Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the third anniversary of the inauguration of Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou on May 20, 2011. His efforts to improve the relationship between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China are most admirable.

Taiwan has become a stable beacon of democracy and is an important U.S. trade partner. We should seek to encourage and strengthen the U.S.-Taiwanese strategic relationship and recognize the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as a vital U.S. interest.

I would like to acknowledge President Ma's efforts and wish him all the best on the third anniversary of his inauguration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen of the 22nd Congressional District of New York, Ms. Kathleen Carey Mihm. Kathy, as she is fondly known to family and friends, is a warm, witty and insightful woman who has dedicated her professional life to public service and, in doing so, has made a lasting contribution to her community.

A native of Kingston, Kathy grew up in a lively Irish family with nine brothers and sisters. She graduated from Kingston High School and went on to pursue advanced study at Ulster County Community College. Kathy began her public career as the Village of Rosendale Clerk, followed by two consecutive terms as a member of the Ulster County Legislature. In 1985, she began a distinguished career with the Ulster County Board of Elections. Kathy served as Deputy Commissioner under the late Harry Castiglione and then, after a brief time as Clerk of the Legislature, was appointed as Commissioner of Elections for the Democratic Party.

During her tenure with the Elections Board, Kathy was a tremendous asset to the voting public of Ulster County. She understood that the fundamental mission of the Board of Elections is to serve the voting public in a bipartisan manner. She worked hard and was diligent in her efforts to ensure that every eligible vote was counted. Kathy retired in December of last year in order to spend more time with her two children and four grandchildren. She has left behind a lasting legacy of honor and integrity.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Kathleen Carey Mihm for more than twenty-five years. She has been a dear friend and a valued adviser and we have worked closely on many issues of importance to the residents of Ulster County. Her work on behalf of the Board of Elections and her community was both inspiring and commendable. It is with great pleasure that I recognize her outstanding contributions and achievements.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, in 1976, amid social unrest and a deep political

crisis in Argentina, a military coup installed one of the cruelest dictatorships South America has ever seen. Illegal detentions, torture, and summary executions of dissidents became routine. Cross-country operations to capture and assassinate dissidents were organized by Argentina in cooperation with Southern Cone military regimes in what is known as Operation Condor.

Over the years, as the victims of the repression increasingly went missing, a new tactic of the Argentine security forces was revealed. It is estimated that 30,000 people disappeared in Argentina between 1976 and 1985. Many of these victims, known as ``the disappeared,'' were abducted. They were tortured and then dropped far out into the ocean.

During the dictatorship, hundreds of children were born into captivity and distributed to members of the Argentine security forces, while their mothers are believed to have been killed.

The identity of some of these children has been discovered, but the majority of their identities and whereabouts remain unknown. My amendment seeks to shed light on the unknown fate of these children, who would be now in their twenties and early thirties.

Given the close relationship with their Argentine counterparts in the intelligence, security and military community, the documentation of the American intelligence community is likely to contain invaluable information to support renewed justice investigations and the search for the children of ``the disappeared.''

This amendment that I am offering would direct the Director of National Intelligence to report to the House and Senate Intelligence panels on information it has regarding the human rights violations of the military government in Argentina and also seeks to help shed light on the unknown fate of the Argentine children who were born in captivity. The amendment instructs the DNI to include an appendix of declassified documents used for the report and gives the authority for the inclusion of a classified annex.

Thousands of families have waited more than 30 years to learn the fate of their loved ones, and today we have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to truth and justice and help bring to a close this troubling chapter in Argentina's history.

In 2008, this amendment was made in order by the Rules Committee and agreed to on the House floor without objection from either party by voice vote. At that time, my dear friend and colleague Peter Hoekstra said, ``I will not oppose this amendment, Mr. Chairman. I will support the amendment.''

So I urge all of us to join in supporting this contribution to truth and justice in the country of Argentina.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, I deeply appreciate what has just been said. But the fact of the matter is that there are no significant costs involved in this. This operation has been looked at in the past. The information that we are asking for in the context of this amendment is readily available. It is not going to take any significant costs whatsoever and it can be done very, very quickly.

This is a situation that really needs to be corrected. It is a violent, deeply disturbing activity that took place in the context of many, many families, many of whom are completely innocent, and the effects of that were in many cases deeply disastrous.

This is something that can be done easily and can be done quickly, and it was supported by the opposition almost unanimously--in fact, unanimously--the last time that this bill came up and this amendment was brought forward.

So I ask the opposition here to reconsider this. Think closely about this, how important this is, how significantly important it is for Argentina and for the United States, and how it can be done readily and easily, and how the results of it being done would be happily taken care of by these two countries. There isn't anyone who is going to deeply object to this, anyone who is significant at least in the context of this operation who is going to deeply object to this.

We need to do this. It is an honest thing and it is something that is going to be positive. It will be deeply positive and effective for us in the context of bringing this about. So I hope that everyone in this body will recognize the significance of this and vote in favor of it.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3, which has nothing to do with taxpayer funding of abortion. Right or wrong, Federal funding for abortion hasn't been allowed for more than 3 decades.

Instead, H.R. 3 has everything to do with infringing on the constitutionally protected right to an abortion that has been the law of the land for 38 years.

For years we've been listening to Republicans call for smaller government, less regulation, fewer taxes. But this bill represents the opposite of these values. It's more regulation on business, more regulation on health care decisions that should be left up to women and their doctors. It's more taxes on small business, more taxes on women. And it's more control by anti-choice extremists in Washington.

Finally, this bill isn't about job creation either. Instead, it's about bringing up divisive legislation that has no hope of becoming law in order to divide and distract the American people.

It's been 4 months, and still the new majority here hasn't brought a serious bill about job creation to this floor for a vote. It's time to get back to the work of putting Americans back to work. Let's do that.

Mr. Speaker, President Obama recently unveiled a new plan to reduce foreign oil imports by one-third over the next decade, which is timely given the instability sweeping across oil producing countries in the Middle East. To achieve that goal necessarily involves more fully developing renewable energy which his Administration and the Congress are committed to achieving. In my district, I am pleased that over a dozen new solar and solar-related companies have opened in the last three years, creating hundreds of jobs while reducing our reliance on foreign sources and protecting our environment.

The Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program is a critical factor in our country's effort to be a world leader in renewable energy. I would like to place in the Record a recent article in the Huffington Post on the importance of DOE's loan guarantee program and the potential loss of thousands of megawatts of bankable electricity and the tens of thousands of jobs if it is not allowed to continue.

A Win-Win for Clean Energy

(By Uwe T. Schmidt)

The nuclear tragedy in Japan and the disturbing upheaval in

Libya and the Middle East have dominated the headlines, but

it also serves as a haunting reminder that America's own

energy security may be in peril unless we accelerate efforts

to more fully develop energy alternatives that are reliable,

safe and sufficient to meet our future needs.

Achieving energy independence has been a laudable but

daunting goal since the first energy crisis in 1979.

Fortunately, the Obama administration and Congress have

embraced policies intended to spur investment and development

in renewable energy projects, but it will take a major effort

by the private sector and the support of government at all

levels.

The private sector is doing its part. They have invested

heavily in new, innovative technologies, assembled the

engineering and technical support, arranged the necessary

financing, and have been engaged at all levels to secure the

Federal and local permitting and ultimately the requisite

utility and distribution outlets.

Solar Trust of America (STA) is one of many American

companies that are investing millions and utilizing proven

technology to achieve California's ambitious goal of 33

percent renewable energy by year 2020. Such goals are

unlikely without private-public collaboration. It is our job

to harness the solar potential in areas like STA's thermal

solar project site near Blythe in Southeastern California,

utilizing our parabolic trough technology that will

ultimately produce 1,000 megawatts of bankable electricity

that is sufficient to supply 300,000 households with

electricity, avoiding over 2,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide

emissions.

Our business model is unique in that it encompasses the

entire American-based supply chain that involves engineering

and technology specialists, financing through private equity

funds, creating new demands for steel and other metals,

project development and construction of the facilities, and

management and operation of the plants.

Finally, it is a job producer. The first two of our four MW

Blythe plants will employ 1,000 union construction jobs,

another 7,500 supply chain jobs throughout the country, 100

on-going plant operations and post construction positions

and, of course, the residual economic benefits to the local

communities.

What is the government's role and how can it partner with

STA and other companies to achieve these goals? Congress

previously authorized a renewable energy loan guarantee

program which is vital to securing the necessary financing to

build large scale, sophisticated solar power plants and other

renewable projects.

Without it, U.S. companies will be confronted with the

sudden reversal of a national policy that two years ago

encouraged them to invest in energy alternatives. Our Blythe

plant is one of several major solar projects that has

advanced through a diligent DOE review process for over a

year and has met all the Federal and state permitting

requirements.

STA and other solar companies have commenced preliminary

site work just as Congress is considering legislation that

would all but eliminate the loan guarantee program.

Ironically, the House of Representatives passed a spending

bill last month that would delete the loan guarantee program

for renewable and clean coal technologies but left untouched

loan guarantees for building nuclear plants.

This is not a government grant but simply a guarantee to

facilitate the financing on loans to bring advanced

technology to the market. Every dollar appropriated by

Congress to DOE's Loan Guarantee Program spurs $13 dollars in

private investments and indeed whatever taxpayer funds are

involved are repaid in full with interest.

The DOE loan guarantee is a ``win-win'' for government and

the companies involved and will not only advance the cause of

energy independence but will create hundreds of thousands of

jobs across the country.

Yet all this is at risk if Congress rolls back the program

and put into jeopardy the enormous amounts of private capital

already committed and the tens of thousands of sustainable

jobs involved in the construction and operation of the

plants. Apparently there are no guarantees when the Congress

acts in a politically charged atmosphere.

For our nation to fully develop renewable energy, it is

clear that neither the private sector nor government can do

it alone. It requires a partnership.

As we advance into this new millennium, it is now

understood that our raw resources are finite, the planet is

fragile, and that energy consumption to sustain growth

globally is our greatest challenge. The answer to all this is

renewable energy. There are no boundaries or limits to what

we can accomplish if we work together.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, I think it's very important for us to understand and remember how the economy here grew and how it became much more positive and progressive during those 8 years of the Clinton administration. The deficit that Clinton inherited when he came into office was dramatically reduced and brought back a surplus. When he left office, the national debt was in the neighborhood of a little over $5 trillion. By the time the next President left, George W. Bush, the deficit was about $10.7 trillion. So it's important for us not to have the same kind of experience now that the opposition here on the other side of the aisle is trying to push on us.

The most critical challenge that we face as a country, of course, is the need to create new jobs. If Congress hopes to get the economy moving at the right pace, we are going to have to take this challenge of job creation very seriously. The question is: What should we do? What should we not do to reform government so that we can better compete in the world economy and yield strong, sustainable, long-term growth and prosperity?

After 100 days, Republicans have failed to put forward a single plan to create jobs. Instead, they have laid out a budget plan that shows us exactly what not to do.

We must remember how we got into this budget mess in the first place. While my friends on the other side would like to pretend that our economic woes began the very second that President Obama took his hand off the Bible and was sworn into office, we know that is not the truth at all.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. The things he did as President were positive for the economy, and we are seeing that today. We are seeing the economy growing. We are seeing unemployment declining. We are seeing employment going up, all of that as a positive effect of the actions of this President.

My friends on the other side pushing this budget are the same people who carried President George W. Bush's agenda through Congress, and in doing so nearly doubled our national debt, as I said, from about $5.7 trillion to $10.7 trillion over the 8 years of the Bush Presidency.

We need to make sure that they are not able to do that again. They did so then by recklessly lowering taxes on the wealthy with the promise that doing so would create jobs and strengthen our economy. Well, we know that neither of those happened. In fact, just the opposite occurred. They did so by passing a prescription drug plan that is a major giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry without finding a way to pay for it. And they did so by taking us into Iraq under false pretenses and committing us to what will ultimately be several trillions of dollars.

Now we are seeing economic inequality at record levels. The wealthiest 10

percent of the population here in the United States of America receives nearly half of all income in our country. And the richest 1 percent has seen its share of the national income increase by nearly 10 percent; and they are now at about 35 percent of all income, all of that increasing for the richest and declining for working people across this country.

This trend has consequences, and it is no coincidence that the last time we saw inequality at this level was during the Great Depression in the 1930s. But instead of working to correct this problem, the House Republican proposal acts as a huge wealth transfer program from the working class Americans to the rich. Overall, two-thirds of the cuts the Republicans propose take dead aim at working class Americans to lower their economy and lower their economic conditions.

The Republicans' budget plan eliminates Medicare, forcing seniors to buy insurance in the private marketplace, using a coupon that barely covers a fraction of the cost of care. It cuts food stamps, Pell Grants, and low-income housing. And at the same time, our friends across the aisle here, their plan would give away $2.9 trillion in tax cuts to the hugest, biggest corporations and to the wealthiest Americans.

This is the exact wrong approach, and it will severely damage our economy, hurt the middle class, and impoverish senior citizens.

Let's take a closer look at how this plan hurts seniors. Their budget eliminates Medicare. It eliminates Medicare and creates a new voucher program that would saddle seniors with a large portion of their health care costs. They would then be more responsible for it, and the whole health care system would decline.

The Republican budget also makes prescription drugs more expensive for seniors. The health care law we passed last year is gradually eliminating the gaps in prescription drug coverage. The Republican plan undoes this essential reform, forcing seniors to pay out of pocket. The Republican budget also threatens to make nursing home care unaffordable by cutting $771 billion from Medicaid over a 10-year period. Medicaid currently covers nearly half of all long-term care costs, and we know what would happen if their plan was to be successful. All of that would be essentially eliminated. The Republican budget also cuts $10 billion from Social Security's administrative budget, which will impact service to seniors.

What this plan does to America's seniors is absolutely unacceptable; but the worst part of it is that while they cut Medicare and Medicaid and they cut prescription drug coverage and the Social Security Administration, they also cut taxes on the very wealthy, reducing substantially the amount of taxes that the wealthiest people in this country pay while at the same time raising taxes on everyone else.

Now, 10 years ago, the conservative Heritage Foundation projected that in 2011, 1.6 million more Americans would be working as a result of the Bush tax cuts. They were wrong. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. We know what happened then, just the opposite of what they predicted.

The Republican debate isn't about good policy or the facts. It is about a dogmatic approach to governing and doing what's best for the very rich, doing what's best for the very rich regardless of how it affects everyone else who are the main promoters of the economy. Working class people, middle-income people are the people who drive the economic growth here in America. If they are forced to decline their economic conditions, then the whole economy of this country declines. All of that is needed to be understood, and the actions that they are proposing must be avoided.

Even President Reagan's budget director, David Stockman, recently said that he finds it ``unconscionable that the Republican leadership, faced with a $1.5 trillion deficit, could possibly believe that good public policy is to maintain tax cuts for the top 2 percent of the population.''

We know that isn't the case. We know that is going to be just the opposite. We know that tax cuts for the wealthiest, making the wealthiest people in this country even wealthier and driving down the economy of the working people, is going to have a deadly effect on the economic circumstances across this country.

Tax rates are now lower than they were, even under President Reagan; and yet the Republicans are actually proposing to cut taxes again for the very rich, lower the corporate rate, and keep special tax earmarks for Big Oil, tax earmarks for Big Oil which is now growing to be one of the highest growing economic aspects of this country that we have to deal with. Tax earmarks for Big Oil and for the biggest companies, and the biggest companies particularly that export jobs overseas, continuing to give tax cuts to those economic companies that take jobs out of the United States and exports them to other countries. What a big mistake that is in the context of rescinding this economy.

Overall, the Republican budget plan for 2012 will not balance the budget; and while it does not balance the budget, it eliminates Medicare by replacing it with a private voucher program that will make it impossible for seniors to get health care. It also provides huge new tax breaks for the wealthy while cutting key investments in our economy.

All of these proposals that we are facing here are clearly deadly. If they were to be successful, the economic circumstances that are now just getting better in this economy as a result of the actions by the Obama administration would be reversed, and it would be reversed dramatically, and we would see a downslide in the economic circumstances here in our country.

We need to oppose this effectively, and we need to have a policy that is going to focus its attention on working class people, on the need to create more jobs, and to create more jobs more effectively.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Madam Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining?

I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Madam Chair, can you tell us how much time we have left on both sides?

Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Madam Chair, how much time remains?

I yield myself the balance of my time.

The circumstance that we are dealing with is to continue the progress that we have made. We have provided health care for people through Medicare and Medicaid.

The opposition here in this district wants to eliminate that. They want to cut back on Medicare and make it more difficult and more expensive.

We have expanded the opportunity for people to get jobs. They want to eliminate that. We have tried to make this whole system more equitable, more fair, and more genuine. They are trying to provide more funding for the wealthiest people and less for the working people and fewer opportunities for the working people.

For all of those reasons, we oppose this legislation, and we hope that most of the population of this district will oppose it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sergeant Edward (Eddie) Ryan, on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Marine Corps. Sergeant Ryan is an American hero. Eddie, as I have come to know him, personifies the core principles of the Marine Corps--honor, integrity and courage in the face of adversity. In fact, Sergeant Ryan has more courage than I can express through words.

Eddie Ryan started thinking about being a Marine when he was twelve years old. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, while he was still a senior in high school, his desire to be a Marine became the driving force in his life. Eddie joined the Marines immediately after graduating high school in June 2002. Within a month, he was undergoing basic training, and by September he had begun his first tour of duty in Iraq. After his first tour ended, Eddie came home and began training to be a Marine sniper. He went on to graduate third in his class and soon became a member of Reaper 6, a team of snipers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. In March 2005, Eddie began his second deployment to Iraq and, only weeks after arriving in that country, tragedy struck. On April 13, 2005, while positioned on a rooftop in Husaybah, the team came under heavy fire. Sergeant Ryan was struck by two rounds and gravely wounded. His fellow Marines rushed to his side and performed life saving first aid.

When the Ryan family was notified of their son's life threatening injuries, they flew to his side in Germany only to be told that it would be a miracle if Eddie survived, let alone talk or remember his family. Eddie proved them all wrong. He not only enjoys his memories but looks forward to creating new ones. He embraces new challenges, like ``running'' the Marine Corps Marathon, with anticipation. Angela Ryan calls her son the ``Miracle Marine'' and we all understand why. Eddie not only survived, but for the last five years has worked with determination to be the best he could be--a decorated Marine who still understands honor and integrity; a Marine who has faced adversity and come out a winner.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the outstanding achievements of Sergeant Eddie Ryan. His courage and determination are an inspiration to us all. The Marine Corps was fortunate to have him among their ranks and we are fortunate to have him in our community. Semper Fi Sergeant Ryan, Semper Fi.

We have now gone 11 weeks and still there hasn't been any action in committee or on this House floor on anything resembling a jobs plan from our friends here in the majority. In fact, we've seen just the opposite. Economists are estimating that from the initial action here, an estimated 800,000 jobs will be lost under their first plan and many more over the course of the rest of this issue. Hundreds of New York Head Start teachers will be fired, and thousands more teachers will be fired all across America. Thousands of my constituents won't be able to find jobs because of cuts to the Workforce Investment Act that will close job centers throughout New York, as well as thousands of others that will be closed in other States all across America. And jobs in the Hudson Valley's growing solar energy industry will be hurt by cuts to investments in renewable energy, just as it will be cut all across America. After 11 weeks, it's clear that the Republicans don't just have a no-jobs agenda, they have an anti-jobs agenda. And New Yorkers and millions of others across America will pay the price for their bad policies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to International Women's Day, which recognizes and celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women throughout our global community. Since 1911, millions of women and men have gathered together on this date to campaign for the right of women to vote, work, hold public office and be treated without discrimination. This year marks the Global Centenary of International Women's Day and I am proud to help commemorate this anniversary by recognizing the incomparable achievements that women here in the United States and throughout the world have thus far achieved.

Over the years, women have made great strides in their quest for equality and we should applaud these advances. However, we must also recognize that our work is not over. While women now hold positions in the highest ranks of government, work as doctors, scientists and attorneys, their wages still lag behind those of men performing the same work. The passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act moved us one step closer to equality in the workplace, but there is still progress to be made. And though it is encouraging that crimes against women are now treated with the seriousness they deserve, the rate of crimes committed against women continues to exceed that of those committed against men. Although we must view the advances that have been achieved as heartening and important strides forward, we must continue to labor until full equality and equal access to opportunity for women is achieved.

In New York's 22nd Congressional District, which I proudly represent, the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Women's Leadership Alliance, along with their partners in all of the other area Chambers, have been engaged in promoting, supporting and encouraging the leadership, professional growth and economic success of women throughout the Hudson Valley region. Their successes are clearly a shining example of the creative accomplishments that have been realized by women worldwide. I wish to compliment the Chamber on the excellent leadership in supporting women to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the women of the Hudson Valley, all of the members of the Dutchess Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as women throughout the world as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. I am proud to stand with them as they continue to work tirelessly toward full equality for women everywhere.

At a time when our country is facing record deficits and the oil industry can't count their money fast enough, oil drillers in the Gulf of Mexico are getting away with highway robbery because of mistakes that were made many years ago.

Oil and gas companies are extracting resources from public property without paying royalties, regardless of the price of oil and gas. It's time to fix the problem. The GAO has estimated that not doing so will continue to cost American taxpayers up to $53 billion.

These hugely profitable companies are tapping oil and gas reserves that belong to the American people, selling it back to us, and then reaping a massive profit on the backs of the middle class. But they are not paying one red cent to the public for the oil and gas they have extracted. They get it for free, and we pay the price.

I don't know a single person who would allow an oil or gas company to drill on their private property and not expect to be compensated for the oil extracted from that land. So why should the Federal Government continue to be taken advantage of by the most profitable industry in United States history?

Congress has a chance to correct this injustice.

Last year, oil companies earned over $70 billion in profits when oil prices were significantly lower than they are today. With the cost of oil once again approaching $100 a barrel and prices at the pump also rising, the idea that this industry is still getting royalty relief is downright criminal.

If we're serious about reining in our deficits, then we should adopt this amendment. It's an important amendment; it makes perfect sense, and it is in the best interests of all of the people of this country.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Yesterday, as we know, was Valentine's Day, but the majority here in Washington is showing no love for the families throughout the district that I represent and all across the rest of this country.

The new majority said they would cut wasteful spending. But instead they're slashing jobs for police officers, jobs for firefighters, jobs for teachers, and many other jobs, all across the country.

They told us they would work to eliminate needless layers of bureaucracy, but instead they're cutting heating assistance for the elderly, food aid for young mothers and infants, and college aid for 15,000 students in the district that I represent and hundreds of thousands of other students all across the country.

They said they would focus on the economy, but instead, they're eliminating energy research and development that we need to create green jobs and compete with other countries around the world. They're sending the workers home on 76 high-speed rail projects underway in 40 states, all very necessary. This hurts real people. It does nothing to address our long-term deficit, and middle class families are the ones who pay the price. The American people don't want more hidden cuts and budgets tricks. We need a plan. We need a solid, secure positive plan.

The national debt we hold today was not created over the last 2 years, as some people are saying. The fiscal crisis we are facing today was inherited from the Bush administration. Under the previous administration, annual budget surpluses were turned into annual deficits. It was Vice President Dick Cheney who said deficits don't matter. Clearly, that's a lesson the new majority has learned well because while they do cut spending with this CR, this bill will undoubtedly worsen our budget deficit. Why? Because it will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs. That means more people unemployed.

The people didn't send us here to tend to the needs of Wall Street and oil company CEOs. So why does the majority stand against the plan to end special tax earmarks that would actually cut the deficit?

We could be discussing how to end government redtape. For instance, in 5 years we could save many billions of dollars by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors. But instead, the majority here wants to cut the administrative budget for Social Security. This plan hurts New Yorkers and others all across the country. And it hurts the district that I represent. Fifteen thousand college students in places like Ithaca and New Paltz will get hurt with the maximum Pell Grant falling by $800 as the cost of college continues to go up for students all across America.

And 123,000 low-income pregnant women and new moms in New York will get less assistance with the pre- and postnatal nutrition they need. That will happen to thousands and thousands of others all across the country.

Nearly 2 million New Yorkers who apply for LIHEAP this year will find it harder to heat their homes next year, as will so many thousands of others across the country.

Job training programs like Job Corps in Sullivan County, which will help high school dropouts get the training they need to get good jobs, will get cut out too.

Like a blindfolded child at a pinata party, this continuing resolution takes a bat to all the wrong things at exactly the wrong time. I would urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Stand up for the American people. Stand up for a real plan to reduce the deficit, and fight to save the jobs this country needs so desperately.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Latino Democratic Committee of Orange County, as it celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. For almost a decade, the Latino Democratic Committee of Orange County has championed the cause of improving the lives of Latinos in Orange County through pride of ethnic origin, involvement in government, education and community issues while building coalitions. I am delighted to add my voice to those recognizing the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture. I am proud to join the residents of Orange County in commemorating this celebratory month.

Since 1968, as Hispanic Heritage Week was approved by President Lyndon Johnson and expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, we have all come together to celebrate and honor Hispanic Americans and their contributions to our Nation. Since the Revolutionary War, Hispanics have served with honor and distinction in every conflict. They serve as leaders in government, law, business, not-for-profits, social movements, and grassroots efforts. Hispanics continue to enrich our Nation's character and shape our common future. Now, more than ever, Hispanic Americans are shaping the American experience.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Latino Democratic Committee of Orange County. I congratulate and salute the board of directors and supporters of this organization for their very positive and lasting impact on the lives of so many individuals and families.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010 and the manager's amendment. I want to thank Representative Waters for bringing forward this essential legislation, which will extend the national flood insurance program and make essential reforms to ensure that the program works efficiently and effectively. I also thank Representative Waters and the committee for including in the manager's amendment several provisions which I sought to help to assist property owners with new costs they face due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood map modernization program and improve congressional oversight.

FEMA is currently working to update, revise, and digitize the flood maps for more than 20,000 communities all across the country. While nobody doubts that we need to have accurate flood maps, some home and business owners in my district and also throughout the country are now finding out that their property is located in a flood zone--even though they may have never experienced a flood. As a result of FEMA's remapping process, many of these home and business owners are now required to purchase insurance.

To help those who suddenly face this new and unexpected cost, the underlying legislation and the manager's

amendment do several important things. First, property owners will have the option to delay the requirement to purchase flood insurance for 5 years. Second, home and business owners will then have the option to purchase the insurance at a reduced cost for another 5 years. Third, congressional oversight of the flood mapping process will be greatly improved by requiring FEMA to notify Members of Congress regarding key map modernization developments within their districts.

At a time when small businesses and homeowners throughout New York and everyplace else across the country are still feeling the pinch in a recovering economy, this bill will help ensure that this remapping process doesn't provide an additional burden. Again, I thank Representative Waters for her strong leadership on this issue and I commend the committee for their understanding of the need for these reforms.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 20th anniversary of the Affordable Housing Program created by the Federal Home Loan Bank.

Since it was chartered by Congress in 1932, the Federal Home Loan Bank has become the largest source of mortgage lending in the United States. This venerable institution has invested billions of dollars in communities across our nation. These investments have resulted in the development of over 650,000 housing units and the creation of 78,000 construction jobs, lending additional economic security to our local communities. The sound practices of the Federal Home Loan Bank have made affordable housing, small business lending, foreclosure prevention, and financial literacy possible by maximizing the capacity of our community-based banks to serve their neighborhoods.

Twenty years ago, the Federal Home Loan Bank established the Affordable Housing Program in order to increase the availability of mortgages and home finance to families of all income levels. This laudable goal is being achieved by the Bank setting aside 10% of its own private earnings to support the creation and preservation of housing for lower income families and individuals. This outstanding program has helped countless people achieve the dream of homeownership. It has also enabled countless others to secure high quality, safe and affordable rental units.

Under the guidance of President and CEO Alfred DelliBovi since 1992, the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has helped community lenders throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands advance housing and community growth. This regional bank's Affordable Housing Program has supported more than 1,200 projects with grants totaling more than $350 million. This has resulted in the creation of more than 50,000 units of affordable housing and the generation of $6 billion in total development costs. This year the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, announced that they have awarded $29.7 million in subsidies to fund 54 affordable housing initiatives throughout the region.

Today I stand to thank Mr. DelliBovi and the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York for their investments into our communities, to congratulate them on the success of the program, and to offer my encouragement for them to continue with this outstanding initiative.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment that will ensure that the Department of Defense supports the growing domestic solar energy industry. The Department of Defense, as we know, is the largest consumer of energy on this planet. Fortunately, the Pentagon is beginning to more fully understand just how important energy is to our national security. As the Department purchases solar panels to address very serious energy security concerns at defense installations around our country, we must ensure that those purchases support American renewable energy manufacturing jobs rather than those at other companies in other countries.

The Buy American Act requires products purchased directly by the Federal Government to contain at least 50 percent American content. This amendment applies the Buy American Act to the procurement of solar panels purchased indirectly by the Department through subcontracts such as Energy Savings Performance Contracts, land leases, and utility service contracts. Establishing real energy security at our defense installations is critical to our national security.

This amendment is a commonsense approach to ensuring that, as the Department makes key investments in renewable energy, American manufacturing jobs are supported and increased.

I urge the support of my colleagues, and I express my deep gratitude to Chairman Skelton for his steadfast support for our national defense.

My second amendment will help strengthen our Nation's oversight over armed security contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan and eliminate a tax loophole that has been used by the defense contractor Blackwater. For too long, the private armies of defense contractors have undermined our Nation's

mission in Afghanistan and Iraq through the conduct of their personnel.

The key to American success is the ability of U.S. forces to win support from the Afghan and Iraqi people, many of whom do not distinguish between armed security contractors and the U.S. military. For this reason, every time a contractor kills or injures innocent civilians, the very people we seek to protect, it is a devastating blow to our country's strategy to protect the local population.

Let us recall one example. On May 5 of last year, two independent contractors working for Paravant, a Blackwater front company, fired their weapons, killing two Afghan civilians and wounding a third. Adding insult to injury by classifying workers in Iraq as independent contractors rather than employees, Blackwater appears to have avoided at least $31 million in employment-related taxes.

This amendment, sponsored by myself and Schakowsky and Moran, is an amendment that requires armed private security contractors who are using U.S. citizens in Iraq or Afghanistan to hire those individuals as direct employees rather than independent contractors. The amendment is narrow and it is focused. It applies only to U.S. citizens who are required to have security clearances for armed security contracts in Iraq or Afghanistan. The amendment also contains a national security waiver provision.

This amendment will help close the door on a tax loophole and ensure contractors have full responsibility and better oversight over employees. I urge support for this amendment, and I again thank Chairman Skelton for his work on this bill and deep commitment to the men and women of the United States military.