Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, despite the fact that we face persistent unemployment and slow economic growth, Republicans would rather waste time with debt ceiling disapproval resolutions and risk default again than come up with real answers to our most pressing problems. Democrats want to pass the American Jobs Act right now to get people back to work. We want to offer payroll tax breaks to small businesses that create jobs, not continue corporate welfare to major oil companies. We want to create infrastructure banks to repair and rebuild our communities, not delay these highway projects to score political points.

Monday, in Politico, a senior Republican aide was quoted as saying he ``didn't want to hand Obama a win'' on jobs legislation. It's clear that Republicans care more about beating the President than beating unemployment. The jobless of this country cannot wait another 14 months. Pass the American Jobs Act today.

Let me thank you, Congresswoman Christensen, for all of your work, not only here in the House of Representatives, but what you do for the Congressional Black Caucus all across America.

What hasn't come out tonight is you are actually the first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and you work so hard for all of us and we want to thank you very much. We want to thank you for convening this Special Order tonight. You work so hard to make it happen.

I also want to extend my appreciation to Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who worked so tirelessly to help make successful the tour that we had a few weeks ago. She and her staff worked so very hard, and I want to publicly thank them for all that they did.

I had intended to go to two of the five events, but because of Hurricane Irene in my district, I did not make it to Los Angeles, but I did go to the first one. I was there in Cleveland with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge when we had the jobs fair and the town hall meeting, and it made such a powerful impression on me for us to get up that morning and to drive over to the community college and to see thousands of people lined up trying to get an interview for a job.

There was no question about it that these people were sincere, they were jobless through no fault of their own. Many of them told us that they had been jobless for more than 2 years, and they were standing in line hoping to get an opportunity to be interviewed by some of the fine companies that had come with the jobs in hand.

So I want to encourage us to continue our work. We have so much work to do. The national unemployment now is 9.1 percent and African American unemployment is at least 16.7 percent and probably more. As Congresswoman Waters said a few moments ago, among African American youth the number now approaches 50 percent, and so we have work to do.

The President has announced a very bold jobs plan that I hope that we can come together on as a Congress, both Democrat and Republican, House and Senate. I hope that we can come together and pass that package, the complete package, in just a few days because the American people are demanding that we do it.

We have a deficit panel that has now begun its work, 12 Members equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, half from the Senate and half from the House; and we are hoping and praying that deficit panel will be able to come together and present bold ideas to this Congress by November 23 so that we can demonstrate to the American people that we are serious about trying to create jobs.

But you know, Congresswoman, we as a Congress cannot do this alone. We as the CBC cannot do this alone. We have got to have shared sacrifice from people all across America, and that includes America's corporations. I have been disturbed over the last few days that America's companies are sitting on more than $2 trillion in retained earnings, and that is so disappointing.

So when we talk about creating jobs, American corporations have a responsibility, too, to put people to work and to start spending and investing in their own companies. So we go forward now, and we have a lot of work to do. We have a short term, as the minority whip said a few moments ago, and he is absolutely right; and I want to thank Steny Hoyer for his willingness to come to the floor tonight and to make the statements that he made. But we must have a short-term solution and a long-term solution. In the short term, we have to create jobs and we have to grow the economy. We have got to help businesses innovate, and we've got to improve the infrastructure so we can start getting more revenue from American workers. And, hopefully, in the long term we can begin to pay down the deficit.

So thank you for allowing me to come to the floor tonight and thank you for your leadership, and I thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus who works tirelessly. I don't know when he goes to Kansas City. He is from Kansas City, Missouri, and a good friend of all of ours. I don't know when he rests. He is our tireless leader. I understand that he may be next in the queue to speak, and I will eagerly await the statements from our chairman.

Without question.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Cleaver, you brought up the subject of infrastructure in your remarks. That's a very important conversation that we've got to have in this country. You have served 8 years as mayor of a major city. Would you again speak to the importance of infrastructure and what it can mean to job creation and economic development in communities all across America?

I'm from a rural community. I have 88 small cities and towns in my district and they don't have access to money to build infrastructure. The infrastructure bank that you made reference to would just bring new life to rural communities. I know you served as a mayor. Just talk about the relationship between infrastructure and job creation.

And we have American workers ready to do the work if we can create the opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. on the expansion of its recently opened manufacturing operations at the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston, North Carolina.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest suppliers of commercial airplane components. Spirit, which has domestic facilities in Tulsa and McAlester, Oklahoma as well as international facilities in Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France, added Kinston, North Carolina to its roster of state-of-the-art aviation operations in July 2010.

Spirit AeroSystems' Kinston facility will begin a new production program responsible for constructing the wing for the Gulfstream G250 and will add approximately 150 to 200 North Carolina jobs over the next five years. This expansion will add to the Global TransPark operation that already produces composite fuselage and leading edge wing spars for the Airbus A350 commercial aircraft.

Mr. Speaker, I represent one of the poorest Congressional districts in the country, and the recession has been especially difficult on the citizens of the First District of North Carolina. However, through these tough times the people of eastern North Carolina have demonstrated their resiliency and competiveness. As a result of these qualities, I believe other companies will follow Spirit AeroSystems' lead and build successful and reciprocally beneficial relationships in eastern North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues join me in congratulating Spirit AeroSystems on the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Kinston, North Carolina. I thank Spirit AeroSystems for their demonstrated confidence in the workers of eastern North Carolina. I wish them the best in their future endeavors.

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

I rise today in strong support of this very important bill. Almost 3 years ago, President Bush signed H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, into law. While that bill passed this House by a vote of 424 to 1, it soon became evident to all of us that providing some of the extraordinary protections for children in that bill would be a challenge for some businesses, especially our smallest manufacturers. Many of them testified before our subcommittee, and we heard their concerns.

So I have worked very closely with Chairman Bono Mack in crafting this compromise to provide targeted and sensible relief for businesses from some of CPSIA's requirements without sacrificing the health and safety of our children. I am pleased that we are able to present it to the House today for immediate consideration. The bill is a marked change from where we started with H.R. 1939, and I am pleased with the bipartisan changes reflected in today's bill.

Businesses are provided with relief through prospective application of the 100 parts per million lead content limits. That means, Mr. Speaker, businesses won't have to pull products from store shelves that meet the current legal limit of 300 parts per million on the effective date of the 100 parts per million limit. We also include an exemption for off-road vehicles, like ATVs, snowmobiles, and dirt bikes, from meeting the lead content limit. The safety of our young people is paramount when designing and building off-road vehicles, and constructing strong, rigid parts for these vehicles often requires more lead than CPSIA would otherwise allow.

Further, the bill codifies a stay of enforcement by the CPSC with respect to the lead content limit of bicycles until

December 31, 2011, and relaxes the ultimate lead content of bicycles to 300 parts per million.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, provides significant relief for small batch manufacturers. I have a tremendous amount of respect for America's small businesses and believe we must do all we can to protect them from overly burdensome regulations. At the same time, though, we have an obligation to protect America's children from potentially dangerous products. The only way to know if those products are safe is to test them.

Taking the unique circumstances of small batch manufacturers, the bill requires CPSC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to consider potential economic and administrative burdens to small batch manufacturers when developing third-party testing requirements. It further permits the CPSC to provide alternative testing requirements. After notice and a hearing, if the commission determines there is no economically practicable alternative, they can exempt the product from third-party testing altogether.

I am pleased that this bill provides specific relief from testing for ordinary books and magazines. Our colleague, Mr. Edolphus Towns from New York, has been concerned about ordinary books becoming an unintended consequence of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Manufacturers of ordinary books and magazines should not be subject to third-party testing. Still subject to testing will be books that have plastic parts, like pop-up books, those with nonpaper-based accessories, or anything else that has inherent play value.

I strongly support the consumer product safety information database created by H.R. 4040, and that has been somewhat controversial. But I support the database creation. It went live earlier this year and has been extremely successful in helping to educate the public about potentially unsafe products. This bill takes some sensible steps to make the database even more effective.

The bill requires the commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, to seek out more information about the products reported by consumers to the database, like a product's serial number, a model number, or a photograph of the product in question. I think the more information that is provided, the better and more effective the database will be for consumers and businesses alike.

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, I support this bill. I believe it provides a strong compromise that will reduce burdens on businesses and continue to protect American consumers.

Again, I want to thank our distinguished chairman of the subcommittee, Chairwoman Bono Mack, for working with me in a bipartisan fashion to find solutions, commonsense, practical solutions for the American people.

I thank the chairman of the subcommittee, the chairman of the full committee, the ranking member of the full committee, all of the stakeholders who had a part in crafting this compromise.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I want to thank the gentleman from Montana for working with us in crafting this compromise, and I hope he is satisfied with the ATV component. He has worked very hard and his staff has worked very hard to bring it to our attention.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished ranking member of our full committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

Mr. Speaker, it doesn't appear that I have any other speakers on this side. I think their attention might be directed in another direction today; so I am prepared to close.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of the individuals, all of the Members, all of the staff who have played a part in crafting this compromise. It's a good bipartisan compromise that we can all live with. I look forward to the President signing it into law after the Senate passes it, hopefully very soon, and hopefully our small businesses will be able to continue to be profitable.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking, and we must act now on increasing our debt limit. The American people must understand that increasing the debt limit will enable us to meet obligations that have been incurred by Democratic and Republican Congresses in years past. Defaulting on these obligations will not only wreak havoc on the American people; it will weaken our overall economy.

The Republicans have been given opportunity after opportunity to help craft an acceptable, long-term debt reduction plan that would include a debt limit increase, but Republicans have slow-walked us to the brink of collapse.

The Republican plan is to imperil Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans want to balance the budget by forcing the government away from government-sponsored Medicare and provide vouchers so seniors can purchase coverage from private insurance companies. Republicans want to shift the Medicaid responsibility to States that are already struggling to balance their budgets. Republican budget cuts will force doctors, hospitals and other health care providers to leave the Medicaid program entirely.

The Republican strategy has been evolving for a long time, and now it is revealed. Shame on you. Shame on the Republican majority.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today my colleagues spoke about poverty in

America. I regret that I could not join them at that time and now I wish to submit my own remarks. These are very tough times for rural districts such as the one I represent in the northeastern corner of North Carolina. It is the fourth poorest Congressional District in the U.S. 24 percent of the people I represent and 36 percent of the children live below the poverty line. Those are chilling statistics.

There are enormous racial disparities in poverty rates, and they are only getting larger. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.8 percent--one in four--of all black Americans live in poverty compared to an overall national poverty rate of 14.3 percent. This compares to 25.3 percent poverty among Hispanics, 12.5 percent among Asians and 9.4 percent among whites.

The poverty problem in America is getting worse; not better. In 2006, the overall poverty rate was 12.6 percent, and in 2008, the overall poverty rate was 13.2 percent. The poverty rate now is the highest it has been since 1994.

Other indicators are equally alarming. More Americans than ever find themselves in need of food. In 2009, 14.7 percent of U.S. households had difficulty providing enough food for family members at some point during the year. This is the highest level observed since the U.S.D.A. started monitoring food security in 1995. From 2007 to 2009, the number of households using food pantries rose by 44 percent from 3.9 to 5.6 million households.

Similar trends of racial disparities exist amongst individuals lacking health insurance coverage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 21 percent--one in five--black Americans are uninsured. This compares to 12 percent among whites and 17.2 percent among Asians. The number of uninsured children has risen to 7.5 million. In total, over 50.7 million people, or 16.7 percent of the country's population lack health insurance coverage--a dramatic increase from 46.3 million in 2008.

Poverty, hunger, and suffering are increasing--especially for people of color--during these difficult economic times. These are sad and terrible realities that a distressing number of my constituents face.

My district has many vivid and unfortunate illustrations of poverty: nearly one in 20 homes in some counties do not have a telephone or a kitchen, and many of my constituents are still living without indoor plumbing. As the national numbers show, eastern North Carolina is not unique in its poverty or suffering. People are poor, getting poorer, and are largely being ignored by policy makers all across the country.

Recent budget plans offered by the other side of the aisle would cut spending from most safety net programs, such as Medicare, Social Security, and food security programs, while increasing defense spending. If these misguided plans are passed into law, the impacts would be felt by all Americans and we would face a second Great Recession.

As we face an impending debt crisis and unsustainable levels of spending, we must balance our ongoing commitments to job creation and tax code reform while ensuring changes are not made at the expense of children, minorities, and seniors. We have a moral obligation to fight for the millions of Americans who are overlooked and suffering each and every day.

Mr. Speaker, we must work together toward developing comprehensive strategies to eradicate the growing poverty and hunger in the world's wealthiest nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to properly recognize the life and military service of Private Frank Worthington of the United States Colored Troops. Private Worthington, a former slave, served during the Civil War and on August 13, 2011, his family will remember his life and military service at Maplewood Cemetery in Wilson, North Carolina with a Civil War headstone dedication ceremony.

Frank Worthington was born a slave. It was a sad and troubled time in our Nation's history. He was a slave on a plantation located in Pitt County, North Carolina. Upon escaping from the plantation, he joined the United States Colored Troops of the Union Army on December 13, 1864 in New Bern, North Carolina. Private Worthington served honorably through the remainder of the War in Companies B & E of the 14th Regiment United States Colored Heavy Artillery.

Recognizing the brave sacrifices of African American soldiers during the Civil War, Private Frank Worthington and 209,144 other names are proudly displayed on the Wall of Honor at the new African American Civil War Museum which will hold its grand opening on July 18, 2011. The new African American Civil War Museum will honor the contributions and sacrifices made by African American soldiers during the Civil War in the preservation of our Union. The inclusion of Private Worthington's name on the Wall of Honor is a worthy tribute, and I know his descendants will feel an immense sense of pride knowing that his name will be forever included in this wonderful museum.

Private Worthington will be further remembered on August 13, 2011 when his family will gather to dedicate an official Civil War headstone from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The family has organized a three-day reunion, culminating with the dedication of the headstone which will forever memorialize his heroic and selfless action on behalf of the Union.

I ask my colleagues join me in offering sincere congratulations and our deepest sense of gratitude to the family of Private Frank Worthington for receiving, after almost 100 years since his death, the proper recognition of a life and military service that contributed immensely to our great country. Our Nation is forever indebted to the service of Private Frank Worthington and other African Americans who served during the Civil War.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, across the country, Republican-led legislatures are pushing and passing laws that will suppress minority and elderly voters in the coming election. Under the guise of ``eliminating voter fraud,'' Republicans have a solution to a problem that simply does not exist. In my home State of North Carolina, where the Republican legislature is attempting to require voter ID at the polls, there were only 44 cases of voter fraud in the 2008 and 2010 elections combined. Forty-four cases out of over 7 million ballots cast. Is this a serious voter problem? No.

Unfortunately, it is a cynical and malicious Republican attempt to suppress minority and elderly voters who turned out in historical numbers for the 2008 elections. Almost one-fourth of African American voting age citizens and one-fifth of seniors do not have government- issued ID; yet new laws require them to pay for IDs in order to vote. This is a poll tax. We must inform our constituents that their fundamental right in a democracy is being infringed and fight back against this voter suppression epidemic.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Bishop F.C. Barnes, a great friend and distinguished American who has passed away at the age of 82.

Fifty-two years ago, Bishop Barnes founded Red Budd Holy Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and continued as senior pastor until his death. During his pastorate, the church congregation grew from a few members to more than 800.

Bishop Barnes was a world-renowned vocalist known for his extraordinary musical talent. He recorded many productions, including the award winning ``Rough Side of the Mountain.''

The loss of this great saint of God is irreplaceable. His enormous contribution to Red Budd Holy Church, Edgecombe County and, indeed, the Nation are deeply appreciated and recognized on this day.

Bishop Barnes leaves a strong and loving family, including his church family, who will miss him so much. Their loss is heaven's gain.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of the distinguished 27-year career of Captain John T. Hardin in the United States Coast Guard. Captain Hardin has served in the United States Coast Guard with distinction throughout his career, in particular as the commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, which is located in the First Congressional District.

Captain Hardin graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut on May 23, 1984 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in civil engineering. His first duty station was aboard the USCG Sherman where he served as Engineer of the Watch, Auxiliary Officer, Electrical Officer, and Fueling Officer. Captain Hardin went on to attend Naval Flight Training and received his wings in May of 1987.

Captain Hardin's diverse career took him to multiple locations including Miami, San Diego, and San Francisco. During these assignments Captain Hardin served as Morale Officer, Public Works Officer, Aviation Material Officer, Rotary Wing Assistant Engineer, Aircraft Salvage Officer, HH-65A Instructor Pilot, Engineer Officer, and even President of the Flight Examining Board. Captain Hardin became dual-qualified in the HH-65A helicopter, the first qualified copilot in the HU-25C Air Interceptor, and earned a Master's of Business Administration in Technologies Management.

Captain Hardin's connection to Elizabeth City, North Carolina began in 1999 with his first assignment as the HU-25 Product Line Manager at the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center. Later, in 2002, Captain Hardin transferred to the Engineering Industrial Supply Center as the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center Chief Engineer. In 2003, Captain Hardin became the commanding officer of the C-130J Aircraft Project Office, and his career culminated in July of 2008 when he assumed command of Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.

Captain Hardin has dutifully served our country for the past 27 years, and eastern North Carolina for over 10 years while stationed at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City. It brings me great joy to honor the dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to duty demonstrated by Captain Hardin.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Captain John T. Hardin on his retirement from the United States Coast Guard and offer my sincere appreciation for his many years of service to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Fourth Fighter Wing of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina in my Congressional district. Today, the Fourth will be honored at the United States Air Force Memorial with the Air Force Historical Foundation's James H. ``Jimmy'' Doolittle Award. The award recognizes the Fourth's significant contributions to the history of the United States Air Force, as well as its bravery, determination, discipline, esprit de corps and superior joint operational management.

For over five decades the Fourth Fighter Wing has earned a distinguished place in both American aviation history and world military history. This distinction began prior to the United States officially entering World War II with pilots who volunteered to fly as part of the Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons. Upon entering World War II, these pilots formed the Fourth Fighter Group and set records throughout the War, earning the motto, ``Fourth but First.'' The Fourth continued to contribute to its legacy and Air Force history during the Korean conflict by engaging in the first major all-jet fighter battle in history.

The Fourth Fighter Wing proved to be a superior combat force in Southeast Asia during Vietnam with more than 8,000 combat missions. The Fourth further used their skills during the Persian Gulf War by conducting precision nighttime strikes against Iraqi forces. The Fourth Fighter Wing provided life-saving close air support in Afghanistan during Operation Anaconda, and contributed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Despite risking their lives daily, the Fourth Fighter Wing has always served selflessly, courageously and with great distinction.

The Fourth Fighter Wing has been a source of great pride for eastern North Carolina for the past 50 years while assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. I am very proud to see the dedication, sacrifices, and historical contributions of the Fourth Fighter Wing recognized with this award. I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating the Fourth Fighter Wing on receiving the James H. ``Jimmy'' Doolittle award and offer my sincere appreciation for their service to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to pay tribute to a lifelong friend, the Reverend Dr. Dorothy Sharpe Johnson, an accomplished pastor, educator and author who passed from labor to reward on 31 May 2011 after a long illness, a long illness that did not curtail her work.

A native of Wilson County, North Carolina, Dr. Johnson resided in Matthews, North Carolina, which is near the City of Charlotte, with her beloved husband of more than 50 years, Retired AME Zion Bishop Joseph Johnson.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Johnson was the fifth of eight children born to Mark Benjamin and Clara Farmer Sharpe. After finishing Speight High School at the age of 15, she went on to earn her bachelor's degree from North Carolina Central University, known at that time as North Carolina College at Durham. Later in life, she earned a master's degree in religious education and a Doctor of Divinity degree from the James Walker Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, North Carolina, on the campus of historic Livingstone College, and she received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte.

Over the years, Dr. Johnson found many ways to serve her community as a public school teacher, school administrator, social worker, and even a seamstress. She was particularly devoted to her faith and church. In 1979, Dr. Johnson was elected by the AME Zion General Conference to oversee the youth mission. During her 8-year tenure, she worked to build a youth retreat that was eventually named in her honor and today serves as many as 575 youth at a time.

Dr. Johnson was a missionary supervisor with the AME Zion Church and was pastor of Indian Hill AME Zion Church in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Her work with the AME Zion Church took her around the world working in England and Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and across America as an outreach to her ministry. She published a great number of books that were inspired by her life experience and devotion to God. In addition to all of this, she was a devoted member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the NAACP.

Mr. Speaker, one of most profound statements I can make about this great American is that despite having a medical condition known as systemic lupus erythematosus for more than 40 years, including many surgeries and hospitalizations, she lived a productive life that cannot be surpassed by anyone. She was a good wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, pastor, and friend. Dr. Johnson distinguished herself in so many ways and made a difference in this world.

The Johnsons are the proud parents of two adult sons, the Reverend Anthony Johnson, pastor of St. Matthew AME Zion Church of Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Timothy Johnson, a civil engineer in our great State. And they are the grandparents of two grandchildren, Angelica and Derrick, both of whom are honor students.

Dr. Johnson is also survived by four sisters, Barbara Jones, Trumilla Jones, Ernestine Wright, and Betty Coley; three brothers, Rudolph Sharpe, Eugene Sharpe, and a very good friend of mine, David Sharpe of Phoenix, Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this great life. We extend condolences to her husband, Bishop Joseph Johnson, their sons, and all of their family and friends.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Denison Dover Garrett, a towering giant who has passed away at the age of 97. A lifelong resident of Greenville, North Carolina, we affectionately referred to Mr. Garrett by his initials, D.D.

D.D. Garrett was a man of great courage who led by example. He worked tirelessly to ensure that the African American community had a voice in public policy. Through his work in the AME Zion Church and the Pitt County Branch of the NAACP, D.D. constantly exposed injustice. He insisted that the American Dream must be a reality to every American regardless of their station in life.

As the first African American county commissioner, D.D. led the way in African American political participation in his community. As the founder of a substantial insurance and real estate firm, D.D. was a successful businessman and mentor to many.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this great life. We extend condolences to his wife, Mrs. Clotea Williams Garrett; their sons, D.D., Jr., and Michael; and the entire Greenville community.

Greenville, North Carolina, is a better place to live and work because of the enormous contribution of Denison D. Garrett.

Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday in my home town of Wilson, North Carolina, the Wilson Community College held its annual commencement exercise. From all accounts, it was a wonderful occasion. But for one family in the community, the McArn family, there was great sadness on this occasion because their loved one was due to graduate; but sadly, she passed away on January 14, 2011, at the young age of 45. And so I take this opportunity today to honor the life and memory of that individual, Ms. Bernadette McArn.

The youngest of four children, Bernadette was born on July 12, 1965, to Isiah and Wynomia Crocker McArn. She was a graduate of Ralph L. Fike High School and, but for her passing, would have earned an associate's degree from the college. It is fitting to note that last spring Bernadette distinguished herself and pleased her family when she made the Dean's List.

This has been a very difficult time for the McArn family. They were very proud of Bernadette, and her memory will live within their hearts forever.

I ask my colleagues to join me in offering our deepest condolences to the McArn family, friends, and loved ones.

Food Insecurity

Mr. Speaker, I want to use my remaining time to talk about the issue of hunger.

In this same community where Bernadette McArn lived her entire life, many are suffering from what I call food insecurity. At 11 p.m. last night, a line began to form at the Wilson OIC to receive food commodities today. Hundreds of citizens in this small community--black, white, and brown--stood all night long to be positioned to receive the basic commodity of food.

Earlier this year, a study by the Food Research and Action Center showed that the First District of North Carolina ranks as the second worst for food insecurity in the country. Last Thanksgiving, about 2,000 people waited overnight--again--for a 25-pound bag of groceries at this same community-based program. For those of us living in eastern North Carolina, this comes as no surprise and underscores the need for a strong nutrition safety net.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident in our country. As a State, North Carolina ranks sixth worst in the country for food security, with a food hardship rate of 23.5 percent, and the numbers are even worse in my district in eastern North Carolina.

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is called on to serve more than 500,000 people annually in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina, and about 73,000 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week. Of those people, the food bank reports that 40 percent choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heat; 33 percent choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage; 37 percent choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care; and 38 percent choose between paying for food and paying for transportation.

Mr. Speaker, as we continue our work, we must keep in mind that as many as 50 million Americans are struggling with food security. The Federal Government certainly needs to find ways to cut costs and reduce spending, but that burden should not fall heaviest on the people with the greatest needs.

As I close, let me just encourage our citizens to stay strong in their faith and know that Democrats will fight for you.

And I would like to thank Mr. Howard Jones of the Wilson OIC, his staff, and all of the volunteers for their extraordinary contribution to the Wilson community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to again thank all of the agencies, both State and Federal, that have responded to the devastation caused by the April 16 tornados in my district in eastern North Carolina. Their response has been effective, and we are on the road to recovery.

I also thank President Obama for his quick response in issuing his Presidential declaration declaring these areas a disaster. One of my constituents called it Obamacare. I choose to call it Presidential leadership.

As we go back to our districts today, I urge my colleagues to listen to the demands of the American people that we work together in a bipartisan manner to meet the great challenges of our day. We will never get the Federal budget in balance until Democratic and Republican leaders sit together, reconcile their differences, and take bold steps.

I urge my colleagues to stop telling their constituents that we will balance the budget by simply cutting non-defense discretionary spending. That is doing a disservice to your constituents and to mine.

Please have a productive work period. Let's return on May 23 and begin that process.