Bruce Braley

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My amendment to H.R. 5297 is a commonsense bill that is consistent with what we've already passed in the 111th Congress by a vote of 386- 33 on March 17. It was my Plain Language in Government Communications Act. Madam Chairwoman, when I go back and I talk to small business owners in my district, one of their biggest complaints is a Federal bureaucracy with too much red tape, written in language they can't understand, which forces them to go hire lawyers and accountants so that they can understand the requirements that we impose upon them. My amendment would require plain language to be used for documents that go to the public related to this lending fund. It will improve the effectiveness and accountability of the Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration by promoting clear government communication that the public can understand and use. Plain language is writing that the intended audience can clearly understand because it is concise, well-organized, and follows other practices of plain writing. The Department of the Treasury and Small Business Administration will be required to implement plain writing requirements by designating a senior official to oversee the implementation of the provision; communicate the requirements to employees; train employees in plain writing; establish a process to oversee compliance; create a plain language requirement on their agency's Web site; and designate one or more agency points of contact to receive and respond to public feedback. Writing government documents in plain language will increase government accountability and save taxpayers, community banks, and small business owners time and money. Plain, straightforward language makes it easier to understand these loan documents. And my amendment will make it easier for small businesses and community banks to work with and understand the government. That is why it is so important that we move forward to implement plain writing requirements across the board, but particularly in these two agencies, as it relates to the loan programs that are under consideration. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Chair, I would yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean).

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, a week ago I was in Chalmette, Louisiana, for a field hearing on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. We heard compelling testimony from people whose lives have been devastated, including two of the widows who lost their husbands on that explosion on the rig. We also flew out over the site of that disaster, and as they opened up the rear hatch on the plane, you could see the burn-off from the relief wells being drilled, and you could smell the overpowering stench of oil coming off the water. Well, our friends on the other side like to take a position that government should be hands off when it comes to business development, and BP is teaching us that we can't afford to let businesses misrepresent to this country what they're planning to do the way BP did when they knew that there was a 99 percent chance of a blowout during the 40-year period of this lease and still got a waiver from any deep, intensive environmental impact analysis before that well was explored. We have to hold this company accountable for the American people, the American taxpayers. They created this problem. This is what happens when we stay hands off and don't keep people accountable for their conduct.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding. Mr. Chairman, the amendment that I have offered is an amendment that makes great sense, especially given the enormous costs that American taxpayers have paid for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. One of the things we know is that there is a price for war. Sixty- five years ago, my father was in route from Guam to Iwo Jima as an 18- year-old marine. At that time, the world had been at war for a little over 5 years. Well, here in the United States, we have been at war, basically, since September 11 of 2001. My amendment offers a simple, commonsense solution that requires the administration to submit a report to Congress on the long-term costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As I mentioned, we have been engaged in a war in Afghanistan for almost 9 years now and in Iraq for 7 years, and the Department of Defense has yet to submit a long-term estimate of the cost of these wars. The previous administration failed to submit a cost estimate despite a statutory reporting requirement for a cost estimate for fiscal years 2006 through 2011 that was required in the fiscal year 2005 defense appropriations bill. According to the Congressional Research Service, through fiscal year 2009, Congress has appropriated at least $944 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we have lost over 4,400 American lives in Iraq and over 1,060 lives in Afghanistan. Because of this immense cost, the American people deserve to have an honest estimate about how much these wars are going to cost us over the long term. This is especially critical on the issue of future health care costs. My amendment addresses an important issue. This goes back to an Oversight Subcommittee hearing we had after the Walter Reed Building 18 fiasco in 2007. At that hearing, retired Lieutenant General Chip Roadman, a former Air Force surgeon general and a member of the Independent Review Group, told me, ``We recognize the cost is immense, and it is our moral obligation to address those issues.'' In the Independent Review Group report, the four signature injuries of these wars were identified. Posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, increased survival of severe burns, and traumatic amputations are the four signature wounds. The recovery process for these signature wounds ``can take months or years and must accommodate recurring delayed manifestations of symptoms, extended rehabilitation and all the life complications that emerge over time from such trauma.'' We don't have a good understanding today of how much it is going to cost to take care of these wounded veterans, and we need to acknowledge the true cost. Already, over 1,300 servicemembers have suffered amputations as a result of their service in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 243,000 have been treated for mental health conditions. Over 129,000 have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. These numbers will only continue to grow. We also know, according to the U.S. Life Tables, Mr. Chairman, the life expectancy of an 18- to 19-year-old male is 58 years. That means almost 60 years of treatment and care for many of these wounded veterans. That is why we need an honest and accurate assessment of the true cost of the war. My amendment requires the President to estimate the number of veterans expected to suffer from these signature wounds and the cost it is going to take to treat them and to provide them with the care they deserve. That is why this amendment is a commonsense, transparent requirement. It is long overdue, and it is going to give the American taxpayers, who are footing the bill for these deserving veterans, a better idea of what the long-term cost is actually going to be. That is why I urge everyone to support it.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I regret missing floor votes on Thursday, May 13, 2010. If I were present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on rollcall 271, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1338--Recognizing the significant accomplishments of AmeriCorps; ``yea'' on rollcall 272, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1337--Expressing the sympathy and condolences of the House of Representatives to those people affected by the flooding in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi in May, 2010.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Iowa State Legislator Polly Bukta for her service to Iowa and our country. Representative Bukta is retiring from the Iowa State Legislature at the end of the 2010 state legislative session. Representative Bukta has represented the Clinton region in the Iowa legislature since 1997. She has been a principled, pragmatic leader. In addition to serving on several committees in the Iowa House--including the Education, Local Government, and Transportation, and Veterans Affairs Committees--Representative Bukta is Speaker Pro Tem of the Iowa House. She was elected to this position because she has earned the trust and respect of her colleagues. On the first day of the 2010 Iowa Legislative Session, Representative Bukta delivered the following remarks to the Iowa House: Honor the institution. Thomas Jefferson did it, and so did James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and other builders of our governmental institutions. They worked tirelessly to make representative government work. Now the well-being of our state legislature is in our hands. Preserve and protect it so it remains a strong, co-equal branch of government. Legislative service is one of democracy's worthiest pursuits. It is an important duty that deserves our time, attention and dedication. To work well, government requires a bond of trust between citizens and their representatives. Try to appeal to the best instincts of the electorate, talk about what you stand for, what you intend to do during your time in office and then work as hard as you can to fulfill those promises. Remember why you ran for office-- to make a difference, a difference for the better. Representative Bukta has made ``a difference for the better'' for her constituents and the state of Iowa. Madam Speaker, please join me in thanking Representative Bukta and her family for their service.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Iowa State Senator Roger Stewart for his service to Iowa and our country. Senator Stewart is retiring from the Iowa State Senate at the end of the 2010 state legislative session. Senator Stewart has represented Dubuque, Jackson, and Clinton County in the Iowa legislature for the past eight years. He has been a principled, pragmatic leader. Communities throughout Iowa have benefited from his commitment to responsible economic development and common sense business practices. Senator Stewart is chair of the Economic Growth Committee and a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He serves on the Rebuild Iowa Committee which is creating conditions for sustainable development in communities damaged during the 2008 Midwest floods and tornados. Senator Stewart has also been an effective advocate for Iowa farmers and agribusinesses. He has received several awards for his work on agriculture issues including the Chamber Friends of Agriculture Award and the National Banking Award for work during the 1980's farm crisis. Madam Speaker, the Hawkeye State is fortunate to have great leaders like Roger Stewart. Please join me in thanking the Senator, his wife Jennie, and the entire Stewart family.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and thank Mr. George Barton and the entire Community Health Care Inc. (CHC) team for working to meet the health care and wellness needs of the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities. This spring George starts as CEO of the federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Madison, Wisconsin, but Community Health Care will continue to thrive because of the foundation this team has built over the past years. In the Quad Cities--like so many communities in America--we have an urgent need for health care services for low and moderate income families, individuals who are underinsured or have no insurance, Medicaid eligible patients, and children who rely on state children's health insurance programs. Fortunately there are three FQHC's in my district-- including Community Health Care--where thousands of my constituents can get access to high quality care with payment options that meet their specific needs. CHC alone serves 31,000 patients throughout the Quad Cities and manages 119,000 unique visits per year. By 2012 the CHC team will be serving 40,000 patients annually. Under George's leadership, CHC has dramatically expanded their services by opening new outpatient clinics, enhancing relationships with regional hospitals physician groups, and adding multiple dental suites to meet the incredible need for childhood and adult dental care. Madam Speaker, I advocate for our federal community health centers because people like George Barton and the CHC team get results. They dramatically improve health and wellness in our communities and are invaluable to solving one of the most critical issues facing our country today--access to health care. Please join me in thanking George and this team for their service.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution honoring Workers' Memorial Day. The recent mining disaster in West Virginia serves as a strong reminder of the millions of Americans who put their lives on the line every day they go to work. Workers' Memorial Day commemorates those who have been injured or killed on the job. And, Mr. Speaker, this is personal to me because when I was 2 years old, my father was severely injured in a workplace accident, and one of the things I am proudest of was setting up a scholarship fund in his name to help injured workers and their families in Iowa get a new start on life. Over the past several decades in the United States, we have made great progress in preventing injuries and deaths in the workplace. However, there is still much work that needs to be done, and each year more than 5,000 Americans are killed due to workplace injuries and millions more experience occupational injuries and illnesses. Work- related accidents are still too common in the United States. On average, 16 Americans are killed every day due to workplace injuries. We need to continue to work to ensure that every workplace is a safe one. While in the United States we have improved workplace safety in recent decades, the numbers across the globe are overwhelming. It's estimated that nearly 2 million workers die each year due to work- related accidents or diseases worldwide. More people are killed due to workplace injury or disease than are killed in war. As a founder of the Populist Caucus, dedicated to strengthening the middle class, I will continue to fight for workplace safety. I am also committed to recognizing this holiday and the millions of workers across the world who have given their lives on the job. That's why I was proud to work with my friends, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and fellow Populist Caucus member Congresswoman Linda Sanchez as we continue to honor the millions of men and women who have given their lives for the continued progress of humankind. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I rise to thank Donna Oliver for her service as CEO of Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, Iowa. Donna has led Mercy for the past 5 years. She is a passionate advocate for her community and her contributions to the Clinton region will be appreciated for years to come. During Donna's tenure, the Mercy team has fulfilled its mission to assure excellent, cost effective health care services accessible to all persons. Donna has strengthened partnerships with other health care providers and schools training future caregivers. She has made the health and wellness of her coworkers and the broader community a top priority. And despite unprecedented economic hardships, Donna has maintained Mercy's support for programs that enhance the cultural and economic vitality of the Clinton community. Donna has been a principled and effective advocate for health care reform, especially during the recent months of debate. She has consistently spoken publicly about the urgent need for Medicare reimbursement reform so physicians and hospitals in places like Clinton can meet the health and wellness needs of their community. Madam Speaker, please allow me in thanking Donna Oliver and her team at Mercy Medical Center.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my colleague from Colorado for his kind remarks. Madam Speaker, the photograph to my immediate right is what most people think of when they think of the Battle of Iwo Jima. It is the most famous photograph in the world. It was taken by Joe Rosenthal. It was not a staged photograph. It was taken while the second flag was raised on Mount Suribachi. What most people don't know is the rest of the story behind that flag raising. This is a photograph that was taken on the summit of Mount Suribachi that's commonly referred to as the ``gung-ho'' photograph. It depicts the unit, the platoon, that was the first to reach the summit of Mount Suribachi and raise the first flag. One thing that's important about this photograph is you can actually see the faces of the marines who made that heroic sacrifice. You cannot see the faces of anybody in the Joe Rosenthal photograph, and that was something that bothered Joe Rosenthal when he saw his photograph weeks after he took it, because in the heat of the battle, that film was sent to be processed away from Iwo Jima and was published and released in newspapers across the United States. It instantly became the most popular symbol of the struggle in the Pacific. Now, this photograph is especially important to me because shown right here in this photograph is a young man named Harold Keller, who was a corporal in the Marine Corps from my hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. Harold Keller was one of those uncommon heroes that nobody knew anything about after he came home, but he was the second marine to reach the summit of Mount Suribachi. He slept that night under the flag that was erected on top. And while he and his buddy Chick Robeson slept under the flag, buzz bombs and mortars came in toward that flag, because it was the subject of great debate and competition between the Americans and the Japanese. Harold Keller was remarkable for many other things that happened in this very brief period on an island that was so small, it was less than 10 square miles, and yet 30,000 Japanese soldiers and 70,000 marines and Navy corpsmen occupied that tiny island during this incredibly intense struggle. When Harold Keller first landed on the beach on D- day, February 19, 1945, the first thing he did was save his commanding officer, Lieutenant Keith Wells, who stuck his head up above the berm of that sandy beach and would have had his head blown off had it not been for Harold Keller, who pulled him down as a large piece of shrapnel soared right over where he had been. He was also friends with Ernest ``Boots'' Thomas, who was the marine who carried the first flag to the summit and was called down to go on national radio and talk about the historic moment when that flag was unfurled over Mount Suribachi. When Harold Keller was walking up Mount Suribachi with his unit, he saw two stretchers being carried up to the summit, and his comment tells a lot about what they were facing. He told a friend of his, ``We'll probably need a hell of a lot more than that.'' He saved the life of one of his colleagues, Robert Leader, who was later, after the flag was raised, wounded by mortar fire. Harold Keller came upon him, did a field dressing as he found him with his bowels laying outside his body, saved his life, and sent him home, where he became an art professor and gifted artist at the University of Notre Dame. These are things that are stories behind the flag raising and why this is so important. Another reason this photograph is important to me is, as you look over the shoulders of these marines, you can see the beach down below, and you can see some of the landing craft. One of those landing craft was LST-808 which dropped my father off on Green Beach in Iwo Jima the same day these flags were raised, and you can see LST-808 down below. My father was 17 years old, Byard Braley, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps after getting his mother's permission, and he was 18 when he landed on Iwo Jima. He served in the Corps Artillery in the headquarters and service battery of the Fourth 155th Howitzer Battalion, which was commanded by Colonel John Letcher. One of the things John Letcher did was he wrote a book about his experience in the Marine Corps called ``One Marine's Story,'' and this is how he described his first night on Iwo Jima at the Corps Artillery headquarters: ``I had been asleep for perhaps an hour when a shell burst which seemed to be right outside the tent. It was followed in rapid succession by others. The shells were bursting in the air a few feet above the ground and were spraying fragments in every direction. The command post area seemed to be their target, and they were making a hit with every shell. Most of our personnel must have been poorly dug in, just as I was, because mingled with the noise of the shell bursts, I heard screams and cries of wounded men. I was trembling uncontrollably and found myself reciting the Apostles' Creed.'' Thirty-five men in my father's unit were killed and wounded during that barrage, and it was something that he carried with him every day of his life until he died 29 years ago. One of the things that we know about the people who served on Iwo Jima is that the ones who were fortunate enough to come home, like my father and Harold Keller, never considered themselves heroes. They considered the heroes their fallen comrades who were buried on that island in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Marine Division cemeteries. And this photo, Madam Speaker, shows the lines of crosses and Stars of David in the Fifth Marine Division Cemetery, with Mount Suribachi in the background. Probably one of the most compelling cemetery dedications given since the Gettysburg Address was delivered by Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn at the dedication of the Fifth Marine Division Cemetery, and I want you to listen to his powerful words, which we should hear today just as powerfully as when he delivered them. Here is what he said about these fallen comrades: ``Our poor power of speech can add nothing to what these men have already done. All that we even hope to do is follow their example. To show the same selfless courage in peace that they did in war . . . These men have done their jobs well. They have paid the ghastly price of freedom . . . We dedicate ourselves, first, to live together in peace the way they fought and are buried in this war . . . Here lie officers and men, Negroes and Whites, rich men and poor--together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men there is no discrimination, no prejudices, no hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy.'' Madam Speaker, these are the reasons why we gather here today to honor this historic battle, to remember the sacrifice of the most severe battle in Marine Corps history, where one-quarter of the Medals of Honor were awarded in World War II during this one battle. That's why I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and remember, we must never forget.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I thank my friend from Missouri for giving me time to speak on this bill. I thank my colleague from California for his impassioned support of this bill, because I believe this is the little-engine-that-could in terms of how we change the way that the Federal Government communicates with American citizens. And I think the people would find it surprising to know that somebody who spent his life practicing law would be introducing this bill. But the amazing thing is I was introduced to the concept of plain language in the Iowa Supreme Court's 1983 decision requiring all jury instructions to be written in plain language so that people could understand how their laws impact things. That's why this bill is so important, because it gives the government the responsibility to communicate effectively with the citizens that we serve. One of the things that is so amazing is that when you look at most government publications, you would think they were not written for their intended audience. And that is the basic premise of the plain language movement. It's when you write, you think about your intended audience and how you communicate effectively with them in words they can understand. This bill requires the Federal Government to write documents, such as letters from the Social Security Administration, notices from the Department of Veterans Affairs, in simple, easy-to-understand language. When I first introduced this bill in the 110th Congress, I was pleased when it passed the House floor by a vote of 376-1. Unfortunately, it was never taken up by the Senate. I am hopeful and confident that this time around it will be considered by the Senate and signed into law so that the public will get the kind of government service they deserve. As my colleague has pointed out, a large array of organizations who deal with our constituents that are impacted by Federal policies support this movement. And I want to thank the Oversight and Government Reform chairman, my colleague, Ed Towns, and Ranking Member Darrell Issa for their support of this important bill and also thank Oversight Government Reform staffer Krista Boyd for all of her help in making this happen. Anyone who has done their own taxes knows the headache of trying to understand pages and pages of confusing forms and instructions. There is no reason why this bill can't eliminate Federal gobbledygook. And we can honor our friend and former colleague, Maury Maverick, Sr., who coined the phrased ``gobbledygook'' in describing bureaucratic language that is as hard to understand as the call of wild turkeys in his native Texas. I would also remind my colleagues that this plain language in government communications has been incorporated into the Senate-passed health care bill, it was incorporated into the House-passed health care bill, and it is important that we move forward from this point in changing the way that government speaks to its citizens.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I think you have hit on a very important point and, that is, we don't realize how much time and money are wasted by people trying to figure out forms that they can't understand. They call Federal agencies, they go into phone trees where they go on hold and they wait and wait and wait. This can be small business owners. It can be elected officials at the level that you are talking about, because a lot of the policy we set intersects with local and State government agencies. And, because of that, by improving the quality of information we are providing at the outset, it is going to greatly reduce the demands on many Federal employees. And that is another side effect of this legislation. I can't agree more with you that it is important to take this step now so that we can start to send a message that we are serious about improved transparency in our communications with our constituents, and I think that it is great that we are moving forward in a bipartisan step to do that.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I missed votes on Monday, March 15, 2010 due to travel delays. If I were present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on rollcall 112, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1145--Recognizing the University of Arizona's 125 years of dedication to excellence in higher education; ``Yea'' on rollcall 113, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1170--Congratulating the winners of the Voice of Democracy national scholarship program; ``Yea'' on rollcall 114, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 1163--Recognizing Washington State University Honors College for 50 years of excellence; ``Yea'' on rollcall 115, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 267--Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, expressing appreciation to Iranian-Americans for their contributions to society, and wishing Iranian-Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I was very proud to found the Populist Caucus with a large group of my friends in the Democratic Caucus to focus on economic issues that affect Americans who either make up the middle class or are striving to enter the middle class. We all know that our country has historically been at its best when we have had a large middle class and our economic policies reflect middle class values, and that is why when we decided to settle upon our founding principles, we decided that we wanted to fight for families by providing them access to quality, affordable health care; to provide them and their children with the type of world class education they will need to compete in a global economy; to make sure that we have a fair wage system for all employees in this country; to make sure that our trade policies provide a level playing field to American workers and American manufacturers who compete with trading partners who just frankly don't quite live up to our standards, whether it is child labor, exploitation of workers, environmental issues, those are the types of issues that we want to focus on as we chart a new future for this country to promote and expand the middle class that we all are so proud to have been a part of. One of the things that we talked about as we were trying to dig ourselves out of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression was what type of a blueprint for recovery we wanted to offer to the American people that was going to be a reflection of the values that we grew up with and give a strong message that, after a bailing out Wall Street, the American taxpayers deserved help on Main Street, and that it was not unreasonable to ask the very people on Wall Street who got us into this mess to help pay for the tab on helping bail out Main Street. I am proud to be joined by my friends, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen), but one of the things that I want to talk about at the beginning is the things that we hear over and over back in our district, because all of us have been out talking to our constituents, going to town hall meetings, Congress on Your Corner and the other events, and the one thing I hear from my constituents over and over is this question: When do I get my bailout? This is a legitimate question that Americans deserve an answer to from Democrats and Republicans, because if you are somebody who has lost your job or you've lost your home or you've lost your business or you've lost your health care coverage during this crisis, you need to know what is my Federal Government doing to help me out. So when we talk about our response, we are going to do it by talking about these three core values: The Populist Caucus wants to find a blueprint for recovery that is going to spur job creation; it is going to implement fair compensation for executives who helped put us in this problem; and, finally, bring an end to excessive Wall Street speculation that drove our economy and drove the global economy off the cliff and put us into this deep hole that we have been digging ourselves out of. So as millions of middle class families look to us and ask when their recovery effort will bring relief to their town on their street, they deserve to know what we are going to be doing to spur job creation, insist on fair executive compensation, and end speculation on Wall Street. Now, one of the things that we know is that it is very common for politicians and groups across the political spectrum to try to claim the populist mantle. But let me tell you, and I am going to let my colleagues expand on this, the Populist Caucus that we all came together to found was not based upon a bunch of people running through the streets with torches and pitchforks asking for blood. We are there because the problems of the middle class are real. The concerns of our constituents reflect the concerns of America, and we want to come together and talk about serious answers to real problems to help change the lives of middle class Americans. So with that, I am going to yield to my colleague from Ohio before I yield to my colleague from Wisconsin to talk about some of the critical economic issues she is hearing about from her constituents and why this Populist Caucus response is so critical moving forward.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I think one of the things that we've heard a lot about, Dr. Kagen, is we've heard people try to explain what went wrong on Wall Street and this concept that sometimes big financial institutions are just too big to fail. Now, I don't know how it is up in northeastern Wisconsin; but in Iowa, if something is too big to fail, it's just too big. So maybe you can help enlighten us a little bit about some of the economic policies that we pursued as a country before Barack Obama became President that have contributed to the enormous challenge we have faced this past year in trying to stabilize the economy before we moved on to a broader response to real meaningful financial reform.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Well, that's a great segue because we not only are talking about values; we are talking about solutions. We're talking about legislation that is going to help us create jobs by generating new revenues, not putting this on the back of the middle class, but helping the people who got us into this mess assume some of the responsibility. And I think one of the cornerstones of our blueprint for recovery is this issue of fair compensation. And my good friend from Vermont, Congressman Peter Welch, has introduced a bill called Wall Street Bonus Tax Act. I am going to let him explain what that bill does and how it helps achieve this blueprint for recovery by putting some incentives for Wall Street to help rebuild Main Street. Congressman Welch, I yield to you at this time.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Well, I thank you for those very insightful comments. I think everything that we talked about earlier on why we formed the Populist Caucus, to promote and expand the middle class by emphasizing economic principles, that will create policies that help that to happen. We know that small businesses make up a huge part of the middle class. We also know that they are a huge driving engine for creating new jobs in our economy. That is why I am happy to recognize my good friend from Florida, Ron Klein, who has been a strong advocate for small businesses during his time in Congress and is going to be sharing with us some of the things that we can work on together to try to create the types of incentives that will help small businesses take the risk with sound economic principles and lead us on a path of job recovery. With that, I would yield to my friend.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Will the gentleman yield on that?

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I think there is a big misperception that our trading partners and our competitors in the global economy don't have any ``buy Chinese'' trade policies or ``buy Japan'' trade policies; is that true?

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Will the gentleman yield for another question?

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. One of the things that is frustrating to many Americans is they just don't understand how their government can actually help stimulate economic development. One of the best examples of this is, when I first came to Congress, I served on the Small Business Committee. I was fortunate enough to chair the Contracting and Technology Subcommittee, and this is when the previous administration was in control of the executive branch. As I talked to people on the committee, it shocked me to learn that the former administrator of the Small Business Administration saw it as his job to bring about the end of the Small Business Administration. Many of the policies were designed to contract the agency whose sole purpose was to try to stimulate small business growth and development. So, when we are talking about how we create capital and provide economic incentives for small businesses, we have come a long way in 3 years to get to the point where this agency is trying to fulfill its basic purpose, and I think that is going to be critical for achieving the types of results you've just talked about. I hope you can enlighten us further on this.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Well, I think one of the things we know is that, in order to spur job creation, you have got to be able to have revenues that will help people create jobs through incentives that will help them take that risk. One of the important things that the Populist Caucus' Blueprint for Recovery does is it talks not only about how you change behavior through the policies you implement but also how you transfer some of the burden from Main Street, which has been suffering so much in this recession, to the very speculators whose wild gambling, which is what most economists call what they were doing, drove us over the cliff. That is why one of the key elements of this ``ending speculation'' piece is one of the bills introduced by another vice Chair of the Populist Caucus, Congressman Peter DeFazio, who introduced his Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act. This is a very simple concept that existed in this country for almost 60 years, and it worked very successfully, including during the Great Depression. What it says is that, if you are trading in excessive transactions on Wall Street, we are going to ask you to pay a small transaction fee on those high-volume trades so that we will have an incentive to keep you from engaging in excessive speculation that puts all of us at risk. His transaction fee is estimated to create somewhere between $100 billion and $150 billion in new revenues that can be used for two basic purposes: One is job creation, which is what we all agree is going to create a huge emphasis for an economic recovery, because when people go back to work, they not only pay Federal taxes and reduce our burden at the Federal Treasury; they pay State and local taxes, too, to help relieve the burden on our States and cities. This is how you create economic incentives to change corporate behavior from excessive speculation, and this is also how you provide new revenues to stimulate economic development and help to reduce the deficit. I am going to ask one of our newest members and youngest members of the Populist Caucus, our good friend from Virginia, Tom Perriello, to talk about the importance of having a bill like this to guide us in a new direction for economic recovery and what that means to the people in his district of Virginia. With that, I'll yield to my good friend.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I appreciate the gentleman's comments about investing in infrastructure because most of what I learned about the need for infrastructure improvements came when I was working for the Poweshiek County Secondary Roads Department to help pay my way through college. One of the things that I learned was that, as you try to create opportunities for transportation improvements that are going to move goods, services, and people, you see a lot of trickle-down that happens from the Federal Government, to the State government, to the county government, to the city government as right-of-ways are transferred after they are abandoned for bigger and better infrastructure improvements like four-lane highways. One of the cornerstones of our blueprint for recovery that deals with job creation is a bill introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and cosponsored by one of the vice chairs of the Populist Caucus, our friend from Minnesota, Keith Ellison, the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act. What it does is it creates an opportunity to take advantage of existing infrastructure needs by identifying about 47,500 jobs and $6.2 billion of potential economic activity that are currently ready, willing, and able to be acted upon, but because we have not had the opportunity to marry private development with public infrastructure projects, we are missing an opportunity to stimulate job growth through this National Infrastructure Bank. So I would ask my colleagues who support investments in infrastructure improvements that cross the spectrum from expanding access to energy created by wind in the Midwest, by building out our ability to transfer that energy and electricity throughout the country, by building out our world broadband, by investing in roads, bridges, and public improvements, how this type of an investment development bank would make a difference in their districts. I am going to yield to my friend from Ohio.

Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. I think that is a great opportunity to talk about the importance, because when I served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the 110th Congress, our chairman, the legendary Jim Oberstar, always reminded us that our global competitors are investing massive amounts in infrastructure development. The European Union had a 5-year, $1 trillion infrastructure development plan. You look at China, which has just passed the United States as the leading consumer of automobiles, and you look at the ribbons of concrete that have been poured in that country to respond to growing consumer and commercial demand for transportation. If we are competing with these people in a global market, Dr. Kagen, we have to make similar types of commitments so that our infrastructure system can make us competitive. I know from visiting your district in northeast Wisconsin, it is a very spread out and remote area in some parts of your district, yet the constituents that you represent in those areas depend just as much on an infrastructure system as the people here in our Nation's Capital. I yield for your comments.