Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution recognizing the need to combat the global food crisis.

Rising fuel prices and the effects of globalization exacerbate the problems related to the growing cost of food, causing populations of developing countries to experience great hardships in purchasing their basic necessities. This emergency has already affected millions and will increase the poverty levels endured by the most vulnerable groups worldwide. Children are especially susceptible to the effects of malnourishment, which weakens their immune systems, causing millions of children to suffer from infectious diseases, impaired brain development, and stunted growth.

The dire situation of rising food prices has already led to unrest in some parts of the world. The U.N. has created a special task force and the World Food Program has called for $755 million in increased funding to cover the high costs of food and fuel. The United States must take an active role in coordinating international action through a world forum designed to determine what must be done to alleviate this crisis worldwide and protect the children and other vulnerable populations affected.

Mr. Speaker, after more than 5 years of occupation, America continues to have over 140,000 troops in Iraq. We continue to employ tens of thousands of military contractors. Over 1,200 Iraqi civilians died in the violence this summer alone, and there are still over 4 million refugees. Yet, Iraq is becoming the ``Forgotten War.'' We barely hear about it anymore. I have not forgotten Iraq. I will not forget it.

I rise today to remind the House of two things: First, America continues to occupy a country that never attacked the United States and was never a security threat to us; and second, we continue to spend over $10 billion a month in Iraq, at a time when the American people are losing their homes, their health care, and their jobs.

Everyone who is forgetting Iraq should read the recent report of the Government Accountability Office. GAO offers a harsh assessment of the administration's handling of the occupation, and warns that the security environment in Iraq remains volatile and dangerous.

The GAO report describes many problems. Only 24 percent of the Iraqi funds budgeted for reconstruction have been spent. Essential services to the Iraqi people continue to lag. The daily supply of electricity meets only half the need. The Iraqi ministries responsible for essential services spent only 11 percent of their capital investment budgets in 2007. Many of the benchmarks for progress have just not been met.

Perhaps worst of all, the administration has failed to develop a plan for improving the delivery of government services in Iraq. And to make matters worse, the GAO has urged the Defense Department and the State Department to work together to come up with such a plan, but both departments have refused to do so.

Many of the points made by the GAO were also made by former Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi when he testified before Chairman Delahunt and the Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight just last month. Prime Minister Allawi said, ``Progress continues to be very slow, if not stagnant, for public services and the economy, which includes the provision of electricity, water supply, health services and creating job opportunities.''

Iraq continues to be a humanitarian disaster area, Mr. Speaker. A recent story in the press reported that Iraq needs 100,000 doctors, but has only 15,500. Many doctors fled after our invasion in 2003. A country that has seen over 5 years of bloodshed, obviously needs a good health care system. Iraq's health care system is in chaos.

Mr. Speaker, we keep hearing that the Iraq occupation is making things better when, in reality, it's making things worse because it delays the day that Iraq can really get back on its feet.

Ending the occupation would allow us to focus more resources on reconstruction and humanitarian efforts. It would allow regional and international partners to come into Iraq to help with reconstruction and reconciliation, because those countries simply won't get involved until we redeploy.

Mr. Speaker, it's time to end the occupation once and for all. It's time to shake off our amnesia and remember the forgotten war.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Congressman Mike Thompson to honor a local hero from Santa Rosa, CA. Benny Friedman, a beloved philanthropist and the founder of Friedman's Home Improvement, passed away on July 9, 2008, at the age of 90, after a life that touched and inspired many.

``If we don't have it, you don't need it,'' the famous Friedman's slogan, is typical of Benny's way of doing business--with both humor and the needs of his customers in mind. And profits from the business were used to enhance the community through promotion and support of local organizations.

Born in 1918 to a Russian Jewish family that had fled the pogroms, Benny worked hard throughout his youth. After his father's death, he left high school to support the family, learning about the hardware business by working in Mike Cohen's store. In 1940, he married Rosemary Zittin, a Russian immigrant, and shortly thereafter enlisted with his brother Joe to fight in WorId War II.

After the war, the brothers purchased a junkyard in Petaluma and were later joined by their younger brother Harry. Over the decades, the business grew, thanks to the brothers' philosophy of working hard and treating everyone, customers and employees, with fairness and respect. During this time, their children and grandchildren joined the business, and today there are stores in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Ukiah.

Benny retired 20 years ago but continued to delight family, friends, and community with his warmth, humor, and good spirits. His wife Rosemary died in 2001, and in 2006, he married Irene, whom he had met at the senior lodge where they both lived.

In Santa Rosa, Benny will be remembered as the cofounder of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, now one of Sonoma's County major venues. With his wife Rosemary and brother Joe, he built the Friedman Center, a community hall at Congregation Beth Ami. He donated generously to other local causes, giving back to the community which had enabled an

impoverished immigrant to achieve success for himself and his family.

Benny is survived by his wife Irene, his brother Harry, his children Bill Friedman and Debbie Chapman, four grandchildren, and eight great- grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, Benny Friedman's life is an example for all of us that hard work, honesty, and caring for others leads to success. But Benny went far beyond that in giving back to this community and to all who knew him. I will miss Benny, but I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be one who knew him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Congressman Mike Thompson to honor the 100th anniversary of the Sonoma City Hall. This iconic building has long stood as a symbol of the unique community that is the city of Sonoma.

City Hall sits in the center of the 8-acre Sonoma Plaza, the largest town square in the State of California. Dedicated on September 7, 1908, the city hall was built using local basalt stone and originally designed with four identical facades, allowing merchants from any side of the square to boast that city hall faced their business.

Surrounding the city hall on Sonoma Plaza are many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solana, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma, the Blue Wing Inn, the Sebastiani Theatre, and the Toscano Hotel. Not far from city hall, on the northeast corner of the plaza, John C. Fremont led the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846, which would lead to California becoming the 31st State 4 years later. The plaza has been a National Historic Landmark since 1960 and still serves as the town's focal point, hosting many community festivals and drawing tourists all year round.

In honor of this anniversary, City of Sonoma Historian George McKale has organized a commemoration committee to help celebrate this event with the community. Over the last year, members of the committee have arranged for a photo exhibition, as well as sponsoring a poster contest for local students, a lecture series, and a historic quarry hike, all to honor Sonoma's City Hall.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge the 100th anniversary of Sonoma City Hall. In years to come, this beautiful and historic structure will continue to be one of the most memorable images of the city of Sonoma to residents and visitors alike.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of our dear friend, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Since her arrival here nearly 10 years ago as the first African-American woman elected to Congress by Ohio, she was a tireless advocate for the poor and our Nation's working families. Despite the tremendous personal losses she suffered, including the tragic loss of her sister, her parents, and her husband Mervyn of 26 years, she never wavered in her commitment to the people of Ohio.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones will be remembered as a role model, an ardent and bold voice for progressive causes, and a champion for the rights of the disenfranchised. She will be a tough act to follow. Her remarkable passion and bravery continue to be an inspiration to us all, and we will all truly miss her presence in this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1288, establishing September as National Campus Safety Awareness Month. Every college and university student should have the opportunity for a quality education on a campus where he or she feels safe and comfortable. We need to support efforts by our nation's higher education institutions to improve safety on our campuses.

National Campus Safety Awareness Month will encourage institutions to participate in endeavors to increase campus safety. September, one of the first months back to school, is a perfect time to remind college and university students about the importance of campus and personal safety. During the month of September and throughout the year, colleges and universities will be motivated to inform students about critical campus issues like sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, hazing, and stalking. Schools will be encouraged to use preventative programming to address potential problems early. By increasing knowledge and prevention of these issues, I know students can receive the valuable educational experience they deserve. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1288.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1351. This resolution expresses the support for the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur. It also calls upon United Nation Member States and the international community to contribute the resources necessary to ensure the success of the mission.

On July 8, 2008, seven U.N. peacekeepers were killed and an additional 22 were wounded while serving on the mission to bring peace and stability to the Darfur region of Sudan. This is only the latest in series of attacks on the peacekeepers. The severe lack of troops, police officers, and air transport limits the mission's effectiveness.

Despite the deployment of 26,000 peacekeepers, their efforts are constantly thwarted by the Sudanese government and rebels. Clearly, the success of the mission depends on additional contributions of U.N. Member Nations and the international community. Therefore, I ask Congress to condemn the attacks on the U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur and I ask that the Sudanese government ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

We express our full commitment to the people of Darfur and call on all members of the international community to contribute the resources necessary to ensure the success of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur. We cannot in good conscience turn away from this troubled region. It deserves our full support and attention to bring a halt to the atrocities committed in this area of the world.

Madam Speaker, together with my colleague Mike Thompson, I rise today to congratulate the more than 10,000 members of the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. Named after Sequoia sempervirens, the Coastal Redwood, whose greatest forests are along the North Coast, the Chapter remains true to the visionary environmental ethic of Sierra Club founder, John Muir, striving daily to preserve and protect our lands, waters and wildlife.

The Redwood Chapter, founded in 1958, is one of the earliest regional entities of the Sierra Club. With 6 local Groups in 9 Northwestern counties, it is a potent force for the environment.

Over the years, the Redwood Chapter has marshaled grass roots forces to focus on forest preservation, protection of our spectacular coast, free-flowing rivers and verdant watersheds, sustainable growth management, endangered species protection, and the multifaceted challenge of global climate change. The Chapter played a strong supporting role in Sierra Club national initiatives to protect national environmental treasures like the Grand Canyon while safeguarding our water and air, and battling environmental rollbacks.

Within the Chapter's 25,000 square miles, it has been particularly effective, playing major roles in the creation of the Redwood National Park, design and construction of the Coastal Trail, designation of Federal wilderness areas, including the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel, Snow Mountain, Yuki Sanhedrin, Cache Creek, King Range and Cedar Roughs Wildernesses; designation of numerous State and Federal designated Wild and Scenic Rivers, including portions of the Smith, Klamath, Gualala, Black Butte and Eel Rivers; preservation of the 7,400 acre Headwaters Forest; implementation of conservation management strategies on public lands; and development of recovery strategies for endangered and threatened species, including the marbled murrelet, the spotted owl and coastal salmon.

In recent years, legislative achievements include the passage of the Cache Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, 2005. I am especially grateful for the Redwood Chapter's support for Congressman Thompson's Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which was enacted in 2006, and my Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act, which was passed by the House this year.

Members of the Redwood Chapter have also had a profound influence on local politics and policies, through its participation in initiatives to protect open space and agricultural lands, create trails and community separators, protect coastal forests, provide new low carbon transportation alternatives and promotion of smart growth management and climate protection.

The Club also has played a vital educational, service and recreational function. Over the past half century thousands of people have participated in the Chapter's ``Outings'' programs, which includes over 6,000 hikes, nature walks, backpacking journeys, canoe trips within the Chapter and elsewhere in California, as well as hundreds of trail building projects and other service activities.

Madam Speaker, it is difficult to imagine what this area would be like without the Redwood Chapter's passionate resolve to protect the land and life that sustains us. What if there was no wilderness retreat in our coastal headlands? What if our cities were merged in endless sprawl? What if our pure rivers and streams were diverted, degraded and disrespected? We can be thankful that is not the case, and largely because the members of the Redwood Chapter have been such effective advocates for the environment.

So today, Congressman Thompson and I congratulate the members of Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club on their achievements in their first 50 years. And we look forward to the Chapter's continued active participation in public policy debates and to hearing their member's loud, clear, reasoned voice for a healthy, vibrant, natural world.

Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased to have had an opportunity in this bill to honor my friend and mentor, the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink, who was a leader on guaranteeing equality for all by creating Patsy T. Mink Fellowships.

While we have made great strides in providing educational opportunities for women and minorities, far too few are becoming college professors. The Mink Fellowships will be used to encourage women and minorities to become professors in fields where they are under-represented.

In addition to providing more diversity and opportunity in graduate programs, we recognize the need for more opportunities to attain certificates and degrees in high-wage, high-skilled jobs. This bill helps colleges partner with local businesses to create ``for-credit'' classes focused on the skills and certificates needed for high-wage jobs in the local community.

Also, many of our Nation's students enter college needing remedial education classes. Far too many get stuck taking those classes, never graduates. This bill fixes that. Let's pass it.

As some of you may know, at one time I was a single mother raising three small children. I was working full time, but I still wasn't able to put food on the table, pay for doctors' visits, and care for the other needs of my children all on my own because my paycheck was for a 40-hour week but it did not cover our necessities. To make ends meet, I was forced to turn to public assistance.

That was more than 35 years ago, but today there are still millions of single mothers in our country who are struggling to provide for their families, many while balancing full-time jobs. In fact, single mothers are twice as likely as fathers to raise their children in poverty.

Unfortunately, so long as women continue to receive pennies on the dollar compared to their male counterparts, this statistic is unlikely to change any time soon.

I want to thank my friend, Congresswoman DeLauro, for her work on this issue, and I would like to remind all of you that the Paycheck Fairness Act is about a lot more than fixing a couple of loopholes. It's about strengthening families, combating poverty, and finally recognizing that equal work deserves equal pay.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation, which will provide the additional tools that we need to stamp out gender-based wage discrimination once and for all.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Chabot for the time and for their leadership on human rights issues as well as Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1370.

In about a week, all eyes will turn to China. Athletes from around the world will converge on Beijing, except, it appears, seven of the 10 Iraqi athletes who are not allowed into the country for some reason. Many world leaders--such as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel--are taking a very bold step next week by boycotting the opening ceremonies. I am still hoping that our President will reconsider his decision to attend in light of China's poor human rights record. It's no secret, Madam Speaker, that China has long sought to sweep its human rights violations under the rug. With the help of western companies, the Chinese government blocks or scrubs Web sites that it deems as troublemakers. Sites like CNN and certain Google searches are being censored. Try looking up Tiananmen Square while in China. No pictures of the 1989 student protest, certainly not the iconic picture of one man facing down a tank. In fact today many students at Beijing University couldn't even identify the photo.

Madam Speaker, as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, I'm especially concerned about the treatment of Chinese workers. We have learned that reeducation labor camps and dire working conditions are the norm, not the exception, in China. This year's Olympics offered China the opportunity to turn a corner, but instead China turned backward.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and call on the President to stand up for human rights in China.

Madam Speaker, the members of the Out of Iraq Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, and many other Members of this body have demanded that the administration change course in Iraq for many years now. We have also urged the administration to build a new foreign policy based on peaceful engagement, not on war.

For years the administration ignored us. We were voices in the wilderness. But today our ideas are winning wide acceptance, and they now occupy the center of the political debate.

We called for a timetable for the responsible redeployment of our troops and military contractors out of Iraq. In recent days even the presumptive Republican nominee for President has embraced this idea. The White House has talked about a time horizon for withdrawal. The Iraqi leaders, who are eager to regain their national sovereignty, have called for a firm timetable.

Perhaps most surprising, there has been sudden movement on the diplomatic front. A high-ranking State Department official sat down with Iran's nuclear negotiator, which the administration had stubbornly refused to do for over 6 years, and Secretary of State Rice met with her North Korean counterpart to urge North Korea to verify the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program.

We can only wonder how much could have been achieved, and how many lives could have been saved, if the administration had emphasized diplomacy all along.

These turn of events, however, didn't happen by themselves. They happened because so many of us in Congress and the American people demanded them.

Now we must demand even more change. We must demand a whole new foreign policy. America must reject saber-rattling and wars of choice and instead use the far more effective tools of diplomacy and international cooperation to achieve our national security goals. I hope that our next President will turn the page on the failed policies of the past and choose a new course.

I have offered a blueprint for change that can help us chart this course. It's a plan called SMART, which stands for Sensible, Multilateral American Response to Terrorism. I offer it again today because I believe that the American people are ready to support its principles.

SMART was developed with the help of Physicians For Social Responsibility, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Women's Action For New Directions.

SMART would end our isolation in the world and build strong international coalitions to fight terrorism and solve common challenges such as trade, the environment, and global health. It would strengthen our intelligence capabilities aimed at tracking and stopping terrorism. It would focus on stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction with vigorous inspection regimes, regional security arrangements, and a renewed commitment to nonproliferation. It would renew our commitment to the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, a program which has been successful in securing loose nuclear material. It would address the root causes of terrorism through an ambitious international development program, a program that includes initiatives for better education and health, initiatives which are the building blocks of stability and peace and the best way to deny new recruits to the terrorists. And it would reshuffle our budget to include a serious effort to develop alternative energy and end the addiction of foreign oil that threatens our security.

Madam Speaker, this is a time of profound change. The country is preparing for a new administration. Momentum is building for ending the occupation of Iraq sooner rather than later. We must begin now to answer the question, What happens after Iraq?

I hope that my colleagues will consider SMART a good way to start answering that question. It would send a clear signal that America is once again ready to respect the rule of law and human rights and work for peace in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Chairman Berman and Chairman Payne and Ranking Members Ros-Lehtinen and Smith for their excellent leadership on global health issues and on this AIDS bill.

I support H.R. 5501 because it is so very necessary. The statistics are staggering. In 2007, there were nearly 35 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS. In that year alone, 2.5 million people became infected with HIV, 420,000 were children under the age of 15. And most tragically, there were 2.1 million deaths, 330,000 children under the age of 15.

But Mr. Speaker, this is not only about statistics. This is about the child who must stay home from school to take care of her siblings when a parent dies of AIDS. We're talking about the mother, the mother who, because she lacked prenatal care, passed the disease onto her unborn child.

Today we can make a difference. We can say that one more diagnosis of HIV, one more AIDS death, one more malaria case is absolutely unacceptable. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and take a strong stand against this horrific pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, support is growing, finally, for setting a timetable for the responsible redeployment of American troops and military contractors from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki supports a timetable. A majority of the Iraqi Parliament supports a timetable. Both Houses of Congress have voted for a timetable. There is growing evidence that the majority of the Iraqi people support a timetable. And the American people certainly support a timetable.

Even the administration, which has spent more than 5 years turning a deaf ear to the American people, can finally hear the steady drumbeat of support for a timetable. Last week the administration agreed to what it called a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals in Iraq. This kind of statement is actually better than ``stay the course,'' which we have heard like a broken record from the White House for years. And it represents a victory for those who have been demanding a new direction in Iraq.

But the administration's position still falls far short of what is needed. A general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals is far too vague. When would the time horizon be reached? Nobody knows.

What is an aspirational goal? Nobody knows.

I believe the fuzzy wording is deliberate. It is obvious that the administration wanted to say something that sounds like a withdrawal but isn't a withdrawal. The loopholes in the administration's position are big enough to drive a truck through. I am afraid that a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals may just be another way of saying ``permanent occupation.''

Mr. Speaker, we need clarity in our policy. We need to set a firm timetable for redeployment and a firm date for complete redeployment. These dates should be set in a way that ensures the safety of our troops and guarantees that the redeployment will be orderly and responsible. And we need a clear statement that there will be no permanent U.S. bases in Iraq.

A firm timetable for redeployment will accomplish many important goals. It will return full sovereignty to the Iraqi people. It will give the Iraqis incentives to step up the pace for political reconciliation. It will hasten the day that the Iraqis are capable of taking full responsibility for their own security. It will take an enormous strain off our own military, which has been stretched to the breaking point by the occupation of Iraq. It will relieve the strain on our overburdened military families. It will help to stabilize the Middle East, and help the United States to be a more effective broker in peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

It will allow us to focus on a solution for Afghanistan, a solution that can win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. It will allow us to take billions of dollars that are being spent on the Iraq occupation and use that money instead for domestic needs and to help the American people deal with current hard times.

It will open the door for regional and for international partners to come into Iraq and to help with the reconstruction of that shattered nation. It will restore America's moral leadership in the world, and it will make us a more credible leader in the fight against terrorism. It will send a signal to the rest of the world that America is ready to be America again. That means a nation which respects the rule of law, that has compassion of the people of the world and that prefers peace over war.

Mr. Speaker, the administration's time horizon isn't enough. After more than 5 years of occupation, the only thing that should be on the horizon is a firm timetable for redeployment. That's what the American people and the Iraqi people want.

Madam Speaker, together with my colleague Mike Thompson, I rise today to recognize my good friend, Bob Jehn, who retired from public office on July 4, 2008 after serving 14 years on the city council of Cloverdale, California.

During Mr. Jehn's tenure on the council, he served four times as its mayor. He was also a three-term member of the board of directors on the League of California Cities, past chairman and the longest serving member of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, past chairman and member of the North Coast Rail Authority and chairman and member of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit Authority.

He was the driving force behind the establishment of Cloverdale River Park, a 70-acre public access area along the Russian River, and led the successful effort to secure a permanent conservation easement for 250 acres of hillside overlooking Cloverdale.

His other civic duties included service on the Cloverdale Planning Commission and former chair of the Cloverdale Economic Development Commission. He was an active member of the Cloverdale Rotary Club, the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, the Cloverdale Historical Society and the North Coast Association of Health Underwriters. He was honored by his community as volunteer of the year in 1994.

Mr. Jehn and his wife of 30 years, Nancy, moved to California in 1977 and to Cloverdale

in 1990. He is a graduate of the University of Texas and a Navy veteran, serving aboard the USS Force, MSO 445, an ocean mine sweeper, from June 1963 through May 1965.

Mr. Jehn plans to devote his time and his energies to his health insurance business and to his family, focusing and doting on his three grandchildren, Grace, 8, Billy, 6 and Sophia, 3.

Madam Speaker, Bob Jehn, has been an exceptional public servant. He has served the people of Cloverdale and Sonoma County well and it is fitting at this time that we honor him today and wish him well as he enters the next phase of his life.