Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am saddened to report that the ancient Christian heritage in Turkey is being threatened with extinction.

When a government compromises the right of its citizens to peaceably assemble, the right of expression, and the right of independent thought, the people of such a country are not fully free. When a government takes the property of citizens without just compensation and due process of law, the people of that country are not free. And when a

government discriminates against citizens on account of their religion and ethnic origins, again, freedom is denied.

While Turkey has taken some positive steps in recent times, freedom is not a matter of half measures. Our NATO ally must unequivocally and zealously defend the individual liberties of all its citizens.

I support passage of House Resolution 306 to urge the Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated church properties.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Dr. David Haltiwanger for his tireless efforts on behalf of the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In his work as a clinician, administrator, teacher and advocate, Dr. Haltiwanger has demonstrated a deep well of compassion, a vision for true inclusiveness and a commitment to using his voice and organizing the voices of others to improve the lives of those in Baltimore, in Maryland, and across the United States.

Dr. Haltiwanger has been involved in the fight against AIDS from the very beginning, first as support to friends and later as a therapist, clinical supervisor and administrator overseeing a range of mental health, substance abuse, health promotion and case management services at Chase Brexton Health Services, Maryland's largest community-based provider of healthcare services to people living with HIV/AIDS. At Chase Brexton, he served as Mental Health Director and later as Director of Clinical Programs and Public Policy. Even as his other responsibilities increased, Dr. Haltiwanger continued to see patients, giving him keen insight into the challenges on the ground and enabling him to be an especially effective advocate in Annapolis and here on Capitol Hill, where he has been a valuable resource to members and staff alike.

Dr. Haltiwanger has channeled his expertise and commitment into the work of two very important national organizations. He served for six years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition, a leading national voice for the treatment and care needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and also as a Board Member and Co-Chair of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, which is committed to improving the health and well-being of LGBT individuals through federal advocacy focused on research, policy, education, and training.

In his work as an advocate, Dr. Haltiwanger has been especially committed to educating others in his community about the importance of participating in public policy issues and mentoring them in those efforts. Throughout his career, Dr. Haltiwanger has made an enormous impact on Baltimore and has changed the lives of countless individuals and families in the State of Maryland and beyond. As he retires from Chase Brexton, I would like to thank him for his many years of service and his visionary leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to commend the Patuxent Research Refuge on the occasion of their 75th Anniversary. Sited on almost 13,000 acres of green space, Patuxent is the largest contiguous block of forest land in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor. Some have referred to it as the ``green lungs'' of the region.

Established in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Patuxent is the Nation's only national wildlife refuge created to support wildlife research. Patuxent includes the National Wildlife Visitor's Center which is one of the largest science and environmental education centers operated by the Department of Interior. Many of my constituents appreciate and value the Visitor Center's interactive exhibits which focus on global environmental issues, migratory bird studies, habitats and endangered species. Many visitors also can enjoy the hiking trails, tram tours, seasonal fishing programs, wildlife management demonstration areas and the outdoor education sites for local schools.

In addition to the Visitor's Center, Patuxent is home to the Wildlife Research Center which conducts research on a diverse range of wildlife and conservation issues. The exemplary research by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has helped develop important management techniques for conserving and protecting our Nation's wildlife and habitat. Research at the Center has led to efforts to restore the whooping crane population from near extinction to providing the scientific research that ultimately led the ban of the pesticide DDT in 1972. Currently, the Center has over 100 scientific research projects ranging from the impact of rising sea levels to Chesapeake Bay black duck populations to nocturnal bird migrations through the Central Appalachians.

Patuxent continues to be at the forefront of conserving our precious natural resources and maintaining an ecosystem that will continue to be robust and vibrant for generations to come. It provides a place for hikers, fisherman and hunters to enjoy green space in the Baltimore- Washington Corridor. I am proud that the 3rd Congressional District is home to the Patuxent Research Refuge, and hope they can continue to serve as an archetype for future environmental research facilities. I hope my fellow Members will join me in congratulating them on their 75th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, to those who question the United States' expression of solidarity with Israel in the face of the recent Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition, the answer is that it is in America's interest to stand strong with its friend and ally.

There is a chorus of political interests arguing that U.N. recognition is precisely the game-changing move needed to push forward stalled Mid-East talks. But completely up-ending the long agreed-upon structure of direct negotiations would defeat all interests. For those Palestinians who desire peace, it would unfairly heighten expectations that the United Nations offers some new path to an independent state with defined territorial borders. Most alarmingly, U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood would encourage Israel's traditional foes, as well as emerging new ones, to abandon their grudging acceptance of the direct negotiation paradigm in favor of a coordinated assault on Israel's interests and security. That, in turn, will put America's interests at risk.

U.S. support for Israel has never been more important than it is now. The winds of the Arab Spring blowing from Tunisia to Syria are dramatically altering the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wider region. Our ally's familiar antagonists are seizing on the region's new populism to stir up anti-Israel sentiment. In recent days, Israeli diplomats had to be rescued (with U.S. help) from their embassy in Cairo when angry protesters breached the grounds. Iran is as bellicose as ever and its potential to pose an existential threat to Israel cannot be underestimated.

It is expected that countries like Iran would seek to hijack the sentiment of the Arab

Spring, but who would have predicted that NATO member Turkey, a country that long enjoyed a strong military and economic relationship with Israel, would turn against its erstwhile ally with such ferocity? Turkish hostility towards Israel goes well beyond the purported settling of a score over the Gaza Flotilla incident. It appears calculated to establish Turkey's strategic dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean by putting pressure on the Israeli-American alliance. One important way for the United States to discourage this kind of adventurism in the region is to continue to affirm its unbreakable bond with the State of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the dedication of the Jewish

Chaplains Memorial and to pay tribute to the Jewish chaplains who lost their lives while serving our country.

For 149 years, chaplains have been a source of spiritual and emotional support for the men and women of our armed forces. In the most trying of circumstances, chaplains risk their lives to provide comfort and healing to our nation's soldiers.

More than 250 chaplains of all religions have died while on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. Three memorials on Chaplains Hill at Arlington National Cemetery honor the Protestant, Catholic, and World War I chaplains killed in the line of duty. The recognition of the brave Jewish chaplains who dedicated their lives to our nation is long overdue.

I was proud to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 12, a resolution to authorize a new memorial at Chaplains Hill to honor the Jewish chaplains who died while on active duty. On the evening of February 2, 1943, four chaplains gave their lives to ensure the safety of soldiers aboard the USAT Dorchester, under attack by a German torpedo. Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, a lieutenant in the United States Army, two Protestant pastors and a Catholic priest drowned after giving up their own life jackets to save others. Despite his courage and selflessness on that night, Rabbi Goode is the only one out of the four who is not recognized on Chaplains Hill. After 68 years, Rabbi Goode, and his fellow Jewish chaplains killed in wartime services since World War II, will finally receive the recognition and honor they deserve.

I commend the work of Ken Kraetzer, the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, and the Jewish Federations of North America for making the Jewish Chaplains Memorial possible. I am proud that the U.S. Naval Academy's Levy Chapel, which is in my district, was chosen as one of the sites to display the memorial prior to its dedication at Arlington National Cemetery. Through this joint effort, our country will honor the sacrifices of Jewish chaplains for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, the recent Palestinian bid for U.N. recognition effectively abandons direct negotiations as the structure for pursuing peace in the Middle East. To those who question the United States' solidarity with Israel in the face of this bid, the answer is that it is in America's interest to stand strong with its friend and ally.

The Arab Spring is dramatically altering the dynamics of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and the wider region. Familiar antagonists are seizing on a new populism to stir up anti-Israel sentiment.

It's no surprise that countries like Iran would seek to hijack the sentiment of the Arab Spring, but who would have predicted that NATO member Turkey would turn against its former ally, Israel, with such ferocity? Among other things, Turkey's behavior appears calculated to establish strategic dominance of the eastern Mediterranean by putting pressure on the Israeli-American alliance.

One critical way for the United States to discourage this kind of adventurism in the region is to continue to affirm its unbreakable bond with the State of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Adam G. Riess, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding contributions to the field of physics. Dr. Riess is a constituent of mine living in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Nobel Prize is awarded each year to recipients for outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. These prestigious awards, which were established through the generosity and vision of Albert Nobel, are reserved for the most important discoveries and inventions.

Dr. Riess, who is a professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University and a senior staff member at the Space Telescope Science Institute, shares the 2011 physics award with two other scientists for their combined discovery that the universe is expanding at an accelerated rate--a concept that Albert Einstein first introduced but could never fully explain or prove. This discovery was made through extensive years of studying the explosions of supernova stars.

Johns Hopkins University is a Maryland institution second to none in the world and Dr. Riess is the fourth member of the faculty to receive the Nobel Prize. Hopkins, the affiliated Applied Physics Lab, the National Institutes of Health, and other premier scientific institutions in our state showcase the best of public-private partnerships and have produced innovations that change the world and power our local economy. Dr. Riess' discoveries, and the many breakthroughs and innovations that are accomplished in partnership with the federal government, underscore the importance of federal funding for scientific research. Dr. Riess indicated that the Hubble Space Telescope, in particular, was critical to his research.

I applaud Dr. Riess' outstanding achievement as it reflects many years of study and hard work and a deep commitment to scientific innovation. Congratulations to Dr. Riess and his colleagues for their groundbreaking work in the field of physics and for their extraordinary contributions to science.

Mr. Speaker, in the coming decade, close to 50% of the federal workforce will be eligible to retire, making the development of the next generation of federal workers even more vital. Yet, as federal agencies struggle to recruit and retain the next generation of public servants, we continue to force hiring managers and prospective candidates to navigate an out-dated and bureaucratic hiring process that deters the best and brightest from pursuing careers in public service.

In short, the Federal hiring process is broken. Despite increased pressure from the Administration to improve hiring and recruitment processes:

Many federal agencies still take as long as 200 days from the date of a vacancy to hire--delays that compromise federal recruitment, jeopardize government operations and waste taxpayer dollars.

The hiring process at federal agencies involves as many as 110 discrete steps and more than 45 hand-offs between managers, administrative officers and HR specialists.

In some agencies, hiring managers are required to select from the three highest-rated candidates selected by HR specialists, making it impossible for managers to play a role in recruiting their own staff.

Rather than base initial screening decisions on applicants' resume and cover letter, candidates for federal employment must provide lengthy, essay-style responses about the applicants' knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs).

That is why I have joined Senator Akaka in authoring this common- sense, good government legislation to bring the federal hiring process in-line with private sector best practices by:

Requiring agencies and departments to develop a comprehensive strategic workforce plan focused on hiring, recruitment, skills deficiencies and potential process reforms;

Moving the federal government to a resume- and cover letter-based application system;

Shortening the federal hiring process to an average of 80 days after a vacancy has been posted;

Better integrating hiring managers into all stages of the hiring process and providing them with greater flexibility in final decisions; and

Requiring government wide data collection and reporting on the efficacy of the hiring process.

This legislation has a long, bipartisan history--in 2009, Senators Akaka and Voinovich authored similar legislation in the Senate. In 2010, President Obama recognized the tremendous personnel challenges facing federal agencies and issued Improving the Federal Recruitment and Hiring Process, a Presidential Memorandum on federal hiring reform that includes some of the elements in our legislation. The Senate unanimously passed the Akaka-Voinovich Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act in the previous Congress, only to watch it die in the House.

Enactment of a substantive, bipartisan hiring reform bill is long past due. Our legislation seeks to codify and build upon the Administration's memorandum, while ensuring an unprecedented level of transparency in and oversight of the federal hiring process. The Washington Post called on Congress to pass the Federal Hiring Process Improvement Act in a July 2011 editorial, arguing that ``today's antiquated hiring practices are thwarting a generation of inspired public servants in the making.''

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Senator Akaka for his tremendous leadership on federal hiring and recruitment issues and to thank the Partnership for Public Service for their advocacy in support of hiring reform. Whether it is a firefighter saving lives, an agent protecting our borders, a scientist pioneering new research, or a nurse caring for our veterans, we owe it to taxpayers and the next generation of public servants to build a better hiring process and to ensure that those with the desire to serve our country are able to do so.

[From the Washington Post, July 3, 2011]

The Federal Government Is Still Too Slow To Hire

Less lucrative compensation and benefits aren't the only

factors turning thousands of promising college graduates away

from public service. The hiring process for employment in the

federal government also remains impossibly long, and many

recent alumni just aren't financially equipped to wait it

out.

More than a year ago, President Obama launched what the

administration called a ``comprehensive initiative to address

major, long-standing impediments to recruiting and hiring the

best and the brightest into the federal civilian workforce.''

Mr. Obama directed the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

to institute reforms--dubbed the Pathway Programs--to

streamline hiring for students as well as recent graduates.

As The Post reported then, ``Management Director John Berry

drew a rousing ovation'' when the agency announced it was

replacing

cumberson ``skills essays'' with resume-based applications.

Despite the initiative, many federal agencies still take as

long as 200 days from the date of a vacancy to hire. While

Christine Griffin, deputy director of OPM, told Senate panel

last month that the OPM efforts had ``systemically

overhauled'' the process and made the USAJOBS Web site more

``efficient and user-friendly,'' other experts disagreed. The

dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the

director of the National Association of Schools of Public

Affairs contended that the government continues to drives

away a majority of graduate degree holders.

This failing couldn't come at a worse time: The government

will face its largest wave of employee retirements in the

next five years, and critical posts in fields such as

national security and science will need to be filled.

Luckily, there is a bipartisan answer. The Federal Hiring

Process Improvement Act of 2010, co-sponsored by Sen. Daniel

Akaka (D-Hawaii) and then-Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), was

passed unanimously by the Senate. The bill, intended to build

on the president's directive, requires all agencies to limit

their hiring time to 80 days, inform job candidates of their

statuses in a timely manner, convert to a universal resume

application and craft job descriptions as well as

announcements in plain writing.

The bill failed to pass the House, thanks to lawmakers

leery of affiliating themselves with ``federal hiring''

legislation at a time when government spending is unpopular.

But it makes no sense to punish recent college graduates for

the excessive spending of the past.

Mr. Akaka, who chairs the subcommittee on oversight of

government management and the federal workforce, is lobbying

anew for ratification of his proposed reform.

His measure deserves support. It's time for the federal

government to take the recruiting of human resources as

seriously as successful private and nonprofit organizations

do. Today's antiquated hiring practices are thwarting a

generation of inspired public servants in the making.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Suzanne Kilby Etgen, the 2011 recipient of the Jan Hollmann Environmental Education Award, for her service as an educator and advocate for environmental preservation.

The Jan Hollmann Environmental Education Award was established in 1994 to recognize an individual or organization which demonstrates outstanding effectiveness as an environmental educator. This year, Suzanne Etgen has been recognized for her work as the coordinator of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy. At the Academy, Ms. Etgen teaches members of the community how to preserve and protect watersheds by minimizing the damage caused by water runoff in the area. Addressing issues such as rainscaping, pollution reduction strategies, and community outreach and engagement, Ms. Etgen has worked tirelessly to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its inhabitants.

Getting citizens involved in protecting the rivers and streams that make up the Chesapeake watershed is the key to the future health of the Bay. That is why I introduced the No Child Left Inside Act, which seeks to better incorporate environmental education in the curriculum as a means to teach students about their natural surroundings and spark their interest in science. It is critical that the next generation be armed with the knowledge that Ms. Etgen has dedicated her life to sharing. Throughout her years of work as an environmental advocate, Suzanne Etgen has played a pivotal role in ensuring that our natural environment remains as majestic as ever.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again congratulate Suzanne Kilby Etgen for her dedication to environmental awareness and protection.

Madam Speaker, I want to commend the President for the American Jobs Act. This bill gets squarely behind the program of putting our country back to work and rebuilding the Nation.

As you go around and you talk to people, Americans understand implicitly that we have to rebuild this country and make it strong. That means a lot of things, but, first and foremost, it means investing in our infrastructure, rebuilding our bridges, tunnels, and highways; and this bill would put resources towards that task, investing in human capital, education, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship. This bill would make sure that teachers go back to work so they can teach our young people in the classroom, investing in strong communities.

This bill would support resources for our firefighters, put more police officers out there on the beat. That's investing in communities. We have to rebuild this country. The American Jobs Act does that. Let's pass the American Jobs Act, put this country back to work.

I want to thank the gentleman for assembling us here today to talk about this critical issue of jobs. If you talk to the average American, the issue that they put at the top of the list and, frankly, it is the issue they have had at the top of their list for months now is the issue of jobs and creating jobs to get the economy moving again.

You were just talking about the infrastructure issue. It would be one thing if our infrastructure was in terrific shape, if we were sort of 100 percent repaired right now and everything was new and shiny, and then we had this economic crisis and we were looking around for ways to create good jobs to get ourselves back on our feet and there wasn't these infrastructure projects out there to provide those jobs. But that's not the case.

As you point out, as Congressman Yarmuth just pointed out, you can look out your window and you can see evidence of the crumbling infrastructure across the country. So do we call that fortuitous? I don't know how you would view it, but at a time when we are trying to create jobs in this country, the fact that our infrastructure needs to be rebuilt is a tremendous opportunity for the country.

I commend the President because in his address the other night, he put rebuilding the infrastructure front and center, not again just because it is a job-creation effort, although that is the number one premium that I think people are focused on, but because it

has to be done. The amount of productivity this country is losing because of the waste and inefficiency of having this crumbling infrastructure is mind boggling. So at the same time you are rebuilding a country and creating jobs that way, you are also strengthening the country so that going forward we can be more efficient and we can be more productive.

But I want to extend this notion of rebuilding the country beyond just the physical infrastructure, because I think it also applies to the idea of strengthening our country in terms of human capital. We know we have to invest in human capital. I think some of us are embarrassed when we look at these comparisons with other countries around the world in terms of how our students do in terms of math or science, or other important subject areas where the United States really should be at the forefront, we should be on the cutting edge so we can be competitive, but we're not there.

So what do you do about that? Well, you rebuild the country in terms of investing in human infrastructure, in human capital and making the next generation as competitive and skilled as it can possibly be.

Yesterday, I was in Baltimore. We were celebrating Adult Education and Literacy Week. There are 90 million people, according to the research, there are 90 million Americans who would benefit from literacy, and in particular adult education opportunities. When you are in an economy where things are moving fast, where some opportunities disappear and other ones appear, you need to be able to go back to our community college system and other resources to get your skills ready to meet the new challenge. We ought to be investing in that.

I commend the President because when he came here the other night, not only did he talk about strengthening the physical infrastructure of the country, but he talked about the importance of investing in the human capital of this Nation, and I think every single American out there understands the imperative of rebuilding America. That can be our mantra. And when you rebuild America, you restore the American Dream.

The greatest frustration that people are feeling these days is they say, I worked hard, I played by the rules, but I'm not getting the opportunities to move ahead; and when you rebuild this country, you restore that American Dream. You get us back to where we need to be as a Nation, and that's what the American Jobs Act is intended to do. I think that's the agenda that the Democratic Party here in Congress is putting forward with the President. I am glad to support that. So I thank you for pulling us together today to focus on this very, very important issue of job creation.

Will the gentleman yield?

I just want to echo this idea of investing in manufacturing in this country.

The economists will tell you that a manufacturing job has a greater multiplier effect on the economy than any other kind of job that you can produce. So when you're investing in manufacturing, when you're creating manufacturing jobs, when you're making it possible for Americans to make things in America, you're having the maximum impact possible on the broader economy. So it makes sense to do this.

Congressman Garamendi referred to the repair and investment in our public schools across the country that the President wants to do. Thirty-five thousand public schools would benefit that have projects waiting to move forward. In other words, think about this; this is not a situation where you decide first that you're going to go out and build infrastructure, and then you've got to go first do the design and the plans and everything else.

I worked in Maryland for 8 years with the Baltimore City public school system, which at that time needed about $1.5 billion worth of repairs just to get back to sort of what would be an acceptable standard in terms of the physical plan of the Baltimore city school system. They know what they have to do. Those plans are complete, all the design specs are done, all they need is the resources to make it happen. They can start on those projects tomorrow. Are there workers out there to do it? You bet. There are millions of unemployed construction workers out there and others who are ready to step up and fill that void. So this is something you can do right away. That's the beauty of it. That's the beauty of what has been presented to us.

Thank you again, Congressman Tonko, for pulling us together this afternoon. I just want to make a couple of points.

Echoing what Congressman Larson said, if you look at just what happened over the last couple of weeks in terms of the disaster that hit the Eastern Seaboard, and you can look over the last few months across this country and see those sorts of disastrous effects happening to people, nobody would question that the Federal Government has an important role to play in coming to the assistance of people that are in that dire situation.

Whatever your larger philosophy is about whether government should be large or small and so forth, everyone agrees the government should be on the side of people that are facing such a desperate situation and should act quickly. So if we accept that proposition, we also ought to think about the 14 million people, John, that you referred to, who basically are facing an economic hurricane every single day.

And it is the role, the appropriate role, the necessary role of the Federal Government taking those taxpayer dollars and saying, we're going to turn and help our fellow citizens in need, and we're going to do it quickly, and we're going to do it in a way that not only helps them, but is also good for the broader economy and will put people back to work.

Let me just finish with this last thought. I hope people watch this discussion, and I hope people keep track of who's going to be supportive of the American Jobs Act and who's not because there are going to be people in this Chamber who vote against it and drag their feet. And the reason I want people to pay attention is because people are getting cynical out there. And I hope that it will cure some of their cynicism to see that there are folks, yes, here in Washington who are absolutely determined to try to come to the assistance of people that are looking for good job opportunities out there.

So pay attention because there are people here who want to do the right thing, and hopefully that'll stop you from becoming so cynical.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Notre Dame of Maryland University on their new designation as a university.

Notre Dame has been a leader in educating women leaders since its founding on September 9, 1895. Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, this University was the first Catholic college for women to offer a four-year baccalaureate degree. Over the past 116 years, the University has grown to offer both men and women undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. The University has also recently established schools for Arts and Sciences, Education, Nursing and Pharmacy, recognizing the growing need for these professions in the region and across the country. This successful institution not only values education, but also embraces the call for global outreach which was so valued by the founders and is captured in their motto, Veritatem Prosequimur, We Pursue Truth.

Education is critical not only to the success of Maryland, but to this great country. I am proud that Maryland is home to an educational institution such as Notre Dame of Maryland University and I know that this school will continue to prepare students to be critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again congratulate Notre Dame of Maryland University for its educational excellence and wish its continued success for the next 116 years.

I move to strike the last word.

This bill, H.R. 2584, is a terrible bill. It is a terrible bill for our country, and it represents an assault on our environment.

Actually, I was looking through the various assessments about this bill, this Interior and Environment appropriations legislation for 2012, from different advocacy groups out there that are concerned about the environment, that are concerned about clean air and clean water. That's the word they kept using, ``assault.'' This is an assault on clean water. It's an assault on clean air. It's an assault on conservation. It continues the assault that was begun at the beginning of this year with H.R. 1--to completely dismantle our environmental protections.

I confess to you, I just don't understand the motivations of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Do we not breathe the same air? Do we not drink the same water? Do we not traverse the same beautiful terrain across this country? I can't imagine. I can't fathom what the motivation is to engage in this wholesale attack on our environment.

Let's look at that attack.

They are proposing to cut the EPA's budget. This is the agency that is charged with protecting our environment. They are proposing to cut that budget by 18 percent below 2011 levels and by 40 percent below 2010 levels.

I come from the Chesapeake Bay. I grew up fishing for crabs in the Nanticoke River on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. My grandmother lived in Salisbury. That's where we used to go during the summers. This would be devastating for the Chesapeake Bay. It cuts funding to the Chesapeake Bay Program, which is designed to put the Bay on a pollution diet so we can clean up the Chesapeake Bay. This would undermine that. It puts all these policy riders on it. It's loaded up with policy riders. It would prevent the regulation of coal ash as a hazardous waste. We have that issue in my district, regulating coal ash. I want the Environmental Protection Agency to be able to do that work, but this bill would undermine it. So it is an assault on clean water, and that affects the Chesapeake Bay.

Let's look at what else it does.

It's an assault on clean air. This bill, with all of these policy riders, would block standards to cut air pollution from cement kilns, delaying standards for power plants by 6 months, standards that would do--what?--reduce mercury, arsenic and lead in the air. Don't we want to do that? So why would we undermine that effort?

It would exempt oil companies. Now, this is no surprise. That has become a common practice. How many exemptions can we give to the oil and gas industry? Here is another one. It would exempt oil companies from complying with the Clean Air Act in offshore drilling operations. It's an assault on clear air. Do you know what? A study was done by the EPA that said the air quality improvements under the Clean Air Act, if maintained for the period from 1990 to 2020, will result in $2 trillion in savings for this country and will prevent 230,000 deaths. So why would you want to undermine the protections with respect to our clean air?

It's an assault on environmental education, taking funding away from the

National Park Service in terms of needed construction that has to be done. It's an assault on our National Wildlife Refuges. The reduction in funding for our National Wildlife Refuges would result in 140 of them being closed. That's 25 percent of them across the country. It's an assault on conservation, reducing the Land and Water Conservation Fund to a 45-year low of $66 million. That's an 80 percent cut from 2011 levels.

But here is the great shame of it.

The great shame of it is the American people are ready to step up and be stewards of the environment. They want to do that. They want to take ownership in their own backyards, but they can't do it if the Federal Government isn't there as a partner, so I urge the defeat of this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as I do each year on the anniversary of Turkey's unlawful invasion of Cyprus, to again call upon Turkish authorities to end the 37-year military occupation of this island nation. The tragic history of the occupation is well-documented. Sadly, with each passing year, still more indignities are visited upon the Cypriot people.

On Christmas morning, 2010, a large number of Orthodox Christians made their way to the Saint Sinesios Church. During the prayer service, the Turkish occupation authorities barged into the church, drove out the worshipers, and sealed the doors of the building. This was an assault on religious freedom. A few months ago, on May 2, Turkish occupation authorities demolished the 200-year old Chapel of Saint Thekla located in the village of Vokolida. This, too, was an assault on religious freedom. These are among countless examples of the systematic repression and destruction of the Orthodox Christian faith that is carried on by Turkish authorities on the island.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the body that is tasked by this Congress on the state of religious freedom throughout the world in terms of advising us on that situation, reports that gross violations of religious freedom occur in the areas under the control of the Turkish occupation authorities. Turkey's foreign minister, the Honorable Ahmet Davutoglu, has proclaimed that Turkey's foreign policy is rooted in the doctrine of ``zero problems with its neighbors.'' Unfortunately, the fruits of this doctrine appear to be wholly absent in Turkish relations with the Republic of Cyprus.

Under the auspices of the United Nations, Turkey agreed as a confidence building measure in 1979 to withdraw and hand over the uninhabited city of Famagusta to its rightful inhabitants. Despite the annual calls of the United Nations for Turkey and the Turkish occupation authorities to honor this agreement, Famagusta remains a ghost town. The international community continually demands the withdrawal of the overwhelming Turkish military presence on Cyprus. However, the Turkish occupation authorities have not even considered a reduction of military troops.

As a candidate country seeking accession to the European Union, Turkey has been advised to open its air and sea ports to the Republic of Cyprus as a condition for the further negotiation of the accession chapters. Turkey nonetheless refuses to open its ports to Cypriot- flagged vessels. Cyprus will hold the presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2012. Rather than seize the opportunity to put its ``zero problems'' doctrine into effect, Foreign Minister Davutoglu just the other day threatened the European Union that Turkey will freeze relations with that body when the Republic of Cyprus holds its presidency.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the conduct of a country serious about joining the family of democratic nations. The United States, the European Union, and the United Nations all call for a just and lasting settlement that reunifies Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation. After 37 years of broken promises, it is high time that this Chamber demand that Turkey conduct itself in accordance with the standards and values expected of a democracy, a member of NATO, and a candidate country of the European Union.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the No Child Left Inside, NCLI, Act. This legislation, which successfully passed the House of Representatives in 2008, seeks to address some of the most pressing issues of our time: our children's health, education, and future jobs. By creating an environmental education grant program and providing teacher training for environmental education across the curriculum, we can prepare our children for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics jobs that will be the cornerstone of the United States' 21st century economy. Riding the wave of interest across the country that has brought together an NCLI Coalition with over 2,000 organizations representing over 50 million Americans, this legislation is a down payment to grow the next generation of scientists, promote environmental stewardship, and encourage Americans to live healthier lifestyles. In addition, research shows that hands-on, outdoor environmental education has a measurably positive impact not only on student achievement in science, but also in reading, math, and social studies.

Despite these important benefits, environmental education is facing a national crisis. Many schools are being forced to scale back or eliminate environmental education programs. The No Child Left Inside Act seeks to give schools and teachers the resources and flexibility to spark the imagination of our nation's children and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important bill.