Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Sam and Lucy Keker of Chevy Chase, MD, who are celebrating their 90th birthdays on April 28th with family and friends at a luncheon in their honor.

My husband Paul and I became friends with Sam and Lucy in San Francisco, where they travel every year for the past 35 years to visit family. This House does not have time for me to list all of their accomplishments, so I will mention only a few items in a long list of proud service to their country, their community, their church, and their families.

Let us start with service to country. Sam served as a Naval Officer at sea in two wars, World War II and Korea, and Lucy did what wives did during those wars, which was follow him wherever she could. Later, both their sons were combat Marines in Vietnam and both were wounded.

Sam and Lucy met at a student government conference in Albuquerque, NM, in 1938, where Lucy represented Women's College of the University of North Carolina as Student Body President, and Sam represented American University as Vice President of its student government. They married in 1941 and eventually settled in Montgomery County, MD.

Sam rose through the ranks to retire as Chairman of the Board of U.S. News and World Report, while Lucy pursued her interest in public education, becoming the elected president of the Montgomery County School Board during the building boom of the 1960s (which included a teachers strike) and later serving on the State Board for Higher Education, where she sat with an up-and-coming politician named Steny Hoyer. They raised two boys, John, now a lawyer in San Francisco who went to law school with our colleagues Mel Watt and John Spratt, and Jerry, now an outdoorsman in Boulder, CO. Since 1961, they have been blessed with Tina Keker, who became their surrogate daughter and then daughter-in-law in 1965. They are further blessed with grandsons Adam and Nathan Keker, their wives Amanda and Nora, and four beautiful great-grandchildren. All of them, as well as family and friends from all over the country, will be with them to celebrate their birthdays.

For 50 years Sam and Lucy have been mainstays of the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, many of whose members became close friends and will be celebrating with them as well. Sam and Lucy served as Deacons, then as Elders, and always as friends of the CCPC congregation.

They love the game of politics, and are committed to the Democratic Party. Lucy's first Democratic National Convention was in 1940, in Chicago, where she served as a secretary in the Women's Division of the Democratic National Committee. Lucy went on to become very involved in Maryland State politics, serving as the Montgomery County Chairman to several successful gubernational campaigns. They were two of Chris Van Hollen's earliest, most vocal, and most generous supporters. Since I have known them I don't think they have missed a Democratic Convention. Sam says they are planning to be in Denver in 2008.

What I have always admired about Sam and Lucy is their indomitable spirit and youthfulness. They inspire us all by their never-flagging interest in life, especially young people. On behalf of the Congress, I extend to them the warmest congratulations on their 90th birthdays.

Madam Speaker, I thank our dear friend, Congresswoman Watson, for bringing us together around this very sad and necessary resolution today.

On behalf of all Members of Congress, I rise to pay tribute to Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, who passed away Saturday night. I offer deepest sympathy to her family, who loved her so dearly, her husband James McDonald, Jr., her five children and her five grandchildren.

As the first African American to chair a committee in Congress, Juanita Millender-McDonald was a trailblazer, always advocating for the full

participation of all Americans in the success and prosperity of our country. She was a strong defender of the right of every eligible voter to have full access to the polls and a tireless proponent of fair elections that ensured that every vote would be counted.

As chair of the House Administration Committee, Chairwoman Millender- McDonald's deep commitment to diversity was manifested in her actions when hiring and contracting within the House of Representatives. She enjoyed her role as the ``Mayor of Capitol Hill,'' and was known for asking tourists in elevators, ``Are you finding everything okay,'' and listening closely to their response.

After her family, the people of California's 37th District were always first and foremost in Chairwoman Millender-McDonald's mind and her work here in Congress. She saw it as a priority to make sure they had every opportunity. She worked to strengthen the economy and jobs there, and she saw it as a priority to secure the two ports adjacent to her district.

Chairwoman Millender-McDonald was an advocate for justice around the world. She spoke out forcefully against the genocide in Darfur, and was a powerful advocate for the rights of women everywhere. As a former cochairwoman of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, she worked for gender equity here at home and throughout the world.

The loss of Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald is a personal one for many of us here. She was always optimistic and determined to make a difference. The dignity with which she faced her illness was an indication of the determination with which she always served the people of our country.

We have all lost an effective leader and spokesperson, and many of us have lost a dear friend. When we look around this Chamber, it is almost impossible to imagine it without Juanita here fighting the fight, and doing so looking magnificent. The dignity, the grace, the beauty, the thoughtfulness that she brought to the tasks at hand were a model for others. Young people would come to the Capitol and observe her in action and learn from her.

We also learned from her how to have dignity at the end of life. Many of us knew that she had had bouts with illness, but we really didn't know how serious it was and how close she was to, as she said, her daughter told me, going home. Valerie said to me last night, ``She said I want to make all of these arrangements so that I can go home.''

I hope it is a comfort to Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald's family and friends that so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. Many of us will travel to California to say good-bye to Juanita, if I may speak to her in that familiar way. It has been an honor to call her colleague, I know we all agree on that, and for many of us it was a privilege also to call her friend.

Good-bye, my friend.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time and for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, today is a proud day for this House and for the District of Columbia and for our Nation. Today, we will fulfill our obligation to do right by the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the steadfast leadership, the exceptional tenacity, the relentless persistence of the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). Because of her today, America will be greater.

I also appreciate the leadership of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) making this bill one that has bipartisan cosponsorship. Again, without his participation, we wouldn't be here. For his support over a long period of time, we are all in your debt, Mr. Davis.

I want to thank also Mr. Conyers and Mr. Waxman for their leadership; Steny Hoyer, who has made this a mission in his life. It is a proud day for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, I take some personal pleasure in today's proceedings, because when I was born, my father was a Member of Congress. He was on the Appropriations Committee and he chaired the District of Columbia committee. At that time there was no mayor, there was no home rule. He was a strong supporter for the District to attain both. He would never have imagined all those many, many years ago that it would take this long to get a full vote on the floor for the District of Columbia.

And of course we would like, Mr. Chairman, to have statehood for the District of Columbia so they could have full representation for their taxation. But today we take this giant step.

This bipartisan effort to secure full voting representation in this House should command the support of all. Indeed, 82 percent of the American people support the District of Columbia having full voting rights on the floor of the House. This vote fulfills the promise of our democracy. It reflects what we stand for at home and preach around the world.

As the Supreme Court has said: ``No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which we, as good citizens, must live.''

Today, we seek to affirm an enduring principle of our democracy, the right to be heard and represented fully. For more than 200 years, the citizens of the District of Columbia have been denied full voting representation. This legislation corrects a serious flaw in our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, every single day that this Congress is in session, we take a pledge to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands. And at the end we say, ``with liberty and justice for all.'' That ``for all'' must include the people of the District of Columbia.

America is at its best and honors the cause of justice and freedom when all voices are fully represented. And we know that the citizens of the District of Columbia will give their voices to a vision of justice, equality and opportunity for all. They have already had the voice. Now they will have the vote.

Now is the time to honor our democracy. We will not rest until full voting representation in the House is granted to the District of Columbia. That is our obligation and our pledge.

Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that Congress today recognizes the tragedy that indeed struck our country when it befell the community of Virginia Tech on Monday. We offer our condolences to the many who now grieve. I want to particularly extend my condolences to our colleagues here for the sorrow that has taken place in their State.

But the sorrow of parents who lost their children, students who lost their friends, and a community which lost 33 of its own is beyond any comfort we can give in words. Words are totally inadequate. In the days that follow, the mourning and questioning that has already begun will continue. And as it does, the thoughts and prayers of this Congress and, indeed, this Nation, will remain with the students of Virginia Tech and their families.

Among the victims there was a student resident adviser known affectionately as ``Stack,'' a young woman whose love for horses led her to study veterinary science; one of the world's great researchers on cerebral palsy; and a Holocaust survivor who became an expert on aeronautics.

These victims, of different backgrounds and different ages, are united

in their love of one of America's great learning institutions, Virginia Tech. And today and in the days to come, as we grieve their loss, we are all Hokies.

When Robert Kennedy announced to the people of Indianapolis the news of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, he offered comfort with the words of an ancient Greek playwright, Aeschylus, when he said, ``Today, when no words can describe our sadness, or heal our grief, these words again give our Nation hope. In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.''

Today, on behalf of the students, faculty, staff and families of Virginia Tech, we pray for that wisdom.

I hope that it is a comfort to all who are grieving today that so many people in our country, indeed, in the world, mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise to acknowledge that today our country has been struck by a terrible, terrible tragedy. The death toll at Virginia Tech now is reported to be over 30. This is the worst campus shooting in the history of our country.

As the Virginia Tech community struggles with the mourning and questioning that is certain to follow, the continued prayers of this Congress are with the students, their families, the faculty and the staff at Virginia Tech.

Leader Boehner joins me in extending our condolences to all concerned. And we ask for a moment of silence to be observed in this body. Would we all please rise to observe the moment of silence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a distinguished Californian, a great American, and a dear friend--Ernest Gallo, the patriarch of the family-owned E&J Gallo Winery. After 97 full years, Ernest Gallo passed away on March 6.

Ernest and his brothers grew up growing grapes in the vineyard of their father, an Italian immigrant. With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Gallo brothers saw an opportunity to expand the family business. With just $900 in savings, a $5000 loan, and a wine recipe from the Modesto Public Library, Ernest and Julio began to build what would become the world's largest winemaking empire.

Ernest became the head of the family and the head of the business; he ran the business and Julio produced the wine. They worked throughout their lives to improve the quality of American grapes and deserve much of the credit for turning America into a wine-drinking country.

Their success resulted from passion and hard work. Ernest's entrepreneurial skills, instinctive business sense, and marketing ideas were extraordinary. He was as innovative, as he was visionary.

Ernest Gallo was also deeply generous--a patron of many charities, education and political campaigns. He funded the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at UCSF, one of world's preeminent academic centers for the study of the biological basis of alcohol and substance abuse.

Ernest deeply loved his family, especially his wife Amelia and his son David, who both preceded him in death, his son Joseph, and his four grandchildren. I extend my deepest sympathies to them all today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Father Robert F. Leavitt, S.S., commend him for his 27 years of service as President-Rector of St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, and wish him well in his retirement.

In 1962, Father Leavitt began his philosophical and theological studies at St. Mary's and has since remained fully dedicated to the spirit of the seminary. In 1968, he was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut and appointed to the faculty of St. Mary's.

His ability to articulate a compelling vision for the seminary led to his being elected the fourteenth President and first President-Rector of St. Mary's, a position he has held longer than anyone in the seminary's proud 215-year history.

Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of San Francisco, was once asked what a person had to do to lead a good life, to which he replied, ``Preach the Gospel. Sometimes use words.'' Father Leavitt has done just that, preaching by example to generations of students.

As President-Rector, Father Leavitt has presided over construction and rebeautification efforts of the seminary as well as successfully enlarged the endowment to ensure the long-term viability of the institution. He has worked to expand the spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral resources necessary to prepare students for the priesthood.

As a philosopher, theologian, teacher, and preacher, he has re- energized the St. Mary's community and instilled a sense of principle and potential to our nation's first Catholic seminary.

It is an honor for me to congratulate Father Leavitt for his tireless commitment to education, faith, and leadership and recognize the truly exemplary impact he has made within our greater faith community. I wish him well in his retirement.

Madam Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to strike the last word.

Madam Chairman, today this new Congress will put America's fiscal house in order. It will do so by presenting and voting on the Democratic budget as designed by Mr. Spratt, the chairman of the Budget Committee, and the House Democrats. I wish that it were coming to the floor with bipartisan support in the Congress. I know it has bipartisan support in the country.

I commend Mr. Spratt for his exceptional leadership in bringing to the floor a budget for the future, a budget that will initiate an era of accountability in government spending and in government accountability on our priorities. It is a budget that will come to balance in both the spending and also in terms of its priorities.

This putting our house in order is necessary because for the last 6 years the Bush administration and the Republicans in Congress have increased spending while giving tax cuts to the wealthiest few in our country, leaving our country awash in red ink, mortgaging our children's future. It is just not right.

When President Bush took office, he inherited a budget situation because of the PAYGO principles adopted by the Clinton administration with the Democrats in the Congress. Because of those principles, the last four Clinton budgets were budgets in surplus. Because of those PAYGO principles, coming out of the Clinton years, we were on a trajectory of $5.6 trillion in surplus, $5.6 trillion in surplus on our way to ridding ourselves of the national debt.

Because of the irresponsible budgeting of the Republicans in Congress and in the White House, we are now on a trajectory of $3 trillion in deficit, a swing of approximately $9 trillion. This is historic, and, again, it is wrong. It is wrong for our children. It mortgages their future. It is wrong for our economy.

The fiscal unaccountability will be corrected today with the passage of this budget, and I commend Chairman

Spratt and the Democrats on the committee for taking us to this place. Just imagine, we were on our way to ridding ourselves of the national debt. We are now on our way to increasing it.

The budget put forth by the chairman is one that honors our responsibilities to the American people. A budget should be a statement of our national values. Our Federal budget should reflect what is important to us as a Nation. That is how we should allocate our resources. We should do it in an ethical way and a fiscally sound way and the most honest and open way. And we must do it always with an eye to the future, and that is what this budget does.

It honors our responsibility first and foremost to protect the American people, and that is why it has the endorsement of almost every veterans group, and they are actively supporting this legislation and advocating a ``yes'' vote.

It honors our commitment to grow our economy, to create good paying jobs for the future by investing in innovation, and that is why it has the support of the Council of Competitiveness and almost any entity that is geared to the future, to innovation and to make keeping America number one.

It honors our commitment to our children, how they are cared for, with their health care, with their education and the economic strengths of their families. That is why it has the support of so many organizations, religious organizations, who see a budget as a moral document.

It honors our commitment to preserve our planet for the future, and that is why it has the support right to left, Democratic and Republican, nonpartisan, nonconflict, any entity that you can name involved in preserving our planet, in energy independence and respecting God's creation, which nature is, honoring our commitment to nature and to the future, preserving the planet. This budget does that.

Again, it does it all in a fiscally sound way. No new deficit spending; pay-as-you-go.

Think about what was inherited by this Congress. Think about what was inherited by this Congress 6 years ago and the President, $5.6 trillion in surplus, now we are $3 trillion in a trajectory of deficit. It is just not right. We can reverse it today.

Again, the support outside this Congress indicates that the American people are so far ahead of the Congress of the United States when they think about our values and how our budget should reflect those values, about accountability and how responsible we should be for the taxpayers' dollars and about the future.

So I urge my colleagues to support the Spratt House Democratic budget. To vote ``aye'' on that is a vote for the future. It is a vote for a new era of accountability. It is a vote for a moral statement, a statement of our national values. I thank Mr. Spratt for his leadership.

Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute No. 2 Offered by Ms. Woolsey

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of Mr. David Obey, who understands that the strength of our country is indeed measured in our military might but also in the health and well-being of the American people.

Thank you for bringing this important legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, today is indeed an historic day. Today, this new Congress will take the first step: it will vote to end the war in Iraq.

Any statement on the war in Iraq must begin with a tribute to our troops. Today and every day we thank our troops for their courage, for their patriotism, for the sacrifice that they and their families are willing to make.

For 4 years and under the most demanding and dangerous conditions imaginable, they have worked together to do everything that was asked of them. As Members of Congress, our first responsibility under the Constitution, the preamble to the Constitution to which we take an oath of office, is to provide for the common defense. We here in this body have an obligation to work together to do that for the American people.

Mr. Johnson, our colleague, you, Patrick Murphy, and everyone in between who has served our country have helped make it the home of the brave and the land of the free. I salute you both.

I would like to also acknowledge two people who have been the champions of our troops and experts on our national security in this body. The two of them are the leading proponents on the legislation that is on the floor today: the Chair of the Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton; and the Chair of the Defense Appropriations Committee, Jack Murtha. The two of them care deeply about the well-being of our troops, the readiness of our troops and its importance to our national security, and they are proposing that we pass this legislation today.

I have said from the beginning of this war, this war is a grotesque mistake. Last year's bipartisan Iraq Study Group said: ``The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating.'' They called for action.

The facts on the ground are these: after 4 years, Iraq is in chaos and the

government is not being held accountable. The administration is sending troops into the battle who are not mission-ready.

And when they come home, our veterans are not being honored as the heroes they are. The revelation of appalling conditions at Walter Reed Hospital and VA facilities across the Nation remind us, once again, that our troops are being sent into a war without the right preparation to welcome them home when they return. What kind of message does that send to our troops?

In terms of the chaos in Iraq, our Commander in Iraq, General Petraeus, recently said, ``There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq.'' General Petraeus. Yet, the President's response to escalating levels of violence is to deploy more troops, a strategy that has been tried and failed, tried and without success three times already.

In the short time since the escalation began, disturbing facts have come to light.

The admission by General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that he is, ``not comfortable'' with the readiness of Army units in the United States.

The declaration whereby the Department of Defense has finally admitted that elements of a civil war do exist in Iraq; in fact, it is even worse than that.

Yesterday, in terms of reconstruction, the conclusion of the Special Inspector General that the failure of the reconstruction effort in Iraq was caused by a lack of planning, coordination and oversight. In fact, more than $10 billion has disappeared, with no accountability. Waste, fraud and abuse are rampant in the reconstruction in Iraq.

How are we going to win the hearts and minds if the money is disappearing in thin air? We must address those and other facts about the war in Iraq.

The bill we debate today, the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act, does that by rebuilding our military, honoring our promises to our veterans, holding the Iraqi Government accountable, and enabling us to bring our troops home.

Rather than sending more troops into the chaos that is the Iraqi civil war, we must be focused on bringing the war to an end. We can do that by passing this bill that transforms the performance benchmarks that have already been endorsed by President Bush and the Iraqi Government into requirements.

When those benchmarks are met, or when it becomes clear, after a reasonable amount of time, that they will not be met, the bill requires that our troops leave Iraq on a schedule that our former colleague, Lee Hamilton, a cochair of the Iraq Study Group, called responsible, not precipitate.

Benchmarks without deadlines are just words. And after 4 years of this war, words are not enough.

As Former National Security Advisor Brzezinski wrote in a letter endorsing this bill, ``It is clear that a different approach is needed if the Iraqis are to be encouraged to make the political accommodations necessary to promote stability and national reconciliation.'' That should have been happening a long, long time ago.

Bring the troops home too soon? It is too late for that, 4 years into a war, a war in which we have been engaged longer than we were in World War II.

This bill, in its wisdom, calls upon the Defense Department to adhere to its own readiness standards. The benchmarks were endorsed by the President and the Iraqi Government. The guidelines for the readiness standards are the Defense Department's own. Those standards are intended to assure that before our troops are sent into harm's way, they have the training and the equipment they need to enable them to perform their missions successfully. That simply is not happening.

The war in Iraq has produced a national security crisis, well described by Mr. Murtha and Mr. Skelton and others in the course of the day. Our readiness is at its lowest level since the Vietnam war. By addressing that crisis, the bill supports the troops, supports the troops, and protects the American people.

How do we support the troops by sending them into harm's way without the proper training and equipment, without the proper dwell time at home, and taking them there and overextending their stays and redeploying them over and over again? This bill says, adhere to your own guidelines.

Over and over again, Senator Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, and I have appealed to the President to have a new direction in Iraq, change the mission from combat to training, enabling us to redeploy our troops for limited purpose in Iraq. Engage in diplomacy, encourage the Iraqis to engage in the regional diplomacy so necessary to bring stability to the region. Have real reconstruction. Real reconstruction, reform it; reconstruction, not corruption. And have the political change that is necessary, amend the Constitution to relieve the civil unrest and strife that has produced so much violence.

When we do that, we can bring our troops home. We can redeploy them out of Iraq, and we can turn our attention to the real war on terror in Afghanistan.

A matter of weeks ago I was in Afghanistan with some of our colleagues, and the commander of the coalition forces there told us, flat out, that if we had not taken our attention away from Afghanistan, if we had stayed focused there, the al Qaeda and the Taliban would not have the opportunity that they have there now to make a comeback. That is where the war on terror is. The war in Iraq is a separate war from the war on terror. It is a separate war.

Again, the American people have lost faith in the President's conduct of this war. The American people see the reality of this war. The President does not.

Today, the Congress has an historic opportunity to vote to end the war in Iraq. Each Member of Congress will make a choice. The world is watching for our decision. The choice is clear. Will we renew the President's blank check for an open-ended war without end, or will we take a giant step to end the war and responsibly redeploy our troops out of Iraq?

The American people want a new direction in Iraq. Today the Congress will provide it. The American people do not support a war without end, and neither should this Congress. I urge an ``aye'' vote.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and his leadership in bringing this very important legislation to the floor.

This is a happy day indeed. It is an historic day. It is a day when the people of the District of Columbia will finally have their voices heard and represented.

This is a personal joy for me as well, because when I was born all those many years ago, my father served in the Congress, and he became the Chair of the District of Columbia Appropriations Subcommittee. As such, that was a time when there was no Mayor, no home rule, no anything; that committee practically ran the District of Columbia. My father was a strong advocate for home rule for the District, and, of course, we had hoped eventually, and still do, statehood.

It took a long time, but at last today we will get a vote once again for Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. She has really been a champion for the District. Even without the full vote, her impact is felt here, but it is the right thing to do for her to have the vote.

Congressman Davis, as Chairman Davis and now as ranking member, has always been a strong advocate for this, as has Henry Waxman, the Chair of the Government Reform Committee, and you, Mr. Chairman, from the standpoint of the Judiciary Committee.

How impressive it was to see the Iraqi vets, these young people, coming back from the Iraq war, and those serving in Afghanistan, where they were willing to make any sacrifice for our country. Their courage and patriotism is honored by all of us. They came and pled to us for the District of Columbia to have the vote. They live here, they went to war from here, they wanted to come home to the fullness of democracy for the District of Columbia.

Today's vote affirms an enduring principle of our democracy, the right to be heard and represented. They fought for that in Iraq. They should have it here in the District.

For more than 200 years, the people of the District of Columbia have been denied full representation. This carefully crafted, bipartisan legislation corrects a serious flaw in our democracy. America is at its best honoring the cause of freedom and justice when all voices are fully represented.

The effort to politicize the issue of fundamental fairness disrespects the ideals of this Nation and the people of the District of Columbia. We must honor our democracy. House Democrats will not rest until full representation in the House is granted to the District of Columbia.

This is an important day on which I congratulate Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and the people of the District of Columbia for having this right come due.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mary K. Podesta, and those who loved her especially her sons John and Tony.

Known affectionately as ``Mama Podesta'' to friends, neighbors, and many of us here in Congress, Mary was a fixture in the Washington political scene for more than two decades.

Mary was born in Chicago to Greek immigrant parents. Upon marrying John Podesta Sr., she devoted herself to raising her two sons, John and Tony, and instilling in them a love of country and a commitment to public service which they both demonstrate today.

With the death of her husband nearly 30 years ago, she moved to Washington to be close to John and Tony. Her sons had a history of hosting prominent fundraisers and socials, but it was Mary who turned them into truly family affairs.

Raised Greek, and married to an Italian, Mary was a tremendous cook. Her meatball recipe was as delicious as it was secret. When I visited, she always made sure she had an order for me ``to go.''

Her astute political advice and encouragement provided even more nourishment than the food she prepared. And though she counted a President, and numerous congressional leaders among her close friends, it was her close relationships with her own family of which she was most proud.

As we pay tribute to Mary, we take comfort in our fond memories of her. I extend my deepest condolences to the many who loved Mary, especially her sons John and Tony, her sister Evelyn, and her three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I hope it is a comfort to them that so many people are praying for them and mourning their loss at this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, as the war in Iraq enters its fifth year, we take time to reflect on those who have made the greatest sacrifices because of this war, our troops. We all salute them because of their courage, their patriotism and the sacrifices they are willing to make. They have done everything asked of them, and we are forever in their debt.

That debt extends to their families, who have also made sacrifices. The missed family events, births of children, deaths of loved ones, graduations, anniversaries, birthdays are losses which cannot be replaced. We owe to these families a renewed commitment

to support them in whatever way may be required and to make sure that our troops have everything they need to do their job and to come home safely and soon.

To those who have been wounded, our Nation has promised to care for you as you have protected us. This is a solemn promise, and it will be honored.

The debt which can never be repaid is to those whose lives have been lost in the war, and as a Nation we mourn them. Their absence is felt each day, each and every one of them; but on this day in particular, their sacrifice should be remembered in a special way. I therefore salute our colleague, Congressman Patrick Murphy, for leading us in a moment of silence in memory of his colleagues who were lost in the war and all others as well.

Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago today, our Nation launched a war of choice in Iraq. The war has claimed the lives of over 3,200 American troops and wounded tens of thousands more, some of them permanently.

Any U.S. military engagement has to be judged in three ways: does it make our country safer, our military stronger, and the region in which we are engaged in the conflict more stable. The war in Iraq has failed on all three counts.

In fact, the administration's policy in Iraq has diminished the safety of our country by reducing the strength of our military. The readiness has sunk now to levels lower than Vietnam, it has failed to hold the Iraqis accountable for the future of their own country, and it has dishonored our commitment to our veterans. It has cost billions of dollars and significantly damaged our reputation in the eyes of the world.

When our young men and women are placed in danger, we owe it to them to provide them with the best training and equipment possible and a strategy worthy of their sacrifice.

The generals have told us over and over again, across the board, generals on active duty, General Petraeus as recently as last week, and many retired generals: there is no military solution to the war in Iraq. It cannot be won solely militarily. Instead, we must leverage all of our political, economic, and diplomatic strengths.

Again and again Senator Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, and I have urged President Bush to adopt a plan for Iraq that contains the following elements:

Change the mission. Transition the mission from combat to training. That will enable us to responsibly redeploy our troops.

Third, we must build consensus for political accommodation in Iraq. They must amend the constitution to be more inclusive to end the civil strife.

Fourth, we must encourage a robust diplomatic effort, primarily involving Iraq's neighbors. The first meeting of neighbors was held. That is a good step. It was at a low level, appropriately, and now it has to move to the ministerial level.

We then must reform and reinvigorate the reconstruction effort. $10 billion is unaccounted for. $10 billion in thin air of the reconstruction effort is unaccounted for. How do we answer to the American taxpayer, when this war is costing $2 billion a week on the military side, and on the reconstruction side we can't account for the money?

When we do this, when we transition, when we change the mission, redeploy the troops, build political consensus, engage in diplomatic efforts and reform and reinvigorate the reconstruction effort, then we can turn our attention to the real war on terror, in Afghanistan.

I hear the voice of the future in the Chamber. What a beautiful sound. What a beautiful sound.

Later this week, Mr. Speaker, we will debate a plan to bring the war to an end. The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act will rebuild our military, protect our troops, provide for our veterans and hold the Iraqi Government accountable.

The benchmarks for the Iraqi Government set forth in this bill are the benchmarks endorsed by President Bush on January 10. They are: improvement in the performance of the Iraqi security forces; a greater commitment by the Iraqi Government to national reconciliation; and reductions in the level of sectarian violence in Iraq.

After 4 years of war, it is reasonable to expect these benchmarks to be met this year. Four years. We are in this war longer than World War II. There is no end in sight. There is no end in sight. There is an unlimited commitment, with no strategy to match the sacrifice of our troops.

Democrats will be offering later in the week, and hopefully with Republican support, we will pass a supplemental that will, that will, place a time frame. And I am really pleased that so many retired generals have come out in support of a time certain that relates to the performance that the President himself established, that the Iraqi Government themselves agreed to.

This isn't anything we created. It is the President's benchmarks. The Iraqis agreed to it. We want to see progress. But if we don't, we will begin the redeployment of our troops out of Iraq in 6 months from that date. Then we will leave troops there for training, for protecting our diplomats, for fighting terrorism, for force protection, but only for those purposes.

I welcome the debate over this bill and the opportunity it provides for Members of Congress to express themselves in what I consider is the greatest ethical challenge to our country, how we send our young men and women into battle; how we send them without the training, without the equipment, without the rest time at home, and overextend them when they are there.

How we send them into battle without plans to honor our commitment to them.

In the military they say: On the battlefield, we will leave no soldier behind. We say: And when they come home, we will leave no veteran behind.

Apparently our country, our great country, has to make a decision for greatness on how we are viewed in the world, on how we project our power and our ideals to make the world a more peaceful place, to honor our commitment to our troops, to honor our commitment to the future, and to honor the sacrifice and the vision of our Founding Fathers.

This is a very important decision for our caucus, for our Congress, for our country, and I hope that the debate will be in the spirit as it was a few weeks ago. It was a great commitment to our troops with knowledge of substance, based on values and respecting the patriotism of each and every person who serves in the Congress.

I know for certain as Speaker of the House that every single person who serves here is patriotic and wants to honor our veterans. I know for certain because I have seen every single person here take an oath of office to protect and defend our Constitution and our country. It is in that spirit that we offer this supplemental that makes America safer, that strengthens our military, and brings stability to the world.

Madam Speaker, next week, one of our most respected former colleagues, Stephen J. Solarz, will receive the President's Award from the International Crisis Group for his role in the creation of that highly respected organization and his other vital contributions to international public policy. This award is richly deserved, and calls to attention the accomplishments of this remarkable public servant.

His career in public office--which included 6 years of service in the New York State Assembly and 18 years representing Brooklyn's 13th district in this chamber--was characterized by tireless advocacy, unyielding resolve, historic vision, and a deep sense of civic duty.

His career was marked by exceptionally strong service in the international arena. Mr. Solarz served for 18 years on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including service as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Africa. His record of achievement mirrors the historic and positive changes that occurred in the world during that period, A champion of human rights and democracy, his name figures prominently in the history of South Africa for his efforts to help end apartheid and build a non- racial democracy; in the Philippines for his tireless work in supporting democratic transformation and good governance; and in Cambodia for his public and private initiatives to help build a sustainable peace and national reconciliation in the wake of tragic mass killings. His vision in promoting democratization and European integration of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe following the fall of the Berlin Wall was essential in promoting peace and stability throughout the European continent.

His deep-seated resolve to contribute to international peace and justice did not cease after he retired from Congress in 1993. Mr. Solarz then served President Clinton as special envoy to Cambodia and as Chair to the Board of the Central Asian-American Enterprise Fund. He has stayed active since then, contributing frequently to the public discourse on international events through his writings and teachings.

Mr. Solarz also played a vital role in the creation and early leadership of the International Crisis Group, which has emerged as a respected conflict prevention and resolution organization. As part of a group of prominent international citizens and foreign policy specialists who were appalled by the international community's failure to respond to crises of the mid-1990s in Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda, Mr. Solarz recognized the need for an organization, wholly independent of any government that would help governments, international organizations, and the world community to prevent, contain, and resolve deadly conflict. In the early stages of its formation, Mr. Solarz traveled to two dozen countries to discuss the proposed organization, garner support, and raise funds. The vision of that group was realized, and Mr. Solarz went on to serve first as the organization's first vice chairman and now serves on its board of trustees.

It is with great pride and admiration that I join the International Crisis Group in celebrating this great American and distinguished veteran of the House of Representatives. I thank his wife of 38 years, Nina Koldin, and his two children for sharing their husband and father with us. I am proud to pay tribute to Stephen Solarz for his contributions to the people of New York, the United States, and the entire world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. To both of them, thank you for bringing this resolution honoring Leo McCarthy to the floor. He was a very special person to us, and I thank you. Congresswoman Eshoo, thank you for your leadership in bringing this as well.

I am pleased to join my California colleagues, and others, in singing the praises of one great man, Leo McCarthy.

Mr. Speaker, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is a chapter known as the Eulogy of Heroes; its words could be used to describe Leo McCarthy.

``Now let us praise great men, the heroes of our nation's history, through whom the Lord has established His renown and revealed His majesty. Some were sage counselors who led the people by their counsel and by their knowledge of the law; out of their fund of wisdom, they gave instruction. They were men of loyalty, whose good deeds have not been forgotten.''

I know that all who knew Leo McCarthy knows how fitting that description is of him. Leo McCarthy was indeed such a person. And as the Eulogy of Heroes proclaims, ``He will be buried in peace, but his name lives forever, as people recount his wisdom.''

Leo's great wisdom was in knowing that the future of his children, Sharon, Conna, Adam and Niall, was linked to the destiny of all children. There were many years when, as the most senior Democrat in California politics, Lieutenant Governor Leo McCarthy was the main person standing between drastic cuts to benefits for our children, the elderly and the disabled.

Leo took seriously the responsibility to carry the banner of the Democratic Party, as he advanced social and economic justice. As Speaker of the State Assembly House and Lieutenant Governor, Leo promoted a values-based agenda to educate our children, grow our economy and protect our environment. He did so living up to the highest ethical standards, and he always strove to act in a bipartisan way.

Leo's word was his bond. And when he promised that he would protect our seniors and stand up for California's magnificent coastline, he kept his word. In fact, Leo was so scrupulously principled and honest that there are those of us who thought he must be wearing a Boy Scout uniform under his business suit. What was under there was a heart of gold. And really, in all of the testimonials that followed Leo's passing, I said he had the heart of a lion; they said he was a lion.

Leo opened public service to so many Californians, opening up the Democratic Party and welcoming in the grassroots. As a former staffer of his said, Leo liked to take chances on talent. From him they got not only their start but also their ethics, how to look after their family, their community and their country at the same time.

He also encouraged the next generation of leadership through his work at the University of San Francisco as head of the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good. Leo helped to give me my start, encouraging me not only to support candidates but to run in my own right. I consider him both a dear friend and a purposeful mentor.

He made my first run for Congress a family affair, with my children working alongside his children to elect me to Congress. I said, again, he had a heart of gold, he also had the heart of a lion which sustained him through his illness. With all the strength that he could muster and a clear mind, he gave me sage counsel and wise instruction, as the eulogy said, through this last campaign, always reminding me that it was necessary to win in order to keep faith with the American people. And I know he took special joy in our victories in November, indeed, they were his victories as well.

Leo was optimistic to the end. And as recently as Saturday night, which was the Saturday night before he passed, I spoke to him and he said, My morale is high. I am home with Jackie, that is his wife, and my children and my

grandchildren are with me. More than anything, Leo loved his family, his wife Jackie, his children and grandchildren.

My husband Paul and I and my entire family extend our deep sympathy to Jackie, Sharon, Conna, Adam and Niall. Again, I hope it is a comfort to them that so many people mourn their loss, sing Leo's praises and are praying for them at this sad time.

Mr. Speaker, Leo McCarthy will be buried in peace, but his name lives forever as people recount his wisdom.

Madam Chairwoman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his great leadership, along with Chairman George Miller, in bringing this important legislation to the floor.

I proudly rise in support of the Employee Free Choice Act. I salute again the leadership of the committee. This legislation has long enjoyed bipartisan support; it took a Democratic majority to give us a chance to vote on it on the floor.

The Employee Free Choice Act is the most important labor law reform legislation of this generation. But this legislation is about more than labor law: it is about basic workers' rights. It is about majority rule. It is about ending discrimination and harassment in the workplace over organizing, and it is about protecting jobs. Under this bill, when a majority of workers say they want a union, they will get a union.

It is important to note, Madam Chair, that many of the benefits all workers, union members and others, all workers enjoy today are the results of the struggles of organized labor. Their victories have not just benefited union workers, but all workers. Millions of those who have never had the chance to join a union enjoy better wages, safer workplaces, and greater rights because of the battles fought by union members. Unions have helped make America the most prosperous, most productive Nation in the world with a vibrant middle class, so essential to our democracy. Organized labor has helped put America in the lead.

Today, 57 million workers say that they would join a union if they had a chance, to be part of an effort to keep America number one. And many, many hundreds of thousands of employers throughout this country work cooperatively with their unions representing their employees. In fact, this bill is very fair to employers, giving them recourse should they question the validity of the signatures on the card check.

The Employee Free Choice Act puts democracy back in the workplace so that the decision to form a union can be made by the employees that the union would represent. This is a standard right that we routinely demand for workers around the world. And it illustrates not only a respect for workers but a commitment to democracy. We should accept no less a standard here in America.

Many people, including the NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, many religious organizations support this legislation because it is fair. It has been cosponsored by 226 House Democrats. It has the support of 69 percent of the American people.

Democrats believe that we must make our economy fairer, and we began in the first 100 hours by passing the minimum wage bill with a strong bipartisan vote.

Today, we will take the next step with a strong bipartisan vote to ensure that America's working families have the right to organize, because the right to organize means a better future for them and for all of us. It means a future that is economically and socially just. It is that economic and social justice that drew so many religious organizations in support of this legislation, a future where the workplace is safe, a future where retirement is secure.

Madam Chair, every day when we begin the Congress, we begin with a pledge to the flag and how proud we are to do that. And we all take great pride in pledging the flag, to very clearly enunciate ``under God,'' ``one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'' That is the pledge we make every morning, and we pledge it under God, liberty and justice for all.

Well, it is I think a disservice to that pledge and a dishonor to God whom we invoke in that, if we don't do in our work here, work that promotes liberty and justice for all. And that is what this bill does. It is about justice for all: all who want to express themselves in a way so they can bargain collectively, so that workers have the strength and the leverage to strengthen our middle class, to reach the fulfillment for their families, to make our democracy stronger.

I believe that this bill, the Employee Free Choice Act, is an honest continuation of the pledge that we make in the morning for liberty and justice for all.