Floor Statements

I thank the chairman for yielding.

I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 286, introduced by my colleagues from Texas, and also the co-chairs of the Army Caucus, Mr. Edwards and Mr. Carter.

I would just like to follow on Mr. Carter's remarks about the modesty of the veteran who, upon returning to the Normandy beaches, wondered whether he was worthy after only spending 9 hours there on D-day, whether he deserved to come back there again.

I have spoken to Army veterans who were wounded and needed help but say I don't want to go to the VA and ask for help because maybe there's somebody wounded worse than I was and they need the help more, they need the money more than I need it. That modesty and sense of self- sufficiency is admirable, but something that we on the Veterans Services Committee try to get past and try to convince all veterans that they have earned the assistance that this country should give them.

I am somebody who was turned away on induction day when I went for my physical on Holabird Avenue in Baltimore for various physical reasons; but as fate would have it, I am now chairing the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

We were in the middle of a hearing yesterday on the state of the Veterans Benefits Administration when I had the honor of welcoming General David Huntoon, who is, this July, taking over the position of superintendent at West Point, which is in my district, New York's 19th Congressional District, in the Hudson Valley. He is replacing General Hagenbeck, who has served there for longer than I've been in this Congress.

It is a very proud tradition at the Army's academy. It was founded shortly after the Revolutionary War at the point of the Hudson River called World's End. It's where the Hudson takes a 90-degree bend to the west and then, once again, 90 degrees straight to the north. It is the point where the Revolutionary Army stretched a chain across the river to stop the British fleet from sailing up and influencing the battles that were taking place further north in the Hudson Valley.

To this day, West Point produces our officer corps, including my nephew, who graduated a couple of weeks ago from West Point. The corps is shortly going to be leading troops in battle--some older than they, some younger than they--but the enlisted corps will be looking to our new officers in the Army for leadership.

I was honored to be at a gathering of appointees who I had helped to gain admission. Of course, they had to pass the admissions standards to West Point and to the other service academies as well. I heard a colonel from the admissions office at West Point say that the best thing that they could do as officers in the Army is to listen. They listen to their soldiers whom they lead, and they lead through service.

So, once again, I would like to congratulate and to honor the Army on this 235th birthday. I urge support of the resolution by all of my colleagues, and I offer my hopes and prayers that all of our young officers and enlisted people--and the more senior ones and the more experienced ones as well--will come back home safely.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 277, I was absent due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say: It will not be the U.S. taxpayer who is stuck with the bill for the tragic oil spill that is still spewing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum had $6 billion in profit last quarter alone. That's profit, not earnings. And that's the first place we should be looking to pay for this oil spill. We all know how much money Halliburton socked away, thanks to the last administration. Their deep pockets also need to be tapped to pay for their negligence.

For years, we've heard from the oil industry that offshore drilling is safer than ever, cleaner than ever. Not true. Meanwhile, oil companies like BP spent years making billions while gouging consumers. We in the House are going to make sure that they pay for cleaning up this unprecedented catastrophe. It's time to truly move beyond petroleum into renewable energy and energy efficiency.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today in support of H. Res. 1320, honoring the brave Americans who acted quickly and professionally to keep the attempted bombing in Times Square last Saturday from becoming a tragedy.

The people of New York City, the New York Police and Fire Departments, the New York Bomb Squad, and others worked together to identify the attack, evacuate civilians, and then defuse the device.

In particular, I would like to call attention to the actions of Duane Jackson and Lance Orton, both disabled Vietnam veterans who work as street vendors in Times Square. I have the honor of representing Mr. Jackson, who lives in the town of Buchanan in Westchester County. His and Mr. Orton's quick thinking turned what could have been a tragedy into an example of American heroism. All New Yorkers and Americans owe them a debt of gratitude that there were no grieving families on Saturday night. They served their country once again and showed the remarkable character of the men and women who wear the uniform of this country and continue to serve long after they take that uniform off.

Events like this are calculated to strike fear into our hearts, even when they fail. However, they also serve as a reminder that in this great Nation we are surrounded by everyday heroes like Lance Orton and Duane Jackson.

Madam Speaker, on March 16th, I missed rollcall vote 118 on passage of H. Res. 605. If I were present, I would have voted ``aye'' in support of recognizing the continued campaign to persecute, intimidate, imprison, and torture Falun Gong practitioners in China. I strongly supported this legislation.

The Chinese Government has conducted an official program of persecution and suppression of practitioners of Falun Gong for ten years. I join my colleagues in Congress in expressing sympathy to practitioners of Falun Gong in China, the United States and around the world, and in calling on the Chinese Government to end their campaign of discrimination, intimidation and imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the extreme weather events that have occurred over the last several months. From the massive rains and flooding this week in Tennessee, to the historic tornado in Mississippi, to this spring's flooding in New England and Connecticut and Rhode Island, to the February mudslides in Madeira, to the freak March Hurricane Xynthia that killed 40 people on the coast of France, it is clear that storms are getting more intense and weather patterns are changing, consistent with computer models of climate change.

In Orange County, New York, my farmers have had to cope with so- called 50-year floods that now seem to occur every year. Rivers may truly be the canary in the coal mine of global climate change. What more evidence do we need?

It's time to stop denying that this change is happening and work together to stop the pollution that causes it. In the House we have acted, and now it's time for the Senate to take up and pass an energy and climate bill, which also by the way is a big jobs bill.

Mr. Speaker, we must reform Wall Street and end the risky practices that have caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, their homes, and life savings. The House passed a financial reform bill that will protect consumers and prevent the irresponsible behaviors and practices that caused the financial crisis.

This is the 21st century. It's the government's responsibility to regulate products that are dangerous. To prevent the sale of cars with faulty

brakes, the government regulates the auto industry. To prevent the sale of rancid meat, the FDA regulates meatpackers. To prevent the sale of toys containing lead, we have a Consumer Product Safety Commission. Complex financial products are no different, as this week's hearings have shown, which is why we must have commonsense financial regulations to protect consumers.

H.R. 4173, which we already passed from the House, reforms Wall Street while helping Main Street. I urge the Senate to pass this critical bill.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Andrews for supporting this amendment and offering me the time to rise in support of increasing reporting requirements and Congressional oversight of defense acquisition systems. I thank Chairwoman Slaughter of the Rules Committee for making this amendment in order, and also to Chairman Skelton and Mr. Andrews for bringing H.R. 5013 forward and supporting the amendment. I would also like to thank the staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the Office of Legislative Counsel for helping draft this amendment.

I am pleased that we are addressing this critical issue. Last year when Congress reformed defense weapons procurement, we tackled only about 20 cents of each dollar that this Nation spends on defense contracting. The other 80 percent is on non-weapons system contracts. This amounts to more than $1 billion a day.

Today's bill may seems to address the less glamorous side of defense spending until you remember our men and women in uniform rely every day on contractors to provide them with meals, equipment, and even health care. Increased accountability for these service contracts is critical to the well-being of our soldiers and to ensuring that the taxpayers are not on the hook for wasteful spending.

As the Representative for New York's 19th Congressional District, I am also well aware of importance of this sort of defense spending since I have the honor and privilege of representing the United States military academy at West Point and serving on its board of visitors.

West Point does not develop major weapons systems, but it does develop the Army's next generation of leaders. The cadets at West Point rely on exactly the services and products covered by this bill. They, and all service men and women, deserve to know that they are getting the best.

This amendment would require the DOD to include the performance assessments required by H.R. 5013 in an annual report to Congress, similar to provisions in last year's weapons systems

procurement bill. It also requires that DOD report to Congress when it uncovers a particularly egregious problem.

When I visited Afghanistan last April, I talked to soldiers from all over New York and asked them what they needed, what Congress could do to improve their lives. I expected to hear more about MRAPs or shorter tours of duty. Instead, they told me they wanted more shower facilities with more hot water that works, and faster Internet broadband connections so they could talk with their families. These services which we take for granted provide a slice of home life and comfort to our troops serving in the most difficult of circumstances.

This amendment will help ensure Congress is made aware of defense acquisition systems that are not delivering a useful service to our men and women in uniform, or are wasting taxpayer funds. Prompt knowledge of the worst offenders will help Congress better address these issues. Our soldiers serving overseas and here at home and the cadets at West Point deserve no less. Their safety, comfort and health depend on it, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Once again, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, a critical component of our economic recovery is tax relief for our middle class. I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the AMT Adjustment Act, which eliminates the AMT from the lives of most middle class families and greatly reduces it for the rest.

In places with a high cost of living like New York's Hudson Valley, more and more middle class taxpayers find themselves paying the excessive AMT. We must restore balance to the Tax Code and prevent this millionaire's tax from hitting the middle class for once and for all.

H.R. 5077 increases the amount of income exempt from the AMT and permanently fixes the tax by indexing it to the cost of living. Tax day is bad enough already, and it shouldn't have big surprises to the tune of thousands of dollars our families have to pay.

Congress must stand up for the middle class. I urge support for this bill.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that yesterday the House passed H.R. 4849, the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act. As we continue down the path of economic recovery, it is more important than ever that we focus on providing tax relief to small businesses.

I am especially proud to report that the bill contains a provision I championed: an increase in the small business startup deduction. This provision will allow people to strike out on their own, become their own boss and create jobs. I fought for this provision after meeting with small businesses and local Chambers of Commerce in the Hudson Valley. Thanks to their input, this legislation is stronger and more effective. I am glad to deliver on a tax deduction that local business owners told me that they needed to help strengthen and build their companies.

Passage of H.R. 4849 will make a real difference for the small businesses in the Hudson Valley. I hope the Senate will soon pass this important legislation.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, critics are still screaming at the top of their lungs that this health reform is tyranny, an end to private hospitals and doctors, as we just heard, a government takeover of health care. These attacks are drowning out the truth, and I would like to set the record straight.

Nothing in this law, not even that dreaded Washington bureaucrat, will come between you and your doctor. The law does keep insurance company bureaucrats from denying you care. Secondly, we are actually increasing access to private health insurance. In return for those millions of new customers, however, insurance companies must end abusive practices like dropping you when you get sick.

Finally, since this bill has been passed, not one hospital or doctor's office has been taken over by the government, and I doubt that one will. There is nothing to suggest that that will happen. That is overblown rhetoric, deceptive and wrong. It is time to start telling the truth and stop spreading fear. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and pass the final piece of health reform.

Madam Speaker, I am so proud to have been here this week when we finally answered the call of the American people to reform the health care system. This is not a government takeover. People woke up on Monday to find they still have their doctors, if they have one; and they still have an insurance policy, if they have one. And, in fact, medical stocks went up on the stock market.

Because of our actions here, people with preexisting conditions will be protected from their insurance companies. Seniors will see the cost of their prescription drugs drop. All plans for all Americans will offer free, preventative care. Small businesses will now get tax credits to provide health care to their employees, and 32 million Americans currently uninsured will have access to high-quality, affordable health care.

I have heard the horror stories from my constituents. Many of them have told me that their insurance company refused to pay for treatment that their doctor ordered, or dropped them once they got sick and needed that coverage the most. Their stories inspired me to keep fighting for health reform, and I am proud to say that this body delivered.

I rise today to talk about the Nation's unemployment problem. There are people in my district who are struggling. They want to work; they know how to work. Many of them are highly skilled and have great ideas, but they cannot find a job. It is our job, Madam Speaker, to help them.

In the 19th District of New York last Saturday, I sponsored two job fairs that helped hundreds of people connect with resources and people who can help them. Among them was 65-year-old George Myrnyj of Sparrow Bush. George retired last year from a career in manufacturing, but he still wants and needs to work. He has an idea for packaging do-it- yourself solar panel kits. Last Saturday, he was able to connect with people he thinks can help him.

Madam Speaker, I submit that it is our job to help George find a way to realize his dream and find a job or create one. This is not a time to do nothing. It is our time to lead.

Thank you, Mr. Marshall, and thank you, Mr. Jones, for your kind words of support of my legislation, House Resolution 747. Thank you as well to Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for bringing this legislation through the Armed Services Committee to the House floor.

Madam Speaker, H. Res. 747 recognizes the achievement of the United States Military Academy at West Point for being named Forbes magazine's best college in 2009. Not best military academy, but best college overall. In fact, the headline on the front of that issue of Forbes said, ``Why West Point Beats Harvard.'' And I think it is something that many of us don't realize, that not only is the academy turning out exemplary officers who will serve this country with great creativity and loyalty and imagination and energy, but they are turning out well- rounded students who know about a variety of very important subjects that are taught as well or better at that school as at any public or private university in the country.

I have the honor of representing West Point in the 19th Congressional District of New York, and the 4,400 cadets who make up the student body at the United States Military Academy. I also have the honor, along with my friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Marshall), of serving on the West Point Board of Visitors.

The Forbes rankings were based on evaluations of students, the success of the graduates of the school, and on the average debt incurred by graduates. It is a great tribute to the caliber of the cadets, the faculty, and the administration of West Point to be ranked with and now above the other great institutions of higher learning in this country based on these important criteria.

Graduates of West Point have served their Nation with the highest level of skill, honor, and devotion for more than 200 years. More than 70 West Point grads have received the Medal of Honor for their service to our country. Each of the senior commanding generals in Iraq and Afghanistan are alumni. And 74 West Point graduates have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

West Point's cadets fully embody the academy's motto, ``Duty, Honor, Country.'' West Point is a national treasure and a jewel of the Hudson Valley, where today's heroes and tomorrow's leaders are trained. I am proud of their accomplishments and pleased that they have gotten the recognition that they have earned. I am especially proud of my nephew, who will be one of the graduates of the class of 2010.

I ask my colleagues to join us in supporting H. Res. 747.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House took a major step forward by repealing the antitrust exemption for health insurance companies. For more than 65 years, insurance companies have been able to play by a different set of rules, and the result has been disastrous for my constituents and for families across the country.

Americans deserve choices. They deserve the ability to pick the health plan they want at an affordable price, but because of these health insurance exemptions from antitrust, they were denied that trust. Insurance companies have been shielded from legal liability for price fixing, for sabotaging their competitors in order to drive them out of the market. In most industries, these behaviors would be unacceptable, but for the insurance industry, it's just another play in the book.

I have been a long and strong proponent of repealing this antitrust exemption. I'm thrilled that the House acted in such a bipartisan fashion to do so, and I urge the Senate to quickly pass this legislation so that all of our constituents can have a choice.