Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 57 on the Neugebauer amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 56 on the Sabo amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 55 on sustaining the ruling of the chair with regard to the point of order against the DeLauro amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 45 on the Burton amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Capuano

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 46 on the Capuano amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Doggett

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 47 on the Doggett amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

(By unanimous consent, Mr. Boehner was allowed to speak out of order.)

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 48 on the Garrett amendment H. AMDT. 714 to H.R. 4939, to reduce by $5,000,000 funding for Diplomatic and Consular Programs, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Garrett of New Jersey

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 49 on the Garrett amendment, H. Amdt. 715 to H.R. 4939, to strike funding for Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Ms. Foxx

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 50 on the Foxx amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Melancon

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 51 on the Melancon amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Jefferson

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 52 on the Jefferson amendment H. Amdt. 718 to H.R. 4939, to increase funding for Community Planning and Development by $2,000,000,000 and reducing

funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the same amount, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Jefferson

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 53 on the Jefferson amendment, H. Amdt. 719 to H.R. 4939, to increase by $1,900,000,000 funds for Community Development Block Grants, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Taylor of Mississippi

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 54 on the Taylor amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 60 on the Waxman amendments to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 61 on the Velazquez amendment to H.R. 4939, to prohibit the use of funds from being made available to enforce deadlines regarding economic injury disaster loan applications and physical loan applications, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment Offered by Ms. Velazquez

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 62 on the Velazquez amendment to H.R. 4939, to prohibit the use of funds from being available to make or guarantee a loan under section 7(b) of the Small Business Act other than a loan for which the borrower is charged an interest rate in accordance with section 7(c)(5), I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

personal explanation

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 63 on the Lee amendment to H.R. 4939, to prohibit the use of funds from being available to implement, administer, or enforce the termination of the hotel and motel emergency sheltering program established by FEMA for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes of the 2005 season, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 65 on final passage of H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 66 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 2320, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, during roll call vote No. 40 to order the previous question on H. Res. 725, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 41 on H. Res. 725, providing for consideration of H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Chairman, during rollcall vote No. 43 on the Gilchrest amendment to H.R. 4939, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 42 on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 190, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, during roll call Vote No. 44 on H.R. 4944, I was on a leave of absence due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 660. I want to thank my colleague from Nebraska for his work stressing the need for mentoring in our Nation. It has been a pleasure to work with Congressman Osborne over the years to emphasize this great need for mentors.

Just yesterday a young woman from my San Diego community dropped by my office to share her story of how a

mentoring program changed her life. She came from a difficult family situation as a teenager and sought help from the Turning Point program at the YMCA Youth and Family Services in San Diego. There she found the help and the guidance of mentors who helped her in turning her life around for the best and eventually enrolling in college and setting some very ambitious personal goals. With the help of mentors, she learned the skills and confidence needed to make it in life, including how to communicate and how to build self-esteem. And she also learned practical skills in the 18-month program such as how to budget finances and how to approach job interviews.

Mr. Speaker, her story is a perfect example of the power and impact of mentoring. Those who receive the help and the support of a mentor are likely to help others and to do good. As an adult she now works as a staff member of the Turning Point program, returning the gift of mentoring to young at-risk youth who face similar circumstances. Her experience also shows that mentoring is not only about helping people facing difficulties, but giving them the strength and the drive to chart their own course and to discover their own strength and talents. Her talent now is helping others change their lives for the better.

We are hearing a lot right now about the need to make our young people competitive and to push academic standards, but let us also guide our children and give them the self-esteem and the courage to face the world and all its obstacles, particularly those young people who face substantial obstacles. Our children need the wisdom and strength of someone who cares. And I know as a school board member I would often run into teachers and principals who came from what we would call tough neighborhoods, and I would ask them what made the difference, because they would share with me that a lot of children they grew up with were in jail, and some had died, young people, and they shared that the one person, that one teacher that showed an interest, that one community member who always looked out for them, that one member who really would not let them get away with things growing up. It is always important to have that special someone there who cares.

As a proud sponsor to H.R. 660, I want to urge my colleagues to support the resolution before us today and to recognize the need to promote mentoring.

Mr. Speaker, weeks after passing a spending bill that failed to reflect our national values, we are repeating our mistakes with today's tax cut bill.

We are once again ``robbing Peter to pay Paul''--only this time we have picked the worst possible time to do so.

The holiday season is supposed to be a time for giving.

Only this year, it has become a time for giving primarily to the wealthiest 20% of American families.

Upper-income families will not lose much under last month's spending cuts bill.

But they will benefit greatly from today's tax cut package.

Conversely, lower- and middle-income families will suffer great losses under the spending cut bill . . .

. . . yet stand to gain very little from today's tax bill.

That's what I call ``Scrooge-onomics.''

We continue to dig ourselves deeper and deeper into debt.

The bill before us today comes with a price tag of $56 billion, with no means to offset that cost.

And what do we get in return?

If you are not among the top tier of wealthiest Americans, not much.

Thirty-six percent of the cost of this bill goes towards extending reduced tax rates for capital gains and dividends.

That's $20.6 billion dedicated to tax breaks that aren't even scheduled to expire until 2008.

That's $20.6 billion that could be spent on education, worker training, affordable housing, or improving the quality of life for service members and their families.

It is fiscally irresponsible to spend $56 billion we do not have on those who do not need it.

And it is unwise to further complicate an already complex tax code to do so.

That is why I am supporting the Democratic substitute to this bill.

This substitute still extends vital tax cuts but includes offsets to pay for the cost, taking the burden off American taxpayers.

It extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the deduction of higher-education expenses.

It extends the research and experimentation credit and the expensing of brownfield sites.

It protects millions of California's taxpayers by extending sorely needed alternative minimum tax relief.

And, importantly for my district of San Diego, California, it extends a critical provision allowing military personnel to elect to include combat pay as earned income.

This allowance will expand the pool of armed services personnel eligible to receive the earned income credit, and it will even increase this credit for some military families.

The brave men and women who sacrifice time with their own families to protect ours deserve no less.

Although this bill would be out of place at any time of year, it is unconscionable during the holiday season.

A nation as prosperous as ours should never ignore its weakest citizens for the sake of tax cuts for the wealthy.

I do not believe this bill reflects our priorities as a nation.

I know it does not reflect my own values.

Yet it does represent the true colors of the majority party.

In the spirit of giving, I hope you will join me in opposing a bill that regards only the wealthy as worthy of receiving.

Mr. Speaker, as the House stands poised to consider and pass H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVRA), I want to express my strong support for this legislation. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2017. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of Survivors of Torture, International (SURVIVORS) in my district of San Diego, California. SURVIVORS is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for survivors of politically-motivated torture and their families who live in San Diego County.

San Diego is home to the busiest land border crossing in the world. According to conservative estimates based on International Red Cross Red Crescent Societies' extrapolations of the percentage of torture survivors among refugees from countries where the use of systematic torture is documented, approximately 11,000 torture survivors are living in San Diego County today. They are from countries where the use of systematic torture is documented, including countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Since 1997, SURVIVORS has helped more than 500 torture survivors from more than 40 countries to recover from their traumas through a holistic program including medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, legal and social services. SURVIVORS empowers torture survivors to reclaim the strength and vitality that were stolen from them by brutal dictators and governments. The specialized care SURVIVORS provides these vulnerable individuals helps them to become self-sufficient and healthy members of their families and of our community. SURVIVORS currently serves approximately 200 survivors of torture and their families in San Diego County.

Mr. Speaker, SURVIVORS works with refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, and immigrants who are survivors of torture. By working with this large population in San Diego County, SURVIVORS is strengthening the nation: many of its clients move to other communities in the United States after receiving the care and services necessary to successfully build a new life here. As SURVIVORS continues to work in the community, it receives an increasing number of referrals and requests for services each year. There is also a need to continue making services even more comprehensive.

The professional background of SURVIVORS' clients include: business, religious, government, and farm leaders; university students and educators; journalists; physicians and nurses. They are talented, trained, productive people who feel destroyed. Torturers today are able to create conditions which effectively break down the victim's personality, identity, and his/her ability to live a full life later. At SURVIVORS and groups like it across the nation, these individuals find help to begin reclaiming their lives.

The significant majority of SURVIVORS clients in San Diego suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, or both. The worst consequences of torture are psychological ``sequelae.'' These are normal yet disabling reactions for ordinary people who have endured the extreme trauma of torture.

People are referred to programs like SURVIVORS through a variety of sources, including: religious and community-based social service organizations, refugee resettlement organizations, immigration attorneys, public health care providers, schools, individuals in the community, and other torture survivors.

Mr. Speaker, the TVRA provides funds for torture treatment centers in the U.S. through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Currently, 27 programs in 17 states receive assistance through ORR. The treatment provided by these programs enables survivors of torture to recover their lives and become productive members of their communities. Many of these centers also train mainstream organizations and personnel. This increases the ability of health care providers, schools and other institutions to provide for the special needs of torture victims and contribute to the prevention of torture.

Since 2000, SURVIVORS has received the bulk of its funding from TVRA through ORR; and almost two-thirds of SURVIVORS' current financial support is funded through an ORR grant. TVRA provides funds for foreign treatment centers through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In some cases, direct investment by the U.S. in torture rehabilitation centers provides important political support and protection, especially when the local embassy, Members of Congress and other American leaders visit these centers. SURVIVORS also receives funding to provide technical assistance and build the capacity of NGOs in Mexico that provide services to survivors of torture.

Mr. Speaker, TVRA also authorizes a contribution to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT). Funding from the U.N. helps many centers feel more secure in the dangerous work of aiding torture survivors that a regime has identified as its enemies. The UNVFVT supports nearly 200 treatment programs spanning 70 countries, including nearly all U.S. centers. This funding is also vital to groups like SURVIVORS for direct programs.

In conclusion Mr. Speaker, the TVRA is a vital piece of legislation which funds essential services for survivors of torture throughout the 53rd District of California and San Diego County, and enhances the standing and reputation by exporting America's values in the form of support for foreign treatment centers. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill that is so important to so many.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of House Resolution 535, which honors the life of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin on the tenth anniversary of his assassination. I would like to join the world community in celebrating his life and legacy. Yitzak Rabin will forever be known as a man of peace who provided many, Arabs and Jews alike, with the promise of change in a region engulfed in violence. His life gives us hope for the progress of the peace process in the Middle East. The anniversary of his death reaffirms the special relationship between the United States and Israel and serves as a reminder that negotiations can be successful and peace between Arabs and Jews can be attained. I hope current leaders in the region honor Rabin and use this opportunity to breathe new life into the peace process.