Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, if you've ever seen Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, or History of the World: Part I, then you've probably laughed out loud at one or all of these comedies and rank them among your all-time favorite movies. For those laughs, you can thank Mel Brooks, who I'm proud to represent and recognize today-- in wishing him a happy 80th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, many people don't know that before he made movies, Mel Brooks served in the U.S. Army during World War II. One of Corporal Brooks' duties as a combat engineer was defusing landmines in areas around North Africa before the infantry moved in.

With his wife, the late Anne Bancroft, who passed away just over 1 year ago, Mel became a tremendous source of pride on Long Island. Known for his infectious sense of humor and for often breaking into a routine at the delight of surprised patrons of restaurants all around the East End, Long Islanders know Mel is just as extroverted, witty, and entertaining when you come across him in person as he appears on screen. Combined with his warmth and kindness, he has indeed earned a place among the East End's favorite sons.

Mr. Speaker, we can all be very proud of Americans like Mel Brooks who use their humor and celebrity to bring joy to the lives of so many people and to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Today, let's wish Mel Brooks a happy 80th and many happy returns as he keeps making us laugh with his movies and through his unique, very funny outlook on life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the occasion of National HIV Testing Day.

Mr. Speaker, more than one million Americans are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Of those, an estimated 320,000 people do not even realize that they carry the virus. Another 40,000 new transmissions are occurring every year in the United States, about half of which result from individuals who are unaware they are infecting others.

Today, June 27, 2006, is National HIV Testing Day, which gives us an opportunity as a Nation to pause to acknowledge the terrible toll that HIV is taking on America and to recommit ourselves to the eradication of this terrible disease. Most importantly, perhaps, National HIV Testing Day is an occasion on which we reiterate our commitment to testing vulnerable Americans for HIV as a first step towards providing counseling, offering treatment and bringing an end to the spread of

Mr. Speaker, almost 3 months to the day, I stood here in support of the third extension to the Higher Education Act with the hope that it would be the last short-term measure we needed to pass before we finally produced an improved bipartisan and long overdue reauthorization bill that reflects the best interest of America's college students.

I now rise in support of H.R. 5603 with a different hope, that the pending version of the Higher Education Act that the House passed in late March does not advance in the Senate, and that during the next session of Congress, under a new majority, we start over by making this legislation truly about increasing access and affordability.

On July 1, student borrowers will be burdened with a higher interest rate on their loans as a result of the administration's fiscal irresponsibility. Student loan interest rates are based on the 91-day T-bill, which is directly tied to the status of our economy. Based on today's current T-bill, interest rates for student borrowers who do not consolidate by July 1 will jump from 5.3 percent to 7.14 percent, which is a 34 percent increase in the rate.

Record-breaking budget deficits, tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, and an economic policy flawed by fiscal

irresponsibility have resulted in higher interest rates and our Nation's students having to pay for the mistakes of this administration and this Congress.

Last year the House leadership chose to cut student loans to the tune of $12 billion through the Deficit Reduction Act. With those cuts in the budget reconciliation bill, and now with higher interest rates on student loans, we are sending a message to America's students and their families that they are no longer among this Nation's top priorities.

As high school graduates and their proud parents calculate how they can squeeze college costs into their budget, they are discovering that it is an uphill climb for most families, made tougher by new higher interest rates.

Mr. Speaker, I support this extension that we are considering here today, but I do not support the direction and actions of this Congress as it relates to higher education. We must do more to ensure that every qualified student has the chance to go to college.

Mr. Speaker, two new reports released yesterday make an open and shut case that the Medicare part D drug benefit is inadequate to meet the needs of America's seniors. One report indicates that drug prices are increasing at four times the rate of inflation. The other report shows that the VA, which negotiates with the drug companies for better pricing, is paying 46 percent less for brand-name drugs than the prices listed by Medicare plans for the same drugs.

Is there any better proof that we should have allowed the government to negotiate for lower prices when we had the chance? How can we explain or justify these exorbitant drug price increases to seniors? The drug companies say it is not their fault and blame the insurance companies, who return blame to the drug companies.

There is really nowhere else to turn except to the Medicare bill, which continues to disappoint, frustrate and anger seniors. Part D works just fine for the drug companies and the HMOs, but it is not working for those seniors who, through no fault of their own, haven't signed up for a plan and will pay for the consequences of a bad plan for the rest of their lives.

Like our energy policy, which coddles oil companies earning record profits, the Republicans' flawed health care policy built around part D rewards the pharmaceutical industry, another coddled industry, at the expense of one of the most vulnerable segments of our population, our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the over 3 million women living with breast cancer, the leading cause of death among women between 40 and 55, including my sister-in-law, Abby Irwin, who died at only age 41 after an 11-year struggle.

One bill that would achieve a great deal to expand prevention and perhaps one day lead to a cure is H.R. 2231, the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act. This important legislation would establish multidisciplinary and multi-institutional breast cancer research centers to study the potential links between breast cancer and the environment.

Although this bill enjoys the support of 246 bipartisan cosponsors, and its companion has 64 Senate cosponsors, not a single hearing has been called since it was introduced over 1 year ago.

If we are going to make a serious commitment to preventing and curing breast cancer, we must pass this legislation. Our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends who are at risk deserve no less than our greatest effort to eradicate this tragic and all too prevalent disease.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to cosponsor the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act. I would further urge our leadership to expedite consideration of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution equates the Global War on Terror with the War in Iraq, which is in fact a diversion from the Global War on Terror. Our presence in Iraq has weakened our Armed Forces and reduced our ability to respond to more urgent threats.

Without exception, I have voted for every Iraq supplemental funding resolution, as I am determined to ensure that our troops in the field are properly equipped and protected. This resolution, however, is not about supporting the troops; it is about attempting to score points for partisan political gain.

I will not vote for a document that says we should simply stay the course in Iraq. Contrary to the misguided assertions of this resolution, redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq as soon as practicable is in fact in our national interest, and 2006 should be a period of significant transition toward full Iraqi sovereignty, as stated in last year's defense authorization law.

Regrettably, this resolution reaffirms the administration's flawed, stay-the-course policy and conduct of the war, neither of which has ever measured up to the valor and professionalism of the brave service men and women of our Armed Forces. Our troops continue to make America very proud while serving in harm's way in defense of our liberty. They deserve better than a cynical attempt at partisan exploitation.

Mr. Speaker, due to a previously scheduled medical procedure, I was not able to cast my vote on rollcall 288, concerning our presence in Iraq. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is a straightforward, nonpartisan resolution commemorating one of the worst air disasters in history. Nearly a decade ago, on July 17, 1996, the world witnessed as TWA Flight 800 crashed off the coast of Long Island in the Atlantic Ocean just south of my district. All 230 passengers and crew perished.

Today it is important that we continue to offer our support by joining the surviving families who will recognize the 10th anniversary of that tragedy next month and we must do all that we can to safeguard the flying public against future disasters.

Like other challenging times our Nation has faced, the reaction to the Flight 800 catastrophe brought out the best not only in my constituents but in so many others in the surrounding towns, States and across the Nation who joined New Yorkers in mourning the loss of so many who lost their lives and who helped my community recover from its most horrific tragedy.

New Yorkers, indeed, all Americans demonstrated the great human strength and spirit that makes our country prevail in the face of tremendous adversity. Thousands of volunteers and employees of the Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Army Corps of Engineers and the NTSB searched the waters below where the plane fell in an unprecedented search and recovery effort. Throughout and despite their grief the families of the victims worked tirelessly to build a permanent memorial with the help of Navy Seabees and thousands of dedicated local building trades union members. Today this solemn monument spirals along a strip of Long Island's south shore and serves as a constant reminder of our community's tremendous loss one decade ago.

As we approach this milestone, it is important to take stock of our progress in preventing air disasters since Flight 800. From a technological perspective, we have made some great strides towards aviation safety, particularly, for example, with design upgrades and an ongoing effort to mitigate fuel tank flammability, the cause of the Flight 800 crash.

It is also important to once again offer our condolences to the families of the Flight 800 disaster and assure them of our steadfast commitment to safety and of our vigilance against preventable catastrophes.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Only that in my view this is a very benign, very straightforward amendment. It does just two things. It offers the condolences of the Congress to the survivors of the tragedy and it reasserts our commitment to air travel safety.

I understand the point of order. I guess I would respectfully request that the chairman acknowledge that this is a benign and straightforward amendment and not impose the point of order.

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was not present in the Chamber to cast my vote on rollcalls 227 through 234 on Wednesday, June 7.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcalls 229, 230, 231, 233, and 234.

I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcalls 227, 228, and 232.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would prohibit funding in this bill from being used by the Department of Homeland Security to reimburse a private corporation for attorneys' fees and any other legal expenses incurred during their appeal from a recent and impartial National Labor Relations Board decision to reinstate employees who were unfairly fired from their jobs at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which is a DHS facility located off the North Fork of my district on Long Island.

The Plum Island employees were hard-working members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 30. They were loyal to DHS and to the research facility on Plum Island. In 2002, they were fired on grounds that the NLRB recently found were unjustified. Adding insult to injury, the employees were also denied back pay and benefits for over 3 years of missed work. And now their employer wants to appeal the administrative decision of an impartial arbiter to put them back to work and award them the back pay and benefits they are due.

I hope that my colleagues would agree that spending money in this bill to reimburse a privately-owned joint venture for attorneys' fees and to further extend this already long and protracted litigation is an entirely inappropriate use of DHS funds. More important, it would negate the intended use as appropriated by this Congress and detract from what should be the primary focus of the Department, defending our homeland and keeping Americans safe from foreign sources of terrorism.

For instance, the funds my amendment blocks would be a lot better spent protecting the two cities attacked on September 11th that are now shortchanged $114 million due to the Department's decision to slash anti-terrorism funds from major urban areas.

Mr. Chairman, it is long past time for this case to be resolved, to stop harassing the Plum Island employees, allow them to return to their jobs and restore their benefits. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Costello for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, when two parties enter negotiations, it is generally expected that both sides play by the same rules. But there is an exception made for the FAA which enjoys a decided advantage over air traffic controllers.

For instance, there was no penalty or consequences for FAA negotiators when they walked away in the middle of negotiations expecting that congressional inaction would automatically impose a new contract with lower pay and benefits for the air traffic controllers have earned through their hard work and impeccable service record since the terrorist attacks.

Mr. Speaker, I would say that this is not an argument about average compensation or cash compensation. This is an argument that is essentially about fairness. The current process is anything but fair. Whatever one's position might be on the underlying issue, most of us can agree that Congress should let the process run its course and refrain from dictating the terms of an agreement that should be settled like any other labor dispute.

Mr. Speaker, the diligent and hardworking men and women who guide America's air traffic serve a critically important role in our homeland security. At the very least we should level the playing field so that they can negotiate a fair contract.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, we can't drill our way to energy independence. Although this Nation is responsible for 25 percent of the world's oil demand, we own only 3 percent of the reserves.

Time and again we've debated opening ANWR to oil exploration. It fails every time because a majority knows it's as misguided an idea as leading off our energy policy by rewarding $16 billion worth of tax- breaks to oil companies.

Opening ANWR is not the silver bullet for lowering gas prices. We need to shift the focus from supply back toward reducing our demand. If we don't we'll remain at the mercy of Big Oil.

We must commit more toward conservation and research into renewable energy if we're going to achieve energy independence once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, we owe our constituents more than what appears to be a debate about reform. It's time that we deliver a policy that embraces real energy reform.

Mr. Speaker, we can simply do better.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, first, let me start by thanking my colleague and friend from Connecticut, Ms. DeLauro, for co-sponsoring this amendment and for her leadership in the effort to protect the splendor of Long Island Sound.

Our amendment limits the use of any funds appropriated in this bill for use by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review the pending application for the placement of a floating storage and regasification unit known as Broadwater in the middle of Long Island Sound, an area that was designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as an estuary of national significance.

To be clear, the amendment does not block any other pending application before the FERC relating to the placement of onshore and offshore liquefied natural gas projects around the country. Rather, it is intended to protect the splendor of Long Island Sound as we expand our energy independence.

Like my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I believe that it is in the best interest of our Nation to develop new and innovative technologies, expand refining capacity and increase the supply of natural gas. However, we must strike a responsible balance between expanding the supply of energy and protecting the environment.

Long Island Sound has benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars invested by the Federal Government, the States of New York and Connecticut, as well as local towns and municipalities fighting to curb hypoxia, brown tide and other destructive pollutants which decimated our fishing and shell fishing industries and set back the regional economies.

Today, Long Island Sound generates $5 billion annually for the regional economy from commercial and pleasure boating, commercial and sport fishing and other forms of tourism. It should be easy to understand why it is imperative to preserve this flourishing economy and the splendor of its environment for the benefit of over 10 million people who live within the Long Island Sound watershed alone.

Placing a floating terminal in this location threatens to jeopardize its precious ecosystem, the regional economy and the delicate balance between environmental preservation and energy independence that we have worked so hard to achieve.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is not intended to weaken the case for expanding our supply of natural gas. My amendment is about making sure that we don't lose sight of our environmental goals or allow preservation and conservation to take a back seat in the rush to formulate a more effective and less expensive energy policy.

I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this amendment and work with me to make sure that we satisfy our energy needs while preserving the integrity of our natural resources.

Let me close by thanking Chairman Hobson for his continued support for Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is in my district. Thanks to his continued support and leadership, along with the ranking member, the scientific research funded in this bill will go a long way to advance our Nation's technological edge and competitiveness.

I reserve the balance of my time.

May I inquire as to how much time I have left?

If I may quickly respond to my friend from Texas. He characterizes the Long Island Sound as a remote area. That is incorrect. There are approximately 10 million people who live within a 50-mile radius of the Long Island Sound. I don't think that would fall within any reasonable description of a remote area.

Secondly, the Energy Policy Act which my friend from Texas cites

strips local government of the right to have a say in whether or not we site facilities of this type within areas. This is an effort on our part to assert some local control. Every elected official on both sides of the aisle that has responsibility for this region opposes this facility, as does the vast majority of the population.

With that, I would like to yield the balance of my time to my friend from Connecticut, Congresswoman DeLauro.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, while the Federal Trade Commission says price gouging isn't a problem at the Nation's gas pumps, American families know there is something rotten in the state of big oil.

In the face of soaring gas prices that have pinched consumers for over a year, record breaking profits and nine-figure golden parachutes for oil CEOs, it is impossible to fathom why the FTC didn't include any meaningful recommendations about how to deal with price spikes or why our leadership in Congress hasn't done a better job delivering relief to American families approaching the peak summer months of gas consumption.

One thing is for sure: This rubber stamp Republican Congress bears responsibility for an energy policy that makes a priority of handing out billions worth of tax breaks for an industry that simply doesn't need it, as one CEO testified before the Senate, above delivering real relief to consumers.

When all five FTC Commissioners back up their report before the Senate Commerce Committee today, it is going to be a tough sell to the American people that price gouging really isn't a problem and that what is good for the oil companies' bottom line is good for the American families.

Offered By: Mr. Bishop of New York

Amendment No. 5: At the end of the bill, before the short

title, insert the following new section:

Sec. 503. None of the funds made available by this Act may

be used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review

applications for floating storage and regasification units in

areas designated under section 320 of the Federal Water

Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1330) as an estuary of

national significance.