Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of World Malaria Day, which occurs on April 25th. For millions around the world--particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the global malaria burden is heaviest--the disease is a daily reality, an enduring epidemic that kills millions and impedes the progress and ambitions of entire nations.

In the last decade, however, it has been proven that this need not be the case; that malaria can, in fact, be defeated. Between 2000 and 2009, 384,000 lives were saved in 12 African countries alone, through resources like insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and malaria prevention for women during pregnancy. This was accomplished through the efforts and support of many countries, organizations, and companies that effectively raised the level of prevention, treatment, program support, and health system-strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2008, Congress authorized an historic $48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria programs by passing H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. But the current level of funding is not where it needs to be to ensure that these life- saving measures reach the people who need them. In fact, current funding is only 25 percent of what is needed to achieve the malaria intervention and elimination goals established by the UN and the Roll Back Malaria partnership.

World Malaria Day is an opportunity to raise awareness for this cause and address its inherent challenges. This is not an endeavor for which we lack the knowledge, skills, or resources to win. Rapidly scaling up the distribution of malaria control interventions has been proven to have a dramatic impact on reducing illnesses and deaths caused by malaria. There is a plan in place to put us on the path to eliminating this disease and, through our foreign assistance, we, as Americans, are an integral part of that plan.

Congressman Boozman and I launched the Congressional Malaria Caucus to promote awareness in Congress of the efforts being made to stamp out the disease. We now have close to 60 Members of the Caucus, and I encourage us to see this plan through and help those who face the daily burden of malaria to reach their potential as a nation and as people.

Mr. Speaker, today I commend my colleagues and President Obama for working diligently to enact a variety of tax cuts totaling $800 billion. These tax cuts are broad based and touch on many aspects of American life, from investing in small businesses, to buying a home, to sending your children to college, to buying a car.

I believe that tax cuts are helping American families and businesses across the country and injecting consumer demand into the economy and spurring business investment and job creation.

The Recovery Act provides immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers and their families. The Making Work Pay tax credit provides a tax credit of up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for couples filing jointly. This tax credit helps over 240,000 families in my congressional district.

In addition, the first-time home buyers tax credit was increased to $8,000. An estimated 35,000 households in New Jersey have taken advantage of the tax credit. So I ask to keep America moving in the right direction.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this great health care reform bill.

Madam Speaker, we have been debating health care reform for over 1 year. Today I am urging my colleagues to step up to the plate with courage and vote for passage of this critical legislation. If we don't move forward, the American people will be faced with grave consequences due to our inaction. Rising health costs are crushing American families, forcing small businesses to choose between health care and jobs.

Madam Speaker, $1 out of every $6 in the U.S. economy is spent on health care today. If we do nothing, in 30 years $1 out of every $3 in our economy will be tied up in health care. If we fail to pass health care reform, families could see their spending on premiums and out-of- pocket insurance costs rise 34 percent in 5 years and 79 percent in 10 years. Without reform, every 4 years 3.5 million American jobs will be lost. More importantly, if we fail to pass reform, insurance companies will be allowed to continue to deny coverage for preexisting conditions. Insurance companies will be allowed to drop coverage when you get sick.

I urge you to pass this bill now.

Let me begin by commending Mr. Meeks from New York and Ms. Waters from California for this very important legislation, H.R. 4573, Debt Relief for Earthquake Recovery in Haiti.

I also would like to acknowledge Mr. Bachus for his very impassioned speech. Yet I am not surprised.

Mr. Bachus, you may recall, when we were fighting the brutal Government of Sudan, we tried to get capital market sanctions. You supported our legislation that brought Mr. Greenspan to the Senate to say, Defeat the Payne-Bachus legislation because it would disrupt the stock market. So I commend you again for the great work that you have done.

Madam Speaker, as we have mentioned, Haiti has had such a tremendous history. Since we know what is in the bill, I might also mention that it was during the Revolutionary War that Haitian soldiers fought in one of the key battles, the Battle of Savannah, where just recently a statue was completed in Savannah. I spoke at the dedication a year or so ago. It turned the tide of the war.

Haitian soldiers fought in a number of battles to help the original colonies of the United States become independent from Britain. So they shed blood for our independence. Many people didn't know that.

Then, as you know, with the defeat of Napoleon's army by Haiti, as was talked about, the reparations that had to be paid back caused France to be cash poor and land rich. It therefore forced them to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States because it had lost the cash that Haiti had produced. Over 50 percent of all the commodities of tea and coffee and sugar in Europe came from Haiti. France lost that and therefore needed the cash from the Louisiana sale to have its treasury boosted. As a result, the Lewis and Clark expedition began in St. Louis, and the United States was able then to take the rest of this Nation. Once again, Haiti had a tremendous part of this.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center for being recognized by the American Heart Association (AHA) with the Gold Performance Achievement Award.

Recipients of the Get with the Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) must demonstrate a minimum of 85 percent compliance with the Coronary Artery Disease treatment guidelines for heart failure. Newark Beth Israel has exceeded the minimum and is receiving a Performance Award for the second consecutive year.

Newark Beth Israel was the first hospital in New Jersey to perform a heart transplant. Since then, the Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program has evolved into one of the nation's most active and respected centers. Newark Beth Israel is also the only Medicare- certified medical center in the state performing heart transplants. The center provides the most technologically advanced medical services, equipment, and research, protecting and improving the health of the region.

Newark Beth Israel also responds to the needs of the community. In addition to an annual health fair for community members, Newark Beth Israel sponsors health screenings free of cost for members of the Newark community throughout the year.

Madam Speaker, it gives me great honor to acknowledge such an outstanding hospital. The administration and staff members of Newark Beth Israel go beyond the call of duty to provide quality service to the citizens of New Jersey and beyond.

Madam Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure for me to add my congratulations to that of her family and friends as Sarah Carter Perry Brown celebrated her 105th birthday at a Book Discussion and Tribute in her honor on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at The Newark Public Library. For all the contributions she has made over the years, Sarah Carter Perry Brown deserves to be feted on this marvelous occasion.

Sarah was born and raised in Jefferson, Georgia, to Reverend Thomas Gray Carter, and his wife, Channie Louisa Tatman Carter. Sarah was a witness to the cruelty African Americans faced as a result of the enforced Jim Crow Laws. She migrated north to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for better opportunities, later settling in Sicklerville, New Jersey.

A strong and dedicated woman, Sarah Carter Perry Brown has always had faith when

facing difficult challenges. Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded in 1928 by Sarah and her brother, Reverend Hezekiah Carter in Philadelphia. Sarah has a gift for healing others whether it is with her kind words or her use of natural remedies. She proves to be the matriarch of her family, serving as a mother figure to all those who know her.

As Sarah Carter Perry Brown celebrates another year, I want to join all those gathered in wishing her a very Happy Birthday and many more!

Mr. Speaker, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was created in the first month of President Obama's term after what was reported to be the worst recession since the Great Depression. Just 1 year ago, our Nation was headed towards an economic collapse with the loss of about 600,000 jobs a month. State and local budget cutbacks were putting teachers' jobs and students' educations in jeopardy. There was no doubt that our economy was in grave need to immediately begin to save and create jobs and lay a foundation for the long-term economic recovery.

This month marks the 1-year anniversary of the passage of the Recovery Act which has jump-started our economy by saving and creating as many as 2.4 million jobs and providing $120 billion in tax cuts for 95 percent of working families as well as businesses across the country. The act has loaned nearly $20 billion to small businesses to expand and create jobs, funded more than 12,500 transportation projects nationwide and kept police officers and firefighters on the job. It has funded more than 300,000 educational jobs, keeping teachers in their classrooms.

Mr. Speaker, I say let's continue the work.

Let me express my appreciation to the gentlelady from Cleveland for calling this Special Order. She has been such a tremendous resource to the Congressional Black Caucus. And as we know, the Congressional Black Caucus has been very involved in Haiti for many, many years. For the 22 years that I have been a Member of this Congress, Haiti has always been number one on the agenda. And we went through the years when there were dictatorships, and then the elections and President Aristide being elected to office, and then his being deposed and the military, General Cedras, Biamby and those folks took over. And then President Clinton having the foresight to restore President Aristide; 22,000 U.S. troops went to restore democracy without us having even one casualty. And the current situation where President Aristide left and the new government of Preval. So we have been involved throughout the years.

Let me tell you that when we heard the news of the earthquake, 7.0 on the Richter scale, only 6 miles deep, bringing it so close to the surface it made the magnitude even greater, the aftershocks that continued, we immediately said we must do something and do something quickly and do something drastic. So since the earthquake, the Congressional Black Caucus has mobilized to holding emergency meetings regarding Haiti with USAID, the Department of State, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the region to get a sense of the effort on the ground in order to take information back to our constituents and organize the legislative efforts in Congress.

On Wednesday, January 13, the CBC international task force called an emergency meeting with the CBC staff regarding the devastation in Haiti. USAID Deputy Administrator John Brause briefed staff about the U.S. response and the extent of the situation. Counselor Cheryl Mills, chief of staff to Secretary of State Clinton, briefed CBC members on January 13 and January 15. The Congressional Black Caucus held a Haiti disaster assistance meeting with Members to discuss legislative efforts and opportunities that we could then move right into effect.

Various members of the Congressional Black Caucus hosted conference calls with their constituents to provide them with updates about relief efforts that were being made in our respective districts. We had tremendous interest in different parts and in our State of New Jersey, New Jersey for Haiti was formed, www.nj4haiti.org. And that organization, which I cochair with Senator Lesniak, said that we needed to move quickly into action. And Stan

Neron, who is a social service worker in the city of Elizabeth was able to get the United Way of the Greater Union County to be partners in arranging drives for supplies and listed organizations that could receive contributions, Red Cross and other organizations, that were already doing work throughout the land.

And so as I indicated, the CBC jumped into our meetings at the conference calls. We had a Special Order following news on January 12. Immediately, members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the floor to discuss the earthquake in Haiti and relief efforts and what we intended to do. And the following day, on the 14th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed via a conference call with David Meltzer, senior vice president for the international affairs of the American Red Cross. On the 15th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed through a conference call by the State Department for updates. And so we just remained very active.

The week of January 18 to 22, the Congressional Black Caucus leadership introduced and passed two bipartisan measures on Haiti in Congress. Tuesday the 19th, Chairwoman Lee, on behalf of the caucus, introduced legislation expressing condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti. And in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, Chairman Charlie Rangel of the important Ways and Means Committee introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 4462, that would allow individuals making a charitable contribution after January 11 and before March 1 to victims of the earthquake in Haiti to claim these charitable deductions on their 2009 tax returns. Absent this change, taxpayers would need to wait until next year to claim a deduction for these contributions on their 2010 tax forms. And so this will speed up deductions eligible for 2009.

The bill also makes it clear that taxpayers making a charitable contribution to victims of the Haiti earthquake through text messages would be able to rely on the cell phone bill while claiming charitable deductions, the first time any activity or action of this nature has been done.

The CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the next steps on Haiti on that day of January 19 and the committee that I am privileged to chair. On Wednesday, January 20, the CBC members were briefed by Ambassador Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's Ambassador to the United States.

The legislation that we had, we are also in the process of developing. What we have done in our meetings, we've taken a look to see what we can do with the U.S. citizenship and immigration services to discuss TPS and humanitarian parole and other important items. The CBC looked at other issues. Representative Hank Johnson's office drafted a letter to Secretary Clinton and Gates detailing details about the use of security contractors as a part of ongoing relief. Congresswoman Waters is working on Haiti debt cancellation of bills, and Representative Meeks from New York is dealing with a Marshall Plan on Haiti. I intend to ask the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Sachs, to come to brief the Congressional Black Caucus about the future of Haiti and planning: How should new Haiti be planned? How should Port-au-Prince be redone? How should satellite cities be created? Because we feel that this is an opportunity now to right many of the wrongs that had happened in the past.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will have a hearing on Haiti in the next few weeks, and Congressman Meeks will be holding a hearing on international financial institutions and how they can assist Haiti. Congressman John Conyers has been in contact with the Air Force liaison. He is going to participate when the time is right in CBC members taking trips to Haiti to see firsthand what we should do. We've been reluctant from going down en masse because we wanted to have our agency people on the ground be free to do things that need to be done. However, when the time is right, we will have a large delegation of members of the CBC to go.

As you know on the 21st of January, the CBC held a press conference to discuss the congressional response to the earthquake. Our CBC met with TransAfrica, its director, Nicole Lee, and Melinda Miles working together for Haiti, NGOs that have been on the ground for many years to find out what is the position of the NGOs and how do they see the situation and how can they better assist as we move forward. CBC facilitated a call with NGO leaders working in Haiti with the Department of State to discuss NGO's experiences and concerns as the U.S. builds and executes recovery and relief and the rebuilding of Haiti. And we found that very instructive for the NGOs and for the Department of State.

On the 19th, the CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the priorities again as relates to it. Congressman Cummings, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a briefing regarding the United States Coast Guard and its ongoing work in Haiti.

We held a press conference at the Haitian Embassy. The CBC went and met with the Haitian Government and we talked about various problems. We wanted to take a look at the TPS guide. We looked at the CARACOM memo. We discussed Haiti's debt relief numbers from Treasury. We have dealt with the CBC constituency outreach guide. And these were all things, as I indicated, that the Congressional Black Caucus has done.

As I wind down, I just want to once again remind Americans that Haiti has been a tremendous part of the growth and the development of our Nation. As I have mentioned on the floor before, it was back in the late 1800s when the enslaved people of Haiti had a rebellion against the Government of France, and Napoleon's army, after 12 years' struggle, lost the war to Haiti; Haiti becoming the first country where enslaved people overthrew the power, European power, and became a republic, just the third republic ever in the world at that time.

So we have a tremendous amount of regard and respect for Haiti as they defeated the French, therefore causing France to lose much of the wealth that it gained from Haiti. Half of the sugar and coffee and cocoa, other products in Europe, 50 percent of them came from Haiti alone. Haiti produced more wealth to France than all of the 13 original colonies gave to the U.S. Government.

And so Haiti, once it became independent from France, France became cash poor. But it still had land in the Louisiana Territory and, as a result of their defeat, were forced to sell the Louisiana Territory, negotiated by Jefferson, to the United States. And that opened up the West for the United States.

As a matter of fact, France had armies of 20,000 persons where the U.S. Army was just about 5,000 strong. So the French had a more powerful military here in the Western Hemisphere and would have been a problem for the United States had not the treaty been made and France being forced to sell the Louisiana Territory.

Many other Haitians are involved in our history. The Battle of Savannah, where Haitians fought for our independence, valiantly losing lives but helping to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War. We know that Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as the Father of Chicago, was a Haitian colonist in North America, mixed French and Haitian ancestry, and he was the person that discovered Chicago and was really called the Father of Chicago back in 1968. So there are so many people of Haitian descent, and Haiti itself, that has a great deal to do with our development.

Finally, let me just mention this last point, that when World War II began, the U.S. started to become concerned about the dependence of rubber from a territory that was going to be controlled by the Japanese. By 1942, the Indonesians, the British-controlled rubber plantations provided 99 percent of the commercial rubber for the world. In the earliest stages of World War II, the United States realized the disastrous consequence if rubber plantations fell to Japan. This would cut off to the United States and its allies rubber supplies, an absolutely critical commodity, as you know, not only for the economy, but to keep a war effort moving forward.

The United States made some presentations in 1940 and 1941. We started to

increase our rubber stockpiles. However, botanists went to Haiti to attempt to grow rubber trees in Haiti. The Haitian rubber project was not supposed to be a part of the war effort, but it really was. It was not something that was necessary if we were not concerned about rubber being cut off from the United States. What happened, though, is that much of the land was denuded. Natural habitat was destroyed. Ebony trees and plants that were natural in Haiti were taken out, and the attempt to grow rubber trees was started on large portions of land. There were some Haitian botanists who said that it would not work; however, the U.S. insisted on trying the experiment.

Today, one of the biggest problems in Haiti is erosion. It is because of deforestation, because people are dependent on wood for homes and heating. However, this dastardly situation started actually by the United States for the war effort with the attempt to grow foreign seeds that would not grow in that kind of topography. So, once again, as we look at the tremendous erosion that is abundant in Haiti today, the beginning of it happened to be at the time when the United States felt that it needed to have the growth of rubber trees in our hemisphere in a place that was close to the United States.

And so even, once again, as we look at how Haiti has impacted on the United States, this consequence of a negative development on the part of the U.S. Government I think once again is a reason that we should have a strong passion for our sister country Haiti.

So we will continue in New Jersey to continue to move forward with all of the many people that are involved. We look forward to having a mass at the basilica near the end of the month of February. Our Governor is going to provide an office that we can work with to try to be sure that people who may be coming with TPS and other problems, family unification, parole, adoption, that we will be able to service these people who are crying out for help.

So with that, I see one of my colleagues here from the great State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has really done a tremendous amount of work in this area and sits on important committees and certainly has a great deal to contribute.

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Texas.

Thank you very much. And let me thank the Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus for the outstanding job that she has done in this whole effort, Chairman Berman, Ranking Member Ros- Lehtinen, and all of those who have come to show their support and what they have been doing up to now and what we intend to do in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Haiti, Haitian Americans, and all of those who have been affected by the earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12.

Words certainly cannot describe the pain and psychological trauma of the tragedy and its cause, and there is no way that we can just envision the tragic loss of life from this devastating 7.0 Richter scale earthquake.

The other thing about the earthquake is that it was only 6 miles below the surface, which many earthquakes go as far as 100, 150 miles down. So the trauma of this earthquake was just totally devastating. Actually, we have had several aftershocks, a 5.9 and a 5.5. We had another one today of 6.1 on the Richter scale. So this is far from over.

It has been estimated that over 3 million people have been directly affected by the disaster in Haiti. Nearly one-third of the country's population is at risk for long-term displacement and vulnerability, not to forget the unknown numbers of individuals who remain trapped in collapsed buildings.

I want to thank the rescue teams, the nongovernmental organizations, and other emergency responders who are working around the clock to locate and extract survivors. I certainly commend the efforts of the humanitarian response that is currently underway, particularly the efforts of all persons and relief organizations. Donors so far have contributed over $220 million to this effort. And by simply texting on phones, $22 million has been raised at $5 and $10 a clip. This is really showing the great heart of the American people. Even today, the Dominican Republic just announced $2.5 million that they are donating, and as you know that is a country that struggles financially themselves.

The disaster was a tremendous setback. Haiti was starting to move into a new beginning, and we now will see many of the problems of high food prices and food shortages that have been caused by this natural disaster. We certainly need to really remain very committed to this community at this very difficult time.

Haiti has a longstanding history with the United States. We heard the charge today talk about Haiti and its relationship to the United States. It fought for the independence of our country. It was responsible for Napoleon selling the Louisiana Territory to the United States because they were cash-poor after the war that they lost. The whole question of Lewis and Clark was able to move forward.

And so we are intertwined with Haiti. We have a great deal of connection with Haiti. Once again, I would like to certainly praise the chairperson of the CBC. And let me correct, the Democratic Republic of Congo was the country that had recently made the contribution; even more spectacular because of the tremendous problems that we have seen there.

We wish to say to President Preval, who is doing everything that he can, and the Haiti Government, that we will work as partners with them. This is just the beginning. We are going to stay involved with them until we see a completion of what they need.

Let me, once again, express our deep appreciation for the outcry of Members of this legislative body on both sides of the aisle.

We have heard of the great work done by many of the countries mentioned. We have heard about the heroism and the heroic efforts of many of the people. We have seen isolated shots of some violence and disorder, but let me say that this is just a very small sliver of what is happening in Haiti. Most of the people are waiting patiently. Most of the people are orderly.

It is amazing, the resilience of the Haitian people from these overwhelming obstacles, that 99 percent of the people are just trying to make it through. So we need to engage with the government. We need to assist them as they start to recover politically and governmentally.

In addition to restoring the city, we need to take a look at perhaps a new city outside of Port-au-Prince, a city built for 50,000 people that has 2 million people. Can you imagine that? So this may be a way that we can have a planned approach. We have great colleges. Columbia University has the Earth Institute, and we would hope to try to encourage those groups to come in.

With that, let me commend our chairperson once again.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to begin by thanking the ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for introducing this important and timely resolution. In December 2008, after the death of President Lansana Conte, a military junta seized power in the West African country of Guinea and suspended the national legislature and the constitution. The coup interrupted plans for upcoming democratic elections and threatened the fragile stability of the entire West African Mano River region, where decade-long wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone have displaced thousands of families, destroying the capacity of their governments to function. Fortunately, the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union, and the United Nations acted immediately to rebuke the coup, demand an immediate end to the violence, and a restoration of the rule of law.

After the horrific killing of 57 peaceful protesters in October, 2009, the U.S. Government, along with the Africa Union, imposed travel and financial sanctions against the junta. The swift and concerted action by the entire international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, and individual states, clearly caught the attention of the coup leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara and his junta. Unlike many previous African coups that were allowed to seize governmental control and consolidate military dictatorships, the Guinea coup was isolated by African States. And this is a move that--the Africa Union has decided that, in order to end military coups, they must treat rogue states with isolation.

This past weekend, Guinea's junta leaders agreed to relinquish power to civilian rule, establish an interim government, and support the restoration of the constitution. The military leaders also agreed to appoint as prime minister the opposition leader, Jean-Marie Dore, and to prepare for new presidential elections in 6 months.

Madam Speaker, we should commend the people of Guinea for standing fast in the face of military violence and demanding a return to the rule of law, and congratulate the international community for uniting so quickly in order to restore order in Guinea.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you very much. And let me commend the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, Barbara Lee, for her continued leadership, stellar leadership, bringing issues that are current to us before the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congress and the Nation.

Once again, we are here to talk about an issue that is very close to us. As has been indicated, I chair the International Task Force of the CBC and others on the Western Hemisphere Committee and so forth. Haiti has been a longtime concern to many of us, and we certainly wish to express our concern for this disaster, this catastrophe that has stricken Haiti.

As you know, Haiti was hit by four devastating hurricanes and tropical storms recently, a year and a half ago. And Haiti was recovering, recovering from the mudslides, recovering from the floods, working its way back for the past 15 months. Then of course last night we were just shocked when we heard that a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale, an earthquake that was only 5 miles from the surface of the Earth, therefore giving it a magnitude of strength that is rarely felt in an earthquake because many earthquakes go down 100 miles, 150 miles deep into the Earth. However, this being 5 miles from the surface meant that the shock and the aftershocks were as individual earthquakes would be because of the proximity to the surface. This was a tremendous setback again for Haiti.

From reports, we have heard that few buildings are left standing in Port Au Prince. The Parliament building, schools, hospitals, houses are destroyed. We have known that there has been a problem in Haiti with deforestation, with the need for firewood and heating fuel, cooking fuel, and therefore the denuding of the topography, therefore making it very difficult for the environment to move forward. And so this unbelievable earthquake is certainly another tremendous setback.

We know that the U.S. had a quick response. Our Secretary of State from Hawaii early this morning indicated that the U.S. would be there in full force with all of our support. Then we recall this morning the President of the United States addressed our country, indicating that the U.S. will do all within our authority to ensure that everything is done that we can.

There has been a tremendous amount of coordination. We heard from Cheryl Mills from the Secretary of State's office recently on a conference call where she updated us about all of the military and humanitarian, USAID programs that are going on. We have ships that are going to Haiti. We have Mercy Hospital ship that's on its way. We have helicopters that will be deployed from our aircraft carriers. We have the Coast Guard that is coming down.

And so we have a tremendous amount of immediate--there was never any

hesitation on the part of our government, and I commend the Obama administration. In my State of New Jersey, we have many, many Haitian Americans, and my office has been inundated with calls of people who want to know what they can do and concerns about their family and loved ones and what will the next steps be.

In concluding, Haiti has been a strong ally to the United States of America throughout its history. Haiti sent troops to fight with the American patriots who were fighting for their independence against Great Britain. In Savannah, the Battle of Savannah, many Haitians lost their lives, which was one of the turning points of the colonists turning the tide against the British Army. Many valiant Haitians died for our independence. And actually, during history, when the Haitian military had a 12-year war with Napoleon's army, Haiti defeated the great Napoleon's military and therefore, France was in need of finances. And France at that time controlled the Louisiana territory. It was because of Haiti's defeat of France and their need for cash that the United States was able to buy the Louisiana territory in the famous Louisiana Purchase, which therefore opened the West to the United States, and Lewis and Clark then went throughout the continent.

So, if you look at it, Haiti has had a tremendous amount to do with our development as a Nation, and so we now owe a responsibility, I believe, to our longstanding friend in Haiti. So I know that we are on the right track. The Congressional Black Caucus will continue to monitor and ensure that we have a thorough and efficient response, as we have seen. We have been pleased up to this point, and we will be at the forefront.

So, once again, let me commend the chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus and all of the members who have joined shoulder to shoulder to say that we will march until we ensure that Haiti will, once again, be able to come back again. They have the resilience. They have the spirit. They have the determination. So we know that it will come back, but it will have to be with the assistance of the United States and of many other nations around the world who are willing to help.

Madam Speaker, I was deeply saddened to learn yesterday of the 7.0 Richter scale earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday. As I speak, President Obama is preparing to address the Nation about our response and support. My heart goes out to the Haitian people.

I would also like to express our condolences to the United Nations peacekeeping organization there. Currently, it is expected there will be casualties from Brazil, China, Jordan, France, and other countries. The Montana Hotel, where I have been, was one of the places where the soldiers stayed and where many of the deaths were.

So as an earthquake of this magnitude and this aftershock have wrought extensive damage to Port-au-Prince, we say that we are here to add our support, and our prayers go out to the people of Haiti.

Thank you very much.

Let me certainly begin by thanking the gentlelady from California, our distinguished Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for anchoring this evening's Special Order on job creation. And Ms. Lee continues her diligence in addressing issues that confront our Nation in general, but in particular, the African American community, which has been a laudable effort, and let me again commend her for her diligence.

Let me also commend the gentlelady from Cleveland who comes to us, Representative Fudge, as a former mayor, and I look at her as the mayor of the CBC.

Why would I call her the mayor of the CBC? Well, because a mayor has to have hands on. The mayor has to deal with all the issues. The mayor has to listen to see what's going on in education and jobs. The mayor is concerned about health care. And it's where the rubber meets the road. And you need someone who has the understanding and the perseverance. And so I would like to commend you again for the outstanding work that you do.

To the Chair of this important job creations committee, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City, he does an outstanding job in this.

Since the time is relatively late, we have several more Members, it's a good thing to do, when you have too many, therefore I will cut my remarks short. But let me just say in November we approved a historic bill to reform our

health insurance system to expand access to affordable quality health care for nearly every American. The Affordable Health Care for Americans Act offers security and stability to all Americans, reduces costs and improves our choice.

Let me say that you cannot hold a secure job if the fundamentals are not there for everyone to be able to benefit. And one of the great provisions in the health bill is that there will be an emphasis on job creation because of the expanded health care that will be provided.

After a White House jobs summit on December 3 and a trip to Pennsylvania to meet with citizens of this country who have been affected by this economy, on December 8, as you know, President Obama announced steps that he believed should be at the heart of our efforts to put Americans back to work, to get businesses hiring again. I commend the President's focus on small businesses, infrastructure, and clean energy to provide an influx of jobs in this economy, as well as his emphasis to not just create jobs in the short run, but to also shift America away from consumption-driven growth to a focus on enhancing the competitiveness of American businesses, encouraging investment and promoting exports.

I would, however, push further and urge the President and my colleagues in Congress to expand our focus to address the portion of our population who were already in vulnerable economic positions before the onset of this recession. Prior to December, 2007, the African American unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. In this economy, it has climbed to a disproportionate 15.6 percent.

Madam Speaker, in the great State of New Jersey, unemployment has reached 9.7 percent. However, the largest concentration of unemployed falls in the cities of Trenton and Newark, New Jersey, where I live, where a large portion of our State's minorities live, and the unemployment rate surpasses 14 percent. While New Jersey reached its highest level of unemployment in 34 years, Newark, a part of my district, has experienced the same rate of over 14 percent since 1994.

These startling facts call attention to the need to not simply restore our Nation to its pre-recession state, but to create a stronger, more inclusive plan to address the intersection of unemployment and poverty, and develop long-term strategies to confront this.

Madam Speaker, I believe that the key to our strategy is education. I urge the development of a multipronged approach not only aimed at creating new jobs but infused with education and job training. We must work diligently and deliberately to harness the skills of all people. The absence of this particular focus will cause severe and lasting damage to generations of Americans, particularly of color.

And so therefore, as I just shorten my remarks, I think that education, training, and expansion of current programs like the Job Corps, where we have an infrastructure, where we can have intensive training, where we can have health care, where we can go on to have GEDs, would be one way to create jobs and train people.

I have much more, and I would hope that we can have the remainder put in the Record. But I will yield back the balance of my time in deference to my colleagues.

Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentlelady from California, our distinguished Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for anchoring this evening's Special Order on job creation. Her continued diligence in addressing issues that confront our nation, in general, but in particular the African Americans communities and she has been laudable, and let me commend you again for your diligence.

Let me congratulate the gentlelady from Cleveland, Representative Fudge, who comes to the Congress as a former major and knows well of everyday problems, where the rubber meets the road. Let me also congratulate Representative Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City for his leadership as Chairman of the CBC jobs task force.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join the other Members tonight to talk about job creation, specifically in the African American community.

In November, we approved a historic bill to reform the health insurance system to expand access to affordable, quality health care to nearly every American. The Affordable Health Care for America Act offers security and stability to all Americans, reduces costs, improves coverage and preserves our choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans, BUT holding a secure job is the foundation of many of the provisions decided upon in the bill. That being said, in addition to the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate, it is clear why the President has placed strong emphasis on job creation in the past few days. After a White House Job Summitt on December 3rd and a trip to Pennsylvania to meet with citizens of this country who have been affected by this economy, on December 8th, as you know, President Obama announced steps that he believes should be at the heart of our efforts to help put Americans back to work and get businesses hiring again. I commend the President's focus on small businesses, infrastructure, and clean energy to provide an influx of jobs in this economy, as well as his emphasis to not just create jobs in the short run, but to also shift America away from consumption-driven growth to a focus on enhancing the competitiveness of America's businesses, encouraging investment, and promoting exports.

I would, however, push further and urge the President and my colleagues in Congress to expand our focus to address the portion of our population who were already in vulnerable economic positions before the onset of this recession. Prior to December 2007, the African American unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. In this economy, it has climbed to a disproportionate 15.6 percent.

Madam Speaker, in the great state of New Jersey, unemployment has reached 9.7 percent; however, the largest concentration of unemployment falls in the cities of Trenton and Newark, where a large portion of the state's minorities live and unemployment has surpassed 14 percent. While NJ has reached its highest level of unemployment in 34 years, Newark--part of my district--has experienced the same rate of 14.3 percent as recent as 1994.

These startling facts call attention to the need, to not simply restore our nation to its state pre-recession, but to create a stronger, more inclusive plan to address the intersection of unemployment and poverty and develop long-term strategies.

Madam Speaker, I believe that the key to this strategy is education! I urge the development of a multipronged approach, not only aimed at creating new jobs but infused with education and job training. We must work diligently and deliberately to harness the skills of all people! The absence of this particular focus will cause severe and lasting damage to generations of Americans, particularly those of color, and the future of our workforce.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop policies that will expand our focus to offer additional support for communities that have long been affected by high unemployment rates.

With that, thank you once again, Congresswoman Lee for the outstanding work that you are doing.

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues here in the United States

House of Representatives to join me as I rise to honor and congratulate Dr. A. Zachary Yamba on his retirement from Essex County College. He is the longest serving college president in the State of New Jersey, and the longest sitting President of a predominantly black serving institution of higher education in the nation.

After serving 29 years as President, Dr. Yamba will retire December 4, 2009. Under Dr. Yamba's leadership, Essex County College has experienced unprecedented stability and growth. Enrollment at the College has increased from 7,500 students in 1980 to a record 25,000 students in 2009.

Within a year of his appointment, Essex County College was awarded full accreditation for a 10 year period, a status that was reaffirmed in 1991 and 2001. Over the next 29 years Dr. Yamba demonstrated a commitment to providing quality education to under-represented populations, and ultimately redefined the role of urban higher education in the State of New Jersey and the nation.

Dr. Yamba has positioned Essex County College to be one of the major factors in the movement to grant students of color greater access to higher education. Through his efforts, Essex County College stands in the top 1% of the nation for awarding African American Associate degrees. In addition, Essex County College is the number one Community College in New Jersey for awarding African American Associate degrees and is the number one institution in New Jersey for educating African American students.

Dr. Yamba's inter-generational influence has made an inedible mark on the educational tapestry of the City of Newark, and the State New Jersey. Dr. Yamba became a beacon of hope, accountability and excellence for the mission of urban community colleges. Without his contribution, it is clear that Essex County College and urban community colleges everywhere, would not be as dynamic or academically sound as they are today. He is Regent Emeritus on the Board of Regents of Seton Hall University, was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame (Soccer) and has also been awarded an honorary doctorate degree. Additionally, he holds honorary degrees from Rutgers University and the University for Development Students in Ghana.

Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues agree that Dr. Yamba has made a significant impact on the educational system in New Jersey, and the nation. He will leave a lasting impression on those who were fortunate enough to benefit from his guidance. I am honored to have worked with him for a number of years, and I wish him a wonderful retirement.