Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in a short time, the House will have an opportunity to reclaim our constitutional authority on matters of war and peace by voting to stop the use of funds for the war in Libya.

An agreement has been reached through work that Mr. Amash and I have done to create a bipartisan amendment which states: None of the funds made available by this act may be used for the use of military force against Libya.

The Amash-Kucinich amendment is cosponsored by a growing group of bipartisan activists, including, Representatives Ron Paul, Lynn Woolsey, Walter Jones, John Conyers, Dan Burton, Barbara Lee, Ted Poe, and Pete Stark.

This could well be an historic moment where a bipartisan coalition rallies this Congress to defend the Constitution and to reset the balance that has been upset by the administration's claiming the war power.

Vote to end to the war in Libya. Support the bipartisan Amash- Kucinich amendment.

I move to strike the last word.

I rise in support of the Amash-Kucinich amendment.

The esteemed chair, my good friend, of the Defense Appropriations raises a question: Where are they getting the money? The money is not, as he points out, expressly in the bill.

Well, this legislation, the Amash-Kucinich amendment, isn't to delete funds that have already been appropriated. This is to forbid the administration, forbid the administration, from using funds that are appropriated in this act.

Now, there is no way that Congress could or would intervene to stop a search and rescue mission. And that's not relevant unless you're talking about that this Congress is finally going to search this defense budget, figure out where the President is getting the money, and rescue the American taxpayers from a wasteful war and rescue the Constitution from an illegal war. That is what makes it a search and rescue mission. But no search and rescue is prohibited by the Amash- Kucinich amendment.

I want to say that I am proud to have worked with Mr. Amash to come together with this bipartisan agreement. And the support for it is growing. We have Mr. Paul, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Jones, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Burton, Ms. Barbara Lee, Mr. Poe, Mr. Stark, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Nugent, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Honda. The support is growing. And Members can call either Mr. Amash's office or my office right now if they want to cosponsor.

This is our moment in Congress; this is our moment to reclaim the Constitution of the United States, which the Founders envisioned that under article I, section 8, we have the power to determine whether or not this Nation goes to war, not some rebel group in Benghazi. Because when you reduce it to its ultimate, a group of Benghazi rebels made the decision to go to war against its own government, and before you know it NATO joins in, we're pulled into it. The administration went to everyone except getting the approval of the United States Congress.

This is our moment to reclaim the Constitution. Will we rise to the occasion? This isn't only about this Congress right now. History will judge us whether or not we understood the imperative of article I, section 8. This is about the Constitution. Certainly it's about a billion dollars that would be spent by September unless we intervene, at a time of rising debt, at a time of tremendous pressure on the budget, at a time when local governments in our communities are cutting public services because they don't have the money. This administration determines they're going to take us into war, and they didn't even give so much as give this Congress an opportunity to have this debate before the decision was made. That was wrong.

I appreciate that we have been able to set aside any partisan disagreements that are part of the nature of this forum to understand that we have a higher calling here. And that higher calling is to defend this Constitution of the United States, which describes what our duties are when we come here. We take the oath to defend the Constitution. That's what we shall do today.

We shall rescue this Congress from the ignominy of having the rights that the people expect us to exercise on their behalf just trampled by an administration that doesn't think that we have any co-equal role in the government at all. This is our moment to stand up, Democrats and Republicans alike.

I am proud to work with Mr. Amash in crafting this bipartisan Kucinich-Amash amendment.

This is our moment, Members. Let's not lose this opportunity to stand up and speak out on behalf of the United States Constitution, on behalf of the separation of powers, on behalf of the co-equality of our House of Representatives and the Congress of the United States. Let's show the Founders, and the spirit of the Founders is always with us in this place, let's demonstrate that we remember where we came from when this Constitution was set forth. Let's demonstrate that we have reached our moment where we stand up.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the City of Westlake, Ohio, in recognition of its bicentennial celebration. Since 1811, Westlake has been a shining community within Northeast Ohio.

In 1811, 16-year-old Leverett Johnson became Westlake's first resident when he began clearing land for a log cabin. This cabin served as lifelong home for him, his wife Abigail, and their nine children. Johnson went on to have a distinguished career in government, serving as a justice of the peace, township treasurer, Cuyahoga County Commissioner, and Ohio State Legislator.

Now, 200 years later, Westlake is a successful, vibrant community known for its unique appeal to both businesses and families. The City of Westlake is continuing to make improvements to the community; St. John Medical Center is being renovated, Cuyahoga Community College's new Westshore campus is near completion, and plans are underway for the construction of a new high school.

The residents of Westlake have planned a series of events to celebrate their city's rich history and vibrant future. Several events, such as a fence dedication, historic cemetery tour, marker dedication and time capsule burial will take place at the historic Evergreen Cemetery. The Evergreen Cemetery was founded around 1820 by Leverett Johnson and several other early settlers. Today it serves as their final resting ground and one of Westlake's most historic locations. Other planned festivities include an art show, concert, Mayor's Ball, a 4th of July parade and fireworks and a Bicentennial Ball Drop on New Year's Eve.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor of the City of Westlake, Ohio as its residents celebrate the city's bicentennial. I extend my sincere congratulations to all members of the Westlake community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Woodvale Cemetery on the occasion of its dedication as an Ohio Historical Marker.

The Woodvale Cemetery was established in the early 1800s after Mr. Fred G. Klink donated a half acre of land to be utilized as a burial ground. It was not until 1876 that the cemetery was named by Frank M. Stearns who proposed the unnamed cemetery be identified for the scenic wooded vale it abuts. In 1931, the Woodvale Cemetery covered 35 acres and was designated as a non-profit cemetery. Today the Woodvale Cemetery is owned by the cities of Middleburg Heights and Berea and spans nearly 50 acres.

The Woodvale Cemetery hosts some of Ohio's most historic and important graves. The oldest marked grave, dated 1858, is that of Fred G. Klink, the patron of the cemetery. Other notable sets of graves include those of John Baldwin and James Wallace's, the founders of Baldwin Wallace College.

There are also hundreds of veterans from every U.S. war buried in Woodvale Cemetery. There are entire areas dedicated to the graves of soldiers of the U.S. Civil War. Additionally, the first Ohioan to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, World War I veteran Albert E. Baesel, is buried in the cemetery.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the Woodvale Cemetery on the occasion of its dedication as an Ohio Historical Marker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mary E. Hartman on the occasion of her retirement from the Western Campus of Cuyahoga Community College.

Ms. Hartman was raised in southeast Cleveland and is the youngest of five children. She graduated in 1970 from Marymount High School and proceeded to study at the Eastern Campus of Cuyahoga Community College, where she completed her associate of applied business degree in 1975.

While studying, Ms. Hartman was hired as the executive secretary to the college executive vice president at the district administrative

offices. She then moved to the Western Campus in 1981 as a staff assistant to the Dean. In 1986 she began her current role as administrative assistant to Western Campus President Patricia Campbell Rowell, which includes managing the $42 million budget of the Western Campus.

Ms. Hartman is also extremely active in her community and serves on the Parma Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, a position she has held since June 2004. In addition, she is a member of the Parma City School District business education/executive assistant advisory committee.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Mary E. Hartman, a woman whose tireless work ethic, collaborative spirit, and unending passion for her work enabled her to make invaluable contributions to Cuyahoga Community College and the community around her.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in remembrance of Mrs. Donna J. Smallwood, a beloved wife, mother, and friend. Mrs. Smallwood was an active member in the Parma community and a tireless civic activist.

Born and raised in Parma, Ohio, Donna began working towards her legacy, the Donna Smallwood Activity Center and Office on Aging, at an early age. In 1964, Donna and the Parma Jaycees Wives recognized the underserved senior community in Parma and approached the city to start a program. When told that the city did not have funds for such a venture, the group took it upon themselves to hold fundraisers for the cause. They found a location, Parma Memorial Hall, and ran the center as volunteers. As the center grew, seniors began to request increased services and programs. Instead of giving up, the Parma Jaycee Wives petitioned Mayor John Petruska to apply for state and federal funding, and as a result, the Parma Sixty Plus Club was able to expand. Furthermore, Mayor Petruska was so impressed by Donna's work in convincing City Council to accept these funds, that he hired her as his first Senior Director, making her the first female department head in the City of Parma.

Between 1968 and 1987, the senior center flourished under Donna's management, as she acquired grants to kick-start programs that continue to exist today. During this time that transportation and meal services came to fruition, as did the Parma Commission on Aging, the governing body and fundraising arm of the Senior Center. Between 1988 and 1996, when Donna was not the Director, grants were lost and programs were discontinued. When Gerald M. Boldt took over as mayor, he quickly brought Donna back to revive the Senior Center, and she continued as Director from 1996 through 2003.

In addition to all of her work with the Senior Center, Donna still found time to be involved in many other aspects of the Parma community. She was President of Proud of Parma Inc., directed the Miss Parma Pageant, served on the Parma Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was on the Ridgewood Family YMCA Board of Directors. She also volunteered at Historic Stearns Farm and Homestead and was an active member and volunteer at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.

In addition to all that she did for her community, Donna managed to be a devoted mother to her five children and wife to her husband of 41 years, Richard, with whom she owned and operated a local business, The Treasure Aisle gift shop from 1987 to 1996.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the life of Donna J. Smallwood, she will forever be a part of Parma, Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Mrs. Helen Agnes Powell on the occasion of her passing.

Mrs. Powell was born on September 24, 1926 and was one of four siblings. She graduated from Garfield Heights High School in 1944 and upon graduation assisted in the war effort by working at a factory located at Harvard and Broadway Avenues that produced military equipment.

Her two brothers, John and Lawrence, both served in the military. John was mortally wounded fighting in Burma and passed away on June 11, 1944, which deeply affected Helen. Her brother Lawrence served in the 8th Army Air Corp and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Mrs. Powell met her husband Bob Powell in 1941, but he soon left to join the Navy. They married on September 24, 1947 and had four children: Robert Jr., Deborah, Grace and Marie.

Helen was a full-time mother and after her husband was severely injured in a construction accident, she took care of him. Aside from her family, Helen and her mother were extremely active in the VFW Post 3445 in Garfield Heights. Both Helen and Bob also helped to establish a VFW post in Aurora.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Mrs. Helen Agnes Powell, a woman whose biggest joy was bringing her family together and was completely dedicated to her husband, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Agnes Kasper, whose strong dedication and commitment to improving her community led her to create one of Cleveland's most well-known hunger centers.

A native Clevelander, Ms. Kasper attended high school and graduated from St. Joseph Academy. She went on to become a secretary at Berea's Ohio Nut and Bolt, where she met and married John. The Kaspers are survived today by their ten children, twenty six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Aside from running her church's daily meal program, Ms. Kasper also taught religious education for decades. Her work with her church's meal program eventually led her to found the renowned hunger center at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Cleveland, Ohio. In her spare time, she also actively helped run emergency shelters while simultaneously hosting homeless people in her own home.

Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in remembrance of Ms. Agnes Kasper. Her hard work for her community has improved the lives of countless individuals. I offer my sympathies to her family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mr. Vladimir Swirynsky, one of Cleveland's most prominent poets.

Born in Germany on May 20, 1948, Vladimir Swirynsky immigrated to the United States in 1952. After completing his education, Vladimir served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was stationed in Long Bien and worked as a morning report clerk. Following his service, Vladimir returned to Cleveland, married, and began a career at Republic Steel.

In 1994, after a divorce, Vladimir left Cleveland in search of healing and found solace in the arts. He travelled to New Orleans, celebrated Mardi Gras, joined a band and began reading poetry. He was enthralled by poetry and realized his own talents. He spent years travelling around the country and perfecting his newfound creative outlet.

Today, Mr. Swirynsky has published thirteen books of poetry and is celebrated as one of Cleveland's finest poets.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of Mr. Vladimir Swirynsky. His story and poetry will continue to inspire all of those who hear his prose.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Guerino and Carolyn Ripepi to acknowledge their 60th anniversary.

Guerino and Carolyn were married on May 5, 1951 at St. Paul's Croatian Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the course of their lives together Guerino and Carolyn raised four children in Parma and later North Royalton, Ohio. The couple takes great pride in the accomplishments of their seven grandchildren.

The Ripepi's were active members of the Northeast Ohio community. Guerino was a member of the Brooklyn-Parma Knights of Columbus and Parma Elks Lodge. Carolyn was involved with her children's lives as a Cub Scout Pack leader and was awarded a Marian Award by the Girl Scouts. Carolyn also belonged to the Ridgewood Lanes women's league.

After a career with Erie Lackawanna Railroad and Parma City Schools, respectively, Guerino and Carolyn retired to the Timber Pines Retirement Community in Spring Hill, Florida. They continue to be active, participating in such activities as golf, bocce and billiards.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the long and happy life that Guerino and Carolyn continue to enjoy together.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Mustard Seed Market, the largest locally-owned retailer of natural and organic products in Ohio.

In 1978, husband and wife team, Margaret and Philip Nabors, started a small, home-based, natural foods catering business in Northeast Ohio and discovered a large market for their healthy cooking. The couple supplied nutritious and delicious food to a multitude of weddings and events. In 1981, they expanded their enterprise with the opening of a small health foods store in Akron's Merriman Valley. Mustard Seed Market continues to offer a wide variety of natural foods, supplements, teas, books and health and beauty items.

In 1989, Mustard Seed Market relocated to a much larger space, which included a 60 seat restaurant and an even larger selection of natural foods. Responding to customers' requests, the Nabors added a new fresh seafood case, an antibiotic-and-cage-free poultry case, and a small meat department. In 1992, they began offering a Monday night educational program, which consisted of cooking classes and lectures related to natural health.

As a result of Mustard Seed Market's great and continued success, the Nabors decided to expand the business further in 1996. They moved to what is now their current location, a 31,500 square foot shopping and dining area, which includes a 14,000 square foot retail space, 120-seat restaurant, 20-seat bar and a banquet facility. In 1999, a second store was opened in Solon, Ohio.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing Margaret and Philip Nabors, whose inspiring thirty year mission has helped many people enjoy healthier lives through healthier eating habits.

Mr. Speaker, within the next 24 hours, the House will have the opportunity to end U.S. military involvement in Libya. And we should do so for the following reasons:

First, the war is illegal under the United States Constitution and our War Powers Act because only the U.S. Congress has the authority to declare war, and the President has been unable to show that the U.S. faced an imminent threat from Libya. The President even ignored his top legal advisers at the Pentagon and the Department of Justice, who insisted he needed congressional approval before bombing Libya.

Second, the war has reached a stalemate and is unwinnable without the deployment of NATO ground troops, effectively an invasion of Libya. The whole operation was terribly ill-considered from the beginning.

While NATO supports the Benghazi-based opposition situated in the oil rich northeast, there is little evidence that the opposition has the support of the majority of Libyans. The leading opposition group, the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which had been reportedly backed by the CIA in the 1980s, should never have launched an armed civil war against the government if they had no chance absent a massive NATO air campaign and the introduction of NATO troops.

It's time to put an end to this war. Vote to cut off funds.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, today, along with the support of my colleague, Representative Eshoo, I am offering this amendment to help an estimated 250,000 ailing veterans of the first gulf war, over one- third of those who served. It will bring the modest budget for the Gulf War Illness Research program within the congressionally directed Medical Research program in line with that of its peer programs, to $10 million.

Too many veterans of the first gulf war suffer from persistent symptoms, such as chronic headache, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, unexplained fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, and other abnormalities that are not explained by traditional medical or psychiatric diagnoses. Research shows that, as these brave soldiers age, they are at double the risk for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, as are their non-deployed peers. There may also be connections to multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Sadly, there are no known treatments for the lifelong pain these veterans endure.

In a new landmark report, the Institute of Medicine has recognized that and has called for a major national research effort to identify treatments. The scientific community has responded with a dramatic increase in the quality and quantity of proposals that are submitted to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, otherwise known as CDMRP.

In the FY12 Defense appropriations bill, CDMRP programs, with direct relevance to current forces, received a 25 percent increase. The research conducted by the Gulf War Veterans Illnesses Research program is vital not only for ill gulf war veterans but also for other U.S. military forces. As summarized by the IOM committee chair on the topic, Dr. Stephen Hauser, gulf war illnesses research is ``vital to the health and effectiveness of current and future military forces in addition to gulf war veterans.''

Most encouraging, CDMRP-funded researchers have completed the first successful pilot study of a medication to treat one of the major symptoms of gulf war illness. Just last month, a report was released on the first successful medication treatment study in the history of gulf war illness research. The study showed that the low-cost supplement, CoQ10, produced significant improvement in one of the most serious symptoms of gulf war illness, fatigue with exertion, as well as improvements in nearly every other symptom. It is not a cure, and the study needs to be replicated in a larger group; but the result is extremely encouraging. The next step is for clinical trials, which will only be funded by the CDMRP.

The amendment's offset comes from the Pentagon channel, which is costly--over $29 million in the past 3 fiscal years. It's redundant. There are eight other Armed Forces Network Television services which provide news, entertainment, lifestyle, documentary, and religious programming to servicemembers and their families across the globe, and it doesn't provide a vital service; but this research is critical to our troops in the field now as well as to those who will be fighting in the future.

According to the VA's Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, the known causes of gulf war illness are from exposures incurred in Iraq, like certain pesticides, or are from exposures incurred before deployment, like pyridostigmine bromide, which is a drug taken as an antidote to the nerve gas sarin. There is also some evidence of a link between gulf war illness and a low-level exposure to nerve agents, a close proximity to oil well fires, the receipt of multiple vaccines, and combinations of gulf war exposures.

Current forces in Iraq and Afghanistan can still incur each of these exposures. That is why the chair of the IOM committee's report on gulf war illnesses said: ``This IOM report makes findings and recommendations vital to the health and effectiveness of current and future U.S. military forces in addition to gulf war veterans.''

This is a time for us to say thank you to those who have served, to say that we understand the suffering that gulf war veterans have had with this illness and that we are dedicated to finding higher levels of research to make sure that we can relieve their suffering.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

We've been in Afghanistan for 10 years at a cost of over a half trillion dollars and in Iraq for 8 years at a long-term cost of at least $3 trillion. Those who told us the war in Libya would last days now want to extend it for another year at a total cost of billions.

It is surreal that we could even be considering authorizing this war at a time when the government is collapsing in debt. Those who told us the war in Libya was to save civilian lives quickly switched to regime change, with innocent civilians dying from NATO's bombs.

Prior to NATO's assuming responsibility, we launched hundreds of cruise

missiles and dropped tons of bombs on Libya. Since NATO took over, the U.S. has struck from the air at least 90 times, including drone attacks. But these are not ``hostilities,'' claims the White House; so what business is it of Congress?

We must put an end not only to the war in Libya, but we must put an end to the thinking that the Constitution is a doormat and that our constituents must simply bear the consequences of the misguided policies of this administration without this Congress having any say whatsoever.

Defeat the authorization for the war. Vote for the Rooney bill, which limits the war. And when we return, let's vote for a total cutoff of funds for this wrongheaded adventure.

The right to protect civilians has morphed into the so- called right to change a regime and the right to destroy civilians. The situation is positively Orwellian, and it is all going wrong. Even early supporters of the war are changing their minds. I would quote from al Jazeera just a couple of days ago:

``Italy's foreign minister and the outgoing head of the Arab League have each called for a halt to hostilities in the war-torn north African country.

``Franco Frattini told members of Parliament on Wednesday that the suspension of military operations in Libya was `essential' for immediate humanitarian aid, while Amr Moussa, the Arab League chief, called for a political solution to the crisis.

``Moussa's sentiment was shared by the Italian foreign minister, who called for urgent humanitarian aid to trapped residents in cities like Tripoli and Misurata.

``He said the people in those areas face a `dramatic' humanitarian situation and added that a suspension of hostilities would also avoid `consolidating a division of Libya' between east and west.

``He said he hoped the European Council in Brussels on Thursday would highlight an end to the fighting in Libya as `a practical solution.' ''

The question is, Mr. Speaker, will Congress rush into the breach here while our allies are headed to the exit?

H.R. 2278 by Mr. Rooney would immediately prevent the administration from engaging in direct offensive hostilities in Libya, and it ought to be supported.

Now, the resolution isn't perfect. It doesn't end the war in its entirety immediately, but it does make clear that the United States will not take over the war as European support continues to diminish.

I proposed an amendment with Representative Amash of Michigan and 11 others to the Defense authorization bill that would eliminate all funds for military operations in Libya. I urge a vote for this bipartisan amendment when we come back after the recess.

H.R. 2278 and the Kucinich-Amash amendment are complementary. If we want to end U.S. involvement, we can do it in two steps: First step, vote for H.R. 2278; second step, vote for Kucinich-Amash when we come back.