Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in April of last year, 394 Members of this House sent a letter to the President urging him to oppose and veto if necessary any one-sided United Nations resolutions. Unfortunately, the resolution that passed the Security Council resolution without our veto was exactly that. It was one-sided.

The resolution contained no fewer than five provisions on Israeli settlement activity. It calls the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem illegal, and it characterizes Jews praying at the Western Wall as being in flagrant violation of international law.

But even if you choose to accept every provision on settlement activity, the resolution included only one very general statement about violence. The U.N., which is historically biased against Israel, could not even condemn Palestinian terrorism against Israel as an obstacle to peace. It is, and the U.N. must acknowledge it. That is not balanced. It is one-sided.

Today's resolution clearly supports the goal of two states: a Jewish democratic State of Israel living next to a demilitarized Palestinian state as it stands against one-sided U.N. resolutions to take us further than this goal. Please support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Murray Kalish, a dear friend and constituent who, last week, celebrated his 97th birthday.

Through a lifetime of hard work and dedication to public service, Murray established himself as one of the most committed community leaders in south Florida. He has served on the boards of the county planning and zoning commission, his synagogue board, and the Lake Worth Drainage District Board.

Murray has shown a strong political acumen throughout his career, founding the important United South County Democratic Club, and possessing an uncanny ability to spot up-and-coming leaders and direct them into elected office.

A mentor to many, Murray has been the gatekeeper of the Palm Beach County political landscape. As an aspiring politician, you simply cannot hope to succeed without the guidance and insight that only Murray could provide.

It is a privilege, Mr. Speaker, to represent a district with so many citizens who work tirelessly to make a difference every day, and Florida's public servants have Murray Kalish to thank for their inspiration.

Thank you, Murray, for your friendship. To you and your dear late wife, Roz, you have been a blessing to me, and I am so pleased to stand here representing our community on the House floor to say thank you for your remarkable achievements and our community that has been strengthened as a result.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed to the bill.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill. It won't kill the bill, and it won't send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will proceed to final passage, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, would mire the rulemaking process in an endless agency analytical and procedural review. This bill would require agencies to engage in speculative analysis on the ``indirect economic effect'' of a proposed rule.

Critical rules that protect the health and safety of our communities, that protect the environment in which we live, and that respond to disasters or pandemics would be stuck in this bill's imposed layers of bureaucratic review, and there would be no relief under this bill for rules that are needed to address an ongoing emergency. Indeed, in the event of an emergency, agencies would be required to conduct a lengthy and time-consuming analysis even of a rule that would protect citizens from harm.

Now a note to my friends on the other side of the aisle. Putting the words ``small business'' in the title of a bill does not magically make it a bill good for small business or good for our national security. Facts are stubborn things, and the fact is that this bill is dangerous to American national security. However, my amendment can change this.

Mr. Speaker, this amendment would ensure the safety and security of the American people. It would ensure that they would not be hindered by additional bureaucratic procedures by ensuring that this act would not apply to any rule that stops the proliferation, spread, or development of nuclear weapons.

The United States has long worked to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons worldwide. We have worked to help nations achieve nuclear power without the domestic capabilities to produce weapons- grade uranium. We have worked with the international community to enact United Nations Security Council resolutions to prohibit rogue regimes from procuring materials that could be used for the development of nuclear weapons. This includes a robust sanctions regime aimed at Iran.

Our own Commerce Department has developed detailed procurement regulations to prevent dual use materials from falling into the wrong hands. We have enacted punishing sanctions through the Treasury Department on those who aid in the procurement of materials used for nuclear weapons programs.

Now, let me be absolutely clear about the most important national security threat facing the United States and our allies: a nuclear- armed Iran. All of us here are watching the negotiations closely, and we hope for a diplomatic and negotiated end to the Iranian nuclear weapons program. That is everyone's priority.

However, we must prepare for the possibility that Iran rejects diplomacy. If Iran walks away from the talks, Congress and the President have been clear that we will want to immediately and urgently impose new sanctions. We will need new, fast-moving, antiproliferation actions, and we will have to put immediate pressure on this rejectionist regime.

This bill, in its current form, prevents that. Our national security and that of our allies depends on our agencies acting fast and efficiently. In no uncertain terms, the majority's bill puts our national security at risk.

The proliferation of nuclear weapons will not be stopped by adding new layers of bureaucracy. Iran's sponsorship of terrorist groups is no secret. It openly ships missiles and rockets to Hezbollah and Hamas-- designated terrorist organizations that launch attacks on civilians--in direct violation of international law. Now Iran and North Korea are working together, sparking vital proliferation worries. The Ayatollah has declared the two nations share common enemies, and we already know that Iran and North Korea have cooperated on ballistic missiles.

So I would ask my colleagues to imagine a scenario in which Iran walks away from the talks and takes its nuclear program deeper underground, where Iran's activities are sealed and where an arms race is sparked in the region. When it comes to nuclear proliferation and the safety of the United States and international security, the U.S. must have a responsibility to act quickly. Congress cannot--and Congress should not--make it more difficult for our government to act to keep our people safe.

Mr. Speaker, the safety of Americans is too important to tie up in Washington politics. Just this week, Russia announced that it would no longer comply with the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which was specifically designed to ensure the security of existing nuclear stockpiles.

Do we really want, I ask my colleagues, to risk the safety and security of the United States and that of our allies around the world by hindering our ability to halt the dangerous and destabilizing spread of nuclear weapons because an agency must justify the costs or waste resources and time in conducting a costly analysis of alternative ways to eliminate or streamline new regulations? Do we want to hold up regulations, I ask my colleagues, that will help to keep us safe?

All this amendment does is simply protect the American people from the threat of nuclear proliferation. On this, we should be able to come together. I urge my colleagues to support this motion.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Massachusetts, a leader in the fight to get money out of politics.

Last night, in his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Republicans and Democrats in Congress to embrace a better politics where we spend less time fundraising and spewing sound bites and more time debating issues in good faith to find common ground.

A better politics, that is something all Americans want to see, and there is no better way to restore their faith in Congress than by getting Big Money out of politics.

Today, my friends, is the 5-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which granted corporations and megamillionaires a First Amendment right to buy unlimited influence in our elections. The results of Citizens United has been elections dominated by super-PACs and unaccountable outside groups, backed by a small group of the wealthiest Americans.

Indeed, during the 2012 Presidential election cycle, 93 percent of super-PAC funding came from just over 3,000 donors, amounting to less than .01 percent of the American population; likewise, the 2014 midterm election cycle was the most expensive in history, with recordbreaking spending by outside groups.

That is why, today, I ask the majority to join me and more than 80 of my colleagues in support of H.J. Res. 22, the Democracy for All amendment. This amendment will restore what the Supreme Court took away in Citizens United: the right of Congress and the States to pass laws limiting the influence of Big Money in our elections.

Seniors on Social Security don't have millions to funnel into super- PACs.

And low-income children are not among the wealthy donors who hit the limits struck down in last year's McCutcheon ruling.

The sad truth is that, for most Americans, their influence in Washington has shrunk each time the Supreme Court has invited more money into our elections and allowed special interests to set the agenda.

Let's build a better politics by bringing H.J. Res. 22, the Democracy for All amendment, up for a vote today. Together, we can ensure that every American's voice, once again, is heard in America's democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Petra C. Kaatz, the National President of the Jewish War Veterans Department of Florida Ladies Auxiliary. Her diligence on behalf of our men and women in uniform is a testament to her dedication to our country, and she rightfully deserves our recognition and admiration.

Petra Kaatz started a long and fulfilling career as a member of the Long Island Civil Air Patrol, where she became a flight nurse and ran a stewardess training program for female cadets. At the age of 22, she became the head nurse of a medical surgical unit and later served as PTA President at United Cerebral Palsy of Queens and Children's Rehabilitation Center. She became President of the Queens Hospital Center Community Advisory Board and served as a representative for the United Nations Year of the Disabled. She also established and ran a Cub Scout pack for disabled children at the Henry Viscardi School in Albertson, New York and was editor of the PTA newsletter.

Petra joined the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America Ladies Auxiliary in 1994 and has been an active member ever since. Before becoming National President of the JWVA, she served as Queens County President, Department of New York President, and the chairman of various auxiliary, county, and department JWVA committees. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the national JWVA and life-member of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Representing a district home to veterans of every major conflict since World War II, I know very well the sacrifices that our military families have made for our country. Petra Kaatz's commitment to honor our military and their families should serve as an inspiration for us all, and I have no doubt she will continue to inspire South Floridians to live by her example.

I thank my friend from Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule for H.R. 240. It is sad, Mr. Speaker, that just 2 weeks into this new Congress, Republicans have turned a bipartisan issue, funding our Department of Homeland Security, into a cesspool of despicable amendments that cater to the most extremist anti-immigrant fringe.

There is the Blackburn amendment mandating that we deport thousands of students who are as American in their hearts as you or I.

There is the Aderholt amendment prohibiting DHS from prioritizing whether we deport hardworking parents or hardened criminals.

And there is the Schock amendment decrying the legal immigration backlog but doing nothing, absolutely nothing, to fix it.

Guess whose amendment wasn't accepted?

The Deutch-Foster amendment, which would save taxpayers over $1 billion a year by ending the detention bed mandate, effectively an earmark that requires 34,000 beds be filled by immigrants every single day inside for-profit detention centers.

Mr. Speaker, I thought we were here to solve problems. What this bill reveals instead, unfortunately, is a majority with no interest in solving our broken immigration system. If they had that interest, we would have passed comprehensive immigration reform 2 years ago.

``The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

``The Senate shall chuse their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 6, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, and I rise in opposition to the rule and in opposition to the underlying legislation.

Last night in the Rules Committee, I offered an amendment to strike a measure from page 1,599 of this 1,603-page spending bill that would have this Congress march hand in hand with the Supreme Court's Citizens United and McCutchen to allow America's wealthiest donors to give $5 million every election cycle to candidates, political parties, and their committees. We had no debate about this. The people's House did not vote to undermine campaign finances, and that this 1,600-page bill already cuts Pell grants and undermines Wall Street reform proves that wealthy donors hold enough sway in Washington.

A vote for this bill is a vote for the continued dismantlement of a broken campaign finance system. It is a vote to continue shutting out the voices of everyday Americans in our political process. Our constituents want us to fight money in politics. They do not want us to be complicit in putting our democracy up for sale.

Madam Speaker, in Washington for the special interests, they view every day as Christmas. Let's give the American people a present this holiday season: respect for our democracy and a place for them in it.

Mr. Speaker, today, the House is taking up the Senate version of the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, a bill that passed this Chamber in March with a vote of 410-1. Our vote today will send this important piece of legislation to the President's desk.

I am particularly grateful for the efforts of my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, notably those by Chairman Ed Royce; by ranking member and my friend, Eliot Engel, for helping to ensure this legislation's passage; by the Senate sponsors, Senator Boxer and Senator Blunt; and by my friend, chairman, and stalwart champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship, chairman emeritus Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

I would also like to offer a special thanks as well to Casey Kustin, in my office; to Eddy Acevedo; and to the entire committee staff, including Matt Zweig and Mira Resnick, who worked so hard to bring this bill to the floor at this moment.

This critical bill enhances the broad cooperation between the United States and Israel on a wide spectrum of issues, and it reflects the simple truth that our bilateral relationship spans not only shared security interests but shared values.

This bill was crafted with particular consideration of the heightened security situation faced by Israel today. This summer's Operation Protective Edge reminds us just how vital and strong U.S. support for Israel can be as the Iron Dome missile defense system saved tens of thousands of lives by taking down hundreds of Hamas rockets aimed at civilians and as the U.S. was able to quickly assist Israel in the resupply of defense articles, so that it could defend its citizens from brutal terror attacks.

The United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act also highlights Israel's significant contributions to the areas of water, irrigation, agriculture, and energy issues by expanding collaborative research efforts. It recognizes that the United States is strengthened by these joint efforts with Israel to tackle shared problems and to advance shared interests.

Through dire security threats and unimaginable hostility from the outside actors, the State of Israel has managed to thrive as an open and free democratic society, and it has prospered into a global leader in research and development in countless fields.

This bill, the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, sends a clear and a bipartisan message to our ally Israel and to the rest of the world that the U.S.-Israel relationship runs wide and deep, that our commitment to the lasting safety and security of Israel is and always will be unbreakable, and that our work together not only in security but in agriculture, cybersecurity, water, and energy advances the interests of our Nation, as well as those of our great ally.

I urge my colleagues to support the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Lisa Dale Moore, who turns 60 years old on September 21, 2014.

Lisa Dale Moore was born on September 21, 1954 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After graduating from George Washington University with a major in Judaic Studies, she received a Master of Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University. Professionally, she has dedicated herself to a lifetime of promoting the Jewish people and the state of Israel through her work for the Jewish Federation and Hadassah. She has also been a mentor to my wife, Jill, who said that Lisa taught her everything she knows.

Lisa is truly an exceptional woman, and I am proud to call her a friend. I join her friends and family in wishing her good health and continued success in the coming year.

Madam Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is working in Florida for a very simple reason: no one wants to be uninsured. People want affordable health insurance.

Florida enrolled more people in health insurance coverage than any other State using healthcare.gov. This only illustrates just how high a demand there is for affordable coverage in our State.

During the first open enrollment period, some 983,000 Floridians signed up. More than 90 percent were eligible for some type of financial assistance under the law, which drove premiums down to an average of $79 a month in Florida.

In the span of a few months, our State's uninsured rate dropped from 25 percent to under 20 percent. I am confident that when open enrollment begins this fall, even more Floridians will take advantage of the opportunity to get covered.

Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, there are 1.06 million Floridians who won't have that opportunity. They don't make enough money to qualify for help buying private insurance in the marketplace, and they have been denied the Medicaid coverage that they are eligible for by Governor Rick Scott and by our GOP State legislature.

Health care reform was designed to help more Americans afford private health insurance and provide basic coverage for low-income people through Medicaid. To do so, the law extended eligibility for Medicaid to people earning up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.

Talking in terms of the Federal poverty level seems abstract, but for the millions of Americans working hard for such little income the hardships that they face are very real. Earning 138 percent of the poverty level means barely making ends meet. For a full-time minimum wage worker it means scraping by on less than $16,000 a year; for a family of four it means bringing in less than $32,000 a year, struggling to afford food and other basic necessities. Unfortunately, in Florida, it also means going uninsured. That is unacceptable in 2014 when there is a Federal law on the books that says that they don't have to be.

As a member of the House Medicaid Expansion Caucus here in Congress, unfortunately, I find myself in a position where I have to ask Governor Scott and my former colleagues on the floor of the legislature just a few questions: Are two young parents working fast-food jobs in Miami less deserving of primary care visits than a couple working at the same burger chain in Colorado? Are the chronic headaches of a home cleaner in West Palm Beach somehow less serious than those doing the same work in West Virginia? Is a loved one struggling with substance abuse in Orlando any less worthy of treatment than someone in New York or in Maine? Are these 1,060,000 Floridians somehow undeserving of the coverage our Federal health care law has made them eligible for?

These are some of the most hardworking people in our State. They are proud moms and dads. They are cashiers and housekeepers, security guards and fast-food workers, office clerks, and landscapers. They are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. They are adults who have gone back to college to further their careers.

Our desire to give Florida families the same shot at leading healthy, productive lives as Americans in any other State should be enough to convince Governor Rick Scott to call the legislature back into session tomorrow to get it done.

But just in case our responsibility to protect families and promote public health isn't enough, economists have also found that no other State has more to lose by rejecting Medicaid expansion--by rejecting Medicaid expansion--than Florida.

Just this month, a McClatchy analysis of The Urban Institute data concluded that Florida's decision to deny Medicaid to 1,060,000 people will cost our State an astronomical $66.1 billion by 2022. Florida's hospitals are expected to lose $22.6 billion over that same period and will continue to bear the burden of providing expensive emergency room care to uninsured patients for nothing in return.

The billions and billions of dollars at stake for Florida through Medicaid expansion would do far more than expand basic coverage to 1.06 million low-income people. These dollars would also generate new growth and opportunity throughout Florida's economy.

That is because when hospitals are actually paid for their services their balance sheets improve, they have more room to invest and to expand. When they build a new surgery wing, they put to work more engineers and construction contractors and they hire new staff and they create good, well-paying jobs in our State.

According to the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House, the economic growth injected into Florida's economy would deliver about 63,000 new jobs between now and 2017. Missing out on that kind of opportunity will be devastating for our State. Failing to cover those 1,060,000 Floridians would not deliver real savings to taxpayers in the long run.

It is time for Governor Scott and the Florida legislature to focus less on politics and more on helping Floridians, parents, students, veterans, and workers get the coverage they desire and that they are entitled to.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Joshua Katz, Boy Scouts of America Troop 215, for his work honoring our deceased and missing veterans. As a public servant and the son of a World War II veteran whose bravery motivated me to serve in Congress, I am so proud of Joshua's dedication to our soldiers.

In honor of POW-MIA National Remembrance Day, which is celebrated on the 3rd Friday of every September, Joshua created the POW-MIA-OREE Project to encourage Boy Scouts nationally to become more involved in veteran recognition. The project calls for the reading of the names of every soldier laid to rest in the South Florida National Cemetery and the placement of a commemorative marker on each headstone. Ensuring that this event took place was so important to Joshua that he funded the project out of his own savings. This heartfelt act of advocacy will ensure that no soldier becomes a forgotten hero.

Representing a district home to veterans of every major conflict since World War II, I know very well the sacrifices that our military men and women and their families have made for our country. Joshua Katz's commitment to honor our men and women in uniform should serve as an inspiration for us all, and I have no doubt that he has a bright future in store.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 50th anniversary of Zion Lutheran School. I would like to recognize them for their service to the Lutheran community of South Florida and our local community as a whole.

Founded in 1964 with nine kindergarten students, Zion Lutheran Christian School has served as a center of Lutheran identity and education for the North Broward County community. I want to particularly acknowledge Headmaster Dr. Phillipe Dupont and Principal Joann Halem for their dedication to the school and its emphasis on service and study.

I would like to congratulate Zion Lutheran School on its 50th anniversary. Through their example, Zion Lutheran's commitment to education can extend far beyond South Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Eagles Landing Middle School, which has been named a National PTA School of Excellence for its achievement in building effective family-school partnerships. As a parent and a congressman, I understand the need for a strong family commitment to ensure the educational success of our children and am so proud of Eagles Landing for receiving this prestigious award.

The National PTA School of Excellence program recognizes schools whose families feel welcomed and empowered to support student success. Eagles Landing Middle School is a community-based school that engages families through programming that brings them together for a common purpose. Through constant communication between parents and teachers, structured family nights like STEM Night and Literacy Night, and a centrally-located community garden that is incorporated into the curriculum as an outdoor learning center, families are encouraged to work and have fun together with other members of their school and community. Eagles Landing is the only middle school in the state of Florida and only one of ten schools in the state to receive this designation.

I would like to recognize Eagles Landing Principal Cindy Chiapetta and PTSA President Kendra Palumbo for their hard work in putting in place strong practices that involve families in the education of their children. The partnership between Eagles Landing School and Eagles Landing Middle School PTSA is an inspiring example of what can be accomplished when schools and families work together.