Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, January 21, I was unavoidably detained in my congressional district and was unable to be present for recorded votes. Had I been present, I would voted in the following manner:

On H. Res. 492, Honoring the contributions of Catholic schools, I would have voted ``yea''; on H. Res. 491, Honoring Individuals Who are Mentors and Supporting Efforts to Recruit More Mentors, I would have voted ``yea''; on H. Res. 490, Recognizing and Commending the Achievements of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, I would have voted ``yea''; and on H. Res. 489, Stating the Agreement of the House of Representatives with the Sentiment Expressed by the Senate in Senate Resolution 281, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to count the University of Southern California among my constituents in California's 33rd Congressional District. This institution is a magnet for diverse people and ideas, attracting students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. In fact, USC ranks in the top 1 percent amongst the most diverse private research universities in the nation. As an educator, I am inspired to see USC's commitment to academic excellence.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the accomplishments of the University of Southern California football team. Congratulations are in order for USC President Steven Sample, Head Coach Pete Carroll, and the outright Pac-Ten champions, who finished the season with the #1 national ranking in both the AP and Coaches polls.

The USC Trojan football team has shown unique skill, charisma, dedication, and love for the sport. The Trojans accumulated an 11-win and 1-loss record while competing against some of the best programs in the country.

The Trojans regular season performance and their strength of schedule earned them a controversial Bowl Championship Series, or BCS, berth. Although it is a system no one can make sense of, I am pleased that the real National Championship will be decided during the ``Grand Daddy of them all''--the Rose Bowl. As those steeped in football tradition know, a Pac-Ten vs. Big Ten match-up in the Rose Bowl, with a #1 ranked team in the game, is a formula for champions.

Mr. Speaker, again I congratulate USC President Steven Sample, Head Coach Pete Caroll, and the football team at the University of Southern California for a season to remember.

Mr. Speaker, I rise against this sham Medicare proposal that the AARP supports. Bill Novelli is smiling because AARP gets millions of dollars, he gets $420,000 annual salary, and all grandma gets is a doughnut hole.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach) and all those who had a very active part in bringing this bill to the floor. I was privileged and honored to represent the United States as the Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, and I have a deep and abiding respect for the island nations who are struggling to build their democracy following the American model. I am pleased that we have advanced the new compact legislation out of Congress to this point.

Although most of the contentious issues in the compact have been addressed, the funding allocated for education still continues to concern me. I visited many of the schools, and I can tell my colleagues that they need a lot of help. We have to take them from the past into the present, and we have to see that they have the technology in their classrooms to make them a part of our new global economy. The RMI and FSM children have only just begun to benefit from the establishment of an integrated education system, and I am very pleased to know that authorization for educational programs is included in the bill.

In my former profession of teaching, I have witnessed the impact of early structured education. Young children are much better equipped to enter the educational system when they are exposed to education at an early age. Our Head Start program over there is the Cadillac program of the island. Everyone clamors to get their children in there whether they qualify or not. The educational appropriations that Chairman Regula has offered to support is critical to keep these effective programs in place and give these children of these distant Pacific islands an opportunity.

I also strongly support those provisions in this compact that provide for continued Pell Grant eligibility for the FAS. It will bolster the ability of the FAS to cultivate education. If we were to eliminate the Pell Grant assistance, we would have decimated the college system in the Federated States of Micronesia. A large portion of the operating funds for the college are obtained through Pell Grants. When you see these young people able to do 2 years in their college and then come here to the United States and then come back home and lend their expertise to this new emerging government, it really fills your heart with glee, and we should be so proud.

One other important area that I would like to point out is the reinstatement of FEMA assistance. It has been placed back into the compact for infrastructure purposes and major catastrophes. USAID is not equipped to deal with all of the problems that arise on small islands nor do they have the ready response to help in a timely fashion. The FEMA assistance is absolutely critical because being surrounded by water and spread out over a million miles of ocean, we are always in line for some kind of natural catastrophe.

As we move forward with our unique relationship with the Freely Associated States, I hope the United States Congress will continue to be supportive and receptive of the needs of our new democratic friends.

I urge my colleagues to understand the importance of the FAS, and I fully support this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, as former chair of the California Senate Health Committee for 17 years, let me say how pleased I am with the comprehensive legislation that the Health Care Equality and Accountability Act of 2003 contains. The elimination of racial and ethnic disparities is an issue whose time is long overdue, and I commend the CBC Brain Trust, the Tri-Caucus, the Democratic leadership, the Senate Health Committee, the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), Senator Ted Kennedy, and everyone else who remained vigilant in completing this project.

As Americans, we take pride in our diversity, and it is our greatest achievement that based upon that diversity, whether it is economic, political, or cultural diversity, we have built a Nation that is dedicated to providing equal opportunity for all. But, Mr. Speaker, much needs to be done before we can say that we have accomplished that goal, most notably in the field of health care.

Racial and ethnic minorities too often are denied the high quality health care that most Americans receive. The Federal Government has recognized this serious problem and has set the goal of eliminating health disparities by the end of the decade. House and Senate Democrats have introduced legislation, the Health Care Equality and Accountability Act of 2003, that takes an important step towards making this national goal a reality.

We may have the finest health care system in the world, but too many of our people receive too little health care and are denied the right to lead full lives.

The reality is that the health care needs of minority Americans are often greater than those of white Americans. Minority populations disproportionately suffer from many diseases. Minority groups have higher rates of acute conditions such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and many forms of cancer. In addition, minority women are at greater risk than white women for pregnancy-related complications, and their babies are at higher risk of dying during their first year of life.

Despite a substantial need for health care, minority groups often encounter

obstacles in obtaining health care. Minority groups are less likely to have health insurance and are less likely to receive appropriate health care services.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to support our Health Care Equality and Accountability Act of 2003 so we can improve the health of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my morning hour speech.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues to vote against the final conference report for H.R. 6.--The Energy Policy Act of 2003.

Just like the medicare prescription drug bill that we will be considering later this week, the latest energy plan is nothing but a big give-away for this Administration's special-interest friends and will cost our taxpayers over $137 billion.

In fact, the $100 billion tax breaks contained in the energy bill do very little to strengthen our Nation's energy policy. More than a quarter of the tax breaks and incentives in this bill go directly to the oil and gas industry, many of which are the biggest contributors to this President's re-election campaign. These tax breaks will cause our consumers over $6.9 billion due to increases in fuel prices.

What is left are few incentives to encourage energy conservation and very little support for exploring alternative sources of fuel. Even worse, MTBE manufacturers that have caused major water contamination problems throughout my state of California are shielded from product liability lawsuits.

When the bill was first on the floor in April, I protested that the electricity provisions would do little to provide significant new oversight protections to prevent the type of market manipulation that contributed to California's energy crisis 2 years ago. To my astonishment, the final electricity provision in the conference report is even worse. There are nothing but confusing and contradicting provisions on the

development of the electricity grid. Moreover, states are allowed to play only a minimal role in determining the location of new pipelines and transmission lines.

The new energy plan is a disastrous special-interest reward to this Administration's polluter friends and does nothing to stimulate our stagnant economy and create jobs.

It lays out no vision for the future of our energy policy and provides no relief for my home state of California as well as the rest of the nation. I strongly urge my colleagues to defeat this conference report and allow both minority and majority sides the opportunity to formulate a better Energy bill for our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge an extraordinary human being. Reverend Dr. Michael Beckwith, an outstanding man, an emissary of peace and a humanitarian for all people, has made a profound and lasting impact on our world through his distinctive stand for peace and harmony in our community.

Having known Reverend Michael, as his community affectionately refers to him, since he was a child, I can unequivocally say that his life is a testament to building community. In the 1970s, he began a journey that to this day embraces the major religions, philosophies and cultures of East and West. One significant manifestation of his vision began in 1986 when Dr. Beckwith founded Agape, a transdenominational community with over 9,000 members currently devoted to the study and practice of the New Thought-Ancient Wisdom tradition of spirituality.

If it is so, as Emerson has stated, that every institution is but the

lengthened shadow of one person, then the Agape International Spiritual Center, the Association for Global New Thought, and the Season for Nonviolence are all indeed extensions of Dr. Beckwith. Furthermore, they are distinctly an emblem of his vision of one human family united on a foundation of peace based on the spiritual origin of every man, woman and child.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge an extraordinary human being. Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith, an outstanding man, an emissary of peace, and a humanitarian for all people, who has made a profound and lasting impact on our world through his distinctive stand for peace and harmony in our community.

Having known ``Reverend Michael,'' as his community affectionately refers to him, since he was a child, I can unequivocally say that his life is a testament to building community. In the 1970's he began a journey that to this day embraces the major religions, philosophies and cultures of East and West. One significant manifestation of this vision began in 1986 when Dr. Beckwith founded Agape, a trans-denominational community with over 9,000 members currently devoted to the study and practice of the New Thought--Ancient Wisdom tradition of spirituality.

If it is so, as Emerson has stated, that, ``every institution is but the lengthened shadow of one person,'' then the Agape International Spiritual Center, the Association for Global New Thought and the Season for Nonviolence are all indeed extensions of Dr. Beckwith. Furthermore, they are distinctly emblematic of his vision of one human family united on a foundation of peace based on the spiritual origin of every man, woman and child.

One of the largest churches of its kind, the Agape church is a portrait of multiculturalism. The diversity you will find attending service on Sunday can be compared to the diversity that would be found by walking into the United Nations. Further, Agape's unique outreach ministry reaches deep into the heart of the community to care for city, country and world citizens who need it most.

But Dr. Beckwith's impact is even greater. His entire life, being dedicated to serving his community and creating harmony in our world, has attracted the movement's most influential visionaries, leaders and teachers including Arun Gandhi and his Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Coretta Scott King wrote in a personal letter to Reverend Michael upon his election as an assembly member of the Parliament of the World's Religions, ``I greatly admire what you are doing to bring about the Beloved Community, which is certainly what my dear husband worked for an ultimately gave his life.''

Whether it's through his leadership as president of the Association of Global New Thought where he stands with co-creative leaders on the threshold of an evolutionary leap that dares to call an end to human suffering, as the author of Forty Day Mind Fast-Soul Feast and A Manifesto of Peace, or as co-founder of the Season for Nonviolence, a grassroots effort expanding the power and truth of non-violence, Reverend Michael stands before us as an exemplary guide to living in a world united by humankind's highest spiritual, philosophical, educational and scientific expression.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for his thorough commitment to the right causes, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for being on the point.

According to the latest U.S. Government estimates, some 800,000 to 900,000 people worldwide are trafficked across borders each year for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Although men are also victimized, the overwhelming majority of those trafficked are women and children. In addition, trafficking in people for prostitution, domestic servitude, and forced labor is an increasing area of international criminal activity.

The reasons for the increase in trafficking are many. In general, the criminal business feeds on poverty, despair, war, crisis, and ignorance. Trafficking is considered one of the largest sources of profits for organized crime, generating 7 to $10 billion annually, according to United Nations estimates.

The largest number of victims are annually trafficked from Asia and the Pacific region, according to the U.S. Department of State. The growth of sexual tourism in this region is one of the main contributing factors.

Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, which strengthened many provisions of law dealing with trafficking in persons for sexual and other exploitation. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 is critical to maintaining the progress already achieved.

H.R. 2620 authorizes new strategies for prevention, including using trafficking victims to identify traffickers at the borders and to deter sex tourism. It increases protection by making measured expansions of the visa category for trafficking victims. It also improves cooperation with respect to State and local trafficking prosecutions, which are increasingly the front line of law enforcement in this area. This legislation will also enhance the prosecution of traffickers by ensuring that trafficking is treated like the organized crime that it is.

Mr. Speaker, we should also be very concerned about human trafficking and human rights that are violated right here in this country. H.R. 2620 coordinates Federal efforts by ensuring a comprehensive report on United States antitrafficking actions and by establishing an interagency group to ensure compliance.

I urge my colleagues to support this most-needed legislation, and I thank those who are sponsoring this piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, President Clinton gave me the privilege to represent the American people as Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. I have a deep respect for the Island nations, and I am pleased that we have passed the new compact legislation out of the House.

Although most of the contentious issues in the compact have been addressed, the funding allocated for education concerns me. The RMI and FSM children have only just begun to benefit from the establishment of an integrated education system. I am very pleased to know that authorization for educational programs is included in the bill.

In my former profession of teaching I have witnessed the impact of early structured education. Young students are much better equipped to enter the educational system when they are exposed to education at an early age. The educational appropriations that Chairman Regula has offered to support is critical to keep effective programs in place.

I also strongly support those provisions in this compact that provide for continued Pell grant eligibility for the FAS. It will bolster the ability of the FAS to cultivate education. The elimination of Pell grant assistance would have decimated the college system in the FAS altogether. A large portion of the operating funds for the College of Micronesia are obtained through Pell grants.

One other important area that I would like to point out is the reinstatement of FEMA assistance. It has been placed back into the Compact for infrastructure purposes and major catastrophes. USAID is not equipped to deal with all of the problems that arise on small islands nor do they have the ready response to help in a timely fashion. As we move forward with our unique relationship with the FAS I hope the U.S. Congress will be supportive and receptive to the needs of our friends.

In conclusion, I urge my colleagues to understand the importance of the FAS. I support this bill and look to endorse the final product as the other body considers the Compact.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here outraged because I am asked to vote for a bill that would give $87 billion as a grant to a country that has billions of barrels of oil buried underground in reserve. At the same time, we have cut veterans services. I am outraged.

I am hurt, because our POW Shoshanna Johnson, the first African American female ever to be a prisoner of war, was disregarded and given 30 percent disability benefit. Oh, yes, Jessica Lynch got 80 percent.

We should be ashamed. This young woman spent 22 days as a captive. She told me that twice a week they would bring her a little bowl of water to wash with. She is going to leave the Service, and what does she have to look forward to? She was shot through both of her ankles, and they are only going to award her 30 percent disability.

Is that the way we treat our service personnel as veterans? Is that why we said to them, go into the Service, be all that you can be? We sent them over there in harm's way, and they served us well. And now they are coming home, and we are not serving them well, we are not serving her well. But we can give a country thousands of miles away our hard-earned tax dollars. There is something incredibly wrong with that.

I do not care what you snuck into the bill at the eleventh hour. I understand the money for California's fires, how cynical, is in this bill. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

So I am voting no. My veterans know I support them, my military people know I support them. I have been over to Walter Reed, I have let them see my face and know my support. So I do not have to play a game and vote for this bill, when we have problems right here in our own country.

We had an incident in Cannon, it was a failed system, because none of us were notified as to what was going on over there.

I just want to say to my colleagues, let us be truthful and let us be trustworthy, and let us treat the people of America right, and particularly those that we sent into harm's way, by choice. We were not attacked by Iraq. We chose to invade Iraq. Now, we are trying to rebuild a country at the expense of our own domestic needs.

I cannot do it, and I hope you will not do it. Let us honor America. Let us honor our own fighting forces. Let us take that money and put it to their welfare after they leave that country and go home. Let us welcome them in an American way, and treat them fairly. Let us vote no on this rule.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 470, to extend the authority for the construction of a memorial to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall. The House bill, H.R. 1821, was passed on September 23, 2003 by a voice vote under unanimous consent.

The authorization set by Congress in 1996 to raise funds for the memorial will expire on November 12, 2003. Passage of the Senate bill will allow the legislation to be sent directly to the President for signing and extend the authorization through November 12, 2006.

The efforts of the King Memorial Foundation to raise $100 million for the construction and maintenance of the project have been impressive, but more time is needed to reach its fundraising goal. I believe that it is our job as members of Congress to ensure that Dr. King will be memorialized in a distinguished manner that acknowledges his legacy. Congress therefore must authorize more time for funds to be raised to build the King Memorial.

Our National Mall is representative of the profound history and strength of our Nation. Dr. King is one of out Nation's most important leaders, and this monument should carry the same weight and significance as those erected in honor of other distinguished Americans.

Congressional leaders also support the efforts to put Dr. King's legacy at Washington's forefront. They along with several other of my colleagues sit on a honorary bipartisan congressional committee for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial.

Dr. King's teachings of non-violent civil disobedience to combat segregation and racial inequality affected not only minorities, but every religious, ethnic, and social group in our Nation. In 1963, Dr. King led the March on Washington very near the site where we wish to honor him today. His leadership was critical to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Dr. King acted on his dream for America and was successful in making the United States a better place. We must ensure that Dr. King's valiant efforts will be remembered by future generations.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in keeping Dr. King's dream alive by honoring him among our Nation's finest.

Madam Speaker, President Clinton gave me the privilege to represent the American people as Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. I have a deep respect for the Island nations, and I am pleased that we have passed the new compact legislation out of the House.

Although most of the contentious issues in the compact have been addressed, the funding allocated for education concerns me. The RMI and FSM children have only just begun to benefit from the establishment of an integrated education system. I urge Congress to monitor education appropriations for the compact and stay intent on our obligations.

In my former profession of teaching I have witnessed the impact of early structured education. Young students are much better equipped to enter the educational system when they are exposed to education at an early age. The educational funding that Chairman Regula has offered to support is critical to keep effective programs in place.

I strongly support those provisions in this compact that provide for continued Pell Grant eligibility for the FAS. It will bolster the ability of the FAS to cultivate education. The elimination of Pell Grant assistance would have decimated the college system in the FAS altogether. A large portion of the operating funds for the College of Micronesia are obtained through Pell Grants.

One other important area that I would like to point out is the reinstatement of FEMA assistance. It has been placed back into the Compact for infrastructure purposes and major catastrophes. USAID is not equipped to deal with all of the problems that arise on small islands nor do they have the ready response to help in a timely fashion. As we move forward with our unique relationship with the FAS I hope the United States Congress will be supportive and receptive to the needs of our friends.

In conclusion, with a few minor adjustments, this Congress will produce long lasting legislation to be proud of. I urge my colleagues to understand the importance of the FAS. I support this bill and look to endorse the final product as the other body considers the Compact.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, October 21, I was unavoidably detained and missed a recorded vote number 567 on a motion to instruct conferees for H.R. 3289, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for FY 2004. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chairman, it has been over a year since the President began pressing to invade Iraq. At the time, many of us pressed the President to fully account for the cost of his planned war. Most Americans would agree that if the issue of Iraq was important enough to start a war over, it was important enough to pay for it.

For a year, Congress has asked for hard numbers on the cost of occupying and rebuilding Iraq, and for a year, the President gave us nothing but blandishments and pie-in-the-sky forecasts. At the time, experts, including the President's own chief economist, predicted the war and reconstruction would cost as much as $200 billion, but the President and his aides actively downplayed those numbers, saying it would only cost around $50 billion.

Well, guess what. Last month, the President finally admitted that he had lowballed the cost of the war when selling it to Congress a year earlier. The President is now asking for an additional $87 billion to extricate our troops from what is beginning to look like a quagmire. This additional $87 billion comes on top of $78.5 billion Congress gave the President just 5 months ago, bringing the grand total so far to $165 billion, and a recent analysis of House Committee on the Budget staffers showed that the entire costs for rebuilding Iraq could rise to as much as $400 billion over the next 5 years. If the numbers we received last year were intentionally lowballed, it would almost seem as the President had decided to rebuild with pinstripe patronage.

The amount we are now being asked to provide almost looks as though it has been inflated to line the pockets of others. Just listen to some of the price tags in this bill: $950 million for recruiting, training and equipping police forces in Iraq, including a police training center with international trainers. This seems to me to be a bit exorbitant. $209 million for prison and detention facilities. Could we not save money if the facilities were built by Iraqis?

A hundred million for a witness protection program? This amount is way too high. Do we really need to spend this money to ensure the lives of Iraqis who are assisting the U.S.? How many could there possibly be? Our own witness protection plan has nowhere near that amount. Are we going to put them up in Taj Mahals?

A hundred million dollars to investigate crimes against humanity? Again, this amount is absurd. We have plenty of evidence of Saddam's crimes against humanity. The parents, the families of loved ones missing have come forward to volunteer that information. It will not cost us $100 million to find victims willing to come forward and document his crimes.

Then there is $2.1 billion to rebuild Iraq's oil infrastructure. This is on top of the $948 million and counting already given to Halliburton and to Bechtel to refurbish Iraqi's oil fields.

Then there is $697 million to improve the sewage system. This, when the administration is fighting to prevent Congress from passing a highway and transit bill? This is absurd.

Please, Mr. President, do not insult our intelligence.