Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 41, as amended, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let me say, first of all, that I want to thank my colleague and friend from New York, Congressman Rangel, for his service to our country in the Korean War; also, for his long service in the House of Representatives and for offering this important resolution.

If you grew up in New York, as I did, and you grew up in politics, everyone knows who Charlie Rangel is, anyplace in New York--New York City or New York State. And now we actually have adjoining districts, back-to-back districts. He obviously means so much to so many people, and I'm proud to call him my colleague and even more proud to call him my friend. So I want to thank Congressman Rangel, who sponsored this legislation. I want to thank our chairman, Ed Royce, for his leadership as well on this resolution.

What this does is H.Con.Res 41 recognizes the historical importance of the Korean War, which ended 60 years ago this past weekend. The resolution also affirms the strong bonds between the United States and the Republic of Korea which were forged in blood during the Korean War.

During that conflict, nearly 1.8 million American soldiers served in the theater to defend freedom and democracy. Sadly, almost 55,000 were killed, over 100,000 were wounded, and about 8,000 were listed as missing in action or prisoners of war.

Just as I thank Congressman Rangel, my good friend, I want to also say that the House has other Korean War veterans in the House-- Representative John Conyers, Representative Sam Johnson, and Representative Howard Coble. Charlie Rangel and all the other Korean War veterans in the House I just mentioned all deserve our recognition and sincere thanks.

From the ruins of that conflict 60 years ago, we've seen the rise of a strong alliance between the United States and South Korea, the emergence of South Korea as one of the major economies of the world and a leading trading partner of the United States.

This past January, I visited South Korea with Chairman Royce, where we had an opportunity to meet South Korea's new President--and we also met her when she came here and spoke before the joint session of Congress a few months ago--and we also met with other senior officials when we were in Seoul. Based on these conversations, I can tell you that the U.S.-South Korea relationship has never been stronger. With the continued threat posed by North Korea, the U.S.-Korea alliance is needed more than ever to safeguard peace and stability in that region of the world.

More than 28,000 American armed services personnel serve in Korea today, and Chairman Royce and I met many of those people when we were over in Korea. And just as Korean War veterans fought for freedom, so, too, do these current-day defenders stand ready to help protect freedom on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the region.

So I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Before I yield back, I want to thoroughly embarrass my colleague and friend from New York because we found, in our cloakroom, this wonderful picture. This good-looking guy is Charlie Rangel when he was a soldier in Korea. And now you know why he was elected to Congress. Anyone who looks that good, everyone votes for. It's nice to hold a picture of a hero.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I agree with my colleague from New York. This bill has too many cuts, and I will oppose final passage. But it does have comparable funding levels between the House and Senate for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which administers distracted driving prevention grants to the States. This is an area where we need to do more.

Every year thousands of accidents, many fatal, result from people texting or talking on their phones while driving. I'm not just talking about using a hands-free device. I'm talking about someone driving with one hand while talking on a cell phone or texting with the other hand.

In 2011, 3,331 people in the U.S. were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver--up from 3,267 in 2010. And in 2011, more than 387,000 people were injured in an accident involving a distracted driver, and 416,000 were injured in 2010. In 2012, the last year of updated data, 10 percent of injury crashes resulted from distracted driving. It's clear that we must use every opportunity available to push for strong distracted driving laws, much the same as we did for drunk driving, which worked.

So I encourage my colleagues to renew their commitment to address the deadly issue of distracted driving. My Districted Driving Prevention Act, H.R. 1664, withholds funding from States that do not make both texting and talking on a phone while driving a primary offense, and goes further than the U.S. Department of Transportation's efforts to raise awareness and provide grants. These are important efforts, and they should be funded adequately; but they don't go far enough.

To date, only nine States make both texting and talking on a phone while driving a primary offense: my home State of New York, followed by California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Nevada, New Jersey, Washington, and West Virginia. That's a start, but it falls short of establishing a national highway safety baseline that saves lives.

In conclusion, let me say, when study after study shows us that distracted driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving, Congress cannot continue to ignore the problem when only nine States have taken action that meets a reasonable standard of safety. Anything less leaves our roads unsafe, our constituents in danger, and more unnecessary deaths as a result.

I urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, on May 24, 2011, President Obama issued a memorandum on Federal fleet performance that requires all new light duty vehicles in the Federal fleet to be alternate fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel, by December 31, 2015.

My amendment echoes the Presidential memorandum by prohibiting funds in the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2014 from being used to lease or purchase new light duty vehicles except in accord with the President's memorandum.

Our transportation sector is by far the biggest reason we send $600 billion per year to hostile nations to pay for oil at ever-increasing costs. But America doesn't need to be dependent on foreign sources of oil for transportation fuel. Alternative technologies exist today that, when implemented broadly, will allow any alternative fuel to be used in America's automotive fleet.

The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light duty vehicles in America. According to GSA, there are over 660,000 vehicles in the Federal fleet, with over 14,000 being used by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other departments.

By supporting a diverse array of vehicle technologies in our Federal fleet, we will encourage development of domestic energy resources-- including biomass, natural gas, agricultural waste, hydrogen, renewable electricity, methanol, and ethanol.

When I was in Brazil, I saw how they diversified their fuel by greatly expanding their use of ethanol. When people drove to a gas station, they saw what a gallon of gasoline would cost and what an equivalent amount of ethanol would cost and could decide which was better for them. I want Americans to make the same choices. If they can do it in Brazil, we can do it here. We can educate people on using alternative fuels and let consumers decide what is best for them.

Expanding the role these energy sources play in our transportation economy will help break the leverage over Americans held by foreign government-controlled oil companies and will increase our Nation's domestic security and protect consumers from price spikes and shortages in the world oil markets.

I have introduced a bill, along with the gentlewoman from Florida, that would also take a major step in this direction, and I think this policy is something that we need to move. So I ask that everyone support the Engel amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, Albert Ramsey has led the Yonkers Department of Veterans Services since 2000 modernizing an office and bringing new services to help the approximately 18,000 veterans and their dependents in the City of Yonkers. And today I am proud to join with Yonkers in honoring Albert Ramsey as a veteran who served 28 years in the United States Air Force.

Our nation's freedom has been preserved by members of the Armed Forces, and they continue to do so today. As a Member of Congress, I have consistently supported veterans and our servicemen and women. They deserve no less from us. We owe the preservation of our freedoms and our way of life to the veterans who proudly served their country.

Albert Ramsey advocates for and assists veterans and their families helping them to access services and benefits and to receive their deserved recognition. He strives to educate the community about veterans' needs and their many contributions to and sacrifices for our nation.

Prior to his joining the City of Yonkers, he was a Service Officer at the New York State Division of Veteran's Affairs and a board member of the Veterans Coalition of the Hudson Valley. His work was recognized by the New York American Legion who awarded him their Service Officer of the Year Award.

He joined the Air Force upon graduating from high school. He earned three Associate Degrees and completed both the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy and the Senior NCO Academy during his service. He retired from the USAF in 1990 and graduated with Distinction from Nyack College with a G.P.A. of 3.86 in 1995. He lives with his wife of eleven years Charlene.

I am proud to join with the City of Yonkers in honoring Albert Ramsey on Veterans Appreciation Day for his service to his country and his outstanding work in helping his fellow veterans and their families.

Mr. Speaker, throughout our nation's history our freedom has been preserved by members of the Armed Forces, and they continue to do so today. As a Member of Congress, I have consistently supported veterans and servicemen and women. They deserve no less from us. We owe the preservation of our freedoms and our way of life to the veterans who proudly served their country.

Today I join the City of Yonkers at its annual Veterans Appreciation Day in honoring Frank R. Sullo, who served his country as an Army infantryman in Vietnam and who received the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

He is a long time resident of Yonkers who attended Public School 18 and graduated from Yonkers High School. He is an active member of the Empire Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 375, and is a member of the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans.

With his wife, Pearl, and their children, Nicole and Frank, he has a lifetime of accomplishments that has enhanced his city. I am proud to join the City of Yonkers in honoring Frank Sullo, and thank him for his heroic service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, throughout our nation's history our freedom has been preserved by members of the Armed Forces, and they continue to do so today. As a Member of Congress, I have consistently supported veterans and servicemen and women. They deserve no less from us. We owe the preservation of our freedoms and our way of life to the veterans who proudly served their country. Today I join the City of Yonkers at its annual Veterans Appreciation Day in honoring Louis Navarro for his long-time service and participation in the community.

He was born in Puerto Rico, but is a long-time resident of Yonkers, and is the First Vice Commander of the Central Committee of Veterans Organization, where as Parade Chairman for the 2013 Memorial Day Parade, he led it to its largest participation in recent years.

Louis Navarro served in the United States Army for nearly thirty years of active and reserve duty, receiving the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, Expert Rifle Award, and the Army Service Ribbon.

He is a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, and is active in numerous associations throughout our City, including the Puerto Rican Day Parade Committee, serving as Past Chairman. He is president of his consulting firm of Navarro and Shoub. He and his wife, Donna, have two children, Kaylan and James.

I am proud to join the City of Yonkers in honoring Louis Navarro for his service to his country and his contributions to his fellow veterans and his city.

Mr. Speaker, Honey and Sol Neier have been members of Anshe Sholom for almost 40 years, since they moved to New Rochelle as newlyweds. They knew Anshe Sholom was a special place from their first Yom Kippur when Rabbi Philip Weinberger performed a Brit Milah on the bimah.

Honey was born and raised in the Bronx. Her father was born in Poland and moved here as a young man. Her mother was born and raised in New York. Honey was born and raised in the Bronx where she attended public schools. She graduated from Hunter College and earned her Master's Degree from New York University. She began teaching at I.S. 131 in the Bronx and after a few years became a guidance counselor.

Sol was born in Germany, the son of Holocaust survivors from Poland. He came to the United States with his parents at the age of 3, and he too grew up in the Bronx where he also attended public schools. He graduated from the Columbia University School of Pharmacy and opened the Ace Pharmacy of Riverdale. With Honey's help, he and operated this well-respected family business for many years.

Honey and Sol are blessed with three children: Michelle, a doctor, and Joshua and Renee. They are extremely excited and proud for the family has been expanding. Michelle and her husband, Dr. Jonathan Schor are the parents of Juliette, 3, and Rebecca, 10 months. Renee was married last September to Jacob Reuben. Honey and Sol have been privileged to celebrate many family simchas in the shul including baby namings, a bar mitzvah and many others.

Honey and Sol have been tireless volunteers at Anshe Sholom. Honey first volunteered with the Sisterhood. She then joined the Board of Trustees, where she serves as Vice President. She has performed many tasks at the shul from arranging Kiddushim, to serving on the rabbinic search committee. Sol has been by her side throughout, accompanying her to events, supporting her many endeavors and volunteering on numerous occasions. He often joins the morning Minyanaires before heading to work for the day.

I am proud to join with Anshe Sholom in honoring Honey and Sol Neier for their many years of helping the shul. I, the congregation and Honey and Sol look forward to many more simchas and wonderful days for Honey and Sol with the Anshe Sholom family.

Madam Chairman, I rise in opposition to the Pitts amendment.

The proponents of the amendment claim that sugar prices are too high, but U.S. raw sugar prices have dropped by more than half just since the fall of 2011.

In 2004, more than 200 people lost their jobs when the Domino sugar plant in Brooklyn, New York, closed its doors. That plant predated the Brooklyn Bridge, it outlasted the Brooklyn Dodgers, and now it is gone. So are the paychecks that its employees used to collect.

I have a sugar refinery in my district in Yonkers, New York, and I don't want the same thing to happen to them. The sugar industry supports 142,000 jobs in 22 States, including 300 at this plant in my district.

Our current policy supports this industry at no cost to the taxpayers. In fact, the USDA has predicted a zero cost increase over the next 10 years.

I come from the school that ``if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'' Until we have a level playing field on the world market, we must continue our current sugar policy.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Royce-Engel amendment to H.R. 1947.

Let me say that I am pleased to stand with the chairman of our Foreign Affairs Committee in a bipartisan amendment which is common sense.

Since 1954, the Food for Peace program has fed more than a billion people around the world and has saved countless lives. This program embodies the compassion and generosity of the American people, and it's something of which we can all be proud. However, the world has changed in the 59 years since Food for Peace was enacted, and our food aid should be reformed to reflect the new realities.

The biggest problem with our current food aid is that it takes too long to deliver. Food grown in the U.S., which makes up the vast majority of our assistance, takes an average of 130 days

to deliver. By purchasing food closer to the recipient countries, we can cut the delivery time in half and, in the process, get food to starving people before it's too late.

Food aid is also too expensive. Shipping and transportation costs account for half of the food aid budget. By purchasing food locally or providing vouchers, we can save hundreds of millions of dollars, which can be used to feed more needy people. By passing our amendment, we can reach 4 million more people without spending an extra dime.

Mr. Chairman, the easy thing to do is to do nothing on the issue of food aid reform, but the right thing to do is to enact sensible reforms that save taxpayer money and, most importantly, save lives.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan, commonsense amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

I now yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California, the ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Bass.

Mr. Chairman, I yield my remaining 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

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

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, Virginia Stewart has led a full and productive life with a career in the health care system starting with her cum laude degree from the College of New Rochelle in Health Administration.

She was a community outreach worker at Harlem Hospital, the neighborhood where she was born, and was promoted to Assistant Director and then Administrator for Family Planning and Women's Health Initiatives. In time she became Director of Outpatient Services for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology until her retirement in 1991.

In 1971 she had moved to Co-op City and for the past 27 years has been a member of the Goodwill Baptist Church where she is Secretary of the Usher Board. In retirement she has not stopped becoming a community activist and an active member of several Co-op City community organizations. She has also become involved in polities, being elected several times as a Judicial Delegate for the 82nd Assembly District, and is currently an Election monitor for that District.

Among her many activities at Co-op City was Treasurer and Publicist of the Retirees of Dreiser Loop, as well as the second women president in the group's 40 year history, now in her second term.

She is a member of the Harriet Tubman Democratic Club, and served for several years as its Recording Secretary. She is also a member of the Co-op City and Williamsbridge Branches of the NAACP, the National Organization of AARP, and the Coalition of African American Churches and Community Organizations.

She and her husband Kenneth married in 1951 and have four children.

Virginia Stewart is that godsend to a community, someone who is caring and active in its many organizations. I am proud to join with the people and organizations of Co-op City in honoring her for her many contributions to her community and the people in it.

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe that only 10 years ago, an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence for those living all over the world, but especially in Africa. It was downright disgraceful that even though lifesaving therapy existed, millions of people were dying of AIDS because treatment was unaffordable. There are few votes I have taken in the course of my career that have made as significant a positive impact on this world than the votes I have cast in favor of

Mr. Speaker, I am a graduate of Lehman College and I am proud of that. I have a Bachelors degree and a Masters degree and the education I received at Lehman College has served me well. I am proud of my Bronx roots and have had the honor of representing the Bronx for many years, first in the New York State Assembly and now in the U.S. House of Representatives. I was a member of the first graduating class of Lehman College in 1969 and in 1994 I was honored to give the commencement speech to the school's 25th graduating class.

The first office for which I ever ran was the Student Government at Lehman and the skills I honed there and as president of my fraternity laid a strong foundation for me as in my life in public service.

For four generations, Lehman College, and its predecessor, the Bronx branch of Hunter College, have given students a first-rate liberal arts education in preparing them for careers in teaching, business, social work, the health sciences and other areas. The school's more than 360 full-time faculty members represent a broad spectrum of scholarship in over 30 fields and includes seven Distinguished Professors, the highest rank attainable within City University of New York.

Lehman's more than 63,000 alumni are making important contributions to industry and organizations both professionally and within their communities here, and across the nation and the world.

Lehman has more than 90 graduate and undergraduate programs for the more than 12,000 students who enjoy some of the finest academic and athletic facilities available. These include state-of-the-art labs in biology, geographic information science, and new

media, and a world-class sports and recreation center on a 37-acre, tree-lined campus, which houses splendid examples of both Gothic and contemporary architecture.

Lehman College was established on July 1, 1968, as a senior college with its own faculty, curriculum, and administration. The College took over the campus that, since 1931, had served as the Bronx branch of Hunter College and is named after Herbert H. Lehman, the four-time governor of New York who later became a U.S. Senator.

On the undergraduate level, Lehman's General Education Curriculum provides a broad appreciation of the liberal arts and sciences in developing student abilities of both public and personal concern.

Dr. Ricardo R. Fernandez was named president of Lehman in 1990 and I have been proud to work with him during his tenure. He has expanded the College's commitment both to educational excellence and to access to higher education for the economically disadvantaged and he encouraged the development of new majors and degree programs. Under his leadership Lehman extended its educational partnerships into the international arena, and has become a major resource for the economic, cultural, and educational development of the Bronx.

As a graduate of Lehman College I am proud to acknowledge its contributions to the betterment of its students and its community. It is truly a treasure of educational development and innovation. When I needed a quality education at a rate that my family could afford, Lehman was there for me. Today its mission remains the same and I am proud that Lehman has been a part of my life.

Mr. Speaker, educating our children is one of the most important functions of a society. Preparing our children for the future is the best thing we can do for them and for our society. Serge Marshall Davis, the principal of the Sheila Mencher School in the Bronx is a man who has taken that message to heart.

He is dedicated to improving the lives of the young people in his care by meeting the challenges of providing for them a high quality education. This includes children from many different countries speaking a variety of languages and dialects.

He instituted and maintained a variety of programs including a middle school honors program, health oriented programs, the use of teacher specialists including mentors, inter-visitations by teachers, using data to improve instruction, and middle school community service among so many others. His school even won the Bronx Middle School Poetry Slam this year and was the Ball Room Dance Grand Champions in 2010.

Under Principal Davis the school and its students have flourished through a well rounded education for the children from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade.

Serge Marshall Davis is being honored for his dedication as principal to improving the lives of the young people in his care and for meeting the challenges of providing for them a high quality education.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, on May 24, 2011, President Obama issued a memorandum on Federal fleet performance that requires all new light duty vehicles in the Federal fleet to be alternate fuel vehicles, such as hybrid, electric, natural gas, or biofuel, by September 31, 2015.

My amendment echoes the Presidential memorandum by prohibiting funds in the Homeland Security Appropriations Act from being used to lease or purchase new light duty vehicles except in accord with the President's memorandum.

I have introduced a similar amendment to nine different appropriations bill in the past 2 years, and each time it was accepted and passed by voice vote.

Our transportation sector is by far the biggest reason we send $600 billion per year to hostile nations to pay for oil at ever-increasing costs. But America does not need to be dependent on foreign sources of oil for transportation fuel. Alternative technologies exist today that will allow any alternative fuel to be used in America's automotive fleet.

The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light duty vehicles in America. According to the GSA, there are over 660,000 vehicles in the Federal fleet, with almost 55,000 being used by the Department of Homeland Security.

By supporting a diverse array of vehicle technologies in our Federal fleet, we will encourage development of domestic energy resources-- including biomass, natural gas, agricultural waste, hydrogen and renewable electricity. Expanding the role these energy sources play in our transportation economy will help break the leverage over Americans held by foreign government-controlled oil companies, will increase our Nation's domestic security, protect consumers from price spikes and shortages in the world oil markets.

I ask that my colleagues support the Engel amendment.

On a similar note, I will soon be introducing the Open Fuels Act, which is similar to this, with our colleague, the gentlewoman from Florida, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Our bill would require 30 percent of new automobiles in 2015 and 50 percent in 2016 and every subsequent year to be able to be operated on nonpetroleum fuels in addition to or instead of petroleum-based fuels. And it would cost $100 or less per car manufactured in America to do this.

Possibilities include the full array of existing technologies-- including flex fuel, natural gas, hydrogen, biodiesel, plug-in electric drive, fuel cell, ethanol and methanol, and a catchall for new technologies. I remember driving and going into a gasoline station in Brazil. I believe the chairwoman was with me at the time. And we noticed that there were all kinds of alternatives available to Brazilian consumers that were not available to American consumers, and it just seems to me that we ought to not only catch up but pull ahead and have that same kind of technology available to Americans.

So I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment and the Open Fuels Act as we work towards breaking our dependence on foreign oil, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, for the sick and homebound Johanna Zurndorfer is a direct contact with Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale where for the past 23 years she has spent countless hours visiting sick members and organizing volunteers who would call the homebound every Friday afternoon to wish them a Shabbat Shalom. She has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Johanna was born in Rexingen, Germany, before Hitler came to power, at a time when a family could enjoy a rich Jewish life in a small rural town. She went to a local Jewish day school and then attended a high school in a neighboring town bicycling there 5 miles roundtrip. At 16 she apprenticed as a bookkeeper.

By 1936, her family knew it was time to leave Germany and Johanna went to live with her sister in New York City. She took the only job she could find as a housekeeper and later as a dental assistant, going to night school to learn English. Her mother followed her to the States in 1938 staying with her children until she passed away at 101.

Johanna's husband-to-be, Fred, made his own way to New York from Rexingen, by way of Chicago. Nine years her senior, it only took one date for him to propose to her. They married and moved to Inwood, where they raised two children, Eddie and Susan. Johanna and Fred were co- founders of Ohav Shalom, a shul with mostly German Jewish immigrants that served as the center of their Jewish life for many years.

Johanna and Fred moved to Riverdale in 1979 and soon joined CSAIR. It was after a difficult time in her life that she turned to CSAIR to fill a void in her life. The Sisterhood served as her first introduction to synagogue activism. From there she established new long lasting friendships and to this day, Johanna continues to contribute to the synagogue's life.

IT is an honor to join Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale and three generations of her family in showing the pride all feel in what Johanna has done for the community and whose only motive was to help those who needed help.