Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, yesterday we heard the new president of Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, discuss the challenge her country faces from the greatest threat to human health in the world. It wasn't AIDS, tuberculosis, even the people shot and bombed in armed conflict. It was the needless death from water-bourne disease. It is why one half the people who are sick today are ill. It has claimed more lives than all the wars in human history.

Today we start the World Water Forum in Mexico City. Currently; the State Department is at work preparing a plan for the United States to meet its commitment to safe drinking water and sanitation around the world. I hope our Congress reflects upon our responsibility to prevent this needless death, and that we step up to adequately fund these important programs in our foreign aid budget.

Mr. Chairman, there are important provisions in the supplemental appropriations that I support. Funding for upgraded military vehicles and tanks in Iraq will help protect troops and the National Guard. There is funding for programs such as Community Development Block Grants which will help in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. I'm proud to have helped lead Congressional efforts requesting the administration to include funding for peacekeeping in Darfur. This supplemental includes $253 million for these efforts in Sudan.

However, I cannot support this bill collectively and as a supplemental that is outside of the regular order of the budget process. It is time we take the budget process seriously and get our spending priorities in order.

This is the largest supplemental appropriations measure ever considered by the House of Representatives at nearly $92 billion. The bulk of this spending, $68 billion, is for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These efforts have now been ongoing for years and I will not support the administration's and Republican leadership's attempts to camouflage hundreds of billions of dollars by handling it through supplemental bills, which are for unexpected or emergency items. Most of this spending is neither unexpected nor emergency in nature.

The administration is asking Congress to raise the debt ceiling another $781 billion on top of the current $8.2 trillion limit and the House refuses to have a separate vote accepting responsibility to pay for its reckless fiscal policies. This supplemental spending bill is

a symbol for an administration and Congress that refuse to take our fiscal situation seriously.

Mr. Speaker, our security depends on the President changing the course in Iraq. Last November, I released a plan to do just this by carrying out a phased redeployment of U.S. troops starting with bringing the National Guard home and refocusing our political, diplomatic and reconstruction efforts. Today, having received a good deal of support for my plan, I am introducing the First Step to Redeployment Act of 2006 which would put my plan into practice by beginning the redeployment of U.S. armed forces from Iraq. This legislation will begin the redeployment of our troops with the National Guard because they also have an important role here at home, fighting forest fires, providing hurricane relief, and keeping our country safe.

Our challenge now is to learn from our mistakes in Iraq and make the appropriate adjustments to our strategy. However, the Iraq conflict is only the beginning of our challenge. We face very real strategic threats from North Korea to Iran and we need thoughtful, moral, and honest efforts to deal with them.

Mr. Speaker, hailing from the Oregon climate of a small state legislature where political openness and integrity is highly prized, I have been pained by both the recent revelations in Congress of wrongdoing and the inability of the Congressional ethics process to operate in an effective manner. The House has long been in need of a comprehensive solution to the oversight of Members' ethical conduct. Sadly, it has necessitated a series of egregious violations by Members to bring this issue to the forefront of public attention. The current proposals, however, do not address the core issue behind the ethics problem--oversight.

Today, I am proud to introduce with my colleague and fellow Oregonian, Greg Walden, the ``Ethics Reform Act of 2006.'' While it is the responsibility of each and every Member of Congress to adhere to the spirit of the law, as a practical matter, history shows there needs to be additional enforcement and oversight. Unfortunately, history also shows that the expectation for Congress to oversee the conduct of its Members is unrealistic. The ``Ethics Reform Act of 2006'' would create an independent Ethics Commission, appointed by Congress, that would objectively oversee and bring charges against Members of Congress who violate the rules.

Congress needs an independent ethics review process, similar to that found in many states. We need an independent panel that can make independent decisions without worrying about the effect those decisions will have on its members' political futures. We need an independent panel whose members understand the reality of public service and the need to ensure the integrity of that service through adherence to the rules. We need an independent panel that can meet the test of public scrutiny and restore trust that today is missing.

This bill would replace the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct with an 11-member outside Ethics Commission and a full-time professional staff to provide oversight, investigations and recommendations for ethical enforcement. Each of the members would be former House members--five from each party--who have been out of office at least 2 years and an 11th member appointed by the consensus of the other 10. These Commission members would bring the experience of public service and the understanding of the complexity of our duties.

Professional staff, headed by an executive director, would serve the Ethics Commission. The Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader of the House would choose the executive director in a manner similar to the appointment of the director of the Congressional Budget Office. The executive director would serve for a seven-year term and could be reappointed only once.

In addition to taking over the investigation and review functions of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the Lobbying Disclosure Act would be brought under the Commission's jurisdiction. The new ethics panel would maintain all records and ensure compliance with reporting requirements and rules.

Any recommendations of the ethics panel beyond advisory opinions, letters of reproval and admonishment would go to the full House. Actions that fall short of official discipline would not require action of the House.

In reviewing both lobbyist disclosures and member disclosures, the Commission would review for potential joint financial interests between the two. Additionally, this bill mandates quarterly posting of lobbyist disclosures on the internet for easy public scrutiny.

Current Members of Congress will no longer be obligated with the task of policing their peers--a task which Members do not have the proper amount of time or impartiality to perform. It is time for the American people's faith in Congress to be restored. The ``Ethics Reform Act of 2006'' has the power to allow the Congressional oversight process to work in the fair, efficient, and transparent manner that many of us seek and our constituents demand.

Mr. Speaker, my support for this resolution is reluctant because, while I believe that allowing military recruiters

equal access to institutions of higher education is beneficial to both the military and the students, I am also strongly opposed to policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, such ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'' This policy has deprived the military of over 10,000 highly trained soldiers during a time of war and continues to cost the government millions of dollars in wasted training and enforcement costs. If we want to bridge the divide between the military and universities, we should, instead of passing resolutions like H. Con. Res. 354, pass H.R. 1059, the ``Military Readiness Enhancement Act,'' which, by repealing ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'' would end the dispute over equal access for military recruiters. At the end of the day, our security is best served by giving all qualified Americans the freedom to serve our country.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we were able to take some small yet important steps to improve livability across the country in this Miscellaneous Trade Bill. The bill includes a section allowing three streetcars manufactured in the Czech Republic to enter the United States duty free (there are no domestic producers of streetcars). These streetcars are additions to a system in Portland, Oregon that is undergoing expansion. The current system has led to $2.2 billion in new development within three blocks of the streetcar corridor and ridership is up to 2.8 million per year.

There are also a handful of provisions that allow several types of bicycle parts and components for which there is no major U.S. producer to be imported duty free. The transportation reauthorization bill that passed last year does much to make cycling safer and more accessible to communities across the country. The provisions in this trade bill will help make bikes and accessories more affordable to the increasing number of riders nationwide, especially school children taking advantage of the new federal Safe Routes to School program.

I strongly support these provisions.

Mr. Chairman, I am deeply disturbed by this proposal that would strip away states' ability to protect their citizens' food supply. Today's consideration of the ``National Food Uniformity Act'' represents the fourth time this bill has been considered since I have come to Congress. Congress and the public have repeatedly shown that they are opposed to the weakening of food safety laws, and yet we are forced to continue this debate.

Each year, food-borne illnesses result in 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. This bill would nullify approximately 200 state laws aimed at reducing the incidence of these food-borne illnesses.

It's shameful that this bill does not create any uniform safety standards, but simply strips away states' rights to protect their residents. I'm sympathetic to some manufacturers' concerns about the burdens of multiple labeling

and food standards. However, state food safety regulations have protected millions of American consumers and I cannot support legislation that does not put in place any comparable national standards.

Madam Speaker, I strongly oppose S. 2271, Additional Reauthorizing Amendments to the PATRIOT Act. This legislation fails to address any of the core fundamental flaws with the original PATRIOT Act and makes controversial provisions permanent which threaten American's civil liberties. By making the sunset provisions permanent, we are losing the opportunity for a meaningful review.

Time and time again, we have extended the reauthorization deadline in an effort to fix the flaws and yet once more we have brought forth legislation that compromises our civil rights in exchange for government control.

As we saw last year, the administration was cavalier with domestic spying through the National Security Administration. Their ability to undermine the American public should worry my colleagues and makes me question the reasoning behind giving additional authority with the USA Patriot Act.

In S. 2271, a recipient of national security letters (NSL) is able to challenge a nondisclosure (gag) order but they must wait a year until they can file a petition and that order can be renewed indefinitely at the government's discretion, making it harder to challenge.

In addition, S. 2271 fails to provide meaningful protection for the privacy of library patrons and library records. It exempts libraries that operate in their traditional role, but does not exempt those who use or offer electronic communication services such as Internet access.

This legislation gives the administration too much flexibility and does not force Congress to review the act as needed. In a country that prides itself on civil rights and freedom of speech we must have the ability to question and modify legislation. We must maintain a system with checks and balances to ensure that our government works for our citizens in a transparent way.

The lack of transparency is further demonstrated with the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act. Methamphetamine has taken Oregon, as well as this country, by storm. I fully support efforts to combat this epidemic; however, I will not vote for the egregious PATRIOT Act just because it includes methamphetamine provisions. This is a cheap tactic and we should not be using victims of this epidemic as political chess pieces.

I have no doubt that we can keep America safe without compromising our civil liberties. Sadly, the bill does compromise our rights.

Mr. Speaker, President Kennedy once stated that ``Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.'' As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps, the truth of that statement is confirmed every day by the outstanding group of men and women promoting international understanding and progress across the globe.

During this National Peace Corps Week, I want to honor the service and commitment of the Peace Corps Volunteers from Oregon's 3rd Congressional district and express my pride in my fellow Oregonians who have chosen to devote years of their lives in service to others.

In particular, I want to recognize the current Peace Corps Volunteers whose service began in the past year: Ethan Choi (Bulgaria), Katie Conlon (Mali), Nancy Davis (Mexico), Rebecca Inman (Madagascar), Michael Lemmo (Ecuador), Cara McCarthy (Madagascar), Chris Pexton (Namibia), Jonathan Ruff (Costa Rica), Patrick Schmidt (Namibia), Candace Watson (Swaziland), Delores Watts (Malawi), Kimberly Wells (Malawi), and Malia Wetcher (Mozambique).

Their work to empower people and communities in developing countries is a crucial contribution to creating a safe and prosperous world, building bridges between America and the world, and establishing a better future for people everywhere.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present for the votes on Wednesday, February 15, 2006, I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall Vote 10: I would have voted in favor of H.R. 4745, making supplemental appropriations for FY 2006 for the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program.

Rollcall Vote 11: I would have voted in favor of S. Con. Res. 79, expressing the sense of Congress that no United States assistance should be provided directly to the Palestinian Authority if any representative political party holding a majority of parliamentary seats within the Palestinian Authority maintains a position calling for the destruction of Israel.

Had I been present for the votes on Thursday, February 16, 2006, I would have voted as follows: .

Rollcall Vote 12: I would have voted in favor of H. Con. Res. 341, condemning the Government of Iran for violating its international nuclear nonproliferation obligations and expressing support for efforts to report Iran to the United Nations Security Council.

Rollcall Vote 13: I would have voted against the ruling of the Chair tabling the privileged resolution by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on the budget reconciliation spending cuts legislation.

Mr. Speaker, had I been present for the votes on Wednesday, February 8, 2006, I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall Vote 7: I would have voted in favor of the motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 4297, the Tax Relief Extension Reconciliation Act. I strongly support the extension of the ``patch'' for the Alternative Minimum Tax, AMT, which helps middle income taxpayers who are being unfairly drawn into paying higher taxes.

Rollcall Vote 6: I would have voted in favor of H. Res 657, honoring the contributions of Catholic schools.

Rollcall Vote 5: I would have voted in favor of H. Res. 670, congratulating the National Football League champion Pittsburgh Steelers for winning Super Bowl XL.

Had I been present for the votes on Wednesday, February 1, 2006, I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall Vote 4: I would have voted against H. Res. 653, providing for consideration of the budget reconciliation bill for fiscal year 2006, S. 1932. I strongly oppose the Republican budget reconciliation.

Rollcall Vote 3: I would have voted in favor of H. Res. 648, to eliminate floor privileges and access to Member exercise facilities for registered lobbyists who are former Members of officers of the House.

Rollcall Vote 2: I would have voted against the ruling of the chair on the McDermott point of order stating that the provisions of H. Res. 653 violate the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by imposing an unfunded mandate.

Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to introduce this resolution congratulating the 2005 University of Portland

women's soccer team for winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I National Championship. The Pilots completed an undefeated season, capturing the National Championship by scoring four goals in their final game against the University of California, Los Angeles.

Not only is this the University of Portland's second championship in four years, but the 2005 season was the most successful for the team to date. The Pilots set the University's women's soccer record with an undefeated season.

The story of the 2005 season is illustrated with broken records. The loyal fans of the University of Portland set the NCAA season attendance record for both men's and women's soccer teams and led the Nation in average home attendance.

There is no way one could speak to the accomplishments of the University of Portland soccer program without heralding the amazing talent of the coaching staff, both past and present. The program was brought to excellence by the late Clive Charles who was respected by soccer enthusiasts worldwide. In 2002, Charles led the Pilots to their first ever championship in any sport. Sadly, Charles died in 2003 from complications of prostate cancer.

With Head Coach Garrett Smith now at the helm, the Pilots have continued their superiority on the soccer field. Coach Smith has devoted 18 honorable years to the University of Portland soccer program, both as a player and a coach, and his ability to lead his team with creativity and vision has earned him great respect.

I wish warm congratulations to every player, coach, student, alumnus, faculty member, and supporter of the University of Portland. There is much to celebrate up on the ``Bluff' and the women's soccer team is a great example of the excellence the University produces and I hope you will join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this measure and I appreciate the leadership that has been exhibited by Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Oxley, and Mr. Ney. The Committee on Financial Services is trying to get this right. It provides a back drop as the story of Katrina continues to unfold.

Our Republican colleagues are going to put together a critique that is somewhat hard hitting. But the real failure is not just limited to the administration's response and problems with FEMA. The real failure is a much greater policy failure.

Over a long period of time, a variety of circumstances have put people at risk. The tragedy is that we are not better equipped today. There will be another catastrophic natural disaster before we have actually finished the job with Katrina. God forbid that there be a terrorist act on top of it.

Now, this bill provides an opportunity for a simple mid-course correction that would be a longer-term reform of the flood insurance program. As Mr. Frank of Massachusetts mentioned, I have been working on this for the last 6 years officially with some limited success. I understand some of the difficulties and the reluctance, I am pleased that we are making some progress, but it is long past time to be timid. We know what to do. We face a disaster zone from the California coast to the tip of Florida. Drought, flames, storms, a whole mixture of issues are what we are going to be facing. We should be having something on the floor soon like the bill offered by our colleague from Louisiana, Mr. Baker. And for heaven's sake, we need to be trying to look in a comprehensive form to be sure that we do not end up making the same sort of mistakes.

Today we are going to vote on increasing the borrowing authority. It is appropriate. I will vote for it. There is no way that we can have the rate payers absorb these catastrophic events. But I am extremely disappointed that somehow the bill we have before us does not have the measures to include more people to participate in the program, spread the financial risk, make people safer, and make participation mandatory.

In the hearings that took place in the other body this month, there was near unanimous support from groups as wide ranging as the National Taxpayers Union, the Association of Floodplain Managers, the National Wildlife Federation, the Consumer Federation, on and on. They know that we want to reduce or eliminate subsidies for people living in the most hazardous areas and for second homes.

We need to expand the mandatory purchase requirements for people who live behind levees and experience residual risk. We need to fully support FEMA's efforts to update flood plain maps and include areas beyond the hundred-year flood plain.

We finally have implemented the reforms made in the Flood Insurance Act of 2004. I appreciate the hard work that the Financial Services Committee did in putting the spotlight on FEMA and working with our friends in other committees. But we need now for FEMA to promulgate the regulations to implement it, otherwise the reform is meaningless.

We cannot overstate the importance of mitigation. FEMA and the Multi- hazard Mitigation Council just released a report on the benefits of mitigation, which found that for every dollar spent, our government saves an average of $4. The insane system we have here now, however, is that mitigation costs Mr. Obey and costs Mr. Lewis of California hard dollars. If it is in a supplemental, billions of dollars come in and they are off budget and that is easier. We have got to change that as well.

We do ourselves no favors by lowering our sights, tempering our expectations, and failing to do what we know how to do in the best interests of the taxpayer and the people who are in harm's way. Delay will simply mean more lives lost, more property damage. It will cost the taxpayer more money, not under the limits that the Appropriations Committee operates under; but it will be taxpayer money nonetheless.

We continue the cycle of responding after the fact to disasters instead of doing everything beforehand to fulfill our obligations and to act in the best interests of our constituents everywhere.

I echo the words of Mr. Frank of Massachusetts: I hope this is the last time we have legislation of this nature before us. I appreciate the subcommittee's hard work, and I for one will support it today; but I add my voice as someone who will fight like the devil one more suboptimal effort.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great irony that the day of Coretta Scott King's passage is the same day 141 years ago that the House of Representatives passed the 13th amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery. That the Constitutional amendment passed by but two votes during the time of our Civil War reminds us that the issue of fighting for equality and against racial discrimination has been a pitched battle throughout our history.

The widow of Dr. Martin Luther King was in the forefront of the revolution of progress and heartbreak. She will be remembered as woman of great courage and dignity whose role in this great civil rights movement is only now being fully appreciated. I join with the Nation in extending condolences to the King family and in honoring the life of Coretta Scott King.

Mr. Speaker, There's a lot of talk about ``savings'' associated with this budget reconciliation, but let's be honest with ourselves and our children. This Congress continues to add to our $8 trillion national debt. Nothing is being done here that is making any serious attempt to balance the national budget. Any reduction to our budget deficit will be more than offset by the tax cuts that Congress is still negotiating.

What makes matters worse are the programs being targeted to pay for these tax cuts. Republican leadership is cutting federal child-support enforcement aid, reducing states' capacity to help families make sure that children get the financial support they are owed. Student loans are the subject of some of the largest cuts, $16 billion over 5 years.

This budget cuts programs that help protect the financial well-being of our children and grandchildren; cuts that help them cope with an increasingly expensive education. Even worse, this budget will then add to the national debt that these future generations will have to payoff.

It is a sad day for this country and a poor reflection on this Congress when our children will inherit a worse world because of what we do here today. This situation is a result of the Republican leadership's inability to legislate. Honest debate, open dialogue and legislating would not create bills so detrimental to society. This is the shameful outcome of back room negotiating and ideological policy making.