Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend and colleague from the great State of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, last fall I introduced the Active Duty Military Tax Relief Act to assist our brave men and women in uniform who are serving our country with honor and distinction, and I am pleased that significant provisions proposed in my bill are incorporated in their entirety into the bill we are discussing today, the bipartisan HEART Act.

Servicemembers are often confronted with transitional issues when called to duty, and the bill we are debating today includes provisions from my bill making essential tax relief for our military families permanent by providing incentives to ensure that Reservists who are called up for active duty do not suffer a pay cut. This bill also makes it easier for veterans to become homeowners, and it includes other provisions from my bill allowing recipients of the military death benefit gratuities to make contributions of up to $100,000 into tax- favored accounts, such as Roth IRAs and Education Savings Accounts.

Mr. Speaker, we spend a lot of time in this Congress talking about supporting our troops, and we are providing further evidence today that we are going to support our troops with our actions and not just our words. The HEART Act is another sign of our commitment to our Nation's heroes, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Challis. This young man is an inspiration to me and to the citizens of my district. He is a senior at Freedom High School in Freedom, Pennsylvania and was diagnosed with liver cancer almost two years ago. He recently learned his illness is terminal.

Although doctors have told him the ``cancer is winning right now,'' his spirit and faith has not wavered. With wisdom far beyond his years, he recently told a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter, ``I used to be afraid, but I'm not afraid of dying now . . . Because life ain't about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those breaths.''

Even though the cancer has ravaged his body, this courageous young man continues to hunt; in the last year he got three bucks and two doe. He also continues to play his favorite sports, baseball and football.

A few weeks ago, John was able to fulfill one of his wishes. In one of the final baseball games of the season, his coach and friend, Steve Wetzel, called him into the game to pinch-hit. Even though he has not played in several years, he took one swing and sent a line drive into right field. As he struggled to first-base, he found encouragement in his first-base coach, who was crying, and the opposing team and crowd who were applauding and cheering him on. As he reached first base, he shouted ``I did it! I did it!'' Throughout his fight with cancer, John has remained positive. He does not worry about himself, but focuses more on his family and friends. His father Scott has sat with him many nights discussing John's advice for the future.

John explained to an ESPN reporter how he feels about the situation and his concerns for his family. He said, ``it's harder for [my family] than it is for me. I mean, my mom's gonna lose her son. What am I going to lose? . . . It's harder on her than it is going to be for anybody. If I'm afraid of anything, that's what I'm afraid of.''

Coach Wetzel recently organized a ``Walk for a Champion'' fundraiser to help fulfill one of John's wishes--a vacation with his mom, dad and his 14 year-old sister, Alexis. This was his way of giving back to a young man who has given him so much.

Coach Wetzel hoped 100 people would come to the fundraiser. In fact, over 500 people participated in the walk-a-thon in the pouring rain and the original fundraising goal of $6,000 was easily surpassed. John and his family are now preparing for a cruise in June.

John continues to inspire those who know him and many who have recently learned about his story. After being interviewed by Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, John's story has touched people throughout the country and even members of the military serving overseas. Mike White recently discussed his article about John and said ``I have received literally hundreds of e-mails from people saying how John is inspiring and how John has affected their lives.''

John's story has also gained the attention of the national sports media, as well as many professional athletes. The Pittsburgh Penguins recently honored John by inviting him and his family to a playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers where they watched the game in the Mario Lemieux suite. While watching the game John was greeted by Mario Lemieux; Steelers chairman Dan Rooney; Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger; and Atlanta Braves' pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. After meeting the athletes John said ``my head is spinning. This week has just been incredible and now this. It was like someone dropped me off at the wrong party.''

John's spirit, grace and courage are truly an inspiration to me and many around the country. This young man has done more with his 18 years than most people do in a lifetime.

Even in this difficult time, he continues to be selfless and put others before himself. John, his family, and Coach Wetzel are setting up a foundation in John's name for young cancer patients. Of the foundation, John said ``maybe it will help younger people who haven't gotten to see the finer things in life that I got to see.''

John Challis is truly a role model and not only for the constituents in my district, but for the people all across this nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of fully funding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. With energy prices at record levels, it is critical that Congress provides adequate LIHEAP funding to protect low-income seniors and families from the bitter cold in the winter and the extreme heat in the summer.

Because of rising energy prices and limited LIHEAP funding, 62,000 Pennsylvania households that were supposed to receive funding this year did not. Many of the families across the country who were not able to obtain LIHEAP funds will be forced to decide between paying their energy bill or purchasing other necessities like food or medicine. This is a decision that no hardworking family should have to make.

Madam Speaker, LIHEAP provides millions of low-income Americans with some relief from ever rising energy prices, but there are millions more that could use the help. I urge all of my colleagues to fully support funding for LIHEAP.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, we get criticized a lot in this Congress for not taking a proactive approach to issues that we see facing the country. And here is an example of something where we are working together in a bipartisan way. The comments from my friend from Texas notwithstanding, this is an issue that has bipartisan support. And we can argue about how much is this going to save the American people. How much is this going to take off of a

gallon of gas? And Goldman Sachs, a group that knows something about the market certainly and the impact that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will have on the market, says it can be upwards of 25 cents a gallon that this saves.

Now that is not a long-term solution. We understand that. And we can have the argument about whether we should drill off the coast or drill in ANWR and increase supplies in other ways or build more refineries. That is a long-term argument. What we are doing today is taking a short-term approach that is going to help families today.

We cannot continue to do nothing. This Congress has to act. And we are going to act today. And we are going to save the American people a quarter on the gallon.

Mr. Speaker, while the consumers continue to pay record prices at the pump, the Big Oil companies are once again pocketing all- time record profits; yet they disavow any correlation to those high gas prices. But do they really expect the American people to believe that?

During the first six years of the Bush administration, Congress pursued policies that furthered our dependence on oil. They showered the Big Oil companies with billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies but never explained why those corporations deserve corporate welfare.

Since regaining control of Congress, Democrats have twice passed legislation to redirect every penny of those taxpayer subsidies into research and development on alternative sources of fuel.

For years, Republicans in Washington have supported a policy of corporate welfare for Big Oil that clearly hasn't worked. It's time for a new direction on energy policy.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chairman, I offer this amendment to the Neighborhood Stabilization Act to ensure that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the financial assistance we're providing today to individuals adversely affected by the housing crisis.

Section 214 of the Housing and Community Development Act governs the participation of noncitizens in certain HUD programs. It requires valid documentation from the beneficiary, verification of that documentation by the appropriate entity, and outlines who may and may not be eligible for financial assistance.

Under section 214, illegal immigrants are not eligible for financial assistance. Let me repeat that: Under section 214, illegal immigrants are not eligible for financial assistance. And my amendment makes certain that section 214 rules apply to the new programs authorized by the Neighborhood Stabilization Act that we are debating tonight.

With the housing crisis and economic downturn impacting the lives of hardworking Americans throughout the country, we need to make sure that targeted, fiscally responsible assistance that we are providing goes only to law-abiding citizens.

As responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is our responsibility to ensure that every penny is spent wisely and is not used to benefit any illegal immigrants in any way.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill that I joined with Chairman Miller in introducing to ensure the current credit crunch does not prevent students from attending college.

Recent decisions to suspend the issuing of student loans by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and other lenders around the

country clearly demonstrate the need for this legislation.

This bill is a model for bipartisan cooperation. Problems in the credit market began affecting the student loan market only 2 months ago, and since that time Congress has quickly moved to identify the problem, craft a responsible solution to that problem, and quickly move that solution through the legislative process. And, today, we are sending this bill to the President for his signature.

Congress can be proud of taking this proactive step to prevent a crisis and I am proud of what we did today, and encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 25th Annual Meeting of the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports, known to many as the ``voice of the industry'' in Washington, DC.

The Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports has strong roots in western Pennsylvania. In fact, a number of local steel pipe and tube industry leaders--including Mr. James Feeney, formerly of Wheatland Tube Co.; Mr. Joseph Nowak, formerly of Cyclops Corporation; and individuals from Allied Tube and Conduit--created the vision of the Committee. Since its beginning, the Committee has worked closely with leaders in Congress to develop sound and fair trade policies that ensure U.S. trade laws are strengthened and maintained.

Throughout its 25-year history, the Committee on Pipe and Tube Imports has had many notable achievements, including the filing of over 100 antidumping and countervailing duty cases challenging unfairly traded imports; inclusion of steel pipe and tube in the President's Steel Voluntary Restraint Agreement program; and work on the enactment of trade legislation. It is obvious that this organization has made a significant and lasting impact on our nation's trade policies and through its advocacy has ensured a future for this important segment of the steel industry and its workers across the country.

I am honored to have this opportunity to thank the Committee's founding members, past chairmen, and staff for all of the amazing work they have accomplished on behalf of the United States steel pipe, tube and fittings industry and wish them continued success in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, today the House will complete work on the technical corrections bill for the Federal Highway Transportation Act. This bill includes a project that is critical to my district, the future I-376 corridor.

Pittsburgh International Airport is the only major airport not currently on a Federal interstate. This has hurt the region's ability to compete and limited business development along the highways that lead to it. The redesignation of Pennsylvania Routes 22, 30

and 60 as Federal Interstate 376 is critical to future economic development and the marketability of western Pennsylvania. Completion of the project is also contingent on safety upgrades at two separate interchanges.

With today's passage of the technical corrections bill, we are taking one more step in advancing the I-376 designation and in making the regional priority a reality. I thank the chairman, Mr. Oberstar.

I appreciate the gentlewoman's kind remarks and yielding me the time. And I appreciate my colleagues who have been here allowing me the opportunity to speak because I do have to take the chair. And I want to thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) for his patience while he waits for me to step up to the plate.

I really think it's important for us to consider the work that this Congress has done on these issues. And we've spent a lot of time tonight talking about the problem; and that's very important. But it's important that our colleagues and the American people understand what we've done about it. We're not just in a position where we're going to talk about what's wrong. And we know the issues.

There's 700,000 children in America where the head of the household has been deployed. 700,000 children that are missing a parent right now because they're deployed overseas. 19,000 children have had a parent wounded in action. 22,000 have lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan.

And we have 40 percent of active duty servicemen and women that are married. So, Mr. Space talked about the effect of the spouse, certainly in the tragic extreme, but even when they're deployed and all of the circumstances that arise.

And just today, the American Psychiatric Association released a study focused on the mental health effects of deployments on servicemembers and their family. And that study, again, by the American Psychiatric Association, said that over 30 percent of military family members admitted to being very stressed because of the deployment.

Five years into the war in Iraq, one out of five, 20 percent of those family members surveyed, did not realize that they had the ability to access mental health care treatment to help them with that stress.

And I know we've talked tonight, and it's well documented, the increase in spousal abuse that takes place upon the return from active duty service.

So what has this Congress done? And there are many examples we can give. The largest increase in the 77-year history of VA. We've talked many times.

I wanted to talk about one specific amendment that took place which I offered to the Defense Authorization Bill that dealt with family and medical

leave, and extending the current Family and Medical Leave Act to cover the family members of military, Guard and Reserve members who were deployed, because we obviously need to allow time to work with families in those post-deployment briefings that often take place during the work day. They can't get time off work when they're gathering with their peers from the region to learn what's happening overseas and what the updates are for what's available to them. They should be able to take that time for family medical leave.

Household expenses, getting their financial house in order, dealing with child care issues, all of these are things that are now covered under family medical leave because of the actions of this Congress. This has been signed into law.

Importantly, when the serviceman or woman is injured overseas, you can take Family and Medical Leave Act time to care for the injured serviceman or woman. That's incredibly important. That's going to fundamentally change people's lives, and that's something that this Congress did.

But most to the point of what we're talking about with this study from the American Psychiatric Association and other evidence that exists, we allow family members to take Family and Medical Leave Act time to re-assimilate, as a family, after the serviceman or woman returns from their deployment so they can get to know each other again, spend time with their spouse, spend time with their kids. That is incredibly important. That is a huge achievement of this Congress, and that's something that I'm very proud of, that this Congress has done. That's been signed into law, and it is going to have a major impact on the lives of our brave servicemen and women who are fighting for this country.

So I just wanted to tell that story before I took the chair. And again, I would thank Mr. Braley, and I would yield back to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Madam Speaker, I know that the gentleman from Florida, and I appreciate his yielding, is going to spend the bulk of his time here on the 30-Something Working Group talking about gas prices and the increase that we have seen and some things that this Congress has done to address the issue.

And I wanted to talk a little bit about the energy bill that we passed last year and the debate that took place along the way, one of which was what we should do about these taxpayer subsidies, $14 billion, that we're giving to the big oil companies at a time when they're making all-time record profits, your money and mine, taxpayer subsidies.

And it's clear that with oil at $117 a barrel and rising that ExxonMobil does not need taxpayer subsidies. They're going to make their money. They're doing quite well. They just set the all-time record for profit in one quarter in the history of American business. So there is no need for them to have that subsidy, and the majority of this House overwhelmingly agreed. Last year not once but twice, we passed legislation out of this House, in 2007, sent it over to the Senate, that would say that we are going to redirect every penny of that $14 billion away from the big oil companies and into research and development on alternative sources of energy, alternative fuels. And what we sent over to the Senate was legislation that had bipartisan support in this House.

Now, we sent it over to the Senate, and, unfortunately, as the gentleman from Florida knows, the rules in the Senate are different than the rules of the House. So they have to have 60 votes to bring a bill to the floor, and they didn't have the 60 votes to bring it to the floor, but they had enough to pass the bill. But the point of this is we in this House took affirmative action, not once but twice, to find alternative sources of energy, to create a national commitment, and to provide the funding that's necessary for R and D on alternative sources of energy.

But that's not all that this House has done. Today the leadership of the House called on President Bush to stop filling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Now, that's something that I sent a letter to President Bush about last month and something that would save from the price of gas between 4 and 24 cents. Now, that's not going to make the difference. When gas is at $3.55 a gallon, 24 cents may not seem like a lot. But at least it's an affirmative step in the right direction that we need to recognize, A, that we do have the responsibility in this country to do

everything that we possibly can to relieve the burden on individuals, families, and businesses in this country and that burden that has been brought upon them by the incredible increase in gas prices. And what that is going to do is, for the temporary time being, lower costs a little bit, which is going to make a difference for families in this country. It's not going to solve the problem. It's certainly not a long-term solution. But it's something that we all can agree on in this Congress is a necessary step to suspend shipments into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That's something that President Bush has not joined us in yet, but I'm hopeful that we will be able to work together and find solutions to the problem.

Now, we, last year this Congress, passed a number of other pieces of legislation dealing specifically with rising gas prices, trying to head them off. We voted to hold OPEC accountable for oil price fixing. It passed this House 345-72, overwhelming bipartisan support. It faces the threat of a veto on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. We voted to crack down on gas price gouging. That passed 284-141, overwhelmingly bipartisan; yet the President, again, has threatened to veto that legislation. As I talked about, we voted to repeal the subsidies of the big oil companies at a time when they're making all-time record profits and redirect every penny into alternative sources of energy. Unfortunately, that faced a veto threat, and we were unable to get it through the Senate.

But what did become law, and at this point I would turn it over to the gentleman from Florida, was our new energy independence law, which, for the first time in 30 years, increased the cafe standards, the miles-per-gallon average that we see in our cars that are made in this country, for the first time in 30 years, from an average of 24 miles per gallon to an average of 35 miles per gallon. That by itself, when it's fully phased in, is going to save the average individual in this country about $1,000 a year on their fuel bill. That is real reform, and that is something that this House did, working with the Senate. We sent it to the President. He signed it. And that's something that we can definitely look forward to in the future. Now, again, that is not by itself going to lower the price of gas. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve shipments that we are talking about is going to have an impact but not a long-term impact. The only thing that we can do to solve this problem in the long term is to get ourselves off of oil. That's what this should be about. And we do have a healthy debate in this House and among our colleagues on how to achieve that.

There are some folks who believe that the issue is entirely supply and that we should spend our money at the Federal level in ways that will further our dependence on foreign oil. Build more refineries, drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, drill off the coast of Mr. Meek's Florida, drill in the Outer Continental Shelf, that is one school of thought. And those are folks in this House that have the intent to bring down gas prices. They definitely have good thoughts in mind on that.

We just have a very strong disagreement. We don't question their motives. We just believe there's a better way. That is to use every penny that we spend in this country, whatever dollar amount that may be, on alternative energy. Whatever we determine to spend, spend it all in getting us off of oil. Don't spend one penny in furthering our dependence on oil because that is not going to solve the problem in the short-term and certainly not in the long-term.

So that is the difference of opinion that exists, should we invest in research and development and finding an alternative source of energy, getting us off of oil, or should we invest on the supply side for today in a way that is going to further and even deepen our dependence on oil. That is the debate that exists in this House.

So at that point I would thank the gentleman from Florida for his strong leadership on this issue, for allowing me the time to speak, and I would turn the time over to Mr. Meek from Florida.

I thank the chairwoman for yielding.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act.

Since its inception in 1983, SBIR has been key to American competitiveness, providing quality research for the U.S. Government and spurring technology innovation. SBIR has been a catalyst for some of today's most successful enterprises. For over 25 years, SBIR has allowed innovative small businesses to partner with the government for the development of today's most cutting-edge goods and services. SBIR is a program designed to stimulate American competitiveness.

This legislation we consider today will ensure that SBIR will keep pace with the technological changes and advancements in today's ever- changing, high-tech world to keep our Nation's small businesses competitive in the global economy.

The region I represent in western Pennsylvania has produced a number of SBIR success stories, ranging from new medical therapies to advanced computer technology. The area is an emerging medical- and technology- based community that is home to some of the top research and development in the entire country.

Reauthorization of SBIR will allow us to continue to foster research and innovation that will translate into a wealth of new employment opportunities and economic growth for western Pennsylvania and the entire country.

Madam Chairman, I would like to thank Congressman Ellsworth and Congressman Foster for their leadership in joining me today in offering this amendment.

Our amendment clearly states that any small business that is either owned by or employs illegal immigrants will not qualify for SBIR funding. By adding this language, we clarify that Congress will not reward those small businesses who fail to play by the rules.

As we know, SBIR awards are critical to assisting our Nation's small businesses compete, and Congress must ensure that those monetary awards paid for by the American taxpayer are not provided to those small businesses that purposefully contribute to our Nation's ongoing illegal immigration problem.

This amendment is absolutely necessary because of those bad actors who choose to ignore the law and hire individuals who are not in this country legally.

I urge adoption of our amendment to guarantee protections for American small businesses.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this legislation which I joined with Chairman Miller in introducing to ensure that the nationwide credit crisis does not prevent students from attending college. Recent decisions to suspend the issuing of student loans by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and other lenders demonstrates the need for this legislation.

This bill takes several proactive steps to make certain that students are able to access the financial aid they need to pay for college. It gives the Department of Education the temporary authority to purchase loans from lenders in the Federal Family Education Loan Program. This will provide additional liquidity to the market so that lenders can continue to make student loans. Furthermore, the bill increases Federal loan limits for students by $2,000 a year, which will reduce students' dependence on more expensive private loans.

I thank Chairman Miller for his leadership on this issue, and urge all of my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

Madam Speaker, congressional Democrats are prioritizing tax cuts for the middle class. Our budget made clear that we intend to extend and pay for the Bush tax cuts that directly impact middle class families.

In fact, the Democratic budget identifies the specific tax cuts that we would like to see extended, such as: marriage penalty relief; the 10 percent lower income bracket; the child tax credit; small business expensing; and the R&D tax credit.

But like our fiscally irresponsible colleagues who advocate a continuation of this administration's failed economic policies, the Democratic budget achieves balance in 4 years and ensures that any increased spending or decreased revenue must be offset by comparable budget cuts.

Rather than just charging the cost to the national credit card and increasing our indebtedness to foreign nations like China and Japan, Democrats want to go in a new direction by ensuring that our budgets are balanced and our Tax Code is fair for all Americans.

I thank the gentlewoman. And I did want to say about our colleague from California, there are a lot of advocates for children and for young families in this Congress, and a lot of us are passionate about those issues, but there is no one who has done more advocacy and has worked harder than Congresswoman Capps, and so I want to thank her for her comments.

I was in my office and I heard that this Special Order was beginning. And the gentlewoman knows the passion that I bring to the table to these issues. Early childhood education is something I have always talked about. I am a member of a board that is not even in my district. There is an organization far outside my district called the Heritage Health Foundation in a town called Braddock, Pennsylvania, and they sponsor an early childhood education center called the For Kids Center. And it's been in existence long enough that you can see the fruits of the labor there. You can see children that have come through the program, that have had access to early childhood education, and compare them to this community that has fallen on hard times, students and children that have not had access at the same level to early childhood education. And what you find is that the students who have gone through the For Kids Center, the early childhood center and have had access to those services test three grade levels ahead of their peers when you test peer to peer.

Early childhood education works, there is no question about it. And the dollars that we reinvest into the system are paid back many times over in the dividends that they pay in the grade levels and testing better and the performance throughout their school, and they get into less trouble and the kids perform better academically. It all builds upon itself.

So when I was elected to Congress, as the gentlewoman said, in 2006, one of the first things you have to do is choose what committee you're going to serve on. And I knew right away that I wanted to serve on the Education Committee because I wanted to work on the Head Start Reauthorization. That's one of the first things out of the gate that that committee was tasked with doing. I was involved with the Head Start Reauthorization, and we were able to get that through Congress because everyone should be able to agree on the need for early childhood education.

In Pennsylvania, we have 7,529 children that are standing in line for child care. In the chart that the congresswoman from California (Mrs. Capps) showed, you can see Pennsylvania; 7,529 children that should have access to child care and early education services, but don't.

So I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her friendship and her leadership. As she mentioned, I do have two young daughters, and I can see the value of these services. I just wish that everyone in this country could have access to the same services that we have access to. I thank you for your leadership and for the opportunity to address the House tonight.