Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment of the gentlewoman from Florida. As cochair of the Children's Environmental Health Caucus, I have tried to raise awareness here in the Congress about public health risks for children caused by environmental contaminants.

It is well known that certain fish and shellfish contain high levels of mercury that can harm babies, unborn babies, the nervous systems of young children, and these levels of mercury in different States vary. That is the key point. Many States have enacted shellfish safety laws. Many of the environmental and consumer protection laws that we now take for granted around the country first appeared in individual States.

So there are variations of contaminants in individual States. There is also a different willingness in different States to protect their consumers. This bill, I am afraid, without amendments like Ms. Wasserman Schultz's will result in the lowest common denominator applying, for, in other words, the weakest standards.

Currently some States have shellfish safety laws, but not all. Some States have fish consumption/methylmercury advisories, but not all New Jersey does. By preempting these State laws, we hurt the consumer and the health of children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 335, legislation that recognizes the 97th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and acknowledges the many contributions of the NAACP in helping to create a more equitable and just society.

The NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, and blazed the trail towards equal justice for all Americans. The organization has consistently used nonviolent means to achieve its goals, and, to this day, emphasizes dutiful civic participation as the best way to promote and protect civil rights.

Ninety-seven years ago this month, a handful of intrepid Americans, including W.E.B. DuBois, Ida Wells Barnett, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, William English Walling, and Henry Moscowitz chose to push America towards its highest ideals, forming the National Negro Committee, which would later come to be known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1954, the NAACP achieved one of its greatest victories when the Supreme Court ordered in the Brown v. Board of Education the desegregation of public schools across the nation ``with all deliberate speed.'' The NAACP Special Counsel who won this battle would go on to become one of America's greatest legal minds, Justice Thurgood Marshall.

One year later, in 1955, Rosa Parks' refusal to yield her seat on a segregated bus served as the impetus for the broader Civil Rights Movement. Parks, a lifelong devotee to the Movement, was a member of the NAACP. In its fight for equality for racial minorities, the NAACP lobbied tirelessly for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These two laws served to enshrine for all the cherished constitutional rights that too many had been deprived of for too long, by redressing serious shortcomings in the morality of our nation.

The NAACP continues to fight for the rights of Americans confined to the corners of our society. As recently as last year, the NAACP created the Disaster Relief Fund to aid those who suffered tremendously in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The NAACP maintains active branches nationwide, including one in the 12th District of New Jersey, located in Trenton. I am proud of the NAACP members who live in my Congressional District for the work they do to continue to advance the struggle for civil rights in our country.

The NAACP has gracefully and tirelessly fought for the political, social, economic, and educational rights of all Americans, and has sought to ensure that our nation recognized the inalienable rights of all citizens, regardless of race, class, or ethnicity. The enormity of the NAACP's contributions is immeasurable, and I am proud to join with my colleagues in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1259, authorizing the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to the Tuskegee Airmen. At a time when their country did not see fit to protect their rights, these brave young men nonetheless served valiantly on behalf of all American citizens.

During the Second World War, African-Americans were essentially second-class citizens in American society, and unfortunately this characterization did not end at the water's edge. Not permitted to train as aviators with their white comrades during World War II, 992 brave young men completed pilot training at Tuskegee's Moton Field, at the school founded by Booker T. Washington; 450 of these airmen were sent overseas for combat assignment, and 66 gave their lives during combat flights.

The Tuskegee Airmen populated the famed 99th Fighter Squadron and saw combat duty in North Africa. Others joined the 332nd Fighter Group, which flew missions from bases in Italy. Still others served similarly important roles as mechanics, gunners, and engineers.

Among these brave airmen are several individuals whose stories begin or end in the 12th Congressional District of New Jersey. As a young man, Robert Griffin worked at the local airport in Princeton, New Jersey, washing and refueling airplanes, earning just a few precious minutes of flying time per week. Though the Air Force would not train him as a fighter pilot due to his race, he eventually found a home at the Tuskegee Institute, becoming one of the first black flight mechanics. He later served in the U.S. Air Force after integration, and flew refueling and support missions for 13 years.

A current resident of Ewing, New Jersey--Retired Lieutenant Colonel Edward Harris--received his pilot's license from Tuskegee Institute and Tuskegee Army Air Base in 1944. He served 27 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as commander of the 2017 Communications Group at McGuire Air Force Base. He subsequently served in the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, and currently resides in Ewing with his wife Delores.

Mr. Speaker, the Tuskegee Airmen are true testament to the selfless sacrifice and brave

service that the U.S. Armed Forces seek to instill in its soldiers, sailors, and airmen. I rise in support of H.R. 1259, and commend all those who would stand tall for their country before their country would not stand tall for them.

Mr. Speaker, here is another chapter in the competitiveness saga. A couple weeks ago in the President Bush's State of the Union address he stated, ``So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative, a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy to push for breakthroughs.''

This was followed a week later by an announcement from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado of cuts in outside contracts, cuts in operating expenses, and the laying off of 35 staff, including eight researchers, one in photovoltaics and seven in biomass and hydrogen.

The words and the actions simply do not match. The researchers will leave the lab, affecting our economy and distancing us further from solutions in energy technologies. We will lose their knowledge and their creativity.

There is a lot of talk about lost competitiveness, outsourcing of jobs, and lost opportunities in the alternative energy market. We could lead the world in energy technologies if we invest in alternative energies.

Mr. Speaker, which is it: Are we pushing for breakthroughs or are we cutting research?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

When we held our meetings around the country with entrepreneurs, with business leaders, with scientists, with researchers, we found much to be optimistic about. We are in many ways still the powerhouse for new ideas, for innovation; but the indications are all pointing in the wrong direction.

You do not have to look very far in my district, and I am sure in yours and just about every district in the country, to find people who are worried about outsourcing. Jobs, indeed, are going overseas, the kinds of jobs we would like to keep here.

You can go to almost any university, and you will find that what used to be the destination of choice for bright students around the world, they wanted to study in the United States, it is not so true any more. Yes, we have good universities, but the signs are pointing in the wrong direction.

What was known over the centuries as good old American know-how, where really every American, every shopkeeper, every farmer, every manufacturer was something of a scientist, they took their education seriously, well, the signs are pointing in the wrong direction now.

Our kids are not competing as well in international comparisons. The President stood in this Chamber a couple of weeks ago and said it is time to make a commitment to research and development, to science education. Then a few days later he presented the budget. In real terms, the Federal R&D portfolio, research and development spending, will decline under the President's budget.

That is right. The President embraced much of this. This need not be, should not be, a partisan matter. We are presenting tonight something we call the Democratic Innovative Agenda. It doesn't have to be the Democratic Innovative Agenda. We are presenting it because for 5 years it hasn't been presented. It is because these things need to be done. These entrepreneurs, these venture capitalists, these researchers that we have been meeting with said, please do it; it is not getting done.

So we are presenting it, and I guess I would even challenge the majority to take this issue away from us if they only would. But in fact we have the budget in front of us. The President's budget, as I say, not only reduces research and development spending in total, the NIH budget in real terms will decline for the third year in a row, and math-science partnerships at the National Science Foundation zeroed, zeroed out.

How in the world are we going to grow the kind of innovative economy that we want, that we need, that we used to have, if we are cutting the National Science Foundation?

The rest of us have been here for a while.

If the gentleman would yield, I am sure he understands that when I invite the other side to seize this issue, I do not mean with just rhetoric. We as a country need an investment in education, an investment in research, an investment in innovation. And the irony is our colleagues were on the floor a few minutes ago talking about how the economy is going to grow.

I will tell you if the economy grows it will be because of productivity growth resulting from investment in a smart, well-trained workforce and in new ideas; and that means really putting something up more than rhetoric.

In math and science education, which are critical to this, the President with all of the rhetoric and the other side here with all of the rhetoric are now funding teacher professional development for math and science teaching at less in actual dollars, I do not mean in inflation adjusted dollars, less than it was be funded when the President took office 5 years ago. We have lost ground in actual dollars, not even counting the purchase power.

If the gentleman would yield, he is absolutely right to use the word ``investment.'' That is where the growth comes from, and it is probably worth taking a moment to talk about the difference between authorization and appropriation.

Authorization is what the Congress says we need to do for the coming years. Appropriations is whether you are going to put some meat behind it.

Rhetoric is cheap.

The National Science Foundation was supposed to be, according to the majority, on a doubling path. It is not. As I just told you, it is actually decreasing.

No Child Left Behind, as Mr. Miller pointed out, is $55 billion behind what was authorized, in other words, what was determined to be necessary to carry it out.

Now, let me put this in terms of a typical classroom has been shortchanged about $25,000. Now, ask a teacher what she or he could do over the last few years with an extra $25,000 for teacher training, for special programs, for technology, for what it takes to have what we have demanded through No Child Left Behind.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, just on that subject very quickly, the budget that the administration that President Bush presented to us a week or so ago cuts the funding in 18 out of 19 institutes at the National Institutes of Health, including the National Cancer Institute by $40 million and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute by $21 million.

Mr. Speaker, would the gentleman care to answer a question for me: How does the President propose to broke our, as he calls it, addiction to oil, and indeed, we do need to be weaned from our dependence on oil, if his budget, presented a few days after the State of the Union here in the House, provides funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency below the level at which it existed when he took office 6 years ago?

My colleague from Florida mentioned George Lucas, the writer, director, producer of Star Wars, who was here yesterday to talk about this Democratic innovation agenda. The point I wanted to emphasize is we are not just talking about government spending, we are talking about investing so that innovators like George Lucas, and you might say that is just entertainment. Well, that is innovation. It makes money for the United States. In fact, he probably has done more for our balance of trade than any other single individual you can name.

But he was asking us to train the bright kids, the scientists and engineers that he needs. He was asking us, as we lay out in our innovation proposal, to reward risk takers and entrepreneurs, to protect intellectual property, to do those things that make it possible for innovators to succeed in the United States.

So it is not just about spending. The innovation creates the agenda, it creates the atmosphere as well as the pipeline for that innovative economy that we are talking about. That is what George Lucas was saying when he was here yesterday.

Could the gentleman tell us, if the Republican budget is carried out this year, how much more we will have to borrow in the next year? I can tell you it is going to be about $400 billion, added to various columns on your chart there. Some of it will be borrowed here in the United States, but a large number of dollars will be borrowed from Japan, China, U.K., Caribbean countries, Taiwan, OPEC, and Korea, as you show here.

A little earlier this evening folks on the other side were saying that revenues have continued to grow because of the tax cuts. No, what has grown because of the tax cuts is this deficit, this borrowing. So much of it from China, Japan, even OPEC, as my friend from Massachusetts has pointed out.

I thank the Thirty-Something group for allowing us to join you. Yesterday with Mr. Lucas, he and I were the only ones there with gray hair. I thank you for having us here tonight.

Mr. Speaker, as we face a world troubled by nuclear proliferation, weapons of mass destruction, potential pandemics, terrorism, space-based weaponry, and our own concern about our nation's ability to maintain its competitiveness in a changing world, it is important that we consider this resolution commending the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on the 60th year of its publication, whose mission to educate citizens and raise awareness on global security news and analysis as well as the appropriate roles of nuclear technology. That is why today I am introducing along with the Gentlemen from Massachusetts, Representative Edward Markey, a resolution commending the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists for its 60 years of service to our nation and to the world.

Sixty years ago, a group of Manhattan Project scientists, who worked to create the first nuclear bombs on the mesas of Los Alamos, New Mexico, published the first issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, to translate the realities made possible by the atomic bomb. Members of this early group include Hans Bethe, Albert Einstein, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the Bulletin continues to bring together some of the best minds in science and global security to provide unbiased, non-technical yet scientifically sound information critical to our survival today.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists additionally created a visual representation of the humanity's potential for global destruction. It is the Doomsday Clock, ticking towards midnight, with midnight representing doomsday. The movement of the clock's hand is determined by the Bulletin's Board of Directors and Sponsors, a group of individuals who have worked on this issue for decades and include Nobel Prize winners, analysts, and others who have served in policy making decisions in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

The Doomsday Clock has moved forward and back 17 times in its 58 years of existence. Its last move was on February 27, 2002, and the clock now resides at 7 minutes to midnight, which is where the clock debuted in 1947.

The ``Keepers of the Clock'' stated on this last move, ``Moving the clock's hands at this time reflects our growing concern that the international community has hit the ``snooze'' button rather than respond to the alarm.''

It is now time to start waking up, and we take the lead in making the world safer, cleaner, and sustainable for our children, our grandchildren, and the generations to follow. This is the legacy that we must strive for in each action that we take.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Res. 389, supporting the goals and ideals of the Year of the Museum. This year marks the centennial of the American Association of Museums, and in turn we celebrate the museums throughout our nation that educate, entertain, and enrich local communities. I am proud to say I am a cosponsor of this resolution.

There are more than 16,000 museums in the United States that protect and share our cultural heritage. Museums help us understand who we are and where we came from. They preserve our history, our artifacts, and our art, and they display it in ways that increase our understanding of familiar and foreign cultures and of the universe itself.

History comes to life for the millions of children who visit museums every year. 11,000 American museums have educational programs for schoolchildren of all ages. Museums annually spend more than $1 billion and 18 million hours to educate children through school programs such as guided field trips, traveling exhibits, and professional development for teachers.

The 12th District of New Jersey is home many diverse museums, including the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. In addition to exhibits on local history, the State Museum offers a wide array of educational opportunities to children, including family oriented educational workshops and a planetarium. From the vast fine arts collection of the Princeton University Art Museum, to the learning opportunities available at the Vietnam Era Educational Center, I am proud of the benefits that all of the 12th District's museums provide to our community.

I support the goals of the Year of the Museum and I am proud to join my colleagues in supporting this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 657, legislation that supports the goals of Catholic Schools Week, and acknowledges the crucial role that Catholic schools play in serving and strengthening our communities.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution. Catholic schools have an impact far beyond the confines of the classroom. Values such as devotion to faith, family, community, and character development, are the foundations of Catholic education. These values promote a respect for the dignity of individuals, and encourage outstanding civic participation.

Catholic schools are also scholastic standard bearers. With a student-to-teacher ratio of 15 to 1, they are committed to smaller class sizes. Smaller classes correlate with more accomplished students which in turn leads to the global competitiveness of American students in the 21st century.

In the 12th District of New Jersey, Catholic schools continue to work to serve communities. Corpus Christi School, a Catholic elementary school in the town of South River, at one time struggled to keep its doors open. However, through the efforts of concerned parents, alumni, and prodigious fundraising, the school was able to remain open. Corpus Christi now provides assistance to the whole community, offering a pre- kindergarten program for 3- and 4-year-old children. During Catholic Schools Week, Corpus Christi will be offering reduced tuition rates. Other schools in the 12th district will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week, including the Immaculate Conception in Spotswood, which will be using its activities to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital for Children.

These schools, and Catholic schools in general, advance ideals that we all hold dear. They enrich our communities, and I am proud to join with my colleagues in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 655 which honors the life and accomplishments of Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

We can all learn from the life of this brave civil rights leader. Her example to us is one of perseverance and inspiration. My prayers and condolences are with the King family at this difficult time.

Throughout her life, Coretta Scott King exemplified the values of human dignity and equality, social justice, and service to others. As the mother of four children and widow of the most influential civil rights leader in our nation's history, Mrs. King spent her life advocating racial and religious tolerance, promoting democracy, and speaking out against violence.

It was her tireless effort that led to the establishment of the Martin Luther King Federal Holiday in 1983. This is a day in which Americans are called to remember the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement and to engage in community service to help others. Every generation of Americans should understand the importance of his struggle and the tremendous odds that Dr. King and others overcame to help form a more perfect union. But the work of Dr. and Mrs. King is far from finished.

There are still too many communities in America that remain divided by race. There are too many places where the color of one's skin, not the content of one's character matters. The King family has over the years accomplished great things, but work remains. As a Nation we need to examine ourselves about race. We need to understand that to this day although a people are endowed by their creator with the same rights and privileges as others in their community not all feel they can exercise those rights. Until we eliminate racism from the earth, the important work of Dr. King and Mrs. King must continue. I look forward to new generations of leaders continuing the cause and enduring in the struggle to form a more perfect union. This will truly honor Mrs. King's legacy.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I came to the House floor to announce that New Jersey had just become the first state in the nation to distribute public funds for human embryonic stem cell research.

I wanted to include in the Record a list of the scientists who will receive these stem cell research grants. All grants are approximately $300,000. The scientists, work at a number of different institutions around New Jersey: Rutgers University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, The Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Princeton University, UMDNJ-RWJMS, Amorcyte, Inc.

The New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology voted in a public meeting to--award Stem Cell Research Grants to the following:

T. Arinzeh, Nanofiber Scaffold for Stem Cell Based

Cartilage Repair, To test whether stem cells can be used to

repair cartilage defects with the potential for providing new

tissue engineering therapies that could help cancer patients

who have had tumors removed from bones, osteoporosis and

other cartilage and tendon damage.

R. Cohen, Training in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Biology, To

provide basic and advanced training in the field of human

embryonic stem cell biology and to develop a well-trained

pool of scientists in New Jersey proficient in hESC culture

techniques with the goal of advancing New Jersey's leadership

in stem cell research.

R.Hart, Regulation of microRNA Gene Expression in

Differentiating Neural Stem Cells, To understand and control

differentiation of neural stem cells with the potential to

produce specific cell types for therapeutic transplant in

brain trauma, stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's and

Alzheimer's disease.

H. Houbaviy, MicroRNAs MiR-290-295 in Blastocyst-Derived

Stem Cells and the Early Mouse Embryo, To understand stem

cell development and lineage determination with the goal of

expanding and improving knowledge of areas of stem cell

biology currently not well understood.

I. Lemischka, Genome-Wide Functional Analysis of ES Cell

fate Regulation, To understand human embryonic stem cell

decisions such as survival/death, renewal/determination and

to understand how to maintain or induce specific cell fate

with the goal of applying this knowledge to patient

therapies.

R. McKinnon, Gliogenic Potential of Human Placental Stem

Cells, to identify mechanisms of glial cell generation from

human placental cells with the goal of identifying a

potential alternative to embryonic stem cells for clinical

trials. In collaboration with Celgene, a New Jersey-based

biotech firm ranked sixth largest internationally.

K. Moore, Interactive Mechanisms of Stem Cells and

Microenvironments, to further understand the mechanisms of

stem cell self-renewal and commitment toward the purpose of

developing new therapies or advancing existing therapies for

use in drug development and for gene and cell therapy for

immunological and other diseases.

R. Nowakowski, Molecular Circuitry of ``Stemness'' in the

Developing CNS, to learn how to reprogram or teach

transplanted cells how to generate the right type and number

of necessary cells for cell-replacement therapies with the

potential for replacing specific brain areas damaged by

disease or injury.

R. Preti, Bone Marrow Derived CD34 Cells for Treatment of

Acute Myocardial Infarction, to produce a cell therapy

product using bone marrow-derived cells for treatment of

coronary damage following a heart attack and advance the

company's federal Food and Drug Administration-approved

clinical trials with the potential for new and more effective

therapy for cardiac patients.

L. Qin, PTH-Mediated AGFR Signaling in Stromal Stem Cell

Growth and Multidifferentiation, to conduct fundamental

research using bone marrow stem cells with the potential to

develop more effective treatments for low bone mass and

similar disorders.

M. Roth, Selective Gene Delivery to Human Hematopoietic

Stem Cells, to apply novel genetic screening approaches to

stem cells with the potential of enhancing the ability to use

stem cells and gene therapy in many clinical settings,

including treating hematopoietic disorders and cancer.

J. Sadoshima, Mechanisms of Mesenchymal Stem Cell

Differentiation, to increase the efficiency of stem cell

differentiation into cardiac myocytes by manipulating a

particular signaling mechanism with the potential for

developing an effective method to repair damaged heart

tissues.

B. Saitta, Role of Extracellular Matrix in Cord Blood Stem

Cell Response to Cardiac Injury, to use stem cells derived

from umbilical cord blood to study the molecular mechanisms

of stem cells in repairing damaged areas of the heart with

the potential to heal damaged tissue and preserve or regain

function, offering an alternative to transplants which are

possible but limited by the number of donors.

M. Shen, Role of the Nodal signaling pathway in regulation

of embryonic pluripotency, to enhance fundamental

understanding of basic molecular functions in mice and human

stem cells with the potential for improving manipulation of

ES cells in culture for use in stem cell-based therapies

including possible insights into the genesis and

dysregulation of cancer stem cells.

T. Shenk, Isolation and Characterization of Life-Extended

Human Cord Blood Cells, to produce populations of stem cells

from human cord blood that can be used to study the molecular

characteristics of such cells including how to modulate these

growth responses in vivo and in culture with the potential to

improve the clinical uses of stem cells.

Y. Shi, Immunobiology of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, to

investigate the mechanisms underlying stem cell mediated

immune tolerance and its use in treatment of autoimmune

disorders with the potential to lead to new treatment for

many human diseases in which the immune system attacks the

body, including MS and asthma.

J. Tischfield, Genetic and Structural Analysis of Mouse ES

Cells and their Derivatives, to study cultured ESC and

confirm, monitor and regulate phenomena that would be

deleterious to tissues derived from stem cells with the

potential to prevent problems that could slow development of

stem cell therapies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006.

I am deeply troubled by the process that has brought us to where we are today with this important bill. Just hours ago, the final text of this bill was made available to members of Congress and the public. This has ensured that members will not only not have time to fully consider or analyze the provisions within this bill we didn't even have time to read it. This is a poor way to govern and I am disappointed that the majority has chosen to abuse the process so badly on what is traditionally a mostly bipartisan bill.

I supported the version of this bill that we passed in the House over the summer. That version appropriated more than $400 billion for the Department of Defense. It would have helped to keep faith with our service members by providing them with a much needed pay increase. That bill also provided funding for our service members on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan who are waiting for additional body armor and up armored HUMVEEs.

Unfortunately, the majority decided to destroy that bill by loading it up with special interests goodies. What they've done is the height of irresponsibility. Our service members should have every resource they need to do their job to protect, and defend the American people and they should be able to rely on Congress to do its job ethically and thoroughly. But the Republican leadership has chosen to play politics with our soldiers and our country's national security.

This bill before us now contains important funding for various defense related programs, but it also contains a one percent across- the-board cut in all discretionary spending, except for the Department of Veteran Affairs. This means cuts to food assistance programs, home heating oil assistance, local law enforcement grants, first responder grants, special education programs, the FBI, the No Child Left Behind Act, job and employment assistance grants, and environmental clean up regardless of the problems they cause.

Further, it contains a provisions allowing for a voucher program for schools, and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Both were tucked in this bill at the last moment.

Mr. Speaker, we can do better.

Madam. Speaker, I am troubled and disappointed that this resolution concerning Christmas is before the House today. It is a solution in search of a problem, it is divisive, and it comes at the cost of substantive issues that should be addressed.

There is a sad irony in this resolution. Christmas is supposed to be a season of goodwill, bringing people together, a holiday that brings out the best in us, and encourages us to reach out to our fellow man. Instead, this resolution was created simply so the Majority could pat itself on the back. It is a straw man, and should not have been considered by the House because it is needlessly divisive and inappropriate.

It comes as a surprise to no one, I'm sure, that as a Christian, I support and look forward to celebrating Christmas with my friends and family. But this is beside the point. More importantly, I support and respect the right of my fellow citizens to celebrate religion as they chose.

The House floor should not be manipulated so one group or members can revel in their own sanctimony. What makes America a great and free society is our system of government and our Constitution, which provides each citizen with broad, basic rights and freedoms. One of these is freedom of religion. This right treats all religions, and the lack of religion, equally. Yet today in this resolution, the House singles out one religion over the others, and defends one religious holiday at the expense of others. I wish this resolution had not come to the floor.

Just over a month ago, the House of Representatives unanimously supported a resolution that I sponsored which stressed the need for continuing interreligious dialogue and respect. Rather than ``protecting'' one specific religious holiday, we should protect and defend all of them. And we should honor the right of every citizen to celebrate or not celebrate these religious holidays as they chose. We should support and protect Hanukah, Kwanza, Diwali, and all other religious holidays. It is my experience that the American people are much more respectful of each other's differences than the House may believe. They do not need to be told to respect the symbols of Christmas. They already do, just as they respect other religions.

Rather than creating a false argument over Christmas, the House should honor the spirit of Christmas through its own actions. Christmas is not about trees and candy canes, it is about a spirit of giving and helping those who need help. If the House wants to do something about Christmas, it should protect the various federal programs the Majority is trying to cut, such as food stamps, Medicaid, and money to help low income families pay their home heating bills. Ending the cuts on these essential programs for the poor and disadvantaged in our society would truly honor Christmas.

I will vote present on this resolution because it does not belong on the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the State of New Jersey on its national leadership in efforts to treat deadly and debilitating illnesses. Yesterday, New Jersey became the first State in the Nation to award public funds to conduct human embryonic stem cell research.

Under the leadership of Acting Governor Richard Codey and NJCST Executive Director Sherrie Preische, the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology (NJCST) will award 17 grants totaling $5 million to scientists at corporate, non-profit, and university laboratories to research the potential of stem cells as a means to diagnose, treat, cure, and prevent disease. Each scientist will receive around $300,000 to conduct their research. Three of these grants will go to scientists researching embryonic stem cells.

Since the formation of the New Jersey Stem Cell Institute, New Jersey has established itself as a leader in furthering potentially life- saving research on adult stem cells. And by awarding these research grants, New Jersey is actively working to support groundbreaking research on embryonic stem cells, which hold great promise in improving health care as we know it.

Embryonic stems cells--undifferentiated cells produced early in embryonic development--offer possible treatments for a variety of diseases from cancer to Parkinson's disease to diabetes. Ultimately, scientists may be able to develop reparative tissue, treat a host of debilitating diseases, and even generate organs specifically tailored to a person's unique genetic blueprint. This research offers mankind the prospect of overcoming devastating diseases, affording us the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives. For these advances to take place, we must invest public funding in critical research to support scientists, rather than restrict them.

I am proud that the people of New Jersey have committed public funds for this important research, and I am glad that New Jersey has moved quickly to distribute grants to researchers so that their work can begin. I am particularly pleased that these grants were awarded after exhaustive ethical review led by former Princeton University President Harold Shapiro, and that research ethics will play an important role as the awardees move forward with their research.

I am confident that States who have established programs with similar goals will move quickly to support this research as well. But despite the forward thinking and progressive research that New Jersey and other states are exploring, it is unfortunate that the Federal Government has delayed and restricted research using federal dollars. I am hopeful that the leadership of New Jersey to fund embryonic stem cell research will have tremendous dividends, not just for New Jersey, but for society. New Jersey understands that it is ethical and wise to invest in research that will benefit so many. The Federal Government must recognize this fact as well.

Again, I congratulate New Jersey for supporting ground-breaking research on embryonic stem cells. I ask unanimous consent to include a list of the researchers who have received these important stem cell research grants in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, while I support this temporary extension of the Higher Education Act, I am very disappointed that we have not passed the full Higher Education Act reauthorization and once again we are passing an extension.

Higher Education is more important than ever to ensure America's economic prosperity, security, and health. Just as college has become essential to both individuals and society's success, college tuition has risen dramatically, causing students to take on high loan debt, $17,000, on average; to work long hours that interfere with academic success sometimes; or to forgo college altogether. Yet, Congress has failed to pass the Higher Education Act.

Now, one party controls the White House, the Senate, and the House; the same party. Yet, they have failed to pass a Higher Education Act. Where are the priorities? Congress seems to have no trouble passing tax cuts for the wealthy, but to provide opportunities for students to attend college does not seem to be a priority.

Mr. Speaker, the failure of the House to pass a higher education reauthorization is emblematic of this ineffective Congress. In past years, the Higher Education Act was one of the easiest to pass, one of the most bipartisan, a bill we could count on.

And with this temporary extension, we have missed many opportunities today. We could have increased the Pell grant and provided it year- round. We could have significantly increased aid to minority-serving institutions. We could have increased assistance to low-income and first-generation college students. We could have increased loan forgiveness. We could have eliminated origination fees on student loans. We could have provided child care for parents who are attempting to go back to college. We could have changed the student aid formulas for working students.

But, today, we pass a temporary extension. We have failed to do any of those things, and American college students and their parents are paying for Congress' failure.