Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I request the attached copy of the annual statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama marking March 10, 2005 as the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising of 1959 be included in the Congressional Record.

On March 10, 1959, the people of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa surrounded the home of the Dalai Lama in a brave effort to protect him from the Peoples' Liberation Army's guns that were trained on his compound from across the river. These Tibetans refused to leave even after the Chinese artillery fire began falling. On March 17, 1959, the Dalai Lama fled into exile in a futile effort to protect them; thousands died during the Chinese assault on the city, and thousands more died as the PLA moved to suppress a nationwide uprising against their increasingly repressive occupation of Tibet.

Despite China's history of aggression and brutality, the Dalai Lama has worked for more than forty years to promote Tibetan self- determination through non-violent means. I am proud that the U.S. Congress is a beacon of support for the Tibetan struggle. As the lead sponsor of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, I was pleased to see the Congress come together recently in support of a strong U.S. policy on Tibet.

The Dalai Lama's release of his annual March 10 statement today highlights key points regarding for the Tibetan people and the world. Four decades of Chinese-led economic and social changes in Tibet have not primarily benefitted the Tibetan people. There continues to be instability in Tibet not because of ``splittist activities'', but because of a profound lack of human rights, religious freedom and self- rule on the ground in Tibet. China itself has made tremendous economic progress during the past twenty or thirty years, but China's image in the world remains tarnished by her human rights records, undemocratic actions, the lack of the rule of law and the unequal implementation of autonomy rights regarding minorities. The renewed contact between the Tibetan and Chinese leadership, including the third round of meetings last September, are resulting in gradually improving interactions. It is my hope the future will continue to see improvements in the dialog.

The Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 46th Anniversary of

the Tibetan National Uprising Day

On the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Tibetan

People's Uprising, I convey my warm greetings to my fellow

Tibetans in Tibet and in exile and to our friends around the

world.

During these more than four decades great changes have

taken place in Tibet. There has been a great deal of economic

progress along with development in infrastructure. The

Golmud-Lhasa railway link that is being built is a case in

point. However, during the

same period much has been written by independent journalists

and travelers to Tibet about the real situation in Tibet and

not what they have been shown. Most of them portray a very

different picture than what the Chinese government claims,

clearly criticizing China about the lack of human rights,

religious freedom and self-rule in Tibet. What has actually

happened and is still happening is that since the

establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region the real

authority has been solely held by Chinese leaders. As for the

Tibetan people, they have been facing suspicions and growing

restrictions. The lack of true ethnic equality and harmony

based on trust, and the absence of genuine stability in Tibet

clearly shows that things are not well in Tibet and that

basically there is a problem.

Prominent and respected Tibetan leaders in Tibet have

spoken out on this from time to time and even suffered

because of their courageous acts. In the early 1960s, the

late Panchen Lama outlined the sufferings and aspirations of

the Tibetan people in his petition to the Chinese leaders.

Baba Phuntsok Wangyal, one of the foremost Tibetan communist

leaders, in his recent biography published in English dwells

at length on the need to meet the interests of the Tibetan

people. In fact, it is clear that most senior Tibetan

officials in Tibet deep in their hearts are extremely

dissatisfied.

This year the Chinese government will mark the 40th

anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous

Region. There will be much fanfare and many commemorative

events to celebrate the occasion but these will be

meaningless when they do not reflect the ground realities.

For example, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural

Revolution were celebrated with great pomp as real

achievements at the time they took place.

China has made tremendous economic progress during the past

more than two decades. China today is not what it was twenty

or thirty years ago. Much has changed in China. As a result

she has become a major player in the world and China rightly

deserves this position. It is a big nation with a huge

population and a rich and ancient civilization. However,

China's image is tarnished by her human rights records,

undemocratic actions, the lack of the rule of law and the

unequal implementation of autonomy rights regarding

minorities, including the Tibetans. All these are a cause for

more suspicion and distrust from the outside world.

Internally, they are an obstacle to unity and stability that

are of utmost importance to the leaders of the People's

Republic of China. In my view, it is important that as China

becomes a powerful and respectable nation she should be able

to adopt a reasonable policy with confidence.

The world in general, of which China is a part, is changing

for the better. In recent times there is definitely a greater

awareness and appreciation for peace, non-violence,

democracy, justice and environmental protection. The recent

unprecedented response from governments and individuals

across the world to the tsunami disaster victims reaffirms

that the world is truly interdependent and the importance of

universal responsibility.

My involvement in the affairs of Tibet is not for the

purpose of claiming certain personal rights or political

position for myself nor attempting to stake claims for the

Tibetan administration in exile. In 1992 in a formal

announcement I stated clearly that when we return to Tibet

with a certain degree of freedom I will not hold any office

in the Tibetan government or any other political position and

that the present Tibetan administration in exile will be

dissolved. Moreover, the Tibetans working in Tibet should

carry on the main responsibility of administering Tibet.

I once again want to reassure the Chinese authorities that

as long as I am responsible for the affairs of Tibet we

remain fully committed to the Middle Way Approach of not

seeking independence for Tibet and are willing to remain

within the People's Republic of China. I am convinced that in

the long run such an approach is of benefit to the Tibetan

people for their material progress. It is encouraging that

there is support from various parts of the world for this

approach as being reasonable, realistic and of mutual benefit

to the Chinese and Tibetans. I am particularly encouraged by

the recognition and support that has come from certain

quarters of the intellectual circle from within China.

I am happy with our renewed contacts with the Chinese

leadership and that the third round of meetings last

September shows that gradually our interactions are

improving. Now that our elected political leadership is

shouldering more responsibility in Tibetan affairs, I have

advised them to look into the issues raised by the Chinese

side during our third round of talks and to take steps to

address or clarify them as needed. We remain hopeful that

eventually we will be able to develop the necessary trust

and resolve this long-standing issue to our mutual

benefit.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express

the Tibetan people's gratitude and appreciation to the people

and Government of India for their steadfast sympathy and

support. I very much feel a part of this nation not only

because of the centuries-old religious and cultural ties that

India and Tibet enjoyed but also because I and most of the

Tibetans in exile lived in India for the past 45 years.

I offer my prayers to the brave men and women of Tibet who

gave their lives for the cause of Tibetan freedom.

Mr. Speaker, as co-Chairman of the Congressional Kidney Caucus, I would like to recognize that March is National Kidney Month. The Kidney Caucus partners with groups such as the National Kidney Foundation to increase public awareness of risk factors for chronic kidney disease and emphasize the importance of early detection. Anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of kidney disease is at risk.

This March, the National Kidney Foundation is urging all those at risk to undergo a kidney screening. Simple urine and blood tests during a routine doctor's visit can show the earliest signs of kidney damage. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 20 million Americans--that's one in nine adults--have chronic kidney disease. More than 20 million more are at increased risk for developing the disease. Nearly half of all Americans with chronic kidney disease are unaware of their condition.

Early detection and intervention can halt the progression of the disease before it reaches kidney failure, at which point there are no other alternatives but dialysis or transplantation. Catching kidney disease at an early stage saves patient's lives and saves the taxpayer tremendous sums otherwise spent on costly dialysis and transplant procedures. Please help me honor National Kidney Month by urging those at risk for kidney disease to take this threat seriously and undergo a screening.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Rarely in human history have so many been armed by so few in a crass and cynical pursuit of profit at the expense of Asia's peace. The word should go forth that the French President is

determined to sell weapons that will be aimed at Japan and Korea and Taiwan and the Philippines and the men and women of the United States military. These weapons will be built in France and pointed directly at the people who serve in the United States Navy.

In lifting the arms embargo against China, Europe will be making an enormous mistake. Europe's short-term concern with the corporate bottom line will lead to greater conflict and increased peril for Americans serving in uniform. Since 1989, China has been almost cut off from European technology, and China's leaders have responded by a cooperative foreign policy designed to lift this embargo so they can arm to the teeth as the rising power of Asia to challenge the other powers, all democracies on her periphery.

If you are pro-U.S. Navy, you should be against this. If you are pro- Japanese, you should be against this. If you are pro-Indian, you should be against this. Because these European weapons will be directed at each of these democracies.

This is a very short-term decision for a very few profits, and it is Jacques Chirac that is doing this. That will create greater insecurity in Asia, lay the seeds for a conflict, and maybe the death of Americans caused by French weapons sold for short-term profits.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize three exceptional high school students in my District: Allison Nichols, Brittany Saltiel, and Sara Siegal. With the help of Barry Bradford, their inspirational teacher, what began as a National History Day project became an award- winning documentary entitled We Are Not Afraid.

These Stevenson High School students reexamined the Mississippi Burning case, the 1964 murders of three civil rights volunteers. In 1967, seven men were convicted on Federal conspiracy charges, but none were charged with murder. But, finally on January 6, 2005, a Mississippi grand jury indicted Edgar Ray Killen for the murders of these volunteers.

The efforts of these girls led me to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 457, which called on the Mississippi Attorney General to reopen the case; and I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) for his leadership on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, this was a milestone for American justice. I could not be more proud of the interests and dedication of these young women, and I want to thank Mr. Bradford and the Stevenson High School team for their dedication to justice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill to fully fund the Impact Aid program. Earlier today, along with twenty-seven bi- partisan co-sponsors I introduced the Government Reservation Accelerated Development for Education Act or GRADE-A bill.

This bill is intended to fulfill an obligation the Federal Government made in 1950 when Congress established the Impact Aid program. Impact Aid was created because Congress recognized the obligation of the federal government to assist school districts and communities that experience a loss in their local property tax base due to the presence of the federal government. Between 1950 and 1969, the Impact Aid program was fully funded by Congress. Since that time, the funding level has not kept pace with the amount required to cover the federal government's tax obligation.

Overseas, the Department of Defense runs many schools for the dependents of U.S. service personnel. Many people ask why the Department does not run such schools within the United States. The answer is that the children of military personnel already suffer enough

with their parents on long deployments overseas. We should not segregate military kids from schools when stationed here in their own country. Military kids also tend to be high achievers with parents that on average are model citizens. They tend to pull up the academic and athletic achievements of the schools they attend.

With thousands of servicemen and women risking everything overseas, I can think of no better way to set their minds at ease then by taking care of their families back home. This support should begin with assuring our soldiers that their children are receiving a quality education. There are 15 million school children in this Nation who are eligible for Impact Aid. Enrolled in one of the 1,300 eligible school districts, these children depend on their schools to provide them with an education and their parents depend on the schools to act as a community of support while they are deployed.

In my district, 36 percent of all students attending North Chicago's School District 187 are ``Impact Aid'' children. Currently, there is no guarantee that North Chicago will receive the maximum amount that Impact Aid has promised to provide for its students. We must guarantee our servicemen and women a quality education for their families.

But an even more pressing issue occurs at two other school districts in my district. About one in twenty students in School District 225 (Glenview), as well as School Districts 112 and 113 (Highwood/Highland Park), are Impact Aid children. Due to the current funding formulas, District 225 only receives $110,000, and Districts 112/113 $100,000. The money they receive is 90 percent short of the cost of educating these children. This shortfall creates a strain on the school districts overall.

The quickest way to take a soldier or sailor's mind off their mission is to have them worrying about their children's education. Kids from military families come from some of the hardest working, most patriotic families, but the schools they attend sometimes face short funding. This is because of the way we fund our Nation's schools. Impact Aid honors our commitment to military. It guarantees that those families who serve to protect our freedom are in turn protected by the federal government.

We should support the Impact Aid program because it is the right thing to do to make sure schools near military bases are adequately funded. We should also support this program because it is important to the future of our country's defense. The United States established the all-volunteer military thirty years ago. After decades of experience, we now know that the children of military personnel are the most likely to join the military. This means that the Impact Aid program is not only helping families now on active duty but also educating young men and women who are the most likely to become the future backbone of the armed forces.

This bill was the first piece of legislation that I introduced in the 107th Congress. We attracted above 20 co-sponsors. In the 108th Congress, we attracted above 40 co-sponsors. Clearly the time is coming when this bill must become law.

Our constitution commands that the first job of the federal government is to ``provide for the common defense.'' As we improve the pay and benefits of men and women in uniform, we must also support their kids and the local schools they attend. This may take many years to accomplish but the time is now to support schools that educate the children whose parents wear our Nation's uniform. Let us recognize our duty to America's children and to our military.

Mr. Speaker, if you believe in today's Boxer Rebellion, you must believe that the 627 million votes for President Bush do not count. You must believe that the 50 Secretaries of State who certified their elections were all wrong. You must believe that Ohio's Secretary of State lied in his solemn certification of Ohio's electorate. You must believe that Senator Kerry was all wrong when he said the election should be decided by voters, not lawyers.

Today, you will hear from Members of Congress who want to choose a President here in Congress because they do not like the choice that was made at the voting booth. But, here in America, elections should be decided at home at the ballot box and not here by extremist Members of Congress who show themselves on national television to be sore losers.

Mr Speaker, I call attention to the link between cardiovascular risk and kidney disease. On December 6, 2004, the Congressional Kidney Caucus, in cooperation with the National Kidney Foundation, sponsored a luncheon in which Dr. George Bakris, MD, from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, spoke on this troubling trend. I submit Dr. Bakris' remarks for the Record:

Cardiovascular Risk and Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is a silent killer, in that, there are no

signs or symptoms until you lose >70% of your kidney

function. A 50% loss of kidney function increases your risk

of a cardiovascular event (heart attack, stroke, sudden

death, heart failure) to more than double that of the general

population. The risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, if

you've lost 50% or more of your kidney function, is similar

to that of having had a heart attack. Aggressive measures to

achieve guideline goals (JNC7, ADA, NCEP) for blood sugar

(HbAlc less than 7%), blood pressure (less than 130/80mmHg)

and cholesterol levels (less than 200mg/dl) reduce both

cardiovascular risk and risk of kidney disease progression.

According to the most recent NHANES 1999-2000 data only 7.3%

of Americans with diabetes, the most common cause of kidney

disease achieve all three of these goals.

The crisis of chronic kidney disease is that it is ``under-

diagnosed, under-treated,'' and the relationship of chronic

kidney disease to cardiovascular disease, ``under-

recognized.'' It is now estimated that 1 in every 9 adults--

approximately 20 million Americans--has chronic kidney

disease and most don't know it. The morbidity

(hospitalizations, disability) associated with cardiovascular

events in people with kidney disease is significantly higher

than people without kidney disease. This translates into very

high expenditures on the part of Medicare as well as lost

wages and a reduced work force due to this disease. At the

current rate of increase in kidney disease, we can expect a

doubling of the number of people with kidney failure by 2010

at a projected cost of 28.3 billion dollars annually.

Therefore, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and

development of kidney disease requires a preventive strategy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time, and I just wanted in this colloquy to read a statement that was inadvertently deleted from the conference report regarding Waukegan Harbor.

``The Conferees recognize the progress achieved over the last year by the parties involved in the Waukegan Harbor project. However, it is important that this fiscal year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finishes its requirements so next year dredging of the Inner Harbor may begin, such as finishing the Comprehensive Dredging Management Plan, the National Environmental Protection Act requirements, and Plans and Specifications. All of these requirements must be completed for dredging work to begin on the Inner Harbor. Once final dredging is concluded, the Harbor can be considered for delisting as an Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission. The Conferees urge the Chicago District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to continue working towards a final resolution of cleaning of the Harbor.''

Is that the Chairman's understanding.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

I thank the chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of turn at this time.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago Osama bin Laden was able to run his al Qaeda network freely, thanks to the protection of the Taliban regime. Today, he is on the run, frequently crossing the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan to elude coalition forces.

Last January, I traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan to determine how Osama bin Laden continues to avoid capture. When I traveled to the Kyber Agency, I was reminded that the State Department had run a very successful rewards program that had previously led to the arrest and capture of Mir Amal Kansi, a terrorist who had murdered two CIA employees and injured three others in a 1993 shooting outside CIA headquarters in Virginia. The promise of a significant monetary reward was enough for some Pakistanis to turn Kansi in to the proper authorities. The program worked before, and it could easily work again.

When I returned, I talked to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the Committee on International Relations, and had help from the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the ranking Democratic member, and we introduced legislation to increase the maximum reward this program could offer from 25 to $50 million for some of the world's most dangerous terrorists. It made sense that we increase the reward for information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden. Additionally, our bill allowed the State Department to use non-cash awards, and in a rural community, the provision of a truck or feed or farm animals can mean a lot in a rural community which could provide information leading to the arrest of Osama bin Laden.

I am pleased to report this legislation was included in the omnibus appropriations bill that was just passed by the House of Representatives. When the President signs this bill into law, he will give the State Department a new and powerful tool that can be used in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his senior associates.

Bottom line, with passage of this bill the reward for the arrest of Osama bin Laden can rise to $50 million. The passage of this bill could not come at a more critical moment, as earlier this week both the United Nations and the White House issued their latest estimate for the Afghan poppy harvest for the year. The estimate did not contain good news.

This year, the crop yielded enough poppy to produce 4,950 metric tons of opium. This represented a 239 percent increase in the crop last year. Evidence suggests that Afghanistan is in danger of becoming a narcostate; and worse, we know that al Qaeda and the remnants of the Taliban are now primarily funded by the sale of heroin.

Following the September 11 attack, the U.S. targeted bin Laden's Afghan sanctuary. We destroyed the Taliban's bases and bin Laden abandoned his terrorist training camps and also abandoned his foreign fund-raising efforts; but in their place, he and the Taliban have turned to the sale of heroin to finance terrorism. It appears that bin Laden and his patron, Mullah Omar, plan to rely more heavily on heroin profits than ever before.

The international community wrongly praised the Taliban when Mullah Omar eradicated Afghanistan's poppy crop in 2001. They failed to see that the Taliban only destroyed poppies after it had stored tons of opium paste in its own warehouses. The purpose of Mullah Omar's touted eradication was an effort simply to corner the market on heroin for greater profits.

During my mission to Afghanistan earlier this year, the brave new antinarcotics minister for Afghanistan, Mirwais Yassini, noted that one Afghan drug kingpin, Haji Bashir Noorzai, delivered 2,000 kilograms of heroin every 8 weeks to al Qaeda operatives. At the market price in Pakistan, this one supply chain alone would yield Osama bin Laden $28 million a year. The 9/11 Commission estimated that the September 11 attack cost only $500,000.

Passage of this law shows that we are recognizing the growing connection between bin Laden's finances and the sale of heroin. During consideration of intelligence legislation, I offered an amendment calling for the administration to study the feasibility of bringing the Drug Enforcement Agency back in to the formal intelligence community. My amendment passed unanimously, underscoring how critical it is to recognize the connection between drug cartels and terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, Congress has turned up the heat on bin Laden today. Our new law raises the top award to $50 million. We also allow for rewards to help in the arrest of drug kingpins who finance terror. We also give greater flexibility to paying awards in commodities, such as a truck or grain, that can mean a great deal to a rural family.

I applaud the action of the Congress and urge the President to make full use of his new authority to offer a $50 million award for the arrest of Osama bin Laden.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola) and want to say that this was a resounding majority for the President of the United States. Unlike previous elections for the White House where a plurality of voters supported the candidate, this candidate won a solid majority of the American people.

When we look to who else won the majority, we look at some of the new stars that have come into the Congress to take their places as Members- elect: like Dave Reichert from Washington's 8th district, an expert on both domestic and international security. He brings with him a wealth of experience in law enforcement where he delivered a remarkable record of service to the citizens of King County, Washington. Prior to his election to Congress, Reichert served as King County Sheriff since 1997, and he work within the sheriff's office since 1972 after serving in the United States Air Force.

I will say that Dave Reichert joins a very small number of veterans still serving in the Congress. There was a time when three-quarters of us had military backgrounds. Now we are down to just one in five, but Dave Reichert will be one of those advocates for Americans in uniform. During his leadership as sheriff, Reichert brought national recognition to the sheriff's office as head of a task force that solved one of the largest serial murder cases in U.S. history, apprehending the infamous Green River Killer. The people of Washington are safer because Dave Reichert chose public service.

He is the recipient of the prestigious 2004 National Sheriff's Association Sheriff of the Year Award and is a two-time Medal of Valor Award recipient from the King County sheriff's office.

Dave is a graduate of Concordia Lutheran College in Portland, where he played football and met his wife of now 34 years, Julie Reichert.

The Reicherts currently have three grown children, Angela, Tabitha and Daniel, and no less than five grandchildren. He is a family man and expert on international security and especially domestic law enforcement.

Now joining him is another star of our class, Patrick McHenry from North Carolina, an expert on the Internet, someone who knows about labor issues and is a key to building the ownership society as a real estate broker.

Prior to his election, he was a State legislator in North Carolina, worked as an executive with DCI/New Media, Incorporated, and served as a director of the Bush for 2000 Presidential Campaign.

He served his country and the United States Department of Labor and, yes, is a licensed real estate broker and owner of his own real estate company, someone who brings that service to the Congress who can help Americans take part in the ownership society that the President has talked about.

Patrick McHenry also knows to those that are given great abilities much is expected, and Patrick McHenry sits on the board of directors of the United Way's Success By 6 youth program.

He brings these skills in real estate for ownership, in Internet- based economy, in making sure that we know how to support charities and how to make sure that we give back to the community.

For all of these reasons, we are thrilled that Patrick McHenry joins us as well as Dave Reichert, with other stars, to join in the Republican ranks here in the House, and I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, on June 23, 2004 during the debate of the Simmons amendment to H.R. 4548, the Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2005, I was misquoted in the Congressional Record. My statement should have read:

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Simmons amendment.

Unlike some other amendments in this bill that are offered

for partisan advantage, this amendment is offered by a former

CIA officer with detailed knowledge of how the U.S.

intelligence community works. To my knowledge, there are only

three current Members of Congress who worked with the CIA:

our chairman, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss), the

author of this amendment; the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr.

Simmons); and me, who was detailed to the CIA from navy

intelligence.

This amendment seeks to change our intelligence culture to

become more effective in the age of the Internet. Today,

every two-bit terror organization in the world has a Web site

broadcasting information on its activities. Internet news,

political parties, and foreign government sites all offer new

material to our intelligence community.

For years in the cold war, our enemies collected open-

source data on us, but we were forced to collect secret data

on them. That is now changing. There is a wealth of open-

source data on our adversaries. Every analyst in the

community should be encouraged to use as much current and

accurate open-source data as possible; and I applaud the

gentleman, who knows the CIA so well, for offering this

amendment to keep our culture up to date with the current

technology.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment corrects a critical problem with our intelligence community and adds a needed bipartisan recommendation to the reforms we have in the underlying legislation. We have known for quite some time that the sale of elicit narcotics and terrorism go hand in hand. This link is now firm and is clear with regard to the terrorist activities and terrorist groups in Colombia. It is also clear in Peru, but this phenomenon has spread far beyond Latin America and is evident in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, I traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the key frontier border area of such concern to the United States, and there I learned a new fact, that Osama bin Laden's connection to his family fortune has been reduced. His connection to donations to the United States and Europe has been reduced, but he has a new source of income. Osama bin Laden is now becoming one of the world's largest dealers in heroin. Through just one of his supply organizations, bin Laden's lieutenants are earning at least $28 million from the sale of narcotics through Pakistan.

Let us remind ourselves of the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission, that the attacks against the World Trade Centers, Shanksville, and the Pentagon cost al Qaeda only $500,000. With an annual income of $28 million coming from the sale of illegal narcotics, we know that one of the key terrorist financing mechanisms is the sale of illegal narcotics.

In the 9/11 Commission report, they briefly mentioned this but did not focus on it. When you are on the front lines in Kandahar or Peshawar in Pakistan, you see that this link is clear.

Our Drug Enforcement Agency has some of the best financial maps of terrorist organizations in the world, and the Drug Enforcement Agency used to be a formal member of the intelligence community. In my judgment and the judgment of my bipartisan partner, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen), on this amendment, we believe that the Drug Enforcement Agency should become part of the intelligence community again, that this link between terrorism and illegal narcotics is very clear.

Roughly half of the 28 terrorist organizations identified by the State Department in October, 2001, have links to drug activities. Organizations like the Kurdistan Worker's Party, the National Liberation Army, ELN, al Qaeda, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Shining Path, and the United Self-Defense Forces/Group of Colombia. All of these in a worldwide phenomenon, depending on violence and terror, funded by the sale of illegal narcotics.

This bipartisan amendment would help study the integration of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency into the intelligence community. It is supported by Karen Tandy, the administrator of the DEA. It is supported by a number

of minority members. It is supported by the attorney general. I urge adoption of this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra), the chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen) for supporting this amendment. The gentleman from Texas is exactly right. El Paso Intelligence Center already does this. It is a critical asset but should be a formal part of the intelligence community, as are combatant commands that do a number of key tasks with regard to drug profits and terrorism.

We know that half of the Afghan economy is now related to the sale of illicit narcotics. We know that the Taliban and al Qaeda depend on terrorist profits. We started winning the battle against narcoterrorism in Colombia because we took a unified campaign on this approach against terrorism and the sale of illegal narcotics.

The DEA is the expert on these financial organizations. If the 9/11 Commission said anything, it said we should attack the financial support for terrorism and that financial support is increasingly reliant on the sale of illegal narcotics, especially for Osama bin Laden becoming one of the number one heroin dealers in Central Asia. For these reasons, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, today a bipartisan group of Democrats and Republicans is forming the Congressional Sugar Reform Caucus. Our caucus will form a bipartisan effort to reform the sugar program through legislation, when appropriate, but also working with the President, manufacturing employers, and union leaders.

The sugar program currently forces Americans to pay sugar prices at twice the world level. It kills manufacturing and union jobs. The sugar program cost over $400 million alone in fiscal year 2000 and this cost to the taxpayer is in addition to the lost jobs and higher grocery prices. By forcing sugar prices at two or three times the market price, our law not only inflates consumer costs, it creates an incentive to move manufacturing jobs offshore. No one knows this better than Chicago where thousands of people in manufacturing jobs were thrown out of work because of the sugar program.

Mr. Speaker, our sugar policy is a mess, and we need to defend manufacturing jobs by reforming this program.

Mr. Speaker, today, I missed 2 votes. Had I been present, I would have voted the following way:

Yes on rollcall Vote No. 490, On ordering the previous question providing for consideration of S. 878, to authorize an additional permanent judgeship in the district of Idaho, and for other purposes.

Yes on rollcall Vote No. 491, On agreeing to H. Res. 814, providing for consideration of S. 878, to authorize an additional permanent judgeship in the district of Idaho, and for other purposes.