Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Souvenise Jeanne Bazile, who passed away on May 11, 2014.

Mrs. Bazile, who lived in Spring Valley, New York, was 107 at the time of her passing. Originally from Haiti, she moved to the United States in 1978 to join her husband. Mrs. Bazile was a loving mother who dedicated herself to her six children, fifteen grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Just a few months ago, Mrs. Bazile fulfilled one of her dreams-- becoming an American citizen. After living here for three decades, working hard and contributing to society, Mrs. Bazile became one of the oldest immigrants ever to gain citizenship. She is truly an inspiration for all those who hope to one day achieve the American dream.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize my constituent, Mrs. Souvenise Jeanne Bazile. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring her tremendous life.

I want to thank the outstanding ranking member of this committee for his work on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment. Let me be very clear. The long gun rider currently in this bill makes it easier for drug cartels to smuggle weapons across the border and more difficult for law enforcement to identify straw purchasers and get weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.

The reporting of multiple purchases for powerful semiautomatic firearms is the same policy we have had for handguns for decades, and it saves lives.

Let me be very clear, my friends. The long gun reporting requirement would not stop a law-abiding person from purchasing a firearm. It only allows the reporting of multiple sales of powerful, semiautomatic rifles--greater than the .22 caliber--and only if they can hold detachable magazines.

The Justice Department found that more than half of the guns recovered in Mexico in connection with drug cartels originated in the United States of America. A case study of firearms trafficking by one drug cartel found that, during a 15-month period, the cartel purchased 251 assault rifles from U.S. gun dealers, all but one of which was purchased as part of a multiple sale.

Law enforcement needs more, my colleagues, not less to fight drug cartel violence. Support this amendment. Help law enforcement stop the trafficking of weapons and save lives.

Mr. Speaker, I use today to recognize Ms. Souvenise Jeanne Bazile, who passed away on May II, 2014.

Ms. Bazile, who lived in Spring Valley, New York, was 107 at the time of her passing. Originally from Haiti, she moved to United States in 1978 to join her husband. Ms. Bazile was a loving mother who dedicated herself to her six children, fifteen grandchildren, and fourteen great- grandchildren.

Just a few months ago, Ms. Bazile fulfilled one of her dreams: becoming an American citizen. After living here for three decades, working hard and contributing to society, Ms. Bazile became one of the oldest immigrants ever to gain citizenship. She is truly an inspiration for all those who hope to one day achieve the American dream.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize my constituent, Ms. Souvenise Jeanne Bazile. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring her tremendous life.

Madam Chair, the Fiscal Year 2015 Commerce-Justice- Science bill before us today provides good funding levels for important programs to support public safety, such as Byrne Justice Assistance Grants and Violence Against Women Act services.

I thank Chairman Wolf for working with me to include report language directing the FBI to publish annual reports on the types of records submitted by each State and Federal agency to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It is only as useful as the information it includes, and these reports will help improve the system.

Chairman Wolf and Ranking Member Fattah should be commended for fully funding the Office of Science and Technology Policy, including its working group on Neuroscience, as well as an increase of $21.5 million for National Science Foundation's BRAIN Initiative.

Investments in research and development grow our economy and help to ensure that future scientific breakthroughs happen in American labs, not those overseas.

In addition, I am extremely pleased that this bill will provide $125 million for the DNA Initiative, as well as $36 million for a new community backlog reduction program to process sexual assault kits which, currently, are often untested for years--sometimes decades--when information contained in these kits could help put violent criminals behind bars.

However, I continue to be baffled by efforts aimed at limiting the ability of the Federal Government to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. An ill-advised and dangerous amendment was included during the markup to make it more difficult for the ATF in four Southwest border States to be aware of multiple purchases of powerful semiautomatic rifles.

ATF already receives this information for handguns. It is unfathomable that we would prevent law enforcement from having this information for semiautomatic rifles, especially when this amendment would make it more difficult to prevent the smuggling of guns to Mexican drug cartels. This backwards policy will put lives at risk. We must not let it stand in the final bill.

Other measures must also be addressed before final enactment. The COPS program would be cut by $118 million. The ``wet side'' of NOAA is also cut, including a 40 percent reduction to fisheries habitat conservation and restoration, and the complete elimination of the community-based restoration program.

While the bill funds NOAA weather satellites and the National Weather Service, it includes a sizable cut of 24 percent to NOAA climate research.

As the National Climate Assessment showed, storms and weather events are becoming more frequent, more severe and, as a result, more costly. We should be investing in research to combat the threat of climate change, not sticking our heads in the sand, pretending the science is wrong because combating such an obstacle would be too costly and inconvenient.

While far from perfect in its current form, this is a reasonable bill that I can support. However, it is imperative that no poison pill policy riders be included during House consideration.

As I close, I want to say to the chairman--Chairman Wolf--and Ranking Member Fattah, this really is an example of bipartisan cooperation. You worked so effectively in putting this bill together, and I want to congratulate you.

Before I close, I also want to thank the retiring chairman for your amazing service to our country. It really has been a pleasure for me to work with you, and we know there is never a doubt, when Frank Wolf gets up to speak, he speaks with conviction and power and determination.

You are so impressive. I do want to wish you and your family the very best. For me, it has really been a delight getting to know you. Thank you so much for your service.

Mr. Speaker, this year, we celebrate 66 years of Israeli independence as well as over six decades of steadfast friendship between Israel and the United States.

When President Truman recognized the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, only eleven minutes after David Ben-Gurion declared independence, the United States became an unwavering supporter of the Jewish state.

Israel is now our strongest ally in the Middle East as well as the longest-standing democracy in the region. It's a partnership based on shared values and common goals.

That is why the United States will continue to be the greatest force against efforts to delegitimize Israel in the international community as well as the greatest advocate for a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians and recognition of Israel by all of her neighbors.

Together, we will continue our efforts to turn these goals into a reality.

I join all Israelis in celebrating this year's Yom Ha'atzmaut.

Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairman Cole and Ranking Member Debbie Wasserman Schultz for their hard work on this bill. It really was a bipartisan effort, and I do think you have produced a good bill.

Today, we consider the smallest of the appropriations bills which funds the operations of our Nation's legislative branch.

Without Senate items, the bill is $3.326 billion, the same as 2014. While I am pleased with the overall funding level, it was my hope that, after years of cuts to Member Representational Allowances, or the MRAs, we might provide a modest increase this year.

Member offices have sustained $106 million in cuts since 2010. While some reduction was appropriate, those cuts have severely strained the House's ability to serve the American people, due to fewer staff for constituent casework, the inability to effectively communicate with our constituents, and fewer district offices.

Unless we return to sensible funding levels, we cannot stave off the further erosion of expertise, morale, and comity in this great institution.

This bill funds the Open World Leadership program at $3.42 million, a reduction of $2.58 million. Instead of reducing funds equivalent to the amount for exchanges with Russians, we should shift the funds to support a larger presence in Ukraine and other countries fostering democratic principles, as suggested in the committee report.

Madam Chair, with that said, I congratulate, once again, the chairman and the ranking member of the subcommittee for putting forth a balanced bill and urge its support.

Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment. When I came to Congress, I was outraged by the behavior of some of my colleagues. In one incident, a woman Member was told to share a seat with a male colleague when there weren't enough chairs at a committee meeting.

While there have certainly been improvements, recent events embarrassing this institution highlight the continued need for training. We cannot allow ``Mad Men''-style antics to occur in our offices.

Sexual harassment training will help victims, improve awareness of what is not allowed, and is necessary if we want to be serious about stopping inappropriate acts.

I thank the gentlelady for offering this amendment, and I encourage your support.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank our distinguished chairman, Mr. Culberson, and the distinguished subcommittee ranking member, Sanford Bishop, who really have done an extraordinary job on this bill.

Since it is the first bill coming to the floor, I share the pride expressed by the big chairman, Chairman Rogers. This is regular order, this is an outstanding bill, and we can be very proud of the work. So thank you again, Chairman Culberson, Ranking Member Bishop, for this very, very important bill.

This is the first of the 12 spending bills that the House will consider for fiscal year 2015. As I mentioned, I am so pleased that we are beginning the process with a bill, as reported out of committee, that includes reasonable spending levels and is devoid of controversial riders. I hope this is a sign of what is to follow.

Despite fiscal constraints, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill would meet the needs of servicemen and servicewomen and continue to support our veterans. I am particularly pleased with the emphasis on the increased need for prosthetics for our female servicemembers.

Congress must continue to track and provide vigorous oversight, as you heard from Chairman Rogers and Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Bishop, on the VistA Evolution Electronic Health Record to ensure its capability and interoperability with whatever health records system the Department of Defense eventually selects. As we have discussed many times, this discussion has gone on much too long. It is time for closure, and it is time for coordination. I do hope that happens sooner, rather than later. The overall increase above the fiscal year 2014-enacted level to the IT account should help the VA move forward.

This bill also takes several steps to reduce the disgraceful veterans claims backlog. The committee has previously provided the VA with additional resources. This bill would provide $173.3 million to the Veterans Benefit Management System and an additional $20 million to the Veterans Benefit Administration for digital scanning of old paper files, the centralized mail initiative, and staff overtime.

It withholds 75 percent of the VistA Evolution funds until VA provides information on the system, particularly regarding planned interoperability with the DOD.

It will continue to require the VA to provide monthly records on claims processing and remediation efforts for underperforming regional offices.

The VA has made progress in the last year, and this bill provides the resources to end the claims backlog, and that is what we expect of the Secretary in 2015.

This is a good bill. I hope it is preserved as the House considers amendments. Mr. Chairman, I urge your support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the extraordinary Mr. Vaclav Havel who died in 2011 at the age of 75.

Mr. Havel will forever be remembered as a defender of democracy and human rights in the former Soviet Union, having fought against communism and repression throughout the Cold War. Mr. Havel played a central role in the 1989 Velvet Revolution that ultimately paved the way toward democratic governance in the Czech Republic.

Mr. Havel went on to serve as the first post-communist President of the Czech Republic. His leadership and vision helped lay the groundwork for the country's prominent standing in our democratic community of nations.

I join my colleagues in support of this bipartisan resolution.

It is time that we honor Mr. Havel's legacy by allowing his bust alongside those of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Raoul Wallenberg, Sir Winston Churchill, and Sojourner Truth in the U.S. Capitol. Their busts serve as a timeless celebration of some of our most cherished human rights defenders.

Mr. Speaker, I urge your support.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

We must come together today on a bipartisan basis to support the people

of Ukraine and take a stand against Russia's aggression and illegal violation of Ukraine's sovereign and territorial integrity.

Since last November, the world has watched with growing alarm as the hopes and democratic aspirations of the Ukrainian people were met with violent crackdowns against activists, harassment of journalists, and restrictive legislation limiting basic democratic freedoms. The bloody images from the city square and rising death toll are horrific.

Last month, the Ukrainian Parliament, the democratically elected institution, responsibly exercised its mandate and took action on behalf of the people of Ukraine. Within days, hope returned as the Parliament ousted the reckless and dangerous former President Yanukovych, began discussions with the IMF on a financial support package, and formed a transitional government with early elections scheduled for May.

But Russia, through its dangerous and illegal military occupation of Crimea, has imperiled this progress and unnecessarily escalated this crisis. Russia has violated international law and its own treaty obligations with Ukraine. Ukraine now teeters on the brink of disaster and bloodshed, and I urgently call upon President Putin to work with Kiev and the international community to deescalate the situation immediately.

Now is the time for us to support the people of Ukraine. I strongly support President Obama's comprehensive aid package to support Ukraine, which includes $1 billion in loan guarantees, technical assistance on trade, and recovery of stolen assets.

The IMF is working with the transitional government in Kiev and is instrumental in stabilizing the Ukrainian economy. This crisis illustrates the importance of the IMF to our national and global security interests, and I hope the final assistance package we enact for Ukraine will include support for the IMF.

In addition, I urge my colleagues in Congress to support the IMF quota reforms in the President's budget request, which would expand the IMF's capacity to respond to these kinds of crises and maintain U.S. leadership, instead of continuing to pursue shortsighted, isolationist attacks on the IMF.

In the meantime, however, we should not let the perfect stand as the enemy of the good. In the bipartisan spirit of this bill, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to stand beside the people of Ukraine in their hour of darkness.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff), a member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the minority whip of the House.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings), a member of the Rules Committee and the ranking member of the Helsinki Commission.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee on Appropriations.

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 3 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, it doesn't seem to me that we have additional speakers. We may have an additional speaker on the way.

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

As we wait for the additional speaker, I want to thank the chairman again. I think it is very important that we have been able to act so expeditiously in a bipartisan way to send a very strong message to Russia and to the people of Ukraine.

The people of Ukraine, as was explained so eloquently by my colleague, Ms. Kaptur, who has been there many times, are standing up for freedom.

There are many challenges they have, the challenge of adequate housing, the challenge of adequate food, the challenge of strengthening an economy; yet the fact that we must respond as our great democracy to a situation that has been imposed by Putin is very, very troubling, when there are so many real issues to which our resources can be extended.

My grandparents came from Kiev a long time ago at the turn of the century. They escaped from the pogroms; they escaped from the lack of democracy and the impact of intolerance and brutality that existed there. When you look back upon these years and you look at the struggles that the Ukrainian people have endured, to see the unnecessary brutality that has occurred is unacceptable.

Mr. Chairman, again, I want to thank you that we are working together in a bipartisan way to stand up for freedom, to stand up for democracy, to stand up for the people who are seeking a good future for their families.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of my constituent, Army Captain Clayton Carpenter of Cortlandt Manor, New York, who recently lost his life during a helicopter training incident.

Captain Carpenter leaves behind a loving mother and father, and I extend my thoughts and prayers to them during this time of pain and grief.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Captain Carpenter flew Black Hawk helicopters in both Iraq and Afghanistan. A soldier dedicated to helping children, he even took time in the midst of the Iraq conflict to take photographs of the children's book figure Flat Stanley for use in classrooms in New York.

Now, Congress must honor Captain Clayton and others who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and ensure our soldiers have the safest equipment possible for training and combat.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Congress' misguided rush towards austerity has hurt our economy, slashing critical investments that create jobs and make us more competitive. Discretionary spending, which represents only one-third of the budget, has borne a disproportionate share of cuts. The December budget agreement and this bill set us on a path to fulfilling our basic responsibility of annual spending bills.

Chairman Rogers, I commend your leadership. It has been a delight working with you, and I too look forward to a holiday season where we won't be in constant contact. Thank you. It has been a pleasure.

This bill makes key investments that will bolster job creation and economic growth. We should not have Federal furloughs again this year. Education, Head Start, new pre-K initiatives will help working families and restore teaching slots, and infrastructure investments will support construction jobs and safety upgrades.

Other vital priorities fell short. It is incredibly disappointing this package doesn't restore unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.

In addition, I was very pleased that we received $1 billion more than last year for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, but it is still funded below the 2012 level, forcing scientists to shelve promising research.

By not authorizing a change to the quota for IMF, the International Monetary Fund, we neglect the United States' vital role in the global economy. It is an important tool to promote international financial stability and support U.S. jobs, exports and markets.

This is not the bill that I would have written, but it is the result of a negotiation that required significant compromise and protected the appropriations process from political warfare by dropping most of the new contentious riders.

Finally, I would like to praise the tireless work of David Pomerantz and all of the appropriations staff on both sides of the aisle. This bill was a huge undertaking, possible only with the hard work of such dedicated staff, including one of our longtime professionals who will soon be leaving the committee.

On behalf of the entire Appropriations Committee, I thank David Reich for his 30 years of service to the House and 17 years of exceptional contributions to the full Appropriations Committee, the Labor-H and other subcommittees.

Thank you, and we wish you Godspeed. Good luck.

Now, at this time, before I close, I also want to recognize Trudi Terry, the Chief Clerk of Debates. As I understand it, unfortunately, she will be retiring and go on to other things, and we thank you for your service to the House.

Now, in conclusion, I wish we had completed this process last October, when this fiscal year actually started, but better late than never.

The President's budget will likely arrive late, given Congress' tardiness in completing our work for fiscal year 2014, but I do hope that the bipartisan spirit with which the omnibus agreement has been reached will be preserved in the cycle to come. I will support this omnibus and work in the coming year to address its shortcomings.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the ranking member of the Energy and Water Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), the ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee.

(Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran), the ranking member of the Interior Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop), the ranking member of the Military Construction and Veterans Administration.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

I yield 10 seconds to the gentlewoman.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing this debate, I want to use the opportunity again to thank the chairman, Mr. Rogers, to thank Senator Mikulski and Senator Shelby on the other side of the aisle. It really has been a pleasure for me to work with Chairman Rogers and all of the ranking members on both sides of the aisle to produce this bill that I think we can be very, very proud of.

I also want to thank, again, the Appropriations staff on both sides of the aisle who are looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight. They have worked incredibly hard through the holidays; but because of them and because of the partnership, we are very proud to present this bill.

As we look forward to 2015, we will have more time to consider the suggestions from all of our colleagues in working on this bill. I know that we will continue to invest in programs and projects that strengthen our economy and create jobs.

Although we could not include it in this bill, I do hope that we will have the opportunity very, very soon to pass an extension of unemployment insurance.

Madam Speaker, the great ranking member, Mr. Farr, has just returned. I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire as to how much time I have remaining?

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank again the distinguished Chairman Rogers and all the Appropriations Committee.

I would like to say another word in following up with our ranking member, Mr. Farr.

I too reentered government after I raised my children, and I ran the anti-poverty program in New York State. I felt so passionately that what most people want is a hand up, not a hand out. This is why the temporary extension of unemployment insurance is so important.

Just this week, I met with a man, 52 years old, a licensed electrician. He said for the last 10 years he wanted to work every day, as he always did before, but he never worked a complete year because in my district, in Westchester and Rockland, there is 40 percent unemployment in the construction trades.

So I would ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, let's pass this extension of unemployment insurance and make sure as we consider these bills next year we focus on investments, strengthen the economy, create jobs, and make sure that we give every person that opportunity to fulfill their dreams.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I rise in support of this clean, short-term continuing resolution to ensure uninterrupted government services while we finish the omnibus bill.

Mr. Speaker, our work could not begin until passage of the Murray- Ryan budget agreement in December. The House and Senate budget resolutions were nearly $92 billion apart. We had already suffered an unnecessary government shutdown.

The December budget agreement passed with bipartisan support, gave the Appropriations Committee a workable number, and allowed bipartisan, bicameral negotiations to occur, and we haven't wasted a moment. Our committee worked through the holidays to produce the fiscal year 2014 omnibus package. I am delighted to report that it contains all 12 spending bills and detailed direction in all areas of discretionary spending.

Reaching agreement on all 12 bills was not easy and required a tremendous level of cooperation and compromise. Nobody got everything they wanted. Last night, Chairman Rogers and Chairwoman Mikulski released the text of the omnibus bill, and Members will now have 2 days to review the details before the House votes.

Unfortunately, the current continuing resolution expires at midnight on Wednesday. To allow time for Senate consideration, we must now consider this short-term, interim CR extension. This clean 3-day CR will guarantee no lapse in funding while the legislative gears turn. It contains no policy provisions or other extraneous material. I support its quick passage.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the budget deal is a breakthrough in a difficult budget year in a dysfunctional Congress. As with any compromise, there are elements I oppose; yet this agreement should help us do our jobs to the American people and end the shutdown standoffs.

It provides some relief from the devastating impact of the sequester cuts on our economy and American families. Keeping sequestration in place through fiscal year 2014 would cost up to an estimated 1.6 million jobs. Now, the House and Senate must restore regular order to craft bills that instead create new jobs and protect important priorities like medical research, security and infrastructure upgrades, and early education.

This agreement restores over 60 percent of the sequester on nondefense discretionary spending in 2014, restores those bills to roughly the FY 2013 enacted pre-sequester levels. It would hold defense funding levels roughly consistent with the 2013 level after sequester.

The bill before us includes elements, frankly, I don't like and fails to address others it should. First, I am deeply upset that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle insisted on extending the 2 percent sequester on Medicare providers for an additional 2 years as part of the package's offsets. We should not extend their sequester burden.

It is also unconscionable that the deal does not extend long-term unemployment benefits. Even with the progress our economy has made since the depths of the recession, there are still 1.3 million fewer jobs today than 6 years ago.

Four million Americans have been looking for work for more than 6 months.

More than 1.3 million of them will lose their benefits and, for some, the only income they have just 3 days after Christmas and 3 days before the new year.

Today's bill will provide some economic certainty about fiscal policy over the next 2 years, which should boost growth and job creation.

Because we cannot continue lurching from crisis to crisis, and despite my misgivings about the extension of Medicare provider cuts and failure to address long-term unemployment, I will vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Gabriella Miller and her courage and the courage of her parents, but I oppose this hypocritical bill.

I have spent my career fighting to ensure that our researchers have every resource to find lifesaving treatments and cures. This bill would do nothing to increase investments in medical research.

It is unfathomable to me that those who championed the cuts of $1.55 billion to the NIH now try to authorize with no promise to fund. That cut of $1.55 billion led to a cut of $255 billion to the National Cancer Institute and $66 million to the Child Health Institute that funds pediatric research.

My heart is with the family of Gabriella Miller and my dear friends who lost a little girl of about 6 years old from a childhood cancer, and I will never forget it. Let's work together to truly fund, to appropriate money, not pretend by authorizing. It is a nice thing to do, but we have to vote ``no'' on this cynical bill.

I ask today that we join together to increase investments, to increase funding for pediatric research, not support cuts to the National Cancer Institute, cuts to the National Institutes of Health.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of my constituent, James Ferrari of Montrose, New York, one of the four individuals who lost their lives in Sunday morning's tragedy. Mr. Ferrari leaves behind a wife, a 20-year-old daughter, and extended family. My thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of pain and grief.

For the last 10 years, Mr. Ferrari commuted 6 days a week into the city to his job as a building supervisor. He was a hardworking New Yorker, totally devoted to his family.

His friend and neighbor told me that he did everything for his family. Now his wife, who is still in shock, and daughter are trying to put all the pieces of their lives together.

Now Congress must do its part to honor all the crash victims by advancing solutions that prevent tragedies like this one from ever happening again.