Floor Statements

I thank my colleague from Connecticut and I'm glad to be here today to talk about something that touches every American. I think it's never been more true that, in this situation, no American remains untouched from, as we've seen very vividly, the giants of Wall Street to the citizens in Louisville, Kentucky, to the citizens in Connecticut and Florida and Ohio. Everyone is touched in every field.

Legal practices are making changes and cuts because lawyers can't even get business. And you know when lawyers can't get business, you know everybody's hurting.

But this is something that is an intriguing situation. And as I said this morning on the floor, I mean, over the past few months we've seen, as one after another of the giants of the economy have come before Congress to talk

about this situation and others, we've seen that all of them, these people we worship, these people we thought were the masters of the universe, turns out that they're all the wizards of Oz. You pull back the curtain and they're normal, fallible people who have made mistakes and who could not foresee the predicament that we've been in and, in many cases, they contributed to it.

The point of that is, that we talk about what we want to do to help, don't even say stimulate the economy or help us to recovery. I think this is a parachute plan. I think we are in free fall, and this plan is designed to serve as a parachute to give us a soft landing, because before we can recover, we've got to find bottom. And business after business that I talk to in my district and elsewhere says, you know, times are rough and we're hurting, but what we're really concerned about is we don't know if we're at the bottom.

We were off 10 percent last month. We were off 40 percent this month. We can survive that if we're not down 60 percent next month, but nobody knows where the bottom is, so we're all, in a sense, looking for a way to put a floor under this economy right now.

I know and I have listened to Members on our side and on their side and in our House and down the hall in the Senate talk about things: Well, they know what small business does and what will create jobs in small business, and these are people who have never been in the private sector in their lives. They have no clue what really creates a job in the private sector. We've heard people who cannot even balance their own bank accounts admonish the bankers of the country. So I think we need to be honest with the American people and be honest with each other and say that we're in a situation that is unprecedented, that we truly are in unchartered waters. We are trying everything we know how to do at the Federal level to salvage this economy and to get us on the right footing to stage a recovery.

Are we sure it's going to work? No. Would we all write the bill differently? I think it is true; we would all write the bill differently. We would write the bill differently on our side. They would write it differently. Even among ourselves, we would write it differently. We think some things are more effective than others, but we have to try everything we know how to do in this situation in order to be effective.

As many on the other side believe, we cannot say, oh, tax cuts are going to be the salvation. I mean, as you've mentioned, we've tried that. We tried tax cuts in the early part of this decade. Look where we are? I have talked to businesspeople, and I have asked them specifically, ``Tell me if there is any tax incentive or tax break that we can provide that would make you do something that you otherwise would not do, i.e., hire people whom you don't need?'' They've said there is no such tax cut. The only thing that will help them get going again and that will make them do things that we want them to do, which is to create jobs and to save jobs, is to provide demand. That is what is sorely lacking from this economy. People don't have confidence.

They say, ``If I'm going to buy a car, not now, not now. I don't know whether this company is going to be in business. I don't know whether I might be able to get it cheaper in 6 months. I don't know if the rates will be more favorable.'' It's the same with housing, the same with a suit, the same with a computer, and the same with a flat screen TV. There is no confidence, and we need to restore confidence.

That's why I think it is imperative that as we move toward this vote that we get some cooperation from the other side because the American people should have confidence that we are working on this together. I think we have seen a noticeable reluctance from the other side to work with us on this. I know they claim they've not had any input, which we know is not true. They've had input. Much of this bill was crafted with the other side in mind, but suffice it to say that we are all in this together. None of us is getting exactly what we want in this bill.

So I would implore everyone, and I would implore the American citizens to call their Representatives on both sides and say it is important that the American people have confidence in this plan because this is the only plan there is. Right now, it is the only chance we have, again, to give us a soft landing in this economy and to start us on the road to rebuilding.

So, with that, I thank you for allowing me this time.

I thank my friend from Connecticut, and all of our districts and all of our States have similar problems, but I'd like to just in closing bring reality once again to the American people.

In my district of Louisville, Kentucky, my mayor faces a $20 million shortage in his budget. He's trying to exact concessions from firefighters and police officers and sanitation workers.

My school district, one of the 20 largest school districts in the country, has a $32 million deficit they're facing this year. He's looking at the prospect of laying off teachers and important staff and thereby jeopardizing the education of the children in my district.

In my State of Kentucky, the governor is facing an almost $500 million deficit this year, and vital human services are having to be cut.

These are not because our State or our school district or our city is being mismanaged. In fact, they are being managed extremely well. The economy has just come to that situation in which everyone is suffering, and unfortunately, we in the Federal Government are the last resort.

This is a kitchen sink approach, I concede. We don't know for sure that it will work, but it is the only plan on the table right now. I think the best minds available have come to the conclusion that this is what can help us begin the road to recovery and providing jobs and a higher standard of living for our citizens.

That's why I strongly support this and urge my colleagues on both sides to vote for it. As my colleague from Maryland said, I know the American people will join us in the shared sacrifice and the shared effort it will take to restore the American economy. And I am not a pessimist. I am an optimist, but it is important that we instill and restore confidence in the American people by what we're doing. I think this plan is the right way to do it, and I look forward to voting for it.

Madam Speaker, Modern medicine can prevent an inconvenient infection from ballooning into a debilitating illness with a relatively simple physician's visit and subsequent treatment. And here in America, with the best medical practices and practitioners in the history of the world, we have the capabilities to keep our Nation's children healthy and their futures bright.

But we aren't doing it.

Up to now, we've chosen not to guarantee the health of our children, instead forcing upon millions of parents the difficult choice of seeking treatment for an ailing child or buying food. Making that potentially life-saving doctor's visit or keeping the lights on.

Today, we have the opportunity to erase that awful dilemma for the working mothers and fathers of more than 4 million children, including tens of thousands in my home State of Kentucky, by extending the State Children's Health Insurance Program. By supporting the SCHIP expansion we help guarantee the inalienable rights of America's children to survive, thrive, and grow up to become healthy adults.

By expanding SCHIP we can prevent the future health problems of our youngest generation so that they never grow up to be burdens on the system. It makes economic sense, but more importantly, it is our moral obligation. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, as we fight to ensure that a sick child in this great Nation never has to go without care.

Madam Speaker, we will work our way through our current financial crisis, but we must not forget how we got to this point. Essentially, George Bush's friends have been playing Monopoly with America.

I am sure everyone has played Monopoly; it is all about taking money that is given to you and making more money. The players roll the dice, then buy up hotels and railroads and, yes, houses, largely on credit, so they can take money from other players. The problem with Monopoly, as it is with our economy over the past couple decades, is that the players never have to worry about people or the communities in which they live.

Madam Speaker, we have allowed our economy to evolve in such a way that the missions of many of our largest corporations are no longer in alignment with the goals and dreams of our citizens or in the best interests of our society. Like Monopoly, their only goal is to make and end up with the most money.

Madam Speaker, we must use the people's power to prevent George Bush's friends from continuing to roll the dice and play Monopoly with America. Then we will have an economy and country that works for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, where is President Bush? Last Friday he held a short press conference demanding Congress pass a bailout plan that was still being written, otherwise the economic fallout would be dire.

But the President has not been heard from since. If this really is a catastrophic economic collapse, shouldn't the President address the American people and the Congress in a prime-time nationally televised speech?

The President needs to explain to the people exactly what is happening in the financial markets and how this plan will help turn things around. This is extremely complicated. With potentially a $700 billion price tag, every American has a stake in what happens with this legislation.

If this truly is a crisis on Wall Street, President Bush needs to begin treating it that way. He can't sit on the sidelines any longer. If President Bush is serious about getting this legislation passed, he needs to sell this plan to the American people.

If the future of our Nation's economy is, indeed, at stake, President Bush needs to raise the stakes and explain his plan to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2008, which includes the ElderServe Act, which I introduced last May to protect our Nation's senior citizens from abuse through better coordination of services.

In my hometown of Louisville, for over half a century, we've seen first-hand as ElderServe Inc, a local non-profit, has facilitated the coordination necessary for thousands and thousands of seniors to have peace in their golden years.

One of the many areas that ElderServe has excelled is providing emergency services to seniors who experience physical or psychological abuse and neglect--problems that afflict more than two million victims nationwide.

Experts estimate that only 20 percent of all cases of elder abuse are reported. Still 70 percent of the caseload at Adult Protective Services comes from victims over the age of 65. These instances of abuse and neglect know no boundaries, affecting men and women across all racial, social, socio-economic, and geographic divides. And with the country's 76 million baby boomers approaching retirement age, the problems will only intensify if we don't create a network equipped to respond.

The ElderServe Act will create Emergency Crisis Response Teams, or ECRT's, that foster community collaboration between existing services and consolidating services for elder abuse victims. In most communities, victims of elder abuse have great difficulty navigating services and aid. But in Louisville, ECRT's have been incredibly successful in bringing various entities together to provide immediate help and services to elder abuse victims. The approach ensures that elder abuse victims no longer fall through the cracks and are given the housing, healthcare, and follow up they need. For those who cannot go to law enforcement, law enforcement will come to them.

The ElderServe Act authorizes the creation of pilot programs that will coordinate local law enforcement, short-term housing placements, bereavement services, adult protective services, legal advocacy services, job placement assistance, health care, and other services.

If the program is infused with same passion and care as we have seen in Louisville; if we provide necessary resources, we will have created a reliable place that a senior can turn to, anywhere in the Nation, to recover from and also to prevent elder abuse.

America's seniors spent decades working, contributing, and raising families in our communities. Yet each day thousands are assaulted or neglected, with nowhere to turn but an overtaxed, under-coordinated system. For many they receive help too late or not at all. Many give up waiting for help, and others never seek assistance in the first place. The ElderServe Act can change all that. I, therefore, strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Elder Abuse Victims Act and working to eliminate elder abuse forever.

Madam Speaker, today my hometown of Louisville continues to recover from windstorms that battered our region, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Still, the resilient residents of our community will rise to host the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Course, and in turn, the Ryder Cup will generate tens of millions of dollars for our local economy over the next five days.

This is the culmination of Dwight Gahm's vision when he commissioned Jack Nicklaus to design a Louisville golf course. The course has twice held the PGA championship and today ascends to new heights with the 80- year-old, biennial summit of sports. Here, Europe's best golfers will compete against America's greatest, not for personal wealth but for the spirit of competition. More than three million dollars will be donated to charity on behalf of the Ryder Cup.

Among the 12 American players, I proudly welcome home two Kentuckians, Kenny Perry and JB Holmes. I know they, along with their other American teammates, will represent our country well.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Ryder Cup and the people of Louisville who overcome adversity this week to host one of the world's greatest sports traditions.

Mr. Speaker, this week Congress will vote on an all- inclusive energy package that will lower gas prices for consumers and put money back in taxpayers' pockets.

The Democratic energy plan will require oil companies to pay royalties on leases they have had for years but never paid to use. Big Oil has raked in record profits, the largest in American history this year, while Americans pump hundreds of dollars into their gas tank. It is time Big Oil pay American taxpayers the $15 billion it owes all of us for drilling on the American people's land.

For years, Washington Republicans have been showering Big Oil with tax breaks and subsidies. With the big oil companies amassing record profits every quarter, they certainly don't need this corporate welfare. The Democratic plan will repeal these giveaways to the big five oil companies and invest money in renewable money and programs, like LIHEAP, that will help Americans heat their homes this winter.

Mr. Speaker, the Democratic energy plan helps Americans who have been suffering from George Bush's failed energy policies for far too long.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the third annual Nation's Triathlon, which will take place this Sunday in Washington, DC. As with any triathlon, this competition will be a rigorous personal test of endurance, dedication, strength, and skill in biking, running, and swimming. In this case however, the competitors demonstrate a devotion to a greater cause than personal accomplishment. By partnering with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, they are working to defeat blood cancer.

I am proud to say that three Louisvillians--Katie Anderson, Amanda Moore, and Chad Queen--and three more Kentuckians--Ruth Adams, Jennifer Watson, and James Pelfrey--will be competing in the triathlon this weekend, and three more--Shelley Gast, Anthony Miller, and Scott Clark--are training and coaching the athletes in this worthy event.

With more than a million and a half individuals annually diagnosed with cancer, and more than half a million Americans dying from the disease each year, virtually everyone of us has been touched by cancer in some way. The good news is, here in the United States, some of the world's most brilliant and innovative scientists are hard at work developing new treatments and uncovering the mysteries that will someday lead us to a cure. In fact, researchers at the University of Louisville, in my district, recently developed a vaccine that will prevent cervical cancer and potentially save the lives of thousands of women each year.

But to achieve their objectives, researchers need resources and attention. And that's just what the Nation's Triathlon will do by using the incredible talents of the participating athletes to raise awareness and funds.

I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating these athletes who, this weekend, will strive to complete a grueling personal challenge and also defeat our common foe. Together, we will work to create a future that has no room for cancer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Honor Flight Bluegrass Chapter. Today, Honor Flight is making its latest trip to Washington to bring Kentucky's World War II veterans to visit the memorials that honor their courage and heroism and those that celebrate the heroic military personnel who served before them and those who followed in their footsteps.

Today, the United States of America has, without question, the most powerful military in the world. But in 1941, when an unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor awakened a sleeping giant, America's military might was anything but certain. Though we did not have the larges or richest in the world, the United States' military was made up of warriors with unflagging courage and limitless dedication that followed in a tradition dating back to the Revolutionary War and continues to this day.

They are called the greatest generation and with good reason. By war's end, it was not only our military that went unquestioned. Following their efforts, the United States of America emerged from battle as a beacon of freedom and liberty.

Today, 63 years after their victory over Nazism, fascism, and imperialism, some of those heroes join us in the Nation's Capitol for the first time. As ever, we remain a Nation grateful for their sacrifice and indebted for their success.

Today's trip brings to Washington the following 38 Kentucky World War II veterans: Harold Ausmus, Ruben Avila, Fredrick Balke, John Beye, Hubert Wessel, Cynthia Phelps, Arthur Decker, Barbara Abbott, John Bruggensmith, Leslie Cohen, Clarence Crawford, James ``Art'' Cutliff, Wayne Tabor, Herman Sasse, Charles Dever, John Cook, Robert Kottcamp, Neal Puckett, Bernard Ohare, John Okeefe, Blond Puckett, Leslie ``Dan'' Stickler, Charles Tribble, Ernest Spencer, Harold Phillips, Joseph Riney, Kathryn Mattingly, Edward Peterson, Bill Brundage, Therese Comstock, Henry ``Don'' Donaldson, Matthew Flanagan, Robert Carrico, Robert Hall, Edward Jackey, Clyde Logsdon, Leonard O'Dell, and Edward Oechsli.

I urge my colleagues to join me in welcoming them to Washington, recognizing their

contribution to America's success, and thanking Honor Flight for their commitment to our World War II heroes.

Mr. Speaker, the two people most responsible for our Nation's failed energy policy are the two oilmen in the White House-- President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

From their earliest days in the White House, they surrounded themselves with other executives from Big Oil. As Newsweek reported in 2001, ``not since the rise of the railroads more than a century ago has a single industry placed so many foot soldiers at the top of the new administration.'' And when it came to actually creating an energy policy, Vice President Cheney met in secret with oil executives in Big Oil in the Vice President's home.

This administration admits that 95 percent of its energy policy has now been enacted, so let's take a look at exactly what it has produced. Over the past 7 years, gas prices have more than tripled, while for 5 straight years now the major oil companies have amassed close to $600 billion in profits. Meanwhile, our dependence on foreign oil has increased by 753 million barrels a year.

Mr. Speaker, House Democrats have rejected this failed policy and instead are working to pass legislation that will provide consumers relief while ending our dependence on foreign oil.

Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to recognize the National Association of Postal Supervisors on their 100th anniversary. This organization, which started in my hometown a hundred years ago, has become an international leader in the fight for workers' rights.

In 1908, 50 individuals gathered at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, to fight for the working conditions of their fellow employees. These individuals were tired of endless hours without break, deplorable working conditions, low and inequitable pay, and stringent penalties for speaking out. This meeting marked the beginning of a powerful voice in Washington that now represents 34,000 active and retired employees. NAPS has fought hard to provide hard-working people with a decent salary, proper benefits, and the opportunity to work with dignity. And today, on their 100th anniversary, it is safe to say they succeeded.

Generations of postal supervisors have come and gone since that day in 1908, and each has built upon the accomplishments of their predecessors. NAPS continues to fight for reform, taking a stand for full pension and health care benefits, working to bring postal leadership into line with the 21st century, and increasing the revenue for the United States Postal Service. The organization is also leading the call for a vote by mail system so every individual has the opportunity to participate in our democracy regardless of the barriers they face on election day.

With NAPS' long history of success, I feel confident the organization will continue to deliver victories for the next generation of postal supervisors. As the congressional Representative for Branch 1, the first of what will grow into scores NAPS' branches in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam, I offer my sincere thanks for years of hard work and wish you a happy centennial celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, and I want to thank you, Chairman Miller, and the Senate committee chairs for drafting a bill that will help millions of Americans go to college and graduate without crippling debt.

I'm proud to have introduced a number of this bill's provisions that will help to ensure every American has a world-class education. Our Nation's teachers confront a multitude of challenges, and if we aren't providing them with the tools to succeed, we're failing them and their students.

This legislation authorizes grants to train general education teachers to work with students who have autism and other disabilities. A program to make sure educators learn the best techniques to help kids read at grade level and student success grants that will help students stay in college to complete their degrees and succeed in the workplace. The revolutionizing Education Through Digital Investment Act will better engage young students by greatly expanding the ways technology is utilized in the classroom.

There is no greater way to impact the future of our country than by ensuring that all of our children receive the highest quality education. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in enacting this critically important legislation.

Madam Speaker, it's been 3 years since the Republican Congress passed energy legislation they claimed would bring down the cost of gasoline and end our dependence on foreign oil. The result? Gas prices have hit $4 a gallon and a barrel of crude oil has gone from $30 to $150 a barrel.

Still, Republicans continue to propose the same failed policies and continue to block Democratic efforts to invest in renewable energy and to release oil from the government stockpile.

Republicans say they want to drill, but they voted against a bill that would force Big Oil to drill on 311 million acres of land already open for energy production. Republicans say they want to help struggling drivers with gas prices, but they voted against repealing unnecessary tax breaks for profit-rich oil companies.

Madam Speaker, BP Oil experienced a 28 percent hike in their profits this quarter while American families can't afford to drive to work. When are Republicans going to start helping American families instead of Big Oil?

Madam Speaker, there's one thing on which everyone in this Chamber agrees, it's that we're in an energy crisis, and the American people are paying the price.

So, as we consider a second stimulus package to provide immediate relief and spur long-term growth, I urge my colleagues to also offer assistance where we know people need it: immediately paying for energy.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, provides critical heating and cooling assistance to millions of hardworking, low-income Americans across this country, and now, in the middle of a hot summer and trying economic times, this assistance is more important than ever.

In Kentucky, 300,000 people qualify for LIHEAP, but because we have yet to fully fund the program, only a third are receiving the help they need, leaving 192,000 Kentuckians underserved, forced to choose between food for their children and critical cooling and heating needed to get through a long summer and winter.

Eligible families spend, on average, a fifth of their incomes on energy. I urge my colleagues to fully fund LIHEAP and provide desperately needed help to struggling American families.

I thank the gentleman from Colorado, and I appreciate his excellent work on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, the one thing that's encouraging about this debate is that we all agree in this Chamber that we need to do something about high gas prices. We need to do something to reduce our dependence on oil. We need to do something pretty quickly because the American people are hurting. The economy is feeling the impact of these prices, and immediate action is required.

Now, let's consider the two options that we have before us. We have the option that has been put forward by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, which basically is to open up new areas of potential oil reserves for drilling, which everyone agrees is a solution that will not manifest itself until years down the road. The Bush Energy Department, itself, says no appreciable reduction in gas prices will occur from drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf or in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge until 2030.

As attested by my colleague from Colorado, the average American family will spend $57,000 on gasoline before the Republican plan saves them a penny. That is hardly the kind of relief that the American people are looking for.

There was a very wise man once who said the significant problems we face today will never be solved by the same level of thinking that got us into those problems. That was Albert Einstein, a pretty smart guy, and that's what the Republican plan is. It's to do more of the same to solve the problems that we're now in. I think the American people are much smarter than to fall for that type of proposition.

On the other hand, the Democratic majority has a plan that can reduce oil prices virtually immediately. We call it Free America's Oil because we do have plenty of oil at our disposal to use to bring down prices immediately. That is only half the problem, though, because, as my colleague from Colorado mentioned, we've got a long-range proposition to deal with. We don't want to find ourselves year after year after year in the same dilemma in which we find ourselves now. We've got to look in a different direction. I'll return to that in a second, but let's talk about the immediate action we can take.

We have 700 million barrels of oil right now that the United States owns that are sitting in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, 700 million barrels. When we invaded Iraq, we took that down to 600 million. When we had the Katrina disaster, we went to about 600 million barrels. We have far more oil in the Reserve than we will ever need for any eventuality. If we were to release just 10 percent of the oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, 70 million barrels, into the market over the next few months, history has shown us that we can immediately impact the price of oil.

There are three times in the last 17 years that we've done it. The first was in 1991. The most recent was in 2005. Each time we did it, the price of oil dropped, in 2005 by 10 percent, in 1991 by a third. Wouldn't it be great to have oil down under $100 a barrel. Again, it seems hard to imagine that we're actually thinking that would be a desirable goal, but at $140, it would be very desirable.

We can do that if the President just uses his authority to release that oil. We own it. It's ours. We have paid for it. We can use it to benefit the American people and get action now.

Two other things we're proposing can bring relief in the relatively short term. First, we have 68 million acres onshore and offshore already under lease to oil companies. They can drill virtually immediately. They don't need to do exploration. They don't need to clear environmental hurdles as they would in these other areas they want to drill. They can drill tomorrow. We have a proposal. We call it ``use it or lose it.'' It's part of our ``free America's oil'' proposal that if we pressure the oil companies by threatening to take those leases away if they don't make a good-faith effort to produce on them, we can encourage them, again, to use the resources we already have to get oil onto the market, increase the supply and bring the price down.

Finally, we have in Alaska, west of the area that they want us to drill in, the wildlife refuge, 23 million acres that are already available for drilling. It's called, ironically enough, the National Petroleum Reserve area because there is petroleum there, estimates up to 10.6 billion barrels of oil, more than would ever be in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We want them to drill there, not in a pristine area where we don't know how much oil exists. So again, we have options. We have oil on American soil. We have oil we own that we can use to bring prices down in the very short term. And we ought to be embracing that policy.

One other mention about the long-term effects. President Bush said the other day that the reason we need to open up all these other oil areas, potential oil areas, is because of the psychological effect, because if the oil speculators know that down the road there is this massive supply coming on, the price will drop. If that is what we are relying on, I say we have a much better chance to affect the psychology of the market if we change our emphasis from oil to alternative and renewable fuels, alternative sources of power. We know the technology is there. We just have to invest in it, develop it and refine it. But that is the kind of psychological effect, the knowledge among speculators not just that there will be more oil on the market 20 years from now, but we won't need any oil 20 years from now because we're going to go in another direction. The psychological effect of that will be compelling and will be devastating to oil prices.

So I say we have a plan both for short-term and long-term energy policy that does make sense, that is not the same old rhetoric and that is not the same level of thinking, as Einstein said, that we had that got us into this problem. And I think the American people know that this is the direction we need to go on. And I think that by responding today, by passing the DRILL Act, that we can take the first step towards energy independence and toward helping the American consumer deal with these incredibly high prices.