Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I am here today to support the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I won't spend a lot of time assessing the blame and the responsibility for the quagmire that our Nation finds itself in in Iraq, but I do find it curious during this debate that the opponents of this resolution want us to believe that the history of the Iraq war begins today, that it has no past, that it has no consequences, just a doubtful future. This head-in-the-sand attitude, while politically expedient, denies reality and truth.

Rest assured that history will not be kind to the decisionmakers and the decider of this war, nor will it be kind to a Congress that looked the other way.

The resolution before us today is a first tentative step toward the removal of our troops from Iraq. The escalation proposed is another desperate act opposed by the American people and former military leaders.

The resolution does not demoralize our troops nor embolden the insurgents. To the contrary, this resolution offers hope to our troops that an end is in sight and that their elected representatives in this House are not passing on their authority regarding the most important issue confronting our Nation today.

I personally know families whose loved ones have been lost, badly injured or profoundly intangibly affected by this war. Our commitment should be to those families and veterans who need our full measure of support. Our gratitude should be measured in real resources for veterans, and not empty platitudes and political rhetoric expounded to justify an irreparable failure in Iraq.

The focus of this debate is not centered on our soldiers who are nobly doing their duty and following their orders. It is directed at those who set policy and who have produced a war without end, with no plan of success or exit, with no international strategy, who now turn to a desperate and doomed escalation that only reinforces the failure and the desperation of those policymakers.

Rest assured that the civil war in Iraq will not end with the influx of more American troops. I do believe this resolution should have teeth. We must send a message that binds all of us to real action, an unflinching message of opposition to the escalation and a message of support for our troops. Today marks a step in that direction.

And I wonder, how many ways can the American people tell this Congress to act to prevent more loss of our blood and treasure in the war in Iraq? Weren't the elections that just happened a strong message? Isn't the loss of confidence by the public in their elected officials a strong message? Isn't the sacrifice and valor of our men and women fighting this war deserving of the respect of this government? Don't we have a duty to those men and women to protect them, reunite them with their families immediately, and, above all, share the truth with them, that the question is no longer if we get out of Iraq, it's how and when.

The answer to that question for me and many other families is, the sooner the better. I could stand here and read poll after poll that talks about the public's overwhelming opposition to this war and even more overwhelming opposition to this escalation. But as I think about it, the most important poll for those of us who serve in Congress needs to be our conscience. The resolution before us is simple and direct. It speaks in a very clear way to the frustration we all feel about this misadventure in Iraq. And I said I would not belabor the question of who to blame, but it is important to address the obvious.

Remember weapons of mass destruction? None found.

Remember the links between Iraq and the attack on 9/11? It didn't exist.

All the misspent funds in Iraq, misappropriated dollars. That was ignored by the administration.

``Mission Accomplished.'' What a premature political hype that was.

And a strategy for Iraq. It doesn't exist.

Funds for education, health care, our cities and towns, investments in our people here in this country, that has all been spent in Iraq.

The litany of failures and untruths goes on and on. The lack of leadership by this administration requires, no, I think it demands that this Congress assert its constitutional duty to check and balance this administration by beginning with the important step of passing this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, as the President gets ready to ask this Congress for an additional $145 billion to fund his efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, a new report has come out showing tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending by our government in Iraq.

Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraqi Reconstruction, released his quarterly report last week. It concluded that the $300 billion U.S. war and reconstruction effort is plagued with waste, spiraling violence, and corruption. Among the worst misuses are $43.8 million for a residential training camp that stands empty, about $4.2 million for 20 VIP trailers and an Olympic-sized pool that was ordered by the Iraqi ministry of interior.

Perhaps the most disconcerting, however, is that our government spent $36.4 million for armored vehicles, body armor and communications equipment that could greatly benefit our troops, but it is completely unaccounted for. Mr. Speaker, this abusive spending in Iraq must stop for the American taxpayer and for the troops.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 161) to adjust the boundary of the Minidoka Internment National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and exclude extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 161, introduced by my colleague on the Natural Resources Committee, the gentleman from Washington State, Representative Inslee.

This noteworthy legislation would authorize a memorial to commemorate the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Washington, who were the first Americans to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated in internment camps during World War II.

The new memorial will serve as an important remembrance of a sad chapter in American history. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order providing for the relocation of Japanese Americans living along the west coast.

On March 30, 1942, the relocation began at the Eagledale Ferry Dock, with 227 Bainbridge Island residents being forcibly removed to internment camps away from the coast. Eventually, more than 12,000 Japanese Americans in Washington State and more than 110,000 Japanese Americans along the west coast were relocated.

Public Law 107-363 directed the Secretary of the Interior to study the Eagledale Ferry Dock on Bainbridge Island, Washington, to determine the suitability of designing the site as a unit of the National Parks System. The study was to include an analysis of the historical events associated with the dock and the potential for preserving and interpreting the site.

On May 1, 2006, the Department of Interior transmitted to Congress the study report. The study recommended designating a memorial site on Bainbridge Island, and that memorial will be managed as a satellite site of the Minidoka Internment National Monument, an existing National Park System unit in Idaho. H.R. 161 would implement the recommendations contained in the study.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend and congratulate my colleague, Mr. Inslee, for his commitment and leadership in this matter. A hearing was held on a nearly identical measure last Congress, and Representative Inslee arranged for the Subcommittee on National Parks to receive moving testimony from an internee whose photograph showing her holding her infant child has become a searing image of the internment.

I would also note that for most of us the internment of Japanese Americans was a historical event that we read about in history books, but for two of our colleagues it was part of their life experience. My colleagues, Mike Honda and Doris Matsui, spent part of their childhoods in internment camps. I want to acknowledge their experiences in this unfortunate episode in history.

Mr. Speaker, we strongly support passage of H.R. 161 and urge its adoption by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Congressman Jay Inslee of Washington for bringing forth H.R. 161 and yield to him as much time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, at this point, I would like to yield 6 minutes to my good friend and colleague from Oregon, Congressman Wu.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 512) to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino to develop a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 512, which was introduced by my colleague from California, Representative Becerra.

The legislation directs the establishment of a commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of the American Latino, to be located here in Washington, D.C. The commission will be composed of 23 qualified individuals, with seven appointed by the President and the remainder appointed by the majority and minority leadership of the House and Senate.

Under H.R. 512, the commission would be required to prepare a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of the museum, including recommendations for a legislative plan of action to create and construct the museum. The commission's plan would be due not later than 24 months after the date of the commission's first meeting.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 512. Given the contributions that American Latinos have made and continue to make to the cultural and social history of the United States, this is a most fitting measure.

The legislation was the subject of hearings in the House last Congress, and I would note that a nearly identical measure passed the House on September 27, 2006.

As the face of this Nation is represented by many people, the museum would be an opportunity for all of

America to look at the diversity, to appreciate the many peoples that make up this great country of ours.

And I want to take this opportunity to also commend and congratulate my colleague from California, Xavier Becerra, for his leadership on this matter. He has worked very hard with many parties to bring this legislation to fruition.

Mr. Speaker, we strongly support H.R. 512 and urge the adoption of the legislation by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like again to commend Congressman Xavier Becerra of California for bringing H.R. 512 before us and yield him as much time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield as much time as he may consume to my good friend from California (Mr. Baca), for remarks on H.R. 512, in which he has been a participant and a hard worker getting the legislation to this point.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to take the opportunity to honor an environmental leader who has made an indelible mark on the Sonoran Desert region and on the community of Tucson, Arizona. Five years ago, Sonja Lillian Macys came to Tucson and took the town by storm. As an undergraduate, Sonja had mastered the Spanish language in 6 months and lived and worked in Mexico, promoting environmental education and ecotourism. Originally from the horse country of Virginia, she came to Tucson by way of Colorado, where she had skied her way to a Master of Science degree in Protected Area Management specializing in International Conservation, with extensive training in non-profit leadership and management.

Sonja rapidly immersed herself in her new community in the role of the Tucson Audubon Society's Executive Director. Sonja quickly moved to create a broad-based conservation strategy with a significant cross- border element. Sonja's deep commitment to environmental and social justice, sustainability, and public participation soon became Audubon's trademark.

Her contributions to the Southern Arizona community and the U.S.- Mexico borderlands are numerous: creating multi-jurisdictional partnerships to conserve riparian areas and desert landscapes; partnering agencies, conservationists, ranchers, business interests, and students; educating scores of birders and other citizens to become active policy-makers and advisors; protecting critical habitats from devastation wrought by mining, development, overgrazing, and other harmful activities; and creating a community more literate in the articulation of social and environmental justice.

Sonja Macys will leave a legacy that cannot be adequately expressed in words, and gives all of us who have known and worked with her hope that we can truly achieve the goals that we set out to accomplish together. The Tucson community and the wildlife of the Sonoran Desert will sorely miss Ms. Macys, but I have no doubt she will go on to accomplish great things in her future endeavors. I wish her the best of luck.

Mr. Speaker, in 2005, during the debate on the energy bill, I asked my colleagues to strike down provisions that amounted to more corporate welfare for oil companies. At that time the Republican majority voted down that amendment.

Now, as news reports continue to mount regarding the billions of dollars in profit oil and gas companies are reaping we have to look seriously at that policy. Why should the American taxpayer continue to shell out subsidies to oil companies when clearly they need no incentives to drill?

Moreover, why are we still allowing them to drill in our public lands and waters for free because of some mistakes made in the 1990s during the leasing process?

Had the President and his appointees acted when this was discovered, it would have saved taxpayers upwards of $1 billion that has already been lost. Instead, they have deliberately ignored and covered up this problem.

We must send a message that the American taxpayer will no longer be ripped off by Big Oil.

But ending this fiscally ridiculous practice of subsidies for megarich oil companies is not enough. We also need to make a clean break from the past and take a bold step into the 21st century.

Global warming is upon us. We need clean renewable fuel, and we need it now. It will be a tough transition but we have to start right now. We are ready for this challenge. We have the know-how and a highly skilled workforce, and we will create millions of new jobs in the process.

In the strongest way possible, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6, a hometown American energy bill that helps and protects the American taxpayer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act. And certainly what a relief it is.

Madam Speaker, for years, students and families have been burdened by growing debt and Congress' unwillingness to budge on any key higher education issues. The fear of student loan debt causes many would-be students to forgo the better quality of life that a college education offers.

These difficult decisions tangibly impact minority access to education. Over half of Arizona's K through 12 students are minority. By the year 2020, Latinos will make up almost one-quarter of our Nation's undergraduates.

Now we have the chance to make up for the $12 billion cut in student loan programs that the former majority enacted during last year's budget reconciliation. This is just the first of many steps this Congress will take to achieve this end.

This bill enjoys bipartisan support. Unfortunately, last night the President released a statement indicating a possible veto of the bill, reasoning that H.R. 5 would direct Federal subsidies to college graduates and not to students and their families.

This statement is simply untrue. As an example, at the University of Arizona, in my district, all 6,200 Pell Grant recipients also receive subsidized Stafford loans. In our current higher education climate, subsidized Stafford loans are an integral part of a comprehensive, need-based financial aid package.

The fast-rising price of post-secondary education, coupled with the decline in need-based aid, endangers the opportunities of low income, first generation and students of color in the pursuit of a better life through education. This bill brings need-based aid front and center and provides real relief for student borrowers.

I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 5 and open the doors to college affordability once again for all.

Mr. Speaker, I believe this Congress has a mandate from the voters to start bringing our troops home from Iraq. This is not an option that we can pursue at our leisure. This is a solemn obligation of absolute urgency.

As we speak, preparations are being made to send more of our Nation's sons and daughters to Iraq, with or without our consent, and some are already there.

A recent headline in the Financial Times states our predicament: ``Congress is helpless only out of choice.'' The Constitution gives this House, gives this body, if it chooses to exercise it, the power of the Federal purse. No signing statement or political calculation can erase this hard fact. And if we choose to deny that we do have this power, we do a disservice to our Constitution, our constituents, and this body.

The escalation in Iraq, as announced by the President the other night, will only deepen our involvement in this debacle.

Mr. Speaker, this war is a financial, strategic and moral disaster for this Nation. We need to bring this sad misadventure to an end and start bringing our troops home now.

The American people have clearly expressed their view on Iraq in the last election that policy has to be changed by this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2 to give the American people who have to work the hardest for the very least a long overdue raise and increase the minimum wage.

The current minimum wage has effectively knocked off the lowest rungs of the economic ladder of this country and kept millions of our Nation's working families in a paycheck-to-paycheck life of insecurity and struggle.

Today's economy is keeping millions of our fellow Americans from owning homes, achieving stability and prosperity. Low wages are slowly suffocating the American Dream. Today we take a deep breath.

The day has finally come when Congress has a chance to reward work and support families by putting a fair value on the work of our people. Today we can say clearly that family values should not be code for spiteful and divisive politics but a real policy of valuing families and the work of mothers and fathers.

Today is a historic day. I am proud to join with my colleagues in support of H.R. 2 in raising the minimum wage for American workers.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to honor the city of Avondale, Arizona on its 60th anniversary. Avondale is a vibrant city,

ranked as one of Arizona's fastest growing communities, and it is my great privilege to acknowledge this important milestone.

Avondale began as an agricultural community, as many in Arizona. William Moore built the community's first establishments. As the area attracted more settlers through its pleasant climate and favorable farming conditions, a post office was built at the Avondale Ranch in the early 1900's, lending the town its current name. On December 16, 1946, Avondale was incorporated as a city, and by then was an important part of the state's capitol.

Today, Avondale has reached a population exceeding 70,000, and has much to offer its residents. To keep up with the population's demands, the city offers a wide variety of academic establishments, arts festivals, among other cultural attractions, and is a favored destination of NASCAR fans. Because of these draws and the accomplishments of residents, Avondale enjoys a growth rate among the Nation's highest, and expects to reach 120,000 residents by 2020.

Avondale has come a long way from its agricultural beginnings. It is my great pleasure to congratulate them on this landmark.

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to recognize 50 years spent together by Rev. William and Marjorie Buehler in marriage and in service to those in need.

Since their marriage to each other began, the Buehlers have shown complete dedication not only to themselves but to several communities of central Mexico. As Presbyterian missionaries, William and Marjorie worked tirelessly to bring schools, running water, and inoculation centers to those who previously had absolutely no access to these resources, living in isolated villages in the State of Oaxaca.

Upon their return to the United States, the Buehlers established themselves close to the heart of Arizona, in Superior, where they soon became favored residents of the area. Reverend Buehler worked admirably as the pastor of two churches in the community, and for his efforts to improve the health of residents and the local environment, was honored with Superior's Man of the Year award. Marjorie Buehler also served Superior at that time as an elementary educator.

Even after retirement, the list of achievements accumulated by the Buehlers continued to grow and bring optimism and hope to those they served. Recognizing critical issues rising along the border of Arizona and Mexico, the Buehlers endeavored to establish border missionaries to address the needs of workers facing tragic conditions in maquilladora factories located in the dangerous region.

To this day, they continue to do volunteer work at Tucson's Primavera Homeless Shelter, and the Tucson Historical Society. It is a fitting tribute to honor these two lives dedicated to the less fortunate of the world, while cultivating a lasting marriage and family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Margaret Forgach Cummings, a tireless public servant for the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Ms. Cummings, currently a Deputy Sheriff, will be retiring after serving the citizens of Pima County for more than 20 years.

She has served my community with honor and compassion throughout her career.

She started her service as a volunteer crisis advocate with Pima County Attorney's Victim-Witness Program. Her stellar commitment and performance as an advocate laid the foundation for her to participate in a Meditation program with a grant from Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). She was one of five individuals that initiated the program at the South Tucson Police Department.

Her reputation and selfless devotion as volunteer earned her the opportunity to become a Police Dispatcher for the South Tucson Police Department. Mastering that position, she

proved to be an invaluable member in support of the city's police force. Recognizing her abilities, the police department trusted Margaret with further responsibilities, and through the 1980's Margaret served her community with distinction as Emergency Radio Dispatcher.

More recently, Margaret has benefited the Tucson community by volunteering as Reserve Deputy of the Pima County Sheriff's Department, in addition to her duties as a Public Safety Dispatcher. Her dedication to the well-being of the residents of Tucson makes her an outstanding citizen and public servant, and I am honored to recognize her efforts.

I rise today to congratulate the Pio Decimo Center in Tucson, Arizona on their 60th Anniversary.

Pio Decimo began in Barrio Santa Rosa, in order to address the needs of the poor and hungry of the community. Over the years, it is has expanded to provide individuals and families with comprehensive and supportive services throughout Tucson and Pima County. A not-for-profit organization, Pio Decimo provides health and human services that promote education, health family relationships, self-sufficiency and positive and sustainable life change.

The Pio Decimo staff is at the heart of the organization's success. They work diligently to create an environment that promotes respect and dignity for each individual. In addition they are relentless in their work to empower the community and improve the lives of the region.

Pio Decimo has received many accolades, in official recognitions and community victories. Yet the success of Pio Decimo is hard to measure, given they touch the lives of so many. From the single working parent struggling to find day care and make ends meet, to the child in tutoring to help make their future even brighter to improving financial literacy of the community and the day to day assistance, the benefits to our community are endless.

In a society where the gap between the have and have-nots is increasing and resources are limited to assist the less fortunate, Pio Decimo continues to provide resources and hope. I congratulate Pio Decimo on its 60 years and look forward to many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) for yielding me this time; and, to the chairman, thank you very much for the support of this acknowledgment of Morris K. Udall.

I had the great privilege, growing up in the southern part of Arizona, to grow up at a time when we had a congressman that had a stature and an ability to communicate to people that was unsurpassed. That legacy needs to be commemorated.

He served in this House for 14 consecutive terms, from 1961 to 1991, until Parkinson's disease called him from service. He graduated from the University of Arizona, got his law degree from the University of Arizona.

During his tenure, he stood for a lot of things. He established some standards on the environment and the protection of our natural resources that we continue to talk about, admire, and try to replicate as we do legislation: the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1977, the Arizona Wilderness Act of 1984, the American Heritage Trust Act, Strip Mining Reclamation Act, and the list goes on and on.

In addition to that, Mo not only had an affinity for but a great belief and love for the Native American communities in Arizona. He introduced many bills to protect their natural resources, protect their sovereignty, and protect the rights of Native Americans. For that, he is part of the legacy.

Someone asked me, why a post office? Mo has many accolades that he has received. He was chairman of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, as it was known then. It was a committee given to him because he won in a special election and there were no committees available, and Mo made the most of it. He served 30 years on that committee; and what he did was he created an independent post office, a post office with employees protected by the Civil Service, a post office that understood the concept of universal service, and a post office that set a standard of professionalism, independence, and took away the cronyism and the corruption that was occurring at the time. That was a legacy. So, as I looked around, what can we commemorate for Mo, the post office became an obvious thing.

In Arizona, we inherited Mo Udall's great legacy; and that is a legacy of commitment, tolerance, a love for natural resources, a genuine love and tolerance for people, and a sense that we can do better, that we can reform ourselves, we can reform this country. He leaves that legacy. Those are not shoes you fill, they are merely paths you follow.

I want to thank both the chairman and my colleague, Mr. Van Hollen, for support of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this so- called Secure Fence Act, H.R. 6061. This bill could require the Department of Homeland Security to construct a wall across the entire Arizona border with Mexico. The House has already considered and passed this legislation, but since the majorities of both bodies in Congress have been unable to come to an agreement on immigration reform, the majority here wants to appear that we are accomplishing something as we are nearing election. But this is a sham.

Because of a failure of leadership to comprehensively address immigration in a sensible, humane way, we see before us a bill, to quote a majority member of the other body, that is a 19th century solution to a 20th century problem.

Instead of using our abilities as representatives of the American people who want to see a comprehensive solution to this problem, this is merely an attempt to sweep the serious root causes of immigration under the table and appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Building a wall between us and Mexico will not work. Not only will it not keep people from crossing illegally, it will be a budget-busting endeavor. I note that this bill contains no specific authorization of funds for this wall which will run into the billions.

In the deserts of the Southwest, the fragile and unique national treasures that we have there are bearing the brunt of an immigration policy that has failed. Earlier this year, the Interior Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee held a hearing on immigration's impact on borderlands. Professional land managers testified at this hearing and expressed serious skepticism about the negative impacts to the environment and wildlife that could result from building walls or fences on the border.

It saddens me that instead of working hard to address the border question, the majority continues to push a measure that has little chance of being signed into law. Nowhere in this bill do we see discussion of larger issues at hand that are in dire need of solutions.

The American people will see through this. They know it is nothing more than election year politics. I urge my colleagues to reject H.R. 6061.