pursue a roadmap to peace, security and justice for both the people of Israel and the people of Palestine.

There is no magic bullet, no simple solution to bringing an end to terrorism. What we do know is we cannot win alone, that we must find the means to enlist every nation as an ally. Our record, to date, in this regard can only be characterized as poor.

The President has reported that the territory of Syria has been, and is being, used as a base by certain terrorist organizations.

This bill gives the President additional diplomatic and economic leverage in the war on terror. Our goal is to deny sanctuary to terrorist who may be using the territory of Syria.

Our aim is to become partners with Syria in the war on terror, not to make Syria an enemy, not to punish the Syrian people.

We trust that these new options will offer constructive new possibilities and potential to American diplomacy and that these new powers will be used wisely and constructively.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time.

I rise in favor of the Obey substitute and in opposition to the President's $87 billion appropriation request for Iraq. I am not in opposition because it has been proposed by the Commander in Chief. I am not in opposition because I do not think that we should not help rebuild Iraq. We tore it down; therefore, we should help to build it back.

I am not in opposition because some major companies are going to make a lot of money. Bechtel and Halliburton should be able to make money. Some people call it profiteering, but since it was supposedly for Iraq, then local Iraqi businesses and contractors should also be able to make money. Small businesses, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses and others should be able to provide services and make some of the money.

I am, however, opposed because all of the spending that will result from this $86.9 billion appropriation will be added to the public debt, the debt that would not be necessary if we were operating with rational tax and trade policies.

I unequivocally support our troops, and I would love to vote for this supplemental to help rebuild Iraq, but I also would love to vote for health care for the millions who are uninsured. I would love to vote for affordable housing for millions who live in squalor. I would love to vote for the thousands and millions of poor children who need Head Start and cannot get it. I would love to vote for the thousands of young men and women in central city communities all over America who cannot find jobs and stand on the corners hollering crack and blow, pills and thrills and end up in prison for practically all of their lives.

So, Mr. Chairman, I support our soldiers, but I cannot vote a $27 billion blank check to rebuild Iraq and nothing to rebuild the south and west sides of Chicago, Maywood, Ford Heights and other disadvantaged communities all over America. We need a more balanced approach to priority spending.

I support the Obey substitute and oppose the President's request.

Mr. Speaker, Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu to comfortable circumstances in Macedonia, Yugoslavia in 1910.

She joined the Sisters of Loreto at the tender age of eighteen, taking the name ``Teresa'' after St. Teresa of Lesiux, patroness of the Missionaries. It would turn out to be a highly appropriate selection of names.

According to legend, Mother Teresa discovered a dying woman lying in front of a Calcutta hospital in 1948. She stayed to comfort the woman as she died, an experience which marked a turning point in her life.

The shattering experience of staying by the side of this forgotten, poverty stricken women left to die in the street inspired Mother Teresa to devote her life and her Mission to serving the poor.

She founded an order of nuns called Missionaries of Charity.

Mother Teresa did not just address herself to the poor, she lived among them, became part of their community, made their lot, her lot.

For over half a century Mother Teresa devoted herself to that great cause.

She won the Nobel Prize in 1979 and was the recipient of countless other honors and notices.

None of the accolades changed her lifestyle or her commitment.

Missionaries of Charity grew from a dozen sisters to over 3,000 sisters in more than 500 missions in more than 100 countries.

Mother Teresa became a symbol of compassion and inclusion, of the struggle to address the needs of the poor, to provide every human, regardless of circumstances a basic dignity.

It is appropriate that the beatification of Mother Teresa will take place on October 19, 2003. It is another important step in the revered path to sainthood.

The life of Mother Teresa has become a symbol for all of us, a message that the great mass of poor people on this earth should no longer be invisible.

Her legacy is one that we could all do well to emulate and we can only trust that legacy will continue to find a place in the hearts of all humankind.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday I attended a funeral in my community, a funeral of an outstanding American, one who spent time in Vietnam, who served his country, but then who came back and was a quiet, gentle man. He raised a great family, served as an election judge, was actively involved in helping others. And I simply express condolences to the family of my good friend Carl D. Ashley, who gave his life in the service of others. A great American, great humanitarian.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) for the leadership that they have demonstrated and continue to demonstrate in this area.

As chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus' Child Welfare Brain Trust, and also coming from a community where I have a very active advisory committee on child welfare issues, and also coming from a community where there is one of the greatest needs for adoption that exists in the country, much of the inner city of Chicago, this legislation is tremendously important.

The idea of providing an opportunity for children who could not experience family life, to give them the opportunity to have the well- being, the nurturing of a family rather than being institutionalized or as a ward of the State is of tremendous value. I simply want to add my voice in support of it. Again, I commend the gentlemen for their strong leadership and the articulation of a need that exists.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) for yielding me time. I also want to commend the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith), and the ranking member, my good friend and neighbor, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for the outstanding leadership that they continue to provide as we try and make sure that our veterans receive the benefits that they are indeed due.

I represent a district that has a number of very core veterans' facilities. I have three Veterans' Administration hospitals in my district, as well as a residence. Unfortunately, one is slated to be closed. But we have a large number of veterans who are always seeking services.

Particularly, I want to mention the addition of cirrhosis of the liver to the list of service-connected disabilities, which I think is so important, and also the provision of services for the Filipino scouts. I have a very active Filipino community and group of individuals who lobby me consistently about the role that the Filipinos played in giving assistance to this country. They deserve to, in fact, be included, and I am just simply delighted to see those additions.

So, again, I want to commend the Committee on Veterans' Affairs under the leadership of Chairman Smith and the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for the services that they provide to all of us as we provide benefits to our veterans, who have given so much to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding and also commend her for her tremendous leadership. I also want to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), my good friend, for introducing this legislation. I think it is so timely and so important.

I grew up during the era of trains, and I can remember being a small child and seeing trains zip by. I was also part of what we call the Great Migration, and that is people who lived in the area of the country where I lived, in the south, in Arkansas, migrating to the Midwest, to the north, going west to California. I also remember the cultural experiences that people had with trains. Writers and blues singers: ``C.C. Rider, See What You Have Done''; ``Take the A Train''; ``The Wabash Special''; ``The Chattanooga Choo Choo: Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo.''

So trains were a great part of the history and development and the culture of this country, and for the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) to capture that in terms of a Railroad Hall of Fame I think is indeed commendable. I simply voice my support for it; and once again, it indicates what a great Nation the United States of America is, and all of the different entities that have played a part in its development. As a student of history, I say to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) I commend him for this legislation, I strongly support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 2452, the bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 339 Hicksville Road in Bethpage, New York, as the Brian C. Hickey Post Office Building.

As a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am honored to join my colleague in consideration of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2452 was sponsored by the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) on June 12, 2003. This measure has met the committee cosponsorship policy and has the support of the entire New York delegation.

Mr. Speaker, Brian Hickey, a 20-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, was fire captain of Rescue 4, an elite group based in Woodside, Queens, New York. On September 11, 2001, Brian was filling in for a Rescue 3 captain when an emergency signal was sent to the men of Rescue 3 from the Bronx to the World Trade Center minutes after a plane hit the north tower. None of the eight men in the company survived. Mr. Hickey was not formally identified until June of this year when a bone fragment was identified as belonging to him. Prior to that, the only item found 2 years ago at Ground Zero was Brian's battered New York City Fire Department helmet.

Who was Brian Hickey? Well, according to Fire Commissioner Bill Ura, a close friend and colleague, Brian was a 27-year member of the Bethpage Fire District. A lifelong resident of Bethpage, Brian served as chief officer of the Nassau County Fireman's Training Center and as an elected official of the Bethpage Volunteer Fire District.

He was noted as being a loving father, husband, and son. Brian was doing what he was trained to do on September 11, 2001, and that is respond to major fires, rescuing his firefighting colleagues and the public from harm.

Captain Hickey's death on 9-11 was especially tragic because he had just returned to duty after barely escaping death a month earlier when an explosion occurred and he was blown out of a building in Queens, New York. He survived, but three of his men died. As I understand it, Brian Hickey, after recuperating from his injuries, returned to work on Wednesday, September 5, 2001, and perished at the World Trade Center on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my profound sympathies to the family and friends of Captain Brian Hickey and commend my colleague for seeking to honor the life and work of a firefighter who died in the line of duty.

Brian Hickey really represented the best of what America has been and what America continues to be, that is, made up of ordinary people who are willing to do extraordinary things when situations and circumstances call for them. So I would urge swift passage of this legislation as we honor the life and the legacy now of Brian Hickey.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Con. Res. 71, recognizing the importance of Ralph Bunche, introduced by the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).

Mr. Speaker, American diplomat and winner of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize, Ralph Bunche was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 7, 1904. His father, Fred Bunche, was a barber in a shop having an all-white clientele, and his mother, Olive Johnson Bunche, was an amateur musician. When Ralph Bunche was 12 years old his parents died, and he was raised by his grandmother, Ms. Nana Johnson, who had been born into slavery.

Ralph Bunche was valedictorian of his graduating class at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles where he had been a debater and well-rounded athlete. While studying at the University of California at Los Angeles, he supported himself with an athletic scholarship, which paid for his collegiate expenses, and a janitorial job, which paid for his personal expenses. With a scholarship granted by Harvard University and a fund of a $1,000 raised by the black community of Los Angeles, Ralph Bunche began his graduate studies in political science.

In the time between earning his masters and doctorate degrees in government and international relations at Harvard University, he established a department of political science at Howard University in 1928.

During that time, he also traveled through French West Africa on a Rosenwald field fellowship, which enabled him to conduct research in Africa for a dissertation comparing French rule in Togoland and Dahomey. He completed his work with such distinction that he was awarded the Toppan Prize for outstanding research in social studies.

Between 1938 and 1940, he collaborated with Swedish sociologist Gunnar Mydral on the monumental study of U.S. race relations published as An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. The study is renowned for presenting the theory that poverty breeds poverty.

During World War II, Ralph Bunche worked for the War Department and the State Department. Toward the end of the war, he played an important role in preliminary planning for the United Nations, the organization he served for the rest of his career.

After the chief mediator between the warring factions in Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated, Bunche, then an aide on a special U.N. committee to negotiate an end to the first Arab-Israeli War, was thrust into a leading role in the process. His successful negotiation of a 1949 truce between the parties earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950.

In the last decade of his life, he became an increasingly vocal supporter of the civil rights movement in the United States, participating in the 1965 civil rights marches in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama.

Ralph Bunche died on December 9, 1971, in New York City, shortly after retiring as Undersecretary General of the United Nations.

H. Con. Res. 71 recognizes the importance of Ralph Bunche and the enduring legacy that he has left as a skillful negotiator and an example of what diplomacy can provide and generate when adroitly used.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to urge swift passage of this resolution.

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