Floor Statements

I thank my colleague from Ohio.

I'm here to stand up on behalf of the working men and women of the 26th District of New York, people like the woman at the Buffalo Airport this morning who served me my energy drink as I boarded the flight. She told me she works at the airport because she lost her job of 23 years at a textile factory in downtown Buffalo. First the jobs went south, then they went overseas, jobs gone forever. As I left for my flight she said to me, Keep fighting for our jobs. Don't forget us. Well, I won't forget her. If I thought any of these fair trade agreements would help that woman and help others in my district, I'd be all in favor. But in western New York, we know better. We were promised prosperity with earlier trade agreements, but while the companies became more prosperous, the jobs were sucked away from our community to foreign shores, lost forever.

As they say in the immortal song made famous by The Who, ``we won't get fooled again.'' I encourage my colleagues to oppose these agreements.

Mr. Speaker, I come from a part of this country where my constituents are real down-to-earth people, commonsense people.

We want a good education for our kids, we want Medicare and Social Security for our seniors, and we want the Buffalo Bills to continue their winning streak. But more than anything, we want to get our people back to work--for our kids who thought a college education was the ticket to a good job, for our veterans who stepped out of line to go fight and protect us who now find themselves in the unemployment line, and for middle managers who thought they were set for life until the day the pink slip showed up on their desk and turned their lives upside down.

We all know we have to get this country back to work. We need to pass the American Jobs Act to do just that.

Just 24 hours ago, Democrats and Republicans stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps of this Capitol, united in remembrance of 10 years ago, the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Why can't we stand together again and do what's right for the American people, Democrats and Republicans shoulder to shoulder? If we get the job done here, people out there will get jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

My amendment will very simply help the intelligence community prioritize its funding and ensure that we direct it toward securing our borders from many threats--terrorists as well as drug dealers.

I want to be clear that support for my simple amendment, which is a statement of our priorities, will ensure that our intelligence community cooperates fully to protect our borders against terrorists as well as the scourge of drug dealers. If support for my amendment is passed, we can also vote on the underlying bill immediately following. So my amendment does not harm the bill, and I want to make that very clear.

Last night, as we sat in this Chamber, we all became aware of the continued threat that we all face as intelligence reports were coming out about unspecified threats in New York City and in Washington, perhaps putting us in danger. And while the President so eloquently laid out his comments on how we need to get our country back to work and people off the unemployment lines, I will tell you today there are groups of individuals I'd like to see on the unemployment lines--the terrorists and the drug dealers, who are trying to do harm to this country. My amendment is simply a statement of our priorities.

Just 2 days ago in my district in Upstate New York, we had the largest drug bust come over from Canada in our history. It equated to 9 million doses of cocaine that was going to be spread through our community.

Mr. Speaker, that is intolerable. We have got to do more to secure our borders, and we can work harder with our intelligence community and their resources to secure our borders, and that's exactly what my amendment would do.

It is not just the northern border; we all know what's occurring on the southern border. Military operations are being conducted in our country by Mexican drug cartels even as we speak. We have to do more to protect our borders.

The murder capital of the world is not in some Far Eastern country, Middle East. It is miles away from the U.S. border near El Paso, Texas. I have a real problem with that as an American citizen. We need to do more to protect our borders.

As the President spoke last night, we have to do so much more to get our economy going again. Has anyone ever calculated the true cost to our economy of what the drug problem is doing, this illegal drug trafficking that's coming through our borders, what it's doing to our communities on the southern border and on the northern border?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have got to do much more, and my amendment is simply an opportunity. If you support this, it is a statement of saying the intelligence community will make a

higher priority of protecting our borders from the drug dealers and terrorists and drug dealers who want to do us harm.

I think this is a simple amendment. Again, support for this will not hurt the underlying bill. We can vote on this amendment and immediately support the bill following.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, this summer I heard one message over and over as I visited my district: We need to create a jobs program to get our people back to work.

I was sent to Washington to work with anybody and everybody who's willing to put aside the partisan bickering and get the job done for Americans. Yet we wasted a tremendous amount of time this summer fighting over the debt ceiling and issues that had nothing to do with creating jobs in this country. Starting today, let's get back to work.

I've got to tell you, folks, I was also very offended when I was at an Akron ``Congress on Your Corner,'' when a Marine held up a cap that said ``United States Marine Corps'' on the top and it was made in China. I've got an amazing company right back in my district, New Era Cap, that could have made that.

Let's get people back to work working in America. Make it in America. Let's get the job done.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Yes, I am opposed to this bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, here we are. The eyes of the world are upon us. The eyes of the American people are upon us, but, most importantly, the eyes of the people who put their faith in us in sending us to this institution are certainly upon us.

As we engage in this debate, I will say there is one thing that is clear to me: that everyone in this room loves this great country. America has stood the test of time and risen above disasters as one people.

In the last decade alone, we've been rattled by wars, unprecedented natural disasters, and the longest recession since World War II. As we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11, we are reminded of what we can do when we pull together. We are a resilient people. But, Mr. Speaker, never, never in our history has there been an intentional disaster perpetrated by the very people who are sent here to be the caretakers of this country. That is exactly what will happen if we refuse to take action to prevent default and pay our Nation's bills now, not 6 months down the road.

I understand a spirited debate in defense of one's viewpoints certainly, but when I look down at the copy of the Constitution that I keep on my desk, I thank God that our Founding Fathers found it in their hearts to give and take--and, yes, compromise for what is in the best interests of this country.

I can't go back to the Hillview restaurant on Transit Road in Lancaster and look into the eyes of my early-bird seniors and tell them that we didn't get this job done, that we decided to continue this game of political chicken, to dangle default cruelly over the heads of our citizens and our businesses and our economy and hold it hostage while we, as you've heard so many times, kick this can down the road again.

Mr. Speaker, am I really supposed to tell the Greatest Generation that when they passed us the torch, we dropped it because we couldn't compromise? That is why my amendment is a simple statement of America's priorities. It says, before we cut our education for our children, we first must cut subsidies to Big Oil and corporate jets.

This amendment is one of our last chances to reaffirm the values that bind us as a Nation. I know one of these shared values is our sense of obligation to create a better world for our young people to inherit, that we give these young people a better chance at achieving their dreams than even we had. The next generation will be more prosperous and more secure, but only if we invest in it now, in the human capital whose creativity, innovation, and work ethic can ensure this country remains the world's leader and the beacon of hope to others.

But, Mr. Speaker, I feel this is all at risk. Speaker Boehner's plan results in consequences I can't imagine anyone in this room really wants.

On top of the unconscionable uncertainty and instability we leave our economy in with this temporary fix, we're putting at risk the investments in education that are so critical for our young people to compete with China, India, and Europe on the global stage.

My amendment is about priorities, the priorities of the people we represent. Slashing programs for seniors, young people, and the middle class all because we're afraid of the influence of Big Oil, that is wrong on so many levels.

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My mom started a small business. My father helped grow a business of four people to 3,200. I get it. I know what it takes, and I have tremendous respect for companies that have grown to be that size. And if they have a chance to have a corporate jet, I don't begrudge them; that's great. But in this time when we all agree that our deficit must be reduced, tell me why we can't ask them--Big Oil and people who have corporate jets--to give us a hand

and help this great country that made them what they are today.

You know, little Seaman's Hardware Store in Genesee County run by generations of the Seaman family, how is it that they pay more in taxes than the big companies that are shipping jobs overseas? I can't explain this to the Seaman family. I don't know about you, but I cannot do that.

And you know what, my constituents are hurting in upstate New York. Some of them, at a time of huge corporate profits, can barely afford to fill the gas tank to get to their minimum wage jobs at the dollar store.

There is one value we share, and that's fairness. This bill is fundamentally unfair.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Less than 2 months on this job, I only have one question to ask: Is anyone in this body listening to the people who sent us here? I can only conclude at this point that the answer is ``no,'' or we would not be teetering on the precipice of not just a government shutdown but an intentional economic shutdown, the likes of which we have never seen in this country. And I say ``intentional'' because there are high stakes in this game of chicken.

We all know the game of chicken. You've got a couple of crazy teenagers racing toward each other on a highway, and nobody's going to swerve. What happens when no one blinks, no one swerves, no one comes to their senses? Crash. Lives are lost. No survivors. It's not a pretty sight.

It didn't have to come to this. The American people who voted for us, put their faith in us, they don't want this to happen. They wonder if anyone in Washington is listening, and they're absolutely right in that assessment.

I will tell you, I was at a firemen's parade in the tiny, tiny village of Silver Springs in one of my most rural counties, Wyoming County. There are more Republicans than cows out there; and cows and Democrats, not a lot of people. But I'll tell you, we are all bound by the same feelings.

This frustrated senior at the firemen's parade in Wyoming County said to me, Why can't you guys get your act together? We send you there to do a job, and you guys aren't doing it.

You know, he was right; he was absolutely right, and I took that to heart. I came back here, and I want to do something to restore his faith in us.

He talked about the seniors. He said, We are so scared out here. I need my Social Security. I need my Medicare. Why are you guys talking about hurting us? We paid into these systems all of our lives. We don't deserve this. I said, I'll go back. I'll do the best I can. I'll fight for you.

They have fear, uncertainty, and disgust, all directed at the ineptitude of Washington.

Well, it is wrong. It is plain wrong that we are even considering defaulting on America's obligations. It's doubly wrong that we'd consider defaulting on our obligations to our seniors, promises made 46 years ago this week with the advent of Medicare.

The integrity and willingness to uphold and honor our promises should be the hallmarks of this great institution. And yet what I've witnessed in such a short time is a willingness to renege on our promises to our debtors, our seniors and, ultimately, the American people.

Right now, it's not too late to avoid that highway collision where no one walks away. The American people deserve better than this. Our small businesses deserve better than this. Our middle class families deserve better than this.

I'll tell you, we need to get on with the business of the American people, and do it as soon as possible.

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

Mr. Chairman, I believe my amendment is going to have appeal for both sides of the aisle. I have sat here and listened for some time, particularly on the Republican side, about the need to be cutting our expenses. Well, my amendment does just that.

My amendment actually removes $4.4 million in spending increases and returns those very funds to deficit reduction. Those of us who also believe that the taxpayers should not hand over an additional $4.4 million just to help out the oil and gas industry would also support this amendment.

What my amendment does is remove a $4.4 million increase in funding for oil and gas management. I just cannot stand here and support an additional increase in taxpayer spending at a time when the other parts of this budget are being slashed.

Forgive me today if I don't have a lot of sympathy for Big Oil. Last quarter, Exxon posted $11.4 billion in profits, in one quarter alone, Mr. Chairman. Royal Dutch Shell posted over $6 billion profit in one quarter alone. The additional $4.4 million added to help out the oil and gas companies to cover their permit application processing is literally pocket change for these big companies.

We live in tough economic times, and we all came to Congress to make tough decisions. We need to cut spending. That's why I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support my amendment and cut this spending increase.

My amendment, I assure you, does not address the merits of drilling whatsoever. This is simply an issue of fairness for the taxpayers. In times of government austerity and record profits for oil companies, this amendment is a simple statement that these companies should pay for the administrative expenses associated with processing their applications.

Some people don't have a problem asking our seniors, our families, and our small businesses to pay more during these tough times. Well, I do. I think it is fundamentally unfair to increase spending in their areas while at the same time we are hurting our seniors. Almost every other area of this bill is being slashed, but the one that greases the skids for oil companies to get their approval is being increased over last year's budget. Something is just not right with our national priorities, and I believe that reasonable Democrats and Republicans will agree.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, while we are preoccupied with the weighty issues of the day, we need to take a moment to acknowledge what is good.

Today, I'd like to congratulate a group of exceptionally strong and inspiring women--the United States Women's Soccer Team.

Despite fierce competition, these women overcame insurmountable odds and made it through five rounds of play, doing us all proud.

And what is most exciting to me is that two of the strongest players on that team hail from western New York. Abby Wambach was born and raised in Rochester, and Alex Morgan currently plays for the Western New York Flash.

These two women gave the United States our goals--proving to be tremendous athletes that deserve our recognition.

Thanks to Abby, Alex and their teammates for making western New Yorkers, and all Americans, proud. Through working as a team, they brought us together as a nation.

And I like to note that they worked together as a team, on behalf of America. I think there are some lessons we should take from these inspiring women and I would be very proud to welcome both Abby and Alex to Washington and give them a tour of our Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, while we are preoccupied with the weighty issues of the day, we also need to take a moment to acknowledge what is also good.

Today I'd like to recognize an exceptionally strong and inspiring group of women, the United States women's soccer team. Despite fierce competition, these women overcame insurmountable odds and made it through five rounds of play, doing us all proud.

What is most exciting to me is that two of our strongest players hail from western New York: Abby Wambach, born and raised in Rochester; and Alex Morgan, who currently plays for the Western New York Flash. These two women gave the United States our goals, proving to be tremendous athletes that deserve our recognition. So thanks to Abby and Alex and the entire team for making all western New Yorkers and America proud. And I would like to note that they work together as a team on behalf of America.

I think there are some lessons that we should take from these inspiring women, and I'd be very proud to welcome them to our Capitol and give them a tour of this distinguished body.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I stand here today to ask one simple question: How will the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 reduce the cost of gasoline for consumers?

I think this is a fair question, one that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle should want the answer to.

The price of gasoline is soaring in our country, and across the Nation Americans are paying too much at the pump. The average gasoline right now is $3.63, up over a dollar from a year ago. Diesel, which our struggling farmers have to pay, has gone up a dollar per gallon in the same timeframe.

However, as I've stated on this floor before, the people in my district are paying much more than that. In the past, western New Yorkers have paid some of the highest gas prices in this Nation. Rising fuel prices have hurt our small businesses. They hurt our farms, and they hurt our families at a time when money is far too scarce. And that is why we must know how the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011 will increase oil and gas production, and we need to know that this will decrease the cost of energy for our consumers.

Under this bill, American people are supposed to put their trust in the same oil companies that have consistently betrayed that trust. They tell us we need to drill more, and they tell us they need to get more permits on an expedited basis in order to do so.

Well, I agree. I agree we need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. But I'm asking for the proper oversight. How do we know that the permits we're issuing so oil companies can drill in our waters will result in that production of oil and gas? How do we know they simply won't secure permits and not choose to drill to keep oil and gas off the market, or even worse, just to drive up the price of oil by manipulating supply?

The amendment I'm offering today is quite simple and straightforward. In one line it gives the EPA administrator 60 days to submit a report dealing with how this bill will increase oil and gas production, while lowering the price of energy for consumers. It has nothing to do with the merits of the bill, which I'm not weighing in on at this time. But I think that asking for a report within 2 months of passing this act is not unreasonable, which is why I ask all my colleagues to join with me today in supporting this amendment.

Today the people back home in my district and all across this Nation are still fed up with high gas prices, and they want to know what we are going to do about these problems. This amendment, in a bipartisan way, can be a step toward finding that solution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today as someone who very recently stood before the voters, and I can tell you that the constituents I represent are fed up with our inability to control the soaring price of gas in this country. In the diners, in the small businesses, and certainly at the gas stations, you can feel the incredible anger and helplessness of our consumers. And that is why I feel compelled to stand here today to offer this final amendment to restore critical funding to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The CFTC is like the sheriffs in town who protect us from the Wild West of oil speculators. Now if Republicans had their way, they would send these sheriffs packing, let the speculators drive up our gas prices and run wild, just shooting around town. But those who support my final amendment to the bill see it differently. We like law and order. We like it when people play by the rules. And we like having sheriffs around to make sure someone is keeping an eye on these speculators on behalf of our consumers.

The Agriculture appropriations bill under debate right now would hurt every single person we represent. And among the many problems with this bill is the fact that it cedes regulation of the oil market back to Big Oil, and it pits consumers against speculators.

Today oil is trading at about $100 a barrel. In my district, my constituents are paying over $4 a gallon just to fill up, and that's for regular. The price of diesel is really, really hurting my farmers, who pay a quarter more for every gallon.

You know, the worst part is that none of this is new for western New York. A few years ago, my region had the highest gas prices in America--not high prices, the highest. Even today, the village of Arcade, a tiny village in a farming community in Wyoming County, is listed as having among the highest gas prices in the Nation. How can that possibly be explained? What is so disturbing is that our area was just starting to climb out of recession when the price of gas skyrocketed, sending our recovery efforts backwards.

For all the Members who are concerned about the deficit, I hope you will support this amendment. The high cost of oil is not only bankrupting American families and businesses but is also bankrupting our country.

I know that the folks back home in my district are fed up with the deficit; they're fed up with the poor economy; and they are fed up with high gas prices. And they want to know what we're going to do to solve these problems. I'll tell you, the answer does not lie in firing the regulators who watch and control the speculators who now make up over 70 percent of the market. And that's exactly what this bill does.

Recently, several traders and firms were charged by the CFTC with price manipulation, trying to hoard crude oil and score a quick $50 million. And I ask, how does gutting this agency, which protects our consumers from speculators, end up reducing the price of gas? The answer is, it doesn't.

Even the CEO of Exxon-Mobil blames speculators for the high prices, saying that just last month, oil should be trading around $60 to $70 a barrel if it was governed by supply and demand. Can you imagine, $60 a barrel? Also recently, the world's largest commodity trader, Goldman Sachs, told their clients that the speculators had artificially driven up the price of oil by as much as $27 a barrel.

The bottom line is, how do we justify slashing the budget for the only agency that can crack down on excessive speculation? I will tell you, it's not by firing all the sheriffs just when Jesse James is coming to town. I don't know about anyone else, but when I return home this weekend, I sure would not want to have to explain my support for a bill that would, in effect, make it easier for Big Oil companies and speculators to take advantage of our consumers, our drivers.

The choice is simple. Does this Congress stand with the consumers, our families, our small businesses, and our

farmers? Or does it stand with the speculators? I know where my constituents expect me to stand.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Rangel and Mr. King.

It is truly an honor and a privilege to be here on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives where I will serve the people of the 26th District of the State of New York. I promise to work for them tirelessly every single day, and I will continue to fight for them with every breath I have.

And I look forward to working with each of you in the spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation as we work toward a brighter future and a stronger America.

This is a proud day for my family and for me as we begin this new chapter in our lives, a chapter I hope to fill with accomplishments that will serve the people of my district as well as all of your districts.

But before I begin this journey, I must thank the people who helped me get where I am today.

To the people of the 26th Congressional District, I am humbled by your support and the faith that you have placed in me. To my family--my husband of 27 years, Bill, you are my rock and my inspiration, honey; to my son, Billy; my daughter, Katie; my parents, Jack and Pat Courtney; my brothers and my sister, Sheila, who worked tirelessly throughout this entire campaign.

A special thanks to the New York congressional delegation, both our Senators and the dozens of Congressmen who supported us throughout this election.

Thanks go to my incredible campaign team and thousands and thousands of supporters and volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout this election, and to one of my great mentors, John LaFalce, whom I was honored to serve many years ago.

Today I enter this Chamber confident that we can tackle the challenges that are presented to us. We can and must find commonsense solutions to the problems facing each of our districts and our country. As we have learned, our constituents expect and deserve no less.

Thank you very much.