Corrine Brown

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak about a very brave young man, Jeffrey Mattison Wershow, who was killed in the line of duty in Iraq. A specialist in the Florida National Guard who served with the Army's 124th Infantry Regiment, he died at the very young age of twenty-two. Jeffrey was born in Gainesville, a city which is in my congressional district, Florida's third. Compounding the tragedy of Jeffrey's death is that he was killed in Iraq while trying to keep the peace after the U.S. invasion had already ended. He was assigned to be part of a group of soldiers in a 124-man group assigned to escort U.S. officials. He was killed while guarding a convoy of vehicles while they were parked outside a campus building at Baghdad University when an Iraqi man approached him, pulled out a gun, and shot him. For his service in ``Iraqi Freedom'' Jeffrey received the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Achievement Medal, the Parachute Badge and the Army Service Medal. The Army in fact, has recommended that he receive the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart for his dedicated and honorable service in combat. It is truly impressive all that Jeffrey had accomplished during his young life. He began his active duty in the U.S. Army back in June 1999. After he finished his specialized training, he went on to join the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army's 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment. From there, he went on to continue his service with the National Guard. A curious and bright young man, Jeffrey had a burning interest in history and political science. He was active in Gainesville politics, and served as co-campaign manager to the campaign of one of my close friends, Cynthia Chestnut, during her County Commission campaign in 2002. He also participated in politics at Santa Fe Community College, was elected to the Student Senate, and was intending to run for student body president. In a photo taken of him for which he will be fondly remembered, he can be seen patriotically waving the flag during last year's University of Florida Homecoming parade. Jeffrey, riding in the veteran's float, in a demonstration of boundless patriotism and limitless energy, jumped out of the boat and ran down the street waving the American flag to energize the crowd. Jeffrey will be deeply missed by all of the people who knew him. I will keep Jeffrey and his family members with me in my prayers and thoughts.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, Head Start works just fine the way it is. Why the Republicans want to change something that has been proven to work, just to put their name on it, is just ridiculous. Head Start works fine just the way it is. One of my constituents, Eddie Moore, and all of his brothers went on to college after being in Head Start. He also went on to play professional football and now he is an extremely successful business man. Head Start is one of the most important education programs for low income children, and it is tragic that the House Republican leadership is set on dismantling it. The plan is not just to completely underfund the program, but to block grant the funding! You know, Head Start kids are very prepared and do better in school than low-income children who don't receive Head Start. It's been proven that Head Start narrows the readiness gap between Head Start kids and children from the more affluent side of the tracks. Head Start should help children arrive at school more ready to learn--and it does just that--very successfully. My best advice to the Republican leadership is: if it ain't broken, don't fix it, and more importantly, don't brake it! I strongly urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2210 will dismantle Head Start. The Republican example of compassionate conservatism is destroying our best early childhood education program for our children. If it isn't broke, don't fix it; and, whatever you do, don't break it.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, due to a pressing matter in the state, I was unable to make the following votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 371, ``No'' on rollcall vote No. 372, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 373, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 374, and ``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 375.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me first of all thank the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for his leadership on African issues and particularly on this Liberian issue; and let me thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), who has been one of the leaders in the Congressional Black Caucus and Chair of our African subcommittee, for his leadership. The Bush administration sent troops to Iraq, for, so they claim, so they claim, humanitarian reasons. Our troops went over there to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people, to liberate the Iraqi people from a tyrant, to bring justice to the people of that nation, so they claim. At this very moment, leaders in the United Nations, leaders in various African nations, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, members of the human rights community worldwide, are pleading with the President to send peacekeeping troops to Liberia. Yet the President set off for Africa without any intentions of even visiting Liberia and without bothering to consult with members of the Congressional Black Caucus about his trip, many of whom have worked on issues pertaining to Africa for decades. As you know, Liberia has always been a faithful ally of the United States. Both nations share close historic ties. Liberia in fact was founded by free slaves from the United States in 1820. The capital, Monrovia, is named after a United States President, James Monroe. Unfortunately, the situation in Liberia has turned chaotic. Non- emergency staff at the United States embassy were evacuated when fighting broke out in the capital between government troops and rebels. Hundreds of Liberians have been killed and thousands have been wounded. The fighting is not over. Tens of thousands of others have been driven from their homes and aid workers say that up to 1 million Liberians may end up displaced. This recent conflict is nothing new. This is a country that has been suffering from civil war for years. About 200,000 Liberians died in fighting during 7 years of war in the 1990s. We have been successful in drawing attention, thanks to the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus and others, both nationally and internationally. The CBC has been strong in its efforts to encourage the Bush administration that the United States play an active role in the conflict in Liberia, especially before it spreads to other nations in West Africa. We do not want this fighting to spread to other West African countries. Let me repeat that. Liberia is now making headlines in newspaper and TV news across the country, making people around the United States aware of the conflict and forcing the administration to put it on their radar screen. Recently the U.N. secretary asked the U.S. to play a bigger role. African countries and others have pledged up to 3,000 troops if the United States helps out. On all borders of Liberia, the Europeans are showing that peacekeeping missions can be successful. Clearly, our Nation plays an influential role in world politics. We saw that many times in the past and recently in Europe. And, remember, the State Department, when they argued for intervention for a European country, they always say it is for humanitarian reasons. We do not want it to spread to other countries. So why should Africa be given the same treatment? The situation in Liberia is critical, and this is a perfect time for the United States to play a leading role in bringing about an end to the misery and suffering of the Liberian people. In closing, my favorite scripture is ``To whom God has given much, much is expected.'' We are expecting that the administration will come forward and help the suffering Liberian people.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to pay special tribute to the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law for their great work in promoting civil rights and equal justice. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy, to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The establishment of the Committee sought to fulfill the expectation of America's leaders that the private bar become an active force in the continuing struggles for equal opportunity and racial equality. The principal mission is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law. The Committee's major objective is to use the skills and resources of the bar to obtain equal opportunity for minorities by addressing factors that contribute to racial justice and economic opportunity. Given our nation's history of racial discrimination, segregation, and the de facto inequities that persist, the Lawyers' Committee's primary focus is to represent the interest of African Americans in particular, other racial and ethnic minorities, and other victims of discrimination, where doing so can help to secure justice for all racial and ethnic minorities. The Lawyers' Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy advocacy, and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights. For decades, the Committee has made a lasting impact on civil rights in America. The Lawyers' Committee has continually pressed forth its mission to mobilize the bar in upholding the principles of equal opportunity and racial equality as the standards by which the integrity of American democracy is judged. This year the Lawyers' Committee celebrates it's 40th Anniversary. In celebration, the Lawyers' Committee is convening a major symposium, The Quest for Equal Justice: Advancing a Dynamic Civil Rights Agenda for Our Times--July 18 to 19 at the International Trade Center in Washington, DC. Distinguished participants will examine the progress that has been achieved and the many outstanding challenges presented by the persistence of racial, ethnic, gender and other forms of discrimination. The symposium hopes to address critical civil rights issues in the opening decades of the twenty-first century. Mr. Speaker, at a time when we face the imminent danger of once again losing much of what has been gained in the national journey to equal rights it is critical that the Lawyers' Committee be given proper commendation for their continued hard work and dedication to civil rights. So, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute to The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. We wish them all the best as we acknowledge all of their accomplishments.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I thank the gentlewoman once again for bringing this subject area to the American public. Wake up, America. To me, the cold hearted attitude of House Republicans can be summed up in a statement made just last week by the House majority leader. When asked about bringing up the Child Tax Credit bill, he said, and I quote: ``There are a lot of other things that are more important than that . . .'' Now, I humbly ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, ``what exactly, on your agenda, is more important than the protection of the children of this nation?'' In my state of Florida alone, the Child Tax Credit package benefits over a million children. And once again, the Republican leadership is catering its agenda to the rich. And after deciding just today that the only way they will agree to take up the Child Tax Credit bill is by adding on an $80 billion tax credit for the rich to the bill. And even though their selected leader, George W. Bush, is urging them to take up a clean bill, and even though they have followed his lead on everything from tax cuts for the rich to foreign policy, when it comes to funding children, they ignore even the plea of the White House. In addition, the House Republican leadership is planning to dismantle Head Start, one of the best education programs for children of working class families, by block granting program funding. You know, there was $900 million sent down to the Florida governor Jeb Bush, yet he put the money into the bank, as opposed to helping the people of Florida. Block grants is just not the way to go. In the past, everyone was telling me, send transportation dollars to the states, send the education dollars to the states, the states can best figure out how to use it. They're not telling me that now, when I talk to the Mayors in Florida, or to the County Commissioner, they tell me that, ``whatever you do, whatever you do, don't send the money to Tallahassee, because we will never see a dime of it.'' That is what they tell me, they say it gets lost in Tallahassee, and it never trickles down to the areas, to the first responders, to the Head Start programs, it is just an empty hole. The Republican Head Start block grant plan will end Head Start as we know it. Even the new limited 8-state block grant is risky. Why risk turning a successful program over to states with unproven expertise and without the federal program quality standard requirements and oversight that are demonstrated to increase school readiness. My colleagues, there is an old expression which really applies to this issue here: if it ain't broken, don't fix it. You know, Head Start kids are very prepared and do better in school than low-income children who don't receive Head Start. In addition, it's been proven that Head Start narrows the readiness gap between Head Start kids and children from the more affluent side of the tracks. Head Start should help children arrive at school more ready to learn--and it does; but for the administration to expect Head Start to completely protect children against the effects of poverty is just ridiculous. Moreover, block grants don't work. Block grants gut the quality of comprehensive services. And this block grant plan is particularly bad, and requires States to provide a bunch of services, but doesn't require the same nature, extent or quality of them. None of the thirteen areas of Head Start performance standards that lay out the comperhensive services and high level of quality that have made Head Start successful are required or even mentioned in the block grant. In fact, the block grant emphasizes comprehensive services being met through referral of families to outside services for assistance, which would end up encouraging States to provide a much lower level of services. In addition, the block grant does not specify any minimum requirements for teacher education levels, for child-staff ratios or for curriculum content. It simply calls on each State to come up with their own school standards and their own ways of measuring progress against those standards. But the problem is that those standards are not clearly defined in the block grant and vary greatly in content and quality among the States. As it is now, Head Start education standards are thorough and strongly based in standards of education, and having States come up with their own standards with no direction and no requirements will only serve to weaken education standards. Lastly, block grants weaken oversight and evaluation. States that meet the eligibility criteria have their applications deemed approved by the Secretary by default--which means that there won't be any oversight or evaluation of the quality of the State plan. In addition, there is no minimum threshold required by States' internal evaluations of their programs--they can just go ahead and define it on their own. No States monitor their programs as closely as Head Start is monitored. And under the block grant, outside evaluations of the State programs will likely not happen very often. Under the Republican plan, there will be no more compliance reviews with regard to national performance standards. Gone will be meaningful Federal oversight and monitoring. Why, why, why, the Republicans are changing something that works, just does not make sense. Once again I repeat: if something isn't broken, don't bother fixing it.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, I thank them for hosting these educational hours to educate the American public as to what is going on in the people's House. To me, the cold-hearted attitude of the House Republicans can be summed up in a statement made last week by the House majority leader. When asked about bringing up the child tax credit bill, he said, and I quote, ``There are a lot of other things that are more important than that.'' I humbly ask my colleague on the other side of the aisle, what exactly on your agenda is more important than the protection of the children in this Nation? In my State of Florida alone, the child tax credit package benefits over a million children. Once again, the Republican leadership is catering its agenda to the rich, after deciding just today that the only way they would agree to take up the child tax credit bill is by adding on an $80 billion tax credit for the rich in the bill. Even though their selected leader, George W. Bush, is urging them to take up a clean bill and even though they follow his leadership in everything from tax cuts for the rich to foreign policy, when it comes to funding children's programs, they ignore even the plea of the White House. In addition, the House Republican leadership is planning to dismantle Head Start, one of the best educational programs for children of working-class families, by block granting program funding. There was $900 million sent down to Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Yet he put the money in the bank as opposed to helping the people of Florida. Block grant money is not the way to go. In the past, everyone was telling me, just send the money to the State. In the area of transportation, just send the money to the State. Education, just send the money to the State. They will know best what to do with it. I can tell you, they are singing a different tune now. When I talk to the mayors or the county commissioners, they tell me, Whatever you do, don't send that money to Tallahassee, because we will never see a dime of it. Whatever you do, don't block grant the money and send it to Tallahassee. It is a deep hole and they never see a dime of the dollars that come from the Federal Government down to the State. The Republican Head Start block grant plan will end Head Start as we know it, one of the most successful programs in the history of this country. Even the new limited eight-State block grant is a risky deal. Why risk turning a successful program over to States with unproven expertise and without the Federal program quality standard requirements and oversight that are demonstrated to increase school readiness? My colleagues, there is an old expression which really applies to this issue: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Head Start kids are very prepared to do better in school than low-income children who do not receive Head Start. In addition, it has been proven that Head Start narrows the readiness gap between Head Start kids and kids from the more affluent side of the tracks. Head Start should help children arrive at school more ready to learn, and it does. But for the administration to expect Head Start to completely protect children against the effects of poverty is just plain stupid. Moreover, block grants do not work. Block grants gut the quality of comprehensive services. And this block grant plan is particularly bad and requires States to provide a bunch of services but does not require the same nature, extent or quality of them. None of the 13 areas of Head Start performance standards that lay out the comprehensive services and high level of quality that have made Head Start successful are even mentioned in the block grant. In fact, the block grant emphasizes comprehensive services being met through referrals of families to outside service for assistance, which would end up encouraging States to provide a much lower level of service. In addition, the block grant does not specify any minimum requirements for teacher education levels, for child-staff ratios or for curriculum content. It simply calls on each State to come up with their own school standards and their own ways of measuring progress against those standards. I can go on and on and on as far as Head Start is concerned. I will submit my statement for the Record. But I do have a question for the gentlewoman from California. When we passed, when the House passed--I did not vote for it--the $350 billion, $20 billion was earmarked to the States. Can you explain what was the purpose of the $20 billion that went to the States? Was it to put in the bank and use for a slush fund next year to, I guess, enhance the chances of the Republicans to continue to practice reverse Robin Hood, stealing from the working people to give tax breaks for the rich? What was the purpose of that $20 billion?

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. That is an example of what is wrong when you send a block grant to the State and you do not specify. nderstanding in talking to the different committees, it was specified that this money would be used to help the States in their struggle. I do not know whether the gentlewoman saw it, but last week on the national news, on ``Dateline,'' they discussed the number of students, hundreds of thousands of students that are failing the tests in Florida, third graders who were being held back, thousands of students not graduating, because we came up with additional educational standards. And I must quickly say that many of the schools, the ``F schools'' or the failing schools, have been the schools on the other side of the railroad tracks, the schools on the other side of the bridge, that have never gotten adequate funding. So when we set standards, and the support was not there to work with the schools, many of the children do not do well. We look at the State of Florida as we speak. We do not have summer school programs in place. Could some of that money be used for summer schools, for some of the cuts that have occurred in the school system to augment the cuts in the programs for educational support for the school system?

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), for their hard work in bringing this bill to the floor today and for working with Members on and off the committee to ensure a fair process that includes Members' ideas. It is very fitting that we pass this legislation in the same year that we are celebrating 100 years of providing power flights. We had a good debate in both the subcommittee and full committee, and I expect it to continue today and throughout the conference. Since 9/11 the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has been focusing on improving the security of our transportation infrastructure and ensuring the safety of the traveling public. This reauthorization bill goes a long way in accomplishing this goal and fits well into the overall homeland security plan we are developing. The FAA has a very important job to do, and this bill provides additional funding and the direction that would allow the FAA to improve the air transportation system for passengers, airports, airlines and many businesses that rely on the aviation industry. I encourage my colleagues to support the bill and this amendment as we continue on the road to improved safety and security for the traveling public.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this has become an all too familiar moment for me. You see, this is the ninth time in 8 years that the Republicans have pushed a ban on so-called partial-birth abortion. Yet I continue to be outraged every year at this leadership's self- righteous attempt to turn back the clock on women's constitutionally protected rights, back to the time when women had to leave the country or risk their lives in dangerous back-alley procedures. The Supreme Court agrees that medical decisions should be made by the patient and her doctor and not by a bunch of politicians in Washington and their special interests. This is why several medical and health organizations, including the American College of OB-GYNs, oppose this legislation. This legislation was wrong 8 years ago, and it is still wrong. It contains no exception whatsoever for women's health. It simply puts women's lives at risk. This is a perfect example of how mean-spirited and extreme this administration can be. This is a direct attack on Roe v. Wade. But more than that, it is another example in a long line of this administration's attacks on our rights. I cannot stand by and watch as one by one this White House and the leadership in this House chew up our rights and spit them out. I stand today as a woman and as an American to fight for our constitutionally protected rights. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule and a ``no'' vote on the underlying bill. Wake up, America.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues who yesterday were announcing so passionately their love of the flag and all it represents, how 75 short days ago in this same room we stood in the People's House and stripped the veterans budget by almost $30 billion. I have heard my colleagues on the other side accuse those who oppose the flag amendment as being unpatriotic. No, Mr. Speaker, what is disgracefully unpatriotic and a flagrant dishonor to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died defending this country, and to those who even now are still in harm's way overseas, are the reverse Robin Hoods that walk these halls of Congress, the ones who find it so easy to sneak money to their country club buddies for their tax breaks while stripping the benefits and services from those who fought to defend the very freedoms that our flag represents. To all of those who are so quick to question their opponents' patriotism, where was your patriotism when you cut almost 20,000 VA nurses? Where was your patriotism when you voted for the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits? Were you waving your flag as you voted to drop over 160,000 veterans from the VA health care system? I missed the rendition of the Star Spangled Banner when you voted to reach into the pockets of our Nation's service-connected veterans and rob them and their survivors, their widows and children, of a portion of their promised compensation. And the list goes on. Just today these same hypocrites, calling themselves patriots, fought to take away women's constitutionally protected rights. This administration laughs in the face of our Bill of Rights as it holds thousands of people in jail without any due process under the guise of national security. At this very moment there are Haitians being held illegally in prison even after a judge ruled in their favor. They offer no threat to this country, but Attorney General Ashcroft is arbitrarily taking their rights. Not only is this administration arresting adults but they are arresting children. These are the actions of a dictator. And worst of all, the administration has lied time and time again to the American people when trying to invent reasons to preemptively invade Iraq. I cannot find a shred of patriotism in any of this. Mr. Speaker, I call on my so-called patriots here who proclaim so loudly their love of the flag to put their money where their mouth is. Everybody can talk the talk. It takes a real patriot to walk the walk. I stand in protest of this House being derelict in its duties and leaving our veterans behind. Wake up, America.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me just remind the Members of this House that just 74 short days ago in this same room we stood in the People's House and stripped the veterans' budget by about $30 billion. That is $30 billion. We cut 20,000 VA nurses. Where was the patriotism when we lost 6.6 million outpatient visits? Where were you waving your flag as you voted to drop over 160,000 veterans from the VA health care? Mr. Speaker, we can talk the talk; we need to walk the walk. Let us support the veterans, not with our discussion of the flag, but with service to our VA veterans.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this administration should be referred to as the administration of hard knocks. It is simply amazing that George W. Bush, who has been in office for only 2 years after being selected by the Supreme Court, has led this country into one of the worst economic downturns in our Nation's history; 2 years, selected by the Supreme Court, and he has led this country into one of the worst economic downturns in the Nation's history. We have lost over 2 million jobs in the last 2 years and as many as 500,000 jobs in the last 3 months alone. The only answer the Republicans have to our economic problems is tax cuts, tax cuts, and more tax cuts. This is supposed to be the People's House, not a House that just represents the country club buddies of the Republican Party. On this weekend before Memorial Day we have an unemployment package before the House, and once again the Republican Party is playing politics with the American people. They again block the Democratic proposal, which would have given workers an additional 13 weeks to find a job in these difficult markets. Watch out, Republicans. They can fool some of the people some of the time, but they cannot fool all of the people all of the time. The 1 million people left out in the cold are paying attention and will remember them on Election Day.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from New York (Mr. Quinn), the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for all of their efforts to bring this bill to the House floor. This will be our fourth effort to enact this legislation. Each time it has passed the House, only to die from inaction by the other body. I hope that the fourth time is the charm. Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to believe that this bill has not been passed by both Houses and signed into law by the President years ago. The bill simply provides intercity rail passengers and their families the same basic assistance and protection that we provide airline passengers and their families. In the event of a serious accident involving major loss of life, the bill provides that the National Transportation Safety Board provide assistance to the families of the victims. By designating an NTSB employee to be responsible for facilitating and recovering and identification of those killed in the accident, and by designating an independent agency like the Red Cross as primarily responsible for communication with the family members of the victims, we ensure that these delicate tasks are performed by professionals trained to respond to transportation tragedies. The bill spells out the specific details of what is expected from the NTSB, the independent relief agency, and the railroads, all with the purpose of getting information to the family members as quickly as possible and providing compassionate care for those who have lost loved ones. Mr. Speaker, these services and protections have been available for airline accident victims and their families since 1996. It is time we treated railroad passengers and their families with the same respect and compassion. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this unfair rule. Once again, the Republican Party is slamming their agenda through this Congress with little debate late at night. Mr. Speaker, you can tell something about a country's priorities by how they spend their budget. As we can see from the Republican Party's budget, they do not see children, the poor, the hard-working people of this country, minorities, health care, education, or veterans as important. To begin with, our Nation's veterans, on the same day that this House voted to commend our troops in Iraq, the Republican leadership pushed through a budget that cut the VA budget by $30 billion. Who else is the victim of this Republican budget? This administration's tax-cutting plans have ruined our economy and have helped push African American unemployment up by 10.5 percent, and our country's poverty rate has gone up while the median income has gone down. This budget is also bad for public housing. HUD is slated for a huge cut, including plans to slash section 8 vouchers that help millions of low-income residents to pay their rent. They plan to zero out HOPE VI. This list goes on and on and on. I want to conclude by adding that it should not be a surprise to anyone that this administration has not fully funded election reform. Their proposal falls nearly $1 billion short from the amount authorized in the Help America Vote Act. In the end, the Republican Party does not want election reform. They are just fine with the 2000 election results since they came out on top, even though they did it by stealing with the help of colleagues from Florida. Wake up, America. Wake up. It does matter who is in charge.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 124 I voted ``yea,'' and I am a definite ``nay.''

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his leadership in organizing this Special Order, and to the members of the Congressional Black Caucus for participating. Mr. Speaker, I have served on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for 11 years, and I do not think I have ever been as outraged at the shameful act of this Republican leadership as I am today. On the same day that this House voted to commend our troops and the work that they are doing in Iraq, this same Republican leadership pushed through a veterans budget that cut the VA budget by almost $30 billion. Let me repeat that. Thirty billion dollars. Republicans can talk the talk, but they do not walk the walk. Or as one veteran group says, they do not roll the roll. It is not what you say, Mr. Speaker, it is what you do. Our troops today are tomorrow's veterans. These cuts mean the loss of almost 20,000 VA nurses at a time when we are already experiencing a nursing shortage. These cuts mean the loss of 6.6 million outpatient visits. These cuts mean the disenrollment of over 160,000 veterans in a 1-year period from the VA health care system. Not only that, but these cuts also mean reaching into the pockets of our Nation's service-connected veterans and robbing them and their survivors of a portion of the promised compensation. And the veterans are not the only unlucky recipients of the Republican budget ax. Elementary and secondary education as well as teacher quality programs also get the ax. Head Start and school lunch programs get the ax. The Office of Minority Health and the Ryan White program all get the ax. Mr. Speaker, I do not have enough time here today to let the American people know about all the crucial programs that the Republican leadership does not think are more important than funneling money to their country club friends. Mr. Speaker, this budget dishonors the service of millions of veterans and our Nation's commitment to care for its defenders. Mr. Speaker, I cannot express it any better than the Disabled American Veterans did so appropriately in testifying on this budget, and I quote, ``Is there no honor left in the hallowed halls of our government that you choose to dishonor the sacrifices of our Nation's heroes and rob our programs, health care, and disability compensation to pay for a tax cut for the wealthy? `` Let me repeat that again. Somebody out there needs to hear what I am saying. The Disabled American Veterans, in testifying before the Committee on Veterans Affairs said, ``Is there no honor left in the hallowed halls of our government that you choose to dishonor the sacrifices of our Nation's heroes and rob our programs, health care and disability compensation to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy?'' Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues who so vocally supported the troops 2 weeks ago on the floor to stand up today and put their money where their mouth is. This budget is one of the best examples of what I call reverse Robin Hood, robbing from the poor to give tax breaks to the rich. Wake up, America.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we talk a great talk here, and on Veterans Day we are all involved in the parade; but what is very discouraging is when we get in the closed rooms of the conference and they say, well, we do not have enough. Well, the Bible tells us, and many of my colleagues talk about the Bible and the poor will always be with us, but our job in Congress is to help raise the standards. How can we deny our veterans fighting for us today? They will come home tomorrow, they are going to need assistance and counseling, and yet we are cutting programs. It is a disgrace. I say, wake up, America. One last thing as far as our veterans are concerned. Many of them are African Americans. They are fighting for this country today when we have a Commander in Chief who says you are good enough to go fight, but you are not good enough to go to our universities, and that is a disgrace. Wake up, America.

Mrs. BROWN of Florida

Mrs. BROWN of Florida. This irresponsible Republican budget needs to be sent back to the drawing board. The war in Iraq is no reason to ignore the needs of this country. This budget cuts programs for our neediest citizens, while rewarding the wealthiest with huge tax cuts. It is particularly disturbing that at the very moment we send our young men and women into harms way, we fund the veterans budget at a level that keeps these national heroes waiting 12 months to see a doctor. This Congress can always seem to find plenty of money for tax cuts, but when it comes to veterans healthcare, we have nothing but lip service. This Republican budget is bad for America, and bad for my home State of Florida which is suffering badly from the one-two punch of the Bush Brothers. The President's budget: Cuts $20 million for After School Programs in Florida; cuts $3.7 million in Teacher Quality Funding for Florida; cuts $40 million in transportation funding for Florida; cuts $38 million from Election Reform efforts in Florida; cuts $16.5 million in Clean Water Funding for Florida; cuts $4.3 million from Community Service Block Grants in Florida; cuts $1.2 million in Energy Assistance Programs; and cuts $765 million for the COPS program, which put 7,280 new officers on Florida's streets. All this while his brother Governor Jeb Bush slashes funding for state education and health programs, squeezes Medicaid resources to pay for Capital Gaines Tax Cuts, and uses money meant for Local First Responders to pad his budget shortfalls. This Republican budget was written for their political contributions, and not for the people of this country with real needs. Reject this sham budget, and support the CBC/Progressive budget. It's the right budget for every American.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I stand 100% behind our troops. The brave men and women in uniform who have volunteered to defend our country are in my thoughts, and in my prayers. I pledge to work to ensure that they have all the resources necessary to help them accomplish their mission quickly and safely so that they can return home to their families. I also pray for the family members who sent their loved ones into harm's way to protect the freedom that every American enjoys. They are to be commended for their sacrifice and unwavering support for our troops. My home state of Florida has sent over 5,000 Reserve and National Guard personnel to Iraq with the full understanding that not all of them would return to their families and loved ones, and my heart goes out to these brave Floridians. Every member of our Armed Forces deserves our deep and unending gratitude for their professionalism and commitment to the ideals of this great country. For the record, I would like to express my support for the second and third Whereas clause of the resolution we are currently debating, and I would like to submit Congressman Hastings' Resolution support the troops which I support in its entirety. May God continue to bless America. H. Con. Res.-- Whereas the valiant and dedicated members of the United States Armed Forces consistently perform in an exceptionally professional manner befitting an all-volunteer military force; Whereas the members of Reserve and National Guard components of the Armed Forces consistently demonstrate their readiness and ability to respond and deploy quickly to become an integral part of the active components; Whereas the families of the active and reserve forces provide exceptional and unwavering support for deployed forces; Whereas the valiant members of the military forces of the allies of the United States share common goals and objectives with the United States in the war on terrorism and the war with Iraq; and Whereas all citizens of the United States and the allies of the United States have demonstrated a show of unity in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and against the threat to global security and crimes against humanity posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that-- (1) each member of the Armed Forces of the United States be commended for serving with such distinction and professionalism; (2) the family members of members of the Armed Forces of the United States be commended for their special role in providing support for the members of the Armed Forces; (3) each allied service member be commended for serving with such distinction and professionalism; and (4) all citizens of the United States pay homage to the members of the Armed Forces and their families and to allied service members and their families.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, a longtime friend of mine, Mr. William R ``Billy'' Lee, passed away on Friday, January 3rd, 2003, at his residence in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Billy was born in Russell, Florida, on October 28th, 1934, and lived his entire life in Green Cove Springs, Florida, located in my congressional district, Florida's third. A religious man, Mr. Lee was a Baptist by faith, and was a dedicated member of Russell Baptist Church. In fact, Mr. Lee was a former Deacon of the church. Billy joined the International Association of Machinists in July 27th, 1956, in Local Lodge 1098, in Palatka, Florida. A dedicated union activist, Billy served as the Florida State Council of Machinists Vice President for 10 years before he was elected President in 1998. He served in this capacity until retiring in 1998. I have always been a devoted friend of the organized labor movement. I have spent a great deal of time here in my 10 years in Washington advocating on behalf of America's working men and women. It has been a privilege for me to be able to work with brave local labor leaders like Billy Lee, in the pursuit of defending the interests of working Americans. In my 20 years as an elected official--I have never voted against the working men and women in this room. I stand as a proud friend of labor and always will be. In Billy Lee's time as International Association of Machinists President, he served among those brave leaders on the front lines of the fight to achieve greater worker compensation, improved employee health benefits, social security and pension benefits, and better worker rights. The International Association of Machinists, a large and diverse organization, represents 730,000 members across North America. The Northeast Florida branch, with dedicated Members like Billy, fights to carry out the IAM's union's righteous cause, to stand up against big business and fight to protect the workers of America. Billy was survived by his wife Joyce, his son Michael Ray Lee, daughter Marilyn Lee, and eight grandchildren. A family oriented man, Billy enjoyed fishing, gardening and particularly loved cookouts. Billy Lee was loved and well respected by everyone that knew him. He will be dearly missed by his family, the community, and by those who fought alongside him in the labor movement.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, if I had been present, I would have voted no on final passage and yes on the Democratic substitute. I needed to return to my district earlier than planned because of an urgent matter and because of the weather emergency. I believe that this measure is simply going too far since it bans all human cloning. This would lead to a terrible stifling of important scientific research that could potentially have been conducted to save the lives of countless human beings who suffer from degenerative and life-threatening illness. The bill is so extensive that it would not only ban reproductive cloning but also therapeutic cloning for research or medical treatment. Moreover, it would impede research that is designed to help those who suffer from a variety of disease such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, Parkinson's and spinal cord injuries. The bill would make it nearly impossible for our country to benefit from ongoing stem-cell research. Many people I have spoken with that are informed on this subject argue that the technology banned by this bill is vital to any breakthrough in the use of these ``master'' stem cells. Enactment of this legislation would stop stem cell research in its tracks and deny Americans the benefit of research that the National Institutes of Health has described as having ``enormous'' medical potential in the treatment of any number of life-threatening diseases and conditions. Additonally, I believe that those who oppose stem cell research on ethical grounds are simply misunderstanding the issue. Currently, there are tens of thousands of frozen embryos already in fertility clinics around the nation, which, if not used for research, will merely be destroyed. These are cells that are not yet specialized to perform a specific task, but can take on the character of virtually any cell in the body. Numerous studies demonstrate that these cells may be capable of repairing what goes wrong with other cells, and therefore hold the cure to many horrible diseases and conditions that attack the human body on the cellular level. In my view, not to take advantage of this research by yielding to the excessive influence of our country's powerful conservative activists would be a terrible mistake. I also do not believe that an all out ban on human cloning needs to include a ban on nuclear transfer research. The former brings a new child into the world; the latter is concerned only with the study of embryonic development and curing disease. In a word, this bill would prevent vital research from taking place.

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida

Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, the Bible says the poor shall always be with us; but our job in this Congress is to help raise the standard. I know most Republicans think that only means the rich, but it also means the poor and the working people in this country. What happened to ``leave no child behind''? As we all know, mothers newly off the welfare rolls struggle every day to find affordable, reliable, and safe care for their children while they work. The situation is even more desperate for nearly half of the mothers getting off welfare who can only find work in the evenings or late at night. Yet we are faced with a Republican bill which demands that mothers work more hours, while actually taking money away from mothers to care for their children. Leave No Child Behind just proves that the Republicans can come up with great slogans. This is a perfect example of Republicans knowing how to talk the talk; but when it comes to walking the walk, there is nothing whatsoever compassionate about this Republican conservativeness. This Republican bill is a shameful attack on our Nation's poorest working mothers and their children. I urge support of the Kucinich substitute in the name of Patsy Mink.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the conference report on S. 1214, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. The events of September 11, 2001 has changed America forever. Every Member of Congress has examined the programs and policies within their committee to determine what they need to do to help protect the people of the United States from terrorists. The conference report we are considering today will provide the framework to secure our seaports and coastal communities from terrorist actions. Each year 95 percent of the U.S. imports and exports are moved by ships. U.S. consumers are dependent upon foreign oil for the gas they use in their cars. U.S. manufacturers are dependent upon the just-in- time delivery system of the container ships to resupply their manufacturing line. We have recently seen the impact that a shutdown of the marine transportation system can cause when the West Coast waterfront employees locked out the longshoremen from unloading ships in port. A terrorist attack in our ports could have had an even more devastating impact on our Nation's economy. Each year thousands of Americans enjoy cruises out of Florida ports. Cruise terminals and ships must ensure that cruises are not just enjoyable but also safe. The cruise ship industry is already working closely with the Coast Guard to protect the vacationing public. This legislation will help make the working relationship even closer. On October 3, 2001, I introduced H.R. 3013, the Ports and Maritime Security Act of 2001. This legislation is very similar to the conference report we are considering today. They both require port vulnerability assessments of our Nation's ports, they both require terminal security plans, and they both establish a new grant system to help ports and terminal operators pay for security improvement. I believe that S. 1214 will lead to major improvements in securing the international maritime transportation system from threats of terrorists and from being used to deliver a weapon of mass destruction to the United States. Section 70105 restricts access to secure areas of terminals to individuals that have a biometric security card that have passed a background investigation. Only those individuals that have unescorted access to a secure area, such as those people that have access to open containers or cargo manifests, will need a card. Two provisions in S. 1214 are in particular interest to my home Port of Jacksonville and the 12 other ports throughout the Nation that have tremendous importance in times of war. In awarding the security grants established under Section 70107, the Secretary is directed to make it a priority for ports that have great defense importance, such as the Port of Jacksonville, to receive funds. Without securing these military load center ports, our troops that are deployed overseas may not receive the vital supplies they need. We are contemplating military action in Iraq. Funding for these specific ports is vital, not only for the security of the soldiers protecting our freedom, but for the citizens and communities who proudly support these important ports. The second provision ensures that the Secretary can award grants to ports for securing measures they have already taken since September 11, 2001. In addition, S. 1214 contains the text of H.R. 3507, the Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003. This act contains many provisions to improve housing for Coast Guard personnel, to provide compensated leave for Coast Guard personnel that are in isolated duty locations, and to improve maritime safety. I would like to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for the bipartisan effort they have used to develop this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.