Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this Republican Congress has failed the American people. Nobody can deny that this is the most do-nothing Congress in our history. On every front, from Iraq to Social Security, Republicans have sided with the lobbyists' special interest agenda instead of working for the American people. Time and time again, they have said ``no'' to the needs and concerns of the American people.

``No'' to increasing the minimum wage.

``No'' to balancing the budget.

``No'' to fully implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.

``No'' to filling the donut hole for millions of American seniors struggling with their drugs.

``No'' to tough penalties on big oil companies that price gouge.

``No'' to finding a new strategy for Iraq.

Republican inaction on issues of critical concern to the American people has led to rising drug costs, higher energy prices than a year ago, and billions of taxpayer money being wasted in Iraq on no-bid contracts for administration cronies like Halliburton.

The American people are fed up with a Congress that refuses to do its job. It's time for a change.

I thank my distinguished friend from California for yielding to me, and I rise in strong support of this bill.

My colleagues, we have to deal with things as they are, not as what we wish them to be. I wish there was reasonableness among the government of Iran today. I wish there were people that we could talk to on a friendly basis and reason with them and come to some kind of a compromise.

But that is not what we have here. We have a belligerent regime that is pursuing nuclear weapons, that is hostile towards the United States, that is hostile towards the West, that is hostile towards Israel. You have a president of that country who has said every foul thing imaginable, denies the Holocaust, says he wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map, and says that Americans are his sworn enemy.

This bill makes sense. This bill extends the current law and sanctions and provides important additional authorities to fight that threat. It is the carrot and the stick. We are having democracy building in this bill. We are being able to try to reach the Iranian people, who are good friends of the American people, but they are trapped by a repressive government and a government that doesn't have their best interests at heart, let alone anybody else's best interest.

So this is sort of a carrot-and-stick approach. We slap sanctions when sanctions are needed. We amend, also we expand it. It is expiring if we don't amend it, and it does what we know needs to be done.

Iran needs to be challenged. It cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

This is the same policy, it is a centrist policy, it makes a lot of sense, and I urge strong bipartisan support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New Jersey for yielding to me; and, first of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to express my extreme displeasure that this bill comes here today on consent calendar, a bill with more than $2 billion in this bill and we have 40 minutes to debate it. This is not a bill that should be under a suspension calendar. This is a bill that should have full and open debate among the Congress with not a 40-minute time limitation.

This is not a consensus bill. This is a contentious bill, and many of us are very, very upset. We are upset about the bill, and we are upset at the manner that this leadership brings this bill to the House floor.

This bill will destabilize established systems and care and will have a devastating effect on the ability of high prevalent communities to address need; and, unfortunately, as home to 17 percent, which is one- sixth of the Nation's AIDS population, New York is just so upset that this bill has come out the way it has. This is profoundly important to our State. That is why all 29 Members of the New York delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike, have signed a letter opposing this bill and pledging to vote against the bill.

New York remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS crisis, leading the Nation in both the number of persons living with HIV/AIDS and number of new cases of HIV/AIDS each year.

But what does this bill do? It has been estimated that New York State stands to lose more than $78 million in the first 4 years of the reauthorization. New York City will likely lose $17 million in the first year alone.

This bill will result in deep cuts in medications and services for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the State.

It reminds me of homeland security. Sometimes we need to use a little common sense. Homeland security, everyone knows, unfortunately, that New York City remains the number one terrorist target and Washington number two. So what did we have when we had the Department of Homeland Security come up with its budget? They cut New York City by 30 percent and cut Washington by 30 percent. The two biggest terrorist threats. That made no sense at all.

What happens here? New York City remains the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic, and what does this bill do? It cuts $78 million for New York and $17 million for New York City. It is shameful and disgraceful.

And despite what some may say, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has not shifted. It has expanded. One-half of all people living with AIDS reside in five States: New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, and California. Three of these States, New York, New Jersey and Florida, will face devastating losses under this reauthorization.

There is no question that other States have mounting epidemics and they are absolutely entitled and deserving of more funding. A good Ryan White bill would have ensured that every State had enough money to meet their needs; that every State would be held harmless; that every State would not be a winner or a loser, but that every State would have the resources needed to combat the scourge of AIDS.

I offered amendments in committee to increase funding for the bill with Mr. Towns, Ms. Eshoo, and Mrs. Capps. It failed on essentially a party-line vote. So I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Where are our spending priorities? We continue to pass irresponsible tax cuts in a time of war, and yet shortchange cities and states who are just trying to provide lifesaving services. We're truly talking about life and death

here, and it is shameful that we are pittinstates against each other for scarce funding.

Compounding the funding problem is that a proposed Severity of Need Index, expected to be implemented in this reauthorization, may consider state and local resources in determining how much federal funding to grant to states.

This is not the right message to send to NY that has more HIV/AIDS cases than any other state in the nation and spends more of its state dollars on care for HIV/AIDS patients than any other state in the nation. We have always viewed caring for our HIV/AIDS patients as a partnership between the local, state and federal governments. The Severity of Need Index is a powerful disincentive for states and local areas to take action.

It is with great sadness that I will vote against this bill today. But NY needs to make sure that we can keep helping the nearly 110,000 people living in our state with HIV/AIDS. We need to make sure we can keep providing life saving drugs and healthcare services which are preventing the transmission of HIV, preventing the progression from HIV to AIDS and ultimately keeping people from dying. This bill compromises our ability to do this.

This is why Mayor Bloomberg opposes this bill, this is why Gov. Pataki opposes this bill and this is why I must as well. Our nation deserves better than the underlying bill before us and it is a disgrace that this is all it will get.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and a great New Yorker, Preston Robert Tisch. I am a friend of the Tisch family, and I am proud to stand here today and speak about Bob Tisch's many accomplishments.

Bob Tisch was a businessman, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur. He made a positive impact on every organization he was affiliated with. Bob built the Loews Corporation into one of the largest diversified financial companies in the Nation, headed the New York Giants football franchise, and was one of the most generous philanthropists in New York. In every venture of his life he made he made a positive and indelible mark.

Bob and his brother Larry started a small hotel in New Jersey called Laurel-in-the Pines. The two brothers eventually built this business into the Loews chain of hotels. Their company acquired numerous other businesses to become the Loews Corporation that exists today.

After leaving Loews, Bob followed his dream and became the owner of the New York Giants football team. He was a true fan, attending every home and away game. He also brought his considerable talent and experience from the business field to the Giants organization.

However, Bob's most impressive accomplishments were his philanthropic ventures. In 2000, he helped create Take the Field, which raised money to rebuild the athletic fields of the public high schools in New York City. In only 4 years, he raised over $147 million for that cause. Additionally, he donated millions of dollars to universities around the country. New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, NYU Medical Center's Tisch Hospital, and even Tisch Hall at the University of Michigan are all testaments to the generosity of Bob Tisch.

Bob's gifts continued even after his passing. The Tisch Foundation, created by Bob and his wife Joan, has made substantial contributions to Play It Smart, an organization dedicated to training academic coaches to work with high school football teams in underserved neighborhoods. This program has achieved amazing success, with 98 percent of their students graduating high school and 80 percent enrolling in college. Both of these statistics are well above the national average.

Bob Tisch dedicated his life to improving the lives of others. He was a true American in the best sense of the word. For all these reasons, I strongly support H. Res. 605 and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Danielle Bright, a Haitian community leader, education activist and upstanding member of the Rockland county community.

Born in Haiti in 1951 her family fled the oppressive Francois ``Papa Doc'' Duvalier regime in 1964. Her family then spent two years in Congo before moving to Europe. It was in 1971, in France that she married Lealy Bright; they later had two children. The family eventually settled in the United States in 1978, first in Brooklyn and then in my district in Rockland County.

After moving to New York, Ms. Bright did not forget her Haitian heritage. She went on to be a longtime activist for the Haitian Community in Rockland County. She was the founder and a board member of the Haitian-American Parents Association. Most recently, she was honored at the annual dinner of the Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose center.

Fighting for the Haitian community was just one of Ms. Bright's causes. She was also a strong advocate for education for all children. She was an active member of the East Ramapo Board of Education. An ardent opponent of school budget cuts, she always argued that children deserved better. Those who worked alongside Ms. Bright on the school board called her a fierce advocate, dedicated to her work.

Danielle Bright spent a large portion of her life trying to improve the lives of others. She will be sorely missed by all of those in the community whose lives she touched.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Since the inception of this landmark legislation in 1990, the ADA has afforded broad anti-discrimination protection for disabled Americans.

The ADA ensures that people with disabilities can access employment, public services, and transportation. By making sure that disabled citizens are hired on the basis of their abilities rather than their disabilities, this law has given millions of Americans the chance to be treated equally in the workplace. Disabled Americans can no longer be denied access to public places solely on the basis of their handicap. In addition, those who feel that they have been discriminated against have legal recourse to address potential discrimination. These opportunities have established a sense of empowerment where such a sense did not exist before.

Though this legislation has helped countless people, there is surely more work to be done. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 70 percent of working-age Americans with significant disabilities are unemployed. This is the highest unemployment rate of any group of Americans, regardless of their education or qualifications. Many employers are wary of hiring disabled employees for fear of having to make expensive accommodations. Even worse, there still exists a prejudice against those with disabilities simply because of their disabilities. We must educate employees about the enormous potential they are missing or ignoring.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is one of the most comprehensive civil rights laws to have ever been enacted. On this the 6th anniversary, we should acknowledge the noble goal of equality that the ADA aims to achieve. I urge Congress to continue to support this legislation and fight against discrimination throughout our society.

Mr. Speaker, I sat here before and listened to the speech of Prime Minister Al-Maliki of Iraq. Quite frankly, I was underwhelmed. I am glad that he condemned terrorism by al Qaeda in Iraq, but we heard not a word of condemnation about Hezbollah and their terrorism against Israel.

I guess, according to the Prime Minister, terrorism against Iraq is no good, but terrorism against Israel is acceptable. I am also sorry he didn't take the opportunity to set the record straight involving his criticism of Israel this week or to condemn the speaker of the parliament of Iraq and his vicious anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish diatribe and tirade earlier this week. Unfortunately, none of that was forthcoming.

If we are to take the Iraqi leadership seriously in condemnation of terror, they have to condemn terror wherever it rears its ugly head, against Iraq, against Israel, or against any other nation. Only then will I truly believe that they are democrats and care about democracy and really care about the war on terror.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I want to commend my friend from Arizona for his remarks. I certainly concur with everything he said.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the United States- Israel Energy Cooperation Act. As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I am pleased that Congress is moving it forward today. I would like to thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) for their great leadership in introducing this bill, as well as Chairman Barton and Ranking Member Dingell for supporting it in our committee.

As the gentleman from Arizona pointed out, the bill did pass the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously, which shows the strong bipartisan support that it has. We will all benefit from our mutual commitment to this legislation; and, more importantly, our country will benefit.

Today, the United States consumes nearly 21 million barrels of oil per day, demands 25 percent of global oil production and holds only 3 percent of the global oil supply. This has made our Nation dangerously dependent on unstable and hostile nations for fuel and illustrates just how important it is for the United States to continue to build upon partnerships with other nations for developing alternative energy sources. Simply put, initiatives like this will help strengthen United States national security.

Israel has always been a close friend and ally of the United States, and this legislation simply builds upon both nations' history of innovation and cooperation on scientific research. We have already worked together on the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation and the United States-Israel Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation.

As some of you may remember, during consideration of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, I had a provision successfully adopted into the law, section 986, which requires the Secretary of Energy to report regularly on energy collaboration between the United States and Israel. We received the first report in November of 2005, and today's legislation will certainly expand opportunities for us to work together on achieving energy independence through the development and deployment of environmentally friendly energy technologies.

As a result of H.R. 2730, the Secretary of Energy will establish a grant program for joint ventures composed of Israeli and U.S. businesses and academics devoted to improving and expanding research on alternative energy, improved the energy efficiency, or renewable energy sources.

Our Nation is long overdue for a national energy policy that provides reliable, secure, affordable and environmentally responsible supplies of energy for our growing economy. While the small grants authorized in this program certainly cannot alone wean us off our addiction on oil in the short term, working with the highly advanced scientific sector in Israel, we can move in the right direction and affirm our hopes for what can be discovered and created through the mutual cooperation of our two great nations.

Again, I want to say that it is imperative that the United States take steps to wean itself off of its dependence on oil, and Middle Eastern oil in particular. Our national security and our energy needs are intertwined, and this bill will go a great step in moving in that direction.

So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act and urge its adoption today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), my friend who worked hard on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to again commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg) for his leadership on this bill.

I think that all the points that have been made on both sides of the aisle have been very important and very relevant, and that is why this bill is really a no-brainer. It is good for the United States, first and foremost. It is good for our relationship with the beleaguered State of Israel. And we know that to move forward, we need to find alternatives to oil, and this bill goes a long, long way. I am convinced that the technology is out there.

I am convinced that we can be free of our addiction to oil, that we can take care of our energy needs without oil. I am doing other legislation with the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston) in that regard. And I believe that in the next decade, our attention is really going to have to be focused on finding alternative ways of energy for this country.

This bill is an absolute win for everybody, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5611, the Fuel Conservation Education Act. Again, I find myself agreeing with my friend from Arizona in everything he said, which is why the bill is having strong support from all the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, during this time of record gasoline prices, over $3 a gallon in my home State of New York and in most States of this Union, we have to be smarter about the way we conserve energy. As individuals, we have a responsibility to make informed choices about what we drive, how we drive and what fuel we put in our cars.

In a recent Energy and Commerce Committee markup, our committee considered several bills to help consumers make decisions about how to improve the fuel economy of their cars. One of these was H.R. 5611, the Fuel Conservation Education Act, which we are debating today, which will direct the Department of Energy to establish a public-private partnership with industry on a conservation education program and campaign, teaching drivers about simple steps they can take to achieve real results. Education is clearly a necessary component of our national commitment to improving fuel economy.

During the same committee markup, our committee considered a bill by Congressman Shimkus, Congressman Allen and myself that would establish a National Tire Education Program. Right now, consumers have no way of knowing how efficient the replacement tires they purchase are or even that proper maintenance of tires will improve the fuel economy of these tires and of their automobile. It has been estimated that you can improve fuel economy by anywhere from 1 to 3 percent per year if tires are kept properly inflated. This could lead to savings of 1 to 2 billion gallons of fuel per year.

So it is all about education, and that is what this bill is about.

So, Mr. Speaker, while we must work on long-term solutions to our energy challenges that will have a significant impact on gasoline prices, we should also promote programs in the short term that will empower individuals to make informed choices about fuel economy. That is what this bill does, and that is why I urge the adoption of H.R. 5611 today.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to our Democratic whip, my friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. Again, I urge our colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my good friend, Mr. Lantos. I want to commend you and Chairman Hyde for your leadership on this very, very important bill.

I strongly support the bill. I support Mr. Stearns' amendment, because I think it dovetails very nicely with the bill, and I support a new strategic partnership with India. This is extremely important for the United States in the 21st century.

India being the largest democracy and the United States being the oldest democracy have so much in common, and this is a chance for us to prove it. We have similar geopolitical interests in the region. We understand the fact that India and the United States have much in common. What may have kept us apart during the Cold War no longer is relevant.

We have a strong Indian-American community in the United States, further strengthening the ties between our two great nations; and we have a common battle in the fight against terrorism. India, of course, experienced that terrible bombing on the railroad; and we in the United States understand what terrorism is as well.

India is a nuclear power. It is a reality. It is a fact of life. And the fact that India is willing to cooperate with the United States with nuclear power is a plus for us.

We should not treat friends and adversaries alike. People who say, well, you know, if you are going to help India, how can you tell Iran not to have nuclear power? That analogy is, frankly, ridiculous, because India has shown time and time again it is a peaceful, loving nation, with the same interests as the United States, whereas Iran is continuing its mischief. We know that Iran and North Korea should not be treated the same as India.

So I think what the Congress is doing, what Mr. Lantos and Mr. Hyde have done with their bill, is a very tremendous asset to this country's future in working with India. India has more than a billion people, and India is growing in leaps and bounds in every step of the way.

This strategic partnership will not only be with nuclear, but it will be with all things, because we will continue to build up trust with India, we will continue to build up a working relationship with India.

Again, we don't have wishes to quarrel with any country, but when it comes to the region in Asia, India has the same concerns, and there are many, that we do, and that is why it pays to work with India and particularly with nuclear power.

I support Mr. Stearns' amendment, I support the underlying bill, H.R. 5682, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on both.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 844, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House of Representatives will honor the 10th anniversary of the founding of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) today. This important nonprofit scientific and advocacy organization, founded in 1996, is working to develop safe, effective and accessible HIV vaccines for use around the world but especially for use in developing countries. IAVI is headquartered in New York, with offices in Nairobi, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Amsterdam, and conducts research and advocacy activities in a total of 23 countries.

As you are well aware, the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to decimate lives and families worldwide. AIDS has already claimed the lives of 25 million people, and there are currently nearly 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS today.

The United States has demonstrated our commitment to fighting the AIDS crisis by significantly increasing funding for treatment and care for the worst affected countries. Ultimately, however, a vaccine to prevent the spread of this disease will have a greater effect to slow and eventually halt new infections. IAVI's work focuses on four areas: accelerating scientific research on an AIDS vaccine; mobilizing public support through advocacy and education; encouraging industrial involvement in AIDS vaccine development; and assuring rapid global access to a vaccine.

This resolution is timely because in a few weeks an estimated 20,000 scientists, health care providers, community and business leaders, journalists, government, nongovernmental and intergovernmental representatives and people living with HIV/AIDS will meet at the 16th international AIDS conference held this year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With over 400 sessions, meetings and workshops dedicated to exploring the latest developments in HIV science, policy and practice, this is sure to provide a meaningful discourse on the global AIDS crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative's 10 years of outstanding work. I urge the adoption of this measure. It is a pleasure to once again sponsor this and speak on this with my good friend and partner, the gentlewoman from Florida, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, with whom I have had the pleasure of working on so much important legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with mixed emotions. Almost three years ago, I joined Representative Stupak and Representative Fossella in offering legislation to create an interoperability trust fund. Mr. Stupak is a former state trooper in Michigan. Mr. Fossella and I are from the one place in the United States that has twice been a victim of terrorism. Furthermore, as members of the Telecommunications subcommittee we are well aware of the needs of our first responders for radio equipment that works seamlessly for police, fire, and medical personnel as well as for local, state, and federal officials.

So I am disheartened that this legislation has not followed regular procedure in that the Energy and Commerce Committee did not hold hearings or a markup on this bill. We are three Members of Congress that have spent a great deal of time working on this very issue and yet today we have a bill that we cannot try to improve. We can only vote Yes or No.

I will vote ``yes.'' There are good things in this legislation. It has an emphasis on high level personnel at the Department of Homeland Security to do outreach, provide technical assistance and coordinate a national response capability that can provide backup services for lost local and regional services.

But I believe that with any legislation, if proper procedure were followed, this could be a better bill.

I see the most glaring omission is that there is no new money to aid our states and localities. In the digital television transition provisions of the Budget Resolution, we included $1 billion for Interoperability equipment grants to states and localities. We knew at the time that $1 billion is a drop in the bucket. The estimates are more in the $15 to $20 billion range.

And before someone stands up and complains that I am just a Democrat looking to spend more money without having a way to pay for it, let me be clear--the Bush tax cuts are why the federal government doesn't have the resources it needs to fully fund programs like this. Reverse the tax cuts for the wealthiest among us so that we can secure our country.

So I rise in support of the bill, but believe that it could be better and urge my Chairman to convene hearings on this vital matter.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to try to speak from the heart, and that is what I want to do, because Tom Manton was my friend.

You know, you get to an age where when you hear eulogies and you think that it is someone who lived in the distant past and not one of your colleagues or not one of your contemporaries. And even though Tom was several years older than me, he was certainly one of my contemporaries, because when I came to Congress in 1988, there was no one who was warmer and friendlier and opened his door more to me than Tom Manton.

I didn't really know Tom before I came to Congress. I had heard about him. He served on the New York City Council while I was serving in the New York State assembly, and he had a reputation of being this tough guy, maybe a bit gruff, and I didn't really know what to expect. But when I got to know Tom, and I got to know him very, very well, I learned that under this gruffness was this soft underbelly; that he was a very thoughtful and soft-spoken man; a very good person, who really cared about people, really cared about his country; a great life smart, intelligent man who came out of an ordinary working class family in New York City, the way so many of us did, and who worked hard.

I am sure he was the first person in his family to go to college. He went to law school and became a good lawyer. He was a very smart intelligent man and he really lived the American dream. That is what so many of us have done, children of immigrants and grandchildren of immigrants. Well, that is really what Tom Manton did.

Tom and I became very, very good friends. We were very close. We would go out to dinner and talk a lot. I still have a picture hanging in my office of Tom and myself taken, I think I was just elected but not yet sworn in. I had won the election and Tom signed it and said, ``The New York delegation is richer with your election.'' And that was just the kind of nice thing that he would do, would write it with his own handwriting.

It was Tom who encouraged me to go on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is a great committee but difficult to get on to, and Tom encouraged me. He was a member of the committee and encouraged me to try for the committee, which I did with his help and support, and eventually was made a part of that committee.

Tom cared about people. He cared about working people and was very close to labor. He always had very, very close friends because he worked very, very hard for the average person. My colleagues have already talked about what a difference he made in people's lives from the Irish peace process to just caring about every day people, ordinary people back home.

After he left Congress, he kept in touch and came down several times doing some lobbying, doing some work. And whenever you needed him to help you, with a campaign contribution or just a good friendly smile or some good friendly advice, Tom was always there. That is why he was such an effective Democratic county leader of Queens County and why his influence really extended beyond his borough, because when people wanted to aspire to leadership positions in the New York City council, be it speaker or whatever, if you got Tom Manton's blessing, you really had a leg up on everybody else in order to achieve that position. And Tom really was very effective in doing that.

When you are a political leader, you make tough decisions. You make friends and you make enemies. But everyone knew that Tom Manton was always fair and above board. He told you where you stood, and he was very, very honest with it. A very, very soft-spoken person who really cared about his country, about his state, about his city and, indeed, his friends as well.

I would say to Diane and the rest of the family that our lives are all richer because we knew Tom Manton. His memory will live because the benefits he provided to his city and his State and his country will continue to go on and on.

I last saw Tom a few years ago during the presidential campaign when there was a rally in his borough for John Kerry. And although I have spoken with Tom since then, that was actually the last time I had physically seen him. And I remember thinking that he didn't look quite as good as I had remembered, and from that point on, with his long illness, which of course culminated in his death.

Let me just speak for me, but I think all of us aspire to be the kind of person that Tom Manton was, an honest person coming from working class roots, a working class family, who understood that by helping people, you helped the country and you make a difference in people's lives. Tom, I know, is looking down at us, and I want him and his family to know that he has made a difference in all of our lives, those of us who were fortunate to call him our friend and fortunate enough to call him our colleague. But even those people that never met Tom, that only knew his name, are better because Tom Manton served in the United States Congress and made a difference in their lives as well, a difference in everybody's lives in the United States of America.

I am going to miss my good friend. We are all going to miss him. But we are all going to remember him. He is going to live on in our hearts and our minds and with the good work he did to make our country a better place. God bless you, Tom. We will all miss you, but we will never forget you.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that Money Magazine has just named the town of Ramapo, in Rockland County in my district, as one of the 100 best places to live in the United States, ranking Ramapo as 49.

I congratulate Ramapo and its town supervisor, Christopher St. Lawrence, who has done a wonderful job in leading that town. Ramapo, with a population of 110,000 residents, is the largest town in Rockland County, with a third of Rockland's inhabitants. It combines such densely populated places as Spring Valley, Muncie, New Square with the country settings of Chestnut Ridge, Suffern, and Wesley Hills.

Half of Ramapo is designated park land. Businesses have invested more than $1 billion in the past 4 years. The town has the highest bond rating in the country. A new state-of-the-art cardiac care unit has opened at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. They have great schools, and $125 million has been invested in a water treatment plant.

Three years ago, Money Magazine named Ramapo as the second best place to live in the Northeast. This year the ranking was done on a nationwide basis.

I am proud to represent Rockland and Ramapo in the U.S. Congress, and I congratulate the people of Ramapo on achieving this great honor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for giving me this time. And I rise, of course, in strong support of this resolution.

The United States and India are strong allies and friends, and our friendship will deepen in the years ahead.

Being a New Yorker, and having lived through the catastrophe of the World Trade Center bombings and here in Washington in the Pentagon, we certainly understand the feelings of the people of India because of this horrific terrorist attack killing innocent civilians on the trains.

Mr. Speaker, it makes no difference if terrorists attack Haifa in Israel or blow up children on buses in Tel Aviv in Jerusalem or blow up innocent civilians in Spain, in England, and in India. Terrorism is terrorism. And just as we support Israel and other democracies in the war on terror, we support India in its war on terror as well. And that is why the United States, as the oldest democracy in the world, and India, as the biggest democracy in the world, share so many things in common. And I am delighted that we are working very, very closely with the Indian Government.

And our hearts go out to the people of India, but it is not just sympathy. There has to be a resolve on the part of India and the United States, other democracies and freedom-loving people in the world, to stamp out the scourge of terrorism.

It is very important that we understand what happened. It is very important that we don't mince our words. It is very important that we stand together with the people of India.

So I am delighted that this has strong bipartisan support. I think it is important that the Congress act as one. And I think that in the future, India and the United States will continue to work closely together. Again, we share a common vision.

In the United States, when political campaigns are fought and the opposition party wins, we turn over the reins of government because we are a Nation of laws. The same thing happens in India. When the party in power loses control, they turn over the reins. And since 1947 when India became independent they have done that time and time and time again, unlike some neighboring states. And again, when we look at the vision of the future, the United States and India have the same adversaries. One of them, of course, is terrorism. But when we look at the geopolitical scene in Asia, the United States and India see things very, very closely.

So I am honored to add my voice to all my colleagues who have spoken on behalf of this resolution, to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship, to tell the people of India that we stand with them, we mourn their loss, and we are more resolved than ever with them to fight the war on terror.