Michael Arcuri

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), the sponsor of the 9/11 bill.

Mr. ARCURI. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano). (Mr. SERRANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the amount of time I have remaining?

Mr. ARCURI. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1674 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz- Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

Mr. ARCURI. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1674 provides for the consideration of three bills in one rule: H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, with 30 minutes controlled by the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 20 minutes controlled by the Committee on the Judiciary, and 10 minutes controlled by the Committee on Ways and Means. The rule considers as adopted the substitute amendment printed in the report of the Committee on Rules. Finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit H.R. 847, with or without instructions; H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. The rule provides 1 hour for general debate controlled by the Committee on Ways and Means. The rule makes in order the substitute that was adopted by voice vote in the Ways and Means Committee last week. And, finally, the rule provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions; and, three, The Senate amendment to H.R. 2701, the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2010. The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that the House concur in the Senate amendment. The motion is debatable for 1 hour, controlled by the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Mr. Speaker, all three bills that this rule provides for consideration of are important and very pressing matters. I will speak to the merits of each this morning, but let me take this opportunity to begin by discussing H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. I want to start by thanking Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Hoyer for their dedication to the heroes and heroines and survivors of 9/11. I would like to thank all my colleagues in the New York delegation. With their support, we will finally do, after 9 years, what has been so long overdue--guarantee help for the survivors who served their country in the time of a national emergency. The 9/11 attacks were attacks on the United States. The response was a national response, and providing for those heroes who served our Nation is our responsibility because many of them are sick and dying today as a result of their service to our country. This is not a New York bill, no. This is a bill for America. As has been repeated many times, there are more than 71,000 people enrolled in the Federal World Trade Health Registry from--and I cannot stress this enough--every single State in the country. Thousands of firefighters, rescue workers, first responders, medical personnel, and construction workers traveled to Ground Zero to help search for survivors, to help clean up, and to help New York City recover. Many spent days, weeks, or months doing this hard work on behalf of our Nation. These heroes are now sick. We owe them more than we are currently providing. We are indebted to their service, and we must repay that debt if we hope to be able to count on others to act with similar valor if, God forbid, we were ever to face another national emergency of that nature again. I strongly urge my colleagues, whether they be Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, northern or southern, eastern or western, to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and to vote ``yes'' on the rule and vote ``yes'' on the bill. Those who stood up for our country in the wake of 9/11 are now counting on each of us to stand up for them. Another important measure of this rule allows for the consideration of H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, which is necessary to level the international playing field so that United States manufacturers can fairly compete with our trading partners. China is, without a doubt, undercutting our Nation's industrial base by devaluing its currency and dumping products into our markets, and we must do something about it. There is no way our domestic manufacturers can compete globally when our trading partners don't play by the same rules. Without action, we face the possibility of losing thousands of fair wage manufacturing jobs in upstate New York as well as across the Nation. I have dealt with this countless times with the steel industry and have testified before the House Ways and Means Committee and the International Trade Commission to express my views. It is one of the reasons I became a cosponsor of the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, along with 159 of my House colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, because we feel that countries like China that devalue their currency should be held accountable, and, as a Nation, we should have the ability to defend our domestic business. This rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, which will require the Department of Commerce to assess whether a Nation's currency rules grant a benefit in terms of the additional currency the country's exporters receive as a result of the undervaluation and to use widely accepted IMF methods for determining the level of undervaluation. As amended, H.R. 2378 is WTO consistent, because countervailing duties may only be imposed when commerce finds, based on an assessment of all the facts, the WTO criteria for an export subsidy have been met. Again, I urge all Members to support this rule so that we can have a debate here today on this legislation which is so important to the businesses and employees that each of us represent. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1674.

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Phillip T. Eastman, who passed away on July 29th of this year. Mr. Eastman was born on August 2, 1932 and worked on his family's dairy farm as a child. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University and his Master's Degree from the State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Eastman honorably served in the United States Army during the Korean War, and upon his return, became a teacher and guidance counselor. He retired in 1989 from the New Hartford School District as the Director of Pupil Personnel Services. Mr. Eastman was a tremendous asset to his community, as he dedicated his time and effort to helping others. He served as President of the New Hartford School Board, and as a member of my Veterans Advisory Committee. Mr. Eastman volunteered countless hours in assisting my office in evaluating hundreds of applicants for military academy nominations. Mr. Eastman enjoyed playing golf and working in his wood shop, but he cherished nothing more than spending time with his family, especially at their camp in Cooperstown. Madam Speaker, I call on my colleagues to join me in recognizing the great life and contributions of Mr. Phillip T. Eastman. Our country and community is a better place because of Phil's character, kindness and commitment to helping others. He will truly be missed.

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I would like to say thank you to the gentleman from Florida for his handling of this rule. It is always a pleasure to participate in a debate on a rule on the floor with you, Mr. Diaz-Balart. Madam Speaker, we heard a lot today. And I think it was very interesting to listen to the debate go back and forth, and certainly from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who talked a great deal about spending. Clearly, spending is one of the most important issues that we are dealing with here in Congress. In particular, my friend and colleague from the Rules Committee, Ms. Foxx, talked about the fact that it is--I think she said--``the most important issue that faces Congress.'' I would say that it clearly is one of the most important issues that faces Congress, but when you talk to people, when you talk to Americans, they think that the most significant issue that we in Congress need to deal with is the economy--it is jobs; it is putting people back to work, and equally important, it is making sure that the people who do have jobs continue to have jobs. I think this bill really is indicative of what the Democrats are trying to do. We recognize the fact that it is necessary to begin to make cuts. That is why this bill has cut $500 million from the amount that we spent last year. On the other hand, when you listen to economists, they are very clear in saying that we have to be careful in how quickly and how drastically we make cuts because we are starting to see the economy turn around. If we make draconian cuts and if we make cuts too quickly, it will stand to jeopardize the recovery that is beginning to take hold, that is beginning to take foot. So I think this bill takes exactly the right approach in terms of beginning to cut but not doing it in such a drastic way that we will affect or detrimentally hurt the recovery that is beginning to take effect. The Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act funds some of the most important initiatives that pay for everything from roads, bridges, and railroads to housing for veterans and low-income families. In my opening remarks, I discussed the critical investments that this bill makes in our transportation system. The bill also invests in housing programs for vulnerable populations, including retirees, people with disabilities, veterans, and even children. The funding is even more essential during these very tough economic times. The bill includes funding to address the problem of homelessness among our veterans. All too often, men and women who sacrifice the most for our freedoms are hit the hardest in tough economic times. We owe our veterans the utmost respect and gratitude for their service, and we must honor the commitment made to them. They should not have to return home to be confronted by the possibility of poverty or homelessness. To address this, H.R. 5850 includes funding for an additional 10,000 vouchers through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, administrated by HUD, in conjunction with the Veterans Administration. H.R. 5850 includes another $825 million to rehabilitate and to build new housing for low-income seniors. Currently, there are 10 eligible seniors on waiting lists for each unit of available housing. In America, it is unacceptable that our Greatest Generation is faced with this shortage. HUD's section 202 program is the largest housing program specifically dedicated to serving the elderly, with over 268,000 units for seniors. Madam Speaker, housing and transportation are two areas that absolutely must be priorities and that are essential during a recovery. The funding that H.R. 5850 provides for these programs will ensure that our economy continues to rebound and that out-of-work Americans are able to find jobs and to afford housing. Again, I want to stress that the committee has produced a bill that makes critical investments, which I have highlighted, and that it manages to do so while, at the same time, spending $500 million less overall on these agencies during the current fiscal year. During these tough economic times, American families have been forced to cut back and tighten their belts. We need to ensure that the Federal Government and agencies are following their example and doing so well. H.R. 5850 holds the Federal Government to that standard. I urge my colleagues, Democratic and Republican, to support it. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and on the rule.

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee). (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to the amount of time remaining.

Mr. ARCURI. I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.