Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today many of the 40,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union--the ILWU--are expressing their outrage at the Administration's war policies and their effect on working families by staging a walkout at ports and other facilities along the West Coast.

I stand in solidarity with these workers whom, like the truckers who mobilized in Washington earlier this week and many other working and middle-class Americans, have simply had enough of the diet of mistruths and deceptions that our President continues to feed the American public.

Madam Speaker, Americans are saying enough is enough. We spend billions every week in Iraq while the government there banks its oil profits and refuses to pitch in to help fund the necessary projects required to get the Iraqi people back on their feet.

Madam Speaker, my tenure in this house is short, but my interest in the institution has been a life-long pursuit. May I say that you have done more to bring peace to our nation and get our troops back home to their families than any other war-time Speaker in our history. I am proud to stand by you and the ILWU as we all do our part to bring an end to this war.

It is time to bring our men and women home to their families and communities. It is time for all Americans, like the Longshore and Warehouse workers, to stand up and tell the President ``Enough is enough. End this war before your term is over. Eight tragic years for our country is bad enough, don't saddle future generations with a prolonged commitment in a country we never should have gone into in the first place.''

Madam Speaker, I stand before you this evening to discuss the plight of some 20,000 brave men who defended our country during World War II but have been neglected in their old age. I refer to the Filipino nationals who fought with American soldiers as part of the Recognized Guerilla Forces.

Madam Speaker, the sacrifice and suffering of these brave warriors has been well-documented. Without their support, some say, American forces likely would have been outmanned and outgunned at many of the decisive battles in the Pacific Theater during World War II. But because of an unfair designation set into law, our government treats one class of Filipino veteran differently than another.

In the days and months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 250,000 Filipino nationals swore allegiance to the United States of America with the same oath each of us took when we became Members of this body. They fought side-by-side with our fathers and grandfathers and suffered casualties at a far higher rate than native- born American forces. In return, the Filipino soldiers were promised the same benefits and support as their American counterparts. In fact, in October of 1945, Gen. Omar Bradley, then Administrator of the Veterans Administration, reaffirmed that they would be treated like any other veterans.

But The Rescission Acts of 1946 changed that. As happens all too often in the halls of power, short-sighted political expediency won out over fairness and common decency. Faced with massive war debts, Congress excluded a class of veteran that had no voice and no vote. Since then, piecemeal attempts have been made to rectify the inequities of The Rescission Acts, but time is clearly working against us.

Today, the few Filipino veterans who are still living are in their eighties. Their number is estimated to be at or around 20,000, with 7,000 living in the United States. Many of those veterans reside in my district, which boasts the largest number of Filipino Americans in the nation.

Madam Speaker, I am not asking for special consideration. I am not seeking an earmark or a windfall or a handout. I am simply asking that we, as a nation, honor the promise we made to the brave souls who put their very lives on the line for the sake of America and all it stands for. Let us show our gratitude to the few remaining Filipino World War II veterans and restore the benefits due them and promised to them when they, like all of us here, raised their right hands and swore: I do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, Congress today is making an important first step toward protecting Americans from discrimination based on their genetic information. I support this bill and the premise that a predisposition to disease should never be a factor in access to employment or insurance coverage.

However, this is only a first step. I am compelled to remind this House, and all Americans, that this bill does not guarantee genetic information will not be abused by employers or insurers. The passage of this legislation should not give consumers a false sense of security.

Until access to health care is available regardless of current or future health conditions, the potential for genetic discrimination will remain. And until we completely limit access to employee health records, there will be the potential for discrimination by employers.

Mr. Speaker, passage of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act today is a strong step toward protecting sensitive genetic information, but no journey is completed in just one step. I look forward to addressing the underlying problems not fixed by this bill so we can truly protect Americans' privacy and guard against discrimination based on preexisting health conditions.

Madam Speaker, today, as we observe the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, I stand with the millions around the world who have called for greater recognition of this atrocious event in world history.

Madam Speaker, my mother, now 92 years old and still working outside the home, is a first generation Armenian-American who lost much of her family in the atrocities of 1915. She and many of my Armenian brothers and sisters have long waited for validation from our country and the international community of simply acknowledging the events that took place and were well documented at the time. Growing up, I heard stories about our relatives who were lost. As I got older, I read the telegram sent by our Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Secretary of State on July 16, 1915:

``Deportation of and excesses against peaceful Armenians is increasing and from harrowing reports of eye witnesses it appears that a campaign of race extermination is in progress under a pretext of reprisal against rebellion.''

We are told by some to forget the Armenian Genocide, to get over it. But to forget any incident like this is tantamount to allowing it to happen again.

The facts before us are not in dispute. The reason we still debate this is not to determine if a genocide took place but rather, to determine if we have the political backbone to stand up for the truth.

Madam Speaker, the Members of this House disagree on many things in the course of our work. But it is the things we agree on that bind us together. Freedom. Democracy. Opportunity. And the repudiation of any act of genocide, ethnic cleansing or subjugation.

We condemn the Nazi concentration camps, the Soviet gulags, the Khmer Rouge's killing fields and the current and lasting tragedy in Darfur. We wouldn't think of excusing or ignoring any of these. To do so would be unconscionable. Why then, do we allow our nation's official reaction to the Armenian genocide to be little more than a shrug?

Madam Speaker, today, as we observe Equal Pay Day, I rise with my colleagues and professional women everywhere to say: Women are the face of pay equity.

The Census Bureau reports that, on average, a woman earns 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. More simply, I would have been working since the beginning of the year to earn the same annual salary as a man who started today, April 22.

Equal pay is not solely a women's issue, it's a family issue; when women aren't paid equally, their families pay the price. There are long-term consequences too: lower pay means less Social Security and less saved for retirement.

We have talked for years about closing the wage gap, now we must act. Today I was added as the 227th cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act, joining more than half of this body who believes it is time to eliminate gender-based wage discrimination once and for all.

Congresswoman DeLauro's bill, which she has introduced for the last eight years, strengthens enforcement of the Equal Pay Act while providing businesses with training and resources to ensure they're in compliance.

Madam Speaker, since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, we have made great strides. Wages for women are up, and the pay gap has narrowed, but the gap is still far too wide, and women and their families are paying a terrible price.

This is my first year, and my first Equal Pay Day, as a member of this House. I genuinely look forward to a time when I don't need to remind Americans that Women are the face of pay equity.

Madam Speaker, I have long known that the war in Iraq was costing our Nation far too much. But after less than a week here in Washington, I'm sad to say, it is even worse than I thought. Today, on the day millions of Americans pay their Federal income taxes, it is disheartening to point out that the average American's total tax bill pays for less than one half of one second of this unnecessary war.

At a time when hard-working, two-income families struggle to pay their mortgages, when gas prices force small businesses to raise prices on basic services and necessities, when support for college students continues to decline and CEO salaries rise faster than a carnival balloon, it is time to bring a dose of sanity to our tax laws.

Madam Speaker, today we took an important step by passing legislation to deny government contracts to firms that are delinquent in tax payments. No longer shall we allow corporations to reap war profits while defrauding taxpayers by not paying their fair share.

We also took aim at the ridiculous practice of hiring outside collection agencies to harass American taxpayers at a cost higher than the money they take in. If America truly is the land of opportunity, then that opportunity must extend to all members of the American family. We cannot be nickel-and-diming hardworking families while losing tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse in questionable contracts awarded to politically-connected firms doing business in Iraq.

Madam Speaker, I am new to this body, but I am not new to politics. I understand that the only way anything gets done in the halls of power is when someone stands up and insists on action. Today, on Tax Day, let us make a promise to work toward ending this devastating and costly war, providing middle-income tax relief and once and for all doing away with subsidies for oil companies. Only then, can Americans start to feel that Tax Day is something more than a shake-down of hard-working families.

Mr. Speaker, today, in California, 1.7 million children under age six require childcare because of working parents. Of these, nearly 200,000 are served in local programs that receive money from Child Care and Development Block Grants.

Mr. Speaker, you and I know that in the San Francisco Bay Area, most families rely on a minimum of two incomes just to make ends meet. In a time of rising gas and food prices and uncertain economic prospects, many are forced to take on additional jobs just to keep up.

Yet, the President's budget, for the sixth straight year, does not provide enough just to maintain the current level of services. In fact, the budget for Child Care and Development Block Grants falls $41 million short and hasn't been adjusted for inflation since 2003.

Mr. Speaker, like most states, California can illafford to pick up the slack, which in 2009 will total over four and half million dollars. Since 2002, our state has been on the hook for $52.7 million.

Meanwhile, the president has provided just a 2.1 percent increase for Head Start, a program widely acknowledged as one of the most successful in the federal government. This won't even keep pace with inflation and falls woefully short of what is needed to catch up to the more than $110 million in funding that California has lost relative to Fiscal Year 2002 funding.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the approximately 130,000 California children registered in Head Start and the benefit that early childhood education provides to our nation, I urge the Congress and President Bush to do all we can to adequately provide for this most important resource.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

It is a real honor to be introduced by the dean of the California delegation, who was, as he mentioned, serving his district with distinction when I was a mere staffer here in the U.S. House of Representatives. And I'm thrilled to be joining the gentlewoman from California, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, one of my longest and dearest friends, and the gentleman from California, Congressman Thompson, who taught me all I needed to know when I first arrived in the State capital back in 1986.

Madam Speaker, I didn't think it was possible for a person to be filled with both pride and humility at the same time. But that is exactly how I feel today. I am proud to have been chosen by a substantial majority of San Francisco and San Mateo County voters. I'm humbled by the faith they have placed in me and by the awesome legacy this particular seat holds.

Recently, I was introduced as having been elected to replace Tom Lantos. I had to laugh. I was elected to succeed Congressman Lantos. No one will ever replace him.

I also follow in the footsteps of Leo Ryan, who served this Chamber with distinction until he was assassinated 30 years ago, and I am honored to introduce his daughter Erin Ryan, who is in the Members gallery.

I was privileged to serve on Congressman Ryan's staff because I learned from one of the best. He taught me three important lessons: One, question the status quo; two, always listen to the people you represent; and, three, always stand up for what you believe in even if you have to stand alone.

Madam Speaker, I was struck with something while campaigning for this seat. A public servant is never more in tune with her constituents than when she is first running for the office. While holding over 60 community meetings across my district this year, the most common question was, ``When will we get out of Iraq?'' It was asked by voters across the spectrum: veterans, students, parents, the prosperous, middle class, those still working towards their piece of the American Dream.

The process to bring the troops home must begin immediately. The President wants to stay the course, and a man who wants to replace him suggests we could be in Iraq for a hundred years.

But, Madam Speaker, history will not judge us kindly if we sacrifice four generations of Americans because of the folly of one.

And, Madam Speaker, as passionate as people are about getting out of Iraq, they are also worried, about their jobs, their houses, and their futures. I got an earful from taxpayers outraged that the Fed bailed out Bear Stearns while neighbors are losing their homes to predatory lending practices. A man in a union hall put it simply: ``When will our government care as much for Main Street Americans as Wall Street speculators?''

As long as I am here, I will strive to make sure that the voices of Main Street are heard as loudly as the voices of Wall Street.

Madam Speaker, you are an inspiration to me, to America, and to women all over the world. I stand before you eager to learn and ready to help make the laws of the greatest country on Earth reflect its values: fairness, justice, and a guarantee that working men and women, parents, students, seniors, the disabled, and the disaffected, every American, has the right to a seat at the table of opportunity.

Thank you very much.