Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank Congresswoman Slaughter and Congressman Walz for their tremendous work. I stand here and urge our Members to support this bill, but certainly I have my concerns. House Republicans stripped out of a bipartisan bill that passed the Senate overwhelmingly key provisions that were supported by Democrats and Republicans alike. Senator Grassley, the Senator from Iowa who I work with quite a bit, was among the first to criticize their actions. And after they stripped out his provision to require greater transparency over so-called political intelligence, Senator Grassley said, and it has been said again and again, but I think it needs to be in the DNA of every cell of our brains, that ``It's astonishing''--and these are his words--``and extremely disappointing that the House would fulfill Wall Street's wishes by killing the provision.'' That is an incredible indictment, and I share his disappointment that this bill does not go far enough to require the transparency that we need. Let me be clear: no Members of Congress should be able to benefit personally from information they gain by virtue of their service in the Congress. However, House Republicans have rushed to the floor weakened legislation that Members have not had a chance to read the way they should have had. Perhaps as a result of the rush, this bill also appears to have drafting problems that need to be corrected. For example, the Office of Government Ethics has indicated that the current bill could be interpreted as requiring that confidential financial disclosure forms filed by low-level employees, such as staff assistants in the executive branch, must be posted online. Mr. Speaker, while I support the purpose of this legislation, while I will vote for this legislation, I have my deep concerns. But as Mr. Cantor said, hopefully we'll be able to address these issues in the future and come out with a better bill.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentlelady for yielding to me, Mr. Speaker, and I rise in opposition to H.R. 1734, the Civilian Property Realignment Act. Although I support the efforts to improve the process used to dispose of Federal property, I believe in its current form this legislation inappropriately limits the access that service providers for the homeless have traditionally had to surplus Federal property. Current law requires that all Federal surplus properties be considered for use by entities that provide assistance for the homeless. This legislation would create a BRAC-like commission to dispose of unused Federal property, and would require a majority vote of this commission before any specific property could be considered for homeless assistance. This provision is misguided and should have been eliminated before this legislation reached the floor. I submitted to the Rules Committee a commonsense amendment that would have fixed this problem. My amendment would have ensured that section 501 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which provides for the discounted conveyance of surplus Federal property to homeless assistance providers, would continue to apply to all properties approved for disposal by the commission established by H.R. 1734. Unfortunately, my amendment was not made in order. There is no evidence that the current process for reviewing properties for use by homeless assistance providers has slowed property disposals. Indeed, more than 14,000 properties have completed Title V reviews and remain on the government's books awaiting disposal. According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, the number of homeless children in America increased by more than 448,000 from 2007 to 2010 due to the financial crisis. Approximately 1.6 million children--1 in 45 children--were homeless in 2010, a 38 percent increase over the level of child homelessness in 2007. With access to surplus Federal properties, homeless assistance providers can provide housing, support services, and employment assistance to help the homeless get back on their feet. We should not make careless alterations to the McKinney-Vento program. I understand the gentlelady from the District of Columbia plans to offer an amendment that would require the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to apply section 501 of McKinney-Vento to the extent practicable. If she does, I would support that. This is a step in the right direction, and I commend her efforts. But there should be no limitations on the size and value of the properties that should be subject to review for potential use by homeless assistance groups. For that reason, I cannot support this legislation so long as it contains provisions that would be harmful to the homeless and would reduce resources available to homeless assistance providers. I urge Members to oppose H.R. 1734.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I stand in strong opposition to this bill. Federal workers, Madam Speaker, are literally the backbone of our government. They support our troops on the battlefield, and they take care of our veterans when they return home. They protect our borders, safeguard our food supply, ensure that seniors receive their Social Security checks, and hunt down terrorists like Osama bin Laden. They carry out each and every Federal program, service, and initiative Congress has created. Despite the critical nature of the services that Federal workers provide, the majority believes that their pay should be frozen for yet another year, that their retirement benefits should be slashed, and that the size of the Federal workforce should be reduced sharply, even though it is smaller now than it was under Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Federal workers have already made tremendous sacrifices to address our Nation's budget deficits. The 2-year pay freeze to which they are currently subject will save taxpayers $60 billion. Further, Federal workers face the possibility of layoffs and furloughs in coming years as automatic spending reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 reduce agency budgets for salaries. The only workable solution to our country's budget deficit is a balanced one that includes shared sacrifice, including from the wealthiest among us. To date, however, our Republican majority has yet to bring before this House a single bill that will require millionaires and billionaires to contribute more toward deficit reduction. Instead, they are preoccupied with taking money out of the pockets of middle class public servants. For these reasons, last week I led 17 Members in sending a letter to conferees working on extending the payroll tax cut urging them to reject any and all measures that would disproportionately harm Federal workers. I will continue to oppose any measure that would further cut Federal employee pay or benefits. Madam Speaker, I'm disappointed but not surprised given the way the majority has run the House that we are now considering this bill under regular order. Instead, the majority introduced a bill on Friday in a pro forma session and is now rushing it to the House floor before any action by appropriate committees can be taken. I am also disappointed that this measure was placed on the suspension calendar, thereby blocking any amendments to the underlying legislation. Finally, I am disappointed that this bill unfairly links the pay of Federal employees to the pay of Members of Congress. I strongly support Mr. Van Hollen's bill. The merits of pay increases for Federal workers should be debated separately from our consideration of the pay of Members of Congress. In short, this bill appears to be a disingenuous and disrespectful attack against Federal workers and the regular order of the House. For these reasons, I strongly urge Members to oppose the bill, and I call on the House leadership to allow us to consider legislation through regular order that does not punish Federal workers in order to score political points. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch).

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield the gentlelady an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, may I ask how much time remains.

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

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As I listen to the debate and as I listen to the other side--and I do want to associate myself with the words of my colleague, Mr. Moran, and the others who have spoken--over and over again we hear on the one side of the mouth coming from our Republican colleagues that they love our Federal employees so much and they do such a great job, but on the other hand they say they want to freeze their pay. One of the things that I have found so interesting, and we've heard the argument over and over, is when it came to taxes with regard to the millionaires and billionaires, they didn't want to tax them one penny more, not one dime. But yet, the person who works here in this building, the ones that work at Social Security and other places, the ones that Mr. Moran just talked about, the ones who are protecting the homeland, they say to them: We want to make sure we freeze your pay. There's something awfully wrong with that picture. I believe very strongly that we all should share in the benefits, and we should share in the sacrifice, too. They didn't ask for one dime, not a dime more from the millionaires and the folks that are making all of the money. But yet still you've got people in the Federal system, according to the CBO report, if you want to go there, and that CBO report says those people with a master's degree or above, they are making 23 percent less. What about them? What about the people who day after day sacrifice and could possibly be making a lot more money in the private sector, what about them? Some of them, by the way, are on our staffs. So I would just urge--and again, it's been implied that we on this side have a problem with a pay freeze for our Members of Congress. We don't have a problem with that. I will go on the record saying that. And these issues should be divided. With that, Madam Speaker, I urge Members to vote against this very bad bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield the gentleman an additional 10 seconds.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I stand in strong opposition to this legislation, but I want to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).

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

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I find it interesting that the other side constantly brings up the CBO report. The much better report is the Bureau of Labor Statistics report. They have more experience at this, and they show that Federal employees were paid 26 percent less than private sector employees. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers. I will say that it is so important that we pause for a moment to honor people like Officer Terry. So often our officers, various officers throughout the Federal system, go out expecting to come home to their families and unfortunately do not come home. It is so very, very sad. We spent quite a bit of time, Mr. Issa and I, talking to the family and trying to console them. But I think the thing they want more than anything else right now is answers. I again join him in a bipartisan way with our entire committee to find those answers because I think it is so very, very important. As I've said many times, I shall not rest until we do find those answers. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our Members to vote for this historic piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2668, the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act, which honors the life and sacrifice of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. I'm pleased to be an original cosponsor of this measure, and I applaud Mr. Issa for his leadership on this. One year ago this Wednesday, on December 14, 2010, as on so many previous nights, Agent Terry and his team were out patrolling the border areas of Arizona and defending this country. Tragically, that night he died in the line of duty from injuries sustained in a gun fight. He died in the line of duty upholding his oath to defend our country. He was only 40 years old and was days away from taking a trip back home to Michigan for the Christmas holiday. Even before he joined the United States Customs and Border Protection as a Border Patrol agent, Agent Terry displayed an exemplary record of public service. He joined the United States Marine Corps upon his graduation from high school and served a tour of duty in Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 1994. Upon completing his military service, he returned home to Michigan and completed a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice. He then served as a police officer in Ecorse and Lincoln Park, Michigan. In 2007, he joined the United States Customs and Border Protection and became a member of its elite Border Patrol Tactical Unit. This unit responds to some of the most dangerous threats against our Nation's homeland, which perfectly suited Agent Terry's courage, patriotism, and dedication to his country. Agent Terry was stationed at the Nogales Border Patrol Station near Tucson, Arizona, which is the largest border patrol station in the entire country. Agent Terry took great pride in serving and defending his country. He worked tirelessly day after day confronting imminent and immediate danger on the southwest border. Despite the dangerous nature of his work, those who knew him described him as ``a strong, competitive, handsome, courageous, funny, and incredibly patriotic American.'' He was also proud to serve as a Federal law enforcement agent. I have met Agent Terry's family, and I support the ongoing efforts to seek answers for them. Others at the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office are working to bring his killers to justice. I join with the chairman of the Oversight Committee, Chairman Issa, in urging that the House adopt H.R. 2668, the Brian A. Terry Memorial Act, which recognizes Agent Terry's life and service and names in his honor a Border Patrol station in Bisbee, Arizona. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the case of Louis R. Harper, et. al. v. Mayor and City of Baltimore, et. al. This lawsuit, filed on December 6, 1971, to address discrimination within the Baltimore City Fire Department, BCFD, was the first federal lawsuit to combat discriminatory practices in hiring and promotion decisions in the public safety profession. The BCFD hired its first African American fire fighters on October 15, 1953, from a group of 41 men found eligible for appointment after the opportunity for them to take the entrance exam was opened in the summer of 1952. Almost 20 years later, one of those pioneering men became the architect behind the scenes of the legal action filed in 1971. Mr. Charles R. Thomas was the founding president of the Vulcan Blazers Incorporated, the Baltimore City Chapter of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters. Mr. Thomas approached Kenneth L. Johnson of the Johnson & Smith law firm asking if he would take on this monumental case. After hearing the facts of the case, Mr. Johnson and his law partner, Mr. Gerald A. Smith, agreed to take the case. The named plaintiff in the case was Mr. Louis R. Harper, Jr. It was his bravery and selflessness that led the team of plaintiffs, including Mr. Thomas G. Deshields, Mr. Carl E. McDonald, and Mr. Alphonso Thornton. These BCFD members put their careers at risk to demand that the BCFD treat all employees equally. This case addressed discrimination in the BCFD entrance examination and promotional practices. At the time of the lawsuit, the names of fully qualified African American candidates were marked in red by the civil service commission before being sent to the BCFD. The lawsuit also dealt with disparity in the Department's practices for disciplining African American fire fighters. Upon the filing of the case, an injunction was issued to halt promotions into 44 newly created battalion chief positions. Finally, in the spring of 1973, Baltimore City was found guilty of discrimination in the management of the BCFD. Federal District Court Judge Joseph H. Young ordered a complete revamping of the Department's entrance examination and promotional procedures. Since this lawsuit was concluded, the BCFD has appointed an African American Fire Chief and promoted several officers to all ranks as high as assistant chief. Critically, the BCFD case win was just the beginning of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Smith's mission to eradicate discrimination from the public safety profession all along the east coast. This team went on to win fire department cases in Philadelphia, PA and Richmond, VA. They also won cases for African American Baltimore City Police Officers and workers at Bethlehem Steel. As I close, I also celebrate the remarkable careers of those involved in this groundbreaking case. The named plaintiff in the case, Mr. Louis R. Harper, Jr., became the first African American to be promoted to Captain in the Baltimore City Fire Department. The other named plaintiffs all retired with the rank of Captain with the exception of Mr. Carl McDonald, who retired as Assistant Chief. Mr. Kenneth Johnson has retired from the position of Judge on Baltimore's Supreme Bench. Mr. Gerald A. Smith still practices law from his office in the Baltimore area. These men are true heroes who opened the doors of opportunity to subsequent generations. I thank them for their service to Baltimore and to our nation--and for their willingness to lead the fight against injustice.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2660, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 122 North Holderrieth Boulevard in Tomball, Texas, as the ``Tomball Veterans Post Office.'' This past Friday, our Nation celebrated and honored the heroic service of all our Nation's veterans. Continuing that celebration, I urge that we enact H.R. 2660, introduced by Congressman Michael Grimm. This legislation is supported by all of the members of the Texas delegation, and was considered and reported favorably by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 3, 2011. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 1.7 million of our Nation's 22.5 million veterans live in the State of Texas. The legislation before us will commemorate the service of veterans of Tomball, Texas, by naming their local post office in their honor. Such commemoration is but a small token of the debt our Nation owes its veterans. At a time when veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan face higher unemployment rates than the general population and when our veterans urgently need a range of services as they recover from both physical and psychological wounds, we must make it our highest priority to ensure our veterans have quick and easy access to all the services and benefits they have earned by the commitments they have made and kept to our Nation. That said, Mr. Speaker, let us come together in support of dedicating the Tomball, Texas, Post Office to its hometown veterans by passing H.R. 2660. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2415, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11 Dock Street in Pittston, Pennsylvania, as the ``Trooper Joshua D. Miller Post Office Building.'' The measure before us was authored by Congressman Lou Barletta, and cosponsored by all of the members of the Pennsylvania delegation. H.R. 2415 was favorably reported out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous consent on November 3, 2011. Pennsylvania State Trooper Joshua D. Miller spent his life serving his country, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and his local community. Born to Walter and Peggy Miller in 1974, Trooper Miller enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1993. Upon discharge, he returned to Pennsylvania and joined the Tunkhannock Borough Police Department before becoming a Pennsylvania State trooper. Trooper Miller was a member of an elite unit of troopers assigned to handle the most dangerous cases. He made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty while trying to rescue a 9-year-old boy who had been kidnapped at gunpoint and was being held hostage. The young boy was ultimately released and returned safely to his family. On the day of his death, Trooper Miller wrote in an email to a colleague: ``I will not let anything happen to my brothers on my watch.'' His life exemplified his commitment to serving his community and protecting his fellow officers. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we pass H.R. 2415 to recognize the life and sacrifice of Pennsylvania State Trooper Joshua D. Miller. I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am very pleased to join my colleagues in supporting H.R. 2422. Without a doubt, Sergeant Angel Mendez was a very courageous young man. He gave a lot for his country, and he certainly deserves this rich honor. The measure before us was introduced by Representative Michael Grimm on July 6, 2011. It has been co-sponsored by all members of the New York delegation and was reported favorably to the House by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on November 3, 2011. This legislation commemorates the bravery and the sacrifice of Sergeant Angel Mendez. As a child, Sergeant Mendez was raised in an orphanage on Staten Island. Upon his graduation from high school in 1964, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During his service with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Sergeant Mendez was sent to Vietnam. While on a search and destroy mission on March 16, 1967, Mendez and his company were ambushed by the Viet Cong, and his platoon's lieutenant was injured in a rice paddy some 100 yards away from where Sergeant Mendez was exchanging fire with the enemy. Sergeant Mendez rushed to his lieutenant's aid and shielded him with his own body as he dressed his wounds. While in the process of carrying his lieutenant to safety, Sergeant Mendez was shot twice and suffered a fatal wound. He was only 20 years old at the time of his death in battle. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2422 honors the ultimate sacrifice made by Sergeant Angel Mendez by renaming the Bay Street Staten Island Post Office in his name. I urge all of my colleagues to pass this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 298, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 500 East Whitestone Boulevard in Cedar Park, Texas, as the ``Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris Post Office Building.'' The measure before us was introduced by Congressman John Carter. In accordance with our committee requirements, H.R. 298 has been cosponsored by all the members of the Texas delegation. It was reported favorably by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on November 3, 2011. Army Specialist Matthew Troy Morris was born on July 16, 1984, just across the Potomac River in Fairfax, Virginia. He was killed while serving in Balad, Iraq, on Sunday, April 6, 2008, after only 23 short years of life. Specialist Morris was a loving son to his parents, Lisa and Glenn Morris, and a caring brother to his siblings Cory, Katie and Sam. Friends and family describe him as a dedicated soldier and an energetic and inspiring young man. Matthew Morris joined the Army immediately after high school and was assigned to the 2nd Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Hood, Texas. While serving in Iraq, he earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Service Defense Medal, and several other decorations for heroism. Specialist Morris was a talented young man whose courage and sacrifice will forever be remembered. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we pass the underlying bill to recognize Specialist Morris' valor. Having no requests for time, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.