Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing time for the opposition.

There are some major questions, Madam Speaker, to be answered by a bailout package that fails to address the root cause of the financial crisis facing our Nation, one that does little or nothing to secure the underlying problem of mortgage foreclosure and economic suffering that hardworking Americans are facing every single day.

Question one: Where is the comprehensive economic stimulus package that will assist 95 percent of the taxpayers, a package that includes unemployment benefits, food stamps, infrastructure investment, and, of course, foreclosure relief? Stability should come from the bottom up; an economic stimulus package that will allow those in foreclosure to pay their mortgages and stay in their homes, bringing value back to the mortgage-backed securities that are clogging the financial system.

Question two: Why isn't Wall Street paying for the mess they created? By reinstating a one quarter of 1 percent surcharge on stock trades, we can raise nearly $150 billion a year from those who have actually caused this mess and profited from it also.

Finally, question three: With only 3 months left of this current administration, why are we willing to even make available $700 billion to this administration? President Bush and Secretary Paulson have been wrong from the start on just about everything. If you think they will be responsible with this money, think again.

I, for one, will be in opposition of this bailout with these major questions unanswered.

Madam Speaker, the recent wave of wildfires that have swept across California has brought brave firefighters from the state and around the country together to halt the spread of destruction and loss of life. Those who have courageously risked their lives to save others from fires, as well as those who support these courageous first responders by providing them with the resources they need, deserve our highest praise and support. That's why I am proud to rise today to recognize the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company of Novato, which is headquartered in my Congressional District, for their contributions to public safety and their commitment to the American fire service.

Fireman's Fund was founded in 1863 to support our Nation's firefighters, and in 2004 they launched the Fireman's Fund Heritage program, a forward thinking initiative that has awarded millions of dollars in grants each year to help firefighters prepare for threats to our communities. The grants are used for needed equipment, firefighter training, and community education programs, and are awarded through the company's independent agencies and company employees.

Since 2004, Fireman's Fund has generously supported more than 1,000 fire departments in 48 states across the country. Fireman's Fund remains a leader in California and in my District, where it has provided considerable financial and volunteer assistance to a large number of programs that benefit my constituents and our community. Fire departments in California alone have received $5.5 million. On October 7, 2008, Fireman's Fund will reach a significant milestone, having awarded $20 million total in grants once they provide Heath, Texas with a grant for community education. This is an accomplishment worth celebrating and commending.

By providing modern technology to improve the health and safety of firefighters, Fireman's Fund is helping to make communities across the country safer. Madam Speaker, I'm proud to recognize Fireman's Fund for its strong leadership and dedication to improving firefighter health and safety at the local, state and national levels.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1227. This resolution condemns sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and calls upon the United States Department of State and the international community to take immediate action to end this widespread crisis.

Since 1998, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had 5.4 million conflict-related deaths, making it the deadliest humanitarian crisis in the world since World War II. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been violently raped as a result of this ethnic conflict. These rapes have been exceptionally violent, often involving forced incest and mutilation of the female's genital organs. Victims' mouths were cut off following the raping to prevent them from reporting the crime, while many women and girls were simply killed after being subjected to sexual abuse.

With sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at such tragically high rates, I strongly urge Congress to condemn the actions of the perpetrators of these rapes and to support measures to prevent the further escalation of this crisis. The Administration must act, in concert with the United Nations, to assure that the Congolese people have the resources needed to combat the situation. We need to work with other African leaders to assist the Congolese in preventing these violent sexual crimes from occurring.

The plight of women in Africa has for too long been ignored. I call upon my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution so that we can put an end to this deplorable situation that has been allowed to persist for over a decade. We cannot stand by any longer as such unspeakable acts continue to occur with impunity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this bill, H.R. 7081. By approving this nuclear agreement, an agreement with India, we will permanently and irrevocably undermine decades of nonproliferation efforts.

This agreement says that India, but no other country, can live outside the international nuclear control system. It sets a frightening precedent. If a country is unhappy about the rules on nuclear possession, it can simply go around them breaking them.

And what does it matter if India ignores international agreements? Any sanctions? Any punishment? No. Just a lucrative deal with the United States of America.

If we approve this deal, we lose our moral high ground, Mr. Speaker. Who are we to be telling any other nation to adhere to the rules when we subvert them ourselves? This is not about our relationship with the people of India; this is about a complete obliteration of the nuclear security regime.

The Bush administration is demanding we move with haste without looking back. Sound familiar?

I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 7081, stand up for national security, stand up for nuclear nonproliferation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to give a sincere thank you to Representative Barbara Lee. In this Congress, there is no greater voice for peace than Congresswoman Lee.

I rise today in strong support of this resolution recognizing nongovernmental organizations working to help bring a just and lasting peace to Israelis and Palestinians.

Peace will not be brought about by governments and presidents. Peace will only be achieved when people come together to support a common goal--security and prosperity for all.

More than any conference or summit, the work of local and international NGO's have brought the region closer to a non-violent resolution to the ongoing crisis. Their work is invaluable.

From student exchanges to high level reconciliation programs, NGO's are irreplaceable in the peace process.

I applaud this resolution's commitment to peace and nonviolence and urge my colleagues support today.

Madam Speaker, thank you to Representative Crowley for his excellent work on this resolution.

I rise today in support of this important resolution and in support of free and fair elections.

Bangladesh, the world's third most populated Muslim country, must return to the fold of democracy and uphold the most basic human rights--the right to vote. Over the past two years, the people of Bangladesh have lived under a state of emergency. As the resolution outlines, the rights of the press have been curtailed and corruption is running rampant.

We all know that a nation can only succeed when it heeds the will of the people. Security--both economic and political--cannot be established while citizens are being ignored and repressed.

Bangladesh must hold free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent elections. I urge support of House Resolution 1402.

Madam Speaker, on September 23, 2008, I was unavoidably detained and was not able to record my vote for Rollcall No. 626.

Had I been present I would have voted: Rollcall No. 626--Yes--Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2008.

Madam Speaker, thanks to Representative Crowley for his excellent work on this resolution.

I rise today in support of this important resolution and in support of free and fair elections.

Bangladesh, the world's third most populated Muslim country, must return to the fold of democracy and uphold the most basic human rights--the right to vote.

Over the past 2 years, the people of Bangladesh have lived under a state of emergency. As the resolution outlines, the rights of the press have been curtailed and corruption is running rampant.

We all know that a nation can only succeed when it heeds the will of the people. Security--both economic and political--cannot be established while citizens are being ignored and repressed.

Bangladesh must hold free, fair, credible, peaceful, and transparent elections. I urge support of House Resolution 1402.

Mr. Speaker, a sincere thank you to Representative Barbara Lee. In this Congress, there is no greater voice for peace than Congresswoman Lee.

I rise today in strong support of this Resolution recognizing non- governmental organizations working to help bring a just and lasting peace to Israelis and Palestinians.

Peace will not be brought about by governments and presidents. Peace will only be achieved when people come together to support a common goal--security and prosperity for all.

More than any conference or summit, the work of local and international NGOs have brought the region closer to a non-violent resolution to the ongoing crisis. Their work is invaluable.

From student exchanges to high-level reconciliation programs, NGOs are irreplaceable in the peace process.

I applaud this Resolution's commitment to peace and nonviolence and urge my colleagues' support today.

Thank you, Mr. Pallone, and to the other side of the aisle, for bringing this wonderful bill before us, H.R. 758, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women and the leading cause of cancer death among women under the age of 40.

Marin County, in my district, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, has the highest rate of breast cancer in the United States of America. Marin's rates are approximately 40 percent higher than national average, and about 30 percent higher than the rest of the Bay Area.

My constituents are personally involved in our need to increase the funding for research so that we can learn more about what is causing breast cancer and how best to treat it.

We must also pass H.R. 758, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, so that we can ensure that doctors are the ones making the decisions about medical care, not health insurance companies, not clerks.

This bill, H.R. 758, will prohibit drive-through mastectomies. It will ensure that women receive the best possible care. The last thing a patient and her family needs to be dealing with when trying to fight breast cancer is battling with a health insurance company, battling about covering necessary medical treatment.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 758, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, to leave the decisions about the medical care of breast cancer patients to doctors and their patients, not health insurance companies.

Mr. Speaker, ever since 9/11, the current administration has relied on military force alone to fight terrorism. This policy has been a disaster. There have been over 34,000 Americans killed or hurt in Iraq, but we aren't any safer. And now our troops in Afghanistan are facing a growing insurgency.

The lesson we must learn from all this is that we cannot bomb and torture our way to friendship and cooperation around the world. We must eliminate the root causes of terrorism, which are poverty and despair. And to do that, we must focus on helping Nations like Iraq and Afghanistan to make social, economic, and political progress.

Former Congressman Charlie Wilson is an actual expert on this subject. Congressman Wilson represented the Second District of Texas from 1973 to 1997. He was the subject of the popular recent movie, ``Charlie Wilson's War.'' The movie shows how Wilson helped the Afghans to beat back the Soviet invasion in their country in the 1980s.

Charlie Wilson understands that military force alone is not the answer to the world's problems. He believes that diplomacy and development assistance are actually the best answers.

Charlie described his position in an op-ed he wrote for The Washington Post last month. The op-ed is entitled, ``Charlie Wilson's Peace,'' and I hope that every Member of the House will read it.

Wilson writes that after the defeat of the Soviets, his request for funds to rebuild Afghanistan was turned down. The result was a disaster for America.

Wilson writes, ``Instead of intensifying our diplomatic and humanitarian efforts, we simply walked away, leaving a destroyed country that lacked roads, schools, and any plan or hope for rebuilding.

``Into this void marched the Taliban and al Qaeda. Had we remained engaged in Afghanistan, investing in education, health, and economic development, the world would be a very different place today.''

I want to repeat, Mr. Speaker, Wilson's point because it is an important one. He says that al Qaeda became more powerful because the Afghan people did not receive the right kind of assistance from the United States. Yes, we gave them weapons, but we left them in rubble, and that's where terrorism grows.

Wilson goes on to say that ``we cannot afford to aspire to anything less than defeating poverty, disease, and ignorance wherever they exist. It is a relatively small but incredibly effective investment that helps ensure our future national security and economic prosperity.''

Charlie Wilson's experience in Afghanistan, Mr. Speaker, was over 20 years ago, but it is a real lesson for us today. It tells us that we won't defeat al Qaeda just by increasing the number of our troops in Afghanistan. We must focus our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq on reconstruction.

That means redeploying our troops out of Iraq on a firm timetable, and then working with regional and international partners to rebuild that devastated land. Electricity and water must be restored to every home. Jobs must be created. The shattered educational and health care systems must be rebuilt. The Iraqi Government must stop dragging its feet and spend the money it has budgeted for essential services.

And this House ought to take every chance to promote reconciliation in Iraq. Representative Shays and I have introduced legislation, H.R. 5925, to support the United States Institute for Peace, which has been carrying out important reconciliation projects in Iraq since 2004. The institute has worked to prevent violence and promote the rule of law, and it deserves our help.

Mr. Speaker, the current administration has only 4 months to go. I hope that the next administration will learn from this administration's mistakes. Starting next January 20, America must begin to export compassion and hope instead of war and occupation.

Thank you, Mr. Sarbanes, for yielding time.

I rise in support of H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act. My district is just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties. We've been leaders in bringing environmental education into schools for quite some time now. These wonderful educators have done this through programs like the School Garden Projects and the Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed, the STRAW project. These programs have given children hands-on opportunities to learn about the environment, and it's given teachers an opportunity to integrate other subjects; they integrate math and science and writing so students see real world applications in what they are learning.

This bill will help States. It will help them expand efforts to promote environmental education in our Nation's schools, and to promote efforts to teach our children to be good stewards of the Earth, and, in turn, they teach their parents, quite often.

Environmental education is a great way to tie together all the important subjects and lessons for growing up, while also teaching students about the environment, how to play a key role in preserving it for our future, for their future and for their children's future.

As we look for the best ways to prepare our children for the future, we cannot forget that the best education teaches the whole child.

Children must continue to have access to all subjects, including environmental education. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend Ralph Grossi of Marin County, California, who has recently retired as President of American Farmland Trust (AFT), an organization he co- founded. During his 23 years at the helm, AFT became the leading organization in the country focused on conserving farmland and local food systems while promoting environmental stewardship.

Ralph has made AFT a major force in protecting farmland against development, especially around the urban edge--a growing crisis that can effect food availability. About 86 percent of U.S. fruits and vegetables and 65 percent of dairy products are produced in urban- influenced areas. Under Ralph's leadership, the American Farmland Trust has steadfastly fought against destroying our agricultural lands for roads, malls and housing developments.

AFT has taken a comprehensive approach to further farmland preservation, providing policy assistance on the state and local level, and nationally lobbying for reform of agricultural subsidies programs and increased funding for conservation programs. Recognizing how the challenge of climate change intersects with farm preservation, AFT promotes ``buy local'' programs and has joined in the call for energy efficiency and the increased use of renewables.

Policy models developed and/or promoted by AFT are now used across the nation, including a ``Right to Farm'' and ``no net loss of farmland'' ordinances, Agricultural District programs, special tax credits, mitigation for farmland loss, and, perhaps most widely, conservation easements, now commonly used by local land trusts.

I can proudly say that Ralph pioneered the AFT amazing farm preservation tool box in Marin County, in my district. As a member of four generations in a family dairy and beef business, Ralph was a co- founder and chairman of Marin Agricultural Land Trust, the first such agency in the nation to preserve agricultural land by acquiring easements that enable local ranchers to maintain their land for farm uses. His years with MALT and the Marin County Farm Bureau, as well as his time working on the family ranch, shaped his dedication to protecting this vanishing resource.

MALT's success demonstrated that environmentalists and ranchers working together can accomplish their mutual goals. ``We tried to develop a different system for protecting land,'' he said. ``You could be going along just great for a few years, and then the political nature of the county changes. We wanted to move away from the political area . . . and be fair to land owners.'' Protecting this land ensures our nation's food supply (``No farms, no food'' is the AFT catchphrase), while preserving our soil, water, wildlife, and rural beauty.

Phyllis Faber, who developed the idea for MALT with rancher Ellen Straus, emphasized Ralph's key role in making the concept work. ``He was so respected by the ranchers,'' she says. ``By becoming the first Chair, he secured their interest and support. Ralph was the spark.''

Ralph's grandparents emigrated from Switzerland and began ranching in 1896. His father James, one of eleven children, continued the family tradition, as did many of his siblings, establishing the family ranch in 1917. James and his wife Rose, also from a Swiss family, had four children, who learned the business at a young age. Ralph described following his dad around from the age of four or five, then ``when we were about seven or eight years old, we got our first chores to do, feeding some calves or taking care of some small livestock.''

Ralph later graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in agriculture. He continued working on the family ranch and developed the first methane digester West of the Mississippi, becoming an early innovator in converting cow manure into power. Along the way he married college sweetheart Judy Lamb, and the couple has three daughters Amy (married to Brian Carr), Erin, and Katie.

Madam Speaker, although Ralph Grossi will be returning with Judy to the hills and meadows of Marin County to focus on the family's Marindale Ranch, he will continue to champion the cause of farmland preservation. Ralph led the way for so many of us and has been a partner to me in these efforts. I know we will continue to work together to ensure that we protect the lands that are the backbone of this country. I wish Ralph and Judy and their family the very best.

Mr. Chairman, sensible gun laws and reasonable restrictions are fully consistent with the second amendment. That's what the Supreme Court said when it ruled on the D.C. gun ban in June, and that's what this bill, H.R. 6842 does.

However, the proposed substitute amendment to this bill undermines commonsense protections in our Nation's Capital, particularly at a time when gun violence threatens our children and their families.

By legalizing semi-automatic assault weapons, repealing criminal and mental health restrictions for owning guns, and ending registration requirements for firearms, this amendment jeopardizes the safety of the families who live in Washington, D.C. and those who visit.

This substitute goes so far as to eliminate the vision test for owning a gun and repeals D.C.'s safe storage laws preventing D.C. from prohibiting people from storing loaded firearms near children.

Allowing people to go out and buy a gun the day after being released from a mental institution is reckless, not responsible; putting the same weapons in the hands that killed 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech and 13 students and teachers at Columbine is reckless, it is not reasonable; removing the requirement that they register these guns is reckless, it is not reasonable.

I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this substitute amendment and support the underlying bill because the safety of every person who steps foot in this city depends on it.

Mr. Speaker, for a long time now, we've been waiting for the administration to make an announcement about troop withdrawals from Iraq. Well the big day came last week, and it went over like a lead balloon. The President said that he is going to leave troop levels basically steady.

Mr. Speaker, the administration's decision to ``stay the course'' in Iraq is absolutely unacceptable. The American people know that invading Iraq was a mistake in the first place. And they want to bring all of our troops out, not just token forces.

The President said that he can withdraw a handful of troops without the surge because the surge has been a success. But when he leaves office, troop levels will actually be higher than it was before the surge. That leads me to ask a simple question. If the surge has been so successful, why do we need more troops after the surge than before it?

The President also said that normal life is returning to Iraq. Try telling that to the 4 million Iraqis who are still refugees and not able to return. Half of them are children.

The President also told us that civilian deaths are down. Try telling that to the relatives of the 1,200 civilians who were killed in Iraq this summer.

And what is an acceptable number of civilian deaths? This summer, an average of 13 Iraqi civilians were killed every day. If that happens in any State or any city in America, we would call it a crime wave. But if it happens in Iraq, the administration seems to think it's something to celebrate.

The administration has also been telling us for a long time that the occupation of Iraq is making America safer. But that claim doesn't hold up, either. The independent and bipartisan Partnership For a Secure America issued a report last week which says that America is still ``dangerously vulnerable to chemical, biological and nuclear attacks.'' It also said that ``the threat of a new, major terrorist attack on the United States is still very real.''

And a joint report issued last week by the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Homeland Security found that the administration has not delivered on a myriad of critical homeland and national security mandates. It is clear, Mr. Speaker, that the administration's single-minded obsession with the occupation of Iraq has left our homeland open to another attack, an attack that could be much worse than 9/11.

Today we commemorate the terrible anniversary of that terrible day-- not today, last week we did. It is outrageous that after 7 years we can't say that our citizens are safer than they were that day. And the administration's decision to stay the course in Iraq will only continue to make things worse.

The only solution is to set a firm timetable for the safe redeployment of our troops out of Iraq. Giving the Iraqi people back their sovereignty will allow us to work with the international community to rebuild that shattered country. Iraq needs electricity, schools, roads, hospitals and water. And America needs to invest in

health care, renewable energy, education and jobs. Those aren't just domestic needs. They are critical parts of our national security.

The administration, Mr. Speaker, has tried to solve all of our problems with military force alone. That strategy has been a miserable failure. We cannot bomb or torture our way to victory in the fight against terrorism. We must work to end the poverty and the despair that caused it. The sooner we learn that lesson, the safer America will be.