Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Brown) as well as the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), ranking member on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), chairman on the Subcommittee on Health, and all their staff for bringing us here today. I want to particularly thank my good friend and lead cosponsor from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) and her staff who have been actively engaged in this effort and have been instrumental in getting the bill to the floor today. And, of course, the gentlewoman from Ohio's own personal experiences and her family with the questions of cancer have made her such a powerful advocate in this regard.

This is truly a bipartisan effort and a case study in how, if we choose to work together across the aisle, we can really make a difference. I began working on this legislation several years ago to address the health disparities I saw in my district, a true melting pot of America with a very significant Hispanic population. There have been many people involved behind the scenes in this effort that I want to take the opportunity to thank.

The first person I spoke to about this issue was David Woodmansee, who is the Northeast regional representative for the American Cancer Society. The second person I met with was Licy Do Canto who was with the American Cancer Society and has continued the fight for patient navigators at the National Association of Community Health Centers. Dave and Licy, along with the help of ACS employees, were instrumental in helping us to take a concept such as patient navigation and turn it into a legislative solution for improving health outcomes among all populations, particularly underserved populations. I also want to thank Karissa Willhite, the Democratic Caucus policy director, for her untiring efforts to achieve the success we expect to have today. And we cannot talk about patient navigators without thanking three doctors, Drs. Harold Freeman, Elmer Huerta and Gil Friedell, who have been pioneers in creating patient navigator programs that can be replicated across the country, which is exactly what we are doing today.

There is no question that we as a Nation must do more to improve health outcomes and that can only be done when we start at the bottom and bring those with the greatest disparities up out of despair. Reducing health disparities has been a much-talked-about goal, but we cannot achieve better health outcomes without action. We cannot just talk about the problem. We have to take action to end the problem.

The patient navigator bill is an effort to do just that. It will ensure that all Americans, regardless of income, race, ethnicity, language or geography will have access to prevention screening and treatment, and that they will have an advocate at their side helping them navigate through today's complicated health care system.

The bill addresses what I believe are the root causes of health disparities in minority and underserved communities. That is, lack of access to health care, particularly prevention and early detection. The bottom line is, the only way to stay healthy is to see a doctor when you are healthy. Unfortunately, patients in health disparity communities are less likely to receive early screening and detection, so their disease is found at a much later stage and they have less chance of survival. That is why we are here today, to give those people the chance they deserve for a long, healthy life.

The patient navigator bill does this by replicating the successful models developed by Drs. Freeman, Huerta and Friedell in a national demonstration project. It focuses on outreach and prevention through community health centers, rural health clinics, Indian health clinics and cancer clinics. And it does so by providing patient navigator services and outreach in health disparity communities to encourage people to get screened early so that they can receive the care they need. Patient navigators educate and empower patients, serving as their advocates in navigating the health care system.

In addition to having visited both Dr. Freeman's program in Harlem and Dr. Huerta's program here in Washington, my constituents in New Jersey and I have seen firsthand the difference patient navigators can make in a community. I was able to secure funding for a 1-year demonstration project at a community health center in Jersey City, New Jersey. The program has screened 842 people and has a caseload of about 140 patients who were identified

through these screenings with abnormal findings and are currently benefiting from the help of the patient navigator in finding follow-up care and treatment.

Before I close, I just want to share a story about Hazel Hailey, one of the patient navigators at this center and her daughter, Robin Waiters. Robin, who was only 36 years old, suffered severe stomach pains for 2 years and refused to see a doctor, despite her mother's pleas for her to seek medical care. Finally, she had no choice but to go see a doctor. Tragically, 3 months later, Robin died from colorectal cancer. Her mother, Hazel, who is now a patient navigator, tells us about her daughter's last request. She made her mom promise to tell all of her friends, family and everyone she could ``that if your body is trying to tell you something, listen to it. You could possibly save your life.'' Hazel quotes her daughter as saying, ``I am dying because I chose not to get help. Fear set in, and I lost out on life.''

Hazel is fulfilling her promise to her daughter as a patient navigator, working every day to ensure that what happened to her daughter does not happen to other families. That is why we are here today, to ensure that the Hazels across the country have the tools they need to educate and empower people about the importance of early detection screening and to help them navigate the complexities of the health care system so that they can get the treatment and follow-up care they need.

Again, I want to thank my colleague from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) for all of her work on this effort as well as all of those who have worked behind the scenes to make this concept a reality. We have come too far and are too close to simply let the issue die at the end of this Congress, so I call upon our colleagues in the other body to join us in making this bill a reality this year. There is simply too much at stake if we do not act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Francisco Osvaldo Cortina for his lifelong dedication to practicing medicine and serving others. Dr. Cortina was honored by the Association of Villaclarenos at their annual banquet on October 3, 2004, in Union City, New Jersey.

As a respected physician, Dr. Cortina has devoted more than 32 years to helping people. He began his medical career in his hometown of Santa Clara, Cuba, after graduating from the University of Havana. After immigrating to the United States in 1967, he opened a practice in Petersburg, VA, and later relocated to New Jersey. Dr. Cortina completed his general practice residency at St. Mary's Hospital in Hoboken, where he became the chief resident and graduated in 1972. He then opened practices in Hoboken and Union City.

Dr. Cortina is the son of Spanish immigrants and is married to his high school sweetheart, Hortensia. They have two sons who have proudly carried on the medical tradition and are also physicians.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Francisco Osvaldo Cortina for his outstanding career as a physician, which has spanned multiple decades, cities and countries. His contributions throughout the years have affected the lives of many, and the wisdom he has passed on to his children will no doubt continue to help the New Jersey medical community in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor St. Mary, Star of the Sea School, which will be celebrating its 125th Anniversary on October 2, 2004, in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Throughout the years, St. Mary's School, with the help of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chestnut Hill, has provided the children of its parish with an excellent education and a strong spiritual foundation. More than 300 students from pre-school through eighth grade thrive at St. Mary's, and an additional 350 children participate in its Sunday school religious program. The long-standing tradition of quality at the school is mirrored by St. Mary's parish, which has diligently served the Bayonne community for 143 years.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring St. Mary, Star of the Sea School for its outstanding spiritual leadership and 125 years of excellence in education in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to be joined by my Democratic colleague from New Jersey to introduce the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act, which would force the Federal Government to finally get serious about protecting our Nation's transit and intercity rail passengers.

This bill addresses the tremendous disparity between what we spend on security for each airline passenger and what we spend for each bus and train passenger, who are no less vulnerable than those who fly. In fact, data from the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism shows that public transportation passengers are in far more danger worldwide than airline passengers. Since 9/11, there have been roughly 50 terrorist incidents targeting airports and airlines, resulting in about 120 deaths. In the same 3 years, there have been over 280 terrorist attacks on other transportation systems, with over 600 fatalities.

The recent attacks in Spain, and intelligence that terrorists may strike the rail and systems here in America, dictate that we now broaden our attention to also include rail and transit security. Each year, approximately 24 million intercity rail passengers ride Amtrak, and 9.6 billion people travel by transit. Every day, 32 million commuters, students, and tourists depend on our public transportation system. One of the ripple effects of 9/11 was that the aviation industry was shut down for several days. Imagine the social and economic dislocation that would occur if a major attack destroyed people's confidence in our transit system, or made it grind to a halt. The economic impact would be far greater than 9/11.

Our Nation's rail and transit systems are highly vulnerable, and require at least $5.2 billion in capital equipment and $800 million in annual operating expenses to adequately meet security needs, according to the American Public Transportation Association. This legislation provides that funding, and just as importantly, it allows operating expense grant money to be used for the best security device of all: more police officers.

Giving our transit agencies money for fences, cameras and explosive detection equipment is necessary, but only a half-measure unless we also give them money for the cops and security officers that make all that equipment work. This bill allows money to be used for hiring new cops and security officers, pay them overtime when necessary, deploy additional K-9 units, conduct helicopter patrols, and more. In short, it unties the hands of our transit agencies and lets them spend the money where they need it.

This legislation also provides badly needed security and safety funding for Amtrak, including $670 million for safety upgrades to the tunnels that run underneath New York, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. These tunnels are simply not properly equipped for rescue operations or evacuation should either be necessary. An additional $62 million for Amtrak to put towards security expenses, including the hiring of additional police officers, is also provided.

Mr. Speaker, this bill would authorize new research and development grants to help develop new technologies for both passenger and freight rail that can help reduce the threat of terrorist attacks. And since rail security involves more than just deterring terrorist attacks, the legislation would establish new inspection procedures for rail track, and set new standards for tank cars, to make sure their hazardous cargo isn't released in the event of an accident.

I believe this bill is already long overdue. I urge my colleagues to imagine what we would have done, what action we would have taken, if the Madrid train bombings had occurred in our homeland, on our soil. What immediate investments would we have been ready to make? What urgent action would we have been willing to take?

Well, we can do it now. Let's make that investment and take those actions now. Let's take what steps we can to reduce the risk to our Nation's transit. We don't need commissions and studies after a tragedy in order to act, so let's not get mired in that now. Nearly 3 years of needs assessment and analysis have occurred, and we have the data to put a program in place. All it takes is Congress having the gumption to act before a tragedy on the rails takes place in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Treena Livingston Arinzeh for her outstanding work in the field of stem cell research. On September 9, 2003, President Bush presented her with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Dedicated to researching stem cells, Dr. Arinzeh has made revolutionary findings that may lead to procedures that help people recover from a variety of diseases, spinal cord injuries, and bone and cartilage damage. Dr. Arinzeh has earned the respect of her colleagues and established herself as a scientist by publishing influential papers in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor a young researcher can receive. Since 1996, the White House has acknowledged the achievements of such talented professionals. Each year, eight federal agencies nominate promising researchers and the winners receive up to five years of funding for their future work. The sole recipient from New Jersey, Dr. Arinzeh received a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Born and raised in Jersey City, Dr. Arinzeh is currently a professor of biomedical engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. In addition to her research projects, Dr. Arinzeh devotes her time to developing new undergraduate and graduate programs in tissue engineering, as well as creating community outreach programs for high school students in New Jersey and New York.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Treena Livingston Arinzeh, a trailblazer in the field of stem cell research. I applaud her for her exceptional achievements. New Jersey and our nation will greatly benefit from her groundbreaking work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Angelica ``Angel'' Harrison for her outstanding commitment to serving her community. She is being honored today, September 21, 2004, with the Mary T. Norton Memorial Award by the United Way of Hudson County at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Mrs. Harrison has shown remarkable passion for helping the homeless. She has helped countless people make the transition from poverty to self-sufficiency and has helped raise critical funding for those in need. For 33 years, she has worked at the Hudson County Division of Welfare, serving as a social worker, supervisor, administrative advisor, and deputy director. Since 1983, Mrs. Harrison has been the director of the agency.

Mrs. Harrison's dedication to public service is demonstrated by her participation in numerous agencies throughout the community. She is a member of the State Medicaid Planning Committee, the State Corrective Action Panel, and the Hudson County Child Care Committee. Mrs. Harrison has also shown great leadership, serving as a board member for the Human Services Advisory Council; chairperson for the Comprehensive Emergency Assistance System; two-time past president of the New Jersey County Welfare Directors' Association; and current president of the Hudson County Pension Committee.

Over the years, Mrs. Harrison has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those in need. She opened a food pantry at the County Welfare Agency to help those ineligible to receive food stamps. In addition, she established the Supportive Assistance to Individuals and Families (SAIF) program, which aids clients in the transition from welfare to self-sufficiency. She successfully secured a $1.8 million grant for this program in Hudson County.

Mrs. Harrison was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. She received her bachelor's degree in both education and psychology from Jersey City State College.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Angelica Harrison for her remarkable work in Hudson County and her outstanding contributions to the social welfare and outreach programs in her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Howard Parish for his contributions to higher education and outstanding community service. He is being honored today, September 21, 2004, with the Louis T. Scialli Memorial Award by the Jersey City Education Association at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey.

For 40 years, Dr. Parish shared his passion for science in the classroom before retiring in 2002. He spent 37 years at the New Jersey City University, where he was a professor and chair of the Department of Geosciences. He also served as the director of International Studies. Dr. Parish played an integral part in establishing the Office of Grant Development, and was able to secure numerous grants for New Jersey City University.

Throughout the past 15 years, Dr. Parish has displayed a strong commitment to his community by participating in both local and national non-profit organizations, where he frequently dedicates his time to fundraising.

Dr. Parish has demonstrated his leadership skills by holding advisory positions for nearly a dozen organizations. He spent 10 years on the Board of Directors for the National Education Association and was chair of the National Education Association's Higher Education Caucus. He continues to be involved as the legislative liaison for educators in District 32 and serves as a consultant for the New Jersey Education Association.

Dr. Parish received his bachelor's degree in physical science from Jersey City State College and his master's degree in geological science from Rutgers University. He also holds a doctorate in geosciences from Columbia University.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Howard Parish for his years of dedicated service, both in the classroom and the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Patricia Lorraine Burke McGeehan for her outstanding leadership and distinguished accomplishments in education. She is being honored today, September 21, 2004, with the Mary T. Norton Memorial Award by the United Way of Hudson County at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Dr. McGeehan began her work as an educator at the Lincoln Community School. In the years that followed, she was principal of the Mary J. Donohoe School, Robinson School, and Midtown Community School. She has been the superintendent for Bayonne Schools since 2000.

Under her leadership, the Bayonne School District has received numerous awards for excellence. Dr. McGeehan has also been instrumental in forming partnerships that have generated grant money for school programs.

She has demonstrated her commitment to education by actively participating in more than a dozen community organizations and holding advisory positions on many of the boards, such as vice-president of both the St. Barnabus Burn Foundation and the Simpson Baber Foundation for the Autistic.

For her efforts, she has been honored by both civic and community organizations. Dr. McGeehan has been presented with more than ten awards for her leadership and achievements, including NAACP's President's Award, the Jersey Journal Woman of the Achievement Award, and the Christopher Columbus Community Service Award, to name a few.

Dr. McGeehan earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the College of St. Elizabeth and received her New Jersey Supervisor/Principal's Certificate, New Jersey Administrator's Certificate and master's in elementary education from Seton Hall University. She also holds a doctorate in education/administration from Seton Hall. Dr. McGeehan is a resident of Bayonne.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Patricia Lorraine Burke McGeehan for her exemplary efforts towards improving the Bayonne City School District in New Jersey and her lifelong commitment to education and helping others.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Oxley- Frank amendment that would strike section 216 from the Transportation Appropriations bill.

Last July, I stood on this floor and said that the Hostettler amendment to the Foreign Relation Authorization Act was ``a thinly veiled attempt to end something called the matricula consular.'' Well, here we are a year later and there is no longer a pretense as to what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are trying to accomplish.

During consideration at the Appropriations Subcommittee level, Representative Culberson offered an amendment that prohibits the Department of the Treasury from implementing regulations which allow Mexico's matricula consular card to be used as a form of identification when opening a bank account. This amendment was retained at the full committee even though Treasury Secretary Snow wrote in July to the chairman requesting that this specific provision be removed.

Over and over again, select Members on the other side of the aisle have shown their true feelings about issues of the immigrant communities, and often, specifically the Hispanic community. Section 216 is no exception since it targets Mexican nationals. Why do I say this? Because only the matricula consular, out of all the identity documents in the United States, would be explicitly banned by this section of the bill.

Contrary to what the supporters of section 216 contend, Mexico and other foreign governments have been issuing consular identification cards to foreign nationals in the United States precisely following the guidelines established by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Representative Culberson implies that it is impossible to verify the true identity of a person who holds a matricula consular card because they can be obtained fraudulently. This is equally as true of other ID cards as with U.S. driver's licenses. In fact, 7 of the 19 terrorist hijackers of September 11 were known to have illegally obtained Virginia's drivers licenses. Yet this provision would ban only the matricula consular, which has been issued by the Embassy of Mexico for over 132 years.

Let's talk about what this whole debate is really about. It is about our country's public safety and national security, our homeland security, and our financial security.

Use of the Mexican consular identification card improves our Nation's public safety and national security because it provides a reliable and accurate method to identify Mexican nationals. Today, approximately 1,100 police departments accept the matricula consular to identify suspects, witnesses, and people who report crimes and suspicious activity.

Use of the Mexican consular identification card improves our Nation's homeland security. It combats the financing of international terrorism and money laundering by ensuring that U.S. financial institutions have accurate and reliable information on their clients.

And use of the matricula consular improves our nation's financial security and economy and prevents people from sending money illegally across the border. With this card, Mexican workers in the United States can send money legally using the banking system, which functions within federal law. Today, approximately 350 financial institutions accept the card as a valid form of identification.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is supported by:

The Bush White House in a Statement of Administration Policy dated today;

The Department of Treasury in a letter from Secretary Snow dated yesterday;

The Department of Justice, including the FBI;

A large part of the financial services sector: The American Bankers Association; America's Community Bankers; the Bankers' Association for Finance and Trade; the National Association of Federal Credit Unions; the Credit Union National Association; the Financial Services Roundtable; the Independent Community Bankers of America; the Securities Industry Association;

The National Council of La Raza;

The Mexican American Legal Defense Educational Fund; and

The National Immigration Law Center.

Finally, over 80 percent of the 34,000 comments received on the actual Treasury Department rulemaking under Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act agreed with the original regulations.

So, this amendment is broadly supported because it is the right thing to do for our country's national security, homeland security, and financial security. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for the Oxley-Frank amendment and against this outrageous and dangerous provision.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I want to thank him and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) for offering the amendment.

Let me very briefly say this is not about terrorism and homeland security. This is about immigration. That is the bottom line, because I saw the Republican Convention, as I think many others did, and I heard the number one fighter against terrorism was George W. Bush. If that is true, then the statement of administration policy that all of us have says under the heading of matricula consular card, the administration objects to the provision that would prevent the Treasury Department from spending any funds to issue or enforce regulations that do not preclude acceptance by financial institutions of the matricula consular card as a form of identification. It goes on to say the administration, including the Department of Justice and the FBI, believe that it is appropriate that these regulations provide a flexible standard that accommodates local conditions as well as innovation and verification techniques, not a list of documents or methods that must or must not be used. The administration strongly opposes this provision and supports efforts to remove it from the bill during floor consideration. Hence the administration supports the Oxley-Frank amendment and understands this is not about terrorism. This is ultimately about immigration.

We have seen this siege time and time again, and what it is about really is not only about immigration. It is about targeting Mexican nationals.

And why do I say that? Because only the matricula consular out of all of the identity documents in the United States would be explicitly banned by this section of the bill. And yet those of us who want to fight terrorism understand that it is in the ultimate interest to have an identification of who is here and it is the ultimate interest to make sure that we cannot use the banking services unless we have information on who is using it.

Support the Oxley-Frank amendment. Understand that the administration supports it and support our fight against terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Christian Children's Parade and Multicultural Festival, which celebrated its 26 annual parade on Saturday, August 14, 2004, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The Christian Children's Parade and Multicultural Festival is a wonderful opportunity to unite the community. For 26 years, the event has brought together family and friends to celebrate and encourage the spiritual development of Jersey City's youth.

This year's event was dedicated to remembering those lost during the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Jersey City community lost 37 residents on that tragic day. The parade and festival were a fitting tribute to the victims, which honored their memory and acknowledged not only the strength of the community, but also the surviving families and friends.

I would like to extend a special recognition to the Reverend Jose C. Lopez, the president of I.C.A.P., Inc., and his staff for all of their hard work and dedication in organizing this worthwhile event and making it a reality. Additionally, I extend my appreciation to the Jersey City Department of Cultural Affairs for sponsoring the festival and parade.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Christian Children's Parade and Multicultural Festival for its years of service and contribution to the youth of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mr. Edward B. Pulver for his outstanding and tireless commitment to the people of Hudson County and his dedication to the trade unions. Mr. Pulver will be memorialized on Thursday, September 9, 2004 by the City of Jersey City, New Jersey as they unveil `Edward B. Pulver Way' in a ceremony at the corner of Washington and Dudley Streets in Jersey City, New Jersey.

A native of Jersey City, who lived in Bayonne for 35 years, Mr. Pulver was a voice for working men and women for more than five decades. He began sailing on railroad tugs in the New York/New Jersey harbor in the late 1940s, and became active in the Seafarers International Union (SIU) when the fleet he helped to organize chose to affiliate with the organization's Inland Boatman's Union. In 1990, Mr. Pulver became the vice president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, while simultaneously heading the SIU's office in Jersey City. Additionally, Mr. Pulver was the president and a founding member of the Hudson County Central Labor Council, and served on the state AFL-CIO executive board as Secretary-Treasurer.

Mr. Pulver founded many organizations and belonged to numerous community and civic groups, including the National Executive Board of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and the Hudson County (N.J.) Economic Development Corporation. He served as president of the Hudson County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for 16 years. Additionally, he served on the board of directors for the Hudson County School of Technology, as well as for Saint Francis Hospital and Christ Hospital.

Considered a godfather to the Filipino community, Mr. Pulver was a member of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, raised funds for several Filipino organizations, and brought thousands of Filipino-Americans to an annual three-day conference in Piney Point, Maryland at his personal expense for almost a decade. He also served as executive vice president of the Filipino and Americans As One organization, was the cofounder of the Philippine American Friendship Committee (PAFCOM), and was instrumental in organizing the first Philippine American Friendship parade. He also served as the first Grand Marshall of PAFCOM.

A member of America's greatest generation, Mr. Pulver was a U.S. Army veteran who served our great nation in Germany during World War II.

Mr. Pulver is survived by five daughters, two brothers, 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Edward B. Pulver: a seaman, labor rights organizer, philanthropist, community activist, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend. Mr. Pulver, we will miss your kindness, but your memory will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone you have touched with your generosity and friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, though I wish it did not contain several of the so-called ``findings''.

On Saturday, we face the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In my district alone, we lost 122 people on that tragic day. I can't tell you how many memorial services I attended for people in my own district, nor describe in words the sympathy and sorrow I felt for family members who lost loved ones from all over the country.

So, I will support this resolution as an expression of my deepest sympathies to families and friends of the thousands of victims of that fateful day.

I will support it as an expression of our Nation's gratitude and pride in our men and women in uniform who have performed with brilliance and valor in the war on terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom. To date, 1,005 Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice in support of our country in Iraq, while many others have done so around the world in the fight against terror.

This should be a time to bring together, to consult, to be unanimous. Instead, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have chosen to use this resolution to speak about the handling of the war in Iraq. The resolution glosses over the intelligence failures and serious misstatements and flip-flops by the Bush Administration concerning the reason for going to war in Iraq.

One of the findings in the resolution states ``. . . it has led an international military coalition in the destruction of two terrorist regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq . . .'' Mr. Speaker, it appears the Republicans are trying to provide cover for one of the Bush Administration's main justifications for the war in Iraq. How many times has Vice President Cheney and other top administration officials asserted that there were extensive ties between Hussein's government and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network? In fact, earlier this year, the Vice President said evidence of a link was ``overwhelming.''

However, the September 11 Commission found in its report that there is no ``collaborative relationship'' between Iraq and al Qaeda.

The resolution also lists some changes that have been made since the horrible attacks against our Nation on 9/11. While these initial steps have been taken, the September 11 Commission Report has provided 41 specific recommendations that radically reshape our Nation's intelligence community. The Commission made it perfectly clear these changes must occur immediately to protect our Nation and our citizens now and in the future from any further attack.

It is shameful that the Republicans are using a crucial resolution that could express our collective sentiment as we did after September 11, and instead seek partisan gain out of what should be a national embrace.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the House Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution, (H. Res. 756) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 741) and ask for its immediate consideration.