Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, June 26, 2008, will mark the tenth anniversary of the passing of Alioune Blondin Beye in the crash of a light plane near Abidjan. Maitre Beye, as he was known, was undertaking one of his frequent missions to build support for an agreement to end the civil war in Angola, a war that had lasted for two decades, cost more than a half million lives, and left more than three million people homeless. A former Foreign Minister of Mali and Secretary General of the African Development Bank, Maitre Beye had been serving for five years as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for the Angolan peace process and President of the Joint Peace Commission for Angola.

One of the world's most dedicated peacemakers, Maitre Beye touched the lives of all those who knew him and worked with him, and was beloved by millions of Malians, Angolans, and other peoples of Africa and beyond for his selfless dedication to the cause of peace, justice, human rights, and national reconciliation. A French speaker among Lusophones, a Moslem in a country of Christians and animists, Maitre Beye's life was the ultimate symbol of selflessness and dedication to the common humanity of all people. Along with Maitre Beye, seven other people were killed in the tragic plane crash, all committed

men of peace. These included Koffi Adjoyi, Alvaro Costa, Baendegar Dessande, Amadou Moctar Gueye, Jason Hunter, Andrew McCurrah, and Ibikunle Williams.

Maitre Beye's relatives, friends and colleagues will commemorate the life and times of this great man and to honor the others who died that day by hosting a memorial service at the New York Headquarters of the United Nations--the institution he loved and in whose service he ultimately gave his life--on June 26, 2008. The program for Maitre Beye will not be a sad memorial, but a joyous celebration of the life of this great man of wisdom and humor, and a tribute to the peace he and his colleagues sought to bring to the world. We wish them our best in this honorable endeavor.

Madam Speaker, with so many Americans fearing the loss of their jobs and their homes and worrying about the rising cost of basic needs like food and gas, it is clear that Washington must act.

The House had led the way in working to jump-start the economic recovery by putting hundreds of dollars in the hands of more than 130 million American families with the economic stimulus package. That is only the first step. It is going to take time to reverse the 7 years of the Bush failed economic policies that have favored the wealthiest few to the detriment of the middle class.

Congressional Democrats are working to address the record high cost of gasoline with the passage of a renewable energy tax incentive that will lower prices at the pump and create thousands of green jobs. With 325,000 jobs lost over the last 5 months, this Congress extended unemployment benefits last month, so that those having a hard time finding a new job have access to 13 additional weeks.

The Bush economy is hurting middle-class families in my home State of New Jersey, across the Nation, and we must give them relief.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1063) marking the 225th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War with the Kingdom of Great Britain and recognized the independence of the United States of America, and acknowledging the shared values and close friendship between the peoples and governments of the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

I am pleased to support this resolution that marks 225 years since the Treaty of Paris concluded the Revolutionary War with Great Britain and that acknowledges the close friendship enjoyed by our two countries ever since.

I commend our distinguished colleague, Representative Wu of Oregon, and Vice-Chair of the British-American Parliamentary Group, who introduced this measure. It is important that the House marks this anniversary and celebrates such a vital bipartisan partnership, bilateral partnership also.

The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, formally ending the Revolutionary War between the 13 original colonies and the Kingdom of Great Britain. The settlement of the war and the recognition of our young Nation by Great Britain was a moment of great significance in the infancy of our Nation.

Two hundred twenty-five years later, the United Kingdom remains one of our closest allies by virtue of our shared history and values. Both the United States and the UK have proud histories of representative democracy and respect for the rule of law.

They have also encouraged and helped many people around the world secure the freedoms and rights their

own citizens enjoy. During World War I, the United States and the United Kingdom fought together as a part of the allied forces against autocratic imperialism.

During World War II, again, against the Axis, our countries stood together against the scourge of Nazism and fascism. Our brave troops helped to liberate European countries from Nazi occupation, and innocent civilians from the horrors of concentration camps. We talked about the greatest generation, our World War II veterans, that we today still admire and respect.

Throughout the 20th century, the United Kingdom has stood side-by- side with the United States on critical issues concerning liberty and human rights. Most recently the United Kingdom has strongly supported the United States' effort in South Asia and the Middle East. British soldiers are the second largest contributors to NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and the multinational force in Iraq.

The United States and the United Kingdom share long histories of industrialization, being among the first nations to develop technologically. Both nations have a culture of intervention and curiosity, as evidenced by the innumerable number of scientific discoveries and inventions. This work has enhanced the frequent collaboration between American and British researchers. We have a tremendous bilateral system going.

Indeed, such links are often developed at an early stage as young people take advantage of educational opportunities in each others' countries. There are currently 8,400 British students attending American universities and 32,000 American youth staying in the UK. These young people know all too well the extensive cultural links between our countries as British and American arts, music, literature, cinema, are enjoyed on both sides of the Atlantic.

In recognition of the close bilateral relations shared by the United States and the United Kingdom, I strongly support this resolution and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the author of this resolution, Mr. David Wu of Oregon, chairman of the Subcommittee on Science and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, let me, once again, say what a great occasion it is marking the 225th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris of 1783.

As has been indicated, we are close allies. Many of our organizations, as a matter of fact, the YMCA, which was founded in Great Britain in the late 1840s to take people who were coming into London because of the Industrial Revolution in London and England found a place where they could have a wholesome relationship. Twenty-five years later, that organization was brought to the United States of America. Still we have relations between them, just another example of close ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 332) recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as amended.

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

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

I want to congratulate our colleague Mr. Fortenberry for putting forth this very important resolution. He's a very valued member of our subcommittee, and he has been a strong supporter of issues of goodwill.

This resolution celebrates the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first international agreement on the rights of humankind. The universal declaration proclaims the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. It is this universal quality of the declaration that is its strength.

The core freedoms and guarantees are entitlement of all people, not just those from certain groups or cultures. As such, no government or Nation has the power to confer these rights. They are inalienable freedoms with which all people are endowed by their very nature.

The notion of inalienable rights was not invented in 1948. Socrates wrote about ethic laws that were higher than laws of kings over 2,500 years ago.

Even a proclamation of such rights is not new. The Magna Carta, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Men all articulated specific inalienable rights.

The power of the declaration is that it represents the first comprehensive agreement among Nations as to the specific rights and freedoms belonging to all human beings. It has become a cornerstone of customary international law, binding all governments to its principles.

In the 60 years that I have followed the adoption of the universal Declaration, expansion of the circle of human dignity has come in fits and starts. Authoritarian governments still attempt to limit freedoms proclaimed by the declaration, including political and economic pluralism, a free press, freedom of association, freedom of religion, free and fair elections, and the rule of law. Nevertheless, the declaration allows humble citizens, be they monks in Burma, political dissenters in Cuba, journalists in Russia, lawyers in Pakistan or dispossessed in Zimbabwe, a standard by which to measure and challenge any government. As such, we see roots of freedom and democracy growing in even the most repressed societies.

Our duty is to support the efforts of human rights defenders to expand the circle of human freedoms so that the declaration will, in Eleanor Roosevelt's vision, become the Magna Carta for all men everywhere. As she says, it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas, chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee.

I yield the gentlelady an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I do believe that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is extremely important. We have to work to have the United Nations. And we certainly celebrate this 60th anniversary.

I urge support for this resolution. I'd like to thank Mr. Berman, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and, of course, Mr. Fortenberry for this very timely resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 318) supporting the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation, as amended.

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

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

First of all, I'd like to thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ranking Member Chris Smith and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson- Lee as well as Representative Chris Shays for being lead sponsors on H.Con.Res 318, which supports the United Nations Declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation. Their bipartisan support has helped to bring this resolution to the floor for a vote. I also would like to thank Senator Richard Durbin, who introduced the Senate companion to this concurrent resolution.

In September 2000, the United Nations adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals to challenge the global community to reduce poverty and increase the health and well-being of all peoples. Two years later, in September of 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the United States and the rest of the international community reaffirmed these goals and added access to basic sanitation as a centerpiece of the poverty eradication commitments. The target to halve the proportion of people without access to the basic sanitation by 2015 was defined in the Johannesburg Plan of Action.

In September of 2005, President Bush addressed the United Nations General Assembly, at which time, as I was the U.S. delegate from the House to the United Nations, I was very pleased that President Bush recommitted the United States to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Last year, the United Nations declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation in order to recognize the great strides that have been made towards increasing access to sanitation for people around the world. However, it is also a time to galvanize member nations, U.N. agencies, regional and international organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to renew their commitment.

Access to basic sanitation is something so simple, yet so fundamental to everyday life. Well, simple, at least, for the majority of people who live in the developed world. An estimated 2.6 billion people live in an environment where they do not have access to proper toilet facilities and human waste cannot be properly disposed. And approximately 1.1 billion people have no access to any type of improved drinking sources of water. As a direct consequence, over 1.6 million people die every year from easily preventable diseases attributable to lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Ninety percent of those are children under five, mostly in developing countries.

This lack of access to basic sanitation affects everything from how food is grown and prepared to the ability of girls and young women to attend school. Sanitation is an obvious issue of health, but also one of dignity, physical safety and development.

Halving the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation is a target of the seventh Millennium Development Goal, which is to ensure environmental sustainability. In fact, it is vital to the success of other Millennium Development Goal targets in order for them to reach their goal.

Access to proper sanitation is essential to reducing childhood and maternal mortality. It can help reduce the symptoms associated with HIV and AIDS. It can also improve the living conditions of 100 million-plus people living in slums.

The dividends that increased access to basic sanitation pay are multifold. Depending on the region of the world, economic benefits have been estimated to range from $3 to $34 for each dollar invested in access to basic sanitation and safe water. According to the United Nations, meeting this MDG target will yield nearly $200 billion in annual benefits. If we meet this goal, people and governments will save more than $500 million in direct health treatment costs and get back more than 3 billion working days that are now lost to sanitation- related illnesses. Reducing the incidences to sanitation-related diseases will add nearly 200 million days of school attendance.

As we in Congress work to increase access to lifesaving medication and strengthening health care infrastructures, we must remember that the success of such initiatives is, in part, dependent upon individuals having access to basic sanitation. Let us use this time to also refocus our efforts on strengthening one of the basic pillars upon which global health must stand, proper sanitation.

I strongly support this resolution and ask that my colleagues back H. Con. Res. 318, which supports the ideals and goals of the International Year of Sanitation.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee.

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon, the member of the Budget Committee and one of the leading environmentalists in the House, Mr. Blumenauer.

I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from Oregon.

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say that I urge support of this resolution. As the previous speaker indicated, we passed legislation called Water For the Poor, and in our oversight hearing I was looking for places like Burkina Faso in Niger that had no water, but found that the money was allocated to Iraq and Afghanistan. ``Water for the Poor'' was what it was called, not ``Water for the War.''

So we need to be sure that when we pass legislation, that it goes to the intended recipients and not for other purposes. If other purposes must be done, put them in another budget. There is plenty of money in other budgets and no one ever opposes them. So put it over there, and leave our Water for the Poor for the countries that are actually and really poor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 337) honoring Seeds of Peace for its 15th anniversary as an organization promoting understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace in the Middle East, South Asia, and other regions of conflict.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 337, a resolution honoring Seeds of Peace for its 15th anniversary as an organization promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the Middle East and around the world.

While the peace process has had its ups and downs over the last 15 years, Seeds of Peace has blossomed into a widely recognized organization that has facilitated interaction among thousands of young people and young leaders and educators from all around the world.

Seeds of Peace lays a foundation for sustainable peace by promoting dialogue among young leaders before their fears, mistrust and inherited prejudices have permanently shaped their vision of their enemy. We get them in time to prevent that from happening.

After a summer program in Maine, which also includes many American participants, these young seeds, as they are known, and their teachers, continue with regional and international programming that furthers the dialogue among and across nationalities and supports the development of future leaders. Seeds of Peace also fulfills an important recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, reaching out to young people, particularly in Arab and other Muslim countries, and offering them hope and a positive vision of the future.

A decade and a half ago, Seeds of Peace, founded by the late John Wallach, envisioned a handful of Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian teenagers coming together in the woods of Maine and breaking down barriers of mistrust. Since its inaugural camp session 15 years ago, the mission of Seeds of Peace has grown to include not just those from the Middle East, but young people from throughout South Asia and Afghanistan. Governments negotiate agreements, but Seeds of Peace has remained as the only people that can define a quality of peace.

Every new seed, you may recall that is what they are called when they complete the course, whether he or she is in Kabul or Tel Aviv, Ramallah or Islamabad, represents one more person who has the potential and the required skills to see through mistrust and prejudice and thereby to contribute to making and building peace. That is why we seek to honor the terrific organization Seeds of Peace. That is why I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), chairperson of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

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

Mr. Speaker, from day one, this Democratic Congress has been fighting to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, bring down record gas prices, and launch a cleaner and smarter energy program. We have passed legislation to suspend the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve later this month through the end of this year. After initially opposing this legislation, the President signed it into law last month.

We passed legislation that gives the U.S. the authority to prosecute anticompetitive conduct committed by the

international cartels, like OPEC, that restricts supply and drives up prices. The House also passed the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, which allows us to retain and create hundreds of thousands of new ``green'' energy jobs and invest in the renewable energies of the future.

Today, experts estimate biofuel blends are keeping gas prices about 15 percent lower than they would otherwise be right now. With gas prices continuing to skyrocket in my home State of New Jersey and across the Nation, House Democrats will continue to explore ways to provide relief to consumers at the gas pump.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to recognize and honor a dedicated public servant, Anzella K. Nelms who is retiring from the position of State District Deputy Superintendent of the Newark Public Schools. Ms. Nelms' journey to this post encompassed many levels including classroom teacher, vice principal and principal. As a result of these experiences. Ms. Nelms was definitely in a position to make a difference in the lives of our most precious resources, our children.

An accomplished student herself, having attended school in her native Raleigh, North Carolina, Anzella Nelms sought to ensure that Newark's school children received a quality education. Her dramatic influence can be seen at Camden Middle School where she served as principal from 1979 to 1989 and helped to develop a national model for school effectiveness. It can also be seen in the 16 ``Theme Schools'' she began within her School Leadership Team while serving as Assistant Superintendent. Fortunately, for those who had the opportunity to work with her, Ms. Nelms was generous with sharing her knowledge and her significant leadership skills.

As Ms. Nelms retires, she will be remembered for her belief in the needs of the total child along with her other accomplishments. She started a tennis program and encouraged fine arts within the schools. She is an excellent role model as well as the consummate professional. Her elegance and charm are as integral to her being as her love for learning. Ms. Nelms has touched the lives of countless students, parents and administrators.

Quite appropriately, Ms. Nelms has received many awards, accolades and honors for her work in the Newark Public School System. I am truly grateful that she chose Newark as her system of choice because I know she had other options. As a former teacher, I know that to be in an educational environment is to serve with one's heart. Ms. Anzella Nelms has served with her heart since 1964 and in the process has created a memorable legacy.

Madam Speaker, I am sure my colleagues agree that Ms. Anzella Nelms deserves to be feted at a party in her honor on Friday, April 18, 2008, for her many years of dedicated service to the Newark community. I am proud to have had her in my Congressional district and wish her never- ending success in her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support for the passage of H.R. 5613, the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act. I commend my colleagues Representative Dingell and Representative Murphy for introducing this bill, which would extend until March 31, 2009 the moratorium on several Medicaid regulations that would strip an estimated $20 billion over 5 years from the Medicaid program.

Mr. Speaker, for more than 40 years, Medicaid has served as the Nation's health care safety net, providing access to health services for millions who cannot afford private insurance in a dynamic and changing economy.

Today, more than 57 million children, poor, disabled and elderly individuals rely on Medicaid for care. The program now serves more people than Medicare, and with the ranks of the uninsured growing, and the threat of an economic recession, the Medicaid program is more important than ever.

Mr. Speaker, hospitals are the backbone of America's health care safety net, providing care to all patients who come through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. But, hospitals are experiencing severe payment shortfalls when treating Medicaid patients.

Despite these financial pressures, the Administration continues to call for further cuts in federal funds for the Medicaid program that will affect hospitals and the patients they serve.

Despite concerns raised by Congress, CMS continues to take steps to implement these regulations. These rules range from limiting payments for teaching hospitals, public hospitals and hospital outpatient services to reducing school-based services for children and case management for the disabled.

Last year, Congress imposed a year-long moratorium (P.L. 110-28) on two regulations the proposed and final cost-limit rule and the proposed graduate medical education (GME) rule. The moratorium on implementation of these rules expires May 25, 2008.

CMS's regulatory budget-cutting policies will have a devastating effect on my home State of New Jersey's Medicaid program, along with the hospitals and physicians serving our Nation's most vulnerable population--poor children and mothers, the disabled and elderly individuals. Much of Congress has expressed opposition to these rules.

This bill would delay implementation of regulations affecting: CPEs; IGTs; GME; coverage of rehab services for people with disabilities; outreach and enrollment in schools, in addition to specialized medical transportation to school for children covered by Medicaid; coverage of hospital outpatient services; case management services that allow people with disabilities to remain in the community; and state provider tax laws.

Mr. Speaker, there is no question that CMS's regulatory budget- cutting policies will have a devastating effect on my home State of New Jersey's Medicaid program, along with the hospitals and physicians serving our Nation's most vulnerable population--poor children and mothers, the disabled and elderly individuals.

Mr. Speaker, we need to pass H.R. 5613 today. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill legislation.

Mr. Chairman, let me begin by commending Chairman Frank for bringing this very important legislation to the floor, and his ranking member, Mr. Bachus, who has really been a real champion in these issues over the years. Let me give special congratulations to Congresswoman Maxine Waters for her tireless effort to bring H.R. 2634, the Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation to the floor for consideration, and her long history of working to help the world's countries to elevate their people out of poverty.

While nonprofit organizations and Members of Congress initially fought for debt relief, many of us never imagined that we would still find ourselves here today. Unfortunately, with the likes of Debt Advisory International, Elliott Associates, the burdensome IMF and World Bank policies, we must redouble our efforts to prevent such policies and companies from pecking away at the hard-won gains that we have made and must continue to make.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, I understand how the redirection of monies towards debt servicing and vulture funds has crippled African countries' attempts to improve upon development indicators. Sub-Saharan Africa receives approximately $13 billion in aid every year, yet spends $15 billion in servicing old and many times odious debts.

This type of deficit spending perpetuates the vicious cycle that prevents African governments from truly creating their own solutions to the challenges that they face.

Three billion people in nations around the world are living on less than $2 per day. For some of these nations, they are beholden to servicing debts instead of focusing their financial and human capital towards creating the necessary infrastructure to educate, feed, employ and care for their people. By eliminating many of the debts that are tying their hands, they will be able to direct the necessary energies to alleviating poverty in their countries.

Debt cancellation works. Zambia is a prime example as to how monies freed from servicing a country's debt can be used to better the lives of its people. It is using its savings of $23.8 million under the multilateral debt relief initiative to increase spending on agricultural projects on smallholder irrigation and livestock disease control, as well as eliminating fees for health care in rural areas.

The Jubilee Act will establish an agreement among the U.S., other countries and international financial institutions to provide debt cancellation for deserving, eligible low-income countries. It will also work to create a binding legal framework to ensure that entities, particularly unscrupulous vulture funds, will not be able to lie in wait in order to seize upon newly awarded debt relief.

I congratulate Congresswoman Waters on getting this wonderful and timely bill to the floor of the House. I encourage other Members of Congress to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 838) welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on his first apostolic visit to the United States, as amended.

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

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

I would first like to commend my distinguished colleague, Representative McCotter of Michigan, for introducing this timely and important measure.

Next week, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, will make his first apostolic visit to the United States. It is appropriate that the House support H. Res. 838 in welcoming this distinguished leader of a church, which has more than 1 billion members worldwide.

During his 5-day visit, Pope Benedict will hold numerous meetings in Washington, DC, and New York City. His schedule includes a private conversation with President Bush, a candle lighting and prayer service at Ground Zero, and two widely anticipated masses--at the brand new Nationals Park and the venerable Yankee Stadium. He will be only the third person in history to address the United Nations General Assembly.

In addition to meeting U.S. bishops and Catholic groups, Pope Benedict will spend time with members of non-Christian faiths. In particular, he will meet with representatives of Jewish groups to acknowledge the start of Passover.

This practice is very much in keeping with Pope Benedict's stated emphasis on reconciliation and faith at the ecumenical level, as he has sought to foster dialogue with a range of religious groups.

And last but not least, during his visit to our country Pope Benedict will celebrate an important milestone, his 81st birthday.

Joseph Ratzinger was born and baptized on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Germany. Forced to leave seminary at the age of 16 for compulsory military service with the Nazi anti-aircraft corps, he defected at great personal risk and spent time in an Allied prisoner of war camp.

In 1951, he was ordained to the priesthood, embarking on a career as one of the most prolific theologians in modern times. He served in numerous university posts, authored 25 books and thousands of hours of lectures, and participated as a theological adviser to the Second Vatican Council.

Before becoming Pope, he distinguished himself first as Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and then dean of the College of Cardinals, and finally as the Bishop of Rome.

He ascended to the Papacy on April 19, 2005. After nine apostolic visits in Europe and one to Brazil, the 265th pontiff is now traveling to the United States. It is with great pleasure that I welcome him to our country, the home of more than 66 million Catholics. I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 865) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the March 2007 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development makes an important contribution to the understanding of the high levels of crime and violence in the Caribbean, and that the United States should work with Caribbean countries to address crime and violence in the region, as amended.

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

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

Over the past decade, the level of crime and violence throughout the Caribbean basin has increased. Last year, the United Nations and the World Bank issued a joint report titled, ``Crime, Violence, and Development: Trends, Costs and Policy Options in the Caribbean'' which confirms this trend.

The report makes a very disturbing finding: Crime and violence have generally increased in the Caribbean, to the point where the region as a whole now possesses the highest overall crime rate of any region in the world.

While I note that each member of the Caribbean community is different, and that some countries are successful in maintaining relatively low levels of crime, the report's numbers, while taken as a whole, are alarming. They document extremely high levels of murder, rape, and drug trafficking on a massive scale.

If the high levels of crime and violence in the Caribbean persist, they will undermine long-term economic development by eroding the region's trade, commerce, and tourism.

The impact of this regional law and order would have a crisis which could extend beyond the borders of CARICOM states by impacting immigration patterns to the United States and by undermining our efforts to fight organized crime and drug trade. Regional instability related to crime and violence in the region could also undermine U.S. border security efforts.

As the report points out, the United States is part of the cause of some of these problems, and we could also be a big part in the solution. Our allies in the Caribbean stand ready to partner with us in finding workable solutions. We have an opportunity to address this problem before it destabilizes much of the hemisphere and jeopardizes U.S. security.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 865 and the accompanying amendment in the nature of a substitute to express the sense of the House that the United States and its CARICOM allies take up the U.N./ World Bank report's recommendations and work together to solve this potentially devastating problem before it's too late.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke) who, incidentally, her district has one of the largest Caribbean communities in the United States, and her heritage is from the Caribbean. I am so pleased to yield her 5 minutes on her first resolution in her freshman year. I commend you for that.

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

Mr. Chairman, as you know, the provision on food and nutrition security in the bill currently under consideration is drawn directly from a bill I introduced in December, H.R. 4914, the Global HIV/AIDS Food Security and Nutrition Support Act of 2007. I introduced the bill after chairing a hearing in the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health to determine whether the Global HIV/AIDS program was adequately addressing the nutritional needs of its beneficiaries.

The hearing corroborated what I had already heard in the field on numerous visits to Africa over the past 5 years: PEPFAR is falling short in this critical area. I share the concerns of the gentleman from Massachusetts and the gentlelady from Missouri about the increasing cost of food aid. Just last week, the World Food Program had to issue an appeal for an additional $500 million to offset the increased costs of food and fuel.

Without the extra $73 million, people who rely on WFP for their daily sustenance may have their rations cut. This is a truly alarming situation, and it is not my intent for the provision of this bill to exacerbate it. The language under consideration very clearly states that these activities are to be funded from amounts authorized under section 401 of this bill. I used this language deliberately, as I strongly believe that the food assistance and nutritional support we are providing under the Global AIDS program must be on top of the food aid we are already providing.

Madam Chairman, let me begin by commending Chairman Berman of the committee for bringing forth this tremendous, important legislation, and for the support in this bipartisan effort from Ranking Member

Ros-Lehtinen, and for her support of this very important legislation.

I rise in strong support of the legislation currently under consideration. I am very pleased to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.

This bill is appropriately named because it was under the leadership of the late Henry Hyde, then chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, that the PEPFAR legislation was originally authorized. And under the leadership of the late Tom Lantos, reauthorization began. Both of these tireless giants who have left us should be remembered by this legislation. I might also note that under the leadership of the original authorization, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the Congressional Black Caucus were very strong advocates to push the leadership of the House and the President to consider this very important legislation.

In the 5 years, there has certainly been a pandemic that the world is facing, and there has not been a pandemic similar to this since the plague during medieval days in Europe. So I am pleased that we are finally dealing with this pandemic in the way that it should be.

In the 5 years since Congress passed the original legislation authorizing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, as it is well known, it has become an historic program. In my opinion, this will be remembered as the single most significant achievement of President Bush's two terms in office.

And from my recent conversations with the President, I know that he has worked very hard on this reauthorization, and it is with the support of the White House and the staff, they helped us craft this bipartisan legislation.

Prior to PEPFAR, the United States did very little in supporting AIDS treatment programs abroad. In fact, Members may recall a high-ranking USAID official said that treatment was not feasible in Africa, the most heavily AIDS-infected region of the world, because Africans cannot tell time and therefore would not be able to take the required medication properly. As we know, it was foolish to say that at the time; and as we have seen the results, it has proven once again to have been a foolish statement.

These officials advocated limiting our activities only to education and prevention, a position that would have in effect sentenced millions of HIV-infected men, women and children to die if it were only that program. And so I am very pleased we expanded it to where it is today.

Fortunately, the Congress and the President did not agree with that position. And because we were willing to find a way to provide treatment for over 800,000 people, today they are receiving antiretroviral medication to prevent AIDS in the 15 focus countries, 12 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.

We are also pleased that we are increasing the number of countries to the 14 Caribbean countries. And as cochair of the bipartisan Caribbean Caucus, and under the leadership of Representative Donna Christensen, at a meeting she convened in her district, we had health ministers admit that the Caribbean also needed substantial help.

Our progress, while significant, is not enough. Only 28 percent of Africans needing antiretrovirals are receiving them. Shockingly, over 85 percent of African children who need ARVs are going without them. A mere 11 percent of HIV-positive women who need drugs to prevent mother- to-child transmission of HIV during child birth are getting them.

In light of these troubling facts, we have taken steps in this legislation to transform PEPFAR from an emergency response to a sustainable program by expanding the program beyond a series of medical interventions. For example, the committee incorporated the provision that I discussed earlier about food security into the legislation in order to address the nutritional needs of HIV patients, their families, and communities heavily affected by the disease.

Lack of food and nutrition support has been, up to now, a major impediment to the adherence of HIV/AIDS treatment regimens.

H.R. 5501 also contains provisions to build and strengthen health systems in developing countries. The committee has given the Office of Global AIDS Coordinator the flexibility to do prevention, care and treatment programs tailored to the characteristics of the epidemic in the country in which they are operating by eliminating cumbersome earmarks that the GAO said were ineffective.

Finally, the bill authorizes significant funds, $50 billion over the next 5 years, in order to accomplish the goals of the bill. I urge the House to pass this legislation.

I recognize the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Carnahan) for 2 minutes.

We will now have the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for 2 minutes, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

(Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Chairman, I yield an additional minute to the gentleman from New York.

Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from the Ways and Means Committee, from the State of Washington (Mr. McDermott).

(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Chairman, it is my pleasure to yield to a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein) for 2 minutes.

Madam Chairman, I yield to the vice chairperson of the Subcommittee on Africa, a member, of course, of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) for 2 minutes.

Madam Chairman, I thank Representative Watson for her kind remarks.

Madam Chairman, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Africa Subcommittee (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

It is my pleasure to recognize the Speaker of the House for 1 minute, the gentlewoman from California, Speaker Pelosi.

Madam Chairman, I rise in support of Mr. Blumenauer's amendment to ensure that safe drinking water is a component of our HIV/ AIDS strategy. Congressman

Blumenauer, the lead sponsor of the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, has been a strong advocate on this issue for years, and he was kind enough to testify about the challenge of clean water in Africa at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Global Health I chaired in May of 2007.

During the course of that hearing, it became clear that in Africa, the region hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic, the problem of safe water is particularly acute. The total number of people without access to potable water in the region has actually increased by 60 million in the past half decade. That is why Mr. Blumenauer and I, along with other Members of Congress, successfully secured $300 million for safe drinking water and sanitation projects for fiscal year 2008.

We all know that HIV compromises the immune system. Those infected with the disease are far more likely to succumb to the illness caused by unsafe drinking water, especially if they are children, and there is no way that people can take ARVs if they do not have access to clean drinking water.

I strongly support Mr. Blumenauer's amendment, and thank him for his cosponsorship of H. Res. 318, supporting the goals of the United Nations International Year of Sanitation. His resolution encourages international communities to achieve the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. I encourage my colleagues to support the Blumenauer amendment.

Madam Chairman, I rise to speak on the amendment offered by Mr. Fortenberry. We appreciate the work that he does on the subcommittee and he contributes greatly.

We feel that the Inspector General has been doing an adequate job; however, we do not oppose this amendment. The Office has approved over $10 billion for programs in 136 countries around the world so far, which amounts to 21 percent of all donor HIV/AIDS spending, and two- thirds of all the donor spending on malaria and tuberculosis. Through the Global Fund, 1.4 million people have been treated with life-saving antivirals, 3.3 million cases of TB have been treated; and, in a new area, 46 million bed nets have been distributed to protect children against malaria. And I am pleased to say that Ray Chambers from New Jersey and my congressional district has been appointed ambassador for the U.N. to combat malaria.

So, we do not oppose this amendment, and we look forward to the bill's passage.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Wisconsin.

Southern Africa has the highest rate of HIV and AIDS in the entire world. In Lesotho, we have heard, a country with an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 38 percent among pregnant women, only 19 percent of those in need of treatment for the disease have access for it. Even more troubling is the fact that only 5 percent of HIV-positive mothers get drugs to prevent the transmission of the virus to their children during childbirth. Life expectancy for women is 44 years, and for men a mere 39.

In Malawi, the situation is a little better; men are expected to live 41 years, women 42. The health care worker shortage in the country remains a major obstacle.

Circumstances in Swaziland are equally grim: 26 percent of adults are HIV positive. In a country of just over 1 million, there are 70,000 AIDS orphans. Clearly, HIV and AIDS pose a dire threat in these countries and must be urgently addressed. Therefore, I commend the gentlewoman, Ms. McCollum, for her amendment to make Swaziland, Lesotho, and Malawi focus countries, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chairman, I appreciate the gentlelady, the ranking member, yielding me this time, and I rise in strong support of the Carson amendment relating to the building of human capacity to fight HIV/AIDS through collaborations between U.S. colleges and universities and those in the developing world.

I, too, am very pleased to see this piece of legislation by Mr. Carson. We all knew Julia Carson. She came to my district to deal with health disparities in my district in New Jersey, and traveled to Africa with me on a trip dealing with this problem. So this is very appropriate, and let me commend you again.

In May of 2007, Doctors Without Borders released a report that found that in southern Africa, a shortage of trained health care workers was the main barrier to increasing access to antiretroviral treatment.

The report found that in Mozambique, people had to wait up to 2 months to start ARVs because there were not enough doctors and nurses to manage it. In one health district in Lesotho, nearly half of the nursing posts were vacant. Malawi has only two doctors per 100,000 people. The minimum standard according to the WHO is 20 doctors per 100,000 people.

I am pleased to say that the bill under consideration seeks to address those problems. It calls on the United States to train 140,000 new health care workers and professionals so people can start on life- saving therapy.

University partnerships are a logical and effective means through which to support this goal. So I once again commend Mr. Carson for his amendment, and urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, we have now entered the sixth year of the war in Iraq, a war the Bush administration assured us would be short and easy. One Bush official famously remarked that the victory in Iraq would be a ``cakewalk.'' Sadly, it has been the opposite for our troops, who continue to face lengthy and multiple deployments in the war.

Last week, as we mourned the marking of a grim milestone, the death of 4,000 American troops in Iraq, we were reminded of the human costs of this ill-advised war.

Military leaders warned that the war is putting enormous stress on our troops. We have seen a dramatic increase in suicides and depression. Lieutenant General William Caldwell, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center, said the Army is experiencing a shortage of majors and captains, because many who have had one, two and three combat tours have made the decision to go back into civilian life.

With 4,000 American lives lost and thousands of young men and women suffering serious injuries, we should be looking at a way to end the war in Iraq. Instead, the Bush administration continues to support the status quo. ``100 years'' is one presidential candidate's latest statement.

We must end the war.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor an extraordinary public servant, Jo Ann Forney. Ms. Forney has contributed thirty plus years of love and concern to her community in East Orange, New Jersey. Prior to attending Rutgers University, Ms. Forney worked at Western Electric and at the Conmar Zippers Factory as an assembler. She also worked at Bell Telephone as a toll operator.

After graduating from Rutgers, Ms. Forney became a Family Enabler for Family Life Education Center. There she became a substance abuse counselor and worked part-time on weekends and holidays at Orange Memorial Hospital as a switchboard operator.

Finally, Ms. Forney worked as a social worker at United Hospitals and later she became a valued employee of the East Orange Board of Education at the Enrollment Center for the past 10 years.

Madam Speaker, I invite my colleagues here in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in honoring Ms. Forney as she leaves the East Orange Board of Education, and in expressing appreciation for her hard work and dedication. I am proud to honor Ms. Forney and I wish her never-ending success in her future endeavors.