Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chairman, the well-known comedienne Joan Rivers used to say: Can we talk? And that is what I would like to say tonight, is, can we talk about a terrible bill, a bill that may feel good and make some people think they are voting for border security and to do a better job of monitoring the borders of our Nation but really is not?

We can do much better. This bill reminds me a lot of the automobile that was built by Dr. Seuss that looked like an abomination. This bill has fenders sponsored by Congressman Issa. It has got a horn and a steering wheel sponsored by somebody else. It has got an engine that belongs to somebody else. And in its totality, it does nothing to address the issues and the problems that we have as a Nation.

It talks about getting tough on smugglers, and do my colleagues know what it does? It criminalizes immediate family members. That means, if an individual is bringing in his wife or his children or his parents, he gets zapped just like that individual that is bringing in people for profit. Terrible.

It talks about mandatory sentencing. That translates, if we are serious about that, to billions of dollars in prison construction. It does nothing for assistant U.S. Attorneys who are going to have to prosecute all these new felons. It does nothing to provide new judges that are going to be needed in this process. And it certainly is silent on U.S. marshals who, today, their vehicles average about 140,000 miles when the replacement suggested mileage is about 95,000.

But, oh, no, we are not doing anything about the things that we really need on the border. We are doing things that are mean spirited, things that are not in keeping with the best traditions of a Nation that was founded by our immigrants. It betrays our legacy. It insults our immigrants. And I will tell my colleagues, Mr. Chairman, we can do much better.

In fact, last week, in my district, I was informed that two young men that had just come back from Iraq, two young men that I have gotten to know because their father a long time ago came into this country as a bracero; he overstayed, raised a family here, and under the provisions and amendments that are proposed in this legislation, those two young men would be ineligible to be U.S. citizens. But, oh, yes, by the way, that is okay that they can go to Iraq and fight for the principles and for the rights of all people in this country.

This is a terrible bill. I am opposed to it. I recommend that all our colleagues oppose it. Let us talk about doing a better job for this country by doing a better job with immigration.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule, and I do so because it does not seem to me reasonable to bring us into a debate over a very serious issue where our young men and women are in harm's way without hearings, without giving it any thought, without any careful thinking or examination, but thrusting it, thrusting us into voting on a resolution that is, as the gentleman from Georgia said, three lines long.

In Texas we have saying that ``this dog don't hunt,'' and it does not hunt. This political strategy speaks to an observation that was made to us in a hearing recently by General Kelley from the Army. He said, We are a Nation at war. We are a Nation at war except in Washington, DC. We are not a Nation sharing the sacrifice. Nothing exemplifies his testimony better than the so-called debate here on this rule.

In August, we honored four soldiers that are recipients of Purple Hearts, and one of the sergeants told me, Congressman, does anybody in Washington understand that we have a flawed strategy where we are being subjected to a mentality of ``The Charge of The Light Brigade?''

So I went back and I looked up ``The Charge of The Light Brigade'' by Lord Tennyson, and I will just read a portion of it:

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred,

`Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!' he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

`Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd?

Not tho' the soldier knew

Some one had blunder'd:

Their's not to make reply,

Their's not to reason why,

Their's but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Every day our men and women are riding convoys into that valley of death. Shame on us for this resolution. Vote against it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the commitment this Congress has made to the budget of the National Science Foundation, NSF. Over a 10-year period, we have increased NSF funding 45.2 percent in real terms, and in a tough budget climate we are increasing NSF appropriations by 2.4 percent over last year.

The NSF is perhaps the government's most efficient and effective agency. It provides the backbone of our Nation's basic research efforts and strengthens our institutions of higher education by funding that research at university campuses across the country. The NSF also supports science education in grades K-12 to ensure future generations of Americans are equipped to carry on our tradition of innovation and prosperity. Every dollar appropriated to the National Science Foundation is an investment in this country's future.

Mr. Speaker, we need more investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM. This appropriation is a good first step. However, if this country is to keep pace and maintain its leadership in the global economy, we must greatly expand and improve STEM education for children and college students and continue to increase our support of American innovation.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this appropriation for the NSF and renewing this country's commitment to innovation and economic competitiveness.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Tonight is both a sad night, because we are here because of the passing of a great American, Congressman Ed Roybal, but it is also a time to celebrate his life and his accomplishments and his legacy.

I was just spending a few minutes with my good friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard), a great American in her own right, who carries on that great legacy of her dad, and I was telling her how proud she must be here this evening to hear so many people talk about her dad. I know that she misses him, and I know that there is a huge void in her heart as there exists in many Members that worked with Congressman Roybal.

I did not have the privilege of working with him in the House, but I certainly knew him, or at least I felt I knew him. I got to know him even more by virtue of becoming a good friend of his daughter and my colleague, Lucille Roybal-Allard. She always told us about her experiences coming to Washington and working in and around the Capitol with her mom and her dad and about the things that her dad stood for and about the things that he wanted to change and the things that he did change.

She told us about the optimism that some day in this great country and in this, the people's House, there would be many more Latinos and Latinas that would represent communities all around the country. And guess what? Today, that is reality. Today, we have not only Latinos and Latinas here but many other minorities that carry on the work and the legacy of Congressman Roybal.

What a giant he is among all of us. What a giant he is for us to look up to. As a grandfather, I want to be able to tell my grandkids that they should be proud of their heritage because of leaders like Congressman Roybal and the many things that he has left for us.

There is a lot of work left to be done, but certainly many of us are here tonight and many of us are able to be here in these elected positions because of the work that he and a few others did back then when it must have been much harder than it is today. The challenge may be different. The challenge today may take on a different venue and a different texture, but we are able to do that and to take on that responsibility because we stand on the shoulders of great leaders like Ed Roybal.

So, tonight, it is sad that we are here because we are going to miss him, but it is also a time to celebrate a great American, a great leader, one that leaves a legacy that I feel personally blessed is carried on by his daughter, Lucille Roybal-Allard. May God bless all of the Roybal family, and certainly God has blessed this country because they have walked into this people's House for two generations.

Mr. Speaker, I join the entire Nation today in mourning the death of Ms. Rosa Parks. This humble woman showed how a single act, the refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, could change the course of history. Her actions helped spark the civil rights movement, inspiring leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., and led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Ms. Parks' courage in an era marked by racial tension and hatred is still an example to us today. Indeed, we are all indebted to Ms. Parks for helping move this country toward one in which all men and women-- black, Latino, Asian, Native American, white--can take their rightful place in society.

Ms. Parks' commitment to justice did not end with the civil rights movement. She went on to co-found the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development to help young adults attain a higher education, register to vote, and work toward racial harmony.

In recognition of a lifetime of achievement, Ms. Parks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. She is also the first woman in history to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, which is a testament to her enormous impact on our Nation's history.

Mr. Speaker, I join all Americans in mourning the passing of Ms. Rosa Parks. Though we are saddened by this loss, we are mindful of the fact that through her life she made our country a better place, and through her memory we will never forget the importance of justice and equality for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the efforts of America's Blood Centers and especially the center in the 16th District of Texas, which I represent.

For more than a half a century, United Blood Services of El Paso and Southern New Mexico has been serving our community as the sole source of blood supplies for blood transfusions and trauma surgeries. The United Blood Services has a staff of over 90 handling more than 30,000 donations a year.

When a fire destroyed our local United Blood Services facilities in 2003, there was a serious shortage of blood supply not only for my district, but also for the Southern New Mexico region. The fire destroyed close to 500 units of blood.

Fortunately, an emergency blood drive was quickly organized to obtain enough supply to serve those in need without having to rely on surrounding areas. I applaud not only the efforts of the center, but also those of my constituents who came out to donate during the time of critical need. The incident was incredibly unfortunate, but it did remind us all of what our blood center means to El Paso, and what the community means to the blood center.

Mr. Speaker, with the life-saving services that the center in my district and those around the country provide, it is only appropriate to recognize the important work of America's Blood Centers today. Therefore, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this very worthwhile resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 457, a resolution that supports the endeavors of the American Chemical Society to unite businesses, schools, and individuals in celebrating the importance of chemistry in the lives of Americans.

Scientists have led us in the pursuit of discovery and innovation, which has helped make America a great nation. In order to educate the next generation of scientists, in my congressional district local school districts and colleges are actively working to educate future chemists. It will be this generation of students who will lead our society to the next frontiers of science.

I applaud the efforts of the American Chemical Society to educate elementary and secondary school students about the positive effects of chemistry and to encourage them to consider chemistry as a career.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in recognizing the goals of National Chemistry Week, and I urge them to support this very worthwhile resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1973, the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, a much needed statement of Congress' concern for one of the world's most fundamental problems.

Mr. Speaker, according to the World Health Organization, one billion people around the world live without access to clean water, and 2.6 billion--40 percent of the world's population--cannot access basic sanitation. While the front pages of our newspapers recount the horrors of conflict and displacement and the risk of potential influenza pandemic, the silent epidemic of waterborne illness continues to sicken and kill around the world. Most of us here take having an unlimited supply of clean water for granted, but for billions of people the everyday question of water access means the difference between hope and misery, and even life and death.

If we make the commitment to help more people around the world gain access to potable water, we can help societies become more productive by making them healthier. We can ensure the education of more girls who had previously spent hours a day carrying water. And we can save the lives of children who would have died of easily preventable diseases before maturity.

Mr. Speaker, it is also important to point out in this context that some people struggle to access water right here in the United States. In my district of EI Paso, Texas and along the entire United States- Mexico border, unincorporated and under-served settlements called colonias regularly lack access to clean and affordable water. As we pass H.R. 1973 today, I want to remind my colleagues that we must continue funding North American Development Bank programs, such as the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), that help finance essential services infrastructure on both sides of the border.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all of my colleagues join me in supporting this important legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I fully support H.R. 4061 and encourage my colleagues to approve this legislation. I also want to thank our chairman and the ranking member for their leadership and the hard work of the staff on both sides of the aisle.

This bill helps the Department of Veterans Affairs construct a balanced, responsive, and accountable system to manage information technology at the VA.

This legislation is necessary to overcome a mindset at the VA regarding the management of information technology that increasingly is defined by clouded management processes and a lack of accountability within the three principal administrations.

In just the last decade, VA has expended hundreds of millions of dollars to field information technology systems that were discontinued due to misalignment with VA's mission, mismanagement or serious cost overruns. Under H.R. 4061, this will change.

The Department will receive a centralized framework to manage IT assets throughout the Department in pursuit of its One-VA initiative. Information technology will be managed by a highly qualified VA-wide information technology team that will ultimately report to a chief information officer, or CIO.

The CIO will have control of the budget, assets, personnel, and systems necessary to achieve success department-wide, but there is an express understanding that information technology in VA is a support function. It is not a final goal. Measures of effectiveness across the administrations will be tracked and should demonstrate that VA has become a more effective organization.

Also under this bill, a deputy CIO will be assigned to each of the three administrations. In this capacity, they are the principal advocates for the business and mission needs of the respective administration at all levels of use, from senior managers to end-users throughout the field. This requirement will facilitate innovation and fine-tune the design of the IT infrastructure.

The deputy CIO will be responsible to the Department CIO for IT system alignment and related matters, but will otherwise be in control of day-to-day IT operations in their respective administration.

I would like to congratulate again the staffs from each side of the aisle for working out this improved IT management system for VA, and I am glad to be an original cosponsor of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), our ranking Democratic member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, John H. Bradley, a Pharmacist's Mate Second Class, who enlisted in the United States Navy in January, 1943, was one of the six men who raised an American flag at Mount Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima, an action that we all know now has been immortalized in the Pulitzer prize photo by Joe Rosenthal and the subject of the statue at the Marine Corps Memorial. He was a key part of an event that recorded the soul of a Nation in a time of great crisis.

Bradley was born in Antigo, Wisconsin, as we have heard, and his family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where he grew up as a boy. He was assigned to the 28th Marine Corps Regiment of the 5th Marine Division during the assault on Iwo Jima. Two days after landing with his regiment, he earned the Navy Cross.

The citation accompanying his Navy Cross cited extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy at Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945. It cited that during a furious assault by his company on the strongly defended enemy position at the base of Mount Suribachi, Bradley observed that a Marine infantryman had fallen wounded in an open area under a pounding mortar barrage interlaced with merciless crossfire from machine guns and small arms.

With complete disregard for his own safety, he ran through this intense fire to the side of the fallen Marine and determined that an immediate administration of plasma was necessary in

order to save that Marine's life. He heroically shielded the injured man with his own body and tied a plasma unit to a rifle that he had planted upright in the sand. After stabilizing the patient and his injuries, Bradley pulled the man some 30 yards through that intense fire to safety.

His heroism did not end on that day. A few weeks later, he was wounded in both legs in a mortar attack. He refused evacuation until he had finished rendering aid to two other wounded Marines. He was subsequently awarded a Purple Heart for this action.

Bradley was a star attraction during the Seventh War Bond Drive, where he spoke in over 33 cities. This war bond drive collected over $24 billion, which is the largest borrowing from the American people in the history of our country.

Bradley was the last surviving member, as we have heard, of the six flag-raisers. He died in 1994 at the age of 70. His son, James Bradley, is the author of the book ``Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima.''

As has already been mentioned by Chairman Buyer, this bill has the support of the Wisconsin delegation. It has my full support. And today, where a couple of hours ago we celebrated the Marine Corps birthday, it is a fitting tribute.

I urge all my colleagues to vote for this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in strong support of H. Res. 523, a resolution condemning Iranian Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's declaration that ``Israel must be wiped off the map.''

At a time when so many are working to foster peace and enhance security in the Middle East, President Ahmadinejad's comments are not only abhorrent, but also place that already very troubled region in further jeopardy. His statement warrants a swift, unequivocal condemnation from Congress as well as the United Nations and all countries around the world that are concerned about troubling changes in Iranian foreign policy under President Ahmadinejad.

Again, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution, and condemn the Iranian President's remarks in the strongest possible terms.

Mr. Speaker, on June 13, 2005 a group of students from historic El Paso High School in my district of El Paso, Texas, after months of grueling preparation and a hard-fought season, finished second at the National Academic Championship in Chicago.

I congratulate the following El Paso High Tigers for their hard work and dedication: Blain Baurngardt, Trevor Vargas, Alex Neuman, Robert Heyman, Emil Michal, and their coach, named Coach of the Year by the National Academic Championship, Gerard Neuman.

The El Paso High School High-Q Team made it to the final round with a combination of intelligence, teamwork and self-discipline. The team demonstrated the ability to come from behind and showed maturity beyond their years.

Mr. Speaker, on June 13, 2005 the El Paso High Tigers gave us a preview of the excellence we can expect from our city's young generations and showed El Paso is home to some of the best and brightest our Nation has to offer. I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating the El Paso High-Q team on their second place finish at the National Academic Championship.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 66, a bill supporting the goals and ideal of ``Lights On Afterschool!,'' a national celebration of after-school programs.

While my district of EI Paso, Texas is fortunate to be served by several excellent after-school programs, I am here to say we need more.

As more families have two parents who work every day--and single parents struggle to balance the duties of providing for their kids and caring for them--more children are left without supervision after school. The Afterschool Alliance estimates there are 14.3 million of these children across America.

Without available after-school programs, many of these children will be left to wander the streets between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., the time of day when juvenile crime is most likely to occur and children are most likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Or they might just sit in front of the television or video game console all afternoon.

By creating more after-school programs--at schools, community centers, and faith-based organizations--we provide children a fun and productive place to go after school. Also, parents have peace of mind knowing their kids are safe and are thus better able to focus on their jobs.

Mr. Speaker, the American people support after-school programs, and so should we. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting ``Lights on Afterschool'' and the movement for more afterschool programs in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 61. In 1936, Congress designated the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mothers Day. This resolution, of which I am a cosponsor, expresses the support of this House for the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day.

The American Gold Star Mothers are a group of mothers who have lost sons and daughters who served in the armed services. The group also assists veterans and their dependents in submitting claims to the Veterans Affairs Department.

The Gold Star Mothers are a true representation of the many levels of service and sacrifice that exists in the defense of our country. Like many members across the country, the Gold Star Mothers in my district of El Paso, Texas, remind us of the never-ending bond between families. They remind us of the sacrifice that families of veterans make as they endure the fears and concerns of having loved ones overseas, and the loss of loved ones who never return.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues and this House to swiftly pass the resolution before us.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise today in recognition of the 80th anniversary of Cathedral High School located in my district in El Paso, Texas.

Since Cathedral High School opened its doors with a faculty of four LaSallian brothers in 1925, it has woven itself into the fabric of the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez community.

The school has educated and taught the histories of two cultures and two nations to the sons of both. Over the years, Cathedral has produced thousands of college-bound graduates, many of whom have become great civic leaders and accomplished professionals. Among these men we count Ambassador Raymond Telles.

Ambassador Telles' Cathedral education prepared him to become the first Hispanic mayor of El Paso and to be appointed ambassador to Costa Rica, among many distinguished posts which he held.

He is an inspiration to generations of Cathedral graduates, to El Pasoans, and to Hispanics across the United States. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 80th anniversary of Cathedral High School and wishing them continued success and excellence.