Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, earlier today I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 906. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote 906.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) the Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act--a companion bill that is also being introduced today in the U.S. Senate by our colleagues Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) and Senator Marco Rubio (FL).

The Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act we introduce today advances the work of the National Museum the American Latino Commission--a 23-member bi-partisan, congressionally authorized commission of experts that investigated the potential creation of a museum. Through an exhaustive process that involved consultations with national experts, forums in eight cities (Chicago, Albuquerque, Austin, Miami, St. Paul, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Juan, Puerto Rico), and communication via several online platforms that engaged tens of thousan supporters, the commission generated valuable input regarding the feasibility of an American Latino museum Washington, D.C.

Over the past eighteen years the call has grown stronger and stronger to establish such a museum on our National Mall that shares the rich and full story of what it means to be an American. The effort to create the American Latino Museum dates back to 1993, when a Smithsonian Task Force on Latino Issues formally called for the creation of a national museum dedicated to sharing the story of Latinos' historic, cultural and artistic contributions to the U.S. I was proud to introduce the legislation in 2003 that created the National Museum of the American Latino Commission. Five years later, in 2008, Congress passed the bill and it was signed by President George W. Bush. Once appointed by Congress and President Barack Obama, the Commission began its work in 2009 with the support of the Department of Interior and Secretary Ken Salazar. The Commission's final 2011 report and recommendations can be viewed at http://www.americanlatinomuseum.gov. The bill we are introducing responds to the Commission's call for the creation of a national museum in Washington, D.C. that ``illuminates the American story for the benefit of all'' by preserving, presenting and interpreting American Latino history, art, cultural expressions, and experiences. Specifically, the bill:

(1) Establishes within the Smithsonian Institution a museum to be known as the ``Smithsonian American Latino Museum.''

(2) Designates the museum's site as the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall, at 900 Jefferson Drive Southwest in Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) the Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act--a companion bill that is also being introduced today in the U.S. Senate by our colleagues Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) and Senator Marco Rubio (FL).

The Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act we introduce today advances the work of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission--a 23-member bipartisan, congressionally authorized commission of experts that investigated the potential creation of a museum. Through an exhaustive process that involved consultations with national experts, forums in 8 cities (Chicago, Albuquerque, Austin, Miami, St. Paul, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Juan, Puerto Rico), and communication via several online platforms that engaged tens of thousands of supporters, the commission generated valuable input regarding the feasibility of an American Latino museum in Washington,

Mr. Speaker, on October 26th I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote No. 812. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 812.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are way ahead of the politicians. They have been telling us over and over again: We want a balanced approach to reducing our deficits.

One in five Americans has said very clearly: We support the Republicans' slash-and-burn default plan that we see before us that only cuts services to Americans to try to help us balance our budget. But nearly three times as many Americans have been saying over and over again: We want to see a balanced approach between those cuts to very important services, a little bit of pain, but also tax increases on all those folks who have been taking advantage of those tax loopholes and making a ton of money.

The American people don't think it's a good idea to cut Medicare and Social Security and to cut Medicaid to protect tax loopholes for special interests. They've been saying that over and over.

But here's the biggest clue that our Republican colleagues aren't listening to: The American people have said over and over that the biggest deficit our country faces today is a jobs deficit. After 204 days as the majority, Republicans have only given us slash-and-burn politics that have created not one single job for hardworking middle class families. In fact, instead of creating jobs, their major pieces of legislation could potentially cost 2 million more Americans to lose their jobs.

The worst thing about this whole charade is that every single person here in this room today knows that this bill that we're discussing today won't go anywhere. We face the very real possibility of an historic default in under a week, and here we are spinning our wheels.

We all agree that our Nation must not default on its past obligations. The Republican Members here must abandon their ``my way or the highway'' approach and work across the aisle on a balanced, bipartisan agreement to reduce our deficit, create jobs, and protect our seniors and our middle class.

I say to my Republican friends: America is not short on work ethic; we're short on jobs. It's time for us to get to the business of America and create those jobs.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 630. If present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall vote 630.

Once again, the public is way ahead of the politicians. By nearly three to one, Americans reject this Republican budget scheme. In fact, nearly 70 percent of Americans disapprove of how Republicans are handling this deficit and default crisis. Even 51 percent of Americans who are registered Republicans disapprove of how congressional Republicans are handling these negotiations.

And by wide margins, Americans have sent a very clear signal to us in Congress here: Do not cut Medicare to pay for deficits that were caused by things like the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy and two unpaid-for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Today, millions of Americans are living through tight budgets. As they sit at the kitchen table, they don't have the luxury of walking away from the tough choices as some in Congress have done. They know that they must balance today the needs that they have with the investments of tomorrow. That's why Americans would see straight through this cut-and-paste budget scheme.

Under this budget scheme, if an American family wanted to buy a house, guess what? You better have cash to pay for it, because you cannot borrow if you have to live under this budget scheme. No mortgages. If you want to send your child to college, you better have every single cent you need to send your child to college today to pay for the full cost of that tuition. No student loans because you could not borrow. So much for the American Dream for the American people.

Two hundred days into this Congress and not one bill yet from this House is enacted to put Americans back to work. And this proposal would eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs almost immediately.

How are we going to get past the next 14 days if today, on this floor, we're debating a bill that we know will not pass in the Senate, that the President has said that he would veto? And in 14 short days, it's not an issue of paying our bills. It's a matter of watching the interest rates on people's mortgages skyrocket. It's a matter of watching the value of the dollar plummet. And it's a matter of watching People's retirement accounts or their 401(k) or IRA all of a sudden drop simply because people here in the House of Representatives decided to play politics. That's what this is about. And that's why, once again, the public is way ahead of the politicians.

Let's get to work. Let's stop leaving the negotiating table. Let's get this done. The President has said he is willing to go with a balanced approach. This gets us nowhere. We need to go somewhere, because America still has a long way to travel.

Madam Chair, earlier today I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 599. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote 599.

Stated against:

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise to engage in a colloquy with the chairman and ranking member on recruitment and outreach at the military service academies.

Mr. Chairman, some areas in the U.S. have been harder for the military academies to reach for recruitment purposes than others. To ease this problem, the Congress should work to ensure that the military academies have the ability to reach out to men and women from underrepresented rural and urban areas.

Past outreach efforts have been effective at the military academies. For example, in the U.S. Naval Academy's increased outreach efforts, we have seen results that show that some 19,145 applicants have come out for the class of 2015, an increase of 25 percent over the past 2 years. The Navy has been able to conduct recruitment blitzes in parts of the country that were traditionally underrepresented. In my home State of California, the Navy increased their applicants by 25 percent, from some 2,400 for the class of 2013 to over 3,000 for the class of 2015.

I believe it is important for the academies to have the resources to continue building upon this success. This critical investment would help America find the best and the brightest for our military and for America's future.

I yield to the chairman.

I thank the chairman.

I yield to the ranking member.

I thank the ranking member and the chairman, and I look forward to working with them.

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

Amendment Offered by Mr. Flake

Mr. Speaker, earlier today I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 479. If present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 479.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall votes 408 and 409 on June 2, 2011. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 408 and ``no'' on rollcall vote 409.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a distinguished American, Mr. Eddie Palmieri, the recipient of this year's District of Columbia's Jazz Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Palmieri, renowned for his unique fusion of Jazz and Latin rhythms, has blazed many trails in his remarkable career. ``El Rumbero del Piano,'' a title which reflects his magic on the piano, has earned his place among the great ones for his dedication to Jazz and the cultivation of its creative soul.

Having grown up in Spanish Harlem to Puerto Rican parents, Latin beats were a part of Eddie Palmieri's life from an early age. He began his lifelong passion for creating music at the tender age of eight. By age thirteen, Eddie had joined his uncle's orchestra playing the timbales. From his early exposure to the music instruments of the South Bronx, was borne the beautiful medley of Jazz and Latin music that is now firmly weaved into American life.

A musical trailblazer, Eddie Palmieri received the first of what would be numerous Grammys in 1975 for the recording ``The Sun of Latin Music''--marking the very first time in the history of the Grammys that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences recognized Latin music. In 1988, the Smithsonian Institution recorded two of Mr. Palmieri's energetic performances for the catalog of the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. In a sign of changing times, in 1993, he was appointed to the Board of Governors of the New York chapter of National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Twenty years after placing Latin music on the Grammys map, Eddie once again chartered new territory, opening the door for the new category of Latin Jazz. More recently, in 2009, his widely popular composition ``Azucar Pa' Ti'' was inducted into the National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress as a significant and compelling American sound recording. Mr. Palmieri shares this honor of induction into the National Recording Registry with other titans of American music like The Band, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, The Staple Singers, Patti Smith, Cliff Edwards, Little Richard and R.E.M.

A nine-time Grammy Award winner with a musical career spanning more than 50 years and 36 recordings, Mr. Eddie Palmieri is an inspirational pianist, composer, arranger, and a celebrated leader of Salsa and Latin Jazz orchestras. For his numerous contributions to the American musical landscape, but more for his brilliant work in introducing the world to the rhythms of Latin Jazz, I ask that the House of Representatives honor and commend El Rumbero del Piano for a lifetime of achievement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a truly remarkable member of my community, Dr. Ho S. Bae, the medical director of the Asian Pacific Liver Center at St. Vincent's Medical Center. Dr. Bae has dedicated his career as a physician to improving the lives of people in my district. As we have just completed celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, it is fitting that we recognize the significant accomplishments of our AAPI community leaders.

In 2007, Dr. Bae founded the Asian Pacific Liver Center after noticing a disproportionally high incidence of Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) in Asian American communities in Los Angeles. Rather than be a passive witness to this growing public health problem, Dr. Bae took action to educate the public regarding CHB and increase the availability of treatment for this life threatening disease.

Since founding the center, Dr. Bae has been providing comprehensive services ranging from free screening, vaccinations, education and treatment for people afflicted by and at risk of contracting CHB. Dr. Bae has screened over 10,000 individuals and provided free hepatitis and liver cancer education to several thousand others at community venues. He has also been a leader in ensuring that information and strategies on how to protect individuals from the disease are communicated to patients in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner. This has vastly improved the value of his center's work by helping individuals make better lifestyle choices to effectively treat the disease and erase the stigma associated with it.

Dr. Bae's emergence as a leader on this issue provides true inspiration to all who hope to be a positive influence for the next generation of Americans. I am proud to have such a wonderful leader in my district and honored to recognize his service as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and honor that I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Dr. Ho Bae and the countless Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who are making a difference in their communities and throughout our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a truly outstanding leader of Asian American heritage from my district, Ms. Shashi Hanuman of Glassell Park. As we have just finished celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, it is important for us to honor the work of AAPI community leaders.

In her roles as a Directing Attorney for Public Counsel, the nation's largest pro bono law firm and a board member for key organizations serving working families, Ms. Hanuman has dedicated herself to advocating for the disenfranchised and the underserved throughout Los Angeles. In my district, she has helped countless families keep their homes in the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles, MacArthur Park, Koreatown, Hollywood and Echo Park.

As Directing Attorney of the Community Development Project for Public Counsel, Ms. Hanuman oversees a team dedicated to building a strong foundation for healthy, vibrant and economically stable communities. Through her work with this project over 200 affordable homes for seniors and families have been constructed and more than 600 tenants of modest income are now living in safe, decent affordable housing.

Ms. Hanuman has also provided legal counsel to numerous families fighting to keep their homes. Because of her compassion and hard work, there are families in my district today once facing a life on the street who are now secure in their home.

Through her non-profit and small business workshops, Ms. Hanuman has trained the next generation of community leaders Los Angeles County on ways to effectively meet the health care and housing needs of low- income families and youth. This work along with her donation of personal time to serve as board vice president of the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD), a community development corporation in South Los Angeles, and as board vice chair of Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH), have touched and improved the lives of so many people in Los Angeles.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and honor that I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting Ms. Shashi Hanuman and the countless Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent who are making a difference in their communities and throughout our country.