Floor Statements

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

I rise in strong support of Mr. Garrett's bill, H.R. 4569, which was favorably reported from the House Financial Services Committee, and championed by my friend from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

I would like to associate myself with the long and extended explanation by Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, and just to say, Mr. Speaker, that, in short, this bill will make disclosures that public companies make more streamlined, manageable, and user friendly.

I really appreciate the participation of my good friend, Representative Maloney, who really worked hard to make sure that this legislation was balanced and it included language to emphasize that we needed to reduce burdens on companies, but we need to preserve investment protection.

So, given the changes that Mrs. Maloney made with the Maloney amendment, I strongly support the legislation, would urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on this occasion to congratulate Joel and Kit McNally, recipients of the 2014 James Howard Baker Award, established by the Milwaukee Community Brainstorming Conference. Joel and Kit McNally, having been married for more than 45 years, met while attending Indiana University where they both wrote for the college paper.

Kit McNally retired after providing 23 years of distinguished service as Chief Executive Officer of the Benedict Center, a non-profit, interfaith criminal justice agency that advocates for positive change in the criminal justice system. The Center initiated many programs under her watch, including the gender-responsive Women's Harm Reduction Program, utilized by both the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Milwaukee County judges as a diversion from prison program. Further, under her direction, the Benedict Center was a statewide leader in drafting a model Community Justice Act for Wisconsin designed to return money to local communities that reduced state incarceration costs through implementation of effective treatment and diversion programs. She has served on various national and local boards, committees and commissions and continues to serve as the citizen representative on the Executive Committee of the Milwaukee Community Justice Council which is comprised of top leaders on criminal justice issues in Milwaukee County.

Joel McNally is a national-award-winning Wisconsin journalist based in Milwaukee. Joel worked as a reporter, feature writer and satirical columnist at the Milwaukee Journal for 27 years. While at the Milwaukee Journal, his column was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and he won a National Headliners Award for best local column. Joel is currently teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and as a syndicated columnist, writes for the Capital Times, the Shepherd Express and other newspapers where he provides commentary on issues including racial and class inequities. He is also a television commentator on the weekly INTERchange Program providing the liberal point of view. Joel has served as a panelist at our local Community Brainstorming Forums Community Brainstorming has met monthly as a breakfast forum to discuss and advance the interests of African Americans in particular and Milwaukee in general since 1986. Joel and Kit McNally are regular attendees at Community Brainstorming Forums.

Mister Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to Joel and Kit McNally who both continue to fight for the rights of the poor, disenfranchised and African Americans without the expectation of monetary benefit or public accolades. I value their service and am proud to call them friends. They have contributed greatly to the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District, the State of Wisconsin and the nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Rep. Annette Polly Williams. She was the longest serving woman in the history of the Wisconsin State Legislature, retiring from public office after 30 years of service. Affectionately known as Polly, she was not only a former colleague but also a mentor to me and many other new legislators. Ms. Annette Polly Williams passed away on November 9, 2014.

Polly was born in the Mississippi Delta region of Belzoni, Mississippi and moved to Milwaukee when she was 10 years old. She was a product of the public school system and a fellow graduate of North Division High School. Rep. Williams was committed to ensuring that all children received access to a good education. She became the author/ mother of the nation's first true Educational Parental Choice Legislation because of her passion and commitment to education.

Although she is best known for her Parental Choice legislation, Rep. Williams was a great stateswoman and made her mark in other areas as well: founder of the Black Women's Network, the Milwaukee Parental Assistance Center and the Black Leadership Organization. Further, she was a co-founder of the African American Alliance providing political leadership to Milwaukee's African American community, a founding member of the Wisconsin African American Women's Center and served as the host of several different programs on a local radio station for many years. She was there to bring assistance, whether it was to someone who had lost a loved one, experienced a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina or local flooding. She provided outstanding service to her constituents.

Polly leaves behind 4 children: Winston Williams III (Lynette); Mildred Williams; Kimberly Bums (Michael, deceased); and Krystal Oby (Joe), grandchildren, a great grandchild and a host of other relatives and friends to mourn her passing. She leaves a legacy of a giving, willing worker, always providing both support and compassion to those in need. Annette Polly Williams leaves a strong example of leadership and excellence for her children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, Polly was my friend and a Milwaukee and Wisconsin treasure and I valued her service to the 4th Congressional District. I urge you and my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in a salute to the late Rep. Annette Polly Williams.

Mr. Speaker, on October 31-November 2, 2014, Parklawn Assembly of God Church will celebrate the Installation of Pastor Walter F. Harvey to the Episcopal Assignment of Bishop. Also, during this special and historic weekend when Pastor Harvey will be installed, Parklawn Assembly of God Church will celebrate its 105th Anniversary.

Bishop-Elect Walter F. Harvey has been the Senior Pastor of Parklawn Assembly of God Church since 1993. He is the devoted husband of Judy Martin Harvey, the father of Nicholas J. Harvey and grandfather of Autumn Marie Harvey. Since assuming the role of Senior Pastor, he has not only led the worship facility in the renovation of the building but also instituted a new church constitution and bylaws which has brought a spirit of renewal to the church and the community. Bishop-Elect Harvey is an author, mentor, and life coach. He is the President of Walter Harvey Ministries, Inc., an international media communications and consulting firm and can be heard daily on the ``Light for the World'' and ``Light for Today'' radio broadcasts. Further, he founded the Parklawn Christian Leadership Academy in 1998.

Bishop-Elect Harvey is in great demand as a speaker around his community, city, nationally and internationally. He serves the Assemblies of God statewide and at the national level as a General Presbyter and vice president of the National Black Fellowship of the Assemblies of God, as an Executive Presbyter of the Wisconsin/Northern Michigan Ministry Network and as an Ethnic/Language Presbyter. He also serves pastors as an overseer of the Outpouring Ministry Network Group; a group of seven Milwaukee area pastors/ministries. Bishop-Elect Harvey serves on the boards of various social, economic, educational and philanthropic organizations. He is a man of God who not only serves the members of his congregation, but reaches out to make community a better place.

Mister Speaker, this is why I rise to praise Bishop-Elect Walter F. Harvey, a man I am proud to call a friend. I honor Bishop-Elect Walter F. Harvey's many accomplishments and life time commitment to the entire Milwaukee Community and 4th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act.

Our Nation has certainly come a long way in advancing the rights of women. In fact, just a few weeks ago, our country celebrated Women's Equality Day, a day commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Women, united together against incredible odds, have fought for the right to participate in our democratic process. And, now, 94 year later, our fight for our dignity continues in our own homes--the war being waged against domestic violence. The Violence Against Women Act embodies that fight against women being brutalized by those who claim to love us. The Violence Against Women Act provides the resources for women to access police protection, legal services, and social services.

The passage and reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act was a victory for our entire country--a victory for Native American women who had been raped and brutalized on tribal lands with impunity, a victory for LGBTQ victims whose agony was ignored because of their gender identity, a victory for young women in college whose institutions were derelict in their response to ``boys just being boys,'' and a victory for children whose emotional wounds had scabbed over with no healing balm.

We can take comfort knowing that the Violence Against Women Act is making a true difference in the lives of countless women across the country. It has helped reduce domestic violence by shifting the way our culture responds to it. For instance, our Services-Training-Officers- Prosecutors, or STOP, grant program provides vital funding to local communities, giving them the tools they need to strengthen the States' criminal justice system response for victims.

And the Violence Against Women Act isn't just socially responsible, it is fiscally responsible, as well. In its first 6 years alone, the Violence Against Women Act saved taxpayers at least $12.6 billion in net averted social costs. A recent study found that civil protection orders saved one State, Kentucky, on average $85 million in a single year.

The road to this victory wasn't traveled alone. As I look around, I see many of those who stood with me in the face of partisan opposition and obstruction. I see the faces of friends and champions like Representative Donna Edwards, Representative Tom Cole, Representative Louise Slaughter, Representative John Conyers, and Leader Nancy Pelosi. But I don't want to just talk about Members of this body but talk about those who walk outside these Halls, champions like President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, President and Secretary Clinton, Kim Gandy from the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and all those Native American tribes who showed up to stand for the reauthorization.

As I stand here remembering those who have walked with us, I am reminded of my very own home district of Milwaukee. Our community will, once again, host the annual Brides Walk sponsored by the UMOS Latina Resource Center. This walk commemorates a Dominican American woman who was brutally murdered by her jealous ex-boyfriend in New Jersey on her wedding day. This beautiful bride was shot dead in her wedding dress. This event, the Brides Walk, was inspired by a staunch advocate for women's rights, Josie Ashton, who raised awareness about domestic violence by walking from New Jersey to Florida wearing her own wedding dress and spending the night sleeping at shelters from New Jersey to Florida to elucidate the problems and challenges of domestic violence, and remind us that sometimes so-called love can turn to abuse.

This event, the Brides Walk in Milwaukee, will be celebrated by women donning wedding gowns and walking through the streets of Milwaukee speaking against domestic violence. They will be accompanied by brave men who walk by their sides. And so I urge people in Milwaukee to join the March Against Domestic Violence in Milwaukee and to use social media to bring attention to this pressing issue.

Thank you so much, Mr. Horsford.

I would first like to join my colleagues in grieving and celebrating the life of Michael Brown. I would hope that his short life will not have been lived in vain, that his death will teach us something that will serve the Nation, so that others will not have to endure this.

I am particularly feeling empathy with Ms. McFadden. Ms. McFadden is the mother. As the mother of two Black male children, Mr. Horsford, it has been a constant terror in my life that I would experience what Ms. McFadden has experienced.

After Ferguson, I watched an episode of a comedy, ``Girlfriends,'' and a young Black mother was chastising her son for being arrested. She mentioned that she didn't appreciate having to come down to the police station to pick him up. They had just recently moved to a suburb.

She asked him: What were you doing? He said: I was just walking down the street. She commented--and there was laughter in the audience--Why were you walking down the street? You know we haven't had our meet-and- greet with the police department yet.

I am saying that to say this: we need a truth and reconciliation in this country similar to what they experienced in South Africa about the plight of young Black males. They are marginalized.

Every social institution fails them by the time they are 18 years old, like Michael Brown. The educational system has failed them. So often, as a State legislator, we would build a prison bed based on the third grade reading tests of young Black men.

The economy has failed young Black men by the time they are 18 years old. So what we find in these communities is a hypervigilant police force that is dealing with a preponderance of social failure, and we lay all of society's failures at the feet of the police department.

I do applaud you, Mr. Horsford, for the efforts you have made in this House. I am a proud cosponsor of your Universal RESPECT Act, which directs the President to do a comprehensive review of law enforcement policies across the country in order to eliminate procedures that result in racial profiling.

I think that this is really a threshold toward that end of a reconciliation. I have long been a supporter of the End Racial Profiling Act, which has been offered by one of the deans of this House, Representative John Conyers, that makes it clear that law enforcement agencies cannot engage in racial profiling anywhere in the country.

I do think that there are baby steps that we can take. Certainly, one giant step toward increasing accountability is to install these lapel cameras on all law enforcement agencies. As a matter of fact, I was very proud, in 2009, to secure $100,000 for the police department in Milwaukee to purchase cameras for their cars.

I do think it is also important that law enforcement agency's members, police officers, be stakeholders in the communities that they are serving.

It did not escape my attention that the involved officer in the untimely death of Michael Brown lived 25 miles

away, and that is why I am tremendously concerned about efforts in my own State, where Governor Scott Walker acted to end the residency requirements for police officers over a year ago. That is currently in litigation for that very reason. You don't want police officers to become a military occupying force in a community. You force a kind of transparency and accountability when those police officers go to your churches, they shop at your grocery stores, and they are a part of your community.

I certainly applaud the Justice Department involvement in this issue.

I do think that no one had ever heard of Ferguson, Missouri, before August 9, and certainly the name Michael Brown is a name shared probably by millions of people. I say that to say that this is not about Ferguson or just about Michael Brown. It is about the direction and the future of America and where we are going with this.

To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King:

We will either live together as brothers or we will perish

as fools.

I think young Black men have tremendous talent. They have a lot to offer. The legacy of slavery has brought us to the point where seeing a 6-foot-4 Black man walking down the street in and of itself is a threat. We need some truth and reconciliation around that issue.

May Michael Brown rest in peace and may his life lift us to a greater understanding and reconciliation around this issue.

Thank you so much for this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart as death and violence once again rips the Middle East. Innocent civilians find themselves again hostage in a war that none of them sought. The rockets continue to rain down in Israel and civilians in Gaza find it harder and harder to find refuge. And there is no end in sight despite the ongoing work of peacemakers.

The most pressing need at the moment is an immediate ceasefire that ends the rocket fire, allows humanitarian aid to reach those in need, and lays the foundation for efforts to address Israel's long term security needs. I am disappointed by the absence of any language in this resolution supporting international efforts to bring about an immediate ceasefire. Additionally, no one has come forward today to argue how this legislation brings us any closer to a peaceful resolution in the region or an end to the violence, terror, and fear being experienced in Israel and Gaza.

Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, many, but not all of them civilians. Over 50 Israelis, including 3 civilians and two Israeli-American soldiers, have been killed so far. The key concern for me is the qualifier--so far. A key question at this volatile moment is how to end the violence. This resolution is absolutely silent on that point.

I strongly believe that we need to work for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further death and destruction in both Israel and Gaza. I commend the U.S. for continuing to seek an immediate ceasefire which I fully support. Despite the gallant attempts of the Secretary of State and the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and others, an agreement remains elusive and the violence continues.

The resolution rightly condemns Hamas, a terrorist organization that has shown time and again its disregard for innocent human life. The only party that seems to benefit from further chaos and loss of life is Hamas, which continues to lob rockets at innocent Israelis. The barrage of rockets must stop. Hamas has no regard for the lives it puts in danger. Its despicable tactics have been thoroughly denounced by the international community including the U.N. Secretary General who recently noted that ``the United Nations position is clear: We condemn strongly the rocket attacks. These must stop immediately. We condemn the use of civilians--schools, hospital and other civilian facilities-- for military purposes. No country would accept rockets raining down on its territory--and all countries and parties have an international obligation to protect civilians.''

The resolution recognizes, as President Obama has, that Israel has a right to defend itself from relentless rocket attacks. The current rocket count is well over 1,000 and growing every day. Israel does not need authorization from the U.S. House of Representatives to act to stop the rocket fire by Hamas.

I have been to Sderot. I talked with Israelis living in the shadows of the rockets, including one woman whose relative was killed by a rocket from Gaza in a previous conflict. And I remember her fervent desire to live at peace with her neighbors.

I would point out that the resolution rightly recognizes that innocent civilians on both sides have suffered. According to the U.N., nearly 10% of the population of Gaza are seeking shelter at U.N. facilities, some of which have been attacked. The U.S. has recently announced it would provide $47 million to help meet immediate humanitarian needs in Gaza amid deteriorating conditions.

However, I remain concerned that this resolution does not press for an immediate ceasefire by all parties or urge or express support for efforts by the U.S. and international community to push for that peace. That is the best way to support innocent civilians on both sides-- ending the violence that threatens them. You can't force peace on those who don't want it, but we must make every effort to offer a path out of misery and suffering and fear.

As President Obama has said, ``Israel has a right to defend itself against rocket and tunnel attacks from Hamas.'' He also stated, ``I've also said, however, that we have serious concerns about the rising number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives. And that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the international community to bring about a ceasefire that ends the fighting and that can stop the deaths of innocent civilians, both in Gaza and in Israel.''

As a Congress, we should join with the State Department, the U.N. Security Council, and others in urging all parties to redouble efforts to protect civilians, to find a way to end the violence and ensure peace and security for all, and to then move to find a long-term resolution that meets Israel's security needs and the rights of civilians to live in peace. This cycle of violence cannot continue indefinitely.

Innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians cannot afford another three weeks of rocket fire and further bloodshed. We must continue to push for a ceasefire and to help find a long term solution that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, side by side. What is needed now is de-escalation of violence and escalation of diplomatic efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ingrid Walker- Henry, an elementary school teacher, union leader, activist, mother, and wife from the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin.

Ingrid Walker-Henry was born and raised in Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee Public Schools. Her family has a history of teachers with both her mother and aunt having taught in the Milwaukee Public School System. She aspired to be a teacher from a young age. She graduated from Riverside University High School and joined the Young Educators' Society while attending school there. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has a master's degree in Instructional Technology from Cardinal Stritch University.

Ingrid Walker-Henry is an elementary school teacher, as well as an instructional coach in the Milwaukee Public School System. She is

also a union leader and activist. Ms. Walker-Henry has taught at several schools in the Milwaukee Public School System including: Silver Spring, Clemens, Auer, Hawthorne, Browning, and Gwen T. Jackson schools.

Ms. Walker-Henry serves as Secretary on the Executive Board of the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association and is an active member in the Schools and Communities United Coalition. She is also active in the local NAACP efforts to increase voter turnout and voter registration in Milwaukee.

Recently, Ms. Walker-Henry was recognized by Essence Magazine in an article recognizing African American Moms involved in educational activism. As an educator and lifelong Milwaukee resident, Ingrid is a strong supporter of children and families and is a leader for her fellow union members in the fight for quality public education for every child. Mr. Speaker, it is for these reasons that I rise to pay tribute to a woman who is a Milwaukee and Wisconsin treasure. I am proud that she hails from the 4th Congressional District.

Thank you so much, Representative Jeffries. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. You certainly are an officer of the court, you are an attorney, and so I wanted to ask you to expand a little bit on your contention that constitutional experts and legal scholars have commented that the lawsuit will fail for the lack of standing, that there is no injury here that anyone could point to, and to explain that to me a little bit more.

Well, thank you so much for that clarification, Mr. Jeffries. So this doesn't pass a constitutional test, it doesn't pass a legal test, and it doesn't even pass the laugh test because I can tell you, for folks who have pursued repeal of the Affordable Care Act for over 50 times, not wanting to implement the employer mandate, to turn around and say, we have been injured because the President delayed it, does not pass the laugh test.

I tell you I have been elected to and served as a public servant since 1988, and I can tell you that Republicans have continuously chastised Democrats for their frivolous lawsuits.

Republicans have continuously claimed that people who have been injured by products--consumer products--should have a cap on their claims, and yet, this frivolous lawsuit will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. So, while it may not have any standing, Mr. Jeffries, it certainly will cost hundreds of millions of dollars before that ruling will be made.

As a matter of fact, in this do-nothing Congress, we have, in fact, wasted money. It is not only that we wasted time; we are wasting money. Some examples of what we have done so far: we have spent $79 million so far in over 50 attacks on the Affordable Care Act; we have even shut the government down for 24 billion--that is billion with a B--dollars. So how much is it going to cost us, once again, to promote this frivolous lawsuit?

We are in session--this is the last week of Congress--and are we going to talk about helping young people with unaffordable interest rates on student loans? No. Are we going to talk about extending and reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank to help manufacturers that are in my district? No.

Are we going to talk about providing unemployment compensation for people who are suffering with no income through no fault of their own because of the economy? No. Are we going to talk about raising the minimum wage? Are we going to talk about reauthorizing terrorism risk insurance? No.

Are we going to talk about whether or not we will provide moneys to humanely and adequately discuss the crises on the borders of our country, the influx of children escaping violence in their home country? No. No. No. We are going to sue the President of the United States. This does not pass the legal test, the constitutional test, and it does not pass the laugh test.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Davis, you are a member of the Ways and Means Committee so perhaps we can seek some clarification on the earned income tax credit expansion, which you say you have championed, and that is a very effective antipoverty program, one of the elements in the Ryan antipoverty program that you say is a good feature but you object to the pay-for for the expansion of the earned income tax credit.

In order to expand it to folks up to age 64, as he proposes, which is a great idea--and incentives work, because he says a lot of poor people don't want to work--this would enable low-income people to have that subsidy through the Tax Code, as we benefit many corporations that same way.

Just recently, the Ways and Means Committee just extended about $618 billion of corporate taxes. I am wondering what the pay-for for these corporate extenders were.

Mr. Davis, that was very confusing to me, and I will take my seat, but I just wanted clarification on that.

The earned income tax credit, which is a benefit that is provided to ordinary Americans through the Tax Code, we are required to eviscerate programs like Meals on Wheels for elders through the Social Services Block Grant and to get rid of maybe some of the low-income heating programs that heat homes in places like Chicago that are cold in order to pay for an expansion of the earned income tax credit, but the $618 billion in tax cuts which were designed to be just temporary but you made permanent the other day, I guess you pay for it by not giving unemployment compensation to people.

Before you leave, I wanted to know if you would respond to a question, Ms. Lee.

You mentioned in your remarks that, in the Budget Committee and on the budget that this House passed, there were 300--was it ``billion'' dollars in cuts?

But what he says in his rollout is that this is budget neutral, which means that it won't cost taxpayers any more. It is budget neutral, and it won't cost taxpayers any more, but it also will not cut programs. It is a really clever sort of budgeting trick on one hand, don't you think, to say you are not going to cut it from where you have already cut it?

I just want to ask you one more question about this fuzzy math, Congresswoman, since you serve on the Budget Committee.

The SNAP program is an entitlement program. What it means is, if you are eligible for food stamps, you receive them. Food stamps were critical in getting people over the hump in the recession. People sometimes reported that their only income was these food stamps.

So, if you see block grant SNAP--and correct me if I am wrong--what that means is that no matter how bad the economy becomes--because we have a countercyclical economy if we get a recession or a depression-- and no matter how many people are eligible for food stamps, once you get your block grant, your some certain amount of money, and once that money runs out, then you will find yourself on a waiting list or not being served. Is that how you understand a ``block grant''?

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr. Pocan. And I want to join my other colleagues for thanking you for your stewardship with the Progressive Caucus and putting this Special Order together.

I won't waste a lot of time complimenting our fellow Wisconsinite for at least listening to some of the ideas that have come from the Democratic side in his poverty plan. I think that looking at mandatory minimums is a long overdue sort of proposal that needs to get some traction.

Certainly, expanding the earned income tax credit for millions of Americans will make a true difference in many people's lives, and I just want to congratulate Mr. Ryan for that.

But let me be really clear. You don't have to really go through the entire 70 pages of his proposal because he starts right out in the beginning telling you that he doesn't believe that the safety net programs, that the efforts to help people get out of poverty for all these years, have been very helpful. He starts off by calling them a failure.

We all know that many of the programs created under FDR and President Lyndon Baines Johnson literally ended poverty among the elderly, for example. And we have seen poverty, as compared to what it would have been, cut at least by half because of Medicaid, because of Medicare, because of food stamps, because of other sorts of programs.

Yet, I guess Mr. Ryan believes that if you just keep saying it enough times, it will come true. We have heard Mr. Ryan lecture all of us, all over the country, about how the so-called entitlement programs are going to down our economy. He doesn't believe that the $618 billion worth of corporate tax breaks that he passed last week is a detriment to our economy, but he has called for, on a consistent basis, for privatizing Social Security, for block-granting Medicaid--not in this particular plan.

In case people don't understand what block-granting is, just think chopping block. You give the States some certain amount of money, and when they run out, they just run out. You are no longer categorically eligible.

He has proposed voucherizing Medicare, giving seniors some certain amount of money. You do very well if all you need is a flu shot. But if you have a heart attack or a stroke, that is not going to go very far toward your health care.

He has consistently--and now, in this particular proposal, block- granting one of the great entitlement programs, the SNAP program, which worked beautifully in the last recession. We now see the food stamp rolls going down, as

the economy improves. And when the economy is bad, the food stamp rolls go up.

That did not happen with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act. It was not responsive to our countercylical economy. So what that really means is that these block-granted programs were fixed, framed, and frozen, starting out with a $300 billion cut. Eventually we will see that they will become totally inadequate toward ameliorating poverty, and we will see the poverty rolls creep up, and it will be particularly egregious on women and children.

Women and children: women, are disproportionately adversely impacted and benefit from these safety net programs. Food stamps: women disproportionately need food stamps, disproportionately use these programs.

The pay-fors, it is just egregious to say that we will provide the earned income tax credit and we will start by cutting programs like Meals on Wheels for the elderly and the food and nutrition programs for children.

Go right for the food, right at the bottom of the hierarchy of needs. Go right straight there and take food, literally, out of poor people's mouths in order to pay for the earned income tax credit expansion.

I wish we had sort of done that last week when we passed the $618 billion of corporate welfare without a pay-for at all.

So I just say that this is yet another chapter in a book we have seen before. This is just another incarnation of an idea that there is some moral hazard to helping poor people, that you have got to restrict and limit how much you do for them, and that most of the money that is generated through our economy ought to be plowed back into helping corporations and not people.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of a clean Terrorism Risk Insurance Act reauthorization. Many of us on the House Financial Services Committee have worked on a bipartisan basis. Let me repeat that and let me emphasize that. We have worked on a bipartisan basis for more than a year to put a bill before this House that can pass. We have worked cooperatively because the lessons of 9/11 revealed to us the raw exposure that this country faces and our economy faces as insurers exited terrorism risk insurance after 9/11.

But, unfortunately, some other Members are working on a partisan basis to derail the terrorism risk insurance program. Now, unfortunately, this fringe minority is more interested in promoting antigovernment ideology than governing on behalf of the American people and securing for Americans a safe harbor in the event of nuclear, biological, chemical, or other acts of terrorism. The dysfunction of the Tea Party-driven agenda--it thrives on crisis after crisis, whether it is flood insurance or the debt ceiling or keeping the government open or passing a transportation bill. They just thrive on keeping this place in chaos.

And here we have, once again, some must-pass legislation. Terrorism risk insurance has bipartisan consensus, bicameral support, and how does the Tea Party-driven leadership in this House respond to the attempts to reason with them regarding the urgency of passing a clean reauthorization of TRIA without the unworkable triggers and the bifurcation provisions? What we get is an arrogant rebuff, channeling Dirty Harry: You gotta ask yourself, do you feel lucky?

Colleagues, this is not instructive. And be clear, colleagues, the Tea Party is not just symbolically throwing tea overboard, but their antigovernment agenda is again throwing the American economy overboard. I mean, we have real world knowledge of what happens if TRIA is not reauthorized.

Following the September 11 attacks, the insurance industry met their claims and liabilities related to the attacks, but quickly, reinsurers and primary insurers withdrew from terrorism risk insurance. The resulting lack of coverage led to the loss of 300,000 jobs as economic activity slowed without coverage.

You hear them say that they want more private capital in the market, but their bill has exactly the opposite impact by diminishing market capacity. In fact, the RAND Corporation estimates that the terrorism risk insurance saves the government and taxpayers money that otherwise would be spent on disaster assistance following an attack. In the case of an attack as destructive as 9/11, the study estimates TRIA saves the Federal Government $7.2 billion.

At this point, not even the majority of the Republican majority can have their voice heard in this House. I just don't understand why this House has to be constantly held hostage to a fringe minority of the majority that has no interest in governing.

I can tell you, Madam Speaker, that TRIA is the orderly response to a

major terrorist attack. Why are we providing confusion, uncertainty, and partisanship to helping this country recover in the unthinkable event of another successful large-scale terrorist attack?

I hope that the voice of the American people prevails and a bipartisan TRIA bill can be brought swiftly to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Milwaukee Community Journal's Dr. Terence N. Thomas Scholarship Annual Brunch. The Dr. Terence N. Thomas Scholarship Annual Brunch celebrates its 38th anniversary at the Italian Conference Center on Sunday, August 3, 2014. The annual event was established in 1996 to promote academic excellence and to pay tribute to the publisher's deceased and beloved son, Dr. Terence N. Thomas. This fund has granted over a half million dollars to students who retain a 3.0 cumulative grade average or better.

Much of the success of the Milwaukee Community Journal can be attributed to one of its founders and Publisher, Patricia O'Flynn Pattillo. The Milwaukee Community Journal evolved from a publication called the Soul City Shopper, following the 1965 riots in Milwaukee. Insurance companies had refused to pay businesses for damages incurred during the riots. Ms. Pattillo was encouraged by business leaders to assume the role of editor of the publication. She penned a barrage of editorials that eventually pressured the insurance companies to uphold their obligations by paying claims so that repairs could be made and that businesses could reopen. This effort was dubbed The Unity in the Community Campaign; it was very successful and mobilized the entire community.

In addition to the scholarships, the brunch will honor many of those individuals who took part in that Unity in Community mobilization. The brunch's theme, ``Inspiration Meets Aspiration'': Fabulous, Fit, Fun and Fantastic: Uniting Generations,'' will focus on the many and varied contributions to our community of those individuals 50 and older. The honorees contributions have been broad and vast and have been the foundation for Milwaukee's central city community.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that the Milwaukee Community Journal hails from the 4th Congressional District. It has consistently informed and entertained readers for nearly 38 years. I am pleased to give praise to Patricia O'Flynn Pattillo and her staff for providing a voice to the community and offering educational opportunities to students. I wish them many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great woman of faith, Mother Corener Hines-Herring. She was a pastor's wife, musician, songwriter, mother, and grandmother from the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin. Mother Hines-Herring was born on September 12, 1937 and passed away on July 10, 2014.

Mother Corener Hines-Herring was born in Haynes, Arkansas to Governor and Corener Harris and had 15 siblings. She was married to the late Reverend Willie L. Hines, Sr., and their union produced 10 children. Reverend Hines, Sr. led the congregation at the Greater Westside Church of God In Christ where Mother Hines served as first lady to the church.

Mother Hines-Herring was a Member of Christian Faith Fellowship Church of God in Christ, Inc., where her eldest son, Bishop Darrell L. Hines, Sr. is pastor. Mother Hines-Herring was a prayer warrior and lived to praise God. She loved to dance before the Lord in church and played the piano.

Mother Hines-Herring would always open her home and heart to those in need. Although she gave birth to 10 children and raised them well, she was a mother to thousands. She was never a complainer but rather a doer.

She leaves behind many friends, admirers and family members to mourn her passing including children: Bishop Darrell L. Hines, Sr. (Pamela), former Milwaukee Common Council President Alderman Willie L. Hines Jr. (Janel), daughter songstress, Phebe Hines Holmes, Janet Hines Samolyk, Daven Hines (Tonya), Robin Hines Young (Harold), Bridgette Hines Flowers (Curtis), Sharon Hines Monroe (Mark), Rhoda Hines Turner (Jason), Richard Hines (Liza) and her husband, Mr. Timothy Herring.

I am honored to pay tribute to Mother Corener Hines-Herring. She was a prayer

leader extraordinaire, a pillar of the church, the matriarch of her family and my friend and mentor. She has made a positive impact on Milwaukee and will be missed.

Mr. Speaker for these reasons I rise to pay tribute to a woman whose legacy will continue to benefit the Fourth Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Bay View High School celebrating its 100th Anniversary on October 4, 2014. Bay View High School opened in September, 1914 with seven teachers and 150 students. Mr. Gustav Fritsche, a German teacher, served as its principal. The school was then a one building barrack without central heating known as ``Fritsche's Foundry''. In 1922, classes were held in a new school building, still in use today and referred to as the ``Castle on the Hill''. The high school is a visible landmark from both the Hoan Bridge and Interstate I-43/1-94 in Milwaukee.

Bay View High School started a successful Student Government Association (SGA) in 1947 that led to unique programs such as honor study halls and building control. Many of the Bay View students involved in SGA have become politicians. Bay View High School has staged over 50 years of musicals. The high school has prepared many amateurs and professionals for a lifetime of music and the arts; they make up the current alumni choir and alumni band. Bay View High School's interscholastic sports program has developed champions after graduation who continue in their sport to set records and achieve a level of success up to and including Olympic gold.

Bay View High School's students have become community leaders and good citizens that include such luminaries as: State Representatives Sandy Pasch and La Tonya Johnson, Milwaukee County Board Chair Marina Dimitrijevic, Esther Jones, 1992 US Olympic Gold Medalist in track and my granddaughter, Taylor Walker.

Many Bay View High School students have gone on to become educators. In fact, many have returned both as teachers and administrators with some spending their entire careers at their Alma Mater.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that the Bay View High School is located in the 4th Congressional District. I wish them another 100 years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Export-Import Bank, the official export credit agency of the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, it is so frustrating to see this normally bipartisan effort to support the American economy get hijacked. I would bet, Mr. Speaker, that this bill could pass on suspension, that two-thirds of this House would be willing to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, if we were to put it to a vote on this floor--but no. Instead, we are forced, once again, to yield to a minority of the majority--the Tea Party--which demands the decapitation of an economic development and jobs creator giant--the United States of America's Export-Import Bank.

Why is this? Is it because the Bank doesn't work? No. It is an example of how government effectively could partner with the private sector. The Bank puts U.S. exporters on equal footing when foreign competitors have foreign export aid, and it bridges the gaps in the private market.

The reality is that, in the global marketplace, our competitors are aggressively using their export banks. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is my district, is still very much a manufacturing economy--the second in the Nation relying on this sector. Every day, workers in Milwaukee compete against foreign workers with extensive and aggressive foreign export credit agency backing.

Today, the United States Export-Import Bank supports an estimated 205,000 export-related jobs in the United States. My fellow Republican Wisconsin colleagues--Representative Ryan and Representative Sensenbrenner--not long ago urged Bank financing because ``all steps should be taken to reinvigorate the economy and bring jobs to the United States.'' With higher than average unemployment in Milwaukee, the need for the Bank has not changed. Not only does the Bank support jobs, but it makes a profit from its operation and pays funds back to the U.S. taxpayers--$5 billion since 1990.

Opponents don't acknowledge that. Instead, they call for gimmick accounting, or, as my CPA and tax attorney colleague Representative Brad Sherman calls it, ``fairytale value'' accounting. Further, opponents claim that the Bank exclusively helps big corporations, yet 90 percent of the Bank's activities help small business, and that number is on the rise. Just ask Apple Steel Rule Die in Milwaukee, a company you have never heard of because it is not a big company. In fact, new reports from The Brookings Institution show that the failure to reauthorize the Bank hurts small and medium-sized businesses the most.

I hear Delta testify against the Ex-Im Bank, and then, hypocritically, turn around and use foreign export credit agencies for their fleet. By the way, Delta would qualify to use more foreign export credit to buy foreign-made Airbus aircraft if Congress does not reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. For real, colleagues, do any of us believe that Delta will turn down foreign support to buy an Airbus plane or a plane from the Chinese? Come on now. I have got a bridge to sell you.

Opponents also say the Bank only supports 2 percent of exports. Exactly. The Bank's mission is limited. It does not compete when private financing is available. The Export-Import Bank's fees are higher than U.S. commercial bank fees. It is not in competition. It works in concert with banks here in the United States. This is further proof that the Bank is working. However, that 2 percent still supports a lot of economic activity in Milwaukee. When I am back in my district, unions and businesses--large and small--are hand in hand, saying reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

We use the rhetoric of jobs an awful lot around here in Congress. Now is the time to take a powerful stand for U.S. jobs and U.S. workers. Actions speak louder than words. I urge my colleagues to support the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.