Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant Adam F. Benjamin, who courageously and selflessly rose to the call of duty, and made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country.

Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin grew up in Garfield Heights and graduated from Garfield Heights High School in 1993. Shortly after graduating, he followed his dream to serve our country and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He quickly rose up the ranks and by 2006, at the age of 31, was promoted to the position of Gunnery Sergeant. He was a loyal, courageous and dedicated Marine, who loved every aspect of serving our nation in the military. Throughout his youth and career in the military, Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin was known for his positive outlook on life, caring nature and great sense of humor. He touched countless lives with his kind heart, generosity and sense of concern for others.

Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin was a brave and honorable United States Marine and an exceptional human being. The sacrifice, service and courage he has displayed will be forever honored and remembered by the entire Cleveland community, and by the nation. Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin's warm smile, generous heart, easy laugh, and joy for life will live on within the hearts and memories of those who loved and knew him best--his family, friends and fellow Marines. He will never be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant Adam F. Benjamin. His life, gone far too soon, was framed by his great love of family, friends and country. I extend my deepest condolences to his mother and father, Judy Watters and Frank Benjamin; to his step-father, Robert Watters; to his brothers and sisters: Aaron, Amanda, Asa, Abram, Abigail, Amos, Amaryah, Aric, Anyah, Alexis and Allen; to his grandmothers, Yolanda and Mary; and to his extended family and many close friends.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of the founders, members and performers of the Csardas Dance Company of Cleveland, Ohio, as they celebrate fifteen of years of promoting the history and heritage of Hungary, through the ageless and colorful expressions of the songs and dances of Hungary.

Richard Graber, who grew up in Cleveland as the son of Hungarian immigrants, founded Csardas Dance Company in 1994. He is now the Director of Programs and Services with the Houston, Texas Arts Alliance, and serves on the Board of the Hungarian American Cultural Association of Houston. Christopher L. Smith, former Artistic Director, set a precedent of historical authenticity and keen attention to detail, which still reflect in the brilliant colors and fabrics of the dancers' wardrobes, and also, in the artistic direction of Csardas. Stuart Meyer and Judith Horvath have both served as Csardas Youth Ensemble Rehearsal Instructors, drawing on their backgrounds as professional dancers and instructors. Toni Gras, Managing Director, has been with the Company for the past ten years. As a child, she performed with Hungarian dance troupes, and her daughter danced for nine years in the Csardas Youth Ensemble.

Over the years, hundreds of young dancers have had the enriching opportunity to be part of the Csardas Dance Company, which continues to inspire and delight audiences throughout Ohio. Since it creation in 1994, the mission of the Csardas Dance Company has not wavered: To preserve and promote the dance, music and song of the people of Hungary. The Company also strives to bolster the public's support of, and appreciation for, the performing ethnic arts.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the Csardas Dance Company, for enlightening, entertaining and engaging audiences with song and dance that reflect a certain vibrancy in movement and music--bringing to life the age-old stories of village life in Hungary. The Csardas Dance Company is an arts treasure in Cleveland, and its continued existence is vital to the performing ethnic arts foundation of our entire community--serving as an audiovisual record of our heritage and our history and connecting us all through the universal language of dance and song.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of Frances Wolpaw, devoted wife, mother and accomplished professor, whose passion, integrity and wisdom served to inspire, guide and motivate countless young lives, including my own.

Professor Wolpaw was a former assistant dean and communications professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her scholarly research in speech and rhetoric led her to become a renown expert on the life and words of Abba Hillel Silver, a rabbi from northeast Ohio and advocate for issues affecting Israel on the national and international political stage.

She began her career in education in 1961 as a lecturer at Case Western Reserve University. In 1969, Professor Wolpaw was named assistant dean of Case Western's former women's college--the Flora Stone Mather College. Undaunted by the lack of opportunity for women in academia, Professor Wolpaw forged ahead, and her work earned her a high level of respect and admiration from students and faculty. Throughout her career, she had the loving support and encouragement from her husband, the late Ralph Wolpaw, who was a physician at Mt. Sinai Hospital of Cleveland.

Her accomplishments as professor and leader at Case Western Reserve University opened doors for countless women who would follow in her path. As a professor, Frances Wolpaw's reputation reflected toughness, yet her high expectations for her students was also accented by kindness, fairness and her genuine concern for the welfare of her students. She taught by example, living each day with a sense of wonder, joy and integrity.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Frances Wolpaw, whose joy for life, kind heart and scholarly work and guidance will forever reflect within the hearts and memories of those who loved and knew her best--especially her family, friends, and former students. I extend my heartfelt condolences to Professor Wolpaw's sons--Jonathan, James and Daniel; her grandchildren and great- grandchildren; her sisters, and her extended family members and many friends. Frances Wolpaw's loving devotion to her family and to her community--especially in the way of inspiring and guiding students of all ages--has made our community a better place, and she will be remembered always.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the John Adams High School Class of 1969 as they commemorate their 40 Year Reunion Celebration. The 1969 alumni of the John Adam's Rebels will observe this momentous occasion on Saturday, August 8th, 2009.

John Adams High School opened in 1923 at East 116th Street and Corlett Avenue. The school was home to generations of Cleveland teenagers for decades, until it was closed in 1995, along with West Technical, and Aviation High Schools, to help cut the cities budget. John Adams High School was representative of the strong public education system, working class family environment and racial and cultural diversity that characterizes the city of Cleveland. After eleven years, John Adams High School was rebuilt and reopened in 2006.

The class of 1969 was a cohesive and talented group who has since moved throughout the country, spanning from California to New York. But they maintained a strong base in the Cleveland area. This group of alumni is clearly dedicated to each other, and they have gathered for several reunions throughout the decades since their graduation. This reunion will surely be another success as they come together again to celebrate each other and the significant and momentous occasions that have taken place throughout their lives.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the John Adams High School Class of 1969 as they gather for their 40 Year Reunion Celebration. Their dedication to their past educational achievements and city of Cleveland is sure to provide for a joyous and memorable occasion.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and in remembrance of United States Army Sergeant Richard Allyn Walters, Jr. of Cleveland, Ohio. Sergeant Walters was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the country.

A graduate of Columbian High School in Tiffin, Ohio, Sergeant Walters followed in his father's footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was a ten-year Navy veteran and served in Operation Desert Storm. In 2006 Walters re-enlisted in the Army and became a licensed practical nurse (LPN) in March of 2009. He worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC before being assigned to the 14th Combat Support Hospital in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Sergeant Walters' military service is a reflection of excellence, loyalty and achievement. He was awarded the Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. Sergeant Walter's pending posthumous awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal and Army Commendation Medal.

Madam Speaker, and colleagues, please join me in honoring and remembrance of Sergeant Richard Allyn Walters Jr., whose heroic actions, kindness and love for those closest to him will always be remembered. Sergeant Walters was a courageous United States soldier, and a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Stephanie; to his daughters, Rachel and Piper; to his mother, Margaret; to his brother Greg; to his sister-in-law Stacy and nephew Benjamin; and to his extended family and many friends. Sergeant Walters will live on within their hearts and memories for all time.

Madam Speaker, I strongly support many provisions in H.R. 2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act of 2009, including funding for the Census Bureau, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Government Accountability Office, GAO, and the Ryan White AIDS Program. I cannot, however, support the inclusion of approximately $10.8 billion in war funding and as such, I oppose the bill.

As an ardent supporter of the U.S. Postal Service, USPS, I commend the inclusion of provisions in this bill that would reduce the amount USPS must contribute to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund to $1.5 million from $5.4 million, ensuring its survival through the end of this month. Congress has a responsibility to the communities it represents to ensure that the USPS and the irreplaceable services it provides as a universal mail delivery service are maintained.

This legislation appropriately increases the funding for the U.S. Census Bureau to $7.1 billion to ensure that the agency can meet the demands of the upcoming census in 2010. The census is vital in fulfilling our Constitutional duties under Article 1, Section 2, which are intended to ensure that the people have equal representation in government at the state and federal level. I also fully support the provisions in this bill providing $328 million for the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police and $572 million for the GAO.

I strongly oppose the inclusion of funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in this bill. The war in Iraq was based on false intelligence and an inaccurate, government sponsored, propaganda campaign. This body was given a mandate by the American people in 2006 to get out of Iraq. Congress has the ability, through the power of the purse, to end the occupation of Iraq and bring all troops and contractors home immediately. Failure to do so continues to put our brave and honorable troops in harm's way.

I also oppose dedicating more resources to Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan are suffering horribly from 8 years of war. During that time, the Afghan central government has become increasingly corrupt and has failed to meet the needs of the Afghan people.

Violence in Afghanistan continues to grow. The United Nations General Assembly Security Council reports ``an average of 898 incidents in the first seven months of 2009, compared to 677 during the same time frame in 2008. Incidents involving improvised explosive devices have risen dramatically, to an average of more than eight per day, 60 per cent higher than the average during the first seven months of 2008. Complex attacks now average one per month compared to one per quarter in 2008.'' This past August was reported to be the ``deadliest month since the beginning of 2009.''

I am also dismayed by the inclusion of language that unilaterally bars all funding for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN. I have serious concerns that such language constitutes a bill of attainder. The Constitution expressly prohibits Congress from legislatively punishing an individual or specific class of people, and I believe that this action is an effort to circumvent the protection that the Constitution affords to all people and organizations. This country has a robust judicial system that has been created precisely for this purpose; we ought to let it do its job. If a crime has been committed, we should prosecute the people who have committed that crime.

Congress and the American public simply will not tolerate an open- ended commitment of money and troops while millions of Americans are losing their health care, their homes, their jobs, their pensions, their investments. I support the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill by itself. I cannot support it when it is used as a vehicle for perpetuating the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

I want to acknowledge the presence in our Capitol of a group of physicians who have traveled across the country rallying public support for a single-payer health care system.

The group, which calls itself the Mad As Hell Doctors, is expressing the concern of millions of Americans about a health care system which is failing to meet the people's needs: that there are 47 million Americans without any health insurance, that 50 million Americans are underinsured, that people are literally going broke, not being able to pay their hospital bills.

We clearly recognize that this system is not sustainable. That's why John Conyers and I drafted a bill, H.R. 676, that provides for universal single-payer, not-for-profit health care. We're already paying for such a system. It's just that we're not getting it because $1 out of every $3 goes for the activities of the for-profit system for corporate profits, stock options, executive salaries, advertising, marketing, the cost of paperwork.

It's time to take that $800 billion a year and put it into care for people. Everyone is covered then for vision care, dental health care, mental health care, prescription drugs, long-term care. It's time for single-payer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the U.S.S. Cod's 50 Years in Cleveland celebration on August 14th, 2009. The celebration featured a special free admission day for the public and ceremony to mark the golden anniversary and restoration of the Cod's Cleveland-built diesel engines. The ceremony concluded with a salute to the people of Cleveland with the firing of the Cod's deck gun.

On March 21, 1943 the U.S.S. Cod was launched and its engines, built in a General Motors plant on Cleveland's west side, powered the submarine around the globe. According to Dr. John Fakan, president of the non-profit U.S.S. Cod Submarine Memorial, ``GM built Cod's five diesels right here in Cleveland, but it didn't end there. Much of the steel plate that forms her hull was made in Cleveland and Youngstown steel mills from Great Lakes ore.'' Through her heroic missions in World War II, Cleveland-based training programs during the Cold War, and place as a historic site and submarine memorial in Cleveland, the U.S.S. Cod has become a national symbol.

After her successful WW II service in the Pacific Ocean, the Cod continued to protect America in the Cold War by training NATO anti- submarine forces in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1959 the Cod was brought to Cleveland to serve as a dockside trainer for reservists, and instantly became popular with the public. Citizens were allowed to tour the sub when the Navy wasn't conducting training aboard, and these civilian tours continued even after the Navy declared the Cod obsolete in 1971 and began the scrap process.

Despite the Navy's decision, the people of Cleveland saved the Cod from being scrapped. School children, veterans groups, Scouts and ``Save the Cod,'' a group formed by local business leaders in 1972, all banded together to raise money and save the historic and symbolic submarine. In 1976 the Navy turned the Cod over to her civilian caretakers, who immediately began restoring the Cod to the original beauty that she was while defending America. In 1986 these efforts were recognized by the Federal Government which declared the Cod a National Historic Landmark. The Cod's world-class restoration continues today, focusing on her Cleveland-built engines.

The Cod's caretakers estimate that more than a million people have toured the Cod in the 50 years she has called Cleveland home. In addition to being a popular attraction on Cleveland's lakefront, the Cod has also helped bring revenue into downtown by hosting television and film documentaries as well as military reunions and other special projects.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the celebration of the U.S.S. Cod's 50 Years in Cleveland. The U.S.S. Cod (SS 214) is both a floating memorial to U.S. submariners who gave their lives defending freedom as well as a unique piece of Cleveland's industrial history.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of Stan Haase, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday.

Stan Haase was born on July 22, 1924 in Kitchener, Ontario to Adolph Carl and Anna Caroline Haase. His parents bought a home on Cedar Street, where they raised Stan and his younger brother Gerald. The Haase family enjoyed spending their weekends together at Stan's great- grandmother's house where they took pleasure in square dancing and playing their favorite card game, pinochle. It was a spirited and loving environment in which they celebrated family and their German heritage.

At the age of eighteen, Stan Haase enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force to serve his country during World War II as a Chief Pilot Officer. Following his service, Stan returned home and went to work for his father as a truck driver. It was during his years as a driver that Stan met Katherine Schell. They were married on July 7, 1950. Their mutual desire to realize the American Dream began during their honeymoon when they immigrated to Detroit. After several years of hard work they became naturalized American citizens. Mr. Haase was a loving and devoted husband to his beloved wife, Katherine, for 53 years.

By September 1969, Stan and Katherine Haase had moved to a home on Newbury Lane in Parma Heights, Ohio to raise their three young sons, Greg, Woody and Rick. It was at this home that the family began to establish new family traditions, such as sharing the days' events with one another over dinner. Sundays were also a special time for the Haase family. Each Sunday Mrs. Haase created beautiful and elaborate meals while Mr. Haase entertained the family with stories of his childhood. The home on Newbury Lane was full of magic at Christmas time. Mr. Haase made Santa Claus come to life and Mrs. Haase decorated.

Mr. Haase has had several hobbies throughout his lifetime. As a licensed amateur radio operator he has spoken and forged friendships with people in 321 different countries. His skill as an amateur radio operator has won him many awards and certificates. In addition to gaining a reputation as a first-class repairman, Mr. Haase is also a computer enthusiast. Stan has built and programmed several of his home computers. He continues to be interested in learning new technology.

Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Stan Haase. Stan is a charismatic and proud man. He remains deeply committed to his family and his friends. Stan's sense of humor reflects his great appreciation for life. I wish Mr. Haase a joyous 85th year and blessings of peace, health and happiness.

Madam Speaker, Major Barnes grew up in North Olmsted and graduated from North Olmsted High School. Shortly thereafter, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and became part of the Army's Special Forces HALO detachment. He was trained as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant, Parachutist and Infantry Officer. Following his service in the Army, he joined the Army National Guard. Major Barnes' service in the military totaled thirty-one years; during which he served two tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan.

Along the way, Major Barnes earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. In addition to his military service, his love for books and writing led him to a civilian career in the entertainment industry in California, where he became a playwright and screenplay writer. Additionally, he utilized his military experience within the private security sector; Major Barnes was the Director of West Coast Operations for Vance International.

Throughout his service in the military, Major Barnes consistently exemplified bravery, compassion and he often and readily offered his

assistance to anyone in need, without regard to his own sacrifice. Major Barnes served as a father figure, guide and mentor to numerous young military recruits, and was like an uncle to the children of close friends. For many years, Major Barnes sponsored a child from Indonesia, sending money and letters of encouragement on a regular basis. Recently, Major Barnes was part of a successful effort to save the life a severely injured child in Afghanistan.

His compassion, unwavering integrity and professional excellence are documented in the numerous military commendations he received, including the California Medal of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Humanitarian Service Award, Armed Forces Reserve Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Award.

Major Barnes is survived by his mother, Grace Barnes-Filo; his father, Harold Barnes; his sisters, Therese Rose Barnes, Jennifer Barnes, and Julie Keating; And, his nephew Timothy and niece, McKenzie. I also extend my condolences to his extended family members and many close friends.

Madam Speaker, and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Major Rocco Martin Barnes, whose heroic actions, kindness, generous spirit and love for those closest to him will be remembered always. Major Barnes was a courageous United States soldier, and an exceptional human being. His life, gone too soon, was framed by his great love for family, friends and country. The significant sacrifice, service, courage that defined the life of Major Barnes will be honored and remembered by the entire Cleveland community, and our Country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mayor Thomas Longo, as he retires from his position of Mayor of Garfield Heights, Ohio. For 25 years, Mayor Longo served his constituents with dedication, vision and sincere concern for the people of Garfield Heights, Ohio.

In 2006, after 23 years, Mayor Longo was officially recognized as the longest-serving mayor in Garfield Heights history. He is also recognized as the third-longest serving mayor in Cuyahoga County.

Before being elected mayor, Mayor Longo worked for nearly 20 years as a marketing executive with the former Ohio Bell Telephone Company. In 1975, he was elected to serve on the Garfield Heights City Council, representing the city's 4th Ward. In 1983, Mayor Longo left Ohio Bell upon his election as mayor of Garfield Heights, and successfully retained his seat in every successive election.

In conjunction with his service as the Mayor of Garfield Heights, Mr. Longo holds a seat on the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District board of trustees. He also serves as vice president of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. Throughout his career, Mayor Longo's vision and tenacity has become a reality, reflecting in several civic milestones that continue to benefit residents of all ages. Some of Mayor Longo's most noteworthy achievements include the building of the Garfield Heights Civic Center, Recreation Center, and Service Department garage, as well as the addition of a new fire station. Moreover, Mayor Longo's genuine love of the people of Garfield Heights is evidenced by his compassionate leadership and consistent willingness to reach out and assist families or individuals in need.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition of Mayor Tom Longo, as he retires from the role of Mayor of Garfield Heights, reflecting 25 years of loyal and dedicated service to the city and residents of Garfield Heights, Ohio. I wish Mayor Longo, and his entire family, an abundance of health and happiness as he journeys onward from here.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of United States Navy Ensign Matthew Richard ``Uncle Buck'' McFarland, who courageously and selflessly rose to the call to duty and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country.

Matthew McFarland was born on April 1, 1922, the youngest of eight children. Affectionately known as ``Uncle Buck'' by his family, Ensign McFarland's parents, Hugh McFarland and Grace O'Reilly, and siblings, Hugh, Joseph, Katherine, Margaret, Mary Grace, John and Andrew, were a close family with a strong connection to the Catholic faith. At Holy Name Church, Ensign McFarland served Mass every morning as a child until the day before he entered the Navy. Before entering the Navy Reserves in 1943, he worked at Otis Steel in Cleveland. In 1944, he earned the rank of Naval Aviator and trained for flight in a Fighting Squadron. In 1947, Ensign McFarland was posthumously awarded the WWII Victory Medal by the United States Navy Chief of Naval Personnel.

He died while serving our country on February 15, 1945 at the age of 22. Navy Ensign Pilots, McFarland and Lt. Battenfeld vanished from the sky during a routine flight from Sand Point Naval Air Station in Washington State. Seven months later the wreckage was discovered on the side of a mountain. For more than 60 years, the bodies of the young soldiers rested in a temporary grave, buried among rock and forestry, their names engraved on the flat surface of a boulder and a cross carved at the base of a tree nearby.

Members of the U.S. military's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Team led the effort to return Ensign McFarland and Lt. Battenfeld to their families and permanent places of rest. Members of the Army Reservists from the 737th Transportation Company volunteered in the effort. On September 25, 2009, the body of Navy Ensign Matthew McFarland returns home to Cleveland, Ohio, where friends and family will gather in his honor and memory.

Madam Speaker, and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance of Navy Ensign Matthew Richard ``Uncle Buck'' McFarland, whose service to our nation will be honored and remembered by the Cleveland community. Though sixty-four years have passed, the memory of Ensign McFarland will remain in the hearts of his many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Madam Speaker, I rise to voice my concern over the recent motion to recommit the bill HR 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009, which passed the House on September 17, 2009.

The motion to recommit stated, in part, that no organization that has been indicted for any federal or state campaign finance or election law can be eligible for any federal government contract or grant. The motion specifically names the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) as an organization covered by the bill.

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution clearly states, ``No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.'' Congress cannot legislatively punish an individual or specific class of people. The fact that the motion to recommit appears to meet both criteria for a bill of attainder--specificity and punishment--should give us pause. Legislation that could potentially violate the Constitution surely deserves more debate than twenty minutes.

The recent revelations regarding the conduct of some ACORN employees is disquieting and merits closer investigation; however it is not Congress' place to assign guilt and punishment. The Constitution affords all accused people the protections of the judicial system; Congress must allow the judicial branch to function properly. For this reason I opposed the motion to recommit, and I will oppose any legislation that attempts to punish an individual or specific class of people without the judicial protections afforded them by the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 441, honoring the historical contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important resolution.

Catholic sisters have been instrumental in bettering our communities and our society. Their efforts are felt time and time again in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. I am forever indebted to the charity and compassion of the Catholic sisters who made a big difference in my childhood and continue to amaze and inspire me today. Catholic sisters have made incredible contributions including, to name just a few, educating our nation's youth, instilling the importance of human rights and dedicating themselves to charitable efforts that help to meet the needs of the underserved. In addition, they serve as reminders of the important contributions of women in the United States and around the world.

My own success in life is due to the love, caring, tutelage and discipline of Catholic nuns who taught me at the many schools I attended in the Cleveland area, including at St. Peter's, Holy Name, Parmadale, St. Aloysius', St. Colman's and St. John Cantius. At each and every grade level, I learned the principles of Christian charity, practiced through the generosity and the humility of nuns who taught me. I would like to pay special tribute to Sister Mary Donna, Sister Leona, Sister Agnes Joseph, Sister Sabina, Sister Valerie, Sister Estelle, Sister Justicia, Sister Concepta, Sister Emmeline, Sister Genevieve, Sister Paulette, Sister Lucien, Sister Judith, Sister Luke and Sister Narcissa. Each and every one of these holy women had an impact on my life, for which I will always he grateful.

I also wish to pay tribute in particular to the benevolent work of Catholic Sisters are Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Forde, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Maryknoll Lay Missioner Jean Donovan. Sister Dorothy and Jean Donovan were both from my hometown of Cleveland. In 1980 these women of faith were murdered by members of the armed forces of El Salvador while carrying out missionary work in the country. Three of the five officers involved were graduates of the School of the Americas. Their murders resonated with me personally as they did with many of my constituents. We understand that women on missions of social and economic justice take huge personal risks. These women must always be remembered and revered.

I rise in strong support of this bill and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Res. 441.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our nation's wild horses and burros. These graceful and social wild animals have captured the hearts and minds of many Americans. They are stunning to watch as they roam free on public lands and remain an historical national treasure. It is imperative that we protect and ensure a viable future for them.

Ensuring a strong adoption program for wild horses and burros is one important step toward addressing the current ineffective, inhumane and expensive practices the Bureau of Land Management, BLM, has employed to manage the population. As such, I support this bill and will continue to work to ensure the success of the adoption program.

However, adoption alone will not offset the damage caused by the failed herd management practices of the BLM. Despite efforts to adopt out horses and burros, BLM has more than 30,000 wild horses in holding areas. In October 2008, the GAO released a report entitled ``Effective Long-Term Options Needed to Manage Unadoptable Wild Horses.'' This report affirms that BLM will continue to face budget shortfalls if long-term corrections to current management practices are not put in place. The bulk of these shortfalls are anticipated to result from the current management methods that round up wild horses and burros from Herd Management Areas, HMA, to long- and short-term holding areas.

The BLM maintains that removal of the horses from the BLM lands is necessary to ``maintain a thriving ecological balance.'' However, the BLM has a history of using this statutory goal as justification for failed herd management practices.

When Congress enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, 54 million acres were dedicated for use by wild horses and burros. Currently, they roam on 29 million BLM acres and 2.5 million Forest Service acres. Additional state, tribal, and private lands bring the total acreage to 34.3 million, a reduction of 19.2 million acres. Approximately 13 million of the 19.2 million closed acres were under BLM ownership and closed to wild horses and burros because of new laws and regulations as well as BLM's own land use planning decisions. This clearly defies congressional intent and shows a pattern of behavior on the part of BLM that reduces the land on which wild horses and burros roam.

BLM's decision to reduce land available to the wild horses and burros is called into question by the facts. A 1990 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concluded that removals had not been demonstrated to improve range conditions, in part because livestock cause greater degradation to riparian areas and consume higher levels of forage. Furthermore, the Congressional Research Service states that the extent of damage by wild horses and burros as compared to livestock suffers from a ``lack of definitive data on forage consumed and range degradation.'' Yet there are approximately 33,000 wild horses and burros on 34 million acres of land, while there are at least 6.4 million cattle, sheep and other livestock that graze on 160 million acres of BLM land. The density of the livestock population far exceeds that of the population of wild horses and burros. But BLM continues to argue that the horses and burros threaten BLM's ability to maintain ecological balance.

Recently, the BLM justified a roundup of wild mustangs on the Pryor Mountain Range of Montana and Wyoming with the ``thriving ecological balance'' argument. The Pryor Mountain Range wild mustangs are reported to have a genetic link to the Spanish horses of the Conquistadors brought to America in 1500. Their DNA makes them a unique wild horse that is a distinct part of America's history.

According to equine geneticist, Gus Cothran of Texas A&M University, who has been studying the wild horse population of the Pryor Mountains for many years, the single most important factor ``in maintaining genetic variation in a managed population is effective population size.'' Genetic diversity is vital to the long term survival of any herd. BLM's decision to roundup the Pryor Mountain Range horses threatens the effective population size which compromises the genetic diversity of the herd.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Res. 688 and pledge to continue to work to correct the failed management practices of the BLM.