Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, during the President's weekly radio address, he accused the Democrats of spending 68 days pushing legislation that would undercut our troops.

During his tour of the Middle East yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, ``The debate in Congress has been helpful in demonstrating to the Iraqis that American patience is limited.'' He goes on to say, it has a positive impact ``communicating to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment.''

So who's right? Either the Secretary of the Defense, who is calling for the Iraqis to take ownership of their country, or the President, who is playing politics here at home? The Congress has provided the President the one thing he has refused to develop after 4 years of war: a policy to get the Iraqis off the sidelines and onto the field.

So after years of chaos and bloodshed, when the administration asks for more troops and more time and more of the same, we are calling for accountability of the Iraqis and a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops. Our troops are bearing all of the responsibility for the President's policy, and the Iraqis have no accountability.

Secretary Gates, thank you for your honest assessment of what it takes to bring a new direction to Iraq.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1677, the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007. Too often, middle-class taxpayers find themselves confused and frustrated by the complexity of the tax code. Over 60 percent of taxpayers now use a paid preparer to file their tax return, costing them hundreds or thousands of dollars that they could have used for college, health care, or retirement.

This legislation provides overdue relief for taxpayers that will protect them from fraud, require the IRS to do a better job of communicating which tax credits a taxpayer can qualify for, and hold tax cheats accountable for their actions. Today is Tax Day, and this legislation sends a message to taxpayers that help is on the way.

Hearings held by Chairman John Lewis provided ample evidence that taxpayers are too often exposed to identify theft or unaware of potential benefits. The Taxpayer Protection Act will require the IRS to notify taxpayers involved in tax fraud investigations that there may have been an unauthorized use of their identities, will provide filers with a longer period of time to seek restitution from the IRS for a wrongful penalty, punish predatory lenders, and require the IRS to promote the Earned Income Tax Credit so that more Americans can take care of a tax benefit they have earned but have not been notified.

Madam Speaker, Tax Day can be a difficult day for many Americans. Let us do our part to make common-sense reforms that put the government back on the side of the average taxpayer.

I thank Mr. Rangel, the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 1677, the Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007.

Madam Speaker, I was absent from the Chamber for rollcall No. 205 on March 28, 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the minority whip for his comments.

And, yes, in the nineties we did balance the budget. I would just remind him, and I don't want to start my speech this way, but the first budget you proposed led to a government shutdown. It was President Clinton that led the way to a balanced budget and a surplus.

Now I want to thank you. Some of my colleagues have criticized you. I want to thank you. I want to thank you because to govern is to choose. We have two clear choices here, and there is no doubt about it. President Kennedy once said, ``to govern is to choose.''

We're offering a new direction. You are offering the status quo. There is no doubt about it. Because you have given us, and nobody has really quite said thank you enough to your $4 trillion of new debt, and you need to be appreciated for it. Because, as I've always said, if there is one thing you can say about George Bush and the Republicans when it comes to the economy, we will forever be in your debt. And that is the one thing that is absolutely clear about your stewardship with this economy.

Four trillion dollars, the largest accumulation of debt in the shortest period of time in American history. Don't look at your shoes when I'm saying it now, because you know that is your legacy.

Now, what are the priorities and the differences?

In Medicaid and Medicare, let's just take a look at health care, number one economic issue for the American people. You cut $250 billion for Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats double the size of the children's health care program in this country. Two choices: Status quo, a new direction.

You cut $5 billion from college assistance for people who are trying to achieve the American dream. We expand college assistance by $3.5 billion.

You have made a decision to make cuts in other areas like agriculture. We make sure that our farmers have a future where their children can inherit the farm and have a future in rural America.

The choices are clear. We have a balanced budget that is balanced with our priorities. You maintain an economic strategy that adds to the Nation's debt as you have in past years.

Every year of our budget, the deficit declines. Every year under our budget, 5 years in a row, the budget deficit declines until it reaches balance and eventually a surplus. Every year. You achieve your goals by cutting $250 billion from health care assistance, Medicare and Medicaid.

Point of Order

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time I have left?

Roosevelt once said, ``We have nothing to fear but fear itself,'' and you have taken that and turned it on its head and said, ``all we have to offer is fear.''

This is a new direction versus a status quo budget. There are clear

choices, and I am glad that we balance the budget.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize; Loyola University Chicago for its enduring commitment to community service and its creation of the Center for Public Service. I am pleased that the Center will house the congressional papers of former Congressman Henry J. Hyde and former Congressman Dan Rostenkowski.

Loyola's Center for Public Service will undertake the task of encouraging citizens to dedicate their lives to civil service and government. Through research and discourse, this non-partisan academic unit will increase education on important policy issues.

Both Congressman Hyde and Congressman Rostenkowski attended Loyola, so it seems fitting that their work will be preserved there.

Congressman Hyde recently retired from Congress after serving the people of the Sixth district of Illinois for 15 terms. The former Dean of the Illinois delegation served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee from 1995-2001 and was later Chairman of the International Relations Committee.

Congressman Rostenkowski, or Mr. Chairman as he is still known, served my district in the House and was a legislative force for 34 years. As the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he played an important role in tax and trade policy for thirteen years.

Madam Speaker, I congratulate Loyola University Chicago for its creation of the Center for Public Service and its collection of the congressional papers of former Congressmen Henry J. Hyde and Dan Rostenkowski. I wish its faculty, staff and students the best of luck as they pursue lives of public service.

Mr. Speaker, today this Congress, the 110th Congress, faces an historic vote, a vote to truly change the direction of the Iraqi conflict.

Let us review the cost America has borne in 4 years: 3,200 lives have been lost, 25,000 of our citizens have been injured, and nearly a half a trillion dollars have been spent, and America's reputation around the world has been sullied.

And under the President's leadership, his Iraqi policy comes down to something very simple: more troops, more money, more time, more of the same. That is it.

Now, there is a lot of rhetoric going around. We fund our troops. You fund the troops. There is one fundamental difference: We require the Iraqis to bear responsibility for Iraq, and you provide them and the President another blank check for another year. And that is the fundamental difference, whether you will bring accountability and responsibility to the Iraqis to stand up for Iraq.

Now, some bemoan and say we are micromanaging. I would say to you, you rubber-stamped 4 years of mismanagement. Not enough troops, not a plan for the occupation and elimination of the Iraqi Army has brought us in from in search of WMD to policing a sectarian civil war.

And when you talk, as the President said on January 10, that he wants the Iraqis to meet his benchmarks, but you don't have any benchmarks or any accountability for Iraq, I can only say one thing, as we say in Chicago, ``You're all hat and no cattle.''

It is time, after 4 years and an unbelievable cost across America, borne mostly by our troops and their families and our military, that we ask the Iraqis to do for Iraq what they have asked us to do for them for 4 years, and that is to be accountable for their own future.

And I am proud that we have finally done something. We will fund the troops, and we will also demand that Iraq stand up for Iraq's future and stop leaning on America alone.

And we have done something that is so important that has been missing in this policy, and that is not only a new direction, but fundamentally bringing the responsibility and accountability to the Iraqis, which is why many in the Armed Forces are happy we are forcing Iraqis to do for Iraq's future what they have asked us to do, which is stop policing their civil war, but demand accountability, bring a new direction to this, because after 4 years, more troops, more money, more time is only rubber-stamping more of the same.

Madam Speaker, from the beginning, the Bush administration has offered a litany of reasons to justify their decision to fire the U.S. Attorneys. Unfortunately, the answers they provided have never even held up for 48 hours.

First, the Bush administration said the attorneys were fired because of performance-related issues. Yet we find out these attorneys have exemplary records. The Deputy Attorney General did not even review the file of one of the fired U.S. Attorneys.

Then the administration said it was an internal staffing issue and pointed the finger at Harriet Miers. And now other top White House officials not only knew about it from the beginning, but were behind the firings.

Yesterday the White House said that they will talk to Congress, but they will not take the oath and swear to tell the whole truth.

The White House says they have nothing to hide, but they are only willing to speak behind closed doors, not under oath. Our goal is to finally get to the truth, but not to create a confrontation.

The scandal at the Justice Department has gone on long enough. Careers have been destroyed, and legitimate public corruption cases have been derailed. It is time for accountability. It is time for the truth.

Madam Speaker, in a memo sent to the White House, the Justice Department laid out a plan to replace seven U.S. Attorneys who were cracking down on public corruption. This ``smoking memo'' seems to confirm that this administration targeted U.S. Attorneys involved in ongoing public corruption cases.

Today, as we learn more about the Attorney General's failure of leadership, many are eager to debate the future of Attorney General Gonzales and whether he will remain in office. But as we examine how these U.S. Attorneys were fired, we must not lose sight of the real story. What is happening to these ongoing public corruption investigations, from southern California to Nevada to Arizona to New Mexico?

The fired U.S. Attorneys were aggressively investigating public corruption cases and they were fired ostensibly for job performance, which in this White House means you're guilty of doing your job. I don't suppose any of these U.S. Attorneys will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom award.

The question some of us want to know is where are these public corruption cases today? As Washington debates whether Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General, survives by the weekend, some of us want to know whether we can bring back to life these public corruption investigations in these five jurisdictions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Connecticut and colleagues from California and Missouri and my other colleagues for their leadership on this legislation.

It is an important part of this legislation, like the other legislation we are doing on whistleblowers and protection for whistleblowers, as well as the no-bid contracts.

If you look at the Presidential library and the other two pieces of legislation, they all have a common meaning, to ensure that the public trust is protected from being bent for the private interest.

What we mean here is that, in making sure in the period of time in which

a President of the United States is raising money for their library, that at no time will their actions, or public actions, be influenced by those who are willing to support their library. In the same way that we are trying to make sure later this week when we vote on the no-bid contracts, that in no way should those contracts be renewed automatically for those who have gotten their business, no-bid contracts, and somehow had the influence to get that legislation, and the whistleblower legislation, all attempted to protect the public trust.

President Bush plans on raising about $500 million for his Presidential library. President Clinton's library has cost about $165 million, and President Bush's, the 41st President, library cost approximately $80 million, slightly more than that, and there are no questions asked about where the money comes from.

We do not know who is raising these funds, who is donating them, and if the donors are looking for any other favors in return. This process is overdue for sunlight, and we are reforming that practice here today.

I am proud to have worked with Congressman Waxman, Congressman Clay, Congressman Platts, and Congressman Duncan in drafting this bill, which would require the disclosure of any contribution of $200 and above for a Presidential library. This information will be available online so that every American can see who is sending money to the Oval Office.

Mr. Speaker, change is good. Last November, the American people voted for change and that is exactly what we are doing this week and this year. We are changing the way business is done in Washington and restoring integrity to government.

In the first weeks, when we were here, we initiated change on banning gifts, banning meals by lobbyists, making sure earmarks had reform, and this is part of that step-by-step process. You will not change the ways of Washington overnight, but you must have a dedicated step-by-step process to bring reform to the way business is done in Washington. This is an important step, as will be the whistleblower protection we take on today and vote on, and the no-bid contracts for those who are trying to enact contracting reform in the areas of Iraq, Katrina and other places.

As you just saw last week, the taxpayers are getting back only 40 cents on the dollar for the trailers they built for the protection of hurricane victims because we did not use it. We have got to reform the way Washington does work, and this is an important piece of legislation in doing that as part of our overall process.

I thank all my colleagues for their work on this legislation.

There has been a lot of news on Iraq and the differing strategy between Congress and the President. Let's be clear about where the differences lie.

The administration wants more time after 4 long years in Iraq; Democrats say it's time for a conclusion to the open-ended commitment. The administration wants 25,000 more troops for Iraq; Democrats are calling for the troops to be fully trained and equipped. The administration wants more money; Democrats are demanding Iraqis be held accountable for Iraq's future.

The administration policy has us policing a civil war; Democrats want to focus on al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The administration has failed our veterans on the health care they earned; Democrats are for making sure that the veterans get the health care they deserve.

As Yogi Berra once said, ``When you come to a fork in the road, take it.'' Madam Speaker, the President wants and is asking for more of the same; Democrats are calling for a new direction.

Mr. Speaker, 3,188 servicemen and -women have died serving in Iraq, and 371 have given their lives fighting in Afghanistan.

We owe these brave individuals and their families a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. It is our responsibility to honor the ultimate sacrifice that our men and women in uniform have made while serving their country.

We often invoke their sacrifices in general, but seldom take the time to thank them individually.

Last year I led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in recognizing the individual members of our Armed Forces that have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan by reading the names and rank of each servicemember who had fallen in the line of duty so that they never will be forgotten and they will always be remembered in the Congressional Record.

So far we have read just over 2,400 names on the floor of the people's House. Tonight and on future nights we will continue to complete this tribute with the names of our most recent fallen fellow Americans.

If I can, in the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: ``Each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase in its blessings.''

God bless and keep each of the brave Americans whose memory we honor tonight:

Private First Class George Anthony Lutz, II; Private Jonathan R. Pfender; Staff Sergeant Ayman A. Taha; Sergeant Marcelino Ronald Corniel; Staff Sergeant Christopher J. Vanderhorn; Sergeant First Class Jason Lee Bishop; Major William F. Hecker III; Captain Christopher P. Petty; Sergeant Stephen J. White; Sergeant Johnny J. Peralez Jr.; Sergeant Jason Lopez-Reyes; Specialist Ryan D. Walker; Lance Corporal Ryan S. McCurdy; Lance Corporal Jason T. Little; First Lieutenant Jaime L. Campbell; Captain Clayton Lee Adamkavicius; Specialist Eric D. King; Private First Class Jacob H. Allcott; Private Michael E. Bouthot; Private First Class Jason D. Hasenauer; Corporal Stephen R. Bixler; Staff Sergeant Kevin P. Jessen; Private First Class Ricky Salas Jr.; Gunnery Sergeant Justin R. Martone; Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry; Private First Class Amy A. Duerksen; Lance Corporal Kristen K. Marino; Staff Sergeant Joseph R. Ray; Specialist Joshua Lee Hill; Lance Corporal Nicholas R. Anderson; Staff Sergeant Brian A. Lewis; Sergeant Corey A. Dan; Corporal Nyle Yates III; Specialist Carlos M. Gonzalez; Sergeant Amanda N. Pinson; Specialist Antoine J. McKinzie; Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Robinson; Staff Sergeant Robert Hernandez; Captain Timothy J. Moshier; Sergeant First Class John Thomas Stone; Chief Warrant Officer John W. Engeman; Master Sergeant Robert H. West; Chief Warrant Officer Jamie D. Weeks; Major Matthew W. Worrel; Lance Corporal Jose S. Marin-Dominguez Jr.; Lance Corporal William J. Leusink; Private First Class Steven Freund; Lance Corporal Robert G. Posivio III; Specialist Michael L. Hermanson; Captain Douglas A. DiCenzo; Specialist Robert E. Blair.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes).

Corporal Carlos Arrelano; Private Robbie M. Mariano; Lance Corporal Raul Mercado; Major Douglas A. LaBouff; Lance Corporal Brandon Christopher Dewey; Lance Corporal Hugo R. Lopez; Sergeant David L. Herrera; Private First Class Caesar S. Viglienzone; Specialist Roberto L. Martinez Salazar; Private First Class Javier Chavez Jr.; Lance Corporal Michael S. Probst; Specialist Clay P. Farr; Corporal Adam O. Zanutto; Lance Corporal Bunny Long; Private First Class Angelo A. Zawaydeh; Sergeant Dale G. Brehm; Staff Sergeant Ricardo Barraza; Hospitalman Geovani Padilla Aleman; Lance Corporal Felipe D. Sandoval- Flores; Captain Brian S. Letendre; Sergeant Joseph E. Proctor; Staff Sergeant Gavin B. Reinke; Specialist Bryan L. Quinton; Sergeant Elisha R. Parker; Private First Class Caleb A. Lufkin; Lance Corporal Adam Lucas; Corporal Richard A. Bennett; Captain Nathanael J. Doring; Corporal J. Adan Garcia; Captain James A. Funkhouser.

Those are the names of individuals from the State of California.

I would now like to yield to my colleague from Tennessee, Congressman Cohen, to call the names of those from Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Tennessee.

I will now read the names of those from Florida:

Sergeant Adam Leigh Cann; Chief Warrant Officer 2; Kyle E. Jackson; Sergeant Dennis J. Flanagan; Staff Sergeant Marco A. Silva; Private First Class Sean D. Tharp; Sergeant Michael D. Rowe; Lance Corporal Patrick J. Gallagher; Private Jody W. Missildine; Private First Class Roland E. Calderon-Ascencio; Corporal Pablo V. Mayorga; Sergeant Lea R. Mills; Lance Corporal Jason K. Burnett; Lieutenant Colonel Joseph J. Fenty; Corporal Matthieu Marcellus; Corporal Ross A. Smith; Petty Officer Third Class Nicholas Wilson; Specialist Felipe J. Garcia Villareal; Corporal Justin J. Watts; Private First Class Kasper Allen Dudkiewicz; Specialist Dustin L. Kendall; Staff Sergeant Christopher T. Howick; Sergeant Bryan A. Brewster; Sergeant John C. Griffith; Sergeant Jeffery S. Wiekamp; Specialist Justin L. O'Donohoe; Corporal Ryan J. Cummings; Staff Sergeant Darren Harmon; Major Michael D. Stover; Petty Officer Second Class Jamie Jaenke.

I would like to now yield to my colleague from New Hampshire, Congressman Hodes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague.

Now Congressman Cohen will read the names of those from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Tennessee. I will now read the names of those from Illinois, my State:

Sergeant Shawn Christopher Dostie; Lance Corporal Jonathan Kyle Price; Private First Class Sean T. Cardelli; Lance Corporal Philip John Martini; Sergeant Edward G. Davis III; Specialist Ron Gebur; Chief Warrant Officer Christopher B. Donaldson; Staff Sergeant Edwin H. Dazachacon; Lance Corporal Adam J. VanAlstine; Private First Class Benjamin C. Schuster; Lance Corporal John Joshua Thornton; Specialist Joshua U. Humble; Staff Sergeant Christopher J. Schornak; Specialist Joshua M. Pearce; Staff Sergeant Dwayne Peter R. Lewis; Master Sergeant Emigdio E. Elizarraras; Private First Class Tina M. Priest; Specialist Christopher S. Merchant; Sergeant Joshua V. Youmans; Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder; Lance Corporal David J. Grames Sanchez; Second Lieutenant Michael L. Licalzi; Corporal Steve Vahaviolos; Specialist Brandon L. Teeters; Lance Corporal Richard Z. James; Lieutenant Colonel Charles E. Munier; Sergeant Russell M. Durgin; Sergeant Roger P. Pena Jr.; Corporal Michael A. Estrella; Specialist Jeremiah S. Santos; Captain

Patrick Damon; First Lieutenant Forrest P. Ewens; and Sergeant Ian T. Sanchez.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to now recognize my colleague from North Carolina, Congressman Heath Shuler.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from North Carolina.

I would like to once again recognize my colleague from New Hampshire to read the names from the State of Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, before I turn to my colleague from Tennessee, I would like to thank those who are joining us today from the Armed Services as we read these names. I would like to thank them for their presence and for being here.

I yield to my colleague from Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to now recognize my colleague from Minnesota, Congressman Keith Ellison.

Mr. Speaker, I now recognize my colleague from New Hampshire to read the names from California.

Before he does that, for those who have just joined us, last year we started reading the names of each of our fellow citizens who gave their lives in both Iraq and Afghanistan. We read up to 2,400 names. We have another 1,000 to go, which today we are reading those names into the Congressional Record in recognition of their service so they always stay with us in our memory.

My colleague from New Hampshire, Congressman Hodes.

I thank my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the distinguished Members who participated in this tribute and this honor, both those from last year and those who participated tonight.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my colleagues to thank the brave men and women who continue to serve our Nation in Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the world and serve with distinction and honor. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this time until they come together.

As I said this afternoon, in the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ``Each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who dare to die that freedom might live and grow and increase in its blessings.''

A number of our colleagues have stumbled over the names; I hope those families understand that. Although we struggle with the names, we honor their service.

I continue to place the names and pictures of those who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan outside

my office in the Longworth Building. These faces and these names and their rank serve as a stark reminder to me and those who pass by my office that there are young men and women who have given their lives for our country, and we need to stop and remember their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their family, to thank them and honor them. May we always remember them, their names and their faces. God bless them, and God bless America.

Madam Speaker, I was absent from the Chamber for rollcall No. 103 on February 27, 2007. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, today's Washington Post details more allegations of political influence in the recent firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Yesterday, in a press conference, a New Mexico U.S. Attorney, David Iglesias, asserted that he was fired for purely political reasons. The reason? Mr. Iglesias says that prior to November elections, two elected officials, Federal elected officials, asked him to speed up the probes of local politicians. He did the right thing, refused; and now he is fired.

We know that the White House officials intervened and replaced seasoned prosecutors with individuals short on experience but long on political ties. I thought that is what FEMA was for.

Yet Attorney General Gonzalez said he would never ever dismiss attorneys for political reasons. So this administration either originally hired incompetent U.S. Attorneys in the first place or hired competent U.S. Attorneys, but incompetently fired them. Which is it?

Many Americans believe these U.S. Attorneys are not being fired because they failed to go after public corruption, but because they did and were successful.

This Congress will not sit idly by. Madam Speaker, this Congress passed the most sweeping ethics changes since Watergate. We're cleaning up our mess. It's time the Justice Department did the same.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 2 of House Resolution 157, and as the designee of the majority leader, I demand that the time for debate be enlarged by 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the leaders or their designees.

Mr. Speaker, we gather today to consider a question that is profoundly simple: Do we support the President's plan to further escalate America's involvement in Iraq, or not? After 4 long, painful years in which we have seen so many young lives lost, are we now willing to put even more of our brave heroes in harm's way, or will we acknowledge that the current course is failing, that doubling down on the status quo while hoping for a better result would be foolish.

There are those who oppose this resolution because they say it would hurt the troops' morale. Hurt morale? Our leaders promised them they would be greeted as liberators. Instead, we have put them smack in the middle of a shooing gallery, policing someone else's civil war, backing an Iraqi government that refuses to stand up for itself.

We have sent our soldiers back time and again. We have sent many of them without the life-saving equipment and armor they needed, and now they say this resolution would hurt troop morale? To suggest that more of the same just won't do.

They have done their duty with courage and discipline. Now it is time for Congress to do its duty. They deserve not to be sacrificed in the furtherance of a policy that failed for the last 4 years.

From the beginning, this war has been a saga of miscalculations, mistakes and misjudgments for which America will pay in many ways for years to come. Let us not compound those bad judgments by ratifying another.

The President assures us that this escalation of war is the most promising path to a more peaceful Iraq. For the

past 5 years we have accepted the President's assurances on Iraq, only to learn that the facts on the ground belied his aggressive assertions and rosy rhetoric. We accepted his assurances about the presence of weapons of mass destruction and Saddam's links to al Qaeda. We authorized a war on that basis, only to learn that much of what we were told simply wasn't true.

Against stern warnings, we accepted his assurances and those of the Vice President that a post-Saddam Iraq would welcome our presence and overcome deeply engrained sectarian differences. It simply wasn't true. We accepted their assurances when they told us General Shinseki was mistaken when he said we needed far more troops to stabilize Iraq than the administration planned, and that the cost of this war would be minimal. It simply wasn't true. We accepted their assurances when they told us the insurgency was in its last throes. It simply wasn't true.

Each of the last three troop surges has been countered with a surge in violence. It is for that reason that a bipartisan group of House Members and the American public oppose the forth troop increase. More troops doing more of the same is not a policy, it is not a strategy, it is not a tactic, it is the status quo plus.

The time is past for accepting this administration's assurances at face value. The human cost of its repeated assurances is too great.

Mr. Speaker, 3 years ago I asked permission to establish a temporary memorial to the fallen in Iraq in Statuary Hall. The leadership at that time refused, so I began posting the pictures of the young soldiers we have lost outside my office. I have watched as that grim line of photos has grown past my doorway to fill the corridor. More than 3,000 dead, more than 20,000 wounded. When I walk by those photos, I see the purpose, I see the pride, and I see the promise in their young faces. They were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers who will never see their kids grow up.

I ask you, how long must this grim line of photographs grow before we acknowledge that this policy is not working? How many corridors must these memorials fill before we we say, not on my watch? How many more lives must we lose? How many more hearts must be broken?

It is time for this Congress to tell President Bush that his assurances are not enough. This escalation does not mean stability in Iraq, it will mean more loss and more photographs in the corridor.

I urge you to vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the more than 110,000 Polish and Polish-American constituents of my district, as well as those of Polish descent around the country, I rise today to honor the late Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko. On February 10 and 11, the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra will perform Poland's national opera, The Haunted Manor, for audiences at the Rosemont Theater.

Considered the father of Polish opera, Moniuszko was born in the spring of 1819 to a patriotic family of Polish landowners living on the eastern edge of partitioned Poland. Revealing a passion for music at an early age, he began taking private piano lessons while still very young. In 1837, Moniuszko traveled to Berlin where he studied composition and choral conducting. By 1840, the young artist had already composed several operas as well as sacred music and secular cantatas.

Moniuszko became well-known for his many songs, operas, and ballets filled with patriotic and Polish folk themes. His music is quite stylistically distinct while incorporating various national motifs including certain Polish dances and folk tunes.

To this day, Moniuszko is considered one of Poland's great composers. One of his most famous operas is Straszny Dwor, or The Haunted Manor. In it, Moniuszko depicts Polish nobility and gentry while emphasizing Polish customs and traditions. The comic opera is claimed as Poland's national opera, as it encompasses different levels of society, and it has a vitality that speaks to everyone.

During his professional life, Moniuszko traveled numerous times to St. Petersburg to give concerts, so it is fitting that his works are traveling across the ocean to be performed by the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra of the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to recognize Moniuszko and honor his success, as well as to commend the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra for bringing this important part of Poland's history to the Polish and Polish-American communities in the United States.