Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today, the Ramsey Police Department will hold its D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony with the students from the John Y. Dater and St. Paul Interparochial Schools. The young people participating in this important program have made a commitment to say no to drugs, underage drinking, and gang violence. They have done this with the support of Chief of Police Bryan Gurney and the brave men and women of the Ramsey Police Department.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., began as a small program in Los Angeles in 1983. Today, it is implemented in more than 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 other nations. This program allows children to defeat the negative cultural influences that they are challenged with daily by opening the lines of communication between law enforcement and youth and empowering them with confidence and courage to say no to drugs.

I am proud of the young boys and girls who participated in this program in Ramsey, and I would like to recognize them all for taking this step toward positive citizenship:

Mark Andersen, Michael Babikian, Samuel Berman, Brianna Bussiere, Olivia Carriero, Michael Cassella, Francesca De Palo, Matthew De Pinto, Sonny Del Valle, Ross Farcas, Fiona Flood, Melanie Greenberg, Dwight Han, Sarah Hattar, Lindsay Hoffman, Morgan Kleinberg, Julie McNamara, Justin Millet, Brandon O'Callahan, Courtney Schreiber, Ryan Scialla, Nikita Serafin, Ashley Sicard, Jacob Simpson, Zachary Becher, Jessica Bell, Jacob Berkofsky, Kaley Bogden, Michael Brunton, Elizabeth Burch, Michael Careccia, Connor Chamberlin, Kara Checke, Emily Derleth, Marc Doran, Shannon Fine, Joseph Frohlich, Christina Goudelias, Joseph Guthrie, Patrick Journick, Brian Lander, Elaine Les, Enmanuel Lugo Abreu, Brandon Mazzola, Rebecca Moya, Allison Murphy, Stephen Pirro, Kelly Richter, Alaina Sebes, Lucas Alvarez, Rosemary Arpino, Christopher Di Palma, Katherine Donnelly, Daniel Donovan, Ryan Faulkner, Thomas Feehan, Daniel Giallombardo, Meredith Halik, Haruna Ishii, Kevin Johns, Melissa Lara, Devan Larson, Maria Martino, Jesse Mitchell, Megan Murphy, Mariana Perez, Eric Pflugfelder, Stephen Porter, Christine Song, Austin Triglia, Kayla Vanderbilt, Siera Vari, Alexandra Aloi, Robert Beers, Joshua Bialkin, Emma Bogaenko, Megan Bosso, Gregory Botz, Carlie Capela, Joseph Carroll, Nicole De Franco, Matthew Donnelly, Bridget Gregory, JohnEric Hornyak, Ashley Houser, Kenneth Kasprzak, Kevin Latz, Kellen McDonald, Peter McNally, Kazuki Miyamoto, Amanda Nedelkoff, Bridget Quinn, Victoria Stitz, Samantha Stollman, Caitlin Sweeney, Evan Szucs, John Alicandri, Jenna Bahnsen, Olivia Cseh, Matthew Desimone, Conor Dobson, Olivia Gilligan, Mackenzie Juhlin, Elise Kelly, Sean Kopczynski, Kelsey Larkin, Erin Latz, Katherine Lenahan, Garrett Mast, Kathryn Miller, Jennifer Monteith, Patrick O'Keefe, Jeffrey Padovano, Jacqueline Pesco, Sean Riordan, Jared Schwarz, Alexander Sebastiano, Haydn Van Dyk, Lauren Venturini, Kaitlyn Zwerling, Sarah Ahearn, Kayla Azouri, Danny Balbuena, Tye Baruffaldi, Nicole Borbone, Samuel Brickman, Gabrielle Daniels, Kristen Foelsch, Anne Glerum, Jake Gursaly, Josue Herrera, Siranush Hovhannisyan, Kathryn Iannuzzi, Kazel Kapadia, Brendan Mahon, Peter Mariani, Robert McOwen, Victoria Medlicott, David Mende, Harrison Mobbs, Jessica Pevny, Elena Polin, Henry Ruitenberg, Ryan Shevlin, Christopher Spittler, Kimberly Tuntigian, Brita Andersen, Taylor Corbett, Julia D'Antonio, Matthew Davidson, Sean Donnelly, Sean Donohue, Timothy Finnegan, Lillian Hong, Samantha Hotz, Harrison Illes, Brendan Jahnke, Khadija Khan, Lily Kramer, Brian Kurnentz, Lacey Laggan, Thomas Lanning, James Messina, John Milligan, James O'Keefe, James Pupalaikis, Alyssa Rose, Breanna Russell, Elisa Silecchia, Kara Sutcliffe, Anna Wanner, Jack August, Brooke Bernier, Carlo Alberto Bolognini, Kelly Carolan, Jake Cataldo, Christina Cowie, Deanna De Luca, Brooke Dommenge, Matthew Eng, Jacob Englishman, Zachary

Gampel, Evan Graf, Rio Greenshields, Beatrice Lee, Chae Young Lee, Matthew Lee, Daniel Moon, Kyle Pacenza, Arpeet Patel, Emily Patunas, Madison Smith, Brooke Tommaney, Hannah Tracy, Heather Wang, David Acampora, Antonio Belmonte, Paige Cassella, Michael Cirilli, Ethan Cohen, Samantha Creamer, Athena Davis, Lia DiPiazza, Brianna Francis, Brianna Jakus, Matthew Lowery, Wesley Ng, Ian Quin, Basit Qurbanzada, Adam Reisfield, Alexa Remia, Zachary Rockefeller, Bridget Scanlon, Thomas Scanlon, Jonathan Scheibenpflug, Shayna Scott, Jeong Seo, Ashley Silecchia, Emily Yankovich, Laura Branna, Kyle Buser, Dale Cheyne, Sophia Colon, Pauline Crepy, William Danz, Kyle DeBel, Amber Finkeldey, John Gaffney, Lina Hyman, Julianne Kadien, Alexandra Kilkenny, Julia Kissel, Kendall Magennis, Thomas McCormack, Michael McGuirk, Jannica Mendez, Aleasa Molinari, Matthew Myhr, Matthew San Julian, Margaret Schiazza, Evan Shi, Michael Turso, Peyton Wejnert, Min Soo Kang, Scott Balcom, Bridget Beyer, Emily Boylan, Kevin Caroli, Sophie D'Souza, Lauren Gallagher, Yeonsoo Kim, Jack Kuipers, Connor LaSpina, Jeffrey Lieto, Margaret McCarthy, Ryan McKenna, Justin Murad, Kerri-Anne Nicholson, Rosemary Pawloski, Brandon Potenza, Nicholas Proscia, Tyler Ramirez, Hayley Rieman, William Romano, Melissa Samanoglu, Nicholas Scavone, Kathleen Smith, Alexander Tekerian, Daniel Tuite, Roberto Paraz, Michael Han, and Issaac Utter.

I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize Patrolman Timothy Shoemaker, Lead D.A.R.E. Instructor for the Ramsey Police Department. A thirteen-year veteran of the force, Patrolman Shoemaker was recently honored as the New Jersey D.A.R.E. Officer of the Year. As Patrolman Shoemaker told the Bergen Record, ``A policeman needs to be a leader and a role model in the community. I'll protect you from the bad guys. But, also, if you're going through something tough . . . a policeman can be your friend.'' Patrolman Shoemaker has daily lived up to these words. All who interact with Patrolman Shoemaker--criminals aside--can't help but sing his praises, and today I add my voice to the choir. I commend this humble and dedicated public servant on this well deserved recognition. I know Ramsey students and parents alike would join me in saying that our streets are safer and communities stronger for his presence.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects to a great statesman and an important world leader. This past Saturday, Ephraim Katzir, the fourth President of the State of Israel, passed away at the age of 93.

Over a long and remarkable life, President Katzir dedicated himself to the security of the State of Israel and the progress of mankind. In addition to being a leading Israeli statesman, President Katzir was a world-renowned biophysicist, performing groundbreaking research in defense studies and the natural sciences. After receiving his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Katzir went on to study and teach at leading American universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, and UCLA. He then returned to Israel to lead the Department of Biophysics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and later became the chief scientist for the Israel Defense Forces. Katzir was awarded the Israel Prize--the state's highest civilian honor--for his work in natural science, and was the inaugural recipient of the Japan Prize for ``original and outstanding achievements in science'' and ``having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind.'' He was also elected into the British Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, and in 1996 became the first Israeli inducted into the American Academy of Sciences.

In 1973, Ephraim Katzir answered Prime Minster Golda Meir's call to serve as President of Israel. During the first year of his tenure, Israel was attacked by her Egyptian and Syrian neighbors in the Yom Kippur War. Just four years later, President Katzir and Prime Minister Menachem Begin welcomed Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat to Jerusalem, making Sadat the first Arab leader to visit the Jewish capital. This visit, combined with President Katzir's dedication to peace and human progress, led to the Camp David Accords a year later and an easing in the previously contentious Israeli-Egyptian relations.

Like Cincinnatus returning to his field, President Katzir chose to not stand for a second term, instead returning to his studies and spending time with his beloved wife, Nina. Though an able public servant, Katzir was never motivated by power not defined by his position. His integrity and intellect had few peers, and his devotion to the State of Israel was sincere and complete. As a scientist, a politician, and a proud citizen, President Katzir dedicated his life to a Jewish state for the Jewish people. Through his stewardship of the Office of President, President Katzir handed down to later generations a safe and prosperous nation.

The prophet Isaiah writes, ``Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.'' On behalf of the Fifth District of New Jersey, I wish peace for former President Katzir, and convey my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and country.

Madam Speaker, this evening the Michelle Mitzvah Group and the Beth Haverim Shir Shalom Temple of Mahwah will bestow their LeBron-Michelle Mitzvah Scholarship upon an outstanding young woman, Doneisha Brown. Doneisha is a graduating senior at Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, where she is ranked in the top 5 percent of her class. During her time at Eastside, Doneisha was active in the PEER Leadership Program, a student-run organization that helps incoming freshmen acclimate to a high school setting. PEER seeks to create a positive, reaffirming community by creating small support groups that cut across class divides, and by standing up against physical, emotional, and psychological bullying. Along with contributing to this very important organization, Doneisha is a scholar athlete, having competed in track and field and girl's softball.

The Michelle Mitzvah Group was founded by Marc Applebaum as a living memorial to his daughter Michelle, who succumbed to leukemia. The Michelle Mitzvah Group seeks to practice the Jewish covenant of Mitzvah through ``hands-on projects,'' such as ministering at children's hospitals, food banks, and homeless shelters. The Group also raises money for charities, sponsors blood drives, and collects items for our wounded veterans. Three years ago, Nathan LeBron partnered with the Michelle Mitzvah Group to form the LeBron-Michelle Mitzvah Scholarship Fund. Nathan is a cancer survivor who grew up in a dysfunctional home and was mentored by Marc Applebaum. With the love and support of individuals such as Marc, Nathan went on to graduate from SUNY Albany and Harvard University. Nathan formed the LeBron-Michelle Mitzvah Scholarship Fund to help other promising-yet-disadvantaged youths in receiving the help and guidance they require to go on to college or technical school.

Doneisha Brown is an exceptional student and role model for her peers. I am proud of her accomplishments, and expect great things from her as she continues her education. I am also proud of the Michelle Mitzvah Group and Beth Haverim Shir Shalom Temple on helping make a college education possible for Ms. Brown. Through this scholarship and countless other acts of selfless service, the individuals involved have made their community a better place. I wish all the very best in the coming years.

Madam Speaker, at the end of last month, Taiwan received an invitation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to attend this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting as an observer under the name ``Chinese Taipei.'' The WHA weeklong meeting started a few days ago on Monday, May 18, 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland.

This week marks the first time Taiwan has been allowed to participate in a meeting or activity of a specialized United Nations agency since losing its UN membership to China in 1971. I have seen some label Taiwan's participation a ``breakthrough'' and I have heard the ``goodwill of the mainland authorities'' praised.

Yes, we should celebrate the announcement that Taiwan will finally be permitted to participate in the WHO. But we also need to remind ourselves that participation as an ``observer'' does not give Taiwan the right to vote. In addition, Taiwan's participation is not permanent; it comes only under Beijing's sponsorship on a one-year-at- a-time basis. While we are grateful that Taiwan has been given the chance to attend the WHA meeting, I hope that Taiwan's 23 million people will one day be represented at the WHO as a full fledged participant.

We all remember that in 2003 Taiwan was struck by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. By the end of May 2003, 483 probable cases had been reported. A total of 60 people died. Worries over SARS subsequently hampered international travel and commerce, dealing a serious blow to Taiwan's economy. This morning, Taiwan reported its second case of H1N1 flu.

Despite these outbreaks, China continues to block Taiwan's full and equal membership in the WHO. Disease knows no borders and I believe the current threat of a worldwide epidemic demonstrates Taiwan's need for the highest level of access to the WHO as possible.

In addition, I would prefer to see Taiwan join the WHO under the name ``Taiwan,'' which, after all, is the name of the country. Taipei is merely Taiwan's capital.

When I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002, some of my colleagues had already been campaigning for Taiwan's inclusion in the WHO for more than five years, ever since Taiwan launched its campaign to participate in the WHO in 1997.

I am concerned that that Chinese approval is becoming a prerequisite for Taiwan's participation in any international organization, and that countries will begin to view China as Taiwan's suzerain. If this view becomes the accepted international norm, Taiwan's current status as an independent, sovereign state would be undermined.

It is an outrage that China has essentially blocked Taiwan from participating in the WHO for so long. I firmly believe that the health of Taiwan's 23 million citizens should not be used as a political weapon. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in continuing to support Taiwan's full and equal membership in the World Health Organization.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my disappointment with this legislation, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009. For many years now, I have fought the FAA on their so-called New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia airspace redesign plan. This plan would redirect thousands of flights per year over the houses of many of my constituents. This increased aircraft noise affects people's daily lives in many ways. It is more than a nuisance. Aircraft noise can adversely affect children in schools; the elderly in nursing facilities; and families in their homes. Additionally, these homes may decrease in value as a result of this aircraft noise.

Proponents of the airspace redesign have long maintained that it is necessary to redesign the airspace because a significant portion of the delays in our national airspace derive from the tri-state area. We have long maintained that redesigning the airspace would have very little effect on delays but would adversely affect the lives of thousands of people.

Yesterday, I, along with Congressmen Jim Himes and Rodney Frelinghuysen submitted an amendment to the Rules Committee. This amendment would have prohibited the FAA from continuing with its implementation of the

airspace redesign until it conducted a study on alternatives to reduce delays at the four airports considered in the redesign; including studying whether reducing overscheduling and the use of smaller aircraft by air carriers would have a greater effect on reducing delays than the redesign. In 2007, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who operate 3 of the major airports included in the redesign submitted a proposal to the FAA with many of these suggestions, but the FAA largely ignored it. This was a sensible amendment, but unfortunately it will not be considered today. Furthermore, an amendment offered by Congressman Joe Sestak, which would have stopped the redesign's implementation until the FAA conducted a cost-benefit analysis--something recommended by the GAO, mind you--will also not be considered today.

Mr. Chair, it is imperative that the FAA take seriously the concerns of those people on the ground who are affected by their actions. I urge a ``no'' vote.

Madam Speaker, today, the Oradell Police Department will hold its D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony with the students of Oradell Elementary School. The young people participating in this important program have made a commitment to say no to drugs, underage drinking, and gang violence. They have done this with the support of Chief of Police Anthony Rhynie Emanuel and D.A.R.E. officers, Sgt. Kevin Smith, Ptl. Marc Fedorchak and Ptl. Richard Liguori.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., began as a small program in Los Angeles in 1983. Today, it is implemented in more than 75 percent of our nation's school districts and in more than 43 other nations. This program allows children to defeat the negative cultural influences that they are challenged with daily by opening the lines of communication between law enforcement and youth and empowering them with confidence and courage to say no to drugs.

I am proud of the young boys and girls who participated in this program in Oradell, and I would like to recognize them all for taking this step toward positive citizenship:

Emma Bednarski, Andrew Benda, David Chakansky, Michael Fasano, Alec Garino, Kyle Garino, Lauren Gerlin, Stephanie John, Ethan Konigsberg, Ellison Lee, Justin Longo, Nicholas Miller, Julia Mills, Caitlin Mooney, Kevin Ortega, Zachary Prager, Kayla Rosado, Christina Sim, Christian Skroce, Joseph Verrico, Tyler Yuen, Vincent Albanese, Connor Belthoff, William Bertini, Zakaria Bousada, Jung Jin Cho, Alexa Coppola, Zachary DiPirro, Kristen Friedman, Eunkyu Ham, Sakura Honda, Ariel Lam, Thomas Melvin, Thomas Montemarano, Brian Pedersen, Anthony Pestic, Danielle Reimer, Olivia Schuster, Wendy Starr, William Thorn, Chelsea Twan, Alec Wasserman, Grace Woo, David Angione, Julianna Bigami, Erin Browing, Amanda Calcetas, Savannah DiGiovanni, Nicholas Esposito, Ryan Gardner, Rachel Jacobs, Ehristopher Kallensee, Asher Konigsberg, Ylana Lopez, Christopher McMahon, Courtenay Murphy, Sebastian Quiana, Anne Marie Quinn, Patrick Robertson, Stephen Sargenti, Victoria Scalanga, Lexi Schettino, Eric Spiniello, Amber Williams, Christopher Yee, Ethan Alpern, Connor Callahan, Kate Deeg, Jimmy Dickson, Justin Fernandez, Christian Haak, Alexandra Iaccino, Brandon John, Evan Marinelli, Nicole Muscat, Rachel Okransky, David Pettigrew, Nicole Preziosi, Audrey Reynolds, Hunter Santos, Tommy Shindnes, Emma Smith, Richie Tashjian, Gabrielle Toohey, Sophia Traphagen, Billy Wallace, Daniel Comeau, Matthew Boros, Michael Boyle, Charlie Connell, Daniel Erben, Amanda Fatovic, Anna Fletcher, Elizabeth Granger, Molly Hastings, Erin Hughes, Susan Kang, Brad Laube, Julia Lombardi, Alexander McNally, Matthew Moran, Mona Moshet, Erikson Nichols, Matthew Palathingal, Caroline Parks, Kyle Russell, Ethan Schupak, Joseph Starace, and Kirsten Wozniak.

I thank the gentleman. A day of celebration for this bill? I don't think so. The gentleman from the other side of the aisle indicated that we are going to be advocating laissez-faire and do-nothing reform. I don't think so as well. And if you look back at the track record at committee, our side of the aisle, Republicans offered a number of amendments time and time again to try to improve this bill incrementally.

If I remember correctly, the chairman and yourself voted against every single one of those amendments which would have improved that bill.

Today is a day of uncertainty. It's uncertainty for the American family; the American worker, who can't pay their bills, uncertain whether they're going to pay their mortgage or their rent. They're uncertain whether they're going to have a job next week.

It's a day of uncertainty for small businesses, whether they're going to be able to make payroll. It's uncertainty for the American public as they look at the wanton spending and debt that's coming out of this Capitol of Washington, D.C.

It's a day of uncertainty for investors and Wall Street and business as they look at the rules being changed constantly, almost on a weekly basis, and they don't even know which way to go. And so they don't invest, they don't try to grow the economy, and that's why we're continuing with the recession that we're in right now.

This underlying bill has a number of flaws in it. It has the right intent, and that's why we tried to amend it and make it better. But the flaws are egregious, and that's why I cannot support it.

The idea, for example, that banks should have skin in the game is something that we all agree on. How they're doing in it the bill, unfortunately, is problematic in two areas: First of all, that the rules constantly change even as we go forward in the bill itself; secondly, the point that the language in the bill basically says that the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, don't care that they effectively would be crowding out part of the market that we need to grow.

The small banks who may not be able to retain such a large portion on their balance sheet. They even testified in committee to that effect, that they don't know how this would apply to them and whether or not they might not be able to offer as many loans as they did in the past.

So point two was that we have heard testimony that language like this would make it harder for people to get home loans and refinance. The first point was that it's changing the rules constantly.

In the original draft of the bill, you said that we should set it all out in detail, that we should have 5 percent skin in the game and other criteria that was in there. But, at the last minute, they change it and say, ``No. Maybe under certain circumstances the regulators can change that.''

Well, which is it? Wall Street, the investors want to know which way we're going to go. Is it this parameter or that parameter? That's, again, why our side of the aisle, as the ranking member indicated, we didn't have ``no ideas,'' or ``no solutions''; we had a solution to it.

A number of us said let's strike that language. Let's turn it to the regulators. Let's actually do a little study here and see whether or not if we do these things, as some of us suggest, might actually do more harm than good.

Not only as we suggest, but some of the experts suggested as well. As a matter of fact, the Fed basically said there would be unforeseen consequences if we go through with some of the language that we have in here.

So it's not just this side of the aisle. It's not just us. It's the experts and Fed that say this bill is problematic and can cause real harm to the problem and the economy going forward.

I appreciate all the work the gentleman has done, and I know we will be doing this in the future.

Obviously, this cap-and-tax Special Order that you are talking about tonight points out the fact that we are looking at higher energy costs, what you were just talking about here, fewer jobs, and of course more government interference and intrusions into private lives. When we come to the floor next time to address this issue, I want to address the issue of ``not in my back yard,'' or NIMBY, and the fact that you are running at cross purposes here. And that is that, in order to do some of the good things that they want to do--which is to get to some alternatives, renewables, and the like--we cannot do it in the structure that is in the bill before us, or what have you, because new electricity demands will be graded, spikes in energy costs will occur, the

fact that we need new transmission lines--and I will be able to come to the floor to explain in detail how this is not already occurring because of the problems with NIMBY, the fact that people do not want to have this occur in their back yard.

I commend the gentleman on his work here. And I look forward to elaborating on this in future floor remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I do now rise to commemorate this important event, the 61st anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel. As indicated, it was less than a century ago when most Jewish people were scattered throughout the world, often suffering from unjust persecution. Yet today, Israel is an independent, flourishing country that is vibrant as it goes forward day by day.

Just as the Jewish people celebrated Passover recently, the time when God delivered the Israelites out of captivity, I believe it is fitting and proper for us to celebrate the establishment of the only truly free country in the Middle East.

I have long been a strong advocate for Israel during my tenure here in Congress. During my very first term in office, I had an opportunity to visit Israel and to learn more about its people and the Jewish government. I also had the opportunity to establish a Jewish Advisory Committee in my district, to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Last year I introduced H. Res. 951, which condemned the rocket attacks on Israel, and I was pleased to see that this resolution passed the House overwhelmingly with bipartisan support.

So today, I come to the floor and am honored to speak on H. Con. Res. 111 because Israel has been one of our strongest allies, and our two countries have so very much in common. Israel and America have both faced so many wars. But we have also endeavored throughout it all to preserve the peace. And we continue now to promote freedom despite the ongoing resistance.

Earlier this year I joined with many of my constituents at a solidarity rally to remember Israel's efforts during Operation Cast Lead. I sympathized with the families of the victims who were injured and killed there.

This recent conflict served as a sobering reminder that liberty comes with a great price and a great responsibility. Yet Israel has not allowed challenges to suspend its progress. Israel was little more than a barren desert back in 1948. And, amazingly, this wilderness has been transformed into a center of thriving agricultural production. Not only has Israel been the source of innovative techniques, but it has also shared those techniques and that knowledge with countries across the world.

My own State of New Jersey is called the Garden State. Our State has directly benefited from the irrigation practices first developed by the people in Israel.

So I come to the floor right now grateful to how Israel has so freely shared their lessons that they have learned. By illustrating the virtues of liberty and the benefits of innovation, Israel today serves as a model for other developing nations.

This 61st anniversary is truly indeed a cause for celebration. I urge my constituents and colleagues to join me in recognizing this achievement of our friend and ally, Israel.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Anthony Alampi, of Sussex County, who passed away unexpectedly on January 28, 2009.

A small businessman for many years, Anthony owned Alampi's Deli in Paramus and Alampi's Luncheonette in Bergenfield. Later, along with his wife Maria, Anthony owned Stir and Shoot in Sussex County, where they taught shooting and gun safety courses along with traditional Italian cooking lessons.

A strong defender of the 2nd Amendment, Anthony served as a NRA Benefactor Life Member, NRA Senior Training Counselor and NRA 2nd Amendment Task Force Member. He also contributed his time as a Regional Vice President of the Association of New Jersey Pistol and Rifle Clubs.

It was a pleasure to get to know Anthony and be a guest in his house. His gregarious nature, quick smile and open hearted laugh were well known by both his friends and customers alike. It is with great sadness that we learned of his untimely death.

Anthony will be greatly missed by many throughout northern New Jersey. I extend my sympathies and prayers to the Alampi family and those close to him.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to recognize the 61st anniversary of the founding of the modern state of Israel. Israel has been one of our strongest allies and I am thankful for the bond of friendship and cooperation that we share. After all, our two countries have many historic similarities. We both have faced war and fought for peace and freedom. We both continue to pursue liberty despite ongoing opposition.

For 2,000 years, most Jews had been scattered around the world, often enduring intense persecution and discrimination. After World War II, the Jewish people desired to return to their ancient homeland and live in the land that had once belonged to their forefathers. The Holocaust revived their desire to form a new state, even though the land of their ancestors was merely a dry, almost barren terrain.

After winning independence, the Israelis amazingly transformed the wilderness into a site of thriving agriculture production. One Jewish scientist developed the first surface drip irrigation system and this discovery has transformed irrigation practices across the world. Scientists in Israel have also developed fruits and vegetables that are resistant to disease.

Not only has Israel been the source of agricultural improvements, but it has also partnered with the U.S. in several scientific initiatives. As the representative of New Jersey's Fifth District, which is home to many small farms that help make up the Garden State, I am grateful for how Israel has pioneered numerous agricultural initiatives.

I am also grateful for how Israel has been an example to other countries. I have many Jewish friends and I am always impressed by how they value freedom. It is free markets and free thinking that enable new inventions, and these inventions in turn help future generations to prosper. As Israel celebrates this 61st anniversary, I encourage my constituents to reflect on the achievements of the past as we work to better our children's future.

Madam Speaker, April is Genocide Prevention Month. Tuesday, April 21st, marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. Tomorrow, April 24th, is the 94th anniversary of the onset of the Armenian genocide. These times of commemoration are sobering, but I firmly believe that it is important to pause and recall the unnecessary deaths of millions of people which occurred in the last century. By reminding ourselves of past atrocities, we are encouraged to uphold the value of human life today.

During World War I, the Turkish government began an assault on the Armenian people by arresting and killing religious, political, and intellectual leaders in Istanbul. Then, groups of Armenian men, women, and children were rounded up and forced to march through the desert. Along the way, the victims were tortured, raped, and starved.

Before and during World War H, Adolph Hitler attempted to eliminate the Jewish people and others whom he considered a threat. He initiated boycotts of Jewish businesses, prohibited social contact with Jews, and excluded Jews from participation in government, the arts, and education. Then, Hitler began deporting Jews to internment camps, essentially forcing them to complete slave labor. Some were marched to remote areas and murdered. Eventually, the Germans began a campaign of mass extermination by gassing Jews and other ``undesirable'' ethnic, religious, and political groups.

Monday, April 20th, marked another historic event. It happened to be the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's birth. When justifying his persecution of the Polish people, Hitler declared ``Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?'' I, for one, am still speaking about the annihilation of Armenians. I am also speaking about the annihilation of Jews. I encourage my colleagues to join me in speaking out against genocide.

I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin. And I would have liked to thank the gentleman from New Jersey if he had yielded because he has made that same statement over and over and over again on the floor with regard to how many more jobs would be produced under their budget and under the proposals by the Republicans. And each time when we try to ask him where his documentation for that or where the proof is so that he can prove it to the American public, as just happened right now, he has refused to do so.

And I would like to respond in kind just as you responded in kind to me. So when you're on your time we would like to have that documentation. We'd very much like to see it.

I also appreciate the fact that the gentleman from New Jersey, that he says that the Democrats are presenting to us a different form of budget. Absolutely. The American public, I think, is outraged with the type of budget that they are presenting. It's a budget that spends too much, borrows too much

and taxes too much. It spends more than any other government or any other budget that we've ever seen in the history of this country.

So much of the time they lament the fact that we are brought to this table today because of the budgets of the previous administration. Yet, what do they do? On the one hand they're saying that those previous administrations failed to spend enough, and that's why they have to spend more; but on the other hand, they lament the fact that over and over again the previous administrations spent too much. So which is it? Was the previous administration spending too much or too little? They speak out of both sides of their mouth.

And as far as borrowing, that poor child that is born today, that poor child that is born today, he will realize that he will be burdened with upwards of over $30,000 in debt just because of the extra spending in this legislation. That's on top of the $57 trillion of indebtedness that's already incurred by that child being born.

So the child born today, before he can even think about putting a few pennies away, or his parents or his grandparents can put a few pennies away in his piggy bank, if you will, to start saving up for his college education or his marriage or a new car, first of all, they have to start putting away pennies to start paying for this indebtedness that the other side of the aisle is creating.

You know, I came down to this floor because I heard the chairman of the Budget Committee responding to the ranking member of the Budget Committee, and I appreciate the work of the ranking member and the points that you were making as to when you were saying that now is not the time when we are in such difficult equations.

And we are in such difficult times, now is not the time to be putting further burdens on the American family. I appreciate that.

I believe you yielded, or the chairman then responded by saying, we're in this situation because the budget that we had previously was a budget that spent too much and had problems with that budget. Wasn't that the response that we heard?

So the problem was, the reason we're here today, according to the other side of the aisle, was that the previous budget, the budget we're operating under right now, was spending too much. Is that what we heard from the other side of the aisle?

I would ask then--I would yield some time to the chairman of the Budget Committee, if the chairman of the Budget Committee would yield to a question, if the chairman of the Budget Committee would yield to a question.

I certainly appreciate that. We were just discussing the reason that I was on the floor was, in part, response to your colloquy with the ranking member before, and you were saying that part of the reason we're here today is because of the budget problems that you experienced coming into this administration, the Obama administration.

And your comment was, it's a problem with the previous budgets. That was your comment on the floor.

I appreciate that. Can you just tell me one question: Whose name appears on the current budget that we're operating under right now? Who submitted that to this Congress?

Not the budget that's right before us, that we are operating under right now. Whose budget, for the last 2 years, has come before this House to be voted upon?

The point is, and the chairman, I appreciate the gentleman, the point of the matter is we are operating under a Democrat budget, and I believe it would be Mr. Spratt's name that would be on the budget that we're currently operating under for the last 2 years as the Democrat Party has been in control of this House for the last 2 years. So it's not that we're looking at a new administration. It's that for the last 2 years the budget that we're spending has come from the other side of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to Iran's mission for nuclear proliferation. If Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, the repercussions would be detrimental to our global security. A nuclear Iran would not only pose a threat to the United States and our allies, but would also destabilize an already volatile Middle East region.

Under the guise of energy production, Iran is today actively seeking to acquire nuclear weapon technology. This fact is supported by United Nations inspectors who have found that certain aspects of the Iranian nuclear program are useful only for developing nuclear weapons.

Recently, Iran has further developed its nuclear weapons production capability. In December, Iran constructed a domed containment center adjacent to a heavy water reactor in Arak. This structure makes it impossible to monitor the reactor by satellite. In the past three months, Iran has installed nearly 1,500 centrifuges. As a result, it could take only 2 to 3 months for Iran to enrich uranium to weapons grade. Furthermore, Iran has recently acquired 2,200 pounds of low enriched uranium--enough for one first-generation nuclear bomb.

A nuclear Iran would significantly impact the surrounding region. The repercussions would be felt not only by Middle Eastern countries, but also by countries around the world. The possible outcomes could range from a Middle

Eastern nuclear arms race to the sale of nuclear technology to terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

It is widely accepted that Iran is one of the largest sponsors of terrorism; this reality has been published in the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook analysis of Iran. The United States, the United Nations, and the European Union have all placed economic sanctions on Iran due to Iran's sponsorship of terrorism. Hezbollah, a terrorist organization formulated and supported by Iran, is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks; the most infamous of these attacks occurred in Beirut on October 23, 1983 when Hezbollah detonated a bomb inside a U.S. Marine Barracks and killed nearly 300 servicemen.

It is imperative that we in Congress do everything we can to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I am pleased by the recent steps taken by my Congressional colleagues to ensure that this event never takes place. Specifically, I was encouraged that the Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade held a hearing about H.R. 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, on March 12. Afterward, I urged Chairman Barney Frank to schedule a markup of H.R. 1327 sometime before the April recess.

In closing, I urge my fellow Members to support taking the necessary steps to limit Iran's access to nuclear weapons. We must convince Iran to turn away from its current, dangerous course of action.

If the gentleman would yield.

Just a point on this:

For those who were watching the debate--and it went on all day yesterday on this issue and for hours long during today as well--there were assertions on the other side completely made over and over again. Any time we raised this issue as far as the tax on the American family and individuals as well and as to whether it's going to be $1,600 or $1,700--you said it's under $2,000--there was an assertion on the other side of the aisle that's it's not in there. That's not true.

Ranking Member Ryan, I think, had the definitive statement on it. It's not us making those statements. It's not even outside organizations making those statements. Although, outside organizations have, in fact, confirmed that that would be in place. In fact, it was our very own, nonpartisan CBO, Congressional Budget Office, that came up with that figure. So it is in there. It is relevant, and it has been documented.

I just wanted to reinforce that point.