Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this very important legislation.

During the first 6 months of 2007, this Congress has rightly spent a great deal of time debating and trying to reorient our policy in Iraq. It's important to remember that one of the chief reasons we need to leave Iraq is so that we can win the other war we've been fighting since 2001: the war against Al Qaeda and their Taliban allies in Afghanistan.

This bipartisan bill provides additional support for programs as diverse as assistance to women and girls, energy development and counter-narcotics. It authorizes $6.435 billion for fiscal years 2008 through 2010, of which $2.145 billion is authorized to be spent in fiscal year 2008. Let me comment on a couple of specific provisions that I think are particularly important.

This bill seeks to set standards, create performance metrics, and mandate a tightly coordinated interagency strategy for Afghanistan--the very kinds of measures that were absent in our effort in Iraq from the very beginning. Starting in December 2007 and every 6 months afterwards through September 30, 2010, this bill would require the President to submit detailed reports to Congress on the political, military, and economic progress being made--or not being made--in Afghanistan. It is long past time that Congress mandated such benchmarks so that we can know what is working in Afghanistan and make adjustments where things are not working.

This bill also mandates the creation of a special envoy to help more closely coordinate activities between those governments and the International Security Assistance Force in their joint efforts to interdict Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who attempt to use Pakistani territory to launch attacks against civilian and military targets in Afghanistan. Pakistan's record in this area is at best mixed, and I am glad that the committee has recognized the need for our government to increase its effort to get both governments to make the borders no-go zones for insurgents.

Finally, this bill recognizes that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are not the only enemies of Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. The narcotics trade in Afghanistan is producing violence and corruption that threatens the people and government of Afghanistan just as much as the actions of the terrorists. Indeed, we know that in many cases the terrorists are using narco-trafficking to help fund their violent campaign to overthrow the Afghan government.

Weeding out potentially corrupt police who assist the drug lords and the terrorists is essential, and this bill would require that future assistance to the Afghan National Police include ``vetting procedures to adequately assess each Afghan National Police candidate's aptitude, professional skills, integrity, and other qualifications that are essential to law enforcement work.'' This is exactly the type of framework that we have lacked in Iraq to deal with police corruption in that country, and so I'm pleased that the committee is including such a vetting requirement for Afghan police in this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the day when the people of Afghanistan are free of the fear and uncertainty that decades of war and civil strife have produced in that ancient country. Let us hasten the arrival of that day by reaffirming our partnership with them by passing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased that as Memorial Day approaches, this Congress is taking concrete action to help our Nation's veterans.

This week we passed several pieces of legislation designed to both make it easier for veterans to get access to health care and to improve the quality of that care for those who are returning home from Iraq or Afghanistan.

Sometimes it's hard for veterans or their family members to be certain as to what benefits they qualify for and how to apply for them. The Veterans Outreach Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 67) seeks to address this problem by mandating greater coordination between the federal and state governments on the availability of programs to help veterans. The bill authorizes $75 million between 2007 and 2009 for intensified outreach efforts to veterans and their family members.

Due to geographical constraints, many veterans who return home will not have ready access to a military hospital within an easy driving distance of their homes. To help remedy this, Congress is taking action on the Returning Servicemember VA Healthcare Insurance Act of 2007 (H.R. 612). This bill extends from 2 years to 5 years the period of eligibility for VA health care for veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, regardless of whether or not a veteran has an established service-connected condition. As a result, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will have more time to take advantage of VA health care whether or not they're awaiting the processing of a disability claim.

For many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, access to routine medical care will not be enough. A large number of American soldiers have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of being injured by road-side bombs or snipers. Passage of the Traumatic Brain Injury Health Enhancement and Long-Term Support Act of 2007 (H.R. 2199), of which I am a co-sponsor, will help meet the special needs of these veterans.

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish:

A program to screen veterans for traumatic brain injury (TBI);

A comprehensive program for long-term care of post-acute TBI rehabilitation at four geographically dispersed polytrauma networks site and to establish TBI transition offices at these same sites to help better coordinate the delivery of health care and other services to veterans with moderate to severe TBI;

A registry of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who exhibit TBI symptoms;

Centers for TBI research, education, and clinical activities;

A committee on the care of veterans with TBI;

A pilot program for delivering readjustment counseling and mental health services through mobile vet centers; and

An Advisory Committee on Rural Veterans to help develop recommendations on how best to meet the needs of veterans living in rural areas.

Veterans with TBI will require special forms of rehabilitative care and follow up for the rest of their lives, and this bill will help ensure they get the care and services that they've earned.

Mr. Speaker, as America pauses this Memorial Day to remember those who've gone in harms way for the rest of us, Congress can express its thanks to America's veterans by passing these bills today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill. We cannot provide a blank check to this President regarding our involvement in Iraq.

I've heard a lot of talk about September--that it will be clear by September whether or not the ``surge'' is working. I've heard these comments even as this week the press has reported that another, little publicized ``surge'' is already underway--one that when completed will result in some 200,000 American troops being on the ground in Iraq before the year is out. We know now the ``surge'' is not working.

I cannot vote to provide this President with more money to send more troops to try to quell Iraq's civil war. I remind my colleagues that in less than a month's time, Iraq's parliament is going to adjourn for most of the summer, taking a two month vacation while American kids are left to dodge sniper fire and IEDs. Where are the Iraqi security forces? What happened to ``As they stand up, we'll stand down?''

This month, the Defense Department reported a total of 337,000 Iraqi police and soldiers had been trained and equipped. They now outnumber our troops by two to one. Yet the administration has repeatedly refused to give the House Armed Services Committee information on the training program for Iraqi security forces and how their unit readiness is assessed. I suspect Secretary Gates is holding back those answers because he knows we're going to ask what we have bought with the money we have spent on Iraq's security forces--more than $15 billion. But I think most of us know what that $15 billion has bought us: an Iraqi security force that is corrupt, sectarian, infiltrated by insurgents, and hopelessly ineffective.

We can't keep ratifying a failed policy; that's not what the American people expect or need from us. I urge my colleagues to oppose the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, a budget is a moral document that demonstrates our values and priorities. This budget Conference Report, brought to us by Chairman John Spratt represents values I can be proud of. This budget makes real investments in education, healthcare, housing and research and development while bringing the budget back to surplus by 2012.

At a time when more than ten percent of students drop out of high school before graduating and only four out of ten children eligible for Head Start are able to participate, this budget reverses the Administration's policy of under-investing in education for our children. The budget rejects the President's proposal to cut funding for the Department of Education by $1.5 billion below the 2007 enacted level and to eliminate 44 entire programs. It instead provides for substantial new investments in vital programs such as Head Start, special education (IDEA), Title I and other programs under the No Child Left Behind Act. The bill also funds an increase in Pell Grants so that high school students will know that if they work hard, they can go to college.

The budget rejects the President's proposal to cut funding for the Community Development Block Grant program by $1.1 billion below last year's level, and instead provides for the first CDBG increase since 2005. The cut advocated by the President would endanger job creation, economic development, and affordable housing efforts, cutting CDBGs for nearly 1,200 state and local governments.

This budget rejects the President's proposal to cut Child Care Development Block Grants and Social Services Block Grants by $520 million below the 2007 level. The President's budget would lead to a decline in valuable assistance for child care that allows many working parents to earn a living. The Conference Report would allow for the first increase in this funding since 2002.

Further, knowing that we now have more uninsured Americans than six years ago, this budget blocks the President's proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. These cuts would have made healthcare less affordable and accessible for millions of Americans. This budget ensures that up to $50 billion over the next five years will be devoted to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) so that millions of uninsured children can be covered. New Jersey is a national leader in covering children through the SCHIP program and this additional funding is desperately needed to ensure our state's good work, and that of other states, can continue.

This budget reverses the President's dangerous cuts to our nation's first responders. What sense would it make to cut the Local Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention program, Firefighter assistance grants, Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, or the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program? Our budget stands up for first responders and ensures that each of the programs receives appropriate levels of funding.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Spratt and the Budget Committee conferees for demonstrating that we can provide for our nation's defense in a responsible way--both fiscally and from a policy standpoint. This budget will provide $507 billion in Department of Defense budget authority, an $18 billion increase over the President's request. This budget also emphasizes the right priorities for meeting our security needs.

For example, this resolution opposes TRICARE fee increases and calls for a substantial increase in the veterans' health care system. The budget resolution notes the upcoming recommendations of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors and other government investigations in connection with the Walter Reed scandal, and allows funds for action when those recommendations are received. To help protect our nation from a terrorist-sponsored nuclear attack, non- proliferation programs such as the Cooperative Threat Reduction program are given greater priority and higher funding.

This budget also helps us keep our promises to our nation's veterans. I'm pleased the committee has recommended increasing discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs from $36.5 billion to $43.1 billion--a $6.6 billion (18.1%) increase over FY07, and a $3.5 billion increase (8.9%) over the Administration request for FY08. This budget provides a far more realistic spending plan than the President's proposal. Our proposed increase in this area will help meet critical needs, including ensuring that medical inflation does not erode VA's ability to deliver quality health care to our veterans.

In order to maintain American competitiveness, we must make substantial investments in scientific research and education. The budget provides funding for initiatives to educate new scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the next four years, and places more highly-qualified teachers in math and science K-12 classrooms. It makes critical investments in basic research, putting us on the

path to doubling funding for the National Science Foundation, and bolstering investments in research and development throughout the budget.

America's dependence on oil endangers our environment, our national security, and our economy. A sustained investment in research and development is crucial to creating cutting-edge technologies that allow us to develop clean, sustainable energy alternatives and capitalize on America's vast renewable natural resources. The budget provides increased funding for basic and applied energy research.

For the first time in 6 years, the Budget Resolution reflects a real commitment to protecting our most valuable natural resources by providing needed funding for our National Parks, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the national wildlife refuge system. H. Con. Res. 99 provides a total of $31.4 billion for environmental programs, which is $2.6 billion more than the President's request. I have been an advocate for the Land and Water Conservation Fund since I came to Congress eight years ago and I am pleased that we are finally at a place where the budget includes adequate funding for both the state- side grant program and the federal program. LWCF and the Forest Legacy program have done tremendous work in states across the country, including New Jersey, to protect open space, restore wetlands, and conserve forests lands. In the face of mounting evidence on the perilous state of our environment, it continues to amaze me why President Bush continues to turn a blind eye to our growing needs in this area. Finally, we have a budget that realizes how important this investment is to preserving our natural resources and promoting conservation.

This budget achieves all of these objectives and investments without an increase in taxes. The budget would accommodate immediate relief for the tens of millions of middle income households who would otherwise be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), while supporting the efforts of the Committee on Ways and Means to achieve permanent, revenue-neutral AMT reform. Unless the AMT is reformed, 19 million additional families will have to pay higher taxes in 2007. The budget would also accommodate extension of other middle-income tax relief provisions, consistent with the Pay-As-You-Go principle that include: the child tax credit, marriage penalty relief, the 10 percent bracket, and the deduction for state and local sales taxes.

The past 6 years of fiscal irresponsibility have caused America's national debt to increase by 50 percent, an amount of nearly $9 trillion, or $29,000 for every American. Our ability to invest in the Nation's shared priorities is constrained by the cost of the debt run up over the last 6 years, when the administration and its partners in previous Congresses turned the largest surplus in American history into a record debt. About 75 percent of America's new debt has been borrowed from foreign creditors such as China, making our fiscal integrity a matter of national security. Over the last 6 years, President Bush has borrowed more money from foreign nations than the previous 42 U.S. Presidents combined.

Mr. Speaker, this budget reflects values that we can all be proud of. It meets the basic needs of Americans, invests in priorities important to our future while putting us on the path to fiscal responsibility. I ask my colleagues to vote for the Budget Conference Report.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of The C.O.P.S. Improvements Act of 2007, H.R. 1700. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation that would allow The Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) program to hire an additional 50,000 police officers to walk the beat in our local communities.

The creation of the C.O.P.S. program was a breakthrough in law enforcement. By funding additional officers, critical technologies, and valuable training, C.O.P.S. has been a catalyst for the revolutionary shift to community policing. However, limits on hiring new officers has hindered the ability of the C.O.P.S. program to address the rise in violent crime.

Between 1995 and 2005, the C.O.P.S. program helped put 117,000 additional officers on the beat across every state and in most communities in our Nation. Unfortunately, in 2006 the then Republican- led Congress decided to eliminate the ability of this program to help hire additional law enforcement officers. This was a tragic mistake.

According to the General Accountability Office ``C.O.P.S. funded increases in sworn officers per capita were associated with the declines in rates of total index crimes, violent crimes, and property crimes.'' The same GAO study showed that between the years of 1998 and 2000, C.O.P.S. hiring grants were responsible for reducing crime by about 200,000 to 225,000 incidents--one third of which were violent.

It is appropriate that in the wake of the tragic events at Virginia Tech, we are reauthorizing the C.O.P.S. program and restoring the program's ability to help local law enforcement agencies hire additional police officers. Earlier this week, I met with state and local law enforcement officials, school safety officers, and gun control advocacy organizations to learn what more the Federal Government should be doing to prevent gun crime. All the participants understood the importance of the C.O.P.S. program and the positive effect that community oriented policing has had on crime rates.

Across the state of New Jersey, approximately 4,790 officers were hired by local police departments using C.O.P.S. funds. This meant an additional 628 police officers and/or sheriff deputies walking the beat in the local communities of my Congressional District. Further, 33 school resource officers were hired to ensure that our children's schools are safe.

A Congressional Report, indicates that when The C.O.P.S. Improvements Act of 2007 becomes law there will be 268 more police officers on the beat, approximately $13 million more for law enforcement grants, 14 additional school resource officers, and an additional $3.6 million in technology grants for law enforcement officers in the 12th Congressional District.

This legislation has been endorsed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriff's Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities.

The C.O.P.S. program and community policing have put us on the right track. The police chiefs and sheriffs in my district consistently tell me that we could have never achieved this much without the additional officers and technology funded under the COPS program.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to under fund this program anymore. The COPS program has been vital to our local communities. Our police departments can do only so much with the resources they are given. At a time when we are asking our law enforcement officers to do more to reduce crime and protect our hometowns from potential terrorist related threats we should do everything we can to increase the funding of the COPS program. H.R. 1700 is an essential first step.

Madam Chair, I thank my friend, Mr. Tierney, for his leadership on this issue. I have worked on nuclear proliferation and weapon defense issues for decades. I can assure my colleagues in this House that with our present or even projected technologies, the administration's ``neo-Star Wars'' proposal has poor odds of defeating a ballistic missile strike on the United States. Our missile defense system does not work and wishing will not overcome physics. It can be confused by decoys, it faces numerous testing problems. To put it bluntly, it is a faith-based military program, not one grounded in science.

Furthermore, it is destabilizing and it is a wasteful program that robs us of funds that we need for truly important real-world crises facing our communities and our Nation and our national security.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let me begin by thanking Chairman Skelton for his consideration in support of this amendment.

Some time back I was asking U.S. servicemen about interrogation of some detainees. Suppose you and your translator are not familiar with the dialect of the detainees, I said, how would you make a tape available to a good linguist for review?

What tape, they said.

Later in other circumstances I learned about charges of mistreatment of detainees. But the only record of our treatment of detainees were the shameful recreational photos of Abu Ghraib. An official recording would have helped the situation, perhaps even have prevented the problems.

Hundreds of law enforcement organizations in all 50 States and the District of Columbia employ recording of interrogations and that is becoming the standard for interrogations around the United States. It improves the ability to get the best information, and it protects all parties involved, the interrogators and the detainees. I believe the lessons of those law enforcement organizations can be applied to our current detainee policies.

For years, police officers around the country resisted the idea of putting video cameras in their cars and interrogation rooms. Now those cameras, the dashboard camera, for example, is one of the cops' best friends. Today, such tools are widely used by law enforcement organizations around the country because of the protections and the investigative value they provide.

My amendment has three provisions: to require video recording of interrogations and other pertinent interactions between U.S. military personnel, or contractors, and detainees arrested and held. The video records would be kept at the appropriate level of classification and be available for review by intelligence personnel to help maximize the intelligence benefits of such interrogations. It would require the Judge Advocate General, pursuant to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to develop guidelines designated to ensure that the video recording sufficiently prevents abuses of rights of detainees and prisoners.

I would be happy to yield to the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the Chair for his comments.

Indeed, this is becoming the standard of interrogation. The video recording is inexpensive, easy to use, and it helps.

My amendment would also afford access to prisoners by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture.

The electronic recording of interrogations is a concept that has been endorsed by multiple domestic and international organizations. In 1998, the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations strongly recommended that interrogation of suspects in police custody and substitute prison be strictly monitored and recorded by electronic means. In 2004, the American Bar Association urged all law enforcement agencies to videotape the entirety of custodial interrogations of crime suspects. Hundreds of DAs and prosecutors use these techniques.

Today, the ACLU noted in their endorsement letter of this amendment that it would increase the accountability for compliance with the McCain antitorture amendment. Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch expressed similar statements in their endorsement letters, and I will include in the Record these letters of endorsement from Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, and the ACLU.

Human Rights First,

New York, May 16, 2007.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Member of Congress: I write to express the support of

Human Rights First for a proposed amendment to the FY2008

National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1585) introduced by

Representative Rush Holt. The amendment would require the

videotaping of interrogations and other pertinent

interactions between detainees in the custody or under the

effective control of the U.S. Armed Forces and relevant U.S.

officials, consistent with a recommendation made by the Army

Inspector General in July 2004. The amendment would also

require that the International Committee of the Red Cross

(ICRC), the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture are provided

access to detainees in U.S. custody.

These provisions are intended to ensure that the treatment

of detainees in the custody of the United States Armed Forces

is consistent with longstanding U.S. obligations under

domestic and international law, including existing rules

concerning ICRC access to prisoners. These commitments are

contained in binding military regulations and field manuals

and reflect the judgment that upholding the principle of

providing access to captured prisoners is strongly in the

interest of the U.S. military.

Because it advances both the interests of the United States

and its values, we urge you

to support Representative Holt's amendment to the National

Defense Authorization Act.

Sincerely,

Elisa Massimino,

Washington Director.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Florida. It is indeed a pleasure and an education to serve with him on the Intelligence Committee.

And I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill. Although this bill is not the full reform that I think is needed, it does contain many features that, if enacted, will improve the operation and oversight of the intelligence community.

I'd like to address one amendment that has been made in order, and I thank the Rules Committee for accepting for consideration an amendment that I offer that seeks to address an issue that's been one of the highest concerns for both this committee and the Congress, and that is, protecting the security and the cover of intelligence officers.

This grows out, in part, of the well publicized outing of a former CIA officer. For nearly 4 years, I have led the effort within the committee and in this body to determine the facts surrounding this case, as well as its consequences for the security of our Nation.

In previous Congresses, on eight separate occasions, in committee and on this floor, the then majority voted down every effort to obtain information on the matter. As I repeatedly noted at the time, Mr. Fitzgerald's criminal inquiry could never address some of the key questions that we sought to have answers for.

For example, how and why did Ms. Plame's cover status become known to those with no legitimate need to know?

How much damage was done to our intelligence collection efforts as a result of the outing of Ms. Plame?

What measures has the CIA and has the now Director of National Intelligence taken to prevent similar compromises in the future?

We still need answers to these and other questions. The amendment I am offering today that I will offer, would require the President, through the Director of National Intelligence, to report annually to the Congress on the need for any modification to the Intelligence Identities Protection Act to improve the legal protections for covert agents. This report, along with other oversight that the committee will undertake, and that I hope to undertake through the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, will help us establish exactly what measures need to be taken to minimize the chances of such compromises of the identities of covert operatives in the future.

These men and women take enormous risks on our behalf. We owe it to them to ensure their identities are protected from the exposure, both from hostile intelligence services but even from those within our own government who would seek to retaliate against them for speaking truth to power.

This reporting requirement would be an amended version of what the President is already required to do, but has failed to do every year. We seek to have the President show more diligence in protecting the cover of these employees.

Let me reiterate that this amendment represents only one step in the process. The chairman of the committee has assured me that there will be oversight and legislative action on this issue in addition to that which we are taking today.

I would also like to comment that it is astonishing in the debates leading up to this in committee and here on the floor today that there would be so much attention being paid to the request for a national intelligence estimate on climate change. A preliminary assessment is already in the works. We should want the intelligence community to be considering everything that affects our national security, be it demographics or climate or droughts. I am astonished that there would be any resistance to having such a national intelligence estimate. So I am pleased that the committee has put that in this bill, and I look forward to its passage.

I thank my friend from Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, 4 years ago, President Bush used soldiers and sailors as stage props to declare that major combat operations in Iraq have ended. Well, indeed those combat operations should have ended, in fact, they never should have begun. This combat is constitutionally and strategically unjustifiable, operationally poorly executed with regard to armoring and deploying the troops, and politically and diplomatically disastrous.

This war is not making anyone more safer or more free, and it cannot be won militarily. As retired General Odom said, the challenge we face today is not how to win in Iraq but how to recover from a strategic mistake, invading Iraq in the first place.

The President continues to squander American influence, blood and treasure. It is the President's intransigence that forces us to pass this bill to force a change in the course in Iraq. The President needs to know that the days of congressional blank checks in support of a failed policy are over. We cannot continue to buy time with American lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our troops and for ending President Bush's war in Iraq.

This bill gives the President all the money he needs to ensure our troops have the equipment, ammunition, fuel, food, spare parts, and anything else they need to ensure their safety and security. What this bill does not give the President is the blank check with no questions and no accountability that he's come to expect over the last 4 years. Those days are over.

Yesterday's Washington Post front page story on the President's ``surge'' strategy was entitled ``Commanders in Iraq See `Surge' Into '08.'' While General Petreaus told the Congress earlier this year that we could determine the effectiveness of the troop increase within several months, General Odierno is trying to ``get until April (2008, that is) so we can decide whether to keep it going or not.''

If the Post's report is accurate--that the surge that was supposed to last several months will now last for well over a year--then it is more imperative than ever that we place clear limits on our future involvement in Iraq. We cannot continue to buy time with American lives and taxpayer dollars to support a fundamentally flawed policy.

Nor should we continue down this road when the Iraqis themselves fail to take the steps necessary to heal the divisions in their own country. Americans deserve to know that Iraq's government is about to take a 2- month vacation--while Baghdad burns and American troops continue to die daily amid the crossfire of Iraq's civil war. As the current U.S. troop ``surge'' reaches completion around mid-June, Iraq's parliament will adjourn for 2 months.

If Iraq's government is prepared to go AWOL in the middle of their civil war, why should we stay? Why should more of our troops die to help protect a government that leaves town with the battle raging on the streets of Baghdad?

I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, for offering his own blueprint for redeploying our forces from Iraq. I'm pleased to be able to support this measure, and I commend Mr. McGovern for his relentless commitment to help this House get it right on Iraq--to demand accountability for those responsible for the situation in Iraq.

That's what this debate is really about: getting Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their country's security and its future. We can't end their civil war--only they can, but only if their political leaders cancel their 2-month vacation and get down to the hard work of building a new Iraq.

If enacted, this bill would incentivize them to do exactly that--it would force them to focus their full energies on reaching a political solution to Iraq's civil war, or face the prospect of a cut off in U.S. aid.

Mr. Speaker, President Bush announced his intention to veto this bill before it ever came to the House floor. His veto threat proves that he's more interested in continuing his war with Congress than he is in finding a bipartisan solution to the war in Iraq. That threat is all the more reason why we need to pass this bill so we can do what the American people have asked us to do: to end America's tragic misadventure in Iraq.

Madam Chairman, although the bill before us today does not produce the overhaul of intelligence I seek, it does address a number of critical deficiencies in the operation and oversight of the intelligence community, and I support this important legislation.

I commend the committee staff. They do excellent work without help from outside. And I commend the Chair, the gentleman from Texas, for his sensible, considerate approach to his work as Chair.

There are several specific provisions in this bill that I would like to highlight. For example, the bill requires the compilation of a comprehensive inventory of special access programs, as well as measures to improve the contracting accountability. These provisions will give the committee additional tools to hold the intelligence community accountable for its actions and the use or misuse of taxpayer funds.

Again this year we demand more attention to the foreign language facility of employees in the intelligence community.

Of course, we would want the intelligence community to look at international and global issues that affect our national security. And who could oppose the attention to climate change?

There are a number of areas where we have had added or reduced resources. Overall, the agencies have ample support, the largest budget ever. By the way, I would say to my colleague from Kansas, there is no reduction in human intelligence collectors. This legislation adds resources for their training, it adds analytic capability, it adds technologies to help them do their job.

Let me close by thanking the chairman again for the admirable manner that he shows in running this committee. I support this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to do so.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The amendment I am offering would require the President, through the Director of National Intelligence, to report annually to Congress on the need for any modification to the Intelligence Identity Protection Act to improve legal protection for covert agents. This report, along with other oversight work the committee will undertake, will help us establish what measures need to be taken to minimize the chances in the future of compromising the identities of covert operatives.

These men and women take enormous risks on our behalf. Their covers are their only protection when they are working overseas. We owe them everything we can do to ensure that their identities are protected from exposure both from hostile intelligence services or even from exposure within our own government by those who would seek to retaliate against them for speaking truth to power.

This grew out of my consideration, trying to draw lessons from what has become a well-publicized example of the outing of a former CIA officer. In previous Congresses, on eight separate occasions in committees and on this floor, the then-majority voted down every effort to obtain information on this matter; and as I repeatedly noted at those times, Mr. Fitzgerald's criminal inquiry could never address some of the key questions that we sought answers to: How and why did Ms. Valerie

Plame's cover status come to be known to those with no legitimate need to know? How much damage was done to our intelligence collection efforts as a result of the outing of Ms. Plame? What measures has the Central Intelligence Agency and now the Director of National Intelligence taken to prevent similar compromises in the future?

It appears that nothing has changed. So this sort of thing could happen again. It's important that we take steps to protect, as I say, the only protection that these covert agents have if they are in dangerous positions overseas.

So that is the point of this amendment, and I seek the approval of the House.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 890, the Student Loan Sunshine Act and I thank Chairman George Miller for bringing this bill to the floor.

With the rising cost of college, students and families are more reliant then ever on student loans to pay for college. At the same time, it is becoming more and more important for these students to earn a college degree to compete for good jobs. U.S. Census data show that, on average, every year of post-secondary education raises a worker's annual earnings, helping the worker to provide for his family as well as to give back to his community. Post-secondary education is becoming more and more important--according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percentage of jobs requiring post-secondary education will rise from 29% in 2000 to 42% by the end of the decade.

Ongoing investigations into the student loan industry have revealed that egregious conflicts of interest and corrupt practices among lenders, schools, and public officials are undermining the student loan programs that millions of borrowers have come to depend on. Just yesterday Theresa Shaw, chief operating officer of the office of federal student aid, resigned from the Department of Education. My own State of New Jersey now has the State Attorney General looking into evidence of agreements between the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and lenders that show lenders paid the agency to market their products to schools.

I am pleased that this bill bans all gifts, participation on advisory boards, and risk-sharing agreements between lenders and schools and requires institutions to disclose all relationships with lenders. The bill ensures that students have access to all lenders of their choice, including those not on the ``Preferred Lender Lists.'' The bill bans staffing of school financial aid offices by lenders, and ensures that schools process all loans, from any lender, and do not steer students away from their first choice. I am also pleased that the bill requires lenders offering private loans to first inform students of their federal borrowing options, so that the student can get the better federal interest rates.

Too often, when students leave college they are not informed of all their repayment options. The bill requires that all exit counseling is provided with the school's involvement and that they inform students of all of their repayment options.

Students deserve clear, straight-forward information and the bill instills enforceable marketing protections, including disclosures and notifications to students and institutions by lenders offering private loans. This bill gives a student the full picture by requiring lenders and institutions to disclose fully and prominently the terms, conditions, and incentives for all loans.

Again, I look forward to the results of the investigation of the State of New Jersey Attorney General and I thank Chairman Miller for taking these steps to disclose all information about the student loan industry, colleges, and public officials. I ask my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. If enacted, it will spur needed improvements in a critical Federal department that is clearly struggling in many areas.

Earlier this year, the Department tried to put the best face on a devastating poll of Federal agencies in which DHS was ranked worst among places to work in the executive branch. Poor morale has led to significant turnover throughout the various agencies that comprise DHS, and inequitable pay scales have contributed to this problem. This bill corrects one of those inequities: the bill strips the Department

of the authority to develop a personnel system different from the traditional GS schedule Federal model. Workers who perform largely the same tasks at DHS that are performed at other agencies should not be paid less for doing the same work. This is a basic issue of fairness, and I'm glad the bill addresses this issue.

I'm also pleased that the bill requires pay parity for Customs and Border Protection employees. Our CBP officers often have some of the most dangerous and thankless jobs in the Federal Government. The fact that in the past they have not been compensated at the same rate as other Federal law enforcement officers is an injustice that this bill remedies. Recruiting and retaining CBP officers who are skilled at managing the complex and sometimes dangerous task of protecting our borders must be a national priority. This provision reaffirms that fact.

This bill also seeks to strengthen and formalize the Department's roles and relationships with State and local fusion centers. If there is one complaint I think every member of Congress receives from their local first responders, it's that information they receive from DHS is either late in getting to them, irrelevant to their needs, or both. I have spoken to DHS's Chief Intelligence Officer, Charlie Allen, about this ongoing problem. He knows there is much more that needs to be done to improve the information sharing process. What is unclear to me is whether the Department's senior leadership recognizes the problem.

What DHS needs--but still lacks--is a common intelligence database that is accessible to State and local law enforcement officials who are cleared to receive such information. Posting more DHS personnel to State and local fusion centers will improve the security of localities in States only if the information being provided through such liaison officers is timely and relevant.

Finally, I am concerned that DHS continues to flounder in its efforts to prioritize its science and technology needs.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1873, the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act.

Small businesses are a big part of the U.S. economy. In fact, small businesses employ more than half of all private sector employees and pay 45 percent of the total U.S. private payroll. New jobs come disproportionately from small businesses, which generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs in the past 10 years.

Although federal government contracting practices are required by law to be supportive of small businesses, the bundling of contracts has prevented many small businesses from being able to compete fairly. This is a significant loss to small businesses, as federal contracts pay a total of $400 billion annually to contractors. H.R. 1873 gives small businesses a fair chance at competing for these contracts by preventing the contract bundling that has excluded them from being considered. In doing this, the Act also insures that taxpayer money is spent more efficiently, as more competition for government contracts will necessarily result in better use of public funds.

The Act further improves small business contracting practices by creating a system by which small businesses and opportunities for small businesses can be better catalogued and tracked. If a business has grown and should no longer be considered small, we will know, and well give priority to true small businesses. If a large business has not subcontracted enough to small businesses, we will know, and we will assist small businesses in finding these subcontracting opportunities.

When small businesses can compete fairly and are made aware of the opportunities provided them, jobs are created, entrepreneurship thrives, and the overall economy prospers. I therefore encourage my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act, H.R. 1592. This legislation seeks to address the pernicious effects that hate crimes have on our society.

Bigotry, bias, and ignorance have existed since the dawn of time. Yet, in a country founded on the principles of freedom, equality and liberty for all, we must do all we can to stop individuals from committing crimes based solely on prejudice.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, there were 7,163 hate crimes committed in 2005 and we can be sure that number is low for crimes that are underreported. Hate crimes are very real. And each hate crime spreads fear and violence among an entire community. It's long past time for Congress to pass this important legislation to help prosecute those who would commit these heinous acts.

To paraphrase Martin Luther King, the laws we pass may not change the heart; but they can restrain the heartless.

As an original cosponsor of this legislation, I believe it is the fundamental role of government to protect its citizens. Therefore, it is necessary and proper for the federal government to work in conjunction with local law enforcement officials to robustly prosecute crimes motivated by bigotry.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act expands our Nation's existing hate crimes laws to ensure that certain violent crimes committed against an individual because of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability are prosecuted. As this bill states, bias and bigotry related crime ``savages the community sharing the traits that caused the victim to be selected'' for the crime, Additionally, this legislation expands the hate crime statute by dropping the requirement that the victim had been engaged in six specifically defined federally protected activities, such as voting.

H.R. 1592 also creates a grant program for the federal government to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. State and local law enforcement prosecute the overwhelming majority of hate crimes. However, investigating and prosecuting these acts takes more time and resources than many local and state agencies may possess. Thus, H.R. 1592 authorizes the federal government to provide tools and resources that are needed by local law enforcement.

This legislation is supported by the National Sheriffs Association, National District Attorneys Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, National Coalition of Public Safety Officers, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Consortium of Developmental Disabilities Councils, Human Rights Campaign, NAACP, National Victim Center, United States Conference of Mayors, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, American Association on Mental Retardation, and more than 200 other law enforcement, religious, civil rights, and civic organizations.

By making our Nation's hate crimes statutes more comprehensive, we will take a needed step in favor of tolerance and against prejudice and hate-based crime in all its forms. This legislation sends a strong message that hate-based crime cannot be tolerated and will be vigorously prosecuted.

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act, H.R. 1868. This important legislation is part of an ambitious initiative that will fulfill the Innovation Agenda.

I am proud of my efforts to help craft the Innovation Agenda, which will help provide for future prosperity through wise investments. H.R. 1868 is an integral part of this effort and will help meet the Agenda's call to double funding over the next 10 years for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. NIST exists to improve our Nation's economic security and quality of life through the improvement of technology and related sciences and standards. This legislation puts us well on the path to doubling our investment in NIST by setting the appropriate authorization levels through 2010. This will mean actual authorizations of $470.9 million in FY 2008 and $537.6 million in FY 2010. These increases are necessary investments in revitalizing NIST's staffing, activity, and physical infrastructure, particularly at a time when we face unprecedented levels of international competition.

In this bill, the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) is created. TIP gives businesses and universities grants that encourage high-risk investments in technology, in cases where such investments have potential widespread economic benefits. This is a sound use of taxpayer money, as projected economic payoff to society is a necessary precondition for issuance of a grant. This program helps to solve the failure of market forces to encourage full investment in research and development. This failure of market forces is rooted in the fact that only one third of the financial reward of research and development investment is felt by investors, with the rest being felt by society as a whole.

H.R. 1868 also improves the competitiveness of the American manufacturing industry by creating postdoctoral fellowships for related research, and by creating a manufacturing research pilot grants program for interdisciplinary collaborations between businesses, State governments, nonprofits, and universities.

By strengthening our existing investment in our national technology and manufacturing capacity and through the creation of new related programs, this bill is a crucial element of the Innovation Agenda to maintain American economic security and global leadership. I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Small Business Lending Improvements Act of 2007. H.R. 1332 is part of an ambitious legislative portfolio that will fulfill the Innovation Agenda. I was proud to help craft the Innovation Agenda, on which our Nation is dependent for its future prosperity.

Small businesses are a big part of the U.S. economy. In fact, small businesses employ more than half of all private sector employees and pay 45 percent of the total U.S. private payroll. New jobs come disproportionately from small businesses, which generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs in the past 10 years.

Small businesses face big challenges. Too often they must depend on costly lending alternatives, including credit cards. Personal credit cards are the primary funding source for U.S. entrepreneurs. Borrowing fees and high interest rates weigh heavily on small businesses.

As presented in Rising Above the Gathering Storm, our Nation faces unprecedented challenges to its international competitiveness and quality of life. Small businesses are catalysts for technological innovation, and the entrepreneurship of small American startups occasionally has revolutionized our economy and lives. The viability of American small businesses is inextricably linked to the future prosperity of all our citizens.

This Act makes American entrepreneurship more viable. It improves the existing 7(a) (business start-up loan) program and the existing 504 (certified development company economic development loan) program to better serve veterans, rural areas, and areas lacking sufficient medical expertise. It improves eligibility requirements for designation as a certified development company (CDC), revises procedures around the foreclosure and liquidation of defaulted small business loans, and authorizes loans for projects that reduce energy consumption by at least 10 percent.

I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution. This can help us gain and retain a lead in economic prosperity and quality of life.