Floor Statements

I thank the ranking member, my friend, Mr. Berman.

The legislation before us today will give the United States the tools to impose the most stringent, the most crippling sanctions aimed at cracking down on what is the greatest threat to international security, a nuclear armed Iran.

The Iran Threat Reduction Act builds on the already significant steps this Congress took, along with our partners in the EU and at the United Nations last year, to dramatically ratchet up pressure on the Iranian regime in order to thwart its illicit quest for nuclear weapons. The bill comes on the heels of the IAEA report that confirmed what we already knew--the Iranian regime is pursuing nuclear weapons. It comes on the heels of the foiled Iranian assassination plot and the dangerous attack coordinated by the regime on the British Embassy. And it comes even as the Iranian regime contributes to the brutal crackdown on the Syrian people that has left over 5,000 dead, so that the regime can continue to use Syria as a conduit for routing weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas to be used against Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to have authored two provisions contained in this bill. And I would like to thank the bill's sponsors, Chairman Ros- Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman, for working with me to include the Iran Transparency and Accountability Act and the Iran Human Rights Democracy Promotion Act.

The requirements of these provisions put the onus of determining the extent and nature of a company's involvement in Iran on that company by requiring the disclosure of all material business

with Iran on its SEC filings. This forced disclosure will accelerate the imposition of sanctions.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation also includes mandatory sanctions on those who perpetrate the most egregious human rights abuses. This regime's use of intimidation and brutality to suppress its opposition must be stopped, and the United States must stand with the people of Iran in their quest for democracy and freedom. Mr. Speaker, a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable, and we cannot permit it to happen. We must make it clear that we are serious, determined, and aggressive in our approach to halt Iran's illegal, destabilizing, and dangerous pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Speaker, we've entered the 12th month of the Republican majority in this House, and if the past 11 are any indication, December will be a continuation of the GOP no jobs agenda.

My colleagues in the majority have shown no interest in tackling America's real economic challenges, no interest in the fact that small business owners say that weak sales, not government regulation, are the main source of their struggle.

No interest in the fact that it is tax relief for middle class families, not tax giveaways to corporations and to billionaires that our economy needs to boost consumer demand, and no interest in preventing the expiration of unemployment benefits for millions of struggling families and the havoc it would wreak on our economy. Mr. Speaker the majority's interest seems focused on one thing: an election still nearly a year away.

Americans wants Congress to work for them. It's time we stand up for the middle class. Working families need us to work for them.

Mr. Speaker, this Saturday marks the third anniversary since American U.S. AID worker Alan Gross was arrested and unjustly imprisoned in Cuba. It is the third year in a row that the Gross family will prepare to spend another holiday season without their beloved husband, father, and son.

Alan Gross, a resident of Maryland and a long time international development worker, traveled to Cuba in 2009 to help the island's small Jewish community establish better internet access. Upon his arrival, Mr. Gross declared all of his electronic items with Cuban customs officials. Yet on December 3, 2009, he was arrested and subsequently detained for 14 months without any charges filed against him. Earlier this year, he was charged with ``acts to undermine the integrity and independence'' of Cuba. Mr. Gross, a non-Spanish speaking man in his 60's who has worked on development projects in over 50 countries, certainly was not trained or equipped to engage in subterfuge.

Alan Gross has been sentenced to 15 years in jail. This preposterous sentence has caused tremendous emotional pain and financial hardship for his family, and devastated the Jewish community. Alan's daughter is currently undergoing treatment for cancer, and his 89 year old mother is in poor health and fears she will never see her son again. Alan's wife, Judy, has been caring for her ill daughter and mother-in-law while working full time to support her family. Alan himself is suffering from severe health problems due to a lack of medical treatment during his incarceration.

In October, Governor Bill Richardson traveled to Cuba with the intent to discuss Alan Gross' release. During this visit, which had been approved by the Cuban Government, Governor Bill Richardson was denied even a single meeting with Alan to assess his health. Subsequently, the Cuban government refused to discuss Alan's case with Governor Richardson.

The Castro regime has chosen to align itself with the most repressive and violent regimes in the world, counting among its friends the Venezuelan and Iranian regimes. These regimes have disregarded judicial processes in order to unjustly hold American citizens to use as leverage. We will not sit idly by and allow an American citizen to suffer at the hands of these tyrants. The Castro regime must immediately allow Alan to receive proper medical treatment and take the necessary steps to bring him home to his family as soon as possible.

My colleagues and I will continue to speak out on behalf of Alan, his family, and the Jewish community, and continue to use every tool at our disposal to secure Alan's immediate release.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, for all of the talk of States' rights in this Chamber, H.R. 822 obliterates the rights of State governments to pass their own gun rules and protect their own citizens from illegal gun violence. In my own State of Florida, we have a right-to-carry law, but we require those who seek such concealed permits to prove basic competency.

To protect our families, we deny concealed-carry permits to those convicted of felonies, to those committed to mental institutions, or those with a history of illegal drug use. H.R. 822 denies Floridians the right to protect their own families and set their own standards. If Floridians wanted gun laws as lax as those in Utah, they would adopt their own.

I'm disappointed the Rules Committee blocked my own amendment to amend this bill to ensure that individuals with concealed weapons could only cross lines into States that maintain a national law enforcement database. Without a database system accessible 24 hours a day with criminal background information on individuals holding concealed weapons permits from other States, Florida's law enforcement will be unable to adequately protect the public under this bill. It is the safety of our communities and our families that are at risk as a result.

I thank my friend for yielding, and I thank him for the opportunity to come and join with him tonight to address an issue of great concern to many Americans.

We're here tonight because Republican State legislatures across the Nation are passing laws to make it harder for people to exercise their right to vote. The story they tell is one of rampant voter fraud that threatens the integrity of our elections and the very foundation of our democracy. It's a scary story. Imagine--just imagine--mobs of illegally registered voters entering our poll booths and hijacking our elections.

However, there is something far scarier than the story that's being told--and that's the reality. It's the reality that our electoral system is not under siege by voter fraud but, instead, by an historically deliberate and ongoing effort to suppress the votes of America's minorities, seniors, students, and other traditionally Democratic voters.

Now, while this is a nationwide trend, there is no question that the recent voting law passed in Florida takes the cake for radically infringing on voting rights. Ask any Floridian. Florida doesn't have a history of voter fraud. Florida has a history of voter suppression. This is a State that didn't ratify the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, until 1969. This is the State where, in 2000, Secretary of State Katherine Harris eliminated 57,000 votes, mostly of minorities, simply because their names resembled those of persons convicted of crimes. They were wiped from the voting rolls. Now, our current Governor, Governor Scott, wasn't in Florida in 2000 when George Bush's legal team fought to stop counting the votes, when Katherine Harris certified election results without including the recount from my own Palm Beach County, and when the Supreme Court stopped a manual recount of votes. Florida is the State where thousands of seniors, whom I am so privileged to represent today, headed to the polls on election day in 2000 and never had their voices heard.

That was hard work. It was hard work silencing the voices of the voters. HB 1355, the Florida election law, the voter suppression law, makes it child's play.

Florida is the State where, in 2008, when Governor Charlie Crist extended early voting hours, Republican officials decried the fact that better access to voting would likely cost them the election. Now Florida is the State that is serving as a model for Republican legislatures across the country that are looking for ways to suppress turnout at the polls.

HB 1355 eliminates the ability of voters to update their addresses or names at the polls due to marriage, divorce, or even military base relocation. Those voters now have to cast provisional ballots, which will likely go uncounted.

HB 1355 also cuts early voting from 14 days to 8 because of the fact that the United States of America is one of the few democracies in the world where not declaring election day a national holiday is simply not restrictive enough.

HB 1355 also allows absentee ballots to be arbitrarily tossed out of elections because of poor handwriting. The men and women I represent who may suffer from Parkinson's disease or arthritis or from the aftereffects of a stroke will have their votes thrown out because their quivering hands make their signatures look sloppy.

Perhaps most disturbing is how HB 1355 cripples the ability of third- party groups, like the Boy Scouts and the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, to run voter registration drives. In fact, any third party, including high school civics teachers, that offers to help students register to vote must turn in the registration forms within 48 hours or face fines.

By passing HB 1355, Florida has provided States across the country with a blueprint for the voter suppression of minorities, seniors, students, and other Democratic voters.

The voter fraud bogeyman may be a scary story, but it cannot compare to the very real and very blatant voter suppression efforts of Republican legislatures across America. Perhaps, because they know they can't win fairly, they need to suppress voters, not because of imaginary voter fraud, but because of real Americans--real Americans who have seen the true colors of a

Republican agenda that ends Medicare, that slashes education, that eliminates jobs, and that limits economic opportunity for working families. Real Americans have had enough, and they have the right to express themselves by exercising the most basic, the most fundamental right in our Nation--the right to vote.

I thank you for organizing this opportunity tonight for us to make very clear to all who are watching that we won't let them take that right away.

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

I am opposed in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, bipartisan unity may be rare these days, but if there is one issue we have consistently come together on, it is the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran.

That's why last year's body voted to enact tough new sanctions aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. That's why 332 Members of this House are today cosponsors of new legislation to strengthen Iran sanctions law. And it is also why this body should join me on this final amendment to the bill so we do not reward companies that provide financial and material support to the Iranian regime-- because this bill, in its current form, will bolster Iran's illicit quest for nuclear weapons.

This legislation awards U.S. land to Resolution Copper, a company owned by Rio Tinto. Rio Tinto also owns a majority stake in the Rossing uranium mine in Namibia, where it partners with the Iran Foreign Investment Company. The Iran Foreign Investment Company is wholly owned by the Iranian regime, and last summer the Treasury Department added it to the list of Iranian entities in violation of sanctions law.

Quite simply, we are about to reward a company that partners with the Iranian regime to mine, of all things, the uranium it needs to become a nuclear-armed power. This Congress cannot be in the business of assisting a regime that plots an attack on U.S. soil, that kills brave American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and threatens to wipe our ally Israel off the map.

Iran has made its intentions clear. The Iranian nuclear program is not intended for peaceful purposes. Just last month, an IAEA agency report indicated ``increasing concerns'' about possible ``military dimensions'' to the Iranian program. The threat is real, and this Congress has always taken it seriously.

We have watched Iran attempt to make a mockery of U.S. law by finding new ways to evade sanctions. And now we are going to help them do it?

My amendment does one thing: It blocks any land exchange with a company or affiliate connected to the Iran Foreign Investment Company.

Let me be clear. This amendment will not prevent the passage of the legislation. If adopted, it will be incorporated and we will vote on the final bill. We have come together against a nuclear-armed Iran before, and we can do it again today. Let's put bipartisanship aside. Join me on this motion to recommit and let's unite against the very real threat of a nuclear-armed Iranian regime.

I am pleased to yield to the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, it's not news that the majority refuses to address our jobs crisis. But passing time by attacking women's health is appalling.

Despite Americans' overwhelming support for the American Jobs Act, today we have before us H.R. 358, a cruel attack on women's health. We could help jobless workers feed their families today. Instead, this bill grants hospitals the right to deny abortions even in life-and- death cases. We could cut taxes for small businesses today. Instead, this bill forbids Americans

from using their own dollars to buy private health insurance that includes abortion coverage. We could put teachers back to work today. Instead, this bill denies abortion even for the thousands of women each year who develop breast cancer while pregnant and need an abortion to start chemotherapy to save their lives and retain the hope of childbirth.

Americans don't want a war on women. They want a war on joblessness. They want us to work so that they can work. They want us, Madam Speaker, to take up the American Jobs Act. Oppose this rule so that we can get to work on their behalf.

Will the gentlelady yield?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Barbara-Ann Weinstein, recipient of the Leadership Broward Foundation's Outstanding Broward Leader Award. Each year the Leadership Broward Foundation honors a select group of individuals who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service and a commitment to our community. As President of Family Central of Broward County, Dr. Weinstein is the embodiment of these values. I can think of no one more deserving of this award than someone who has devoted her career to promoting the welfare of children and their families in South Florida.

Dr. Weinstein has been a strong advocate for children through Family Central since 1985. Over the years, her guidance, support, and dedication led Family Central to provide a variety of educational services and family support in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade- Counties. For nearly 40 years, this organization has played a pivotal role in the lives of South Florida families by strengthening the social, emotional and economic ties that family members have to one another, as well as to their community. Last year alone, Family Central's vital services reached more than 130,000 South Florida clients.

I am so pleased that Ms. Weinstein has been selected as an honoree. Her commitment to children and families has been essential to providing a strong foundation for South Florida's children.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

I appreciate the opportunity to be here following those series of speeches delivered that lead perfectly into the discussion that we're here to have.

This is a crucial moment for the State of Israel, for the United States, for the relationship that binds us together. This is an important moment for those who believe in democracy and for those who believe in peace. We will all be watching what transpires at the United Nations in the coming days as the Palestinians continue to move forward with an ill-fated attempt to create a state that can only be created by negotiation.

I appreciate the opportunity to engage in a discussion with some of my colleagues, and I would like to start by recognizing my neighbor and my friend, the gentlelady from Florida, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz.

Thank you very much. The same to you.

I would note the President also spoke today at some length about the need to recognize Israel's security interests. The fact that Israel is a country that is surrounded by enemies, that has faced rocket attacks, barrages, at times on a regular basis, that it is imperative that all of our allies around the world who understand the security threats that Israel faces, that they understand that it is in Israel's interest to take the action necessary to defend herself even as they move toward the negotiations with the Palestinians. That's something that every nation would understand.

I appreciate your bringing that up today.

It is my pleasure and my honor to yield time to the impressive and wonderful former chair and now the impressive and wonderful ranking member of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Lowey from Westchester.

Thank you, Congresswoman Lowey.

There are few in this body who understand as well as you the importance of weighing the decisions to allocate United States' foreign aid and where that money goes. You have been such a vocal and passionate supporter of aid to Israel in order to give Israel the ability to defend herself. I think you spoke eloquently about the questions that will be raised if the P.A. continues to move forward on this gambit at the United Nations, calling into question their commitment to negotiation and ultimately raising the reevaluation of aid to the Palestinians.

I thank you very much for sharing that with us.

I thank the gentlelady from New York.

It is now my honor to yield such time as she may consume to a colleague and friend who has often been described as the great pro- Israel Member of the United States House of Representatives, the Representative from Nevada, Shelley Berkley.

Thank you very much, Representative Berkley.

If there is going to be peace, you are absolutely right: that is peace that will come through negotiations. And I am not sure what type of negotiating tactic it is to, on the one hand, say that there is a commitment to negotiating, but at the same time to run to the United Nations to unilaterally declare a state in a way that only seeks to delegitimize your so-called peace partner.

Israel is committed to peace. We've seen that time and time again. Prime Minister Netanyahu is set, ready to negotiate. It is time that the P.A. moves forward with negotiations. I appreciate your insight and your commentary.

I would tell that you that as you spoke about Hamas, the P.A. made a decision also to move into a partnership with that terrorist organization, a terrorist organization that still holds Gilad Shalit captive and refuses to let the world see him, meet with him. He should be released.

This is a message that was given to Hamas, to the P.A. directly, in a meeting that I was privileged to participate in on a bipartisan trip to Israel some months back. I was pleased to be on that trip with our friend from California, Representative Cardoza.

I am pleased to yield the gentleman as much time as he desires.

I thank my friend from California.

There are a lot of opportunities that we as Members have to participate in the process and to see the impact of the decisions that we make.

The opportunity that we had to spend some time in the community that had just been attacked with that rocket fire reminds us of what we are doing here this evening, what President Obama did at the United Nations earlier today, and what our allies throughout the world hopefully will do in standing up to support the one great democratic nation in the Middle East, why that is so vitally important.

Thank you for being here, Mr. Cardoza.

It is my pleasure and honor to yield as much time as he may choose to utilize to my good friend from New York, Representative Joe Crowley.

I thank you, Mr. Crowley.

The most important point to make right now in listening to you and listening to Mr. Cardoza and listening to the gentleman from California who spoke earlier from the other side, this is not a partisan issue. This is not a religious issue. This is a question of whether we stand together in support of democratic ideals, in support of the safety and security of our ally. That's what is at stake here, and I thank you for coming to so eloquently and passionately speak to that issue.

I thank the gentleman. Efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel at the United Nations must be opposed at every capital in this world. I thank you very much.

It is my pleasure to recognize my friend and colleague, a passionate supporter of the State of Israel who hails from a community in Illinois with an equally passionate zeal for the safety and security of the State of Israel, Representative Schakowsky.

And I thank you, Congresswoman Schakowsky. Your talk about the President's statement today is important. Equally important is what the administration has been doing leading up to that speech today, in the way that the U.N. Ambassador has continued to press our allies, in the way that this administration has been clear throughout that if this movement goes forward, if the Palestinians continue to go to the Security Council, that the United States will veto that resolution because it is not a way to achieve peace. I appreciate your sharing those thoughts and raising those issues with us.

It is a great privilege for me now to turn over the floor and yield to my friend, who is one of the fiercest defenders of the U.S.-Israel relationship, one of the most outspoken Members of this body when it comes to standing up for the safety and security of the State of Israel and someone who has steadfastly remained engaged in this issue, even traveling to New York, before coming back to Washington, to speak directly to those who will be making decisions at the United Nations, a good friend and a great colleague, Eliot Engel.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Engel, if the Palestinians were serious about peace, they would abandon their unity with Hamas. They would abandon this plan to move forward at the United Nations, and they would return to the negotiating table. But this doesn't seem to be the case, as we've discussed here tonight. They seem intent on, in fact, making a mockery of the United Nations by using it as a platform to delegitimize Israel. But we will stand up to that effort. We'll stand up against it. The fact is from the vile ``Zionism is Racism'' resolution of the 1970s to the biased and misleading Goldstone Report, the United States has, time and time again, stood up against such delegitimization efforts, loudly voicing our opposition and declaring that we won't tolerate such bogus and malicious accusations. And we'll stand up again for Israel this week in New York, but not just today and Friday.

I would like to take a moment to talk about what is going to be happening tomorrow. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brings his campaign of hatred to the United Nations General Assembly, as he stands just miles from Ground Zero a mere 3 weeks after the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and blasphemously declares that the U.S. Government orchestrated the attacks to reverse the declining American economy, as he did last year, we will stand up for those brave men and women who lost their lives that day and every day since fighting for freedom. And when he stands at the U.N. and celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Durban hatefest that was an anti-Semitic rant against Israel, we will stand up for the freedom and democracy that Israel represents, the freedom and democracy that Ahmadinejad so brutally represses in his own country. That's going to be our role just tomorrow. And I know that you will look forward to standing in strong opposition to those statements from one who wishes to see Israel wiped off the map, one who could probably be tried for incitement to genocide for his statements, you will stand with me, as you always have, in opposition to the rhetoric, the hateful rhetoric, that we will be forced to listen to tomorrow.

I thank you very much, Mr. Engel, for your passionate words.

I think it's important, as we wrap this up, to think about why it is and to remind our colleagues and the American people why it is that we are so committed to this bond with Israel, and we do it because the bond with Israel runs deeper than our interests in Middle East affairs. It runs deeper than mutual security interests. Our bond is born out of the values that our two nations share, the values of freedom, of respect, of human rights. We as Americans share those values with the people of Israel. They are universal values, American values. They span religious and political parties. They bring people together from all walks of life. They are the things that some of Israel's neighbors are losing their lives fighting for, the values that Israel holds dear as a great democracy in the Middle East and in the world.

Israel faces one of its greatest challenges, a worldwide campaign to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state. The United States must continue to remind the world why it is that we stand in solidarity with Israel.

I urge our allies around the world to stand with us now in urging the Palestinians to abandon this misguided and dangerous quest. If Mr. Abbas seeks a state where the Palestinian people can truly prosper, a peaceful state, then he will look to Israel as a partner. He will understand why negotiations provide the only path to peace; and he will take his seat at the negotiating table.

To our whip, Steny Hoyer, who helped us arrange this hour, and to my colleagues who participated, and to everyone who has tuned in even for a moment, I want to say thank you, thank you for giving us the opportunity to stand up at this most difficult and crucial moment in the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship and remind our allies from around the world--and every nation from around the world--just how strong and unbreakable the bond between our two nations is.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the outstanding youth who represent Junior Achievement of South Florida, and their effort to foster an understanding of the United States Constitution in our community.

Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization that provides thousands of students across the world with a series of business, economics, free-enterprise, and life-skills programs. In South Florida, the young people of Junior Achievement are truly shining through their work to bring the Spirit of Freedom Experience to the Junior Achievement World Huizenga Center at Broward College. Envisioned by President Ronald Reagan, the Spirit of Freedom Experience aims to boost reverence for the founding principles of our nation by presenting bronze plaque replicas of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights to communities across America. The efforts of these Floridians will culminate during this year's Constitution Week as five plaques, representing our nation's founding documents, will be unveiled to the South Florida community.

Among those present to recognize the work of Junior Achievement and to commemorate the unveiling of these historical documents is Captain Scott F. O'Grady, an American whose career in the military epitomizes the spirit of public service. In a story of great perseverance, Captain O'Grady survived in hostile territory for six days after his aircraft was struck down by a Soviet missile during a NATO mission in Bosnia. All those present for the Spirit of Freedom experience will undoubtedly be inspired by Captain O'Grady's courage and commitment to country.

Junior Achievement's efforts to prepare young people to succeed as individuals and as citizens are truly commendable. It is an honor to recognize a group of young Americans who have already accomplished so much on behalf of our community by bringing the Spirit of Freedom Experience to South Florida.

Mr. Speaker, America earned the name the Land of Opportunity because anyone willing to work hard and play by the rules can make it here. Well, our families still work hard, they still play by the rules, and yet so many are barely scraping by. So they send us to Washington to fight for them. They can't afford lobbyists. They only have us.

Today we will consider Republican legislation that is a textbook example of why too often, the special interests win out over the public interests. H.R. 2587 gives corporations a green light to send jobs overseas if their employees simply ask for a decent salary or better hours. This bill is based on the premise that executives can negotiate multimillion dollar bonuses for themselves, but if American workers exercise their rights, their jobs will be on the next plane to China. That's the majority's answer to outsourcing of American jobs. If the rights of American workers get in the way of corporate profits, then it's time to do away with those

rights. Let's stand up and fight to keep jobs here. Let's fight for American families. Let's defeat H.R. 2587.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was overcome with disbelief to hear my Republican colleagues, the same colleagues who are leading America head first into its first default of its obligations, call on President Obama to start picking and choosing who wins when we run out of money.

Now, pay our seniors first, Mr. President. When we force a default, pay our bondholders first, Mr. President. Pay our soldiers first, Mr. President.

The GOP is shockingly silent, however, remarkably quiet when it comes to naming who the Treasury should stop paying when they force us into a default.

Now, in case you weren't aware, let me clue you in on the definition of a ``default.'' It means the inability, the failure, to meet our financial obligations. And we have many financial obligations we cannot afford thanks to the possibility of this default that our friends on the other side of the aisle are leading us toward. This is a crisis that they manufactured: two wars unpaid for; tax cuts for millionaires that were unpaid for; policies that ignited a fiscal crisis and sunk us into a sea of red ink.

Now their refusal to accept responsibility for this debt that they created means that someone who the Treasury owes money to will not get paid. Someone will not get paid, and the full faith and credit of the United States of America will be broken.

Now, they're playing a game with our economy to try to force through an extremist agenda. That's what we have been battling against. That's what you've been watching. That's what people around the country are so incredibly frustrated with. It is a game that

I have right beside me. It is, in fact, the GOP Wheel of Misfortune, except in this game there are no winners; there are only losers. But, why don't we give it a spin.

As we approach the defaults and we spin the wheel, the first one that comes up, I see, is 2 million Federal workers. Come August 2, the GOP default forces the Treasury to send every Federal employee home without a paycheck. From the personal care attendant who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs to the park rangers who lead families through our national parks, a GOP default will send 2 million workers home without pay. During this time of high unemployment, our economy will suffer even more with the ripple effects of suspending pay for 2 million American workers and their families. So pay the Federal workers, we might be told.

Let's figure out who else we might choose not to pay. What other obligations of the Federal Government will be broken? What will we choose to avoid if there is a default?

Well, if we go back to the wheel, we spin the wheel again, and we see foreign creditors. Come August 2, the GOP will force the Treasury to stop paying interest to our foreign creditors who currently buy U.S. credit with total confidence. When you default on a credit card-- everyone knows this. When you default on a credit card, you don't save money. Your interest rates go up. The bank lowers your credit rating. And if the U.S. stops paying its creditors, then the U.S. credit will be downgraded, interest rates will skyrocket, and our economy will freeze. The damage amounting to a tax increase on every American family will be thanks to the Republican majority that will force this default.

But perhaps we should pay the credit holders. Maybe that's who we should pay. Clearly, there is someone else that we will not then, so let's go back to the wheel.

When we spin the wheel this time, we get to bondholders. Well, come August 2, again, someone won't get paid. The GOP default will force the Treasury to deny U.S. bondholders the money that they entrusted to our Nation. The college student cashing in a bond their parents bought on their first birthday; the retirees who steer their 401(k)s to the most secure, safest investments in the world, at least until the Republican majority forced a default.

But perhaps we will pay the bondholders. We've been told we can pick and choose who we're going to pay when there's a default. Then we should find out perhaps who we might see next.

If you spin the wheel again, it might turn out that we come up on Medicare. Now, on August 2, again, the GOP default will force the Treasury to stop paying for the trusted Medicare benefits that 54 million seniors rely upon. Perhaps my friends on the other side of the aisle may finally have their opportunity to dismantle the system that keeps so many retirees from bankruptcy due to private insurance bills. The doctors who treat our Medicare patients, from the primary care physician who takes seniors' blood pressure during yearly checkups to the oncologist who treats our grandmothers and grandfathers when they struggle with cancer, won't get paid as a result of this default.

But again, we've been told that we can simply pick and choose, that perhaps it is important for us to make sure that Medicare benefits are paid. What to do?

We can go back to the wheel. We can spin the wheel again. It may turn up on veterans. Perhaps we have made a decision to make these others payments, but it comes up on veterans.

So, again, on August 2, if we do not come to an agreement, which is completely doable, and if we do not avoid this GOP-caused default, then the Treasury may stop caring for our veterans. In representing Florida's 19th District, I am privileged to serve thousands of veterans, many of them veterans of World War II--members of our Greatest Generation, the very people who built this Nation into what it is today.

Now, Americans believe that we have to honor the sacrifices of those who serve, but by forcing America into default, the GOP will deny care to the men and women who embody patriotism and deserve every benefit that they earned while serving this country. This game, this unfortunate game that they wish to play, could go on and on and on. Maybe we choose to pay our veterans, but we stop paying our troops. Maybe we will, as the President pointed out, have no choice but to stop paying Social Security in the event of default. Come August 2, the potential of a GOP default would force the Treasury to deny seniors the Social Security benefits that they earned over a lifetime. In my district and around the country, going without Social Security for any period of time will mean destitution and extreme financial hardship. The Republicans have long fed the American people the lie that the bonds held by Social Security are junk. Well, they've never been junk, at least so long as America has never defaulted on its obligations. This is the wheel of misfortune that we have to avoid getting to. It's not a game anyone wants to play.

This hardship thrust upon the American people in the event of a default is completely avoidable. The GOP could make history--make history--by working with President Obama to reduce the deficit in a meaningful, in a responsible and in a fair way. Instead, Republicans seem hell-bent on making history by tarnishing the full faith and credit of the United States of America for the very first time. The reason they won't come to the table, the reason we may be forced to spin the wheel of misfortune: preserving tax cuts for millionaires, preserving tax breaks for corporate jets, preserving tax loopholes and payments to oil companies.

They seem more intent on subjecting the American people to the wheel of misfortune than standing up to the special interests that Americans want us to stand up to in the name of fiscal responsibility and fairness. In this game of partisan politics, a game that people all around the country are tiring of, no one wins--and the American people, unfortunately, always lose out.

Mr. Speaker, I would be delighted to yield to the gentlelady from Texas.

Madam Speaker, Americans are losing faith in our ability to get things done on their behalf. Today, that means addressing two problems at once: our long-term deficit and our unemployment crisis. The truth is these are two challenges, and these two challenges are two sides of the very same coin. So when Republicans say raising government revenue is off the table, I suppose that is why for months they refused to embrace one of the very best revenue raisers there is: job creation.

Our deficit exploded when 8 million Americans lost their jobs in 2008. With 14 million jobless today, no debt deal of any size will work without a focus on jobs. Investing now in infrastructure,

in energy, in education will not only create jobs; it will pay back dividends in the future. That's because putting Americans back to work, supporting their families, boosting productivity, and, yes, paying taxes is the government revenue raiser Republicans should join Democrats to get behind without delay.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Corporal Burt Richards for being awarded the American Red Cross Community Courage Award for his work in educating the youth of today about the service of veterans.

Corporal Richards and the local chapter of the Jewish War Veterans spearheaded the campaign to close Palm Beach County schools in remembrance of Veteran's Day. While they were not successful in their efforts to close schools, they were successful in creating a new lecture series called ``The Veteran Speaks,'' which has ensured that students in Palm Beach County are educated about our American war veterans.

I would like to congratulate Corporal Richards and the American Red Cross for the Palm Beach-Treasure Coast region for their great work on behalf of veterans and for the award. It is an honor having Corporal Richards as a constituent, and I look forward to a continued partnership in educating south Florida's youth about our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Jeffrey Gralnick, who passed away this past May at the age of 72. A legendary news executive and producer, Jeff's 52-year career began with the black-and-white news segments of the 1950s and grew into leadership positions at nearly all the major broadcast networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC.

One of the first producers of ``60 Minutes,'' Jeff worked with Walter Cronkite, Don Hewitt, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Tom Brokaw. As an executive producer and network executive, Jeff oversaw the broadcasts of space launches, presidential elections, and was in charge of the CBS news desk on the day President Kennedy was assassinated.

Jeff's enduring legacy is memorialized in the people he mentored over the years who are employed throughout the news industry. A tough and demanding teacher, Jeff was always eager to share his knowledge and experiences with younger coworkers. His intense character, professionalism, and integrity have left a lasting impression throughout the news industry.

A fierce competitor with a tireless work ethic, Jeff was always welcome to new challenges. After beating his first bout with cancer in his early sixties, Jeff found inspiration in the saying ``as soon as you feel too old to do something do it,'' and decided to climb to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, nearly making it to the top.

I offer my condolences to Jeff's wife of 41 years, Beth, their son Robert, their daughter Kate and her husband Tim, their grandson Adam, and Jeff's brother Bill. Even though Jeff passed away this past May, his work will live on through the broadcasts he has produced, the networks he helped shape, and the anchors and producers he mentored throughout his career.