Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, as the ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I feel compelled to talk to you today about the disastrous effects the Ryan budget would have on our country's research and development enterprise and, consequently, the disastrous effect this budget would have on America's future competitiveness.

As others have pointed out, the Republican budget cuts nondefense discretionary spending by $1.3 trillion below the baseline 2014 spending level, adjusted for inflation. These are massive cuts on top of a budget that has already had large reductions in recent years.

The effects on research and development would be dramatic. The American Association for the Advancement of

Science estimates that the Ryan budget would cut civilian research and development by $92 billion from the current baseline and $112 billion below the President's budget request.

These are striking reductions. Please keep in mind that the National Science Foundation's total annual budget is just over $7 billion. The Republican budget cuts more research and development funding every year than the entire annual budget of the National Science Foundation.

This is insanity. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have truly divorced themselves from reality if they think these cuts to research and development won't cripple our country for decades to come.

Let's talk about what the Republicans want to cut.

It is estimated that technological innovation has led to the majority of America's economic growth since World War II. Much of this innovation has been funded by the Federal Government.

Think back to the first grants that NASA gave Robert Noyce's upstart company in the 1960s. Of course, he went on to be the founder of Intel, the largest computer chip maker in the world. Or think of the NSF research grant that led to the creation of Google. The very Internet itself was initially funded as a research project by the Department of Defense and rolled out by the National Science Foundation.

You can look at virtually every aspect of our high-tech industry and the economy and find a connection to Federal research and development funding. To make dramatic and drastic cuts to R&D funding in the name of deficit reduction is truly shortsighted.

My friend and former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Norm Augustine, frequently gives the following analogy. When an airplane is overloaded and too heavy to fly, you don't cut weight by chopping off the engines. I think that is a great analogy, because that is exactly what this budget does. It cuts off the engine of American innovation.

It would be bad enough if these deep cuts only affected research and development, but the Ryan budget will also painfully cut education funding. Indexed for inflation, that budget would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from precollege and college education programs.

Let's put these education cuts in context.

In the last international student assessment, U.S. students ranked 26th in mathematics and 21st in science. We are falling behind our economic competitors in STEM education. The Republican solution to this problem is to throw in the towel. These educational cuts sell our children out, plain and simple.

Taken together, the cuts to research and education in this Ryan budget paint a dark picture of America's future. It is a picture where America no longer leads the world in innovation. It is a picture where our children are not prepared for the rigors of a competitive 21st century global marketplace. It is a picture of America in decline.

I reject this future. I call upon my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject the Ryan Republican budget that sells America short and, instead, show support for robust education and research funding and a strong American future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Parkland Health and Hospital System's stroke program. Parkland recently received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold-Plus Achievement Award and the Target: Stroke Honor Roll for its implementation of quality improvements laid out by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Parkland is Dallas County's public hospital and serves as one of the area's three Level 1 Trauma Centers and the primary care center for the county. Parkland is also one of the largest providers of uncompensated care in Texas. However, Parkland's dedication to community health programs remains unwavering.

Parkland's commitment to improving stroke care means that patients receive personalized care based on clinical guidelines. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association note that hospitals that follow the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke see a reduction in length of stay and readmission rates for stroke patients, ultimately reducing disparity gaps in care.

Landing on the Target: Stroke Honor Roll demonstrates Parkland's commitment to reducing the time between hospital arrival and treatment. People who suffer a stroke and receive the clot-buster tPA, the only approved drug to treat ischemic stroke, within three hours may recover more quickly and are less likely to suffer from a stroke-related disability.

Parkland Health and Hospital System has worked diligently to implement guidelines from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. I encourage hospitals nationwide to use these internationally respected clinical guidelines. It is imperative that we use the medications and risk-reduction therapies aimed at the reduction of death and disability in stroke patients. I urge

my colleagues to support the hospitals in each district in this country by helping stroke patients and spreading awareness about stroke risk factors and treatment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues the tragic events that began on February 25, 1992 in the Azerbaijan town of Khojaly in the Nagarno Karabakh region.

On that fateful day Armenian forces began a brutal attack on the 7,000 Azerbaijani citizens of Khojaly. During the attack 613 Azeris were killed, 1,275 were taken hostage, and 487 were seriously injured. Of the dead 106 were women and 83 were children. Many of those killed were first brutally tortured.

In blatant disregard of four UN Resolutions calling for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Armenia continues to occupy Khojaly and surrounding territories. The occupied area constitutes twenty percent of Azerbaijan.

The Minsk Group, comprised of the United States, France and Russia, works with Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a peaceful settlement to no avail. Nothing can change the tragedy that occurred at Khojaly but with a peaceful settlement and the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories, what remains of the 900,000 Azeris displaced from the entire conflict can return to the land they call home and rebuild their lives.

I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering the victims of this tragedy and do all we can to further the Minsk Group's efforts so there is a peaceful resolution and the people of Nagorno Karabakh can return home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Ray Hutchison, the husband of former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Mr. Hutchison was a dedicated public servant and power broker who played a key role in the creation of many of North Texas' most important economic engines.

After serving in the Navy, Mr. Hutchison attended Southern Methodist University on the G.I. bill and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1957 and with a law degree in 1959. Mr. Hutchison, a lifelong active civil servant was elected to the Texas House Legislature in 1972. I consider it a privilege to have served in the Texas House Legislature with Mr. Hutchison from 1973 to 1977. It was in the State legislature where he and Mrs. Hutchison first met and began their 36 years of marriage. In 1976 Mr. Hutchison was elected as chairman of the Texas Republican Party and stepped down the following year in an unsuccessful run for governor.

Mr. Hutchison was known as a genius in the field of finance law. He served as senior counsel at the Dallas law firm of Bacewell & Giuliani where he worked as recently as this past Thursday. Mr. Hutchison used his expertise specializing in government finance to help implement major city improvements such as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, DART and stadiums for the Mavericks, Cowboys and Rangers. He was a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Executive Board of the Chancellor's Council for the University of Texas System.

I extend my deepest condolences to the Hutchison family during this time of grieving. Our country has benefitted immensely from his career in public service and his memory will continue to inspire others. I wish to commend Ray Hutchison and thank him for his service to this great Nation. Through his work he has created positive pathways many future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1557, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Support Reauthorization Act. Passed in the Senate in November, this legislation is vital to our children's health care system because it provides freestanding children's hospitals with federal funding for graduate medical education.

In my district, Children's Medical Center of Dallas trains 230 medical residents each year and is integral in addressing the current physician shortage in Texas. CHGME is vital to the continuation of the training program at Children's and at pediatric hospitals nationwide. CHGME recipient hospitals make up only one percent of all hospitals and train nearly half of all pediatricians.

Hospitals like Children's provide coordinated care for our nation's sickest kids regardless of their family's ability to pay. The CHGME program ensures that pediatricians and pediatric specialists are properly trained to care for these children, covering basic physician visits to complex, life-threatening cancers.

Since 1999, CHGME has helped to address the gap in federal support for pediatric training and specialty pediatric care. The CHGME program is a critical investment in strengthening our healthcare workforce and is essential to maintaining the gains in pediatric care. I urge my colleagues to support the CHGME program and vote in favor of S. 1557, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Support Reauthorization Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Roger Unger, a distinguished leader in my community on the occasion of being awarded the 2014 Rolf Luft Award. The award is from Karolinksa Institute, a medical university in Sweden that is also home to the Nobel Assembly, which annually honors one scientist worldwide for outstanding contributions to endocrinology and diabetes research.

Dr. Unger is a graduate of Yale University and earned his medical degree at Columbia University. He was elected to the National Academy of the Sciences in 1986 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1994. Dr. Unger currently serves as professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, an institution which is a gem in my Congressional district. As one of the Nation's premier diabetic researchers, Dr. Unger has exemplified scientific and educational excellence.

Serving as a UT Southwestern faculty member since 1956 and director of the Touchstone Center for Diabetes Research from 1986 to 2007, he has shown an unwavering commitment to excellence in the sciences and has ensured that the future of Americans is a bright one through his research. While working at the Dallas VA Medical Center in 1959, Dr. Unger developed a test to measure concentrations of glucagon and established that glucagon was a true pancreatic hormone released in opposing partnership with insulin to maintain normal blood glucose (sugar) levels. His most recent discovery proves that a glucagon- suppressing hormone called somatostatin can normalize the glucose levels of type 1 diabetic patients.

The award he received recognizes his decades of contributions to diabetes research. UT Southwestern and our country have benefitted immensely from Dr. Unger's service. Dr. Unger deserves to be commended. In order to keep the United States at the leading edge of discovery, it will take more amazing professors such as Dr. Unger.

I wish to commend Dr. Unger and thank him for his service to this great nation. As leader in diabetic research, he has created positive pathways for the future of those affected by this illness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Robert S. ``Bob'' Strauss who passed away last Wednesday, March 19 at age 95. Strauss was not only a fixture in Dallas and Texas, he was nationally revered as a close advisor to presidents of both parties, from Lyndon B. Johnson to George W. Bush.

Not only was Strauss politically valuable to our nation, his personality was unforgettable. Bob Strauss was personally influential and I admire him greatly. Strauss' weight on our political world today was extremely vast. His contributions to Dallas and to Texas will not be forgotten.

Strauss had early success as a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where he campaigned for a state-assembly candidate and volunteered for Lyndon B. Johnson's first congressional campaign. Strauss completed his law degree at the University of Texas and worked as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations during World War II. At the end of the war, he and fellow FBI agent founded the law firm Gump and Strauss which later evolved into Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld. In law school, he met former Texas Governor John Connally who helped Strauss cultivate his political career.

Strauss served as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee between 1972 and 1977. Strauss has been credited for the Democratic Party's reunification that helped to elect President Jimmy Carter in 1976. During the Carter Administration, Strauss served as the United States Trade Representative and as Middle East negotiator. During the first Bush Administration, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union and subsequently as the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Strauss played a major role for American interests during the Soviet Union's breakdown and the emergence of a democratic Russia. Strauss was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Carter in 1981.

Strauss had the unique ability to serve presidents and political leaders on both sides of the aisle. His political astuteness and skill are rare traits and will be fondly remembered. I urge my colleagues to recognize and celebrate the life of Bob Strauss.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Women's History Month and specifically, the Economic Agenda for Women. While our women leaders in history have paved the way for our success, we must continue to fight for justice, rights, and values.

The facts are staggering; women continue to earn only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes, the poverty rate for women is at its highest in two decades, and family and medical leave protections do not cover nearly half of full-time employees. Each March, we celebrate our progress through Women's History Month. But we must not forget what more we can do for our future. When Women Succeed, America Succeeds is an agenda that each town, city, county, and state must adopt so that we can continue the work to provide women with economic security and opportunities.

There are so many women that can legitimately be acknowledged during these days of Women's History Month. Women have been at the forefront in every community in every worthy cause. Today, I would like to call attention to a few extraordinary women that I have had the pleasure of sharing my congressional experience who have completed their earthly journey with care, skill, and commitment. Cardiss Collins was the first African American woman to represent Illinois in Congress and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus with leadership and skill. Julia Carson was the first woman and the first African American to represent the 7th District of Indiana and lead the House measure to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. Juanita Millender-McDonald represented the 37th District of California and was the first African American woman to chair the House Committee on House Administration. Stephanie Tubbs Jones was the first African American woman to be elected to Congress from Ohio and served as the Chairwoman of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct during the 110th Congress.

There are three outstanding former members who have retired back to their home areas who served with distinction as well. Carrie Meek was elected to Congress in 1992 after fourteen years in the Florida legislature. Meek, who retired at the end of her term in 2003, served as the first African American lawmaker elected to represent Florida in Congress since Reconstruction and faced the difficult task of helping her district recover from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. Eva Clayton was the first African American woman, with Congressman Mel Watt being the first African American, to serve in the House of Representatives from North Carolina. When Clayton retired in 2003, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization appointed her Assistant Director-General. Diane Watson, who recently retired after the 111th Congress, represented the 33rd District of California and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia. I applaud these African American women who truly are history makers.

Though we see gains in leadership and in Congress for women each year, we are far from done. Hardworking, responsible American women are depending on us for leadership in policy. With smart economic policy changes, we can achieve even more. I urge my colleagues to think of the women who have shaped our history and to help support the women who have the potential to shape our future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of legislation to repeal the Sustainable Growth Rate and update Medicare's payment system without the amendment to undermine the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act.

While there are positive provisions in H.R. 4015, the SGR Repeal and Medicare Provider Payment Modernization Act of 2014, an amendment added by Chairman Dave Camp would delay the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate by five years.

Commonly referred to as the ``doc fix,'' SGR Repeal has been on the table since the beginning of this Congress and desperately requires action. This legislation would repeal the cuts to physician Medicare payments and allow for small increases over 10 years. The second part of this legislation would make MEDPAC and GAO report more to Congress, including new payment rules that became final this year. There would also be additional protections against Medicare fraud.

However, if this legislation passes with the Camp Amendment, the 5- year delay of the individual mandate provision will increase the number of uninsured Americans by 13 million in 2018. A CBO analysis said that premiums would likely increase 10-20 percent in the individual marketplace during the years without a mandate penalty.

I urge my colleagues to heed my warning about this new effort to undermine the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Women's History Month and H.R. 863, the National Women's History Commission Act. I would like to recognize a few of the many important women from Texas.

While there have been many women leaders in Dallas, one that stands out in my mind is former mayor Annette Strauss, the second female mayor and also the second Jewish mayor. Before her election to the Dallas City Council, Strauss worked tirelessly as a fundraiser for many organizations, poignantly for the arts in Dallas. During her tenure as Mayor-Pro Tern and as mayor, Strauss successfully provided a refuge for the many Texas families that fell into homelessness during the economic crisis. Today, the Annette G. Strauss Family Gateway remains a facility that provides empowerment for homeless people and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Strauss served as Ambassador-at- large for the city of Dallas until her death from cancer in 1998.

In the world of education, Yvonne Ewell is a Texas legend. Ewell began her teaching career at Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School in Dallas. Ewell was the first African American woman appointed as the district-wide elementary school consultant and subsequently was named associate superintendant of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD). During her time as the court-appointed school desegregation monitor for DISD, Ewell began planning for a magnet school with her fellow committee members. From her vision, the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center was born and is extremely successful in educating students in its six semi-independent subject-based high schools. Ewell maintained a strong, controversial stance on education in Dallas schools until her death in 1998 of pancreatic cancer.

When recognizing Dallas leaders, it is impossible to not highlight Margaret McDermott. At the age of 102, McDermott will lend her name to the second signature bridge which connects downtown Dallas to west Dallas over the Trinity River. McDermott and her late husband Eugene McDermott have been philanthropists and friends to civic, cultural, and educational organizations nationwide. Some recipients of the McDermotts' generosity include the University of Texas at Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Hockaday School, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Meyerson Symphony Center, and even the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While McDermott takes little credit for her philanthropic activities, she continues to do more civic good in her hometown of Dallas.

While there are many women that we should recognize for their historic leadership in Dallas, we must recognize the young leaders in our community as well. Ariel Atkins, a senior basketball player at Duncanville High School, currently has her eye on a third state championship. The fourth-ranked prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Top 100 for the class of 2014, Atkins has already made the decision to play basketball at the University of Texas next year. Despite her hard work and talent on the court, Atkins is committed to helping others, which she says she feels is her sole purpose in life. Young women like Atkins need encouragement from parents, coaches, and teachers so that they can reach their goals and beyond.

The women I have recognized are true visionaries. I urge my colleagues to support Women's History Month so that we can empower women at every age to be leaders in their fields and in their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the congressional digital day of action on the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 27 million women have access to insurance-covered contraceptives. Nearly 2 million of those women come from my home State of Texas.

Unfortunately, Hobby Lobby, the largest importer in my district, asserts that employers should control the choices of women to have access to contraception and preventive care. However, 70 percent of Americans disagree with that heinous assertion.

While individuals have their own religious beliefs and consciences, businesses that employ thousands of hardworking Americans do not. The implication that a boss could potentially decide what health care treatments any employee can receive are more far-reaching than just contraceptive care.

What can be next? An employer denying coverage of routine immunizations or vaccinations because of religious belief?

It is offensive that an employer believes they have the right to make these personal decisions for their employees. I urge my colleagues to stand up and fight against this discriminatory action taken by Hobby Lobby.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2431, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 2431, the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2013. This vital program, known as NIDIS, was originated by my friend and former committee chair, Mr. Ralph Hall, in 2006. The program provides critical drought information to communities all across our Nation.

Over the past three decades, it is estimated that droughts have cost our country hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impacts. Loss estimates from the 2012 drought alone run upwards of $70 billion. Moreover, the effects of climate change are anticipated to exacerbate this problem in many parts of the country, including my home State of Texas.

Right now, California is experiencing its driest period in recorded history. Sixty-seven percent of the State of California is experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions. We all know that farmers and ranchers bear the brunt of these dry conditions. That hits the pocketbooks of every American as food prices do go up, but the damage is not limited to agriculture.

For instance, in the West, conditions are again ripe for extreme wildfires that scarred more than 9 million acres last year, putting homes and properties in jeopardy.

Tourism is suffering as water levels in lakes and rivers plummet and snow packs languish, leaving boats on dry land and skis in the attic. Communities are imposing water restrictions, and power plants and grid operators are taking a serious look at the emergency plans should water for cooling towers and hydroelectric dams fall short.

If you look at the top five most expensive disasters in the United States since 1980, three of those are due to drought. The NIDIS program is intended to help alleviate some of the economic impacts of drought.

Notably, one of the program's goals is to improve drought early warning. Advanced warning of impending droughts would allow States, localities, and farmers to better plan their activities so that the economic costs associated with droughts could be reduced or mitigated.

In light of the scope of the economic impacts of drought, and the potential of the NIDIS program to lessen these impacts, I remain concerned about the authorization levels in H.R. 2431. My Democratic colleagues and I tried to modestly increase the authorization levels during committee consideration of the bill, but we were not successful.

Every witness who has ever testified or spoken to our committee about this program has highlighted the need to improve the program's early warning capability. This isn't a goal that can be accomplished for free. It will take a sustained investment of additional funds to achieve results we desperately need.

While I wish the authorization numbers in the bill before us today were higher, they are much better than the numbers in the Senate bill, which locks the program into a funding cap that is below current spending for the next 5 years.

When the Federal Government is spending tens of billions of dollars per year to mitigate the effects of drought, I think it makes sense to spend a couple million extra dollars to try to reduce those massive costs to our taxpayers in our communities. It is pretty clear that in this instance an ounce of prevention will get us a pound of cure.

In spite of these concerns, however, I support H.R. 2431 and the reauthorization of NIDIS, a program which provides crucial information to help our farmers and communities prepare for and mitigate the impacts of drought.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would simply urge support for H.R. 2431, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have joined the majority of Democrats and Republicans who unilaterally alike passed a bill that will fund our Nation's most important anti-hunger program which touches nearly 1 out of 7 Americans by a vote of 251-166. The bill now heads to the President's desk who has indicated he will sign it into law in a matter of days.

In these tough budgetary times, we should not signal to our constituents that helping those most in need is no longer a priority. I am pleased that the bipartisan, bicameral five-year farm bill contains major reforms including eliminating the direct payment program, streamlining and consolidating numerous programs to improve their effectiveness and reduce duplication, and cutting down on program misuse. Additionally, this bill excludes the drastic $40 billion cut in the House-passed version of the farm bill, but makes progress in addressing hunger and poverty by investing new resources in other nutrition programs.

The bill also renews critical investments in important programs for beginning farmers, local food systems, organic agriculture, and healthy food access, and also adds conservation requirements to the receipt of crop insurance premium subsidies. The final bill also rejected proposals to eliminate market and contract protections for livestock and poultry farmers.

Congress first enacted the farm bill in response to the Great Depression in order to foster growth in our Nation's economy and to protect those who were most in need. Today, we are still recovering from what some economists call, ``the Great Recession.'' We find ourselves at a crossroads where we must decide how to manage our fiscal priorities while still protecting those who were hardest hit by the recent recession. President Eisenhower once said, ``Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.''

This bill is far from a perfect one. However, given a lengthy two- and-a-half-year process and the importance of renewing funding for the most innovative programs for the future of agriculture and nutrition, I supported this carefully negotiated package in an effort to do more good than harm. I have received letters from numerous groups including several of the largest general farm organizations in the country which have voiced support for this bill. I am pleased this bill maintains the long-standing bipartisan fashion in which urban and rural members unite to support this package.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Adelfa Callejo, a well-respected civil rights leader and attorney in Texas.

Mrs. Callejo was 90 years old when she passed last week. She developed into her role as an advocate for justice at an early age. As the oldest daughter of a father who did not speak English, Mrs. Callejo often had to serve as an intermediary in the defense of her family against intimidation from Federal immigration agents or unfair treatment in schools targeted at Mexican American immigrants.

As the first Hispanic woman to graduate from law school at Southern Methodist University, her background and education have not gone unnoticed. Mrs. Callejo emerged as a prominent civil rights attorney in Texas, battling questionable city council redistricting in the late 1980s, and staunchly opposing illegal immigration policies in Farmers Branch, among other prominent legal battles, that have helped to shape our State.

Mrs. Callejo was known best for her forceful advocacy and fiery personality. She overcame tremendous adversity as a female and as a Hispanic, although nothing would deter her from becoming a powerful financial and social force in Texas.

She once said: Only through education will we make the world a better place than we found it. She lived true to these words and worked with the Dallas Independent School District to ensure a better education was offered to a more diverse range of students; and for that, she was honored by a school being named for her in the Dallas Independent School District.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Callejo was an inspirational character who offered her talent and her resources to those who were less fortunate. While she had an incredible presence in Dallas, her reputation as ``the Godmother'' extended far beyond the city limits.

While her passing comes as a great loss to many, we may continue to look to her life for an inspiration. I am proud to call her my friend and supporter.

Mr. Speaker, we have lost a warrior.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to income inequality in the United States. As millions of Americans remain without work, while others are underpaid or underemployed, it is imperative that we address the growing threat to our country that is income inequality.

Since the 1970s, we have witnessed a dangerous trend develop where wage growth for middle and lower income households has become stagnant while incomes at the very top continue to rise sharply. From 1973 to 2005, real hourly wages for the top 10 percent rose by 30 percent or more, whereas the bottom 50 percent of all Americans experienced only marginal real wage increases of a little more than 5 percent.

The income gap is further amplified when comparing races. Overall, Caucasian males earn a median income of more than $40,000 per year while African American males average roughly $30,000 during the same period. Hispanic Americans average just over $26,000 in the same category. These discrepancies among demographics is alarming, considering those figures are even lower for women.

The percentage of wealth controlled by the richest Americans is another disturbing fact that is often overlooked. The top 1 percent of Americans own 40 percent of our entire nation's wealth, while the bottom 80 percent of Americans share only 7 percent of the nation's wealth. In historical terms, the last time our nation faced such a wide income gap was during the 1920s leading up to the Great Depression.

Mr. Speaker, while Congress struggles with raising the minimum wage, millions of working individuals and families across the country continue to struggle with stagnant pay and rising inflation. Unless we take a serious approach that transcends simply raising the minimum wage in order to curb income inequality, the consequences could prove catastrophic for our economy.