Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 646 for H.R. 3197, I mistakenly voted ``no'' when I intended to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the managers on the part of the House have until midnight tonight, December 18, to file the conference report to accompany H.R. 4310.

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

I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I thank my colleagues for being here tonight to support a really great and much- needed piece of legislation.

I do rise in strong support of the Drywall Safety Act of 2012. This truly is a bill about protecting the American family, both their physical health and their financial health.

Mr. Speaker, this is about doing what is right to address a terrible injustice that has fallen upon so many families, many of whom live in the Second Congressional District of Virginia, and thousands across our country. These are families that are reeling financially, and also their health has been damaged because of drywall that was manufactured in a defective manner in China and then shipped to the United States and installed in homes across our great land.

They're our friends and neighbors, hardworking folks who saved, bought homes, and were living the American Dream, or really, so they thought. And their dream, Mr. Speaker, so often has turned into a true nightmare. Their children have developed just bloody noses and respiratory ailments.

Mr. Speaker, I've met with these families. It's really heartbreaking. They're having to pay for their current home, which is uninhabitable, and then go out and rent or maybe attempt to buy another home. It's a type of financial stress that so many of the families have been unable to adjust to. And many of them, so many of whom I've met with, have ended up having to file financial bankruptcy.

So I appreciate the leadership of the chairwoman this evening and my friend and colleague, Representative Deutch, a cochairman with me on the Contaminated Drywall Caucus. We've advanced, we believe, a sound piece of legislation, bipartisan, that really addresses this problem. It doesn't, and we don't portend that it fixes everything, but it is a major and significant step forward.

These families, the only thing they have left is, I think, hope that we'll do the right thing here tonight. It's been over 4 years that these families have been hurting. You know, they looked first to the lender, to the importers of the drywall, to the insurers. They didn't find any real relief there.

Some of the banks, to their credit, have given some consideration, but it's not enough. We've got to act tonight in this House, and I trust that we will.

The bill takes China to task directly for failing to require their state-owned manufacturers to compensate the victims of their contaminated products. It expresses the undivided sense of Congress that the Government of China needs to make right and ensure that those who have lost so much are made whole.

As the chairwoman pointed out, clear labeling requirements are incorporated into the legislation; and by limiting the amount of elemental sulfur allowed in the drywall, it will ensure that drywall that is defective is not imported into this country. As a lighter, smarter regulation advocate, I am delighted that we have gone the route of voluntary standards. If we can go that direction, that's our preferred way above the regulatory approach. So we set up the industry, itself, to advance by setting industry standards that will apply as well to foreign manufactured drywall products, and we will protect our homeowners that way.

In closing, I just want to express again my sincere appreciation to all of those who have made it possible for us to bring the bill to the floor, and I trust and hope that we will pass it by unanimous consent tonight.

I particularly want to thank my friend and colleague from Florida, Representative Deutch, for his leadership in serving as the cochairman of our caucus.

You've just been terrific, and your staff has been terrific.

I also want to thank the majority and minority members and the staffs on the Energy and Commerce Committee who worked so hard to navigate a lot of challenges to get this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, this is commonsense legislation. It is much needed. I know these families and they are hurting. I trust and encourage my colleagues to do the right thing tonight--to advance this bill and to support it.

I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute, to honor, and to remember and celebrate the lives of American heroes. We're approaching a most sobering anniversary, August 6. This is the day 1 year ago when a Chinook helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, taking with it the lives of

so many, including five soldiers, three airmen, and 24 SEALs. It marks the most serious and heaviest loss of life for our SEAL community in their illustrious service to our country. Families across our Nation are hurting and will hurt not only on the anniversary but just as they remember their loved one.

So it is with great humility and just deep appreciation to the families of the fallen, our Gold Star families, to pause for a moment to rise and to honor their loved one.

Our colleague from Iowa, Steve King, entered into the Congressional Record a poem that was written specifically for this occasion. And I appreciate my colleague yielding just for the few minutes it will take to read the poem.

It is with a grateful heart that I read this poem, and I thank my colleague, Mr. King, for entering it into the Congressional Record. This is written from the vantage point of the following:

We Stood!

We!

Mr. Speaker, I arise today to recognize an important milestone in my community. On August 20, 2012, the Virginia Beach Police Department is hosting an event to honor Black Law Enforcement Pioneers from our area. Robert E.W. Sparrow, Mondoza Holloway, Clyde I. Siler, Alexander H. Woodhouse, Russell H. Lawrence, Charles Pace, Johnny E. Parks III, Warfield M. Wood and as many as 22 auxiliary police officers who patrolled Virginia Beach prior to 1969, will be honored for serving during a time when bigotry and racism ran rampant throughout our country. I want to thank these fine men for standing bravely in the face of hatred, and doing their jobs honorably. Because of men like these, America remains the greatest country in the world, where the bastions of liberty and freedom stand over those who wish to harm it. We can all learn from their outstanding character and commitment to doing what is right.

Mr. Speaker, I arise today to recognize the 30th anniversary of the Virginia Beach Crime Solvers. This organization has been a stalwart in our community and has been instrumental in keeping the streets of Virginia Beach safe. The partnership between the community, the Virginia Beach Police Department, and local media, is key to helping the Crime Solvers become one of the top crime solver organizations in the country. Since its inception in 1982, tips to Crime Solvers have resulted in over seven thousand arrests and fourteen thousand solved crimes. Their fine work led the Federal Bureau of Investigation to name Virginia Beach as the ``lowest violent crime rate city in the United States'' in 2010. I would like to thank the original Board of Directors: Chairman Al Craft; Vice Chairman John J. Kruger; Tom Gmitter, Secretary; Bob DeFord, Treasurer; and, Members Thomas C. Broyles, Mary Ellen Cox, Ed Crittenden, Glenn R. Croshaw, George Duvall, John Godfrey, Marlene J. Hager, Ernie Hyers, Clarence Keel, Bill Myers, Dennis O'Hearn, Ragan B. Pulley, Jr., Gerald Weimer, Roy Willman, Navy Captain Danny Michaels and Aaron Parsons. I also want to thank the current Board of Directors: Chairman Joe O'Brien; Vice Chairman Freddi E. Moody; Bonnie B. Capito, Secretary; Daniel D. Edwards, Treasurer; and Members Don Albee, Marie Bauckman, Ginger Carl, James H. Capps, Alfred W. Craft, III, Ross Forster, Dr. Valerio M. Genta; Nancy Guy, Carleen Lombardo, Roseann Lugar, Stuart Myers, Karl Nichols, Ragan B. Pulley, Jr., Chris Roberts, Laura Roland, Lawrence E. Ronan, Troy Snead, Ruth Ann Steenburgh, Thomas H. Thatcher, Donald R.Thrush, Marion Wall and Francis L. Warren, Jr. I am thankful to both groups for stepping forward when their community needed them. Because of these fine community leaders, our children and grandchildren continue to have the opportunity to grow up in a safe community. I congratulate them on 30 years of service and look forward to having the Virginia Beach Crime Solvers serve the community for many years to come.

Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues this morning to sound the alarm of a serious threat facing our country, one that has been addressed by this body and now awaits action by the Senate and the President. It is not an external threat, but one that is totally within our control. Known as sequestration, this sharp severe cut to our defense budget can and must be stopped.

The warnings from the Secretary of Defense and each of our service chiefs must be heeded. The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Greenert, described it this way. He said the cuts would do ``severe and irreversible damage'' to our Navy.

Madam Speaker, where is the President's outrage at this prospect? Where is his leadership in his role as Commander in Chief?

The House passed legislation which would stop the cuts. My amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act requires the Senate to address it head-on.

Madam Speaker, we've led. I truly believe that we've taken action to stop the cuts. The irrefutable truth is that the same is not true of the Senate and the administration.

Now, we have time to do what is right, but that time is short. I call on the President and the Senate to do what is right: to lead, to lead by example, to bring us together as a nation to stop the cuts. We must look to the future and shape the future, not look behind us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter a statement into the Record on behalf of my constituent, Dr. Israel Zoberman. Dr. Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also the president of the Hampton Roads Board of Rabbis and Cantors. Dr. Zoberman asked me to enter the following remarks into the Record regarding Chanaka. Dr. Zoberman's statement follows:

At the Shabbat morning service, June 30, at 10:30 a.m.,

followed by a festive luncheon, the family of Beth Chaverim

will joyfully celebrate its 30th anniversary which officially

falls on July 2. What a milestone in the history of our young

congregation that has endured and even flourished during

these three eventful decades of accomplishments!

I, a grateful founding rabbi, shall always remember and

cherish the transforming birth of what we affectionately

called, ``the baby.'' Much love and tenderness has been

bestowed upon the fast-growing ``baby,'' remaining the newest

synagogue in the exceptional community of Hampton Roads and

the only Reform Jewish temple in Virginia Beach. The

congregation's name, ``Beth Chaverim,'' was deliberately

chosen to reflect the very essence of what we wanted our

temple to be, an embracing ``House of Friends,'' whose birth

would always be justified by trying harder than others to

create a loving and accepting Jewish home for those choosing

to enter our gates and hearts. Admittedly, we have also

learned that we are only human and that the perfect vision of

our innocent youth was bound to be challenged by a complex

and, at times, trying reality.

It is though beyond doubt that our beloved Beth Chaverim

has generated multiple blessings onto its immediate

congregational family, the larger Jewish community and the

general one with interfaith bonds of historical significance.

For our first three years we were kindly hosted by the now

Heritage United Methodist Church, followed for ten years

(1985-1995) at the most gracious Catholic Church of the

Ascension, at that time the only such Jewish-Catholic

relationship in the world! While at the church I invited in

1993 Muslims to join in the first Jewish-Muslim joint prayer

in Hampton Roads, celebrating the beginning of the Peace

Process in the Middle East. Currently Beth Chaverim is home

to two African American churches, New Jerusalem Ministries

led by Dr. Veronica Coleman and Emmanuel Way of the Cross

Church led by Bishop Fred E. Hill. Another giant

breakthrough! Peace by Piece by Edmarc Hospice For Children

and Jewish Family Service of Tidewater meets here as well,

along with Boy Scouts Troop #488 that we sponsor.

I profoundly thank you, founding president Dr. Jerry and

Paula Levy, and all members of our Founding Generation, for

being such an indispensable part of our noble endeavors and

dreams, making possible our sacred work in progress. Your

faithful participation has nourished and sustained the

miracle called Beth Chaverim, a caring, courageous and

creative congregation! Our remarkable Bingo Bunch has made a

critical contribution. Our inspiring additions in 2006 of the

Marilyn and Marvin Simon Family Sanctuary and the Religious

School wing have made a significant difference, allowing us

to host the notable Yom Ha'Shoah gathering sponsored by the

Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of

Tidewater.

How appropriate and symbolic that our first ``home-grown''

rabbi, Sam Rose, Lora's son, was ordained on June 4th, 2012

in Cincinnati, Ohio, at my alma mater, the Hebrew Union

College-Jewish Institute of Religion, from which I was

ordained 38 years ago. We are proud of him, his wife Andrea,

Lora and the entire family. Rabbi Rose will serve at Temple

Beth Israel in Austin, Texas, as of July 1st.

A heartfelt Mazal Tov & Le'Chaim--To life for a great past

and even a greater future as we continue to go and grow from

strength to strength. My beloved wife Jennifer, soul-mate and

helpmate, founding rebbitzen, founding president Dr. Jerry

and Paula Levy, president Nate and Janet Rubin, immediate

past-president Chris and Dr. Jim Ohlstein, along with past-

president Dr. Marty and Judi Snyder, join me in offering

heartfelt gratitude on truly a grand Simcha celebration of a

very special ``baby.''

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this is a job-creating amendment. It reflects the wisdom and truly the will of the good folks of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and specifically within the great district that I have the privilege of serving and representing, the Second Congressional District of Virginia.

The House of Delegates of the Commonwealth of Virginia have made it clear that they really believe we need to move forward with coastal Virginia energy. The same is true of the Virginia Senate. And just today, we received a letter of strong support from Governor McDonnell, of which I'm very grateful for his support of this amendment. It has tremendous opportunity to put folks to work.

In this very Chamber, Mr. Chairman, I recall vividly our President, President Obama, saying that he was an all-of-the-above President, and I truly think I was one of the first to leap to my feet in full support. We have really failed the American people over the last many decades in moving this country toward energy independence. So I leapt to my feet. I was clapping. Yet I'm unable to reconcile what he's saying with the painful reality--and Virginia, too.

There's a full moratorium on the responsible exploration and harvesting of Virginia's coastal Virginia energy. In my view, Mr. Chairman, this is a full moratorium on job creation, and that means there's a full moratorium on the tax revenues that we need for healthier schools and better roads. So this amendment is directed right at that to break through and create action where, at present, there's a full moratorium.

The way the amendment works is very simple. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to include Virginia in the 5-year oil and leasing plan. My amendment requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct Lease Sale 220 within 1 year of enactment.

Again, the word that comes to my mind is ``action''--``definitive action.'' This is what the American people want. This is what the good folks of Virginia's Second Congressional District want. It helps, in part, to move us

away from the dependence on countries for our oil, many of which their values are diametrically opposed to ours, and we can do this in an environmentally responsible way.

I will yield to the chairman.

I thank the chairman for his support. I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill. These are life-changing jobs. There's tremendous potential, and we can do this in a very environmentally responsible way.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, I believe that our duty to our country and our men and women in uniform requires us to do everything in our power to prevent sequestration. Sequestration is not a rational course correction, but instead it is a violent, sudden, and severe budget cut, the adverse consequences of which cannot be overstated. Sequestration creates undeniable havoc in production, personnel, and in contract administration. If allowed to become reality, only two groups will benefit: our Nation's enemies and the legions of lawyers who will be engaged in endless litigation against the Federal Government.

To be clear, these are not the cuts often debated in reference to the President's budget. Sequestration cuts to defense are in addition to those cuts, the sum of the two, totaling nearly $1 trillion over 10 years. Now, even if one holds the view that defense spending must come down, this is not the method in any respect to accomplish that objective.

My amendment allows us to avert sequestration. Specifically, the 2013 sequester is eliminated consistent with the House-passed budget, provided one of two events happen: first, reconciliation legislation required by the budget resolution is enacted; or, two, legislation offsetting, within 5 years, the cost of the fiscal year 2013 discretionary sequester and the fiscal year 2013 sequester of defense mandatory programs is enacted.

It also requires a report on the impact of sequestration prior to it taking effect, which is crucial.

This amendment is critical to preventing sequestration, which must be done if we are to meet our obligation to defend this great country; and the men and women who are truly defending this country are the men and women in uniform. So I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time to my friend and colleague, the chairman of the Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of the amendment and thank my colleagues--Mr. Landry, Mr. Gohmert, and Mr. Goodlatte--for their hard work and their strong leadership on this important issue. I also want to thank the chairman for incorporating the Rigell-Landry bill in the underlying bill, the Right to Habeas Corpus Act.

The amendment before us this evening provides absolute clarity that every American has full protection under, and access to, the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus. Specifically, it requires that a detained person has the ability to file an application for habeas corpus relief in an appropriate district court no later than 30 days after the date on which the person was placed in military custody.

Further, it requires that the administration--current and those to follow--that Congress is notified within 48 hours of a person having been detained under the AUMF in the United States.

The 30-day access to habeas corpus and the 48-hour reporting requirement strengthen the underlying bill. They strengthen liberty.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize, to honor, and to pay tribute to the life of Bishop Barnett K. Thoroughgood, founder of New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ in Virginia Beach, who passed away too early from this Earth in February. He was a man of God, an inspiring leader, a tremendous, positive influence in our community, and a truly outstanding American.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to please help me welcome his family here today, his wife of 39 years, Ernestine; son, Jonathan; daughter, Mekia; handsome grandson, Caleb--who was just in my office--and many other distinguished guests who have come with the family today.

I think the measure of a man or a woman is the legacy they leave to their children, and the legacy left by Bishop Thoroughgood is exemplary. The good bishop dedicated his life to serving God, his fellow man, and his community. He was a titan in the field of human rights. He was loved by fellow clergy and the community in which he served. He was a truly gifted speaker, and he used that gift to be a blessing to others. This is what was written about the bishop in the Virginia Pilot:

Bishop Thoroughgood liked to say he started preaching at

the age of five, when he spent many days sharing Jesus with

the prison work crews that came to clean ditches in his

Seatack neighborhood. At 20 years old, he started the New

Jerusalem Church of God in Christ. Across his career, he

received many educational honors leading to his doctorate of

ministry. He served as the district superintendent to the

Virginia Beach district and second administrative assistant

to Bishop Samuel L. Greene, Jr.

He was amazingly active in the community and received so many awards that if I read them out today, I think it would fill the Congressional Record.

He also served as a member of the Virginia Beach Clergy Association and Ministerial Alliance. He was the founder and president of the Hampton Roads Ecumenical Council of Bishops. He led mission trips to Haiti and outreach to the poor.

His sermons were literally broadcast around the world. So many were touched by his words, which I think explains why at the wake the night before his funeral 2,500 people were there, and 4,000 folks showed up to the funeral. I was honored to share just a few words with the family.

I just ask that God would bless the family and watch over them, give them peace, and that the message that the bishop had lived his life conveying would be continued. That truly is the way, I believe, we honor the bishop's life is by continuing his work, his compassion for others, his commitment to making sure that all Americans cross the finish line, always centered on family, always centered on God, and always mindful of his obligations as an American.

Bishop Thoroughgood leaves to cherish his memories, again, his lovely wife, Ernestine Thoroughgood; his sons, Bertram, Emmanuel, and Jonathan; daughter, Mekia; four brothers--large family, wonderful family that we had here this morning--five grandchildren, and many children they've adopted and helped through the social services foster care program; the New Jerusalem Church family; and the members of the Church of God in Christ worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, I close as I began, just knowing that it's a high honor to pay tribute to his life. I think it embodies the very best of what it means to be an American, to be part of our Hampton Roads community, and to be a Virginian.

So with that, I ask God's continued grace on the family.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I rise tonight, Madam Speaker, in strong support of the NDAA that we'll vote on this week. And I also rise to really sound the alarm, Madam Speaker, about a budgetary cut to our Defense Department that is looming. It's right around the corner. And early January of next year, if not averted, it would have a most serious and detrimental impact on our ability to defend our great country. And I want to talk about that and share this with the American people. It's a matter of serious and grave importance, and it really should be understood by every American.

Now, Madam Speaker, I have the great privilege of serving and representing the Second District of Virginia, southeast corner, all the Eastern Shore, all of Virginia Beach, a good part of Norfolk and a bit of Hampton. Includes the Norfolk Naval Air Station, Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk Naval Air Station Oceania, with the Dam Neck Annex, the Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek, Fort Story, Joint Base Langley, Eustis, Wallace Island Surface Combat Systems.

The 1 percent, they live in our district, they serve in our district. You see them in the lines at a Starbucks or the restaurants and businesses around town. They're hardworking men and women. They love their country, and they serve with great distinction.

Indeed, it's the district, of all 435, it has the highest concentration of men and women in uniform of all 435 districts. And it really is a high honor and really a high responsibility and duty to serve and represent the Second District.

I completely identify with my friend, the gentleman from New York, when the gentleman was referring to how he was inspired by his father's service. Indeed, that's why I sought this office is to honor my father's service, who was in World War II as a marine at Iwo Jima, and really the generation he represents, and also to meet the deep obligation that we have to our grandchildren and our children, and that is to pass on the blessings of liberty and freedom. And the principal way we do that is by meeting our constitutional duty to defend this great country.

Where we're headed, in January of next year, is in direct conflict with us meeting that deep obligation, the cuts that potentially will come if we don't avert it, and I'm doing everything I can with my colleagues here tonight to avert that. The formal term is ``sequestration.'' And as a businessman, I refer to it as a violent reduction. It's between 8 and 12 percent reduction. And it happens immediately.

Even for those who believe that our budget for defense ought to be less, there's no person that I know of that would agree that this is the responsible way to do it.

Now, as I look for leadership, the House has passed a mechanism by which sequestration would be completely averted and, indeed, I have already introduced an amendment to the NDAA which will come to the floor and I hope will pass, which will incorporate that mechanism into the NDAA, so a vote for the NDAA is also a vote to avert sequestration.

To put this in perspective, in addition to the $487 billion that was reduced by the President's budget, this is another $492 billion. It's almost a $1 trillion reduction over 10 years. It would have disastrous consequences for soldiers, veterans, national security and the economy.

I'll share with you a few examples of, really, the practical implications of this and how detrimental they are: the smallest ground force since 1940; a fleet of fewer than 230 ships when we know that our maritime needs are not decreasing--they're increasing--principally, in the Pacific. Now, that would be the smallest level since 1915; the smallest tactical fighter force in the history of the Air Force.

I know that there are other Representatives here tonight, my colleagues, who want to speak on this issue, so I want to close with this thought: I mentioned earlier that leadership is really about setting a clear and compelling vision for our country and then laying out that it's incumbent upon that person to also have a practical plan--the steps that the country needs to take to make that vision a reality.

I am very proud of the House in that we passed a comprehensive plan to do just that. As I look at where the administration is, there truly isn't a plan, and our Commander in Chief has not risen to address sequestration. In fact, he has made it clear that he would veto efforts to avert sequestration. I look to the Senate, and there is absolutely no action coming out of there. It hasn't passed a budget in over 1,000 days.

I am respectfully asking the American people to look at the record. I believe we are an imperfect party in that we haven't done everything just right, yet the record is clear: We have a plan; it's there; it has been passed. In the Senate, there is no plan. The administration really has no plan particularly when it comes to averting sequestration.

So, when my amendment comes to the floor tomorrow--or whenever it does hit the floor--I trust that my colleagues will see the wisdom of incorporating that into the NDAA. It would avert sequestration. This needs to happen in order to meet the deep obligation that we have to every American in order to honor the veterans who have served, to honor those veterans who are serving now and our gold star families--those who have lost loved ones in service to our country. I trust and believe we will do the right thing.

I thank the gentlelady, my friend. It's a pleasure and a privilege to serve with the gentlelady on the House Armed Services Committee. I appreciate her leadership on the House Armed Services Committee and in holding this time tonight to talk about just the critical subject of defending this great country.

Just last night, I was with Congressman Forbes and Congressman Wittman in Chesapeake, Virginia, listening for over an hour to local contractors speaking about how this looming issue of sequestration is already affecting not only our larger economy in our region, but also just our ability to defend our great country. Companies are making decisions right now and critical and talented people are being laid off right now in advance of the sequestration that very well could occur in January of next year.

If I go back to my previous comments, I was talking about the failure of leadership, as I see it, the administration and also the Senate, because it's so important to understand kind of how we got here. In the role of Commander in Chief, it is really incumbent upon the President, in my view, to articulate and put forth a plan that would avert what his Secretary of Defense has made so clear is completely unacceptable. The level of cuts, the severity of the cuts, the suddenness of the cuts is really what we're referring to here. It's not the almost half a trillion that was already proposed in the administration's budget. That's bad enough. We're here tonight, I think in part, to sound the alarm to the American people that this is an additional almost half a trillion dollars of cuts. Mr. Speaker, you cannot build 90 percent of a submarine; you cannot build 90 percent of a carrier. It will be a legal nightmare. Contracts will have to be broken and then renegotiated. It will be a quagmire from just a legal standpoint.

So I thank the gentlelady for yielding and for the opportunity to again address this critical issue. And I call upon the administration and I call upon the Senate to meet the House where we are, which is to put forth specific plans. This is leadership.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter a statement into the Record on behalf of my constituent, Dr. Israel Zoberman. Dr. Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also the president of the Hampton Roads Board of Rabbis and Cantors. Dr. Zoberman asked me to enter the following remarks into the Record recognizing Elie Wiesel. Dr. Zoberman's statement follows:

``With over 50 books to his illustrious credit, Elie Wiesel continues to bless us at age 84 with his multiple pursuits, including recently as a musician of his childhood songs and melodies. If anyone deserves the honorary appellation of ``Our Teacher and Rabbi'' these unsettling times of post-Holocaust perplexities for Jew and Gentile, it is this distinguished yet humble survivor of the Holocaust's unique tragedy, calling upon us to bear sacred witness with Zachor's undying remembrance. He emerged from the ``Kingdom Of The Night'' resolved to help save humanity, struggling with his shaken faith in his early classic ``Night,'' while contending with his brethren's fate in Soviet captivity in ``Jews Of Silence,'' ever faithful to his rich Jewish moorings as well as universal culture.

Wiesel, a 1986 Nobel Peace Laureate--he should receive one for literature too--is on the very short list of those serving as humanity's conscience. He courageously speaks out for human rights in addition to his ``Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity,'' and academic work as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. Among many awards and honors, this great American and humanitarian is a recipient of the United States Congressional Gold Medal along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and is the 1980 Founding Chairman of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, receiving on May 16th, 2011, the first U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Award, the museum's highest honor, now bearing Wiesel's name. He turned down, reportedly, in 2007 the sure opportunity to become Israel's President.

Wiesel's latest literary gem, ``The Sonderberg Case,'' is a suspenseful Holocaust related novel reflecting his being at home both

in the vineyard of Jewish knowledge as well as general philosophy and literature. Wiesel is the Founding President of the Universal Academy of Cultures. In the book, Werner Sonderberg's grandpa, and unrepentant ex-Nazi officer of the notorious Einsatzgruppen, boasts to his grandson of his murderous record and only regretting that Hitler lost the war with hope of yet a future victory. My own maternal aunt, Bas-Malka Bobrov Gurvitz, husband Shachne and children Aharon, 14, Yisrael, 12, and Rochel-Leah, 2, were murdered in Sarny, the Ukraine, on August 27 28, 1942, among 14,000 Jews by the Einsatzgruppen and their collaborators.

My grandma Esther Bobrov was killed by German air bombs when on the run with my mother, Chasia, from their hometown Sarny. My great- grandparents, Rabbi Yaacov and Dena Manzies Zoberman from Zamosc, Poland, perished in the Belzec death camp and great-grandparents Yitzchak and Zipora Anker were also among the many victims from both family sides, of the 6 million martyrs with its million and a half children. Five million Gentiles were murdered by the Nazis with World War II claiming the lives of 50 million. My uncle, Emanuel Zoberman, who was a member of a Russian attached Polish commando unit, helped liberate Poland and was killed while crossing the Oder River.

My father, Yechiel Zoberman, served in the Russian Army for five years, fighting on the outskirts of Moscow and St. Petersburg (Leningrad), among other battles. We cherish the enormous sacrifices of the heroic American military and all the Allied Forces, along with Righteous Gentiles who stepped forward to protect human dignity and honor.

Wiesel applies the Holocaust's awesome lessons of guilt and responsibility, resonating in the anguished sharing of his German students at Boston University, as well as those of healing and hope, to the lingering conflict between Palestinians and Israelis while trying to acknowledge all concerned and seeking to protect the ``The Other'' that both sides have suffered from. He probingly reflects on the opposite polls and messages of Auschwitz and Jerusalem, altering and sensitizing us toward mutually respectful and professional relations, and that what we do bears moral consequence. Wiesel eases the burden of memory without diluting its sacred essence.

The outstanding Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater of which I have been a proud member for many years, sponsors this season the 15th annual Elie Wiesel Writing Competition and the 10th annual Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition. Teachers' Awards for Excellence in Holocaust Education are also given out at an inspiring annual gathering of commemoration. A new documentary, ``What We Carry,'' featuring four local survivors, Dana Cohen, Kitty Saks and of blessed memory David Katz and Hanns Loewenbach, has already received high acclaim.

So close to recalling the destruction of 2/3 of European Jewry--a 1/3 of world Jewry--which has reduced the potential of the Jewish people and humanity, we celebrate this year the 64th anniversary of the only Jewish state, The State of Israel, that is America's very special democratic ally in an uncertain world. With its deep historical roots in the Middle East from whence its prophets challenged humanity with the message of universal shalom, the reestablished Third Jewish Commonwealth absorbed the remnant of Holocaust survivors and dispersed Jews from over 100 countries and diverse cultures, bound together by shared faith and fate. It has set a high bar with its astonishing accomplishments in all fields of human endeavor in spite of mighty existential threats, as it rose from the ashes of a consuming Holocaust following a most trying history of exile and denial, with its survival vow, ``Never Again!''

In the midst of a still raging ``Arab Spring'' with the Syrian slaughter continuing and the international community doing so little, a reminder of the Holocaust's years of deafening silence, Israel's flourishing democracy and loadable stability stand out in a region lacking both, as a beacon of hope and noble example. Iran, whose theocratic leaders are Holocaust deniers calling for Israel's destruction, is a threat to the entire world. It is the world's largest exporter of terrorism seeking a nuclear capability to further its goals of de-stabilization and dominion, and being able to conclude what Hitler began.''

I thank the gentleman from Utah.

Mr. Speaker, it's a real privilege today to speak on behalf of the bill that I'm introducing. It is indeed a jobs bill. It is a bill that reflects common sense. It's a bill that reflects common ground. And I think, importantly, it reflects the wisdom and the will of the good, hardworking residents of Accomack County in Virginia, whom I have the privilege of representing. It enjoyed bipartisan support in coming out of committee, and it enjoys and should enjoy and merits today bipartisan support when it comes before the full House for a vote.

Here's why if it's passed it will work toward job creation. Unlike so many measures that some have proposed, instead of looking to Washington to actually spend more money or for Washington to do something, the folks of Accomack County are simply asking for the Federal Government to get out of the way and allow the greatest job-producing engine the world has ever known, Mr. Speaker, the American entrepreneur, to go forward and to put hardworking folks to work and put precious and limited capital to work.

This bill simply removes a deed restriction. That's all it does. And this deed restriction is, in effect, a restriction on job creation. It's a restriction on much needed tax revenue that this county so desperately needs. Sixteen percent unemployment; sixteen percent of the folks there live at the poverty level.

Accomack County is 90 percent agricultural, a bit of tourism, and then the NASA Wallops Facility. This piece of property is adjacent to the NASA Wallops Facility; and presently, with this deed restriction, they can't use it at all for any economic growth or opportunity. Removing this deed restriction will allow the board of supervisors there to move forward with their Wallops Research Park. They are desperate to get this done, and I am ready to help them today.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, this bill enjoyed bipartisan support in committee. It does not require any money coming from the Federal Government. We're simply asking for the Federal Government to get out of the way and let the hardworking folks of Accomack County get on with job creation.