Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Congressional Black Caucus's alternative budget. Among the critical investments it makes are those in health. Mr. Chairman, without these albeit moderate increases, we would do nothing to reduce the almost 100,000 premature preventable deaths that will occur in the African American community this year and every year because of our failure to act. It is important to note that while the increases in the CBC budget apply specifically to programs that improve minority health, many studies have demonstrated that our lack of access, our poor health, and the failure of this country to focus on prevention in our communities contribute greatly to escalating health care costs and adversely impacts the quality of health care for everyone. So the CBC budget through improving the health of African Americans and other people of color improves health and the quality of life for all Americans. And with the additional $167 billion reduction in our national deficit it provides, this is a budget that everyone can and should vote for. I proudly applaud the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) and this committee for this outstanding budget.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak in support of the Congressional Black Caucus alternative budget this evening. This budget would not only add funding to close the glaring and shameful disparities which have existed too long for African Americans, but it is fiscally responsible. Our budget would provide additional protection for our troops today and provide more funding to honor the debt to our Nation's veterans, including those who are returning as we speak. It also protects us at home by adding funding to address unacceptable deficiencies in homeland security. But our investment in homeland security goes beyond the important funds we provide for first responders, for fighting bio-terrorism, and providing interoperable communications. Our homeland security also depends on a well-educated citizenry, and so we fully fund Leave No Child Behind, TRIO programs as well as increased Pell grants. Our homeland security depends on a healthy citizenry. The Congressional Black Caucus budget restores much of the funding for minority AIDS, Health Professions Training, and the Office of Minority Health, as well as provides funding to help close gaps in the Caribbean and Africa. And, Mr. Chairman, we do all of that and reduce the deficit by an additional $167 billion over 5 years; $167 billion more than the majority budget resolution does. The Congressional Black Caucus budget would make us more economically secure. Mr. Chairman, the CBC alternative budget, like the Congressional Black Caucus itself, speaks to the conscience, not only of the Congress but to the conscience of our country. It is a budget that reflects our values and seeks to create not just a stronger America but also a better America. The Congressional Black Caucus alternative budget is a morally and fiscally responsible budget, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it when it comes to the floor tomorrow.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we are poised to pass this bill for the second time. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for his kind and supportive remarks. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), particularly, but all of the members of the House Committee on Resources and the staff on both sides for their unwavering support in getting this bill to the floor again today. Mr. Speaker, most people in my district agree that with the passage of this bill, H.R. 62, which would create a Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Virgin Islands, we will make an important step forward and lay a stronger foundation for our children's future. We also would restore the confidence of the public in our government. While it has not been an easy journey, it has become very clear that the people of the Virgin Islands recognize the need for more accountability, transparency, and efficiency in the management of Federal and local funding. The implementation of an independent CFO is clearly not the only way to achieve this, but it is the only viable proposal that has come forward over the last 8 years or more of increasing deficits and narrowly averted fiscal crises, crises which have only been delayed through repeated borrowing. Included in H.R. 62 is also funding for the planning and implementation of a financial management system. This is a critical part of the bill and the responsibility of the Chief Financial Officer this bill would create. While the groundwork has already begun under the current administration, it is my belief, given the millions of dollars that have been spent in the past on financial systems, that the only way to ensure that it is fully transparent, networked, and integrated is if it is overseen by someone who is independent and has no official territory to protect. This is not to cast any aspersions on the hardworking public servants who currently head or work at any of our departments, including our Office of Management and Budget. Protecting one's turf is simply human nature. On the other hand, the system under which they labor is outdated, cumbersome, ineffective and cannot support the missions of their offices or the optimal functioning of our government. I would be remiss, however, if I did not commend the Governor and his staff for the recent steps they have taken to restore our government to fiscal health. Yet our public services, our salaries, our contracting process with compliance with contracts, our infrastructure, and our accounting is not where it needs to be. And the fiscal information needed for effective planning is simply unavailable in a reliable form. While the support for my bill is not unanimous, especially in the higher echelons of local leadership at home, it is broad. It exists at all levels of our society, and it spans all three islands. I do not want to belabor the reasons which made it necessary for this bill to be here before this body today, except to say that major hurricanes, changes in Federal tax policy, as well as a systemic dysfunction in central government operations, have played a role. There is no need or reason to point blame, but shame on us if we do not provide the leadership for which we were elected, and fix the problem. Pushing for passage of this bill has neither been easy nor have I taken it lightly. I understand the consequences of stepping beyond the political status quo, as I have done with this legislation; but I have also seen in other jurisdictions the consequences of acting as though everything was fine and doing nothing. And I have pursued it on behalf of and because of the strong and unwaiving support of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. I want to thank my colleagues again for their support and ask for a ``yea'' vote.

Ms. CHRISTENSEN

Ms. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as my distinguished colleague the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) has explained, this legislation provides for the disposal of specific forest lands in Nevada and specifies the uses of those funds from the sale of these lands. The gentleman from California (Chairman Pombo) succeeded in moving this legislation through the House during the last Congress. We do not object to the passage of this legislation at this time. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as Congressional action is required for lands in trust to be sold and the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has contacted us for assistance, we are supportive of authorizing the Secretary to convey these lands as directed by the Tribe. We support the Tribe's sovereign decision to sell these lands and wish them the best in further economic development. We urge our colleagues to support H.R. 680. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, the majority has explained the purpose of this legislation which the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) introduced at the administration's request. The gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) succeeded in moving this legislation through the House during the last Congress, including several changes made at the request of the minority. We appreciate the chairman's decision to include those changes in H.R. 584 as well, and urge our colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, we support passage of H.R. 186, which will provide financial assistance for cleaning up contaminated drinking water supplies in the Santa Clara Valley area of southern California. I appreciate the support of the leadership demonstrated by the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) on this important matter. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, as the majority has explained, H.R. 126 makes a number of slight adjustments in the management of the herd as a means to assure their long-term survival. Over the course of the last several hundred years, a herd of wild horses has established itself on the Shackleford Banks area of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The herd developed on the banks because of shipwrecks and abandonment. When the National Seashore was established, there were approximately 100 wild horses on the barrier island. Since that time, the National Park Service has taken steps to control the herd size to prevent damage to park resources. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 126 is a workable solution to the wild-horse management needs at Cape Lookout, and we support adoption of this legislation by the House today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, National Heritage areas are grassroots projects where business and community leaders, local residents and State and local governments come together as neighbors to conserve and interpret the valuable historic and scenic resources in their communities. Through the National Heritage Area Program, the National Park Service provides seed money and technical expertise to get these local projects off the ground and to leverage private, long-term funding for these areas. H.R. 412, sponsored by our colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), will authorize a study to determine whether or not an area in Ohio once known as the Western Reserve would qualify as a National Heritage Area. The House approved this legislation during the 108th Congress, but the measure was never taken up in the other body. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) is to be commended for his efforts on behalf of the communities that would be included in this new area. Despite being a relatively new Member of Congress, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) is already demonstrating a willingness to work tirelessly on behalf of communities in need of the kind of Federal support the Heritage Area Program can provide. We look forward to working with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) to create the Western Reserve Heritage Area should the study we are authorizing today support such a move. The gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and I congratulate the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) on this important legislation and urge our colleagues to support H.R. 412. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the majority has explained the purpose of H.R. 694, but it is truly fitting that we are proceeding with this legislation. The Gullah/Geechee culture is unique. These proud people trace their ancestry to enslaved Africans who were forced to live and work along the coastal areas covered by the legislation. Because of the isolation of these coastal lands and islands, African Americans in these areas developed a distinct language as well as unique arts, crafts, music, and religious customs. It is a living culture that continues to evolve today and is definitely one that should be preserved and celebrated. I have had the opportunity in traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, with the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), to whom I will yield shortly, to sample some of that culture and the food as well. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague and friend, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), for his work on developing this important legislative initiative. The gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), our ranking member on the Committee on Resources, joins me in congratulating the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) for his effort, and we strongly support H.R. 694 and urge its passage before the House today. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he might consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the distinguished vice-chair of the Democratic Caucus.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, having no further speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the private landowners in this case were unable to reach an agreement with the Air Force to resolve this ongoing dispute. However, because ensuring that Holloman Air Force Base operates effectively and safely is critical to both the Air Force and the residents who live and work near the base, we have worked closely with the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) to craft a legislative solution. Compared to the version of this legislation introduced in the previous Congress, H.R. 486 contains a number of changes made at the request of the minority, and we appreciate the inclusion of those changes, and at this time we would not oppose the adoption of H.R. 486. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Velazquez amendment to H.R. 27 but in strong opposition to the underlying bill. H.R. 27 is a fundamentally flawed and partisan job training bill, which does nothing to address the root causes of why little actual job training services are provided under the Workforce Investment Act. The Velazquez amendment would compensate for the harm in the Bush administration's policy of raising the fees on 7(a) loans and its proposal to undermine existing job-training programs by establishing an untested job-training voucher program. It addresses these two critical issues by offering a solution that would benefit entrepreneurs by providing them the opportunity to use funds from personal reinvestment accounts to secure the capital needed to start small businesses. Mr. Chairman, with our high employment rate and the administration's failure to create the number of jobs it promised, entrepreneurship is a viable alternative to unemployment. The Velazquez amendment allows unemployed individuals to use the personal reinvestment accounts to defray the costs of the administration's recent fee increases for the 7(a) loan program. This fee increase on the 7(a) program puts the program out of reach for newly unemployed workers. This amendment would help to defray the cost of the 7(a) loan program for potential borrowers. Access to capital is the biggest obstacle that entrepreneurs face in starting small businesses. A vote for this amendment is a vote to give unemployed workers resources to invest in their future by securing capital to start small businesses. Not only would this amendment help our Nation's unemployed, it will also boost job creation. After all, small businesses account for approximately 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy. I would like to commend Ranking Member Velazquez on her amendment and continued commitment to our Nation's small businesses. I urge my colleagues to support the Velazquez amendment.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 69 that honors the life and accomplishments of the late Ossie Davis, an American actor and activist par excellence. When you think about the importance of images, and the lives you can influence with images, you have to agree that Ossie Davis has stood tall as an image well respected by several generations of Americans, in particular African American youth. As an actor, playwright, and filmmaker, Ossie Davis crafted images that reflect what is good about African American manhood. His tall stature, his deep voice, his choice of roles that successfully portrayed the lives, hopes and dreams of African American men from youth to senior, gave the world a view of the best that we can be. As an activist, Ossie Davis did not fail to speak up for his fellow man, he was a vibrant part of the struggle for civil rights in this country. He lent his voice and his energies to those causes that benefited not only himself, but many of those around him. Ossie Davis's legendary partnership with Ruby Dee as an artist, an activist and as a husband and father, was also a strong and enduring image for all American families. I commend Ossie Davis at the culmination of his life, for contributing to the health of the African American community by providing us with healthy images of ourselves to treasure and to pass on to our children. The Congressional Black Caucus has lost a friend in Ossie Davis. He helped to frame our mission all those years ago by emphasizing to us at the first Annual Legislative event that ``it is not the man, it's the plan.'' Over the years we have been encouraged by his friendship and we will miss his counsel.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) for yielding me this time and for his leadership on this important issue. I rise to support this resolution. Monday of this week was National Black HIV and AIDS Awareness and Information Day. It is timely for us to consider this resolution, but this can only be the beginning. Today, African American women have a 23 times greater AIDS rate than white women, and African American men almost nine times greater rate of AIDS than their white counterparts. It was my honor, along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), this Monday to host the Howard University National AIDS Education and Training Center here on Capitol Hill for a briefing on where we are in the epidemic and the outstanding work they have been able to do in providing technical assistance, training and support to centers and providers around our country that serve minority populations with HIV and AIDS. It was great to hear and see the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative funding doing exactly what it was intended to do, build capacity in heavily affected communities and improve culturally and linguistically concordant community-driven services. Later on in the evening of Black AIDS Day, I joined New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Councilman Al Vann in recognizing several community activists for their work. We also honored Debra Fraser Howze, the founder and president of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, who chaired the day's activities nationally. Debra was also one of the moving forces behind the creation of the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, and we take this opportunity to recognize her contribution. I also want to talk about some of the threats that are increasing the risk of HIV and AIDS, especially in women. First are the cuts in the President's budget in AIDS programs and all of health, but also the cuts in education, housing, and economic opportunity programs which will fuel the spread of this disease. Second is the misguided decision on the part of the department not to target funding of the small initiative to the indigenous community and faith-based organizations in the most severely impacted communities of color. We have to empower our communities to be able to effect change. Third is the ideological intrusion into good science and documented effective preventive practices. My colleagues, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and deny the effectiveness of condoms for the sexually active, and neither can you insist that abstinence-only programs be used when they ignore the reality of situations of the people who need to be protected and whose lives we need to save. So this resolution is important, and I want to join everyone in applauding the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for her leadership and her firm stance in not allowing the sense of the resolution to be diluted, and all on this side and the other side of the aisle who supported her. But it can only be a beginning; we have a lot more to do, and we will be calling on our colleagues to join us in doing what we must to win the war against this epidemic that has come to devastate so many communities of color, HIV and AIDS.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) for yielding to me and for his leadership. I look forward to working with him and our other colleagues to propose a fix for the wrongs that are in the President's budget with the budget that the Congressional Black Caucus will present a little later in this process. I have heard a lot of descriptions, Mr. Speaker, of the President's budget, but the word that keeps coming to my mind is shameless. It is a budget of misplaced priorities that will only serve to widen the disparities that the Congressional Black Caucus and many other good Members of this and the other body have been working tirelessly to close, gaps that belie the values on which this country was founded and undermine our Nation's promise. First of all, the budget we have been sent is unfair. The burden of the deficit, the war and homeland security is thrust on the poor and the middle class, while the wealthy would reap the benefit of tax cuts, which further take us down the slippery slope of debt and deficit. It is based on more of the trickle-down economics that have never worked because the trickle always stops just short of those who need it most. Let us have some trickle-up economics for a change, so that there would be shared burden and shared benefits, if any. Further, the President's budget does nothing to reduce the deficit. It keeps and deepens our debt to China and other countries and defers payments on what we do today to our children and grandchildren. They should not have their future crippled by debts we can and must avoid in our time. Try though the White House might, they cannot seriously think they can justify it by budget shell games and turning attention to certain past increases the President signed only after having been made to do so, kicking and screaming all the way, by Democrats. If left as it is, this budget would deal a serious blow to health. As in years past, no mention is made by the Secretary of the most serious issue facing us in health care today, the inequality and injustice of health care disparities, especially in racial and ethnic minority populations. Medicaid, which has been faced with increased demands due to the failed economic policies of this administration, takes a near fatal hit in the President's budget. This is the bulwark of health care in this country, and it needs to be strengthened, not weakened. Further, the Centers for Disease Control, on whom the protection of our health, the prevention of disease and the strength of our bioterrorism shield depends, would see a severe cut, as would programs that train doctors, nurses and other health providers. It cuts bioterrorism medical training and preparedness in hospitals, many of whom cannot adequately meet their everyday demands, not to mention surge in the case of an attack. Rural health programs are slashed; newborn sickle cell screening and Indian health facilities construction grants are eliminated; and there are even cuts to CDC's HIV and AIDS, STD and TB budget at a time when our communities continue to be plagued by these diseases. Just today, I read of a TB outbreak, a tuberculosis outbreak, in northeastern South Carolina. No ounce of prevention; with this budget we will have to pay the full pound of cure. Today, I shared a program with former Speaker Newt Gingrich. I would suggest that the President and the House leadership and Senate leadership speak with him on this. He gets it. Here I am not quoting him verbatim, but I am doing so accurately. He said that this country must raise the level of health care of everyone, no matter where they live, of all races and ethnicities on a par with our white population and continue to raise that bar as well. He further went on to say that unless we do so and place more emphasis on prevention, we will never contain the dramatic increases in health care spending or improve the health of this Nation overall. This is the message that we in the Congressional Black Caucus, together with our colleagues in the Hispanic Caucus, Native American Caucus and Asian Pacific Island Caucus, as well as the Progressive Caucus, have been trying to get across all along. I hope that hearing it from a Republican leader can finally have that message break through. When the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Bush a few weeks ago, we tried to impress upon him the urgency of acting, not talking, but acting with budget and programs, to close the gaps in health care that weaken this country morally, economically and in terms of our national security. As we also told him, we tell our colleagues: Every year that we fail to live up to what is our moral obligation to do good, to heal, to feed and to clothe the least of these, as we have been called, we as a Congress, through our omission, are complicit in the premature, preventable deaths of close to 100,000 African Americans and other people of color every year. The submission of the President's budget is only the beginning of a process. It began wrong, but we can and must make it right. All we are asking for is a budget that is fair, that is just and that finally brings about the equality for all that our country has promised. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, with the level funding, from Maternal and Child Healthy Starts with cuts in many of the prevention programs, with the elimination of funding for training the physicians, the doctors and nurses and other health providers, from our communities who have the cultural sensitivity to deal with the diverse populations that use the Community Health Centers, there will be empty buildings.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Yes, exactly.