Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am writing to express my support for the Chaldean Community Foundation's Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The continued work of this organization will improve our health care system and the lives of countless Americans.

The Chaldean Community Foundation provides invaluable support to consumers navigating our health care system and comparing insurance plans. Although our burgeoning deficit makes allocating funds one of the most difficult parts of my job, my decision to support the foundation's grant request was an easy one. Millions of ordinary citizens need help avoiding obstacles that could impede their physical health and quality of life. Like you, the health and well-being of the American people is my top priority. With that solemn responsibility in mind, I am proud to reaffirm my support for the Chaldean Community Foundation.

Since my election to Congress, I have tirelessly advocated for fiscal responsibility. In addition to assisting consumers, the Chaldean Community Fund combats waste, fraud, and abuse in our health care system by providing desperately needed oversight. As baby boomers retire in ever greater numbers and life expectancy continues to rise, the need for organizations like the Chaldean Community Foundation will increase exponentially. I urge you to accept their request.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Chinese Association of Greater Detroit on 22 years of service and community outreach.

Your work has been important for fostering better relations between Metro-Detroit, China, and the Chinese-American community. In the globalized world in which we live, these relations are important for improving Michigan's economy. It is obvious from your work in the soup kitchen, to your relationship with the Metro-Detroit Chinese School that you are committed to making Michigan a better place. I am pleased that such a great organization has found its home in Michigan's 11th Congressional District.

Thank you for everything you have done to serve Metro-Detroit and the Chinese-American community.

Madam Speaker, there is a lot of uncertainty and instability in the Middle East. Violence and chaos are persistent themes, and political uprisings, revolutions, insurgencies, and waning democracies have controlled the dialogue on the Middle East for the last couple of years. But, if you dig a little deeper, you will find another story just under the surface, a story that we don't hear quite enough about: the plight of Christians as a religious minority in the Middle East.

Just the other day, I had a meeting with a few of my constituents who are Coptic Christians, and we discussed many of the issues facing the Coptics in Egypt. Coptics are the native Christians of Egypt, who have been a part of the Egyptian community since the 5th century A.D. They are still one of the largest Christian minorities in the Middle East.

Coptics in Egypt face growing threats of persecution, violence, and restrictions on religious practice. They have been targeted for kidnappings. In 2013, St. Mark's Cathedral was attacked during a funeral ceremony for Coptics and a Muslim who were killed in prior violence.

After President Morsi was removed from office in July 2013, a wave of violence against Christians ensued. Hundreds of churches, homes, and businesses were attacked. Violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt is nothing new, and I fear that it will persist unless something is done to resolve the issue.

Madam Speaker, in Iraq, Chaldean Christians are facing a dire situation as well. I just read a report that two nuns are believed to have been kidnapped while they were visiting an orphanage for girls. They are believed to have been kidnapped by ISIS.

Chaldeans are fleeing Iraq at an alarming rate, as many of them have sought refuge in my home district in Michigan. They are concerned about what is happening in Iraq, as many of them still have family there. Churches and homes are being looted and destroyed, and this leaves no other option for much of the community than to flee. If the situation in Iraq doesn't reverse, it is likely that the majority of Iraq's remaining Christian community will have to seek refuge elsewhere.

Madam Speaker, Assyrians are also continuing to face troubling times in the Middle East. Since the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003, Assyrian Christian communities have been targets for attacks. Churches and monasteries have been targeted for bombings.

Assyrians have long been persecuted for their Christian beliefs, and they suffered greatly during the Assyrian genocide of the early 1900s when nearly 300,000 Assyrians were killed. Like many other Christian populations in the Middle East, they have fled and sought refuge elsewhere.

Madam Speaker, in Iran, the harsh persecution of Christians continues. According to a UN report, Iran has continually imprisoned Christians, citing ``national security'' as the justification.

Pastor Saeed Abedini is currently the most visible example of Christian persecution in Iran. Although there have been numerous calls for his release from Congress and from the President, he is still sitting in prison. He was sentenced to prison by a judge who has been known for religious freedom violations. His trial was decried by human rights groups as unfair and unflawed.

Ethnic Christians, such as Armenians, are often under surveillance or

are forced to report their activities to the Iranian Government. Protestant Christians are also viewed unfavorably by the Iranian regime. Furthermore, converts from Islam face particularly harsh consequences, as they can be charged with blasphemy or even face charges from revolutionary courts for political crimes.

These countries are all listed by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom as tier 1 countries of particular concern, meaning they are the worst perpetrators of religious freedom. However, the Secretary of State has not officially recognized either Egypt or Iraq as a country of particular concern, likely due to the United States' security interests in both of those countries, as a designation would carry the likelihood of sanctions.

Madam Speaker, many of my constituents and I are gravely concerned about the plight of Christians as religious minorities in these countries and the role the U.S. plays in aiding them.

Madam Speaker, ``If you want a friend, be a friend.'' This notion applies directly to the situation at hand. Religious freedom and human rights concerns have long been at the back of the line in U.S. foreign policy decisions, and it may be time to rethink our approach. We have continually supported regimes that are unfriendly to their people, religious and ethnic groups, and even the United States.

Madam Speaker, if we are going to support foreign governments with equipment and funding, we must more thoroughly consider the long-term impact of the freedoms of their people and the corresponding impact on relations with the United States.

Countries that continually abuse religious groups, such as Christians, are never going to see eye to eye with the United States because they lack the fundamental belief in the freedom of religion, which is the founding principle of this country.

If we want friends in the Middle East, we have to encourage respect for religious freedom and diversity, not just build strong governments and militaries. If we do this, strong relationships with these countries will be an inevitable outcome, and they will be more stable as a result.

Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 359, I was unavoidably detained during passage of H.R. 6. An important discussion on matters pertaining to U.S. Marine held prisoner in Mexico. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned the IRS--the most powerful and intimidating Federal agency in existence and the agency now working to monitor our health care--has ``lost'' over 2 years of emails from at least six employees.

In a master stroke of unluckiness, the IRS claims that the only computer systems impacted are those belonging to top senior officials connected to the targeting of Americans who held conservative political beliefs--beliefs like the notion that the First Amendment should always be protected in order to have a lasting, free democracy.

Nothing is ever this convenient.

Mr. Speaker, are we to believe the same entity that can turn the lives of Americans upside down and that can demand 7 years of financial and personal records just ``lost'' 2 years of data from its own employees?

Mr. Speaker, what would happen to your constituents, to my constituents or to any of our constituents--Democrats, Republicans or Independents--if they were investigated by the IRS and ``lost'' 2 years of data? Do you think the IRS would simply say, ``That's okay. I am sure it was an accident. These things happen. We will drop our investigation now''? Of course not. Yet that is what the IRS is telling Congress. ``Oh, sorry. We lost our data. Oh, well. Let's move on.''

Mr. Speaker, how can we as Representatives tell our constituents to cooperate with an entity that refuses to cooperate with Congress? How can I tell my constituents to hand over personal information about their lives to the IRS when the IRS won't do the same?

I will conclude with a simple question to my friends across the aisle: Have you no shame? Your entire political outlook is based on the idea that government can work in an unbiased and effective way. Yet, when it becomes fairly clear that something isn't quite proper at the most powerful agency in the United States, you simply obscure the investigation instead of joining us in the call for a special prosecutor.

When it becomes clear that ordinary citizens who are engaging in their natural rights were targeted by a major officer at the IRS and when that official tries to take the Fifth Amendment to put up roadblocks to an investigation, you simply play politics. You are worried about poll numbers rather than the Republic.

I recently asked the current IRS Commissioner whether or not he believed that IRS workers could remain objective towards a group of American citizens who believes that the IRS should be disbanded. He was confounded by the question before answering that they were professionals. I have no doubt that the people at the IRS are professionals. The way they attacked conservative groups could only have been done by professionals.

Let me open my question to all of my friends from across the aisle: As members of the party of government, do you believe that any person can sustain objectivity towards someone one perceives as a threat to one's livelihood?

If you believe the answer is ``yes,'' then join me in calling for a special prosecutor to help us find the truth. Prove your beliefs with action. Defend your ideas that government can be involved in most aspects of our lives by proving that nothing criminal happened at the IRS. Show the American people that bureaucrats can remain objective in the face of someone's telling them that their jobs shouldn't exist.

Mr. Speaker, our number one job here in Congress is to protect the rights of the people, not to take them away. It is time for everyone in this Chamber to remember that.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 6 o'clock and 59 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, 2014, at 9 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, the crisis unfolding in Iraq is deeply troubling to the American people. The rapid fall of several cities in Iraq to terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, has brought the militant group dangerously closer to establishing a caliphate that spans the northern sections of Syria and Iraq.

ISIS has a reputation for brutality, including summary executions, beheadings, and, in some cases, crucifixions. The implications of the rise of ISIS for Iraq's ancient Christian community, along with its other religious minorities, is troubling.

For years we have witnessed the decline of Iraq's Christian community. Thousands have fled in the face of targeted violence. Those who remained relocated to Mosul and the Nineveh plains. These areas were some of the last remaining havens for this beleaguered and brutalized Christian community in Iraq. In fact, Archbishop Warda, the Chaldean Diocese of Erbil, indicated this past Sunday that for the first time in 1,600 years there was no mass in Mosul.

The thousands who fled Mosul face displacement, imminent danger, and a growing humanitarian nightmare, including access to clean water, food, fuel, and electricity.

I urge the administration to engage with the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to prioritize security and support for these vulnerable populations and provide emergency humanitarian assistance to those brutalized communities.

If nothing is done, we will most certainly witness the annihilation of an ancient faith community. I call on our international community to stand together to protect the natural rights of being persecuted by

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the Investment Team from Boulan Park Middle School for placing ninth in the country in the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Foundation's Capitol Hill Challenge of 2014. The team is comprised of Kevin Li, Rohit Chakravarty, and Jason Song, along with their coach, Mr. Mark Martin.

The students worked diligently on this project. They greatly improved their knowledge of the stock market and the world economic landscape. These students used their own knowledge to earn a 42% return on investment, turning 100,000 dollars into over 142,000 dollars. Additionally, this is the first year in which a middle school team finished in the top 10 nationwide.

I am proud to have sponsored Kevin, Rohit, and Jason. The time and effort they dedicated to this project is beyond impressive. On behalf of the residents of Michigan's 11th Congressional District, I would like to congratulate them on this remarkable achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I am gravely concerned about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and the status of the current negotiations between P5+1 in Iran.

As Iran has moved off the front pages over the past few months, I fear that the Iranians are becoming increasingly emboldened. With less than 2 months until the current Joint Plan of Action expires, we have yet to see real concessions from the Iranians. In fact, President Rouhani, supposedly a moderate, said just weeks ago that Iran will offer only transparency in a final agreement.

What good is transparency if Iran can continue to spin uranium and charge forward towards a nuclear weapon?

While the administration is responsible for representing the United States with the P5+1, it is important to remember that Congress has a very important role to play in this process. Congress has made it very clear that any final deal with Iran must lead to the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, and we must continue to reiterate this. It is unacceptable for the P5+1 to strike a deal that allows Iran any pathway to a nuclear weapon.

Additionally, Congress must continue to insist that Iran does not extend the negotiations and use them as a stalling tactic to advance its program. If the Joint Plan of Action is extended beyond the July 20 deadline, Iran must make real and meaningful concessions and convince us that it is not simply stalling. If Iran violates the current agreement or if it refuses to negotiate an acceptable final agreement, Congress must move immediately to impose dramatic new sanctions on the regime.

The administration must also remember that the implementation of any agreement will almost definitely require congressional approval. The President cannot unilaterally lift sanctions. It must come back to Congress for that.

So why hasn't the administration kept us apprised of the negotiations? It cannot expect Congress to automatically accept any agreement it comes up with. Congress needs to be an active partner in this process.

I urge the administration to provide Congress with increased transparency and to consult Congress on elements of the deal. It is imperative that Congress plays a critical role throughout this process.

We must continue to insist that any final agreement with Iran ensures the dismantlement of Iran's nuclear infrastructure and that Iran has no pathway to a bomb. A nuclear-armed Iran would be a national security disaster. We must do everything we can to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and that includes a congressional role in the current negotiations.

Mr. Speaker, you can always identify them in a crowd wearing blue, green, pink, and yellow, and sometimes wearing a white coat. They have wings on their backs and many times a tired, tilted halo over their heads. They often miss holidays and similar events with family and friends. They work during times the rest of us sleep 24/7. They are educators who provide a concerned ear and empathetic heart, a smile supported by professionalism, and an unmatched sense of selfless service for those in need. They are angels of mercy. May God bless our courageous nurses, and especially this week. Mr. Speaker, may I say to that special nurse in my life: I love you.

Mr. Speaker, you can always identify them in a crowd wearing blue, green, pink, and yellow, and sometimes wearing a white coat. They have wings on their backs and many times a tired, tilted halo over their heads. The often miss holidays and similar events with family and friends. They work during times the rest of us sleep 24/7. They are educators who provide a concerned ear and empathetic heart, a smile supported by professionalism, and an unmatched sense of selfless service for those in need. They are angels of mercy.

May God bless our courageous nurses, and especially this week.

Mr. Speaker, may I say to that special nurse in my life: I love you.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of this resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress.

Our Pledge of Allegiance ends with the words, ``with liberty and justice for all.'' Lois Lerner's actions have made it nearly impossible for us to follow those ideals for the victims of the IRS

targeting scandal. She has placed obstacle after obstacle in front of our pursuit for the truth, worrying that her ideology and the actions of a corrupt Federal agency will be exposed.

I ask my colleagues to join our effort in promoting transparency in our government. As Members of Congress, it is our job to protect rights, not take them away.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 202 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 203, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, we honor Isabel Marie Zurek, one of the many women who rose up to help the wartime effort during WWII. Ms. Zurek is proudly recognized as a ``Rosie the Riveter'' who worked in one of the many factories in Detroit during the war. Now celebrating her 90th birthday, we honor the life and accomplishments of Isabel Marie Zurek.

Mr. Speaker, the Women Officials Network Foundation will be honoring five extraordinary women at the WONder Woman Awards banquet April 30 at the San Marino Club in Troy. The award honors women who have improved the quality of life in Southeast Michigan through their civic, philanthropic and professional accomplishments. This year marks the 30th celebration of WONder Women and many past honorees will attend. The 2014 WONder Women are: Debra Ehrmann, Lisa Gorcyca, Mattie McKinney Hatchett, Ruth Holmes, and Cynthia Walker.

The Honorable Debra Ehrmann has held elected and appointed office including service on the State Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs and the Oakland County Employment Diversity Council. Debra has been Vice President of Centro Multicultural since 2007 and previously worked as the Health Care Coordinator of Clinica Santa Teresa. She is well known and respected for developing networks of stakeholders and volunteers. She is recognized for her dedication to vulnerable populations and for providing interpretation, relationship-building and vital connections for their connection with community services. Debra currently serves on the Genisys Credit Union Board of Directors-VP Supervisory Committee.

The Honorable Lisa Gorcyca is Presiding Judge of the Family Division of the Oakland County Circuit Court. Before her election to the bench in 2008, she spent fifteen years working at the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office as Chief of the Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse Unit. She chairs the Oakland County Coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence and is founder and member of the Oakland County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. She was recently recognized as a Top Circuit Court Judge for 2014.

The Honorable Mattie McKinney Hatchett was first elected to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners in 2002 and made history in 2011, when she became the first African-American woman to serve as President of the Michigan Association of Counties. Known as ``The Mother of Pontiac,'' Mattie served as Deputy Mayor and has spent more than fifty years advocating for her community. Since 1963, she has been actively involved with the Pontiac School District as an employee and volunteer. Presently, she is a Trustee on the Pontiac Board of Education.

Ruth Elliott Holmes is President of the International Women's Forum--Michigan which brings together a global membership of women to exchange ideas, to learn, to inspire and to promote better leadership for a changing world. In eleven years overseas, she worked for the African-American Institute in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast and was active in the international community in Brussels, Belgium. She serves on many professional boards and is a Trustee for the National Association of Document Examiners. A handwriting examiner and personnel consultant, Ruth owns her own business and was named 2010 Innovator of the Year, one of Michigan's Top 10 Women Business Owners and, in 2002, Corp! magazine listed her among Michigan's 95 Most Powerful Women.

The Honorable Cynthia Thomas Walker currently serves as Chief Judge of the 50th District Court in Pontiac and has been a district judge since 2003. Before taking the bench, she worked as Court Administrator of that court, as Pontiac City Attorney, and as a staff attorney for UAW Legal Services and for Legal Services of Eastern Michigan. She serves on the board of the Oakland County Bar Association and is active in judicial, professional and civic organizations. She supports the Teen Court program at her court and volunteers her time at local schools, churches, and non-profit organizations.

All WONder Women demonstrate achievement in each of the following areas: contribute to the community beyond that which is required in their employment; demonstrate character, commitment and leadership; and assist women/girls in reaching full leadership potential through civic engagement, personal and professional contacts, or resources.

The WON Foundation advances the vision and mission of the Women Officials Network: empowering leaders of today and mentoring women leaders of tomorrow. The Women Officials Network envisions more women in Leadership positions at all levels of government.