Floor Statements

The purpose of this resolution is to honor the aviators who have done such courageous duty for this country. And they have. And I think one of the things they have done because of their sacrifices is that they have always given America a chance to become a more perfect union. And I think the language in our founding documents of working towards a more perfect union suggests that we're a country that's always looking for an opportunity to get just a little bit better. And we now have a bill we will be voting on tomorrow that does give America a chance, not to solve all our problems, but to get a little bit better when it comes to health care.

And I just want to, in the context of an aviator, suggest what that may mean. Let's take an aviator that goes to France, serves in a B-17 like so many courageous aviators did, is shot down, rescued, prisoner- of-war, returns, starts a little business, raises a family back home, survives World War II, raises let's say his daughter, she grows up to maturity, maybe has a kid. He is a proud grandfather like many of these aviators are.

What could happen to his daughter right now in the current situation of the law? What could happen is she could have insurance, she could have a good job, she could be taking care of her family, and then she can develop cancer. And do you know what this side of the aisle wants to allow to continue to be the law of the United States of America? They want to let the aviator's daughter to be able to be canceled in her insurance policy because she develops cancer.

Let's assume the grandchild of the aviator develops diabetes and gets to maturity and wants to go out and buy an insurance policy. Guess what this side of the aisle wants to allow to be continued practiced in America? They, who are going to be voting en masse, en masse, against health care reform, against this step forward tomorrow, they will be voting tomorrow to allow the aviator's grandchild to be denied insurance because she developed diabetes.

Now I question whether American aviators who fight wars proudly think it's really up to American standards to allow the children and grandchildren of aviators to be denied coverage because they developed illness. We don't think that is good enough for America. We think we deserve better. And what we will be doing tomorrow is voting for a provision that will give the families of aviators the right, in fact, to be treated fairly in America.

Now I know many people, they have argued this is somehow a government takeover of health care. I've thought about that, and I can understand people don't want a government takeover of health care. But it is fundamental. What this does is it changes the relationship between Americans and the insurance industry. And that's a relationship, and the rules of that relationship do need to change because we need to give Americans more choice. We need to give them more freedom. We need to give them more protection against some of the practices of the insurance companies. And that's what we will be voting to do tomorrow.

So I say let's honor some aviators. Let's honor their families by giving their families the right to have health care even though they have asthma, even though they have diabetes, even though they have Parkinson's. Whether they are Republicans or Democrats, or red and blue States, all Americans deserve to be able to have insurance in this country. That's what we're going to do tomorrow.

This is a great bill because it will help American kids to understand what is going on in the oceans, which is they are becoming too acidic to support life as we know it. They are 30 percent more acidic because of carbon pollution. We have got to do something about that. It is nice to let our kids know what is going on.

But I want to respond to this criticism of the health care reform bill, because this Sunday people are going to stand up on this floor and be counted, and they are either going to be with the insurance industry in their ability to stop Americans from getting health insurance because they have diabetes or they will be with us who are going to stop insurance companies from denying coverage to Americans with diabetes and Parkinson's and heart problems.

Now, this criticism of the procedure that is going to be used reminds me of an old show I saw, ``To Tell the Truth.'' And they showed a guy one time, he was a park ranger in Yosemite National Park. He got hit by lightning not once, not twice, but five times, and they asked him what advice he would give to people in a lightning storm. He thought about it for a minute and he said, My advice would be don't stand next to me.

Well, during this debate, don't stand next to the Republicans who are giving you this balderdash poppycock that there is something wrong with this procedure we are going to use, and I will tell you why.

The procedure we are going to use, we are going to vote. Everybody's votes are going to be right up there. It comports with the U.S. Constitution. I will tell you how I know. It is the same procedure the Republicans have used scores of times for the last two decades. Of the times this procedure has been used in the last two decades, 72 percent of the time it was initiated by the Republican Party.

Now, if you tell me there is something wrong with that, there might be a little hypocrisy involved. And when there is hypocrisy involved, maybe you could get struck by lightning.

So let me suggest that during this debate, for the Republicans who are going to say there is something wrong with the constitutional process we have of voting, don't stand next to a Republican. They might get struck by lightning.

Mr. Speaker, as we head to our health care reform decision, I think a story of a fellow I met the other day, a very unique American, bears repeating. His name is Gary Hall. He was in my office yesterday.

Gary Hall won five gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals in swimming, over three separate Olympics, really an incredible achievement. He got his medical insurance through the Olympic Committee for 12 years, but after that he wasn't eligible. And guess what happened? No one would write him insurance because he has diabetes.

The insurance companies said, we don't care if you've won gold medals, silver medals, and bronze medals, we won't give you insurance.

Now, that has got to change. We have to pass a health reform bill. Whether you've won a gold medal in swimming or you're just an average Joe or Jane, you ought to be able to buy insurance, even if you've got diabetes.

We are going to have a bill on the floor shortly that we are going to vote on. The vote's going to be transparent. It's going to be recorded. Everybody knows what it's going to be. It's going to be constitutional. It's going to be just the way we've voted for years. We're going to make sure people get health insurance in this country.

I had a remarkable American in my office this morning, Gary Hall, who won five golds, three silvers, and two bronzes in three Olympic Games in freestyle swimming, a remarkable person. And he told me a story about having insurance for 12 years while he was in the Olympics, but then after he lost the Olympics, he couldn't get insurance. Do you know why? He has diabetes.

Here is a guy who won gold, silver, and bronze medals and couldn't get insurance in America because he had diabetes. And the reason he couldn't get insurance in America is that we haven't passed our health care reform bill yet.

In the next few days, we are going to put up at least 216 votes, I hope, green lights on that board, to pass health care reform so that Gary Hall can get insurance; and even if you haven't won a gold medal, you can get insurance if you have diabetes. And these people who are smoking something, I don't know what, who think we aren't going to take a vote on this, I am going to take a picture of this board to show you the votes, because the green lights are going to be to make sure that people with diabetes can get insurance, and the red lights will be you can't get insurance even if you have won a gold medal. That is not right. It is going to change in this country.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 95 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I visited a couple of fascinating companies. Applied Materials in Santa Clara, California, makes the world's largest photovoltaic cell because they figured out a way to do it and reduce manufacturing costs. I then drove up the road to Bloom Energy, which has developed a fuel cell that actually can convert natural gas to electricity right on site at your home or your office.

These two companies are typical of the companies that can lead to the creation of millions of new clean-energy jobs for a new clean-energy economy in the United States, but they are waiting on the other Chamber to pass a bill that will put a limit on carbon pollution. Once we put a limit on carbon pollution, companies like Applied Materials and Bloom Energy will in fact bloom and blossom because they will be on a level playing field. Let's get a cap on carbon pollution. Let's build a new clean energy economy for this country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Polly Dyer for her more than fifty years of leadership and hard work improving and protecting the environment of our nation.

Polly, along with her husband John, played a leading role in the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act, which preserved millions of acres of land throughout the nation--the equivalent of almost 10 percent of Washington's land mass. She has made a special contribution to the protection and enhancement of the Olympic National Park and to the underwater domains of the Pacific Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Her efforts directly contributed to the development and preservation of the North Cascades National Park. She had a major role in the creation of the North Cascades Conservation Council, the Puget Sound Alliance, and was a key player in the formation of the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority.

My family and I have hiked the trails and slept under the stars on land she fought hard to save for future generations. We know and honor the great heritage she is preserving for our nation.

Polly Dyer has mentored, inspired and nurtured several generations of wilderness leaders in Washington State. On and off the trail, in and out of the halls of Congress, Polly Dyer is the exemplar of a wilderness leader. Thank you, Polly Dyer, for everything that you have done.

Mr. Speaker, this morning America is engaged in a great race, and that is a race with China to see who will be preeminent in the creation of millions of new jobs in the new clean energy economy. The President is right: the Nation that leads the clean energy economy will lead the world economy, and he is right that we do not intend to finish second place in this race.

Now at this moment, there is something pending in the U.S. Senate to determine whether we will win this race. There is something that is absolutely fundamental to drive millions of dollars of investment to these new technologies in solar and wind and geothermal so that we will finish first in this race, and that is to put a cap on carbon pollution. Because when we put a cap on carbon pollution, we will drive investment into the jobs of tomorrow. We must remain resolute. We call on the President to remain resolute. We have to deliver a cap on carbon so we can finish number one in the jobs race.

Madam Speaker, there have been times in history where great technological challenges have been overcome by the combined efforts from both government policy and scientific innovation. We are sitting at one of those critical junctions today. Our country is taking active steps to curb our energy consumption by implementing energy efficiency policies and is also highly engaged in scientific innovation to make renewable technologies, such as solar, a sustainable part of our total energy portfolio. I am here today to discuss several promising technological advancements in solar systems that might one day help reduce our country's dependence on foreign energy sources.

As we know, solar technologies come in several flavors. Some systems such as solar photovoltaic convert the sun's energy directly into useable electricity. Other technologies such as solar-thermal systems use the sun's energy to boil water that then turns a steam turbine which ultimately generates electricity.

Development of solar photovoltaic systems has relied on manufacturing processes developed in the microelectronics industry, which has relied heavily on silicon as the main material component. These manufacturing methods can be slow and they yield relatively expensive solar cells. Through technological advancements in material science, new materials such as copper-indium-selenide (CIS) or copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) have resulted in low-cost solar cells. Solar cells made with these materials can even be printed much like you would print a document with your ink-jet printer at home.

While CIS/CIGS photovoltaic advancements are driving manufacturing costs down, further advancements in silicon solar cells are also progressing. Advancements have been possible through new techniques used in nanotechnology labs across the country. The new generation of solar cells, instead of being constructed of flat layers of material on a silicon wafer, may end up looking more like microscopic cities. These ``3D'' solar cells are showing promise as they may be able to better absorb the sun's energy and convert it to usable electricity.

Great things are happening in the solar photovoltaic world, but important advancements in the solar thermal world are also taking place. Recently concerns about the amount of water used in generation of electricity with solar-thermal power plants were raised; these concerns can be misleading as similar amounts of cool water are needed for coal or natural gas power plants. Regardless the solar-thermal industry has responded with an innovative dry-cooling process which could reduce the water consumed to almost nothing.

There are some that want a silver bullet to lay to rest our country's issues with foreign energy sources. While no such bullet exists, we can make real progress by encouraging development in all these promising technologies in parallel. Doing so can help States, like Washington State, achieve goals outlined in their renewable portfolio standards. On a larger scale we can move our entire country towards a clean energy source.

I hope that my colleagues here in Congress will help me in moving relevant bills swiftly through our legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, we know that job creation is Congress's job one, and we passed some time ago a great job creation engine for a clean energy economy in the United States. We passed that months ago in the U.S. House, and we know we have a tremendous opportunity for job creation. Building electric cars: I drove a Ford Focus all-electric car a couple of months ago. Building solar thermal plants: We now have contracts developing out in the Southwest. Building new energy- efficient windows: We heard from an entrepreneur the other day about the tremendous advances in energy efficiency.

Yet, to realize this economic vision, the U.S. Senate needs to get off the dime and pass a clean energy bill, and those who think that we should do nothing because Copenhagen didn't reach an agreement, I'll tell you what: the Chinese are not waiting. They're building solar plants. They're building electrical lithium-ion batteries. They're building new energy-efficient windows.

The U.S. Senate needs to join us and create a job-creating engine with clean energy and pass the energy bill.

Madam Speaker, I want to recognize the Boeing Co. on their first flight of the 787 Dreamliner. This successful flight marks an important milestone in the development of the 787 Dreamliner, and represents the collective efforts and hard work of everyone at the Boeing Company, particularly the dedicated Boeing employees who live in my district. The 787 Dreamliner is airplane that is not only much more efficient than any other airplane on the market, but also represents a new generation of technologically advanced commercial airplanes that will change the future of commercial aviation.

Madam Speaker, we cannot allow a great injustice to the American worker, to the American warfighter and to the American taxpayer, which would happen if a contract for the Air Force tanker goes to the Airbus contractor without taking into consideration these massive illegal subsidies that the Airbus competitor has received.

We have decided and we have determined, the U.S. Government, that Airbus has received multibillion dollars of illegal subsidies, which have allowed them to develop a tanker with which they now have to bid against an American contractor, the Boeing Company.

We are calling upon the administration to do the right thing, which is in the contracting process, and figure into the respective bids the amount of the illegal subsidies that the Airbus company has received. And they can do that by having the countervailing duty section of the U.S. Department of Trade Representative determine the amount of that illegal subsidy. When that illegal subsidy is added to the Airbus bid, the right thing will happen, and we will have American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I hear that the former Vice President has made an assertion about the Governor who quit in Alaska, Sarah Palin. He asserted that hers is the attitude of a denier, a denier of the clear need to address global warming. But that attitude is worse than being a denier.

It is the attitude of a defeatist, because the defeatists believe that we Americans can't build electric cars. The defeatists believe we can't, in America, build solar thermal plants. The defeatists believe we can't build offshore wind turbine plants. The defeatists believe that we can't build thousands of jobs here in America, rather than allow those jobs in clean energy to go to China.

When those people like Sarah Palin, who have the attitude of defeatists, join us in a sense of optimism that we can change our economy to a green collar economy, we will build a clean energy economy that is the envy of the world. And we urge them to join us.

Mr. Speaker, the President is right to go to Copenhagen and lead the world against global warming. He is right to defeat the birthers who have tried to stop him from being President and the deniers who refuse to accept the fact of global warming. Both the birthers and the deniers refuse to accept clear, pure facts.

I just read that a former Governor of Alaska was arguing today in a newspaper that there is no such thing as global warming associated with human activity. She needs to read the National Academy of Sciences report which concludes it is a fact. She needs to read the report of NASA--the people who put the men on the Moon--that concludes this is a fact. She needs to read the NOAA reports about acidification of the ocean which shows it is a fact.

The birthers and the deniers are wrong. We should restore American leadership and make sure the jobs of the future clean energy economy are here, not just in China. The President is right; the deniers are wrong yet again.

Madam Speaker, today in Tacoma, Washington, the State of Washington will honor and memorialize the service and lives of four Lakewood City police officers who were slain while on duty on November 30 this year.

Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Ronald Owens, Officer Tina Griswold, and Officer Gregory Richards were killed while in the line of duty. And today, in the Tacoma Dome, thousands of Washingtonians will embrace them in their arms and in their hearts and to show respect for their loss.

But I just want to note that it is the Nation that appropriately honors and memorializes these four officers, and the reason is that they are symbols of the service of police and sheriff's officers all over this country who are out on dark roads, who are working in dark cities, who are doing the hard detective work it takes to keep us safe. And I hope we will thank the next officer we see for their service.

And I just want to tell these families how I feel. I lost my cousin, a sheriff's deputy, Mark Brown, in 1999 while in the line of duty. My prayers and heart goes out to these families, and I hope all my colleagues will join me in that regard.