Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, today the House will consider H. Con. Res. 99, the House Budget Resolution. I rise in support of this budget resolution because it fulfills the pledge Democrats made when we regained the majority. I am pleased to say that the Democrats have delivered on their word--the proposed Democratic plan will balance the budget in 5 years, while ensuring that critical programs are fully funded and that the programs dearest to our families are fully funded. The Democratic budget will expand health care for our children; provide our soldiers and veterans with care worthy of their sacrifice; support education for a 21st century workforce and a growing economy; invest in renewable energy; and restore fiscal responsibility to the budget process.

When President Bush was elected, he inherited a budget surplus of $5.6 trillion. Yet by the end of his first term, the Bush Administration turned this surplus into a deficit of nearly $3 trillion. Instead of addressing this deficit, the President's budget increases our deficit by $507 billion over the next 5 years. In comparison, the Democratic budget will lower the deficit by $234 billion over the next 5 years using the newly resurrected pay-as-you-go rules.

We will also work to lower the deficit by putting an end to wasteful government spending through increased oversight over our government agencies, starting with the Defense Department. To date the Defense Department continues to fail a standard audit that tracks what it spends or owns in the annual budget. It is estimated by Defense auditors that one of every six dollars spent for Iraq is suspect-- including $2.7 billion Halliburton has received in contracts. This budget resolution proposes to restore government program performance reviews instituted under the Clinton Administration, which produced 285 recommendations to improve government services.

I know that many back home are skeptical about whether this will help the working families in Michigan. Michigan has a troubled economy; its unemployment rate is 6.9 percent and family incomes have dropped $7,989 since 2000, while health care and energy costs continue to rise. Yet the President's budget proposes to eliminate $205 million in funding for job training and employment services in our state. This is funding that Michigan desperately needs to keep our workforce competitive.

One of the first steps we can take to repair our economy is to invest in our future workforce. Our budget meets the goals of the Democratic Innovation Agenda by providing an additional $2 billion for federal science and technology programs, putting us on the road to doubling funding for the National Science Foundation. These investments are necessary to maintain America's global competitiveness, particularly in the areas of technology, energy and innovation.

We are going to make sure that our children receive the best education possible; our budget provides $8 billion more in 2008 and over 11 percent more over the next 5 years for education and training programs. Under the President's budget, more than 120,000 children in Michigan would go without promised help in reading and math. Head Start--a vital program for more than 35,000 Michigan children--would be cut by the President by 1.5 percent. These programs provide critical services for nearly 1.8 million children enrolled in Michigan public schools.

The Democratic budget also supports middle-class tax cuts, which will put money back in the wallets of our families where it belongs. It will also protect middle-income families from a tax increase by setting up a reserve fund for a long-term fix for the alternative minimum tax, AMT. In 2004, 69,000 Michigan families were subject to the AMT and if this system is not adjusted for inflation, an estimated 507,000 families in Michigan will have to pay it in 2007. Without this fix, the President's budget would increase middle-income taxes by $230 billion. I know many are wondering how we will actually pay for the middle-class tax cut. We will pay for this by eliminating tax loopholes and closing the tax gap to make sure that those who are cheating the system pay up and those who are honest are rewarded.

In recent months, energy costs have skyrocketed, literally leaving many Michigan families in the cold. Gasoline prices in Michigan have increased 79 percent, up $1.12 a gallon since 2001. While the President travels the country promoting his renewable energy programs, his budget proposes holding funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs at the 2001 funding level, and cutting the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, LIHEAP, by 18 percent. It is obvious that we need to end America's addiction to foreign oil and begin to invest in renewable energy sources here at home. The Democratic budget rejects the proposed cut to LIHEAP and will create a reserve fund that will redirect oil subsidies to invest $14 billion over the next 10 years in clean, renewable alternative energy and energy efficiency programs. This investment will promote new technologies to lower energy costs and relieve families of this immense burden.

The Democratic budget rejects the President's proposal to cut the Community Development Block Grant program, and actually provides the first increase in funding for the Community Development Block Grant program. This program provides crucial funding to assist nearly 1,200 States and local governments with job creation, economic development and affordable housing efforts.

Not only does this budget recognize the needs of working families, it will also recognize the needs of our veterans. It is clear from the recent events at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that Congress needs to closely examine the health care that veterans are receiving. Veterans have sacrificed too much to come home to run-down health care facilities. We will make sure that our veterans will always have the best care available by providing the largest increase ever to the veterans' health care budget--$3.5 billion this year and $32 billion over the next 5 years. These resources are critical to help repair VA health care facilities, to increase and improve disability claims processing and to invest in mental health care and treatment for traumatic brain injury. Michigan is home to 836,948 veterans, 42,451 of whom recently returned from Afghanistan and Iraq. We need to let our soldiers know that they will not be forgotten after their service is completed.

The Democratic budget will ensure that our soldiers have the resources they need in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that our first responders and law enforcement officers here at home are equipped with what they need to protect our country. Under the administration's proposed budget, Michigan would be hit with a 52-percent cut in the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Law Enforcement Terrorist Prevention Program would be eliminated completely. The President needs to heed his own advice and fully fund these programs to ensure the safety and security of our communities. The Democratic budget will increase homeland security funding by six percent, ensuring that our first responder and terrorism prevention programs have the resources they need.

After 6 years of irresponsible fiscal budgets and empty promises, today's resolution will take the first step to finally balancing our budget and delivering critical funding to programs that need it the most. I support this resolution and I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H. Con. Res. 99.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor the legacy of one of our nation's most important advocates of civil rights and labor organization. Cesar Chavez answered one of the highest callings of human life--to lead others in the struggle for social justice. It is for this reason that we proudly observe the 80th anniversary of his birth by voicing our support for House Resolution 76, to establish a national Cesar Chavez Holiday.

Born near Yuma, Arizona, on March 31, 1927, Cesar Estrada Chavez endured a difficult adolescence as a migrant farm worker when his formal education ended after the 7th grade. Migrant workers of this era suffered very harsh working conditions, and were routinely refused pay by farm owners. Chavez was able to escape this life by joining the United States Navy in 1944, at the age of 17.

In 1946, after 2 years of service, Chavez returned to California where he married Helen Fabela and resumed life as a farm worker. Before long, he joined the Community Services Organization, CSO, as a community organizer. Chavez traveled up and down the coast of his State urging Mexican-Americans to register to vote and become legal U.S. citizens, and frequently speaking on the topic of workers' rights.

By the late 1950s, Chavez was convinced that farm workers would be treated fairly only if they were able to form unions to represent their rights. After leaving his post as CSO president in 1962, he used his meager life savings to co-found the National Farm Workers Association, NWFA, the precursor to the United Farm Workers. Though past attempts to organize migrant workers had failed, Chavez traveled to dozens of camps in California and Arizona, teaching workers the fundamentals of union organization and inspiring many to become organizers themselves.

In 1965, Chavez and the NFWA led a strike on behalf of California grape-pickers that culminated in a 250-mile march from Delano, California, to the state capital in Sacramento. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, investigating the strike with the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, fully endorsed Chavez and his organization, and pronounced Chavez, ``one of the heroic figures of our time.'' The Delano strike

was the first major step in the battle for farm worker rights in the U.S., setting the stage for the 1975 Agriculture Labor Relations Act, the only law in the United States that protects farm workers' rights to unionize. This landmark legislation increased pension benefits, heath insurance coverage and pay for thousands of workers.

Chavez continued to demonstrate his devotion to nonviolent advocacy of workers' rights until his death in 1993, at the age of 66. In 1994, President Clinton posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying that Chavez had faced ``formidable, often violent opposition with dignity and nonviolence''. The legacy of Chavez's life's pursuit--his tireless fight for the basic civil rights of millions of workers--remains one that we must not let slip from the collective consciousness of this body. My home State of Michigan has been celebrating Cesar Chavez Day since 2003, and it is time for the Federal Government to follow our example.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pay tribute to Cesar Chavez on this day, and to commemorate his legacy by supporting H. Res. 76 to honor a true hero of our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Boy Scout Troop 4, which celebrated its 90th anniversary this past Saturday, March 17, 2007.

Troop 4 was formed on March 17, 1917 at the Methodist Episcopal Church, now known as First United Methodist Church, in Ann Arbor, MI. This first group of scouts consisted of nine scouts, three Assistant Scout Masters and was led briefly by the direction of Scoutmaster Don Perkins, who was called in to service with U.S. involvement in WWI shortly after Troop 4's founding, and leadership of the troop then passed to Edward F. Metz. Starting with this small group, Troop 4 would go on to include over 1,700 members in its history, including 111 scouts to date, who have gone on to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. This 6.5 percent rate of Eagle Scout rank achievement is three times the national average.

Troop 4 serves as a wonderful testimonial to the leadership of the Ann Arbor community. This troop has shown tremendous community involvement in the Ann Arbor area and throughout the state of Michigan. These efforts have not been overlooked, as Troop 4 has been awarded several ``Take Pride in America'' awards; multiple ``Keep Michigan Beautiful'' awards; and was named one of President George H.W. Bush's ``1000 Points of Light,'' for its record of volunteer community service.

Community service has long played a critical role in Troop 4's activities. As part of its community service, Troop 4 makes a monthly visit to Glacier Hills Nursing Home during the school year and Chelsea United Methodist Nursing Home during the summer. During these visits troop members play bingo and visit with residents. Each year Troop 4 participates in the ``Scouting for Food'' program that collects food that is then donated to local food banks. Troop 4 is a community troop with its members coming from all over the Ann Arbor area and from all religious and ethnic backgrounds; a troop where new scouts are always welcome.

Troop 4, ``The Lighthouse Troop,'' is known throughout Michigan for its volunteer activities in the restoration of the St. Helena Island Lighthouse. For over 19 years Troop 4 members have traveled each summer to St. Helena Island where they spend a week restoring the lighthouse while camping on the island. In 2006, Grand Rapids television channel 14 highlighted their St. Helena Island service in a documentary entitled ``Great Lakes Treasures.'' In 1991 a documentary titled ``Keepers of the Light'' displayed the troop's efforts to restore the lighthouse and was shown on PBS stations in Michigan. The History Channel has also broadcast their story nationally. Additionally, ``Scouting'' and ``Boy's Life'' magazines among others have also featured the troop's efforts at the lighthouse.

I grew up a Boy Scout, became a Scoutmaster, and watched proudly as both my sons became Scouts. The Boy Scouts are an American institution and one of America's most patriotic organizations; they are a shining example to the world of what is good about America. I am proud to pay tribute to Troop 4 for their service, dedication and commitment to the Ann Arbor community and the state of Michigan.

Madam Speaker, we are here because we need to provide affordable healthcare options for children. There are 9 million children uninsured in the United States today. There is no excuse for a country that is spending $1.9 trillion on health care to have even one uninsured child, especially when it costs a mere $3.50 a day to cover a child.

Who are these children? Nearly two-thirds are low income children and more than half are children in working families. Moreover, over half are minorities. But most importantly, these are children that are significantly less likely to make it to a doctor when they have an acute earache or even recurrent asthma and even die.

I am introducing the Children's Health First Act with Representatives Diana DeGette, Frank Pallone, Henry Waxman, and others, to provide every child in this country access to affordable health insurance. Senator Clinton is introducing the companion bill in the Senate as well.

This bill builds on successful public programs such as the State Children's Health Insurance Program by offering States financial support to expand coverage to working families making approximately $70,000 a year.

This bill allows employers and families to access good health insurance by buying into an affordable insurance pool. And the bill even goes further by allowing States to help employers retain coverage they already have through a 50-percent subsidy of the cost the States are spending on coverage for a child.

This bill provides States with new tools to help them find and enroll qualified children and ensure benefits and services are available once the children are enrolled. The tools include things such as allowing States to enroll children in schools and hospitals in public programs, allowing States to simplify their applications and renewal forms, and allowing children to enroll in coverage for a full year, as in most private plans.

The bill also makes numerous other improvements to Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This bill allows States to expand coverage to legal immigrants, young adults up to age 25, and offers incentives for States to cover pregnant women.

Health care is every person's problem. It costs our country to have parents staying home to care for sick children, for the insured to pay higher premiums, for hospitals to provide uncompensated care, and for us to have a unhealthy younger generation.

We cannot continue to ignore a problem as large as 46 million uninsured people and certainly not the 9 million vulnerable uninsured children. To cover all children, it will cost us a fraction of what it cost to provide prescription drugs to seniors. I think it is time we agreed to make that investment for our future.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to voice my pleasure and support of the passage of H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act. I would also like to pay tribute to Chairman Oberstar for his efforts in reauthorizing this program for the first time in 13 years. Chairman Oberstar is a dear friend of mine and he has been one of my greatest partners in our efforts to clean the Nation's waters.

Under President Bush's proposed fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget, the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund is facing a $16 million cut. H.R. 720, of which I am a proud cosponsor, would authorize $14 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund over the next 4 years, providing communities with the financial means to construct municipal wastewater treatment plants. In recent years, Michigan has seen over 1,000 separate sewer overflows, totaling over 20 billion gallons of spilled sewage. Funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Load Fund is crucial to preventing further such disasters in Michigan.

Since Congress passed the Clean Water Act, the Federal government has provided more than $82 billion for wastewater assistance which led to tremendous improvements in our wastewater infrastructure. However, this infrastructure is starting to deteriorate, leading to sewage and untreated waste flowing into our rivers and lakes and leaking onto our roads and even into our basements. It has been estimated by the EPA that each year, overflows from sewer systems discharge about 850 billion gallons of wastewater and storm water containing untreated waste, toxic debris, and other pollutants into the environment.

The Republican leadership allowed the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to expire in 1994 and has failed to reauthorize it because of their objection to the Davis-Bacon prevailing wage law. Furthermore, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have cut funding by 34 percent. Unfortunately the Republican-controlled Congress has not been our only barrier; the Bush Administration has also repeatedly tried to obstruct clean water programs. In fact this week the White House issued a Statement of Administration policy conveying the President's opposition to H.R. 569 and H.R. 700, describing the bills as ``excessive'' and ``unrealistic in the current fiscal environment'' respectively. We have watched these setbacks to our clean water programs for far too long. I urge the Senate to pass these bills and show this Administration that the Congress will not let our waters be neglected any longer.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague Joe Barton, Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, in requesting the resources necessary to ensure the effective operations of this Committee over the next 2 years.

The budget we have submitted reflects the significant increase in workload for the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as the need to attract skilled staff members and provide our personnel with the tools required to perform their jobs. The requested sums are not merely desirable. They are necessary. The Committee has wide jurisdiction and each of its 6 subcommittees has a lengthy ``to do'' list.

One of our top priorities is developing a substantive, balanced, thorough record on climate change. Our comprehensive examination of climate change is already underway. To date, we have conducted 5 hearings on this issue and we expect to conduct 6 more this month. I am pleased to report that a variety of industry leaders and issue experts, including Vice President Gore, who will testify before the Committee on March 21, will continue to provide their insights to the Committee. We are confident that this focus on climate change will produce thoughtful, fair legislation.

Other priorities include addressing issues in energy policy, health care, consumer protection and privacy, environmental programs, telecommunications, and a host of other legislative matters. We are also committed to fulfilling our oversight responsibilities. Already, the Committee has launched inquiries into nuclear security issues, food and drug safety, and the health care situation in New Orleans post- Katrina.

Since the 110th Congress convened in January, we have moved forward quickly on an exceedingly ambitious agenda that covers a wide range of topics of concern to Americans. To date, the Committee has held 19 hearings, in addition to its role in the ``First 100 Hours''--during which this Committee contributed significantly to the Stem Cell Research bill, the prescription drug negotiation legislation, and the implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations. In this month alone, the Committee has planned 28 hearings and 6 markups and meetings. We expect a combined total of 42 hearings and meetings before we reach the Spring District Work Period.

In light of this very heavy workload and considering the pressing importance of the issues facing the Committee, I ask that you fund our request for the 110th Congress and thank you for your support.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 584, legislation to designate the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC, after our 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johnson.

An elementary school teacher himself, President Johnson had a deep appreciation for the importance of education. In his ``Great Society'' speech at the University of Michigan in 1964, President Johnson stated:

We must seek an educational system which grows in

excellence as it grows in size. This means better training

for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their

hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means

exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to

stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation.

President Johnson's statement rings true to this day. Now is an especially important time to revisit his vision. As the global marketplace becomes more competitive, it is becoming clear that education is the vehicle that will drive U.S. global leadership into the future. It is therefore vital that we renew our commitment to Federal education programs.

Some of President Johnson's largest education initiatives were passed in 1965, including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act--ESEA-- and the Higher Education Act HEA. ESEA provided the first program ever adopted by Congress to provide Federal support for public schools, and HEA provided the first-ever Federal financial aid programs to help students afford college. In addition, 1965 saw the passage of legislation to create the National Head Start program and the National Endowments for Arts and Humanities.

For over 40 years, President Johnson's education initiatives have helped millions of children across the country achieve the American dream. It is only fitting that the Federal Department of Education building be named after a man who was a pioneer in his endeavors to promote Federal investment in education.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have said strongly why this is a good piece of legislation and why it should be enacted. I strongly support it, and I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 710, the Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act. I am delighted that the Commerce Committee could report this good piece of legislation to the House floor, and I am pleased by the consequences of it because we will achieve more help to those in need of organ donation, something which is of great importance to the country and to those who are in such grave and serious need.

Charlie Norwood wanted this bill very badly. It is a good bill. We are delighted that we could bring to the House floor a good bill which not only does good but which honors its author, Charlie Norwood, by carrying forward his goals, his purposes, and his intentions with regard to helping his fellow Americans. I am delighted we can do this for Charlie Norwood who was a valuable member of the committee and who will indeed be missed by his colleagues in Congress on both sides of the aisle.

I have a longer statement which will appear in the Record which I believe sets forth some of the things already said by my colleagues. I thank my good friend, the manager of the bill on this side, and the former chairman of the committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), my dear friend, for their leadership on this matter.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 710, the ``Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.''

Representative Charlie Norwood was a dear friend and colleague of mine. Beginning in 1995, Charlie served the people of the tenth district of Georgia admirably and honorably in the House of Representatives. Sadly, Charlie lost his long battle with cancer on February 13, 2007, but he shall not be forgotten and we will pass this legislation in his honor.

H.R. 710 would modify the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) to clarify that ``paired'' kidney donations do not violate a clause of the act regarding ``valuable consideration,'' which outlaws the buying or selling of kidneys and other organs.

A ``paired'' donation occurs when a donor who is willing to give a kidney to a family member or friend, but is biologically incompatible, donates to another patient, who also has an incompatible donor. By cross-matching two

or more incompatible donor-recipient pairs, more patients can receive kidneys and more donors can give them.

Currently, an estimated 6,000 individuals nationwide have offered kidneys to family members and friends, only to have the donation rejected because they are incompatible. Many providers will not perform paired donations, however, for fear of violating NOTA. If paired donations were allowed, a study published in the Journal of Transplantation by Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology predicts that there would be a 14 percent increase in the number of live kidney donor transplants performed each year.

The controversy over paired organ donation began with an interpretation by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stating that paired donation MAY be in violation of NOTA's valuable consideration clause. The clause was intended to outlaw the buying or selling of transplantable human organs. This stigma against paired donation elicits concern within some areas of the transplant community, which desperately wants clear legislative guidance on this issue.

This legislation is supported by leading organ donation and organ transplant organizations such as the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Transplantation, the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, the Organization for Transplant Professionals, and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS).

Paired transplantation is a way to solve the dilemma faced by people who want to become living organ donors for a family member or friend, but are unable to do so because they are biologically incompatible. And one of the added benefits of this bill is that it produces savings. Since Dr. Norwood was dedicated to making sure that physicians were treated right and paid properly, we will be using this savings to do just that.

I would like to sincerely thank Representatives Norwood and Inslee for their leadership, dedication, and diligent work on this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in strong support of H.R. 710, the ``Charlie W. Norwood Living Organ Donation Act.''

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act.

In the words of President John F. Kennedy, ``The American labor movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It is, and has been, good for all America. Those who would destroy or further limit the rights of organized labor--those who cripple collective bargaining or prevent organization of the unorganized--do a disservice to the cause of democracy.''

Like my dad, I have always supported working families and am happy to see this bill on the floor today.

For the past few years, workers in this country have been under relentless attack by those who seek to abolish their fundamental right to organize.

Simply put, the legislation we are debating today will provide that a majority of workers is sufficient for the formal recognition of a union.

Quite frankly, I don't see what the controversy is all about. If the majority of employees want to be represented by a union, they should have the right to do so. Labor unions stand for decent wages and benefits and safe working conditions. They fight against poverty and unemployment, and for equal justice and human rights.

Unions represent the basic right to a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. They provide a voice for individual workers to express their concerns without fear of retribution. Unions understand that raising the bar for workers helps raise the bar for all Americans. We are all much better off today because of the efforts of unions over the years.

I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation and to be here today to vote for it. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in standing up for the rights of hardworking Americans by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.

Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Energy and Commerce supports the consideration of H.R. 556 by the House today. This bill adopts a number of needed reforms to the process by which the Federal government reviews foreign investments in the United States for their national security implications. The free and fair flow of capital and trade is an important goal. At the same time, we face new challenges in a complex global economy where countries increasingly have clear national strategies on how to compete in order to increase national power and their standard of living.

In 1987, the leadership of the Congress was troubled by our nation's rising trade deficit, and decided to craft an omnibus trade bill. Congress passed the Omnibus Trade Act in 1988. The so-called Exon- Florio amendment to the Defense Production Act, written by the Senate and House Commerce Committees on which Senator Exon and Congressman Florio served, authorized the President to suspend or prohibit foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies in instances where the foreign acquisition poses a threat to national security. The President delegated this authority to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

The 1988 Act's Conference Agreement made absolutely clear that the term ``national security'' was meant to be broadly interpreted. H.R. 556 continues in this vein by including ``a security-related impact on critical infrastructure'' and ``whether the covered transaction is foreign-government controlled'' as additional factors required to be considered. The Report filed by the Committee on Financial Services notes that: ``The Committee expects that CFIUS will consider all aspects of a covered transaction to determine if the investment threatens to impair national security.'' I wholeheartedly agree. The Report also makes clear that national security encompasses critical energy-related infrastructure issues. The Energy and Commerce Committee appreciates this emphasis on matters within our jurisdiction and of critical concern to the security of the nation.

I also note that, under this legislation, the membership of CFIUS includes the Secretaries of Commerce and Energy, the Secretary of Commerce is a vice chair of CFIUS, the Chairman and Vice Chairmen must approve all covered transactions and must certify that foreign government transactions pose no threat to national security, CFIUS's annual report will also be directed to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Department of Commerce must be consulted on the study of foreign investment in critical infrastructure and industries affecting national security. I support these changes. I further note that the Committee on Financial Services has agreed to a request from Energy and Commerce to require Inspector General reports as an important oversight and accountability check on the operations of CFIUS. This agreement is contained in an exchange of letters to be inserted in the Record.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I look forward to working with the Committees on Financial Services and on Foreign Affairs to bring a good law to the President's desk.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Willor Brown of Ypsilanti, Michigan. This April, Mr. Brown along with the other members of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, will be honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. This great recognition comes after the Tuskegee Airmen overcame discrimination, prejudice and institutional segregation bring about the full integration of the Armed Forces.

During World War II Mr. Brown served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. As a fighter pilot, his mission was to ensure the safety of American bombers as they came back to base from missions over Germany and Italy. Mr. Brown and the other members of the Tuskegee Airmen performed this job with both bravery and great success, as evidence by the fact that not a single bomber was lost to enemy fire during the Tuskegee Airmen's service. This service was even more remarkable given that fact that they continually faced the humiliation of segregation, even as they excelled beyond the expectations of any unit.

After seeing an article about aviation at Tuskegee, Alabama, Mr. Brown used his skill in math to pass the Army's program tests. He arrived in Alabama in December 1942, in time to have the great honor of meeting Tuskegee University's founder George Washington Carver. Mr. Brown studied at Tuskegee for nearly a year before he had the opportunity to serve overseas in Europe.

Although Willor Brown and the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen served our Nation bravely in combat during World War II, they also helped to bring about the necessary integration of our Armed Forces. The Tuskegee Airmen wore our Nation's uniform without the honor given to other service members. However, with tremendous success, remarkable service and amazing accomplishments, the Tuskegee Airmen shattered the notions of inferiority and opened up the opportunities the following generations of minority service members have had access to. The social injustice and setbacks they faced at home could not stop the Airmen from fulfilling their mission and their service abroad changed the perceptions of their place at home.

The Congressional Gold Medal is a great honor; Mr. Brown along with the other members of the Tuskegee Airmen have certainly earned this distinction. I honor Willor Brown for his bravery in battle; his determination to succeed even with great barriers before him; and for the example he has set not just for African American or minority members, but for all of the men and women who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. I join with a grateful Nation to thank Mr. Brown for his service to this country.

Mr. Speaker, I wish I could rise in support for the administration's policy. I wish it made sense. I wish it was in the best interests of this country to support that policy.

It has been now 4 years since the first American soldier entered the deserts of Iraq, and about 4 years since the President has declared victory. Since then, more than 3,100 Americans have been killed, 24,000 and more have been wounded, and anywhere between 40,000 and 100,000 Iraqis have died.

You know, I am proud and grateful that I could have the privilege of serving my country and making some small offering to its success in time of war. I understand how important it is we support our troops there. They have done a magnificent job, and everyone in this Chamber, including this speaker, support them fully. It is regrettable, however, the leadership in Washington that has been less than stellar.

Unfortunately, the veracity of this administration and the respect in which it is held on these matters ranks somewhere around that great fantasist Baron Munchausen, the teller of fantastic tales.

I am against this plan, if it can be called such, because it is just more of the same policies and programs that have consistently failed for 4 years. I am against this surge because it will not make Americans safer, because it will put more American lives at risk, because it continues to neglect the battle in Afghanistan, and because it completely disregards the necessary diplomatic and political recommendations of the Iraqi Study Group.

Twenty-one thousand is too many to kill and too few to succeed. And, more importantly, that number is going to be sent over there away from the adventures that we are confronting in Afghanistan and the troubles that we are seeing in that place, and we are going to send people over there without adequate preparation, proper equipment, and training.

Vice President Cheney has told us that insurgency is in the last throes. Mr. Speaker, the national Intelligence estimates said that fanatical terrorism has now, and I quote, ``metastasized and spread across the globe.''

At each possible turning point, the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue, the dissolving of the Army, the creation of the Iraqi Constitution, the vote for the constitution, the Parliamentary elections, the capture of Saddam, the death of Zarqawi, the Bush administration has told us that victory is at hand. And yet the killing goes on and seems to have risen to new levels and new evidence of risk.

I don't believe that we can any more condone this long train of failure which has brought us so little success and such tremendous sacrifice in blooded treasure. It is time that we recognize that our troops are in the middle of a civil insurrection or a civil war. It is time that we recognize that we must turn this situation now over to the Iraqis. The matter will be decided by the Iraqis, not by us. It will not be decided militarily, but rather politically, by the people in the area, and not by Americans who are coming increasingly to be viewed as intruders and to be less liked and less supported.

I know that commentators and defenders of the administration will assert that Iraq is too important, too vital to our national interests to be debated or criticized. I happen to think the debate in this body on matters of great importance is the reason that we exist, and it is time that we speak on behalf of the American people to tell this administration: ``Find a new mechanism to prevail in this matter. Find a new way to spend our lives and treasure. Find a new way to see to it that we prevail and that we make this country safe,'' because it is clear that this is not going to happen with the current policy as exemplified by this administration.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I hope that the country will see to it that the President finally hears the message that his policies are failed, it is time to make changes, and that we have to do so in the interest of the United States and world peace

Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Energy and Commerce is pleased to bring to the floor H. Res. 94, supporting the goals and ideals of National Consumer Protection Week. We commend Representatives Hinojosa and Biggert for authoring the resolution.

Under Rule X, the Committee on Energy and Commerce is the authorizing Committee for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC, which administers over 40 Federal statutes under our purview, is the lead Federal consumer protection agency. The FTC also administers a handful of financial consumer protection laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. This has been and remains an effective model.

The Committee that I am honored to lead has a long and proud tradition of consumer protection. It has mandated and overseen major initiatives to rid the markets of unsafe, and in some cases deadly, children's toys and other products.

It has taken legislative action to establish the national Do Not Call List, a giant step forward in lessening annoying telemarketing calls to consumer homes. It also has responsibility for the CAN-SPAM law aimed at curbing the volume of junk e-mail polluting and slowing down Internet commerce.

It is the lead Committee on privacy. Two of our Members, Ranking Member Joe Barton and Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet Chairman Ed Markey, are co-founders of the Privacy Caucus. Together, we wrote the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that protects the most intimate details of American lives. We have begun bipartisan discussions with the Committee on Ways and Means for the design and operation of privacy and security protections for groundbreaking health information technology legislation that we hope to have enacted in this Congress. We authored the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act that protect financial information.

Later this week, we will be reintroducing four major privacy bills-- legislation regarding spyware, pretexting, data security, and Social Security number protection--that were reported unanimously by the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the 109th Congress (and in the case of spyware, passed the House). We intend to resolve jurisdictional issues with other Committees where they exist. We will also continue to work with consumer groups, technology experts, and industry groups to enact protections that are the most effective possible for both consumers and businesses.

We work hard to live the goals of National Consumer Protection Week. All too often the marketplace takes on the Darwinian tone of ``survival of the fittest'' with John Q. Public trampled in the process. It is fitting that we reflect on our responsibility to ensure transparency and fair treatment in the marketplace for the people who elect us. We salute the FTC, the Better Business Bureau, and consumer groups for their hard work all year-round on behalf of the American consumer. The Committee on Energy and Commerce intends to continue to live up to its reputation for fair and balanced laws and vigorous oversight on consumer protection issues. In the words of the Beatitudes: ``Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for what is right for they shall be satisfied.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and to show my support for its goals and ideals.

Domestically, the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States continues to have a disproportionate impact on African Americans in terms of illness, survival times, and deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death for African Americans.

Each year, the 7th of February marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a national community-wide effort to build capacity and increase awareness of HIV prevention, testing, education, treatment, and support among African Americans, who are at greater risk of HIV/ AIDS infection. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day reminds us of the uneven effect of HIV/AIDS on African Americans and provides us with an opportunity to renew our commitment to the promise of finding a cure.

We must do more than just bring attention to this epidemic. We must also remain vigilantly committed to prevention programs and to finding a cure for HIV/AIDS.

I invite people throughout the Nation to learn more about HIV/AIDS. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following for the Record for