Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Protecting Americans from Unsafe Foreign Products Act.

I have been alarmed by the steady stream of defective, foreign- manufactured products flooding our marketplace. From the millions of toys recalled because of lead paint to heparin, the tainted blood thinner that caused at least 81 deaths and scores of injuries, it has become increasingly clear that our health and welfare have been compromised by foreign-made products.

I am also concerned that foreign manufacturers have gained an unfair advantage over U.S. manufacturers because foreign manufacturers have avoided liability for defective products in our marketplace. Because of the difficulties associated with serving process on and establishing jurisdiction over foreign manufacturers, many Americans harmed by defective foreign-made products never get their day in court. That is why I am introducing the Protecting Americans from Unsafe Foreign Products Act. This legislation would help eliminate the unfair competitive advantage enjoyed by foreign manufacturers and ensure that they can be held accountable for injuries consumers suffer as a result of defective products.

The legislation amends current law to facilitate service of process on foreign manufacturers by permitting service on manufacturers wherever they reside, are found, have an agent, or transact business. Service of process and personal jurisdiction is proper so long as one of the following two criteria is met: (1) the manufacturer knew or reasonably should have known that the product or component would be imported for or use in the U.S.; or (2) the manufacturer had contacts with the U.S. whether or not such contacts occurred in the place where the injury occurred.

Given the increase of imported products that do not meet U.S. standards for health, safety, and quality, and the fact that neither the Consumer Product Safety Commission nor the Food and Drug Administration have effectively prevented the importation of defective products, more consumers have become endangered. This legislation will improve accountability of foreign manufacturers and promote consumer safety, and I urge all my colleagues to join as cosponsors.

Madam Speaker. I wish to commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. On April 23, 1915, the world suffered its first deliberate act of systematic mass murder of people of one culture by another--and the unspeakable crime of genocide was born. The massacre and mistreatment of approximately 1.5 million Armenians in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire epitomizes the depths of inhumanity that the human race is capable of.

Out of this wretched episode of history, we have made a determined effort to move beyond hatred, to recognize mistakes, and to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. It is our obligation to learn from lapses in moral judgment and forge safeguards for all oppressed, vulnerable, and subjugated peoples.

I would like to express my sympathy to the survivors and descendents of the Armenian Genocide. I hope we can all take time to reflect on this solemn day of remembrance.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning

to honor the thousands of American workers who are injured, sickened, and killed each year in this Nation.

Next Monday, April 28, is Workers Memorial Day, dedicated to remembering workers whose lives are lost on the job. Sixteen workers are killed on the job every day in America. Every. Day.

And these are not just workers in highly dangerous professions, but workers from every profession you can imagine, from mechanics to teachers to newspaper carriers.

Instead of addressing the crisis in worker safety, the Bush administration continues to underfund the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA. Like an old dog who's lost its teeth, OSHA doesn't scare anyone. It hasn't improved safety and it doesn't protect workers.

Today, I stand with families who have lost loved ones on the job. Tomorrow I continue working with my colleagues in the Labor and Working Families Caucus to strengthen OSHA.

American workers deserve to be safe while earning a living and contributing to this great country. And we must do more to ensure that they are safe.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Bush Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Like many here, I would like to see our relationship with Colombia strengthened, but the NAFTA-style Colombia FTA would actually do more harm than good.

The Bush administration refuses to change its stubborn ways. By deciding to force the trade agreement through Congress without seeking support or input from the House leadership, the administration continues to demonstrate its lack of judgment and sensibility.

Despite many serious concerns about the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, this administration continues to believe that it can unilaterally demand and approve legislation as it pleases, when it pleases. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Until the Bush administration understands that it must make fundamental changes in its approach to trade, this House will oppose its one-sided trade deals. We need trade deals that work for American working families. The Bush Colombia FTA is not it.

Madam Speaker, this afternoon I rise to recognize Mr. Charlie Ara, the recipient of the First Annual Cesar Chavez Humanitarian Award for the 56th Assembly District of California, for over 50 years of community service and activism in the field of human and civil rights.

Mr. Ara was ordained a Roman Catholic priest by Cardinal James Francis McIntyre on April 25, 1956, at St. Vibiana's Cathedral in Los Angeles, California.

From 1956 to 1970, he served as associate pastor in five large parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles: St. Lawrence Martyr in the South Bay area; St. Finbar's in the Burbank-Glendale area; Visitation in West Los Angeles; All Saints in El Sereno; and St. Cecilia's in the Tustin-Santa Ana area of Orange County.

On August 28, 1963, Mr. Ara participated in the March on Washington, along with over 250,000 people, and experienced Martin Luther King Jr.'s ``I Have a Dream'' speech. Mr. Ara has carried Mr. King's message of equality throughout his career.

Mr. Ara became a strong advocate for social justice, including support for farm workers, anti-Vietnam War activists, and fair housing legislation for Mexican-American families living in public housing projects in East Los Angeles.

In 1970, Mr. Ara married. He and his wife, Shirley, were blessed with five wonderful children: Martin John, Jose Anthony, Rana Annette, Dawna Gibrana, and Matthew Charles.

Mr. Ara became the chief executive and administrator of anti-poverty programs funded by the California Community Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the City of Long Beach Department of Rehabilitation.

Through these programs, Mr. Ara assisted Latinos and other ethnic minorities by directing men and women to job training programs. Mr. Ara also established English classes for the Spanish-speaking community, served as a liaison with the welfare department, and sought assistance for the elderly.

Mr. Ara also wrote and obtained the first mental health government grant for the Asian American community in Long Beach serving widows of fallen military servicemembers.

In addition to his advocacy work, Mr. Ara holds a doctoral degree in psychology and has been a marriage and family counselor for 36 years. He has written a best-selling marital success guide titled, ``The Grass is Greener Where It is Watered.''

Mr. Ara has prepared many thousands of couples for marriage, and has made numerous appearances on national television and radio programs to discuss his work.

Most recently, Mr. Ara led an effort with the Hubert Humphrey Democratic Club of Cerritos and the African-American community to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday in the city of Cerritos.

Madam Speaker and distinguished colleagues, please join me in recognizing Charlie Ara for his many years of service to the community, and for his many years of social justice advocacy. He is a great man who does great work in our community. We respect him tremendously, and he deserves this honor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Congressional Review Act Improvement Act.

This legislation would cut government waste by reducing duplicative paperwork and relieving some of the administrative burdens that are currently mandated by the Congressional Review Act, the congressional review mechanism of agency rules. The Congressional Review Act requires that all agencies promulgating a rule must submit to both Houses of Congress, and to the Comptroller General at the Government Accountability Office, a report that contains a copy of the rule, a concise general statement describing the rule, and the proposed effective date of the rule. Thus, under current law, the same material is submitted, housed, and printed at four different governmental entities.

Specifically, this legislation would eliminate the requirement that agencies submit their rules that are printed in the Federal Register to each House of Congress. Instead of receiving the full submission of each individual rule, the House and Senate would receive a weekly list of all rules from the Comptroller General. The House and Senate would then enter that list into the Congressional Record with a statement of referral for each rule. Under these revisions, agencies would still be required to submit rules and reports to each House of Congress that were not printed in the Federal Register, and Congress could still employ the procedures in the Congressional Review Act to disapprove agency rules.

I urge my colleagues to join as cosponsors to this legislation that makes commonsense modifications of the Congressional Review Act.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to congratulate the University of California, Los Angeles--My alma mater--on its 100th NCAA team championship.

In a Nation with so many colleges and universities known for their strong sports programs, heck, in a city the size of Los Angeles with sports powerhouse USC right across town, this is a truly amazing accomplishment.

At UCLA, which has so many firsts in other areas, the 2007 UCLA women's water polo Team helped UCLA reach another first: the first to 100 NCAA team championships.

On May 13, 2007, the women's water polo team, led by Head Coach Adam Krikorian, defeated Stanford 9-4 in the last round of the Women's Water Polo National Championship tournament, thereby making history.

This was the team's third consecutive NCAA championship and its fifth overall national title. Team member Kelly Rulon was selected as the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and Ms. Rulon and four of her teammates--Emily Feher, Courtney Mathewson, Jillian Kraus, and Kacy Kunke--were named to the NCAA all-tournament team.

UCLA won its first national title in men's tennis in 1950. Since then, 16 different athletics programs--nine men's programs and seven women's--have won national championships in the sports of basketball, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and, of course, water polo.

In the last 5 years alone, under the leadership of Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, UCLA athletics teams have won 14 NCAA national championships in nine different sports.

This extraordinary achievement is a tribute to the skill and dedication of the many players, coaches, students, alumni, families, professors, staff, and fans who have helped to make UCLA an athletic powerhouse as well as one of the top academic universities in the Nation.

UCLA's accomplishment also demonstrates the success of Title IX. Of the 100 NCAA championships that UCLA teams have earned, women's teams have been responsible for 30. And the NCAA didn't even begin awarding championships in women's sports until the 1981-82 season.

To all the athletes of UCLA, past and present, male and female, you rock.

Madam Speaker, we have reluctantly reached today's vote to hold former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress.

Since March 9 of 2007, Chairman Conyers and I have patiently negotiated in good faith to reach an accommodation with the White House for documents and testimony relevant to the U.S. Attorney investigation.

Under normal instances, I would, but I don't have the time. I apologize.

I apologize to the gentleman, but this is my time.

Madam Speaker, we have patiently negotiated in good faith to reach an accommodation with the White House for documents and testimony relevant to the U.S. Attorney investigation. Unfortunately, the White House has stubbornly refused to move off its opening position, an unreasonable offer that testimony be given without an oath or a transcript and that any testimony and documents provided exclude internal White House communications. To have negotiations, concessions by both sides are necessary. Otherwise, it's just capitulation.

I was extremely disappointed that Ms. Miers, Mr. Bolten, and the White House based their refusal to comply with our subpoenas on sweeping claims of executive privilege and immunity that some experts have called ``Nixonian in breadth.'' The subcommittee carefully considered these claims in two separate meetings last year. In detailed rulings, I found that these claims were not properly asserted and were not legally valid. Even if the claims were properly asserted and legally valid, the strong public need for information about the U.S. Attorney firings substantially outweighs the assertion of executive privilege here.

I was also very disappointed to hear from Attorney General Mukasey in testimony before the Judiciary Committee last week that he will direct the D.C. U.S. Attorney not to comply with the contempt statute, which provides that the U.S. Attorney ``shall'' refer the contempt citation to a grand jury for action after receiving it from the Speaker.

Members on both sides of the aisle should recognize the gravity of this vote. If the executive branch is allowed to simply ignore congressional subpoenas while Congress stands idly by, we will have abdicated our role of oversight of the executive branch and undermined our system of checks and balances. Further, our lack of action will

be cited by future Presidents as justification for questionable claims of executive privilege.

I hope that my colleagues on the other side will stand together in support of this body's institutional prerogatives. Time is long overdue for Congress to reassert itself as a co-equal branch of government.

I urge support of the rule and House resolutions 979 and 980.

Madam Speaker, I come to say good-bye to a beloved colleague and friend.

The sudden news of Chairman Tom Lantos' passing has left those who had the privilege to know him without adequate words to express our grief.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his caring wife Annette and to his family. I wish them strength and clarity during this difficult time.

Tom's life and accomplishments reached far beyond his contributions as a legislator.

Many words have been written about Tom's experiences as a youth in Nazi occupied Europe. But none of us will ever be able to speak here with the same level of experience and understanding that he had when referring to genocide, suffering, the suppression of human rights, and the denial of human dignity.

Tom carried a personal sense of responsibility to fight for those who cannot always speak for themselves: the underprivileged, the subjugated, the oppressed. It was evident in his words and actions, in every piece of legislation he crafted, and in every hand he warmly shook.

His convictions were never more evident than in his work to establish the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. He founded the Caucus to focus attention on human rights abuses around the world. Not only did he work to raise awareness and increase the scrutiny of abusive practices around the globe, he worked to stop heinous acts against our fellow women and men and to bring peaceful solutions to the conflicts that led to such atrocities.

His unwavering optimism and prudent leadership will be missed.

My words cannot satisfactorily articulate the loss that his death brings to me, the House of Representatives, and to the Nation he loved and served.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Automobile Arbitration Fairness Act of 2008. This legislation will extend to certain consumers what Congress granted to automobile dealers in 2002: freedom from mandatory binding arbitration agreements.

Automobile manufacturers imposed mandatory binding arbitration clauses in their dealer contracts to forego forums otherwise available under state law. Unfortunately, states could not effectively address the increasing imposed use of mandatory arbitration clauses because the Federal Arbitration Act preempts such state laws. As a result, auto dealers had no legal recourse and were bound to using arbitration. Automobile dealerships voiced their plight to Congress, which in 2002 passed the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act. This legislation included language to allow arbitration only if both parties to a motor vehicle franchise contract consented in writing to arbitration and if the consent was done after a controversy arose out of that contract.

Although automobile dealerships now have the option not to enter into mandatory binding arbitration agreements, many dealers require such binding agreements in their sales or lease contracts with automobile purchasers and lessees. This legislation would connect the chain from manufacturers to dealers and from dealers to consumers, by requiring the consent of both parties to enter into contracts with binding arbitration clauses in automobile sales and lease contracts.

I urge my colleagues to join as cosponsors of this legislation.

I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Hastings.

And, Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the Hastings-Sanchez amendment to H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. I thank Mr. Hastings for his leadership on this issue and was pleased to work with him in this effort to provide constructive opportunities for youthful offenders.

The Hastings-Sanchez amendment would authorize grants to community colleges to create partnerships with juvenile detention centers and residential facilities that would reduce recidivism rates by providing education, vocational training, counseling, and related activities.

Gangs, crimes, and youth problems are often symptoms of larger problems, problems that require comprehensive solutions. Too often, we have spent far more time, money, and effort on enforcement than we have on prevention, missing opportunities to rehabilitate the youth that we incarcerate.

Unfortunately, taxpayers have not experienced a great return on these massive anti-gang investments. For example, the State of California will spend over $9 billion on incarceration this year, yet gang activity in California continues to rise.

Young people who are involved in gangs do not have to be condemned to a lifetime in gang involvement.

This amendment would leverage power of community colleges to help in the campaign against youth violence. Community colleges already have expertise in providing job training and education to nontraditional students. By encouraging them to develop partnerships with other local agencies and community-based organizations, we can multiply the opportunities that young ex-offenders have to get involved in their communities in a positive way and cut down on the odds that they will return to gang activity.

I urge my colleagues to support the Hastings-Sanchez amendment to help make our communities safer.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 916) honoring the contributions of Catholic schools.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased at this time to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the author of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if I could inquire from my colleague how many more speakers he has remaining.

We will continue to reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker. I too rise in support of H. Res. 916 to honor the contributions of Catholic schools throughout the country and to support the goals of Catholic Schools Week. I believe we should continue to support all schools that graduate our youth in high percentages and prepare them for a productive future.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, Catholic schools enrolled over two million of our Nation's children during the 2006-2007 school year. With minority enrollment at 25 percent and non-Catholic enrollment at 14 percent this past year, Catholic schools continue to teach students of all backgrounds.

The high-school graduation rate of Catholic schools is an impressive 99 percent, with 80 percent going on to a 4-year college and 17 percent going to a 2-year or technical college. These rates are extraordinary and are to be commended.

Next week, January 27th through February 2nd is designated as Catholic Schools Week by the National Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The purpose of Catholic Schools Week is to show support for the Catholic schools, including St. Emydius in Lynwood and St. Helen's in South Gate, and to their students, parents, and teachers across the Nation for their ongoing contributions to education, and for the key role they play in promoting and ensuring a brighter, stronger future for this Nation.

I believe we should continue to support all schools that graduate our youth in high percentages and prepare them for a productive future.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 916.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 908) supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield as much time as she may consume to the author of this bill, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield such time as she may consume to my distinguished colleague from California (Mrs. Davis).

Just one remaining and that would be me.

Madam Speaker, I just want to mention in support of this bill that mentors are so important in helping today's children grow up to live productive and fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, there is still an acute need for more people to become involved in this rewarding venture and I hope that today's resolution convinces others to get involved as mentors.

Again, I want to express my support for the National Mentoring Month resolution and recognize all the hard work that mentors put in on a daily basis. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the designation of January 2008 as ``National Mentoring Month'' and to applaud the efforts of mentors who work tirelessly to support America's children.

I am pleased today to honor mentoring organizations across the country, including those who serve the young people of my own community, such as: Catholic Big Brothers/Big Sisters; The Watts- Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club; Girlfriends, Inc. of Long Beach; Helpline Youth Counseling, Inc.; and ELLAS, which stands for Embracing Latina Leadership Alliances.

Mentors serve as advocates for children. They make sure that children know that they matter.

Mentors actively support children's academic achievement, personal and social growth, and career development.

Helping students achieve academically is a critical part of a mentor's role. Through tutoring and encouragement, mentors can help mentees appreciate the importance of staying in school and working hard to achieve success.

Not only are young people who have been mentored less likely to fail in school and get in trouble for delinquency, they are also more likely to graduate and attend college. So mentoring doesn't just defend against unwanted outcomes, it promotes good ones.

Mentoring isn't just for one kind of kid. It can benefit boys and girls, urban and rural, white and Latino. If a young person is coping with a divorce, being pressured to join a gang, or has just moved to a new school, mentors can help. They can offer guidance while building self-esteem and a sense of purpose.

Mentoring isn't just for one kind of mentor, either. Mentors can come in all shapes and sizes. A mentor can be a lawyer, a mechanic, a religious leader, or an older brother. Anyone with a little extra time and a desire to help the next generation can become a mentor.

By exposing youth to positive life experiences, mentors help children develop new skills and interests and get used to interacting with adults.

By setting ambitious goals with their mentees, mentors can help today's children become the leaders of the future. Truly, a mentor can help a young person make her dreams a reality. Knowing all this, who wouldn't want to be a mentor?

I hope I have succeeded in encouraging my colleagues to become mentors or to help promote mentoring in their communities. Our children can't raise themselves. I salute those who have served as mentors, and those who will do so in the future.

Madam Speaker, once again I express my support for ``National Mentoring Month'' and recognize all the hard work mentors put in on a daily basis.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 908.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 932) expressing support for designation of the week of February 4 through February 8, 2008 as ``National School Counseling Week''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 932, expressing support for designation of February 4 through February 8, 2008 as ``National School Counseling Week.''

I thank Chairman George Miller and Ranking Member Buck McKeon, as well as Vern Ehlers, the lead cosponsor, for their support of this important resolution and the majority and minority committee staff for doing the hard work behind the scenes to get this resolution to the floor.

This resolution is about recognizing and honoring school counselors.

I want to begin, however, with full disclosure: I was not always the biggest fan of school counselors. Unfortunately, one of my own high school counselors suggested to me that I give up on my plans to go to college because I was likely to get pregnant and drop out anyway.

Well, I've learned a few things since then. First, I learned that that particular counselor's fortune telling skills weren't so great, and, second, I've learned a lot more about the counseling profession and come to understand that one bad apple doesn't represent what counseling is all about.

In fact, good counselors do exactly what this person didn't do. They inspire us to dream big, help us get on the road to accomplish those dreams, and, when necessary, they enlist the support of our parents, teachers, mentors, and others to keep moving us down the road.

Counselors can be vital to a student's success, especially in high school. High school is a transition period into adulthood and the world of work. As students make this transition, some need additional help to keep up in class, others get distracted by family issues or bad behavior, and still others might get involved with gangs and crime.

But a good school counselor can intervene, working with parents and teachers to get students back on track. Individual attention and follow-up from a counselor can help a student accomplish amazing things. I want to recognize just two of the counselors from my district who accomplish amazing things every day they go to work.

Cheryl Redgate of Santa Fe High School and Shanna Moore-Garcia of La Serna High School are just two of the many exceptional counselors in my district who have devoted their lives to serving young people. They treat each of their students as if they were their own children by holding them to high standards and providing encouragement, guidance, and support. I understand that local parents have expressed deep appreciation for the work of these two stellar counselors and are glad to know that Cheryl and Shanna are looking out for their children's academic achievement as well as their emotional well-being.

I regret that I don't have time to name every outstanding counselor in my district or across the country. There are just so many who every day go above and beyond the job description to help students achieve academic success and plan for a bright future.

One other thing prevents me from naming more counselors who have made a difference in the lives of their students, and that's the fact that there aren't nearly enough of them. Nationwide, the average student-to- counselor ratio is 476-1, almost double the 250-1 recommended ratio. In California, unfortunately this ratio is a dismal 920-1.

While today's resolution is a great start, to truly honor the work of counselors we must do more to put school counselors where they're needed so that students have access to these professionals who have so much to offer.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague for his support of this resolution. I would urge all my colleagues to support House Resolution 932.

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

Madam Speaker, today I am voting against H.R. 3996, a bill adjusting the Alternative Minimum Tax. While the bill helps some middle class families, it does so at the expense of expanding our national debt and burdening the next generation with the cost of paying for it. I voted for the original version of this bill that came before the House earlier this fall because it was fiscally responsible. It brought relief to middle class families in a budget- neutral way by closing tax loopholes for hedge fund

managers and corporate CEOs who shield their income off-shore. Unfortunately, the Senate stripped out the provisions that would replace the revenue lost through this AMT adjustment, so I cannot in good conscience support it.

The AMT was originally enacted to ensure that high income taxpayers pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes. It prevents individuals from taking unfair advantage of the various preferences and incentives under the regular income tax and reducing their income tax liability below what we as a society consider an appropriate tax contribution given their wealth. The reckless tax policies advanced by President Bush during the past 6 years further complicated the way the AMT is applied. As a result, it will affect around 20 million families next year, many of whom the AMT was not originally intended to reach.

Reforming the AMT is warranted, and that's why I voted for this bill when it was paid for. Now we have a $50 billion give-away that's not paid for. Instead, it will increase our national debt, a debt financed by China and other nations. And the next generation--our children and grandchildren--will be stuck paying China back instead of investing in America. That's wrong. I believe that we must adhere to the pay-as-you- go rules that this House adopted at the beginning of the year. Just as a family has to balance its checkbook, the federal government must do the same. A federal government that is not fiscally sound cannot make the necessary investments we need in education, health care, housing, defense, homeland security, and other national priorities.