Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding organization, Hands on Miami, for continuing to make south Florida a better place.

Hands on Miami is a unique community service organization created in 1993 that offers opportunities for all to become involved. This year, Hands on Miami will host Miami Day in conjunction with Miami-Dade College on November 7.

Since 1995, Hands on Miami has brought together residents from all over to improve our neighborhoods. It started with 800 volunteers and is now over 4,000 volunteers. They have partnered with United Way, schools and businesses. Ten years ago, Hands on Miami began the innovative Family Volunteer Program to encourage families to participate together in community service events.

As a wife and a mother, I know what a positive impact this effort can have by instilling the values of service at a young age. Let's all sign up for Hands on Miami on Saturday, November 7.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my longstanding commitment to assist the Haitian people in their pursuit of a stable, prosperous and democratic future.

During my trip to Haiti, I was reminded of the tremendous challenges facing this island nation. The U.N.'s appointment of President Clinton as special envoy to Haiti has helped to keep a much-needed spotlight on Haiti. President Clinton's appointment of Dr. Paul Farmer as the Deputy U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti, adds an invaluable wealth of experience and knowledge to the U.N.'s work in Haiti.

As a founder of Partners in Health and the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, Dr. Farmer has demonstrated a selfless commitment to the advancement of health and democracy in Haiti for the past 20 years. I have witnessed firsthand Dr. Farmer's dedication to helping improve the lives of those in need.

He has strong south Florida ties. I am proud to call him a friend, along with our mutual friend, Jennie Block, who has also worked so hard on issues of concern to the Haitian community.

I understand that the conference on the Inter-American Development Bank in Haiti went quite well. I was pleased to see that the United Nations voted unanimously this week to extend the authorization for the U.N. Mission in Haiti for another year.

I would also like to take a moment to express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in last weekend's plane crash during a U.N. mission. The U.N. mission in Haiti has helped to play an important role in bringing security and stability to some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Haiti. I continue to support its mission and the many men and women from around the world who work to carry it out.

However, it seems that Haiti just can't get to the next step. From assistance to debt relief, from trade benefits to hurricane recovery, U.S. policy toward Haiti has run the gamut, but it is not achieving the long-term goals that we had hoped for for the Haitian people and that the Haitian people want for themselves and their nation.

I am pleased to know that our State Department is taking a closer look at some of the challenges we are facing in Haiti. Last week, Secretary Clinton's chief of staff and her point person on Haiti briefed Members on some of the initial findings of this review.

I am confident that this review will help us to better understand how U.S. assistance to Haiti can be better targeted and supportive of Haiti's own plans and goals; how assistance within the donor community can be better coordinated; how the U.S. can better engage the Haitian Diaspora in our assistance efforts; and, finally, how the U.S. can finally make our assistance sustainable so that outside efforts can ultimately be transferred into the hands of the Haitian government and its people.

It is crucial that the efforts made by the U.S., the U.N. and others are effectively coordinated to ensure maximum efficiency and maximum benefit for the people of Haiti. Innovative microcredit and microenterprise programs would help to empower individuals, create self-reliance and create sustainability at the grassroots level. We should also look at the very small-scale renewable energy programs for impoverished rural villages and settlements that are not served by electric grids.

One of the immediate ways we can help the people of Haiti would be to grant temporary protected status to the Haitians currently living in the U.S. Granting TPS to Haitians is the missing piece of a successful U.S. approach to supporting the people of Haiti in the short and long term. I will continue to work with my colleagues to encourage the administration to take this important step.

In addition, I will continue to support Haiti's inclusion in security initiatives, such as the Merida Initiative, to ensure that the U.S. is doing all we can to help President Preval in his efforts against the narcotraffickers.

Success in Haiti is in the U.S. national security interest, and we must work together to help address the many challenges we face and that our Caribbean neighbor faces day in and day out.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes in America, with 85 percent of the victims being women. In an effort to raise awareness about this often-concealed problem, Teens Against Domestic Abuse, TADA, will be joining with the Women's Fund of Miami- Dade County to host an event, ``Women Ending Domestic Violence.''

TADA is a local student activist group run by a caring and passionate young woman, Emily Martinez-Lanza, and her event will be next week, October 22, in Miami. Through education, awareness, and prevention, students are working to help break the cycle of domestic abuse.

I commend TADA for its efforts in promoting domestic violence education in our schools. I also commend the Women's Fund of Miami-Dade County for its outstanding contributions to ending domestic violence in our south Florida community.

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month reminds us, everyone deserves a safe home, one free from violence and free from abuse.

I thank the gentleman for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I was honored to join my good friend, Mr. Faleomavaega, in serving as an original cosponsor of this critical resolution. This resolution offers the condolences in a heartfelt way of the Congress to those who endured suffering and loss in American Samoa and Samoa and neighboring Tonga during the tragic events of September 29 and the aftermath. We join with the people of American Samoa, Samoa and the entire Samoan community here in the United States in mourning those who have died in this terrible disaster.

The previous tragic events of 2004 made us all keenly aware of the devastation which can be wrought by a tsunami after an earthquake takes place in ocean waters.

Waves from this tsunami in American Samoa were reportedly 20 feet high and rushed 1 mile inland, causing unprecedented death and destruction. The latest death toll reported is 32 dead in American Samoa and 135 dead in Samoa. Children mistakenly running in the direction of the tsunami were among the victims.

The Governor of American Samoa was quoted as saying that the quake and subsequent tsunami ranked right up there with some of the worst disasters to hit the area. Survivors are in urgent need of necessities, including water, adequate shelter, food, sanitation, and health care. Three hundred emergency responders have reportedly been dispatched by FEMA. The Red Cross, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Health and Human Services are coordinating relief and recovery operations.

The U.S. military, under the direction of the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, is providing emergency assistance, including food, water, tents, blankets, and medical supplies. In this regard, military personnel are helping their friends and colleagues, as the young people of American Samoa are well known for their patriotic spirit of service in the United States military, including in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We appreciate and honor that service.

I urge my colleagues to give their strong support to this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, introduced by my good friend and colleague, Dan Burton of Indiana, expressing the condolences of the Congress and the American people regarding the loss of life and property suffered by the people of Indonesia. The devastating earthquake which struck the island of Sumatra on September 30 has reportedly led to the deaths of at least 700 people and the displacement of thousands more from their homes.

The concern and the generosity of the American people is well-known to the people of Indonesia, as demonstrated following the devastating tsunami which struck their country in late December of 2004. The sight of U.S. military personnel engaged in tsunami rescue and relief operations made all Americans proud. The involvement of our two former U.S. Presidents in the Bush-Clinton Tsunami Relief Fund further demonstrated that when a crisis occurs, we are indeed our brothers' and sisters' keeper.

The United States came to Indonesia's assistance once again after this most recent earthquake. We provided $300,000 in immediate response and set aside an additional $3 million for further relief efforts. The U.S. Navy was once again deployed, with three ships being dispatched with helicopters to provide emergency relief and supplies.

We send the relief workers and the people of Indonesia our prayers and our best wishes for a rapid and full recovery as they continue their courageous efforts to assist the injured and to locate the missing.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, we continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, we yield back the balance of our time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution commemorating the canonization of Father Damien on Sunday, October 11, by Pope Benedict XVI. I thank Ms. Hirono and the Hawaiian delegation for introducing this resolution honoring a true American hero.

When Father Damien first arrived in Hawaii as a missionary in 1864, he was only 24 years old. After the Hawaiian Government ordered the quarantine of those affected with leprosy to a settlement on the island of Molokai, Father Damien volunteered to go minister to their care.

The Catholic bishop introduced Father Damien to his new 816 parishioners in the year 1873 as ``one who will be a father to you, and one who loves you so much that he does not hesitate to become one of you, to live and die with you.''

While Father Damien's first action was to build a church, he did not limit his role to that of a priest. He dressed ulcers, built homes and beds, built coffins and dug graves. Father Damien's arrival was a turning point for the disease-afflicted community, which, given new hope, built homes instead of shacks, constructed new schools and organized working farms.

Father Damien contracted the disease as a result of this ministry and died at the age of 49 on April 15, 1889, a date still commemorated in Hawaii.

No less an authority than Mahatma Gandhi wrote the following concerning Father Damien: ``The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Molokai. It is worthwhile to look for those sources of such heroism.''

Given his work with those who suffered from a disease which carried a social stigma, Father Damien has also become the unofficial patron of those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. The world's only Roman Catholic memorial chapel dedicated to those who have died of HIV/AIDS, located in Montreal, Canada, is consecrated to him.

We in the Congress have long been aware of the deep affection felt by the people of the Aloha State for their adopted son. A statue of Father Damien was one of the two sent from the then-new State of Hawaii to be placed in the Nation's Capitol in 1965.

We all fervently wish that this past Sunday's canonization of yet another American saint will bring blessings to our country at a time of economic uncertainty at home and perils abroad.

I urge my colleagues to strongly support this resolution.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 266, which celebrates 90 years of U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations and the fact that Poland has proven to be a strong partner for the United States in advancing freedom around the world.

Poland has come a long way since throwing off the yoke of Communism 20 years ago. In fact, it was only 2 months ago that Poles celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first free and democratic parliamentary elections in their country, held in 1989, which followed decades of Communist rule and Soviet domination of Poland. The election, in fact, helped provide the inspiration for the peoples of other Central and Eastern European nations to subsequently free themselves from the shackles of the Communist regimes in their countries.

Today, Poland is a free and democratic country and a full and valued member of a number of international organizations, including the European Union and NATO. Through NATO, Poland is a full ally of the United States and, in that role, has significantly contributed to the United States-led efforts to fight global terrorism.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, celebrates the 90th anniversary of the U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations. It congratulates the Polish people on their great accomplishments as a great democracy, and it expresses appreciation for Poland's partnership with the United States.

Given the specific intent of the resolution before us today dealing with the importance of our relationship with our ally, Poland, I would like to comment on the recent decision by President Obama to cancel the long-range missile defense project with Poland. We could debate the recent decision to cancel the long-range missile defense project in Poland, a decision with which many of us, obviously, disagree. In light of the history of Eastern Europe over the past century, and of Poland, in particular, we should exercise care in the ways that we arrive at decisions that have great consequence to our allies in that region.

In this instance, the decision to cancel the missile defense project was communicated to Polish officials only the night before it was announced. The decision was also announced on the 70th anniversary of the invasion of the Soviet Union of Poland in 1939. What an insult. In light of the timing of the decision, and given that Russian troops invaded Georgia last year, should we have been surprised when our Polish allies reacted with alarm at the suddenness of the announcement? I think not.

In short, Mr. Speaker, our relationship with Poland requires skillful handling and needs to take into account what Poland has experienced over the past 100 years in order to avoid sending unintended and potentially damaging messages to such a close ally.

Mr. Speaker, I support the resolution before us today.

I reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), a member of the Armed Services and Judiciary Committees and the co-Chair of the House Missile Defense Caucus.

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.

I rise in support of House Resolution 603, a measure recognizing the 140th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi. At the outset, let me express my deep appreciation to our distinguished chairman, Mr. Howard Berman, my good friend from California, for his strong support of this bipartisan resolution and to the co-Chairs of the India Caucus for their cosponsorship.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced this resolution to honor the extraordinary life and the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. The broad outlines in the life story of this remarkable human being are, of course, generally well known: his struggles as a young lawyer in South Africa for the civil liberties and the political rights of Indian immigrants; his return to India and his leadership in the long and complex struggle for home rule and then independence; and his campaign against violent communalism and terror, a struggle that ultimately cost him his life.

In the course of this journey, Gandhi believed and developed the distinctive philosophy of nonviolence. This philosophy has influenced so many great figures of world history from Nehru to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., to Aung San Suu Kyi.

Today, Cuban dissidents and political prisoners such as Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet turn to Gandhi's tenets of peaceful civil disobedience to challenge the Cuban tyranny and demand the freedom of the Cuban people.

In a world too often worked marked by violence and vast inequity, Gandhi said, ``be the change you want to see in the world.''

``Be the change you want to see in the world.'' This reminds us all of the need for personal integrity in the struggle for peaceful change and the fullest respect for human dignity.

Mr. Speaker, as we have all come to understand, the life and the teachings of this deeply philosophical and spiritual man have touched millions of people around the world. Indeed, in world affairs, the person who arguably affected change more than anyone else, more effectively than anybody else, was Mahatma Gandhi.

Mr. Speaker, ultimately, what was it about this complex and enigmatic man that made him one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century? As a recent biographer noted, fundamentally, Gandhi was a man of vision and action, who asked many of the most profound questions that face humankind as it struggles to live in a community. It was this confrontation out of a real humanity which marks his true stature and which makes his struggles and glimpses of enduring significance to us all. As a man of his time who asked the deepest questions, even though he may not have had all of the answers, he became a man for all times and all places.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge support for this resolution, and with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

To close on our side, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

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

Mr. Speaker, to open the debate on our side of the aisle, I am so pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

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

I rise in support of this resolution expressing profound sympathy to our good friends and allies, the people of the Philippines, for the loss of life and property that they have suffered in the recent storms which devastated their country.

I also wish to express condolences to those among the over-3 million members of our Filipino American community who lost loved ones or who had family and friends injured in the floods and the landslides.

Over 600 people are now reported dead, and over 4,000 homes have been destroyed. An estimated 400,000 persons in Manila and in its vicinity had to flee their homes after 80 percent of the capital was submerged by water. The damage is estimated to be almost $5 billion. I was pleased to note that the Agency for International Development, AID, has allocated $1.8 million in emergency relief funds.

The ties between the United States and the Philippines are among the strongest we have with any Asian country. Our two peoples have stood together in war and in peace, with Filipino comrades-in-arms enduring, with our own veterans, the siege of Corregidor and the Bataan Death March. The Filipino people then fought bravely for over 3 years, waiting for General MacArthur to fulfill his pledge to return. More recently, Manila has served as a stalwart ally in the war on terrorism being waged in southeast Asia.

So your loss is our loss. When the people in the Philippines mourn, we also mourn. As friends and allies, we will continue to stand by you.

I urge my colleagues to strongly support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this week at the United Nations another assault is being launched on the democratic Jewish State of Israel, an assault that the United States must unequivocally oppose and defeat.

Predictably, this assault has its roots in the U.N.'s so-called ``Human Rights Council,'' an institution that has been hijacked by dictatorships and gross human rights violators.

This past winter, in Operation Cast Lead, Israel defended its citizens--and its existence--against the actions of Hamas and other violent extremist groups in Gaza. The Human Rights Council responded by passing a resolution authorizing a so-called ``fact finding mission'' to investigate Operation Cast Lead. This mission's mandate had nothing to do with fact finding and everything to do with persecuting Israel for defending herself.

The mandate prejudged Israel's guilt, authorizing the mission to investigate only assumed human rights violations by Israel. The mandate did not include or even mention the thousands of rocket attacks and mortar attacks spanning 8 years by Hamas and other violent extremist groups in Gaza against civilian targets in southern Israel.

Then, last month this so-called ``fact finding mission'' released its report. It's a 575-page collection of distortions and double standards. The report made baseless accusations that Israel's military had deliberately attacked civilians. The report disregarded extensive evidence that violent extremist groups in Gaza used civilians as human shields, operating from schools, from mosques, from hospitals. It ignored the Israeli military's extraordinary efforts to target its operations in order to minimize civilian casualties. It gave a free pass to the Iranian and the Syrian regimes, which provide material and financial assistance to Hamas and other murderous groups in Gaza.

Finally, this report recommended further persecution of Israel through follow-up action by the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and the International Criminal Court, among others. In fact, today, the Security Council met at the request of the Libyan regime and considered this very biased report.

Later this week, with the blessing of the U.N. Secretary General, the Human Rights Council is expected to hold a special session on this report. What will they do? They will pass yet another resolution condemning Israel, and only Israel.

And what has the U.S. done in response to this anti-freedom onslaught? While acknowledging that the report and its mandate were biased, administration officials still claim that the report raised serious issues and should be

considered seriously by that rogues gallery known as the Human Rights Council. Is this how the United States supports Israel and counters the anti-Semitic and anti-Israel bias that is present every day at the

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize Michael Fux on the grand opening of the Michael Fux Family Center at Miami Children's Hospital.

It is with great pride that I recognize Michael's exemplary work and dedication throughout the years supporting underprivileged children. The Michael Fux Family Center is a state-of-the-art facility that will provide families with up-to-date medical information, activities, and entertainment.

Throughout the center, families can access information about their child's condition and meet and network with other parents. It truly warms my heart to know that the families visiting and the patients staying at Miami's Children Hospital will have a place to get together to share a peaceful environment.

Michael, on behalf of all south Florida and the United States Congress, thank you, thank you so much for your life of selfless giving.

Madam Speaker, this week, a delegation of Monroe County elected officials, led by Mayor George Neugent, will be traveling here to Washington, D.C. In addition to meeting with Members of Congress, the Monroe County delegation will also meet with senior officials at FEMA on the issue of downstairs enclosures.

I have met with middle class homeowners in the Keys who are unable to secure flood insurance because of their downstairs enclosures. These homeowners utilize this additional living space to house an elderly resident, a family member, or to provide affordable housing to others. No one can afford to be without flood insurance in the Florida Keys. And since an inspection is required before any current flood insurance policy can be renewed, many residents are being left to fend for themselves.

While the issue of downstairs enclosures is certainly an important one, the state of our economy is the single most important issue for Keys residents. In recent months, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the Keys to hear firsthand from teachers, from students, from entrepreneurs, retirees who are struggling because of uncertain economic conditions and a dwindling tourist economy. I have met with commercial fishermen in Key Largo who are abandoning their boats and leaving their lifetime passion in pursuit of part-time jobs that will at least pay the bills. Many of these fishermen are unable to make a living because of onerous fishing regulations and unfair moratoriums. I have met with small business owners in Key West who are closing down shop because of their inability to secure a bank loan which would at least carry them forward until next year.

The economic success of our community rests on the success of our fishermen and our hotel owners as well as on the environmental preservation of our beaches, our coral reefs, and other precious ecosystems. As a Member of Congress who proudly represents the Florida Keys, I have consistently fought for increased Federal action to protect our environment. For example, our Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is a world-renowned institution, and we have beautiful coral reefs that are a major economic engine for our local economy.

Last month, the House of Representatives passed the Coral Reef Conservation Act, a bill that I cosponsored. This bill increases Federal oversight of coral reef monitoring and rehabilitation efforts as well as promoting community-based conservation initiatives.

In addition to conservation efforts, I am working with my colleagues here in Congress to support the Aquarius Underwater Sea Lab, which is based in Key Largo. Aquarius is the only permanent underwater lab in the world, and its facilities are used in partnership with NASA and the Navy to train astronauts, divers, and to develop cutting-edge technology. I have been in contact with officials at NOAA to voice my strong support for the continuation of this important program, Aquarius, which is of great benefit to the scientific community and to our local economy.

During this time of economic uncertainty and volatile gas prices, it is more important now than ever that we reduce our dependency on foreign oil. The foundation of a comprehensive energy policy depends upon our ability to develop alternative sources of energy.

In Congress, I have been a consistent advocate of green energy initiatives. I voted to raise national fuel economy standards for our automobiles and establish a Federal renewable electricity standard. I have also voted to increase tax incentives for small businesses that utilize energy-efficient technologies in the workplace, such as solar panels or hybrid cars.

The Florida Keys has the potential of becoming a major market for green tourism, both nationally and internationally. And of course in order to achieve this goal we need to improve both our transportation infrastructure as well as our wastewater infrastructure.

I am proud to say that I have been a leader in securing millions in Federal dollars for our roadways, our bus facilities, as well as for the Florida Keys Wastewater Project. Securing Federal funds for the Florida Keys Wastewater Project is a top priority of mine in Congress because we have to protect our National Marine Sanctuary from further environmental damage. In the past year, I have secured more than $25 million toward this project.

Later this week, the House of Representatives will vote on a Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which includes funding for a new emergency operation center which will serve all of Monroe County. I know that the need for Federal dollars is great, and I will

continue to do my part for the Federal funds for the Keys.

Welcome, Keys representatives, to Washington.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall no. 754, a motion to instruct Conferees on H.R. 2647, the Department of Defense Authorization, FY2010.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Saturday, October 20, at Bayfront Park in Miami, in my congressional district, we will be having the 14th Annual Miami/Fort Lauderdale Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Since its inception in 1996, the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Race for

the Cure has raised more than $4.5 million and has reached hundreds of thousands of people through educational outreach and grassroots efforts.

Volunteers are dedicated to ending breast cancer by making it a nonlife-threatening disease through community grants to support research, education, screening, and treatment.

More than 465,000 die from this disease every year, Mr. Speaker. But there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors alive in the U.S. today, the largest group of all cancer survivors.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure helps them fight the disease through breast cancer survivors networks. Thanks to this Race for the Cure, we are making great strides toward a world without breast cancer.

I encourage all in our community in south Florida to participate on Saturday, October 20, at Bayfront Park in Miami, to fight breast cancer.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to express my strong support for the upcoming November elections in Honduras and to underscore my ongoing concern with the current U.S. policy toward this Central American nation and its people.

I have just returned from Honduras, where I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes what is happening on the ground there. Let me tell you, Madam Speaker, it's very quiet on the streets of Tegucigalpa. Despite the efforts of the pro-Zelaya camp to create the impression that chaos is reigning in Honduras, there are no tires burning in the streets, there are no massive protests urging Manuel Zelaya's return, no collapse of democratic order or institutions.

I met with officials of the constitutional, democratic Government of Honduras. I met with Honduran civil society. I met with their religious leaders. I met with the Honduran press. I even had the opportunity to meet with some of our fellow Americans who are living in Honduras now. And through it all, there was a very consistent and a very clear message. That is: The Honduran people are committed to the defense and the protection of their democracy, of their constitution, of the rule of law.

The people of Honduras do not want Manuel Zelaya back in office. The Honduran people do not want outside actors infringing upon and determining their democracy and their rule of law. For the Honduran people, the November 29 elections are the solution, they are the way forward, and I couldn't agree with them more.

I introduced House Resolution 749. What does it do? It calls on Secretary Clinton to support the efforts of the appropriate authorities in Honduras to ensure that the November elections are free, are fair, are now transparent.

It calls on President Obama to recognize these elections as an important step in the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law in Honduras. No matter how one views the events of June 28, it is critical that the implementation and the recognition of the validity of the November 29 Honduran elections remains separate and independent from the current political fray.

The date of the elections, the presidential candidates, and the presidential term were determined long before Zelaya's removal, and nothing has changed since then. Again, the Honduran electoral process is continuing in accordance with the Honduran Constitution.

The U.S. has historically recognized free, fair, and transparent elections as a fundamental component of a democracy. So why now is the U.S. so quick to admonish what appears to be the only viable way forward for a peaceful resolution in Honduras? How could the U.S. help to open the door to the Cuban tyranny to rejoin the Organization of American States but yet push for Honduras' expulsion because the Honduran people defended their constitution and their democracy? How could the U.S. directly engage with Ahmadinejad, let him into the United States to address the General Assembly at the United Nations yet revoke the visas of the constitutionally democratic constituted representatives of the Honduran Government? These are all questions that I have been asking officials in this administration and have been asked time and time again.

Madam Speaker, I'm concerned that if we in the U.S. continue along this misguided path and continue to impose this misguided Zelaya- centric policy, that the goodwill and the respect and the admiration that the U.S. currently enjoys in Honduras will now start to dissipate. We can't afford for that to happen. The United States has always been the beacon of democracy. How can we take this undemocratic way forward for Honduras?

I'm deeply concerned about the impact that this action will have on our U.S. security interests as well, Madam Speaker. After all of my meetings and briefings and during my visit in Honduras, I'm more concerned and more convinced than ever that the current U.S. approach is severely undermining our immediate security interests in Honduras-- in fact, in Central America as a whole--and it will significantly impact and have detrimental long-term ramifications for the stability and the security of our hemisphere.

But there is still time to reconsider. There is still time to correct our wrongs and find a way forward, and that can begin with the U.S. Government publicly announcing that it will respect the sovereignty of the free Honduran people and respect what it says in the Honduran Constitution, that the U.S. will support the will of the Honduran people and recognize free, fair, transparent elections in Honduras this November. The future and the will of the Honduran people are far too important to let Manuel Zelaya or his puppeteers run the show any longer.