Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise in support of the amendment offered by my colleague regarding UASI.

This amendment corrects a provision that arbitrarily limits UASI eligibility to the top 10 high-risk cities. This limitation would reduce locales eligible for UASI grants by more than 50 cities as compared to just last year, excluding cities such as Cleveland from receiving these grants.

The UASI grant program provides unique equipment planning and training to help local authorities, first responders, law enforcement, and agencies. This program specifically addresses the needs in high- threat urban areas to help these communities prepare, prevent, and protect and recover from a terrorist attack and other disasters.

Large cities are not the only targets for terrorist attacks. We know now Osama bin Laden urged his followers to plot attacks in smaller U.S. cities. Smaller cities were to be used as staging grounds to plan and test attacks in larger cities. That is why UASI is so important.

UASI funding has been utilized to equip, train, and exercise first responders and safety personnel for improvised explosive devices and WMD-specific events. If funding is completely cut, the lives of first responders and the public will be placed in grave danger due to the lack of equipment, training, and exercises.

The City of Cleveland launched the public safety systems automation project utilizing UASI funding to enhance the Cleveland Department of Public Safety information systems. This effort aided the city in its modernization of public safety systems. The new information systems include mobile computing systems that connect public safety officers to Federal, State, and county information in their vehicles, and computer- aided dispatch which facilitates the transmission of fire/EMF and police and automated vehicle location. These systems assist in mitigating emergencies, protecting safety personnel, and improving the protection of life and property.

Cleveland has applied its allotted portion of Department of Homeland Security money to: 1,400 personal protective equipment items; WMD training to over 1,700 safety personnel; NIMS/ICS training, Homeland Security planning personnel; surveillance equipment for areas of critical infrastructure; computer-aided dispatch for police, fire, and EMS; and the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center.

Homeland Security planning personnel are essential to strengthening the City of Cleveland's preparedness planning activities. They have outlined the downtown Cleveland emergency evacuation plan, inclement weather plan, emergency operations plan, and the continuity of operations plan, which provide important support to citizens during the event of a disaster. Without the planning personnel, the city's emergency management response capabilities would be severely limited, and the lives of first responders and the public would be in severe danger.

Mr. Chair, these funds are necessary to address the security needs of our Nation. I support this amendment and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the loss of jobs and services in America.

So far, this Republican-controlled Congress has had nearly 100 hearings, but not a single one has addressed the real issue in this country, which is jobs. Republican attempts to cut more than 50 percent--50 percent--of funding for Head Start, which will affect more than 200,000 children, and their proposal to cut 62 percent from Community Development Block Grants have hurt our communities. They are depriving hardworking Americans of services they need.

According to the latest Bloomberg national poll, when given five choices of the most important issues facing this Nation, 43 percent of all Americans picked unemployment and jobs as number one. Reducing the deficit and spending came in a distant second at 29 percent.

Madam Speaker, the American people want leadership that will create jobs and jump-start our Nation's economy.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House Floor during rollcall votes on H. Con. Res. 28 and H.R. 1076. Had I been present, I would have voted against both of these bills.

Thank you so very much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong opposition to attempts by the Republican Governor of Wisconsin and the Republican Governor of the State of Ohio, from which I hail, to undermine collective bargaining for public employees.

In my State, Ohio Senate Bill 5 is a measure currently under consideration by the Ohio General Assembly that would strip State workers of their collective bargaining rights. Today, this bill was approved by the Senate's Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee. It now moves to the State Senate floor for a final vote, which could begin as early as today.

This vote comes after Ohio State and local union workers gathered in protest yesterday at the statehouse. Just yesterday, more than 8,500 people surrounded the statehouse to express their disapproval.

I firmly support the right of public employees to collectively negotiate. Who are we as a Nation when we tell our firefighters, our police officers, and other public protectors that they don't deserve a say in their working conditions? Does a teacher's experience or education have no economic value?

Ohio's proposed legislation is less about fiscal responsibility than it is an overt political attack on public workers who speak with a collective voice.

As labor battles erupt in State capitals across this country, a majority of Americans say they oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employees.

I want to join with my colleagues today to just talk a bit about what is happening not just in Wisconsin--although we are here today because of all that has gone on in Wisconsin.

And I would now yield back to our chair so that we may discuss this in another form.

Let me just say to you--and I thank you for yielding and allowing me this time--as mayor of a city, I balanced budgets for 9 years. I understand what it takes to balance a budget.

But let me just suggest to you that Wisconsin, being very similar to Ohio, when you look at the fact that wages and benefits for public employees in the State of Ohio account for only 9 percent of the budget, so Ohio is saying, as you are, that they've got this huge, huge deficit. They're saying we've got an $8 billion deficit. Well, just like in Ohio, if we were to fire every single public employee in the State of Ohio, we would save about $2 billion this year. They would still have a $6 billion deficit. So public employees are not the problem.

And for them to suggest that the only thing they can talk about is wages is ridiculous. It is nothing more than a smokescreen. They are basically saying: We are taking all of your rights. And that is what it boils down to legally is that they really have no rights at all. There is no collective voice. There is nothing that they can do to protect themselves. They have taken away their seniority, their security. It is just, to me, the most barbaric thing I've seen in a long time.

I will yield.

My colleague, who also is a lawyer, was talking about that earlier in her remarks today.

I would say just to take a step further what my colleague has said, there is an assault on working people all over this country and in this House as well. As these communities and these States have become Republican controlled, we now hear as we talk about our own budget and our own CR that we have to deal with entitlement programs. And they continue to throw in there Social Security. It is not an entitlement program. It is funded by payroll taxes and taxes on employers. It is not an entitlement program. But we still today hear them talking about wanting to privatize it.

They want to take away the rights of workers across this country. It's not going to stop in Wisconsin, or Ohio, or in Indiana, or in Florida. It is a plan. And we need to realize it now, because all workers, and those as you talked about who are retired, are going to feel the effects of this as we go forward. So this is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a battle we have to win.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong opposition to attempts by the Republican Governor of Ohio to undermine collective bargaining for Ohio's public employees.

Ohio Senate bill 5 is a measure currently under consideration by the Ohio General Assembly that would strip State workers of collective bargaining rights. I firmly support the right of public employees to collectively negotiate. Who are we as a Nation when we tell our firefighters and our police officers and other public protectors that they should have no say in their working conditions? Does a teacher's experience or education have no economic value? Ohio's proposed legislation is less about fiscal responsibility than an overt political attack on public workers who speak with a collective voice.

As labor battles erupt in State capitals around the Nation, a majority of Americans say they oppose efforts to weaken the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, Americans are against cutting the pay or benefits of public workers to reduce State budget deficits.

We shouldn't forget, Mr. Speaker, the benefits that collective bargaining offers. For almost 28 years, collective bargaining has reduced labor strife, it has reduced the likelihood of strikes, improved training and productivity among public employees, created a sense of job security, and it is fair. It is fair to all working people.

The repeal of collective bargaining will do nothing to balance the budget. Nine percent of the State's budget is for State employees. So just as an example, if we fired every State employee in Ohio, it would save us only $2 billion, leaving the State without vital services, and there would still be a $6 billion deficit. Since this does not address the budget deficit, it is clear that anti-worker forces are using this to harm middle-income workers and to kill jobs.

I would like to share a observation with you that was from a former President of the United States, and I quote:

``Republicans stand foursquare for the American home--but not for housing. They are strong for labor--but they are stronger for restricting labor's rights. They favor minimum wage--the smaller the minimum wage, the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all--but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine--for people who can afford them. That is the philosophy of the masters of the Republican Party.''

These are the words of President Harry Truman, and they were spoken in 1948. These words ring as true today as they did in 1948. We have made too many advances over the past generations, and Americans should not be forced to choose between a job and their rights.

We cannot and should not return to the days when public workers had limited rights to bargain. The middle class was created and has been sustained by collective bargaining and other labor protections. The public sector is about working families. Rolling back these rights will hurt the middle-income wage earners of this country and will hurt America.

Ohio needs jobs, not a partisan victory. I urge members of the Ohio General Assembly to deliberate with care and avoid rushing to adopt a measure that weakens our middle class, weakens our State, and costs us jobs.

Madam Speaker, Republicans have introduced an irresponsible and dangerous spending bill that cuts jobs, threatens American innovation, and diminishes investments in rebuilding America. Republicans only want to offer Americans a pink slip. We all want to find an appropriate way to reduce our deficit, but this certainly is not the way.

Republicans have proposed a resolution that will not decrease the deficit, but that will add $5 trillion to the deficit through tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, unlimited war funding, and the repeal of the health care legislation. They have not presented a serious plan for actually addressing the deficit.

The irresponsible impact of Republican spending in education: Democrats are going to fight with everything we have to ensure that the next generation of students is prepared to become the educated workforce of tomorrow. But the Republicans believe that it is okay that more than 200,000 children will be kicked out of Head Start.

The Republicans believe that thousands of teachers should lose their jobs. The Republicans believe that Pell Grant recipients should lose $800 worth of financial support to pursue their educations.

In the area of innovation, America's competitiveness depends on our ability to innovate and keep America number one. Republicans believe that there should be 20,000 fewer researchers supported at the National Science Foundation. They believe that there should be a $1.4 billion reduction in science and energy research. They believe that there should be $2.5 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health, representing a significant setback in cancer and other diseases and research in general, which will especially hit hard the district I represent.

If we're talking about rebuilding America, Democrats support key investments in roads, schools, bridges that are critical for businesses to grow and that create good-paying American jobs. Republicans would rescind more than $2.5 billion for high-speed rail projects that have already been awarded. That would allow the loss of more than 25,000 new construction jobs and the cancellation of 76 projects in 40 States. Republicans would cut $234 million designed to improve our Nation's air traffic control system.

And as it relates to public safety, one of the most important things that a government does provide, we are here to take care of our people. We are to provide safety. The Republicans propose that more than 1,300 fewer cops should be on the streets because they are going to eliminate the COPS grants. And they would have 2,400 fewer firefighters on the job because they are going to eliminate funding for SAFER grants.

As President Obama said, we must out-innovate, out-educate, and out- build the rest of the world. Let's invest in America. Let us reject the Republican CR.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise to support Mr. Flake's amendment because saving $18 million from defense is a great start; but I do, indeed, oppose the underlying Republican continuing resolution.

Mr. Chairman, this resolution threatens jobs, American innovation, and jeopardizes investments that will rebuild America.

As a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, I believe that innovation will lead our Nation and our economy forward. We all know that basic research and technology development create jobs and will help America to win the future. The Republicans have this thing backwards. They have proposed cutting $2.5 billion to fund the National Institutes of Health. This $2.5 billion to NIH funding will be devastating to the biomedical industry that serves as the backbone of Cleveland and so many other communities across the country.

The innovative ways that scientists are pursuing solutions to human suffering with neuroimaging, genomics, and the development of novel treatments that arise from basic findings will improve life for all of us. Innovation will cut down on the costs of these illnesses, lost productivity in the workplace, and it will create important avenues for new investigations that will create new jobs, new ventures, and new industries.

We must continue to make investments in America. Our future is in innovation and technology development, and these cuts are not something we can afford. The loss of funding also means the loss of jobs.

Where are the jobs?

According to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, the Republican CR will cost more than 800,000 private and public jobs. Republicans have controlled the House for 41 days, nearly 2 months, and have brought up zero bills to create jobs. Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare. When Republicans say they're cutting costs, they mean cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid until they don't exist.

The American people want leadership that will create jobs and jump- start our Nation's economy. This careless resolution cuts jobs and damages the economy.

Again, I do support the amendment by Mr. Flake, but the Republican CR is bad for the American economy, and it is bad for Americans. I urge my colleagues to oppose the Republican CR and help put Americans back to work.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart I stand today to support this resolution and to encourage Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, her family and all victims of the Arizona shooting. I am in prayer for their well- being, their healing and their peace.

Gabby and I served together on the Science and Technology Committee, and we lived in the same DC apartment building. I learned of her passion for people and for her commitment to service. In her honor, I call for a return to compassion and an abandonment of hate-laden rhetoric.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ``Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.''

If I could speak directly to the American people, I would ask them to combat this great darkness with love, not with fear. I would ask them to combat this great darkness with a tide of hope and faith and perseverance and to understand our unity.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to offer my enthusiastic endorsement

of H. Res. 1746, recognizing and supporting the efforts of the non- profit organization, Welcome Back Veterans, in supplementing the world- class care that the Departments of Defense and Veterans' Affairs offer to our returning troops. The grassroots efforts of Welcome Back Veterans, Major League Baseball and the Boston Red Sox Foundation are testaments to the strength of the American spirit and patriotism.

We all owe our veterans a debt of gratitude that we cannot repay easily or quickly. As civilians, we will likely never be able to understand the sacrifice our veterans have made to safeguard the freedom we enjoy, the freedom that makes our Nation the greatest in the world. We can, however, honor our servicemembers by following the examples of Welcome Back Veterans by providing the resources they need to be healthy.

Major League Baseball also deserves praise for supporting the Welcome Back program for supporting the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder research being done at Massachusetts General in Boston, Weill Cornell in New York, the University of Michigan and Stanford University in California. These institutions have also moved into previously uncharted space by providing supportive services to the families of patients suffering from PTSD.

Additionally, the League recently honored service men and women on Veteran's Day. I'm fortunate to represent a veteran who made significant contributions to World War II and Major League Baseball, Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians' pitcher Bob Feller. Mr. Feller was the first major leaguer to volunteer for active duty, enlisting in the Navy on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after Pearl Harbor and 36 days after his 23rd birthday. After surviving some of the most violent, and important sea battles of the war, Feller returned to the Indians and finished his career with 266 wins and 2,581 strikeouts. Mr. Feller, without a doubt, was a phenomenal athlete and still is a true patriot. The League's honor of him and the other veterans reminds us not to take for granted the freedom to have a national pastime.

I am proud of all the veterans in my Congressional District, and in America. Many of these men and women shoulder the psychological burden of war long after they return home, and we must not let them do so alone. Thanks to the efforts of the Boston Red Sox Foundation, Major League Baseball, McCormick Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation and University Hospitals at Weill Cornell, the University of Michigan and Stanford University through Welcome Back Veterans and executive agencies, we are making sure our service men and women enjoy the quality of life they so bravely defended. Again, I applaud these efforts, and challenge members of Congress to continuously build public-private partnerships that advance the treatment of PTSD.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow members of Congress to vote for H.R. 5012, the Weekends Without Hunger Act, and support the millions of children facing food insecurity. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to implement a five-year pilot program to provide food commodities to nonprofits, which would, in turn, distribute those goods to children in need before weekends and extended holidays. In short, this program ensures that children do not go hungry when they are not in school.

This pilot program is modeled from the successful Food for Kids program developed by the nonprofit Arkansas Rice Depot. The concept for the program originated when a school nurse asked for help because she began seeing hungry students with stomachaches and dizziness. The local food bank began to send school children home with groceries in non- descript backpacks. In 2009, more than 140 Feeding America member food banks operated more than 3,600 BackPack for Kids Programs and served more than 190,000 children.

In my hometown, the Cleveland Foodbank adopted the program, BackPack for Kids, in 2005. Each week, food bank volunteers pack six wholesome, child friendly meals per student into plastic bags, and then cases are delivered to partner sites. The Foodbank protects kids' confidentiality by packaging the food in unmarked, non-descript backpacks. This approach is having a profound effect. In 2009, the Cleveland Foodbank distributed 45,666 backpacks to many of the 3,036 homeless children who live in Ohio's Eleventh Congressional District as well as other children whose families are in tough financial times. The Cleveland Foodbank is touching thousands of families and impacting the educational success of thousands of children in Northeast Ohio through the BackPack for Kids program. It is doing phenomenal work.

Imagine how many more children could be served through this commodity program. I implore the House to pass the Weekends Without Hunger Act because kids in need are guilty of nothing more than being born to low- income parents for which they should not be punished. In Cuyahoga County, 32 percent of children rely on food stamps to eat. Allowing any of these kids in my district to go hungry is simply unacceptable. The fact is they face a particularly high risk of hunger when they are not being fed through existing school programs. This bill presents a unique opportunity to help the neediest of children by giving them the security of knowing where their next meal will come from, a sentiment so basic that many of us take it for granted.

Thank you for the time.

Madam Speaker, here we go again. It's just a matter of delay, delay, no, no, no.

Eleven years ago, tens of thousands of black farmers settled a landmark

court case which addressed years and years of discrimination by the Department of Agriculture. Finally, finally, today, Madam Speaker, these farmers, these men and women who literally put food on our tables are receiving justice.

While litigation against the USDA for discrimination against black farmers began in August of 1997 with the Pigford and Glickman case, the injustice has spanned decades. Over 66,000 black farmers were routinely denied USDA farm loans or forced to wait, to wait and wait for loan approvals much longer than non-minorities. These farmers faced foreclosure and financial ruin because of USDA's discriminatory denials and unconscionable actions. Many of these farmers died, helplessly, hopelessly waiting for justice. Today, finally this Congress will pass the funding legislation, which is about more than just money; today's vote is about justice.

Now, make no mistake, I do indeed take issue with redirecting money from our Nation's needy infants and children to right this wrong. However, justice delayed is justice denied, and I would hope that my colleagues across the aisle who keep talking about fraud, we've been talking about Pigford for years, if there is fraud, where is your proof? Madam Speaker, I say today that there is no fraud. The courts have put in every single hoop they can possibly put in for black farmers to jump through. It is time for us to pay these people their just due.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to share the recent success of the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Safe Surrender Program in my home of Northeast Ohio. From September 22 through 25, 2010, 7,431 fugitives surrendered and took advantage of the Fugitive Safe Surrender program held at Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood Village, Ohio. This set a new national record for fugitive surrenders in the program. Nearly 500 wanted felons, including individuals wanted on federal and out-of-state warrants all peacefully surrendered during the four-day program, representing over 12,000 outstanding warrants.

Law enforcement, judiciary at the municipal, state and federal level, Pastor Larry L. Macon Sr. of Mt. Zion, and over 40 partnering organizations joined together to offer those with outstanding warrants the ability to peacefully surrender within the safe environment of Mt. Zion Church. This program could not have succeeded without their extraordinary commitment of time and resources.

As you know, Fugitive Safe Surrender is administered by the Marshals Service in states with a particularly high volume of fugitive warrants, such as Ohio. The goal of Fugitive Safe Surrender is to reduce risks to police officers in pursuit of fugitives, neighborhoods where felons often hide, and possible injury to the fugitives themselves. Authorized by Congress in July 2006 and signed into law in 2007, it is believed to be the first program of its kind in the Nation. I am very proud that this program was created in 2005 by my friend, U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott in the Northern District of Ohio.

After Cleveland Police Officer Wayne Leon was shot and killed by a wanted fugitive, Marshal Elliott recognized the need for more safety in capturing felons and those persons wanted on outstanding warrants. Marshal Elliott found this creative approach to reduce violence between fugitives and law enforcement. The first year Marshal Elliott launched the program in Cleveland, 850 fugitives peacefully surrendered.

Building on this innovative program, Marshal Elliot later helped lead the program in 10 cities and was urged by mayors nationwide to implement the program in their communities. Since then, 30,000 wanted individuals have surrendered through the program in 18 cities across our nation in the past five years.

Fugitive Safe Surrender is a success. In addition to violent fugitives, thousands of individuals wanted for non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes have also felt comfortable in voluntarily surrendering in faith-based or other neutral settings established by the program.

Madam Speaker, the House's endorsement of the National Criminal Justice Commission is a major victory as the bill moves towards final passage. My constituents believe a thorough examination of America's criminal system is needed, and I agree.

Our Nation has approximately 5 percent of the world's population, but roughly 25 percent of the world's prison population. About 1 of every 45 adults is currently behind bars, which is five times the world's average incarceration rate. These rates indicate inconsistencies and flaws within our judicial system. This must change.

African Americans are far more likely to be incarcerated for drug offenses than other groups. We represent only 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 74 percent of America's drug offenders who have been sentenced to prison. This must change.

If we fail to implement effective reform, our Nation will continue to spend more on prisons while depleting already financially stressed State budgets. As significantly, we will not make our communities safer or reduce high recidivism rates.

I look forward to the day we receive the Commission's report. Then we can begin the crucial task of reforming and improving America's ailing criminal justice system.

Madam Speaker, for almost 75 years, Social Security has helped Americans save for retirement and has provided the supplemental income they could count on in their golden years. For almost as long, congressional Republicans have attacked Social Security and are doing so yet again.

The Republicans' efforts are unconscionable and inexcusable. They fail to realize Social Security is earned, not gifted, to American workers. It comes from a lifetime of hard work and investment.

Democrats will not let Republicans play politics with this benefit. They will not and must not succeed in robbing seniors of the benefits they have earned and deserve.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 days to revise and extend their remarks in the Record on this topic.

Madam Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC, is proud to anchor this hour on jobs and the economy.

Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.

CBC members are advocates for the human family, nationally and internationally, and have played a significant role as local and regional activists. We continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress, but we understand that all politics are local. Therefore, we provide dedicated and focused service to the citizens and to the congressional districts we serve. The vision of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus to promote the public welfare through legislation, designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens, continues to be a focal point for the legislative work and political activities of the Congressional Black Caucus today.

I would now yield to our leader, our chairwoman, the Honorable Barbara Lee from California.

Madam Speaker, I would very much like to thank the gentlelady from California, who has been a tireless advocate for the jobless, the homeless, the helpless, the hopeless. This caucus is better for her being a member.

At this time I would like to yield to my colleague from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

Thank you so much, my friend and colleague, Mr. Johnson, who is always on top of issues. I so much appreciate you joining us this evening. It is always a pleasure to hear your views on the various topics that we cover. Thank you so much.

Madam Speaker, I would now like to take an opportunity to, as well, yield to a person who has been very active in discussing the issue of jobs, who understands very, very well some of the legislation that has been passed by this House.

My friend and colleague from the State of Maryland has been active in every single issue that we have addressed in this body to deal with jobs and on the economy. And it's just, indeed, a real pleasure for me to yield some time to her this evening, because she is always very, very prepared and very knowledgeable, and I think very informative.

At this time, I would yield to my friend and colleague, the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards).

Thank you so very much.

Again, as I expressed before you began your remarks that you are always informative and very accurate as to the situation we find ourselves in the House. It is certainly always a pleasure to work with you and for you to continue to fight for the American people because indeed they do deserve a payday. And I thank you.

I will now yield to my good friend and colleague, the dean of the Ohio delegation, a delegation of which I'm a member. It's always a pleasure to see you. I will now yield to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

I absolutely agree with you 100 percent. If we don't start to make things again in this Nation, we may, in fact, have a permanent underclass of people who will never work again, people who grew up in blue collar communities like mine who work with their hands and by the sweat of their brow. It is going to be very difficult if we don't start to make things again.

It's going to be very difficult to come out of this recession if we don't start to look at some of the mistakes we've made in the past and try to correct them. We know how to create jobs. I know in the 8 years of the Clinton administration we created over 20 million jobs, less than 2 million under the Bush administration. We know what we're doing, if they would just allow us to do the work that the people have sent us here to do. I thank you so much.

I thank you because we are making the right steps. We're moving in the right direction, and it's going to take some time; but we know that we're doing the right thing. So I thank you so much for being here.

I would now yield to my friend and colleague who joins me just about every week, who sheds new information and sheds light on things that sometimes the rest of us don't quite think about, and that is my dear friend, the gentlelady from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

I want to thank my friend for being here. She always does bring a different view. Just to see those photographs says an awful lot, you know. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it's just important for people to understand that these are real people that we are talking about.

You talked about we need a jobs bill. We just don't need one; we need it now.

So I thank you for saying to our colleagues in the other body, especially the Republican Senators, it is time for them to understand that the American people need them now more than ever, and I thank you so much for being here.

Madam Speaker, in the fall of 2008, our economy was in its worst shape since the Great Depression. Predatory and subprime lending were at an all-time high. The housing bubble had just burst and many of our largest financial institutions had gone bankrupt. Retirement and savings accounts were cut in half, forcing many to stave off retirement and continue working well into their golden years. Over 200,000 American workers were being laid off each month. In the State of Ohio, unemployment was growing rapidly, quickly approaching double-digit numbers. In my district, the unemployment rate was even higher.

In October of 2008, I arrived in Congress with the goal to help struggling Americans. My number one priority has been to promote policies that create jobs and spur economic development. I have consistently advocated for such policies. The Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic leadership made it our duty and our responsibility to advocate for jobs.

Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Congress Tax Loopholes Act. In Ohio alone, Madam Speaker, this legislation would have extended unemployment and COBRA benefits to 86,000 workers. It would have provided college tuition deductions to 153,000 students and allocated over $42 million for youth summer jobs.

For the Nation, H.R. 4213 would have provided $500 million to restore credit to small businesses, the same small business that are creating most of the jobs in this Nation. It would extend the research and development tax credit. And, finally, it would have granted $25 billion in bonds for infrastructure development. However, Madam Speaker, there has been no action on the part of the Senate while Americans continue to suffer.

In May of 2010, the House Appropriations Committee drafted a war supplemental that included necessary funding that protected our soldiers abroad and our workers at home. This thoughtful legislation included $23 billion to save jobs for teachers, $5.7 billion for Pell Grants, $1.2 billion for COPS grants, and $500 million to save firefighter jobs. However, once again, Madam Speaker, the Senate passed the legislation without any of these necessary job creation measures. The Senate must act now to help hardworking Americans.

The Congressional Black Caucus and the House Democratic leadership fought to keep creation and job-saving measures in this bill. We fought back and sent legislation that included $10 billion to save teachers' jobs, almost $5 billion for Pell Grants, $4.6 billion for settlements of the Pigford and Cobell discrimination cases. On Thursday, this past Thursday, the Senate once again rejected these measures.

I have always believed that it is the job of government to help its people. If we are not helping the people that we represent, I don't know why we are here.

I asked the Senate, Where is your job creation legislation? What are you doing to help teachers, to help police officers and firefighters? What are you doing to get the American people back to work?

We cannot allow American families to suffer through these difficult times any longer. They are counting on job creation measures, and we cannot let them down. I urge the Senate, Madam Speaker, to move quickly to help create jobs to get Americans back to work.

If we do not allow Americans to go back to work and make people believe that because you are unemployed you are lazy, to make people believe that because you are unemployed that you don't want to work, it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life. The people I meet in my district every day, every weekend that I am home, they talk about wanting jobs. They talk about how they have been laid off. They talk about wanting to get jobs for the young people.

Do you know, this may be the first summer in history where young people's jobs may, in fact, be feeding their families, but yet we can't pass a jobs bill that will allow young people to work for the summer. If young people have things to do, maybe we wouldn't have the kinds of issues that Marcy Kaptur talked about.

We have to find a way to say to the American people that we do, in fact, hear you; that we do, in fact, know that you are our neighbors, our friends; that we know that you are the people who are in most need.

If we can't help those who need it the most, we really are a group of people who has lost sight of what our role is. I mean, yes, there are people doing very, very well here. Corporations have made more money in the last year, I think it's something like 43 percent, their profits are running 43 percent higher than they did the year before, but yet we can't take care of the everyday person on Main Street? They are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and something needs to be done.

And so I would, at this time, Madam Speaker, yield back my time with the caveat that I expect that the Senate will do its job because certainly those of us in the House will continue to do ours.