Floor Statements

I thank the chairman. Madam Chair, this bill addresses one of the biggest concerns that I and many others have, and that is homeless veterans. The bill provides $420 million over last year's level for assistance and treatment for homeless veterans.

Tonight, Madam Chair, 154,000 veterans will go to bed without a home. One out of four homeless men served in the United States military at some point. They fought for our country, they came home, but they don't have a house. They served in jungles, they served in cities, they served in deserts and bases on the high seas, and they're sleeping on sidewalks this evening in America.

That is a national shame. But thanks to the bipartisanship of this subcommittee, we are making a bold leap on behalf of those homeless veterans. We are making the investments necessary to stop this outrage and to do what every nation must do, and that is to treat its veterans as heroes, and in this case, heroes with a home. I thank the gentleman and the ranking member for their cooperation.

I thank the distinguished chairwoman, my extraordinary colleague from New York.

Mr. Chairman, I am so pleased to rise in support of this bill. This is one of the finest State-Foreign Operations bills we have had in many years.

I am especially indebted to the chairwoman for allowing me to include two provisions in this bill. One is language that I have been interested in for several years since visiting India on an energy congressional delegation, learning what India is doing with respect to renewable energy and learning that there were six women in the Sunderbonds, a remote Delta region, who were lighting their entire village with a solar panel.

If you ask the Department of Defense what we need in order to promote stability and security and affluence and prosperity, they will tell you we need a robust defense budget, something I agree with. But in the Sunderbonds, they are doing it with a solar panel which charges solar lanterns, which these six women rent to other villagers. And so you have all the elements that you need for stability and security; you have the empowerment of women, you have a sustainable small business model, and you have light.

As a result of the chairwoman's support and the support of the ranking member, we have included $10 million to establish the Solar Villages Initiative in the State Department to replicate this project.

I further want to thank the chairwoman and the ranking member for their support of the National Solidarity Program in Afghanistan. The essential lesson that Afghanistan teaches us is that order cannot be imposed from above--Alexander the Great tried it, Genghis Khan tried it, the British tried it, the Soviets tried it. We can try it, but it does not succeed.

Afghanistan is stable when order comes from the Afghan people, when

they are empowered to achieve their own solutions. And as a result of the chairwoman's support and the support from the minority, we have included $175 million for the multidonor National Solidarity Program, which is the leading program rebuilding Afghanistan. That allows local villages to secure some funding to plan their own projects, to plan their own future, to bring women into governing councils, to establish those projects which will secure those villages and promote long-term security and stability.

These are two programs, among many, which make this a product that both sides of the aisle can be very proud of. It is the best investment that we can make. And I again thank the chairwoman for her support.

Well, I thank the gentleman for his personal commitment and participation in this project.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the generosity displayed by one of my constituents, first-grader Clayton MacKay. His act of donating prize money to an Ecuadoran shelter was reported on Friday, June 12, 2009 in my hometown newspaper, Newsday. I am proud of the example he set and would ask that this article be submitted into the Congressional Record.

[From Newsday, June 12, 2009]

First Grader Making a Difference

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School first grader Clayton

MacKay wanted to help people, so he decided to make a

difference in the lives of others by donating $20 in prize

money he won at a recent Easter celebration to Blanca House,

a shelter located in Ecuador. The Frank J. Carasiti

Elementary School administration and staff recognized Clayton

for his thoughtful donation during a monthly school assembly.

Teacher Cecilia Doolittle explained that she has been

talking to the students about the school's participation in a

program to ship children's books and medical supplies to this

philanthropic organization. ``He asked me if he should donate

some of his money to Blanca House, but after our conversation

he decided to donate all of his prize money to this

organization,'' Ms. Doolittle commented. ``We are really

proud of Clayton.''

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1913, the Matthew Shepard Act.

Many of my colleagues have already spoken informatively about the bill's provisions, how it will focus on enhancing resources at the local and state level for combating hate crimes, and how it will enable local and state officials to prosecute people who commit hate crimes. These are all important reasons to vote for this bill.

I want to tell you the story of a hate crime that happened in my community.

Marcelo Lucero lived in Patchogue, NY and was walking home one evening when a car load of teenage boys surrounded, beat and murdered him.

He was walking home, and they were out looking for someone who looked Hispanic. One of the defendants later told the police, ``I don't go out and do this very often, maybe once a week.''

Now, what happened to Marcelo Lucero is wrong when it happens to any person.

But what makes a hate crime so disturbing is that it's not simply aimed at the victim.

An entire community gets the message--you are not welcome here. And, what makes the story of his attackers so disturbing is the casualness of their attitude.

It reflects a comfortableness that is unacceptable in any community.

That is why I'm supporting this bill and why I urge my colleagues to support this bill: it sends a message back to those who would commit a hate crime. And that message is that hate is not welcome in my community.

I would like to thank Chairman Coyers for the time to speak and his leadership on this important issue.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Lt. Detective Giuseppe Petrosino on the 100th anniversary of his death. Lt. Detective Petrosino was a pioneer in the fight against organized crime, and was the first New York City Police officer to be killed on foreign soil.

An emigrant from Padula, Italy, Petrosino joined the New York City Police Department on October 18, 1883. His relentless pursuit of gangsters and the mafia garnered him the reputation of ``the Detective in the Derby.'' Petrosino was the architect of many programs designed to combat organized crime. These programs, including the Bomb Squad, the Canine Squad, and the Undercover Squad, are all techniques that are still used today.

In 1895, Theodore Roosevelt, who at the time was the police commissioner of New York City, promoted Petrosino to Detective Sergeant in charge of the department's Homicide Division. He became the first Italian-American to lead this division. In 1908, he was promoted to Lieutenant and headed the Italian Squad, which was an elite corps of Italian-American detectives organized to deal with gangster criminal activities.

Lt. Detective Petrosino's service with the Italian Squad was exemplary. In one instance, Petrosino countered a blackmail attempt on the life of the famous Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso. In another instance, Petrosino infiltrated the Italian based anarchist organization that assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. During this mission, he discovered evidence that the organization intended to assassinate President William McKinley during his trip to Buffalo. Petrosino's warning to the Secret Service went unheeded, and President McKinley was tragically assassinated.

Lt. Detective Petrosino's service led him to Italy on a top secret mission. Petrosino's commendable career came to a tragic end, when he was murdered while waiting for who he thought was an informant.

The day of his burial in New York City was declared a holiday to allow citizens to pay their respects. The Manhattan funeral was attended by 250,000 people, a true testament to the honorable service Petrosino paid his community.

On this anniversary of his passing, I remember and applaud the dedication with which Lt. Detective Petrosino protected the citizens of New York. I am proud to honor him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the glorious contributions of Greek civilization to the world, and to congratulate the people of Greece on the 188th anniversary of their independence.

I can speak no more simply than Edith Hamilton who wrote in her classic 1930 study of Greek civilization that ``the Greeks came into being and the world, as we know it, began.''

I stand here as the Member of an institution whose very existence is owed to the Greek imagination and beneath a dome supported by columns of Greek inspiration. The principles of democratic governance, the ones which our Founders drew upon heavily to establish this republic, were first expounded upon in ancient Greece, and it is to that first age of reason that all democratic civilizations owe a debt of gratitude.

But it was not only the political philosophy of Greek civilization that left its mark on the world. One cannot walk the streets of this city without noticing its obvious tribute to the architecture of our democratic forebears. Stone columns line our most important buildings and stand guard our most cherished documents.

In addition to the philosophical and physical structures we honor in our own time from Greece, we also pay tribute on this day to its legacy in the arts and sports. The epic of Homer, the poetry of Pericles, Pindar and Aeschylus, the comedy of Aristophanes, the history of Herodotus, the Olympics and the marathon--any simple recitation will be incomplete and not wholly do justice to the accomplishments of centuries. But, let it be said that time has shown the greats of their time to be the greats of all time.

Our more recent histories our bound together as well. Just as our independence was a tribute to the ideas of ancient Greece, so too was Greek independence inspired by the American Revolution. Greek Commander in Chief Petros Mavromichalis, founder of the modern Greek state said to the citizens of the United States in 1821 that ``it is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode and . . . in imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling you.''

Since that kind and graceful message so long ago, the relationship between the United States and Greece--allies in times of both peace and conflict--grows stronger. Generations of Greek-Americans have maintained their traditions here, just as other civilizations for centuries have passed on the guiding lights of Ancient Greece. I am proud to join the Greek-Americans of New York's Second District in celebrating the 188th anniversary of their independence day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning on behalf of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus. There has been a lot of talk and controversy on the floor about bonuses for America's executives. Let me tell you who I believe really deserve bonuses.

It's the energy entrepreneurs who are working every single day to develop the new technologies that will end our dependence on foreign oil. It's the people on Long Island who are working on LED lighting and biofuels; the people at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, who are working on battery storage; the people at General Motors who are working on plug-in hybrids; the people at Brookhaven National Labs who are working on nanotech; the venture capitalists and the investors and the engineers and the researchers and the developers who are bringing new technologies to market which will reduce our dependence on foreign oil once and for all, which will create a new generation of jobs, which will expand our economy, and which will reduce energy costs.

Those are the people who are creating a new future for America's economy, and those are the people who we should be rewarding with bonuses and our appreciation.

I thank the distinguished chairman for giving me the honor of cosponsoring this legislation with him.

Mr. Speaker, we have just seen the difference between rhetoric and action. We can finger point. We can lay blame. We can talk about the past. We just want to recover the taxpayers' money for them. We want to recover the money, and others want a resolution of inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, this vote is the difference between solving the problem or continuing the problem. We're going to cast this vote and go home to our districts, and the American people are going to say to each of us, did you get my money back or did you continue your posturing? Did you get my money back or did you continue in politics? Did you vote to recover my money or did you vote to allow them to get away with my money? That's what this is about, Mr. Speaker.

The American people have had it with the posturing and the partisanship and the politics. They want their money back. And the only way to get their money back, Mr. Speaker, the only way to get it back is to tax it back.

Let me say one other thing, Mr. Speaker. I have heard from some of my friends in New York who said this is unfair. It's unfair because I thought I'd get my bonus. Mr. Speaker, they're going to have to tighten their belts just like the rest of America.

Madam Speaker, Today I honor the service and memory of Sgt. Michael Esposito, of Brentwood New York. On March 18th, 2004 Sgt. Esposito led his unit into a hostile compound, hoping to neutralize the threat from within. Working to secure the facility, Sgt. Esposito cleared three rooms, exposing himself to incredible danger by leading from the front of his team. Despite the presence of hostile fire, Michael approached a previously unidentified area, remaining ahead of his men. Sadly, the enemy engaged as he advanced, inflicting a mortal wound on Michael, and a grievous injury on all who knew him.

Sgt. Esposito's team--inspired by his courage and leadership-- achieved their objective in the wake of tragedy. Assuming the lead position, as he so often did, Michael displayed the heroism that remains an inspiration to his fellow platoon members. On that day, and always, Michael displayed a willingness to put the welfare of others before his own. Through selfless acts of leadership, he provided an example to which all of us should aspire.

For Michael's bravery, sacrifice, and service, I am deeply thankful. For his enduring commitment to defending our safety and ideals, we are all deeply indebted.

On this, the five-year anniversary of Michael's tragic passing, the words of a brother in arms speak volumes about his character. His platoon leader, 1st Lieutenant James Howell, said of Sgt. Esposito ``[he] was one of the most selfless leaders I have ever known . . . The platoon, and especially all of his men, took his loss hard. It is impossible to forget a leader like Michael Esposito.''

A soldier, a friend, and a man of immense integrity, Michael will always retain a firm grasp on our memories. Today, our nation remembers the tragic loss of a cherished citizen, fallen hero, beloved brother, and adored son. Dedicated in his commitment to country and lasting in his impact on those blessed to have called him friend, Michael is and will forever be, sorely missed.

Thank you. I would like to thank my friend and dear colleague, Mr. Ackerman, for the time.

I actually rise to demand equal time, Mr. McNulty. The gentlewoman from New York talked about having Chinese food for dinner from time to time. The gentlemen from New York--Mr. Ackerman, Mike McNulty and I-- have shared some Italian food also at various Italian restaurants in Washington, D.C., and I think that they deserve as much time as Chinese food.

Mr. Speaker, it is a rule, a practice, a custom, and a tradition of this Chamber that we refer to each other as the ``gentleman'' or as the ``gentlewoman.'' No Member of this body more deserves the title of ``gentleman'' than the gentleman from New York, Mike McNulty. He is a gentleman in every true sense of the word.

Mike and Gary Ackerman and I often sit together on the floor of this Chamber during votes. Sitting with Mike is like sitting on an island of civility and of decency in turbulent and shark-infested waters. That's not to say that Mike doesn't fight for his principles. He fights for his principles but not by shoving people out of the way and not with sharp elbows but with a quiet and respected determination. He has been doing that for 20 years.

Now, some Members of this body, having been here for 20 years, might grow jaded. They may begin to take it for granted. They may start to forget just what a glorious place this is but not Mike. He was recently quoted in the Congressional Quarterly as saying, ``Especially at night when the Capitol is lit up, I still pinch myself. It is an honor to serve here.''

Nothing makes Mike McNulty prouder than serving here in this Capitol except for maybe one thing, and that is his family. I've had the privilege of meeting members of his family here in Washington and when I visited Albany. When he introduces them to any of his colleagues, I can't think of anybody prouder than Mike McNulty.

With always a gentle smile, with always a glint in his eye, his constituents have had a remarkable treasure representing them in Washington. I know they will miss him in Washington, but they gain him and his leadership at home.

Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite poets in the world is Rudyard Kipling, and one of my favorite poems of Kipling's is ``If.'' In that poem, he writes:

``If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you . . . '' and then he goes on, ``If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; if all men count with you but none too much, if you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60-seconds' worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and-- which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!''

We all know that Mike McNulty is a great man, but more than that, Mr. Speaker, he is a gentleman who still pinches himself even late at night, under a gloriously lit dome, that has been made better and brighter for his presence here and for the work he will continue to do for our country.

I yield back my time.

I thank my good friend and colleague and neighbor, Mr. Ackerman.

Madam Speaker, 7 years ago, they say, changed everything. There were more funerals than we thought were imaginable, more tears, more despair, more a sense of loss. But there were also more flags in this country than ever, more pride and more unity.

I remember how the people of my congressional district responded. I remember the vigil at Heckscher Park in Huntington, the elementary students at the Idle Hour School in Oakdale planting a garden, the thousands of people who converged on Cow Harbor Park in Northport, the candlelight vigils in Commack including one that will be held this evening. I remember attending a recovery workers conference several months after the attacks on 9/11 and speaking to a gentleman who in very painful breaths and labored breathing said to me, ``Congressman, I'm not sure I am going to survive what I did. Will you take care of my family?'' I remember the Viggianos and the Downeys and the Murphys and over a hundred other families who lost somebody on that day.

It is important to remember these things, but it's also important to act. They need not only our commemoration, they need our health care. They need our continued moral support. They need our continued support in every sense of the word.

We remember these things, and we also remember those who did us great harm that day. Those who continue to live in caves in Pakistan and Afghanistan. We will not forget them either, and we support the courage and the bravery of those in the military who continue to pursue them.

Madam Speaker, I would make one other point, and that is this: Earlier today we assembled as Republicans and Democrats on the steps of the Capitol and sang ``God Bless America.'' We did the same thing on 9/ 11 hours after the attack. I hope that we will remember the unity that we displayed on that dreadful day and the unity that we displayed several hours ago and continue to work together to move our country forward, not just in the memory of those who perished and those who suffered on 9/11, but to make this country a better place for them.

God bless them. God bless America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the contribution of the International Model A Ford to the history of U.S. transportation. This is a significant week for Model A owners across the country. I rise to specifically applaud the Model A Ford Club of Long Island, New York as they celebrate Model A Ford Day on Saturday, July 26th in my Congressional District.

This year's annual remembrance is momentous for owners as it falls on the 80th anniversary of the introduction of the first 1928 Model A Ford. This weekend's celebration of their car's 80th birthday will include thousands of Model A Ford enthusiasts, restorers and preservers taking these vehicles out on American roadways nationwide and events with other Model A enthusiasts.

Notably, there were only 5 million Model A Fords produced between 1928 and 1931. I am pleased to say that the dedication of Model A Ford owners has enabled 250,000 of these historic vehicles to be preserved. Remarkably, most of these vehicles are driven regularly to the enjoyment of many as I have seen in my Congressional District.

The Model A Ford was a trailblazer of its time. It was the first Ford to use the standard set of driver controls, with conventional clutch and brake pedals, throttle and gearshift. The Model A's fuel tank was located in the cowl and had an optic fuel gauge and the fuel was distributed to the carburetor by gravity. Also, the Model A was the first car to have safety glass in the windshield.

Again, thank you to Model A Ford owners for preserving a flagship American automobile and to the Model A Ford Club of Long Island for keeping this historic tradition active on Long Island.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Federal Drug Agents Foundation and its work to support and recognize federal agents, task force members and their families.

The Federal Drug Agents Foundation is a Long Island-based, not-for- profit organization that provides many services to the men and women who risk their lives to make this country safer and drug-free. The organization also provides these services to the family members of these men and women, as well.

The Foundation serves as an anchor of support for the American law enforcement community. It provides bereavement support and financial assistance for families of agents and task force members who die in the line of duty, including individual grants. The Foundation also provides support to agents and task force members who become injured in the line of duty.

When agents and task force members experience grave financial loss or severe trauma or encounter situations for which there is no other source of assistance available, the Foundation steps in to provide relief. This support is essential for those agents who put their lives on the line to keep Long Island safe.

The Foundation has also established a scholarship fund for agents and task force members who wish to pursue degrees in criminal justice, political science, law and related areas. This helps ensure our law enforcement community can benefit from the knowledge and experience of these hard-working, dedicated men and women. Funds like this make it possible to encourage future generations of committed agents in the criminal justice sector.

The Federal Drug Agents Foundation also makes charitable grants to Federal, State and local law enforcement related agencies. Among the organizations supported by the Foundation are the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ATF, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and various State and local law enforcement agencies and support groups.

I am honored to recognize the generosity and compassion of the Federal Drug Agents Foundation for the services it provides on Long Island. I applaud the Federal Drug Agents Foundation for their steadfast support and dedication.

Mr. Speaker, I have finally figured it out. I have finally figured out why this administration and many of its Republican allies refuse to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and all they want to do is drill, drill, drill, drill. I've figured it out.

Every time oil has been released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the price of oil has fallen, each and every time. This administration has refused our demands that it do the same now, when we are in an emergency and has said, I would rather drill.

But its own Department of Energy analysis said, and I quote, ``Drilling would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030.''

I figured it out. In 8 years, this administration has enabled oil company profits to go from $39 billion to $116 billion. Think about what those profits will go to in the next 22 years. That is what this is about.

This administration wants to give oil companies more time to reap larger profits, and refuse to give the American people the price relief they need by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and reducing the price of gas now.