Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.J. Res. 38, honoring Commodore John Barry as the first flag officer of the United States Navy. I want to recognize and thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Drake), my friend, for her support of this resolution now before the House.

Mr. Speaker, H.J. Res. 38 is a tribute to a man recognized as the Father of the American Navy. Unfortunately, I suspect most Americans today probably do not remember Commodore Barry, let alone his gallant and heroic actions during the American Revolution.

John Barry was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1745. A son of a poor Irish farmer, young John followed his uncle, Nicholas Barry, to sea, starting out as a ship's cabin boy and ultimately becoming the senior commander of the entire United States fleet.

In 1766, Barry had his first command aboard the schooner Barbadoes, which sailed out of his home port of Philadelphia. Philadelphia became home to John Barry, not only because it was an emerging maritime trade center but because it was also an environment which promoted religious freedom.

Upon his return from a trade voyage to England, John Barry found that the Colonies and Great Britain were at war. As the war for independence began, Barry was given the responsibility for ensuring that all the Continental Navy ships sailing from Philadelphia were outfitted and provisioned appropriately.

For his exemplary service to our young Nation, John Barry was awarded a captain's commission in the Continental Navy on March 14, 1776. With his commission came command of a new 14-gun ship named the Lexington. On April 7, 1776, Captain Barry captured the British ship Edward. It was the first capture of a British warship by a regularly commissioned American cruiser.

In 1777, Mr. Speaker, the British assaulted Philadelphia, and Captain Barry was forced to scuttle his new ship, the Effingham. While the Effingham was under construction, Barry volunteered his service to the Continental Army and served with a company of marines under the command of General John Cadwalader. He fought at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, but by March 1778, Barry was back on the sea.

His heroic deeds during the American Revolution were remarkable. He is credited with the capture of over 200 British ships. He was known to have

quelled three mutinies, and he authored a signal book that was used to communicate between ships.

On February 22, 1797, President George Washington conferred the first naval commission in the United States Navy on John Barry and gave him the rank of captain.

Captain Barry served as commodore of the U.S. Navy under three Presidents: Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. As commander of the first naval squadron, Commodore Barry was entitled to fly a pendant, which made him, in essence, the Nation's first naval flag officer.

Commodore Barry's last day on active duty was March 6, 1801, but he continued to remain the head of the Navy until his death on September 12, 1803.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, is an effort to honor Commodore John Barry for his outstanding contributions to the Continental Navy and for his extraordinary accomplishments as the Nation's first flag officer of the United States Navy.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Drake) for her support of this resolution. I want to thank my colleagues and urge support for this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, if I have no more speakers, and I do not think that I do at this time, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise and ask my Colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mr. James Edward Odom, constituent and friend who recently passed away at the blessed age of 87 years old.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Odom enjoyed a very full life. He was first and foremost a Christian and dedicated much time as a member of St. Mark A.M.E. Church severing in several capacities. Mr. Odom always made it known that his parents taught him to first acknowledge our Creator in all things; and that is the principle by which he lived his life.

Mr. Odom attributed the many successes in life to his Christian faith. He graduated from Nash Central High School and conducted his undergraduate studies at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He continued his studies at Eckles College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later graduated from Cortez Peters School of Business Administration in Washington, DC. Mr. Odom went further to study Standard Accounting and Management at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Odom believed in using each of his many talents as evidenced by his significant involvement and active membership in countless organizations. The list is exhaustive with one affiliation just as impressive and important as the next. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Odom has indeed left an impression in the Nash County, Rocky Mount area where he served as Chairman of the Human Relations Commission; the First Black County Commissioner of the Nash County Board of Commissioners where he was elected to a four-year term in 1986 following a lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act; member of Unity Lodge #64; member of the Trustee Board of St. Marks A.M.E. Church; member of the Little Raleigh Independent Club of Rocky Mount; member of the Helping Hand Club of Little Easonburg, Rocky Mount; past President of the Lay Organization of St. Mark A.M.E. Church and the list is perpetual. Further, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Odom served on the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce; Triangle East; Cities In Schools of Rocky Mount; The Salvation Army; First Union Bank of Rocky Mount; the Rocky Mount Branch of the NAACP; Nash Central Senior Alumni Association; the National Federation of Independent Business and he held countless other posts too numerous to mention.

Mr. Speaker, I learned that in 1980, Mr. James Edward Odom and his loving wife Erma embarked upon one of the most significant and important ventures in their lives; they became the proud owners of Hunter-Odom Funeral Services. I am sure that I speak on behalf of many of my 660,000 constituents whose lives Hunter-Odom Funeral Services touched in the sincere, compassionate and sensitive manner in which they handled bereaved families as they put loved ones to rest.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased and proud to pay tribute to such an outstanding pillar of the Nash County community. It is my wish that God will continue to bless and keep each member of Mr. James Edward Odom's family.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 500, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Shaw). This resolution recognizes the 60th anniversary of the disappearance of the five naval Avenger torpedo bombers of Flight 19 and the naval Mariner rescue aircraft sent to search for Flight 19, and it honors the memory of those 27 Navy airmen lost in the disappearance.

As the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) said a moment ago, on December 5, 1945, at approximately 2:10 p.m. a squadron of TBM Avenger torpedo bombers departed from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale in Florida on the first leg of a routine exercise. The five-plane formation turned east and headed out over the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently disappeared off the coast of Florida. A 13-man crew of a PBM Mariner was sent out to search for the men of Flight 19, and they too never returned from the area commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle.

The disappearance of the five Avengers and the Mariner resulted in one of the largest air and sea searches in history. Hundreds of ships and aircraft combed 200,000 square miles of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, while search parties on land looked for evidence on the off chance that the aircraft may have gone down undetected. Nothing was ever found. No wreckage, no evidence was left of the fate of these six airplanes.

Flight 19, Mr. Speaker, became the Lost Patrol and has been associated with myths of mysterious disappearances of ships and airplanes with the legendary Bermuda Triangle. According to the official board of inquiry, the mission was an overwater navigation training hop composed of an instructor, four naval aviators undergoing advanced training, and nine enlisted aircrew, except for one, who were all undergoing advanced combat aircrew training.

The flight, Mr. Speaker, was entitled Navigation Problem Number 1, which departed Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale on a triangular route with a brief stop for some glide bombing practice on the first leg out. The weather for the area was described as favorable. The planes were thoroughly pre-flighted. All survival gear was intact.

Fuel tanks were full. Instruments were checked, but none of the aircraft had a clock.

While Flight 19 remains one of America's most enduring, unsolved mysteries, some facts are known. Flight 19's departure from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale was led by one of the students. At some point the instructor, Fox Tare, 28, took the lead after the flight turned north on the second leg, thinking that his students were on the wrong heading. While the instructor was familiar with the Florida Keys, with both compasses out and with evidently no concept of time, he could have mistaken the cays of the Northern Bahamas for the Keys and the water beyond for the Gulf of Mexico.

Toward that end, the favorable weather of low ceiling and daytime 10- mile visibility were replaced by rain squalls and by turbulence and darkness of winter night. Terrific winds were encountered, and the calm sea now ran rough. Although no one can officially say what truly happened to Flight 19, former TBM pilots have expressed the opinion that an Avenger attempting to ditch at night in a heavy sea would almost certainly not survive the crash.

Recently, Mr. Speaker, there has been a renewed focus on solving this continuing mystery. Hopefully, this new investigation into the events on December 5, 1945, will result in concrete evidence as to the fate of Flight 19 and the PBM Mariner and will bring closure to the families who lost their loved ones on that fateful day.

Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend my colleague on this resolution.

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

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 thank my colleagues for considering this resolution today, and let me commend my chairman (Mr. Hunter) and my ranking member (Mr. Skelton) for their quick and decisive work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, aircraft carriers are the backbone of our naval forces. We have seen their profound impact and flexibility in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and during tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, and in other locations.

The bulk of our carrier force is comprised of nuclear carriers which must be refueled and refitted every 25 years. This process takes approximately 2 years, and carriers are refitted back to back.

With that said, Mr. Speaker, the minority has reviewed this bill, and I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4326. This bill is necessary because this Congress, the House and Senate both, have as of yet been unable to finish either the defense appropriations bill or the defense authorization bill. I regret to inform the House, Mr. Speaker, that today, a full 47 days after the start of the current fiscal year, we have left the Department of Defense without a budget and without an authorization from Congress. This occurs even as the men and women of our military are deployed at numerous locations around the world fighting a war.

I mention these facts, Mr. Speaker, because the bill we consider today is intended to correct just one of the thousands of problems created by our inability to complete our work. The United States Navy has long planned to begin the process of refueling the USS Carl Vinson this week. The Vinson is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which has served this Nation with great distinction since she was commissioned back in 1982. She is named for a fine Member of this body, a Democrat, I might say, from the State of Georgia, who chaired the House Armed Services Committee.

Possibly the Vinson's finest hour came on October 7 of 2001 when she launched the first U.S. air attacks in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Over the next 72 days, the Vinson launched over 4,000 combat sorties in support of U.S. and Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan. It goes without saying, Mr. Speaker, that these air strikes led directly, directly to a very successful outcome.

Today, however, the Navy finds itself in a peculiar bind. It cannot proceed to refuel this ship, which will allow it to operate for another 25 years in defense of this country, without an authorization from Congress. What does this mean? Mr. Speaker, it means that up to 1,700 workers at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia could be laid off as early as next week. To give these workers pink slips would be an utter travesty, Mr. Speaker; and for this reason, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

It must be said, however, that the passage of this bill is an entirely inadequate substitute for passage of the fiscal year 2006 defense authorization and defense appropriations bills. As I mentioned, there are literally thousands of military programs affected in ways, both large and small, by the fact that Congress has not completed its work. While I am pleased that we can save many good jobs in Virginia today by passing this bill, I cannot be satisfied. At a time of war, we owe it to all of the members of our military and we owe it to the Department of Defense to see the defense authorization and appropriations bills completed.

Mr. Speaker, as I travel to visit our troops next week, I would like to visit our warfighters with the satisfaction of knowing that we have passed the 2006 defense budget.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of my most senior constituents, Mrs. Blanche Sparrow Rivers, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday on November 15, 2005.

Mrs. Rivers, is the third of five children born to Henry Clay and Hattie Brown Sparrow. Since the New Bern school system only offered 2 years of high school, Mrs. Rivers' father sent her to Durham, North Carolina, to the National Religious Training School where she matriculated to Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1927, Mrs. Rivers received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Shaw University. She went on to teach English in the New Bern public school system for 24 years until her retirement in 1951. Mr. Speaker, I am certain that Mrs. Rivers can take credit for shaping many young minds and is responsible for directing the paths of many of my constituents who have grown into productive upstanding citizens.

In June 1932, Blanche Sparrow married Mr. Bishop Singleton Rivers, and in July 1935, Barbara Lucille Rivers was born. Mrs. Rivers is a charter member of the Theta Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is also a faithful member of the St. Peter's African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which her father helped build. She continues to serve as a Captain for the Annual Fundraising Team.

Mrs. Rivers has five grandchildren, Michael, Lisa, Leander, Gary, and Marc, and five great-grandchildren, Morgan, Kristen, Marissa, Kaci and Kori--listed in order of the most senior. She is a beloved member of the community and church. Mrs. Rivers still resides in New Bern with her daughter, Barbara.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my Congressional Colleagues and the more than 660,000 constituents whom I represent, I extend my very best wishes to Mrs. Blanche Sparrow Rivers as she celebrates this tremendous milestone. I ask my Colleagues to rise and join me in wishing Mrs. Blanche Sparrow Rivers a Happy 100th Birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 4011.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today and ask my colleagues to join me in offering a well deserved tribute to an exemplary citizen, Mrs. Janet Wilkinson, who has dedicated 37 years of her adult life as an employee with the United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency. I am particularly proud that Mrs. Wilkinson was born in my home town, Wilson, NC.

As if to forecast her future with the United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, Mrs. Wilkinson started out at a very young age working on a tenant farm where she experienced first hand the lifestyle and the many ups and downs farmers endure from day to day.

After graduating from Rock Ridge High School in 1969, Mrs. Wilkinson learned of a job opportunity at the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service. She applied for the position and was hired. The story that Mrs. Wilkinson tells is all too familiar in public servant circles. She indicated that she ``came in with the intentions of working and going to school part time.'' She added, ``but the work was so involved that I just kept on working, and I enjoyed it.'' And here we are 37 years later.

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Wilkinson has worked under five directors of the Farm Service Agency and has taken the helm three times as interim director. In 2003, for her outstanding service and loyalty to the Farm Service Agency and the agriculture industry, she was presented with the North Carolina Distinguished Service Award. After 37 dedicated years, Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Wilkinson deserves to retire with many other ovations and well wishes from those whose lives she touched in a very special way.

Mr. Speaker, I offer congratulations on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture of the United States House of Representatives, my congressional colleagues and the more than 660,000 constituents whom I represent. It is my wish that Mrs. Wilkinson will continue to find much challenge and reward in all of her future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Wilkinson for her service to the State of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 562, had I been present I would have voted ``nay.'' On rollcall No. 563, had I been present I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our Coast Guard in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Coast Guard again demonstrated just how well they live up to their Latin motto, which means: ``Always Ready.''

Several days before Katrina made landfall, the Coast Guard activated emergency response plans, while maintaining communications with both the Atlantic and Pacific commands and headquarters in Washington. As the disaster drew near, if something did not work, the Coast Guard modified its plans to meet the needs.

The first images we as Americans saw on television depicting this disaster were those of Coast Guard helicopters rescuing stranded citizens from rooftops amid rising flood waters. In the face of high winds and flying debris, daytime temperatures nearing 100 degrees and downed utility lines, our brave men and women heeded the call of duty to perform selfless acts of courage.

During around-the-clock flight operations over a 7-day period, our Coast Guard helicopters operating over New Orleans saved an astonishing 6,470 lives. They also helped to save thousands of other victims by delivering tons of food and water to those who could not be evacuated immediately. In all, the Coast Guard rescued 33,500 people in its response to Katrina, six times the number of people it rescued in all of 2004.

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud of the Coast Guard air crew rescue swimmers, many of whom trained at the Coast Guard Aquatic Training Facility, located in my congressional district at the Coast Guard station in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The Coast Guard rescue swimmers faced some very adverse conditions, including flooded houses and buildings, steep slippery roofs, foul and contaminated water, and the need to hack through attics with axes or break out windows to free the survivors. Despite these obstacles, these brave men and women saved many American lives.

The Coast Guard's responses to Katrina and Rita should serve as a model for our governmental agencies and our first responders in the face of future disasters. These brave men and women succeeded in keeping these devastating events from becoming even greater tragedies. I thank the Coast Guard for their dedicated service, and I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating them and supporting my future efforts to upgrade their training facility in my congressional district.

Mr. Speaker, the Republic of China (Taiwan) will be celebrating its National Day this October 10, and I wish to express my congratulations to Taiwan President Chen Shuibian and the people of Taiwan.

Over the years, Taiwan and the United States have enjoyed strong trading relations. Trade between our two countries have been growing steadily. As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, I notice that Taiwan is one of our best buyers of agricultural products and services. Last month, Taiwan sent an agricultural goodwill mission to the United States and it pledged to purchase more than three billions dollars worth of U.S. corn, wheat, soybeans and hide in the next two years. I will encourage farmers in my home state of North Carolina to take advantage of Taiwan's ``Buy American'' program.

Also, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am hopeful that there will be permanent peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in the very near future.

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to praise the good work of Taiwan Representative David Tawei Lee. He is a fine diplomat who has kept us informed and well briefed on all of the latest developments in Taiwan.

Happy Birthday to Taiwan.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to speak on the importance of reauthorizing the Ryan White CARE Act. This act has been so valuable in providing services to those persons infected with HIV/ AIDS. I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for her passion and her work and her advocacy on this issue. Her work has been unparalleled in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act at $3.1 billion to ensure that today's health care needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families are adequately and consistently met. Today, unlike the past, those most likely to be infected with HIV are people of color, women, and our youths. This act directly funds medical and support services for approximately 533,000 individuals and their families living with HIV/AIDS each year. Persons of color represent 88 percent, 88 percent of the clients that are being served.

HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence. Great strides in medical technology have slowed the progression from HIV to AIDS, allowing people with HIV to live longer, to live healthier and more productive lives.

This act should be authorized in a manner that allows it to fully respond to the needs for underserved and uninsured populations living with HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Speaker, African Americans in this country are disproportionately affected with HIV/AIDS. In 2000, African Americans made up 12.3 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for 40 percent of the diagnosed AIDS cases. In North Carolina, my home State, the total number of new AIDS cases in 2003 was 1,083; 724 of these cases were found among African Americans.

In fiscal year 2005, this act was funded at $2.073 billion, but that is not enough. Funding should not be shifted from one region of the country to another based on perceived severity of need. Instead, the act should be adequately funded so that it can ensure progress in regions where HIV infections have slowed while targeting regions that are being hard hit by the epidemic. By increasing the reauthorization level to $3.1 billion, the CARE Act will be able to provide services to both urban and rural areas, which will put an end to the competition between health care providers whose clients are desperately needing funding.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday September 6 through Thursday September 8, I was unable to attend for vote Nos. 456 through 464 due to a death in my family. Had I been present on rollcall vote No. 456, I would have voted, ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 457, I would have voted ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 458, I would have voted ``nay''; on rollcall vote No. 459, I would have voted ``nay''; on rollcall vote No. 460, I would have voted ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 461, I would have voted ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 462, I would have voted ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 463, I would have voted ``aye''; on rollcall vote No. 464, I would have voted ``aye.''

I ask that the appropriate mentions be made in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, on July 12, 2005 I read a poem on this Floor entitled ``A Soldier's Reflections.'' At that time, I inadvertently gave credit to the wrong author. I apologize to its author Mr. George L. Skypeck and ask that the Congressional Record be amended and the appropriate correction be made to credit the author.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon in support of the supplemental appropriation. It is with great sadness that we are being called upon today to address this issue.

Let me begin my remarks by first commending those great Americans who are engaged in the rescue efforts down in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. They are great Americans.

This tragedy today brings back unpleasant memories. It was my district in eastern North Carolina that was devastated in 1999 by Hurricane Floyd; and so we know so well, so well, the pain of those people who are displaced. So on behalf of the people of the First Congressional District of North Carolina, we offer our prayers and sincere concern for their welfare.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the absence of an adequate plan to cope with the damage done by this hurricane. Hurricane Katrina has triggered a nightmare, a nightmare, for thousands of our citizens. Many thousands at this very moment are in harm's way. They are displaced, they are hungry, they need medical assistance. They need every resource that this government has available, and that includes FEMA's assistance, transportation and housing assistance from the military and other humanitarian assistance.

These displaced families must be extricated from the danger that surrounds them; and we have the capacity, we have the capacity to do it, and we must accelerate our efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that several military bases are willing and able to provide immediate housing for these victims. Space is available. There is substantial housing resources on our bases, and we must use them. As a member of the Committee on Armed Services, I encourage us to use our military resources to the fullest.

There are many, many communities across the South and across this country who are eager to provide housing and health care and education for these victims. In Columbia, South Carolina, for example, those great Americans want to care for these victims; and they are conferencing right now with the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) and the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn).

In my State of North Carolina, Laurinburg Institute is eager to provide space and educational opportunities for up to 200 school-age children. We must begin to move these families to loving American communities.

Mr. Speaker, we must also protect communities. We must protect communities who open their resources to displaced families. We must guarantee to them that the cost of care for these families will be provided. We must also guarantee that they will not incur any legal liability as a result of their efforts.

So I want to encourage FEMA to quickly secure trailer homes needed for temporary housing. My constituents in 1999 were required to wait, in our opinion, an unreasonable time before trailers were erected. I know it cannot be done with the snap of a finger, but the process must be expedited. FEMA must execute a comprehensive plan that will not result in the dumping of these displaced families when the FEMA specialists complete their work. This was a problem in 1999. These specialists must provide one message, and they must stay on site until every issue is resolved.

It is important, Mr. Speaker, that the Federal Government provide full financial assistance to these displaced families, and that includes housing and health care for those who choose to decline FEMA housing and elect to stay with their family and their friends. They too, they too deserve an assistance stipend.

The distinguished gentleman from California, the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, stated a few minutes ago, actually it was a couple of hours ago now, that money will not make the difference in the final analysis. Well, I understand the import of that statement, but I want to emphasize that adequate money resources will make life better, will make life better for these Americans. We should not suggest otherwise.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Federal Government does not and cannot act with precision in these types of disasters, but we must insist that FEMA and the military and the National Guard and other rescue efforts engage in coordinated efforts, and we must provide the resources.

I applaud and support the minority leader's suggestion of a select hurricane task force. I support the idea.