Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the Bush administration has demonstrated a complete failure to plan for our operations in Iraq and a complete failure to plan here at home. One has to ask, Are we better off than we were 4 years ago?

When President Bush took office, we had a $236 billion budget surplus and the Nation had created 22 million jobs over the previous 8 years.

The number of uninsured had decreased for the first time in 12 years, and the country had the lowest poverty rate in 20 years.

Today, 8.2 million are Americans looking for work; 1.8 million private sector jobs have been lost. The number of uninsured has increased by 3.8 million, and gas prices are at a 23-year high. Household income has decreased by almost $1,500, and college tuition is up by 28 percent. This is absolutely not acceptable, and it is not something that just happened.

President Bush had only one economic policy when he took office and he had only one today, tax cuts for those who need them least.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on the recent order for my home state of California to repay over $270 million to Enron and other energy corporations amidst growing evidence of Enron and other energy companies market manipulation.

The recent release of Enron tapes where traders openly discuss the manipulation of California power markets to the tune of one to two million dollars a day is unfair to all residents of California. Providing refunds to a company that used deceptive business practices is just plain backwards.

The United States has fallen victim to gas prices that are at a 23 year high. It has had a drastic effect on all consumers whether they are automobile drivers or not. Despite this, the Administration continues to give billions of dollars in tax breaks to special interest oil, gas, and coal companies that are doing nothing to help lower fuel prices.

Mr. Speaker, I am appalled and disgusted with the Administration's coddling of special interests while leaving taxpayers the task of having to foot the bill for years of wrongdoing by Enron and other corporate scoff laws. The refunds my home state are forced to pay reward market manipulators for predatory pricing activities. As legislators we should punish, not reward, companies who have deceived our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to the Thomas ``American Jobs Exportation Act'' that provides billions of new tax breaks for offshore operations at the expense of exacerbating our Nation's deficits.

At the same time, I am extremely disappointed that millions of U.S. producers, farmers, and small business owners will be left behind. In my Los Angeles district, where the entertainment industry is the main driving force of our local economy, hundreds of thousands of workers are hurt by the phenomenon of runaway production, or the practice of filming overseas for pure economic reasons. The Senate JOBS Act has taken a serious look at this issue and included provisions to encourage domestic film production through tax write-offs. I regret that this was stripped out of the House bill, and, with the closed rule we are operating under today, no member could offer an amendment to address this devastating issue.

I support the underlying goals of what we are attempting today, which is to replace FSC/ETI export incentives with help for U.S. manufacturers. But H.R. 4520 has turned into a big corporate gift that keeps on giving, an overstuffed pinata for lobbyists. Millions of workers, such as the creative workforce hit hard by the outsourcing of film production, are altogether ignored.

H.R. 4520 is an outrageous bill not only because it fails to adequately address the plight of U.S. workers, but it helps move U.S. investment and jobs abroad. There is little wonder then that a modest provision to help keep entertainment jobs in the United States was completely discounted. While I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 4520, I hope better legislation will be negotiated in conference.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 444, The Back to Work Incentive Act. The bill does nothing to help the current labor market, and offering workers reemployment bonuses does nothing to help the future of our nations unemployed and won't help put more jobs into our nation's struggling economy.

This bill is a careless attempt to replace the extension of unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed. This bill will help less than 0.2% of the unemployed and will do nothing for millions of jobless workers, particularly those out of work for more than 26 weeks.

The Back to Work Incentive provides a $3,000 voucher for only about 15,000 eligible workers. These recipients will not be able to access free core services provided through the Workforce Investment Act and they will forfeit the opportunity to get up to $10,000 in other possible Workforce Investment Act services and benefits available without cost under existing programs.

This bill also does not address the pressing problems of lack of available jobs, the need for marketable skills, and sufficient training funds for today's unemployed workers.

Mr. Speaker, in April alone 320,000 of America's workers exhausted their unemployment benefits. The Administration must come up with solutions that will provide jobs for all, not just benefits that are temporary for some. H.R. 444 doesn't cut it and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 224, I was detained by constituents from my District. I would have voted ``no'' on H.R. 444.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of our Nation's foster care youth during National Foster Care month.

As of January 2003, there were 33,000 children in Los Angeles County foster care, which is the highest number of dependents in any county. I represent many of these youngsters who, on average, live in five different places. I co-sponsored H.R. 1534, which strives to place children in safe, loving, and permanent homes.

But what happens when these youths turn 18 and ``age out?'' Only 27 percent of foster care high school graduates attend college, half the national average. Foster care youths lack the funding and supportive climate college students need to succeed. I support legislation that helps foster care students with their college admissions and financing.

This week the Committee on Government Reform will meet to determine how our current foster care structure can be strengthened.

This Congress must act to ensure the future of our foster care youth is as bright as any other child's. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the Republican budget that we are being asked to vote on today. For several years now, responsible Members of this body have been speaking out against a budgeting process that has been getting more absurd and undemocratic by the year.

But I believe this year that the Republican leadership has outdone itself. Again this year, Republicans have given us a budget that fails to pay for health care, fails to pay for schools, fails to pay for veterans, and fails to pay for roads. Again this year, they have given us a budget that increases the debt that our children will have to pay, tying a thousand-pound weight around the neck of our economy.

But this year, the Republican leadership has added a new twist. This budget is structured so that it cannot even be passed by the other body and become law.

For those Americans outside of Washington who are watching this tonight, you deserve to know something about the cynical exercise we are engaged in here. The vote we will cast tonight will be purely symbolic. It will only be symbolic because some Republicans on the other side of the Capitol Building are finally saying enough is enough--that we cannot continue to rack up debt and force it onto our children. I regret that the Republican leadership in this House has not yet reached the same conclusion and decided to get our fiscal house in order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown versus Board of Education Supreme Court decision and to call on this administration and Congress to further renew the goals and visions laid out by this monumental case.

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court announced in Brown versus Board of Education that ``in the field of education, the doctrine of `separate but equal' has no place.'' In the half century that followed, This pivotal decision ushered in a new era, leading to the gradual elimination of State-sponsored racism. Specifically, it established the legal and moral framework for the civil and voting rights legislation of the 1960s that drastically expanded the Constitution's promise of ``equal protection'' to all spheres of public life.

However, few people today would claim that the promises of Brown have been fulfilled. There is no doubt that the disturbing phenomenon of ``white flight'' in the North and ``segacademies'' in the South following efforts at integration created new forms of segregation along economic, and all too often, racial lines. As a recent study by the Harvard Civil Rights Project indicates, 70 percent of African-American children today attend schools that are predominately African-American, roughly the same level as 40 years ago.

Throughout the country today and this week, many will gather to celebrate and commemorate the legacy of Brown. But it is also an occasion for observance. We cannot ignore how, across America today, Black and White students still go to separate schools in the same town, divided by neighborhoods and segregated by wealth. We cannot ignore the disparity in resources that continue to plague many of our school systems, especially those serving predominantly inner-city minority and impoverished children.

Today is an occasion to recommit ourselves to the vision of Brown, to redouble our efforts in working toward an America that treats everyone equally and empowers everyone economically. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act to establish a framework for States and districts to address and eventually eliminate education failures. I once again issue a call to action. First this administration and this Congress must fully fund No Child Left Behind to demonstrate our commitment to educational equity. Second, we must increase funding for Pell grants so that low- and moderate-income students can have access to higher education. This 50th anniversary commemoration of Brown versus Board of Education, like the decision itself, calls for action, not just words. Justice deferred is justice denied.

Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to someone who has made celebrities while she stayed in the background. Her name is Vonny Hilton Sweeney.

She set high goals and obtained one of the most prestigious achievements by becoming the first black majorette while attending Brownsville High School in Pennsylvania. She was married to Howard James Sweeney and had one son. She worked at a community hospital in north Sacramento and received a B.A. in English and journalism from Sacramento State University. She was a contributing editor for the Sacramento Observer.

She moved to Los Angeles in 1966 to pursue her career in the entertainment industry where she was promotion coordinator for Sussex Records, vice president of promotion and publicity for Hugh Hefner's Playboy Records Company, and received her first gold record for the hit single ``Falling In Love'' recorded by Hamilton Joe-Frank and Reynolds. She was also a publicist for Janet DuBois and one of the first female managers for such acts.

She was the public directions director for over 25 years for James Brown entertainment including current editor of his Truth Magazine. As an icon in the James Brown organization, she was personally responsible for showcase venues worldwide, his biggest fan, as well as the dearest friend over many decades. In 1992, 1993 and 1994 she was listed in the ``Who's Who'' of entertainment.

As a mentor, one of her attributes was to become involved with other people's lives, and was instrumental in helping individuals achieve and reach their dreams. Her goal in life was to pursue the dreams and goals of others through her dedication and guidance in all aspects of the entertainment industry.

Vonny Hilton Sweeney was preceded in death by her loving parents James and Anna Rea Hilton and her brother James Thompson. She is survived by her son Howard James Sweeney, wife Jennifer, and granddaughter Jade Sweeney and step-grandson Justin McCarthy, brother Walter Thompson, his wife Jerri, sister Rose Alma King, sister Barbara Hilton Brown, her husband John L. plus numerous nieces, nephews and many friends.

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Mr. Speaker, Americans should be confident that they have access to quality health care. So I support the resolution, H.R. 99, promoted by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) which gives guidance to provide insurance to all Americans.

Over the past 3 years, 3.8 million Americans lost their health insurance and 43 million Americans are now uninsured. Health insurance premiums have increased almost 50 percent since the beginning of the Bush administration and four times faster than workers' earnings last year.

In a related issue, minority groups often encounter major obstacles in obtaining health care. Minority groups are less likely to have health insurance and are less likely to receive the appropriate health care services. The Health Care Equality and Accountability Act of 2003 would go far in lifting the shadow of health disparities that fall not only on minority communities but on all Americans. Also, this legislation would make quality health care more affordable, providing coverage for parents and young adults who are currently uninsured.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to also commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans in U.S. history.

I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), the new chair and vice chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, for organizing this Special Order. And in particular, I want to recognize the contributions of Korean-Americans in my district and commend them for their tireless work in improving the City of Los Angeles.

Mr. Speaker, today Asian Americans continue to gain new ground in even greater social and political representation. As we commemorate and celebrate the crucial role of Asian Pacific Americans and the role they have played in the development of this Nation, we must work harder to improve their lives and opportunities for 12.5 million Asian Pacific Americans who are still confronted with daily prejudices, discrimination, and economic inequalities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of Asian Pacific Americans in U.S. history. I want to thank Congressman Honda and Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, the new Chair and Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, for organizing this special order. In particular, I want to recognize the contributions of Korean Americans in my district and commend them for their tireless work in improving the city of Los Angeles.

Last month this chamber unanimously approved legislation that I sponsored to designate a U.S. Post Office in the Koreatown section of my district be named the ``Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office.'' Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, who spent his formative years in the United States, is credited by many as the spiritual father of modern, independent, democratic Korea. During his stay in Los Angeles, at the beginning of the 20th century, he worked to unite the Korean-American community, founding schools and cultural organizations, and helping improve living and working conditions for his fellow Korean Americans. I am proud to be the sponsor of this legislation and grateful to the House for paying this timely tribute to a great Korean American.

Mr. Speaker, the contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the growth and success of this great nation can never be overstated. The history of their struggle and triumph in the United States must be re- told. We need to remember that it was the Chinese immigrants who toiled in the mines during the California Gold Rush of the 1800s and helped construct the transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. And we can never forget how Americans of Japanese ancestry were placed in internment camps during World War II, one of the saddest and most notorious chapters in our nation's history.

I also want to take this opportunity to share with you the rich and diverse history of Korean immigration to Los Angeles. Although a small number of Koreans had immigrated to the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century, major waves of Korean migration to America did not occur until Congress passed the 1965 Immigration Act abolishing the quota system that had restricted the numbers of Asians allowed to enter this country. Since then, Korea has become one of the top five countries of origin of emigrants to the United States.

Among the more than one million Korean Americans today, roughly 33 percent are settled in California, making it the state with the largest Korean American population. Today, Los Angeles is home to the largest concentration of Koreans outside of Korea, roughly 160,000 people. Located in my district, Koreatown is the hub of the Korean community and vital to our local economy. It is fabled that from the establishment of a single Korean store at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Hobart Street in 1969 emerged today's Koreatown, which stretches from Beverly Boulevard and Pico Boulevard to the north and south and Hoover and Crenshaw on the east and west. Although 68 percent of the people living within these boundaries are Latinos, Korean Americans are the predominant business owners, and the area serves as a cultural, business, and social center for not just Korean Americans but all of Los Angeles.

Indeed, for the past four decades, the district that I represent has thrived with the contribution of Koreatown. The willingness of Korean- American merchants to sacrifice for their future generations by working extremely long hours and overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers has led to many successful enterprises crucial to the growth of our local economy. For example, today Korean Americans own 46 percent of small grocery markets, and 45 percent of one-hour photo shops in Southern California, all of which demonstrate the critical role Korean Americans play in our communities. The Hanmi Bank, located on Wilshire Blvd., has become a major financial institution in the Korean-American community as well as to others in the greater Los Angeles area.

Mr. Speaker, today Asian Pacific Americans continue to gain new grounds in ever greater social and political representation. As we commemorate and celebrate the crucial role Asian-Pacific Americans have played in the development of this Nation, we also must work harder to improve the lives and opportunities for the 12.5 million Asian Pacific Americans today, who are still confronted daily with prejudice, discrimination, and economic inequalities. The 1992 Los Angeles civil disturbances, in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict, is one such tragic example that illustrates the need for continued dialogue and understanding.

Nationally, Asian Pacific Americans continue to experience a crisis in health and health care disparity and face unique challenges in education, immigration, and economic development. It is very disappointing to me that this Administration has failed to renew the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAIPs) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As a member of Congress I will continue to fight to ensure that our government address the needs of Asian Pacific Americans. Let's work to renew the American Dream for many future generations of Asian Pacific Americans to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 627, a resolution condemning the abuse of persons in U.S. custody in Iraq.

Every member of this body is outraged and saddened by the recent reports of the abuse of prisoners in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. H. Res. 627, however, is a ``feel good'' resolution that fails to empower Congress to exercise its oversight role in the investigation of the Iraqi prisoner scandal. Moreover, the resolution before us today was crafted by a narrow Republican majority, which once again did not permit either the appropriate committees of jurisdiction or the Democratic leadership to participate in the process of crafting language for the resolution.

In effect, this resolution does absolutely nothing. It fails to put forward any policy language to address the serious issues at hand. Most egregiously, the resolution fails to offer any form of apology to the prisoners abused or the Iraqi people.

The United States stands on the precipice of a major foreign policy disaster. It is long past time to change course in Iraq. Defense

Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz are the principal architects of this failed policy. I once again call upon the President to seek their resignations. Only then will the people of Iraq and the world perhaps begin to view U.S. actions and intentions in a more favorable light.

Mr. Speaker, we are all shocked, saddened, and outraged by recent reports of the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. The evidence cannot be in dispute. Graphic photos have gone from one end of the earth to the other that show stripped young Iraqi men forced to lie in a naked pile with a male and female soldier standing over them and hamming for the camera. Whether we like it or not, the

picture of a hooded, wired prisoner, which one commentator described as an eerie throwback to drawings from the Spanish Inquisition, has become the new image of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

And this hooded image may be one of the kinder and gentler images to have yet seen the light of day. A highly critical report completed by the Pentagon in March paints a much more graphic and disturbing picture of prisoner abuse. The report outlines a number of intentional abuses, and I will quote partly from it: ``videotaping and photographing naked male and female detainees; forcibly arranging detainees in various sexually explicit positions for photographing,'' and ``a male MP guard having sex with a female detainee; sodomizing a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broomstick; and threatening male detainees with rape.''

Yes, we are all sickened and outraged by the photos and the reports. The President, his cabinet, military leaders, and the Secretary of Defense have all lined up to say that this is not what America is about; it is just the unfortunate handiwork of a few bad apples, and they will be held accountable for their actions. Perhaps. But as Philip Kennicott writes in today's Washington Post: ``These photos show us what we may become as occupation continues, anger and resentment grows and costs spiral. There's nothing surprising in this. These pictures are pictures of colonial behavior, the demeaning of occupied people, the insult to local tradition, the humiliation of the vanquished.''

Should it be surprising, however, that these events have occurred under the watchful eye of an administration that prizes secrecy and loyalty above all else?

Mr. Speaker, the prisoner abuse scandal demonstrates that the United States is on the precipice of a major foreign policy disaster. Our standing in the world has been lowered to the point that the United States has been isolated in the court of world opinion. President Mubarak has stated unequivocally that the United States is the most hated Nation in the Middle East. Ouch, that hurts. And sadly, even in other parts of the world, we are no longer viewed as peacemakers but instead as the principal threat to world peace.

To date, the war has cost the taxpayers over $150 billion. Now we are being told that the war will cost more and that 135,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq through 2005. Billions of dollars have been spent to enrich private corporations such as Halliburton and Bechtel. Private contractors are running around even interrogating prisoners with what appears to be less than optimal supervision. Congress has failed thus far to exercise its proper oversight of the war. What additional scandals and outrages are lurking just around the corner?

Mr. Speaker, now is the time to change course in Iraq. The principal architects of the war in Iraq, Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz, have presided over a failed policy. It is past due time for them to leave their posts and submit their resignations. The security, safety, and prestige of our Nation is at stake, and we will not win the hearts and the minds of Iraqis, the Arabs, and the rest of the world with blood in the sand.

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, the Bush Administration's record on education has been nothing but disastrous, and as a former member of the Los Angeles Unified School District board, I am especially dismayed by the Administration's relentless attack on Title IX, one of the most effective laws designed to expand educational opportunities for countless women.

Last year, President Bush attempted to roll back Title IX by dramatically reducing the participation and scholarships opportunities for women athletes. Just recently, the Department of Education announced its intention to throw out basic protections against sex discrimination in public schools.

Last week 58 members of Congress joined me in registering our opposition to the proposed changes in Title IX regulations. All Americans need to be aware of this Administration's abysmal education record. This President has adopted a ``bait and switch'' attitude regarding his support for education programs. He is at it again with a plan to dismantle Title IX. It is time for real educational funding and commitments, not just another hypocritical proposal.

Mr. Speaker, I want to read into the Congressional Record the names of five women who were honored by the Touched By an Angel St. Bernadette Women's Day on Sunday April 25, 2000, in my district. The following have been honored for their exemplary and unselfish work and service to church and their community:

Joan Benson. A dedicated and productive volunteer.

Pat Botshekan. If there is any event, she has had a significant role in planning and bringing the occasion to fruition.

Marian Donkor. She has distinguished herself as an able and willing volunteer, always agreeable, pleasant, and eager to help whenever needed.

Lucille Matthews. Always focused on her family, her church, and the community, where she visits the sick almost every day.

And then there is Peggy Wright. Active in her community as block club chairman, volunteer at St. Anne's Home For Unwed Mothers, she has held many committee positions and chairmanships.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate them as the angels of peace for being honored with a Touched By an Angel Award.

The Armenian Genocide

Mr. Speaker, a few remarks on the Armenian genocide. My Armenian-American friends and neighbors in Los Angeles have asked me to speak tonight as a tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide.

As you know, in April 1915, approximately 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed in an organized fashion by the Ottoman government. Ample documentation of these facts exist; yet today, almost 9 decades later, the government of the modern state of Turkey still fails to acknowledge the fact of the Armenian genocide.

Turkey's failure to acknowledge the truth is a burden on the alliance between our two nations. I would say to our President, it should be called as it is, a crime of genocide. So I call upon the President of the United States to uphold the commitment he made back when he was running for President and put the United States of America on record acknowledging the Armenian genocide.