Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, let's review the score. Big Oil, one; taxpayers, zero. But today we are about to even the score.

When he took office, President Bush said this country was in need of a comprehensive energy policy. He was right, and unfortunately we are still waiting.

We are still waiting because rather than a solution we got a $14 billion taxpayer handout to oil and gas companies. Taxpayers were forced to pay twice, once at the pump and then again on April 15. At the same time, the five big oil companies made record profits of $97 billion in 2006, and the taxpayers were asked to subsidize their industry.

Where are gas prices today? Almost double where they were when George Bush took office. Today, as we complete our first 100 hours, it is the beginning of clean energy and the end of dirty politics.

Just last week, my colleagues on the other side were saying that we were subsidizing; that the private sector was working in the prescription drug area, and today they argue in favor of a $14 billion taxpayer handout for big oil companies. I am proud the inconsistency doesn't seem to get in the way of a good argument.

I think this serves a fitting end to our first 100 hours agenda and the 6 in '06. Two weeks ago, we began the 100 hours by enacting the most comprehensive ethics reform since the Watergate era, and we end the culture of corruption where the special interests had a free rein in determining national policy. Nowhere was that corruption of the system more apparent than the handouts to the energy companies.

Mr. Speaker, for the past 4 years, I have come to this podium and said that that gavel was supposed to open up the people's House, not the auction house. Today, I proudly can say that we have given the people a voice, stood up to the special interests, and fought for hardworking families. The score is tied, and we are just getting warmed up.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise with my colleagues today in support of House Resolution 15, honoring the late Honorable Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States.

Here in this Chamber, President Ford served dutifully for 24 years, representing the people of the Fifth District of Michigan from 1949 until his ascension to the Oval Office. As a Congressman, Gerald Ford's warmth, approachability, and affability made him one of the most highly regarded Members of his day.

It was these qualities which would shape Gerald Ford into an excellent House floor leader for his party, a position he held for 8 years until his appointment as the 40th Vice President. During his tenure as minority leader, Gerald Ford set a standard of fairness, diplomacy, and cooperation to which all of us can aspire.

As both Vice President and President, Gerald Ford was called to serve in positions of great responsibility during a troubled time in our Nation's history. Ford accepted his powers and responsibilities with the same steadfast composure and patience for which he had became known as a Congressman.

As a man known for his ability to create consensus, compromise, and conciliation, he was well suited to take the helm of America and navigate the turbulent storm it faced. President Ford's gentle nature helped soothe the deep scars America faced after an arduous period of strife at home and abroad.

Madam Speaker, Gerald Ford served our country with a patient hand, an understanding mind, and a reassuring voice. His time in Congress and in the White House leave behind a legacy of commitment, passion, and comity that we will all remember.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 60) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. The vote we cast today is a vote that can and will have a direct impact on the life and health of those suffering from the most debilitating and painful diseases.

This is not a Democratic issue. This is not a Republican issue. This is an issue that all Americans overwhelmingly support. We owe it to them to stand up and support this research that is groundbreaking in the area of health.

As I listen to the debate, I hear the moral objections of those who oppose, and I acknowledge them. And at the same time, for those who support this, I hear their moral, which I view, come from this from both a public health position as well as a moral position about the responsibility where you can find cures, to lead that way. And I don't see a way of resolving the divide of two moral positions held firmly in conviction.

Sometimes I think of this, half in jest, that the only way to get around this issue is that those who have moral objections to this, that when we find the cures going forward on stem cells, you waive your right to the cure to Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes. I say that not seriously.

But the only way to get past this is in some way allow the research to go, and those that don't agree with it, whatever cures emanate from it, they would waive their right to it. And I don't say that in any seriousness, but I do not see how you resolve those two morally held beliefs on conviction.

I would hope those who object and do it in good conscience understand why those of us who support this, which is why 10 States around the country have approved it, let alone other countries, all the possibility that emerges here to be unlocked to deal with major diseases that not only affect the individual but those families; the potential on Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS, diabetes, and all the other type of money that goes to deal with those at one level, here we can come up finally with a cure. And we know one of the things that is affecting our research is the fact that we do not deal with cures, but only with managing the ailments.

I am pleased that we have this opportunity to vote on this today.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 47) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Six years, $3 trillion in new debt. The largest accumulation of debt in the shortest period of time in American history. That is the legacy. And the one thing you can say about George Bush and this economy is we will be forever in your debt. That is the one thing that is clear.

Now, folks, I am glad that you have the sentiment to be for this, but you had the inability to do it. We are going to do something you talked about, but we actually are going to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. We are going to put this fiscal house in order.

And you did get handed a surplus prior to total Republican control. You got handed a surplus. It wasn't illusory. Nobody could not find it. We knew exactly where it was. And you spent it. You did something no American President and no Congress had ever tried in American history. Three wars, three tax cuts, $3 trillion in new debt. I don't know what your fixation is about that. You have got a fixation for the number three. I have no idea why. But that is what you did. You had a war in Iraq, a war on terror, a war in Afghanistan. You tried three major tax cuts, and you got $3 trillion in new debt. And on day number two, the Democrats have said enough is enough with running up the debt and the deficit of this country. We are going to begin to take steps to put our fiscal house in order.

And let's start with number one, and that is earmark reform. When the Republican Congress took over in 1995, throughout the entire Federal budget, 1,400 earmarks. At the end of the Republican Congress, there were 13,997 earmarks. Now, I know your kids know the explosion on those numbers from 1,400 to nearly 14,000 earmarks. And we are going to use the disinfectant of sunlight. And everybody is going to know everything they need to know about these earmarks.

Now let me use one quote over the years when we were dealing with earmarks. A famous lobbyist called earmarks ``an ATM for lobbyists.'' Well, folks, that is part of ethics and lobbying reform, and we are going to change that. It is not going to be an ATM machine for the special interests anymore because this Congress, that gavel, is going to open up the people's House, not the auction house. And that is what has happened here over the years.

Number two, pay-as-you-go rules. I worked for an administration that had pay-as-you-go rules. It created discipline not just for Republicans, not just for Democrats. For the government. For the American people's money. And we created a surplus through hard work and discipline. These two steps, pay-as-you-go rules, no new spending without the revenue to pay for them; and earmark reform, will actually change our fiscal house and also the attitude in which we deal with things, and there won't be this insidious relationship between lobbyists and the American people's money. We will do what we need to do. And step one is lobbying and ethics reform, to change how Washington does the people's business; and step two is to put their government's fiscal house in order. That is what we are doing, and I know in your heart of hearts because I know you as individuals, and I see a number of Members here who are nodding their heads ``yes,'' you would like to be for this, but you just can't seem to find that little green button. So this is a chance to vote for it.

Remember all the rhetoric and all the speeches you gave on earmark reform, fiscal discipline. You believe what is going on here is the right thing to do. You know it is the right thing to do. But because of party loyalties, you won't do that. That is exactly what we applauded yesterday was to put partisanship aside and join us in the act of patriotism. I know you would like to vote ``yes.'' In your heart of hearts you would like to vote ``yes.'' And I am proud that we are doing what you have only talked about because we will not just talk the talk. We will walk the walk.

Madam Clerk, as a father of three young children, I am particularly thrilled to be a part of this moment, thrilled that a generation of young girls and boys across America are about to witness another historic step in our Nation's march toward equality of opportunity. Nancy Pelosi's goal is a Congress known for its ideas, not its insults; its patriotism, not its partisanship.

Madam Clerk, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am directed by

the unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election to the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress the name of the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Member-elect from the State of California.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 7) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I

have been directed to report to the House that the Democratic Members have selected as majority leader the gentleman from Maryland, the Honorable Steny H. Hoyer.

Madam Speaker, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I have been directed to report to the House that the Democratic Members have selected as majority whip the gentleman from South Carolina, the Honorable James E. Clyburn.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Astronaut Joan Higginbotham. Higginbotham is a member of the crew on the Space Shuttle Discovery that is scheduled to launch tonight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Additionally, she is a fellow Chicagoan, and I wish her the best of luck as she prepares for her first mission, STS 116.

Higginbotham graduated from Chicago's Whitney Young High School in 1982, and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1987. She will be the third African-American woman aboard a NASA mission, and she and her fellow astronaut Robert Curbeam will make history this week on STS 116, the first Space Shuttle mission with two African-American astronauts.

Higginbotham previously worked as a payload engineer at the John F. Kennedy Space Center while also earning two master's degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology.

As a Mission Specialist on board Discovery, Higginbotham's responsibilities will include a complete rewiring of the International Space Station's power supply. She will also have the responsibility of operating the robotic arm to deploy several satellites and to direct payload transfers.

Higginbotham will be joined by mission commander Mark Polansky, as well as Robert Curbeam, Sunita Williams, Nicholas Patrick, William Oefelein, and Christer Fuglesang from the European Space Agency, who is the first Swedish astronaut.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing my fellow Chicagoan as well as her fellow astronauts, and to wish them all the best on their launch tonight and their 12-day mission.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the Greater Chicago Food Depository for its enduring commitment to providing food for hundreds of thousands of hungry people in Cook County. In addition to addressing immediate needs, the Greater Chicago Food Depository strives to end hunger throughout the region by empowering people to break the cycle of poverty.

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, founded in 1979, is one of the largest not for-profit food distribution systems in the nation, distributing donated and purchased food through a network of 600 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to more than 91,000 adults and children every week. Last year, the Food Depository distributed more than 40 million pounds of non-perishable food and fresh produce, dairy products, meat, poultry and fish--the equivalent of more than 84,300 meals per day.

In addition to its food distribution programs, the Greater Chicago Food Depository runs Chicago's Community Kitchens, a chef-training program designed to empower unemployed and underemployed Chicago residents. Featured on November 28th in a front-page article in the Wall Street Journal, this free twelve- week program teaches participants the basics of food preparation and employment skills, enabling them to develop a successful career in the food service industry. Students create nearly 2,000 meals a day for delivery to the Kid's Cafes, an after-school program also run by the Food Depository that provides children with a daily hot meal, a safe haven, tutoring, and other educational programs.

Chicago's Community Kitchens is an innovative program that empowers graduates looking for ``a new lease on life'', and inspires them to give back to the community themselves. Many of the students in Chicago's Community Kitchens are soup kitchen regulars or homeless shelter residents and, after graduating and securing a full-time job, have returned to volunteer at a soup kitchen themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the Greater Chicago Food Depository for its tireless, efforts to provide food for hungry people, to provide people with the tools necessary to break the cycles of poverty, and to end hunger in our community. I wish its staff, volunteers, and supporters every future success in their continuing work toward meeting the needs of Chicago's hungry men, women and children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in proud recognition of The Biograph Theater, recently acquired by the Victory Gardens Theater, and located in the vibrant and multicultural neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

Since 1914 the Biograph Theater has been a symbol of art in a dense metropolitan area, and thanks to The Victory Garden Theater, it will remain in operation as the new main stage for theater company that has been in business since 1974.

After 90 years as a movie theater, under various owners, in July 2004, Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater announced it had purchased the Biograph for use as a live venue. The theater has been completely renovated by architect Daniel P. Coffey, who constructed a large state- of-the-art stage, with seating for 299 people.

The Biograph Theater will house a state-of-the-art stage guaranteeing the intimacy for which Victory Gardens' performances have become known, while providing greatly enhanced technical production capabilities. The new theater will have the very latest lighting and sound equipment as well as generous wing-space, dressing rooms, and a trap system under the stage, allowing for all kinds of theatrical magic.

In a city with such a rich history in the arts, The Biograph Theater is just one more example of thriving theater in the nation's Second City.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus I believe that it is important to support and recognize The Biograph Theater, Victory Gardens Theater and the Arts in Chicago. The Biograph Theater is an example of a new breath in an old Chicago landmark. I am proud of the storied history of The Biograph Theater and the work that the Victory Gardens Theater does and I wish them continued success in the coming years.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Astronaut Joan Higginbotham. Higginbotham is a member of the crew on the Space Shuttle Discovery that is scheduled to launch tonight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Additionally, she is a fellow Chicagoan, and I wish her the best of luck as she prepares for her first mission, STS 116.

Higginbotham graduated from Chicago's Whitney Young High School in 1982, and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1987. She will be the third African-American woman aboard a NASA mission, and she and her fellow astronaut Robert Curbeam will make history this week on STS 116, the first Space Shuttle mission with two African-American astronauts.

Higginbotham previously worked as a payload engineer at the John F. Kennedy Space Center while also earning two master's degrees from the Florida Institute of Technology.

As a mission specialist on board Discovery, Higginbotham's responsibilities will include a complete rewiring of the International Space Station's power supply. She will also have the responsibility of operating the robotic arm to deploy several satellites and to direct payload transfers.

Higginbotham will be joined by Mission Commander Mark Polansky, as well as Robert Curbeam Sunita Williams, Nicholas Patrick, William Oefelein, and Christer Fuglesang from the European Space Agency, who is the first Swedish astronaut.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing my fellow Chicagoan as well as her fellow astronauts, and to wish them all the best on their launch tonight and their 12-day mission.

Mr. Speaker, this month I proudly join the thousands of Polish-Americans living in Chicago in a national celebration of Polish history, culture, and pride during Polish American Heritage Month.

Celebrated in October, Polish American Heritage Month includes General Pulaski Memorial Day, which honors the American Revolutionary War patriot Casimir Pulaski. In 1777, General Pulaski attended his first meeting with Benjamin Franklin, to champion the freedom of the American people. This early partnership has been mirrored by the present-day alliance between Poland and the United States.

Polish-Americans have made strong contributions to American culture in virtually every field, including literature, technology, and music. My hometown of Chicago has more people of Polish descent than any other city outside of Poland. I am dedicated to continuing the strong record of cultural and economic ties between our two nations.

The United States is grateful to Poland for its friendship and commitment to the democratic ideals of liberty and human rights. Poland has also proven to be a strong ally of the United States, assisting in global efforts to combat terrorism, and providing troops and resources for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join the citizens of my district, as well as those of Polish decent around the country in recognizing, remembering, and celebrating Polish American Month.