Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to join the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in recognizing the 20th anniversary of the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and of the formation of the Republic's army.

Twenty years ago, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh fought and died for their independence from Soviet Azeri repression and discrimination. From the earliest days of its formation, the Republic's freely elected governmental bodies have built an open democratic society through free and transparent elections. Over the next few days, families of Armenian descent throughout my home State of Rhode Island will honor the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Republic's army and the liberation of Shushi.

Today, the Rhode Island General Assembly will be joined by Mr. Robert Avetisyan, the Permanent Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the United States, as they adopt a resolution supporting the Republic's efforts to develop as a free and independent Nation--a fact that many Rhode Islanders take great pride in.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tim Earnshaw, who was recently named Investigator of the Year by the United States Investigations Services, which is the largest commercial provider of background investigations for the Federal Government.

Mr. Earnshaw was chosen out of a group of nearly 2,300 full-time employees from all across the country based on his exceptional performance shown through production and quality metrics, mentoring others, initiative leadership, and community leadership.

Mr. Earnshaw, who has worked for USIS for the past 7\1/2\ years, lives with his wife, Colleen, in my district of North Providence, Rhode Island, where they are active in several charitable and nonprofit organizations.

I was honored to welcome Mr. Earnshaw to my office recently and to congratulate him on winning this award. We all take great pride in his

accomplishments today. His professionalism and work ethic are a great example of the extraordinary men and women of Rhode Island's First Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts, millions of students will see their student loan interest rates double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1 of this year. This issue is important to students, parents, teachers, and businesses all across my home State of Rhode Island. It will result in more than 43,000 students paying more than $34 million in additional interest costs. We must act on this issue.

But some in this Chamber have put partisanship ahead of good public policy and propose extending these rates by cutting funding for preventative health care. Today the Senate will be voting on cloture for a bill that would extend low-interest student loans by closing a tax loophole. I would like to especially thank my State's senior Senator, Jack Reed, for his leadership in highlighting this issue on the Senate side and making sure that Congress acts in the best interests of working families.

I urge my colleagues in the House to reconsider their course of action and to not propose a false choice between the welfare of our young people and public health. We owe it to our young people to ensure that we prevent these rates from doubling.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, in an effort to drive innovation and regional collaboration, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 mandated the creation of a Regional Innovation Program within the Economic Development Administration. This program is intended to encourage and support the development of regional innovation strategies, including regional innovation clusters and science and research parks.

The President's fiscal year 2013 budget requested $25 million to fund the Regional Innovation Strategies Program. Funding for the Regional Innovation Program would support the Economic Development Agency's interagency effort to build regional innovation clusters, including the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.

The Jobs Accelerator is a competitive interagency grant that supports the advancement of high-growth regional industry clusters, very important all across America and particularly important in my home State of Rhode Island.

EDA is currently working in partnership with other Federal agencies, including the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration and the Small Business Administration, to promote regional collaboration to spur job growth and economic development.

The Jobs Accelerator aggregates existing investments and technical assistance from multiple Federal agencies to strengthen regional industry clusters--networks of interconnected firms and institutions working to accelerate job growth, business formation and expansion, innovation, workforce training, and small business development. A targeted investment in this program will help Federal, State, and local entities leverage existing resources, spur regional collaboration, and advance economic recovery and job-creation efforts in high-growth industries.

Through the Regional Innovation Program, local leaders are empowered to maximize existing assets and are provided resources to ensure that historically underrepresented communities, including those hardest hit by unemployment and economic decline, are able to participate in and benefit from the regional cluster.

My amendment is simple and straightforward. It does not create any new program or authorization. It does not increase or decrease a single account in the appropriations bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies. Rather, this amendment serves to specifically cite the Regional Innovation Program to focus attention on this vitally important job-creating initiative as the appropriation process moves forward.

The Regional Innovation Program has been specifically supported and cited in both the fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2013 Senate CJS Appropriations Committee report.

We have to recognize that innovation is critically important to America's ability to compete in the global economy. Supporting the development of regional innovation clusters will strengthen our capacity to create and retain new jobs and sustain our economic recovery.

The Regional Innovation Program will help Federal, State, and local entities leverage existing resources, spur regional collaboration, and support economic recovery and job creation in these high-growth industries. I urge my colleagues to support this very straightforward and simple amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield to the gentleman.

I yield to the gentleman.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mr. Cicilline

Amendment No. 21: Page 5, line 17, strike ``grants'' and

insert ``grants, including grants authorized under section 27

of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15

I thank my colleague, Ms. Edwards, for having this conversation this evening and to say how important it is for me and the residents of my State, the State of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is, of course, the home of the great Senator Claiborne Pell after whom the Pell Grants were named for his great work in ensuring there was access to affordable higher education. There was a recent report that was done that said from the year 2008 to 2018, it's estimated that there will be 47 million job openings created, and more than 30 million of these jobs will require at least some level of postsecondary education.

So this is really about thinking about the future of the economy of our country and our ability to meet the demands of the new economy of the 21st century. And it's an economic imperative for families that they have the ability to access higher education and to do it in an affordable way.

In my State, this is particularly important where we have very high unemployment. Young adults in 2010 from the ages from 16 24, there is an unemployment rate in Rhode Island of nearly 27 percent, and in 2011, at 22 percent for that same age group. That's between 16,000 and 17,000 young adults without the ability to find work in those 2 years.

This is a very important issue. I have talked to so many of my constituents, both students and families, who are worried about their ability to continue to access education, that are making decisions as they're getting their letters in the mail about where they are going to go to school and thinking about what those costs will be.

What is incredibly disappointing is what we saw today in this Chamber; we've seen this movie before. We saw it during the extension of the payroll tax cut. We saw it in the transportation bill, this idea of a very urgent need that we have to address working in a bipartisan way and at the very final hours, some poison pill is thrown into the bill that is obstructing progress on this issue. Today it was women's health and children's health and cutting nearly $12 billion from an important wellness and prevention fund to do this.

Look, we have got to do this for the sake of young people in this country who are in school, who have school loans, who are thinking about new opportunities. We have got to prevent this increase in interest rates. It's important to families who are struggling in a really difficult economy, but it's also important to the future of our country. We have got to be in the position to ensure the best talent has the ability to access education in this country.

You know, there are so many young people who, without school loans, will never have the opportunity to pursue higher education and to pursue their dream or to make a life for themselves and their family. We have a responsibility to be sure that we keep these rates low, as low as we possibly can so that young people and families are not having to struggle with this additional burden at a time when we want to be encouraging as many young people as possible to be pursuing higher education and the opportunities and careers that come with it.

I come from a State that understands that investing in education is critical to families and critical to economic opportunity. Education still is the best tool to bring people from poverty into the middle class and beyond, and we have got to make sure that it's available to every single American.

I'm very disappointed today that the measure was undertaken in the way that it was, and the President has already indicated an intention to veto this proposal. There are other proposals that we have in this House I'm a cosponsor of that will do this in a responsible way that have bipartisan support in the Senate. We have got to do this for the sake of young people in this country, and we owe it to families to ensure that this rate does not double on July 1.

I thank the gentlelady for her leadership on this, and I am proud to continue to be part of this important fight for the sake of the future of our young people and for the sake of the future for our country.

I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding.

I want to say that the gentlelady from the District of Columbia is right, Georgetown Law School is very expensive.

I too had student loans to go to law school and worked two jobs also as a waiter to do that. And I didn't know anybody who was in law school with me that wasn't there with some loan. I didn't know anyone that I met that either they or their parents wrote a check for the tuition. That's the experience of millions and millions of families all across this country.

I was listening to the gentlelady recount all of the work that the Democrats have done in investing in education, and it's because we realize it's not about us. It's about the future of our country. These are investments in young people who are going to be the leaders of this country, and access to education is so central to the American Dream.

I really just want to conclude by thanking the gentlelady for leading this conversation. I hope it will help really be a call to action for young people all across this country on Tuesday. I'm having a call-to- action in my district encouraging young people to demand that Congress do the responsible thing, prevent this rise in interest rates, but also continue to make the investments we need to make in education for their sake and for our sake.

I thank the gentlelady for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the 1.5 million Armenians, men, women, and children, who were massacred under the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century.

Each year, Armenians throughout the world mark April 24 as Genocide Remembrance Day by honoring those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and I join my friends and colleagues in remembering the victims today.

It's important to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter in world history, but also because learning more about this horrific tragedy underscores the importance of eliminating intolerance and bigotry wherever it occurs.

I have enormous respect and admiration for the strength, resilience, and perseverance of the Armenian-American community. Over the decades since this massacre in their homeland occurred they built lives, homes, and businesses, and raised families in Rhode Island and across the country.

As the Congressman from Rhode Island's First Congressional District, I have the honor of representing many Armenian-Americans who grew up hearing family stories about the atrocities firsthand, as many are children and grandchildren of genocide survivors. Armenian-Americans living in my home state of Rhode Island have made significant contributions through their leadership in business, law, academia, government, and the arts.

As a cosponsor of the Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, House Resolution 304, I strongly believe that the time has come for the United States government to recognize this atrocity for what it was--genocide.

I join my colleagues today in remembering and honoring the victims of the Armenian genocide.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children who were massacred under the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century.

Each year, Armenians throughout the world mark April 24 as Genocide Remembrance Day by honoring those who perished from 1915 to 1923, and I join my friends and colleagues in remembering the victims today.

It's important to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide not only because it is an undeniable chapter in world history, but also because learning more about this horrific tragedy underscores the importance of eliminating intolerance and bigotry wherever it occurs.

Armenian Americans living in my home State of Rhode Island have made significant contributions through their leadership in business, law, academia, government, and the arts.

As a cosponsor of House Resolution 304, I strongly believe that the time has come for the United States Government to recognize this atrocity for what it was--genocide. I join my colleagues today in recognizing the victims of the Armenian genocide.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Lance Corporal Abraham Tarwoe of the United States Marine Corps.

A Liberian American, Lance Corporal Tarwoe elected to serve the United States when he joined the Marine Corps in 2009. He was promoted to the rank of lance corporal just 2 years ago.

As a mortar man with the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Lance Corporal Tarwoe was conducting combat operations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Helmand province in Afghanistan when he lost his life on April 12.

Among other awards, Lance Corporal Tarwoe earned the Combat Action Ribbon and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

His family is planning to hold a burial service in Liberia, following a memorial service in the United States on April 28.

My thoughts and prayers are with Lance Corporal Tarwoe's wife, their 1-year-old son, and their entire extended family.

As a grateful Nation and with heavy hearts, we remember him today for making the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom and on behalf of our Nation. May we honor his memory always.

Mr. Speaker, on March 29, 2012, less than a year after a similar proposal was defeated, the House Republican leadership held a vote on H. Con. Res. 112--The Republican Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Resolution. This budget proposal sets the wrong priorities for my home state of Rhode Island and the nation as a whole--extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, making deep cuts to programs that serve middle class families, and ending the Medicare guarantee for our seniors.

As the Congressman representing Rhode Island's First District, I have listened to families across my district who are tired of the same old political games that got our country into this mess to begin with. They know that Washington should put politics aside and work on policies that will create jobs, support the middle class, and put the economy back on the right track. Yet, the budget proposed by Representative Paul Ryan (R WI), and approved 228 191 by the House of Representatives, would not only fail to create jobs, it would also give the wealthiest Americans an average tax cut of $150,000, cut education and job training programs by a total of $166 billion over the next ten years, slash transportation and infrastructure investments by at least twenty- five percent over 10 years, and reduce investments in science, research, and technology by more than $100 billion over a decade.

With so many Americans out of work, it's hard to believe that the House Republican leadership would ask members to support a budget proposal that would seriously undermine key investments that are so important to creating jobs. Rather than trying to pass another tax giveaway for the richest among us, House Republicans should join with Democrats and enact public policies that will actually benefit our seniors, and middle class and working families. Instead the Republican budget proposal will undermine our economic recovery, and replace the current health care system for our seniors with a voucher program that could allow Medicare to wither on the vine, create higher costs, and reduce the overall quality of health care services.

That is why I supported an alternative budget proposal introduced by Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D MD) that would have preserved the Medicare guarantee, permanently extended middle class tax cuts, and maintained vital investments in transportation jobs, manufacturing, and education--while also reducing the deficit through polices that balance spending cuts and increased revenue. This proposal stood in stark contrast to the Republican plan--and closely aligned with the priorities shared by many Rhode Islanders.

On March 28, 2012, I spoke out against the Republican proposal on the House floor, and the following day I joined all of my Democratic colleagues and 10 Republicans in voting against this bill. With virtually no chance that this radical legislation will ever pass in the Senate, it is unfortunate that some in Washington have once again chosen political posturing over pragmatism.

All of us in Congress need to help reignite the American dream and build ladders of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard, take responsibility, and play by the rules. There were alternative budget proposals presented in the House of Representatives during debate, including options offered by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Both initiatives were superior to Representative Ryan's Republican budget document, and included provisions that would preserve the Medicare guarantee, eliminate tax subsidies for big oil companies and loopholes that encourage corporations to ship jobs overseas, and maintain vital investments in education, job creating initiatives, manufacturing, and capital access for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Ultimately, while I support a number of the proposals offered in both the CPC and CBC budget alternatives, I believed the Van Hollen proposal aligned most closely with priorities shared by many Rhode Islanders--including a permanent extension of the 2001 2003 tax cuts for the middle class. In addition, unlike both the CPC and CBC proposal, Representative Van Hollen's Democratic alternative adhered to the discretionary spending levels set in the Budget Control Act of 2011--an agreement that represented a bipartisan, bicameral compromise. In order to prevent a first ever default on our nation's obligations, and to avoid the very real potential of an economic catastrophe, I voted in favor of the Budget Control Act on August 8, 2011. To be clear, there was a lot about this compromise legislation that I did not like, but my prerequisite for voting in favor of the bill was that we avoid a default and we protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid beneficiaries, which this bill did. Just as I could not support Representative Ryan's proposal to walk away from this compromise legislation and make further, dramatic reductions to discretionary spending below the caps set by the Budget Control Act, I also could not support alternatives that did not adhere to the bipartisan, bicameral compromise we agreed to less than one year ago.

There were other proposals, including one offered by Congressmen Jim Cooper (D TN) and Steven LaTourette (R OH) purportedly modeled after recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles Commission (so named after the co-chairs of President Obama's Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform--former White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton, Erskine Bowles, and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson). The Simpson-Bowles Commission clearly depicted the unsustainable nature of our country's deficit and debt, and delineated a number of policies for serious debate in order to improve our nation's fiscal trajectory. However, the budget proposal offered by Representatives Cooper and LaTourette contained provisions that I believe set the wrong priorities. For example, the Cooper-LaTourette plan contained $1 trillion less in revenue increases as compared to the Simpson-Bowles Commission recommendations--further eroding the balance between revenue increases and spending reductions needed to achieve deficit reduction that does not fall disproportionately on the backs of the middle class and working families. In addition, the Cooper-LaTourette plan includes $100 billion more in discretionary program reductions than recommended by the Simpson-Bowles report, further distorting the ratio between revenue raisers and spending cuts. Furthermore, the Cooper-LaTourette proposal calls for a shift in corporate tax policy that the Treasury Department has argued would increase incentives for corporations to shift investment and jobs overseas. Lastly, the proposal from Congressman Cooper and LaTourette, like the Simpson-Bowles plan, would undermine the benefits and guarantees of Social Security and Medicare.

Ultimately, with so many Rhode Islanders struggling to find work, our fragile economic recovery in the balance, and our seniors in need a strong voice to protect the benefits they earned and deserve, I supported an alternative budget proposal that would have preserved the Medicare guarantee, permanently extended middle class tax cuts, and maintained vital investments in transportation jobs, manufacturing, and education--while also reducing the deficit through polices that balance spending cuts and increased revenue. My constituents in Rhode Island's First Congressional District, and the American people as a whole, deserve nothing less.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Sergeant Dennis Weichel, Jr., of the Rhode Island National Guard. Last month, while serving our country in Afghanistan, Sergeant Weichel saved a young Afghan child who had crawled underneath a moving armored vehicle in order to collect a brass shell casing. Responding quickly, Sergeant Weichel moved the child to safety, even though doing so placed him in the path of the same armored vehicle and took his life. Sergeant Weichel is an American hero who gave his life to protect a child he did not even know.

Rhode Islanders are often reminded that we come from the smallest State in the Union, but today, Sergeant Dennis Weichel's actions have touched our entire Nation and are an example of the sacrifices made every day by our brave men and women in uniform.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his mother, Linda; his father Dennis, Sr.; his fiancee, Ashley; and his three children.

I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for his extraordinary leadership on this issue, which is important to Rhode Island, but really important to students all across our country.

I think one of the things that has struck me during this debate about this issue in the last several weeks as we've tried to bring attention to this issue is that this is really a moment in the history of our country where we

need to recognize--maybe more than anytime at least in my lifetime--the urgency of investing in education and of ensuring that young people have access to a quality education.

The idea that we're in a position to prevent interest rates from doubling for those who are benefiting from Stafford loans and that this Congress seems poised not to do anything about it, to me, is, as you said, unconscionable.

There was a report that was done recently, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. They found that over the period from 2008 to 2018, about 47 million job openings will be created; and of that, more than 30 million of these jobs will require at least some level of postsecondary education.

So this is the reality for our country, that we have got to realize if we're going to create jobs and be sure that we have young people who have the skills necessary to fill those jobs in this new knowledge economy of the 21st century, we have to make it easier for people to access higher education, not more difficult.

And Congress wisely cut the rate in half from 6.8 percent to 3.4. We have to make sure it stays there.

Now, I come from a State that brought us the great Senator Claiborne Pell, who was the creator of the Pell Grant, which created and continues to create hope and opportunity and access to education for millions and millions of Americans, really unlocking opportunity and keys to success.

We all understand that not only the student benefits from that education, but we all benefit. The community benefits when we have a well-educated group of young people that are making new discoveries, that are finding cures for diseases, that are inventing new products, that are building productive lives to support themselves and their families.

And this is a moment when we have to be sure that we're protecting families from the consequences of this kind of interest rate increase, doubling, as you just said, Representative.

The United States Public Interest Research Group says that without congressional action, borrowers who have taken out the maximum $23,000 in subsidized student loans will see their interest balloon to an additional $5,200 over a 10-year repayment and $11,300 over a 20-year repayment. So this is a huge increase for families, many of whom in my State, where we continue to have very high unemployment, the second highest in the country, where families are struggling with the consequences of the housing crisis and difficulty finding work, this cannot, we cannot allow this to happen. It will cause incredible hardship for families in Rhode Island and my district.

I was recently at Roger Williams University and at several other universities in my district meeting with young people. All were concerned about will Pell Grants continue, will we be able to protect Pell Grants, and what's going to happen when they graduate and have student loans. Are these kinds of interest rates going to be in existence, which are just not affordable to young people.

And the idea that we have 73 days, you know, this is a moment where we can demonstrate we can get something done. My friends on the other side of the aisle don't seem interested in addressing this issue which, for Rhode Islanders, and I know you recently had an event in Connecticut, and I know many of our colleagues around the country doing this, we've got to rally young people to demand that the legislation which you sponsored, H.R. 3826, and which I'm proud to be a cosponsor of, and my Senator, Senator Reid on the Senate side is the lead sponsor, we've got to demand that Speaker Boehner bring this to the floor for a vote.

Our colleagues need to hear from their families in their districts, from young people all across this country. This is about our own investment in our future as a country, that we benefit from young people who have access to higher education. At a time where our economy is still recovering, we can't allow interest rates to student loans to double.

I'm going to continue to fight very hard. I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this. I hope that we will continue to beat the drums on this for the next 73 days till we force some action here on the floor of the House for the sake of the young people in this country and for the sake of our future as a thriving and prosperous democracy.

I again thank the gentleman for the opportunity to speak to this issue tonight.

I just want to say that I think one of the things that we sort of recognize and are very proud of as Americans is that we have always revered our system of higher education and that we have always understood that people's ability to access education is part of, for many young people, the way they help to realize the American Dream for themselves and their families. We've always prided ourselves as a democracy on this mobility: that no matter who you are, if you want to and if you work hard enough, you can go to college and you can afford to, and then you can build a better life for yourself and your family. This mobility is really a key part of the American success story.

I read recently a piece in The Times about our living in a time now when that mobility is really being threatened, and college access is part of that challenge. If we are going to preserve the mobility that has made this democracy so strong and so great, we have to be sure we protect access to higher education for the young people who are pursuing it.

It's not only that it's going to be this incredible hardship on families, but we're going to be crushing the dreams of many young people. As you said, as they're getting these decisions in the mail, some young people are going to have to decide, you know, I can't go to the college of my choice. I can't pursue this dream I have because I'm not going to be able to afford to pay back these loans at these interest rates.

We're going to be crushing the dreams of young people. As you said, we can fix it. This is easy. This is something we can do by congressional action, and we should do it. We shouldn't wait 73 days. I was always taught--I think we were all taught--that education is the key. I come from a State that understands that. As I said, it's the home of Senator Pell. We understood education to be the key to success as well as the access to education for our own futures and the futures of young people. We've got to fix it. This is wrong. It's going to hurt families. It's going to hurt our economy. We've got to take action.

Mr. Courtney, I was just wondering. You talked about how the interest rate was cut in half by the prior Congress, which was obviously very important for young people and for families, and how the Stafford Act was created and named after Republicans. So this was done in a bipartisan way, which reminds me that I just finished reading a book called ``An Uncommon Man'' about Senator Pell. In fact, it recounted some of the bipartisanship that existed. I'm wondering what your sense of it is. Why was it that access to higher education seemed to enjoy bipartisan support as recently as a year or two ago when the rate was cut? Certainly the importance of higher education and access to college remains urgent and important. The economy has become more competitive, not less. So what has caused this sort of willingness of my friends on the other side of the aisle to turn their backs on young people? What do you think has changed?

I hope that what you're speaking about, kind of the young people of our country, not just the students, but the families of students who are affected--I was at a Portuguese social club recently, and a woman constituent of mine, a single mom, said, I have three children, and this question of what's going to happen to student loans and whether or not their interest rate is going to go up is important.

This is an issue not just for the students but for the whole family. I'm hoping that young people and families who are affected by this issue, which are obviously millions of Americans, will reach out to their Members of Congress and be sure their voices are being heard in this discussion because, I think, that's our only hope that there be sort of a national movement. I know U.S. PIRG is helping to really bring pressure on our Speaker and on our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to take the legislative action that will correct this.

The point we have to really underscore is it's not just for the student; it's for the sake of our country. Our young people are competing not just with a person in Connecticut or New York; they are competing with people all over the world in an increasingly global and competitive economy. We owe it to them to ensure that they have access to the best quality education we can provide. The interest rate doubling on their loans is clearly an impediment to that. We owe it to them, but we owe it to ourselves as a country.

So I thank you again.

I too want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut, and I hope that we will all do everything we can to keep this issue alive over the next 73 days. As you said, Joe, it's not something that has a complicated answer. We can fix it.

You have introduced the legislation. Many of us have cosponsored it to fix this problem. I think the more Members of Congress and our colleagues hear from young people and their families about the real- life impact in the coming week in Rhode Island, we are going to organize an event around this and with young people and their families to really put a human face on what the consequences of the doubling of these Stafford loans would be, what the impact would be for families.

If everyone does that, the voices of young people and their families have to

be heard and represented in this Chamber. I really want to salute you for your extraordinary leadership and leading the charge tonight, but also being a leader in our country on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Republican budget proposal offered by Mr.

Ryan of Wisconsin. My home State of Rhode Island has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. My constituents need commonsense solutions that will create jobs and get our country back on the right track, not another extreme proposal from the House Republican leadership.

Unfortunately, this budget proposal would give the wealthiest Americans an average tax cut of $150,000 while slashing important support for middle class families and investments that we need to grow our economy. And once again, House Republicans are proposing to end the Medicare guarantee for our seniors; in this case, by replacing it with a voucher program that would not be guaranteed to keep pace with rising health care costs, which could result in higher costs for our seniors and less quality of care.

I urge my colleagues to reject this proposal.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the United States Peace Corps.

Since its founding in 1961, the Peace Corps has sent 200,000 American men and women to serve in 139 countries. Among the 9,000 serving around the world today are residents of Rhode Island's First Congressional District: Sara Chace, Jenna de St. Jorre, Andrew Egan, Frank Hoder, Daniel Malin, Peter Pagonis, and Daniel Restivo.

Peace Corps volunteers create new opportunities, expand development, and encourage progress around the world. Year after year, these selfless men and women immerse themselves in the day-to-day life of a developing nation, connect with local residents, and work with them to share information. With the implementation of new policies this year for the Peace Corps Response program, even more volunteers will be eligible to help those most in need.

I applaud the Peace Corps for its accomplishments, and offer my thanks to the dedicated volunteers that make it so successful, and I thank them for the difference they're making in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, a program that strives to help young girls become model citizens.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, as well as National Women's History Month, I'm pleased to recognize the contributions that the Girl Scouts have made in Rhode Island where it has reached 9,400 girls through its 770 troops in the past year.

More than just going door to door selling Thin Mints and Tagalongs to their friends and neighbors, the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island provide young women and girls across our State with the opportunity to take part in a group that builds girls of honor, confidence, courage, and character who make the world a better place and giving them a foundation for success later in life.

The Girl Scouts of Rhode Island should take great pride in the work they do every day.

I congratulate the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island on their incredible work.