Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this bill is very clear. With the war on terror going on, what this bill says is that every American has their skin in the game. I have seen my Marine units going. And on the war on terror, not all of America is fighting. So when it comes down to investing in the war on terror, when it comes to making sure that we have access to higher education, health care so our veterans are taken care of, every American has their skin in the game to make sure the 21st century is the American century.

And I have seen many, many a wealthy American. I would stop and ask our colleagues to appeal to their patriotism, not just their selfishness. There are patriotic wealthy Americans who are ready to make sure America is safe and secure in the 21st century.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican smokescreen.

It makes infinitely more sense to debate budget reform before voting on a budget, but that kind of common sense regularly escapes this majority and it is why there has not been a budget agreement for over 4 months. In fact, this House has been on a session-long recess when it comes to addressing the health care crisis, educational crisis and retirement security crisis in America.

That is because the majority is scared of being honest with the American people. This is a smoke screen, none of which is going to fool the American people that you are responsible for $3 trillion in additional debt and an annual deficit of $500 billion dollars.

This legislation ignores the advice of Chairman Greenspan, who said it would be a grave mistake to let pay-as-you-go budget enforcement rules expire. This bill even ignores the advice of the gentleman from Iowa, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget, who said just 2 years ago that pay-as-you-go contributed to taming the deficits.

The chairman voted for those rules in 1997. They were good in 1997; they are good now. That vote ensured we made choices, lived within our means and ensured we were held accountable for what we do. Those who voted for the bill in 1997 made sure that we lived within our means, that we made choices as we governed.

The 1990s achieved record economic times: 22 million more jobs; health care and tax cuts for middle class families; 10 million more children without health insurance got insurance; college doors were opened; Social Security was secure. Those are the choices we made and we did it and balanced the budget while we cut taxes for middle class families. Those are the right economic times.

Today, what do we have? Health care costs have gone up by a third. College costs have gone up by 26 percent in the last 2 years. Personal bankruptcies are up by a third since 2000, and in fact, you all want to lay the sign ``mission Accomplished'' above the economy. This economy is not working for the American people and your budget and your $500 billion worth of deficits are the results that the American people have to turn to their children and make them pay their way out of it.

We turned our back on what we learn in the 1990s. If you are in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

Mr. Speaker, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz testified before Congress yesterday that he did not plan or expect an insurgency in Iraq. This observation, from one of the war's architects, whose record includes ridiculing former General of the Army, General Shinseki, by saying his troop estimate was ``way off the mark.'' Now there are 150,000 Americans in the Iraqi theater.

He said that Iraqi oil would pay for reconstruction. U.S. taxpayers have been tabbed $20 billion to rebuild Iraq.

Secretary Wolfowitz could not remember how many troops had been killed in Iraq. At that point he guessed about 500. In fact, there had been 734 at the time. He was off by 30 percent.

Now he says he could not comprehend and did not plan for an Iraqi insurgency.

How many times do you have to be wrong in this administration and still have your job? Maybe Ahmed Chalabi did not tell him to plan for insurgency. Now he is telling us that our stay in Iraq could last years.

With a record like that, Mr. Wolfowitz, do not give us any more of your judgment calls.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I commend our colleagues for working in a bipartisan manner towards recognizing the historic agreement in April on some of the most important issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This resolution puts Congress on record today to express unwavering support for the position we took in response to the ongoing failure of the Palestinian authority to crack down on terrorist attacks, dismantle terrorist organizations, or achieve political reform inside the PA.

We join with Israel in this fight and we will do all that we can to root out threats to our mutual security and allies in the Mideast. This resolution says to the people of Israel and to the rest of the people of the Mideast that the United States will never leave Israel's side as a friend, as we have since 1948 been the best friend America has in that area. We will remain united by a common bond of common values, of mutual love for both freedom and liberty.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution and the principles of the Mideast peace initiative will help preserve both of our Nations as unwavering symbols of freedom where intolerance and terrorism still threaten liberty and peace.

Mr. Speaker, due to a family commitment, I was not present in the chamber on Friday, June 18 to cast my votes on rollcalls 267 through 275. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 267; ``nay'' on rollcall 268; ``yea'' on rollcall 269; ``nay'' rollcall 270; ``yea'' on rollcall 271; ``yea'' on rollcall 272; ``yea'' on rollcall 273; ``yea'' on rollcall 274; and ``yea'' on rollcall 275.

Due to unavoidable travel delays, I was not present in the chamber earlier today to cast my votes on rollcalls 276 through 278. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on each measure.

Mr. Speaker, finally, today, the State Department will release the complete and authoritative report on the ``Patterns of Global Terrorism,'' a correction requested by our colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman).

The original report issued by Secretary Powell claimed terrorist incidents hit their lowest level in 34 years; but, in fact, terrorist attacks were at their highest in 20 years. A funny thing happened on the way to the printer.

Unfortunately, this is not the first, second, or even the third time, for that matter, that a Bush Cabinet Secretary is having to rewrite a report from their own department. Time and again, Bush Cabinet Secretaries have been forced to abandon their own report after public scrutiny.

Whether it is a State Department report on terrorism, inaccurate reports published by Health and Human Services on racial disparities in health care, the cost of the Medicare prescription drug bill, or the EPA's mercury report, each time one thing in common happens: the first draft reflects the administration's ideology and political objectives, and the rewrite reflects the facts.

The final draft reflects the facts, and as Ronald Reagan used to say, facts are a stubborn thing.

It appears that a pattern exists of either gross incompetence or gross political manipulation, and neither is worthy of a Cabinet Secretary.

Mr. Speaker, today we welcome Secretary Powell's report in coming clean on the true facts on the war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 658, which recognizes National Homeownership Month. Owning a home is a central part of the American dream, and I am pleased that this dream is within reach of more families than ever before. Home ownership is now at a record high in the United States, with 68.6 percent of all American families and over half of all minority families owning their own home.

Buying a home is the largest personal investment many families will ever make. Homeownership provides economic security for American families by helping them build wealth over time. Expanding home ownership also helps strengthen communities, as owners feel a greater stake in their local schools, civic organizations, and churches.

We have a lot to be proud of in the expansion of home ownership throughout our communities, but there is still work to be done. We must recognize and strengthen the working partnerships between the public, private and non-profit sectors in promoting home ownership, and we must provide greater support to FHA and related programs which help provide the means for lower income families to buy their first homes.

Mr. Speaker, owning a home is becoming a reality for more American families, and we must use National Homeownership Month to continue working towards providing this piece of the American dream to all Americans. I thank the gentleman from California for introducing this important resolution and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of two bills enacted by the House that will go a long way to helping our troops and providing some comfort and peace of mind to their families.

I was pleased to vote for H.R. 4323, which helps the Department of Defense speed up the delivery of critically important equipment

like bulletproof vests and armored vehicles to our troops in the field. Our brave men and women in uniform depend on these resources to carry out their mission and minimize loss of life.

I have heard from many deeply concerned families in my district about equipment deficiencies. One of my constituents, Dr. Donald W. Walsh, is the father of a soldier in the 933rd MP Company. Like so many parents, Dr. Walsh is very proud of his son but he is also worried about his son's safety due to the shortage of body armor and armored Humvees.

Given all the strains on the troops and their families as a result of overextended tours and uncertainty, the last thing they need is to worry about their loved ones engaging in hostilities with outdated vehicles and insufficient body armor. I am glad that Dr. Walsh came to me with his concerns. I promised him that I would do all I can to help his son. Supporting this legislation is a step in that direction.

Also, I am pleased to support H. Con. Res. 260, which recognizes and honors the service of non-active duty personnel who participate in funeral honor guards for deceased veterans. In times of war, there are not always enough active duty honor guards available to perform funeral services for our distinguished military personnel. These services are very important to the families of the deceased, and we should honor those who volunteer their time to provide these patriotic services.

In recognition of their contributions, the House recently passed this bill with unanimous support. Our Nation owes a debt of gratitude to these dedicated men and women who bring comfort and honor to our deceased veterans and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend John H. Bryan of Chicago on being presented the Restore America Hero Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America's Treasures, and Home & Garden Television at their Second Annual Preservation Gala.

Mr. Bryan epitomizes the principles on which this award is bestowed. His meaningful involvement to maintain America's historic and cultural treasures provides future generations the opportunity to experience American history. Mr. Bryan continues to distinguish himself through his relentless commitment and leadership to the preservation of historic American landmarks.

While Mr. Bryan is a Mississippi native, he has spent much of his time in Chicago, serving as the Chairman and CEO of the Sara Lee Corporation. It was in these positions that he helped instill the value of community involvement into the corporate world. Mr. Bryan, changed the paradigm of Sara Lee, creating the notion that it was in the best interest of the company and society at large for a business to involve itself in the community. The result at Sara Lee is a community of people that enjoy volunteering with civic and social organizations. Sara Lee additionally donates five percent of its net income to charities.

Mr. Bryan also sits on the board of Goldman Sachs, Bank One Corporation, British Petroleum, and General Motors where his vision and leadership are recognized as essential assets to company and community growth.

Mr. Bryan has also donated tremendous amount of time and energy to the arts. He is affiliated with many non-profit organizations and has had the opportunity to serve as a trustee of the University of Chicago and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Because of his appreciation and love of Chicago, Mr. Bryan was appointed to the Board of Directors of Millennium Park by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In this role Mr. Bryan has worked to change the urban landscape of Chicago, by dedicating his time to developing this uniquely Chicago treasure. Under his guidance, $200 million, or one half of the funding needed to erect the park, was raised from Chicago's business community. Mr. Bryan was able to communicate to these two groups that the opportunity to create a lasting legacy in Chicago was in their hands.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois and indeed all of Chicago, I am privileged to congratulate John H. Bryan, one of Chicago's great benefactors, on receiving the Restore America Hero Award and recognize the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America's Treasures, and Home & Garden Television for bestowing this award on such an admirable recipient. I wish him, his wife, and their four children continued happiness and success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Honorable Milton I. Shadur of Chicago on his career accomplishments as a Senior Federal Judge on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Judge Shadur's commitment to the judicial process has earned him a tremendous amount of admiration from his colleagues, and I am proud to congratulate him on his continuing commitment to the law, and his service in pursuit of justice.

Judge Shadur graduated from the University of Chicago with both a bachelors of science in

mathematics and a graduate degree in law. In between his undergraduate and graduate studies, Judge Shadur served his country with distinction during World War II as a Lieutenant in the Navy as a radar officer stationed on aircraft carriers.

During law school, he served as editor-in-chief of the law review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. This. excellence in education was acknowledged as Judge Shadur graduated, ranked first in his class with the highest scholastic average ever obtained at the University of Chicago Law School.

Even while attending Law School, Judge Shadur's legal skills were recognized by the finest legal minds in the country. Two of his law review notes were cited and quoted by the United States Supreme Court. Additionally, by special leave of the court, Judge Shadur argued his first case before the United States Court of Appeals before being admitted to the bar. One day after his admission to the bar, Judge Shadur argued his first case before the Illinois Supreme Court.

Judge Shadur practiced law in the private sector for 31 years, first joining the law firm headed by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg. During his career in private practice, Judge Shadur established himself as a highly skilled and even-minded lawyer. His dedication to the law extended beyond his law firm as he served terms as director of both the Chicago Bar Foundation and the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. He additionally held many important positions with the Chicago Bar Association.

On May 23, 1980 President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Shadur to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where he still currently serves. In this position, Judge Shadur has ruled on both civil and criminal cases, authoring over 8,000 opinions. In 1992, Judge Shadur was named a Senior Judge, where he maintains a full civil and criminal calendar, as well as sitting by invitation with several Courts of Appeals around the country each year.

Judge Shadur has also been very active as a community leader, serving as a trustee of the village of Glencoe and as vice president of the American Jewish Congress, where he has pledged to defend the rights of minorities in the United States. He has also been very active with the Ravinia music festival, spending many years serving on its Board of Trustees.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois and indeed all of Chicago, I am privileged to congratulate Milton I. Shadur, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, for his impressive career accomplishments in the law. I join his wife Eleanor, their three children, three grandchildren, and two great- grandsons in wishing him continued happiness and success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday President Bush in the cabinet room said, ``This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.'' Really?

Let me read what National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in September, 2002, ``We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time.''

Mr. Speaker, 1 year later the National Security Adviser in September 2003 said, ``We have never claimed that Saddam Hussein had either direction or control on 9/11.''

On Monday night, Vice President Cheney, who has long maintained and

repeatedly has asserted that a collaborative relationship existed between Iraq and al Qaeda said he, Saddam Hussein, ``was a patron of terrorism'' and that he had ``long-established ties with al Qaeda.'' This is the fourth or fifth time he has asserted this relationship, or members of the administration have. There is at least one thing we know about the Vice President: He is consistent, he is wrong, and he has been consistently wrong on this subject.

Mr. Speaker, later today the House will vote to solve a $4 billion tax problem with a $150 billion solution. My Republican colleagues actually wonder why they lost the South Dakota and Kentucky special elections.

This legislation and the energy bills we just passed have two things in common: They are filled with tax breaks and giveaways to the biggest special interests and donors in this town. While corporate tax rates are at their lowest level in decades, and as our workers are experiencing the slowest wage growth since World War II, this bill is a special interest gift that keeps on giving.

Here are some of the handouts: $14 billion to the energy, big oil companies; $10 billion for a Federal buyout of tobacco; $519 million for small aircraft companies; $92 million for suspension of duties on ceiling fans; $169 million for makers of Puerto Rican rum.

Mr. Speaker, think about this, $10 billion for a tobacco buyout, and we cannot finish a highway and mass transit bill that puts millions of Americans to work. Maybe what we should do is pave the roads with tobacco around here. All the while, Americans are suffering with rising health care costs and college tuition that has increased by a third. We owe the American people better than what we are going to do today.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in Florida, the Vice President reasserted that there were connections between Saddam Hussein, he said, long established ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. This has been proven wrong, and woefully wrong, many times. But as recently as this morning, the 9/11 Commission issued a breaking story saying it is now clear there is no connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda as it relates to 9/11.

I do not know how the Vice President of the United States of America can be so sorrowfully misinformed or has decided to misinform the public. Neither quality is worthy of the Vice President of the United States of America.

Now, I do not know what it is going to take to help the Vice President shake him of this delusion. I know in this town in Washington some people are firm in their opinions and flexible on their principles, but it is now time for us to acknowledge there is no connection between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The war in Iraq was a war of choice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chicago's Zoning Reform Commission and its Co-Chairmen, Alderman William J.P. Banks and David Mosena, for the recent completion of the new City of Chicago Zoning Code.

By understanding the changing needs of Chicago's residential and commercial population, the Commission has ensured that Chicago will continue to be a modernized, world-class city for the 21st century. The efforts of Alderman Banks, Mr. Mosena and the other members of the commission helped lead the Zoning Reform Commission toward the first comprehensive rewriting of Chicago's Zoning Code since 1957.

Four years ago, Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed the Zoning Reform Commission to head this massive undertaking. The Commission sought input from the commercial sector, the Aldermen who represent these unique neighborhoods, and the public at large through numerous open public forums. The Commission is to be congratulated for the breadth of support they were able to garner for the new proposal before they considered their job finished.

The new Zoning Code has laid the foundation for a superior zoning map to be available for community leaders and residents. The ordinance includes improvements beyond its original structure--which simply addressed height, bulk and location--to set standards to deal with modern issues such as green space, increased use of public transportation and job retention. With its passage, a new vision for Chicago's future has been secured.

I am also particularly proud that two members of the Zoning Reform Commission represent areas of the 5th Congressional District. Alderman William J.P. Banks, the Chairman of the City Council's Zoning Committee, and Alderman Ray Suarez, the Chairman of the City Council's Committee on Housing & Real Estate, continue to provide their vast experience, expertise and knowledge in directing the planning and development of Chicago.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois, and indeed all of Chicago, I am privileged to congratulate the Zoning Reform Committee for their achievements in providing a new Zoning Code, and thank them for their diligent work on this important effort.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support and recognize the President's awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pope John Paul II. Few others in the history of the world can match John Paul II's lifelong record of championing peace, liberty, and human rights.

Born in 1920 in Poland, Karol Jozef Wojtyla has lived a life of service to his faith and to the people of the world. During the occupation of Poland, he courageously defied the Nazis to aid the persecuted Polish Jews, and similar acts of bravery have marked his entire public life. After his ordination in 1946, John Paul II worked tirelessly to uphold the teachings and ministry of the church in Poland, a constant risk under the Communist rule.

Recognizing his lifelong devotion to his faith and to humanity, the College of Cardinals elected John Paul II the 264th pope in 1978. Last year I was proud to join with my colleagues in voting for a resolution recognizing the twenty-fifth anniversary of his papacy.

During John Paul II's first visit to Poland as the Pope in l979, he delivered 36 addresses. At least ten million of Poland's 35 million people saw him in person, in the nine cities, villages and shrines that he visited.

Throughout his papacy, John Paul II has joined world leaders on a variety of causes, always keeping the ideals of human dignity and high public morality at the forefront. His efforts on behalf of the people of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union were a direct catalyst in the birth of democracy for those countries once behind the Iron Curtain.

Beyond his extraordinary achievements, John Paul II has always had a remarkable affinity with the common man. He once said, ``I hope to have communion with the people; that is the important thing.'' Time and again, he has communed with the people, demonstrating his commitment to humanity on a genuinely personal level. Through his caring and selfless acts of faith and leadership, he has engendered the love and respect of millions of people, both those within his church and those from beyond the Catholic faith.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents, including 131,000 Catholics and 112,000 Polish Americans in the Fifth Congressional District of Illinois, I am proud to congratulate Pope John Paul II for receiving the Medal of Freedom. It is a fitting tribute to a truly remarkable human being whose countless achievements have proved an unyielding dedication to his Church, to God, and to humanity.