Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. So the urgency is now. We've got to act on this now. I'm hoping that that will happen. We have done our part. Then we've got to wait for our brothers and sisters on the other side to do theirs. Again, we just cannot continue to wait.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Again, you make the case for why we have to have reform. We have to have reform and act with the urgency of now, because every moment that goes by, I'm afraid there's going to be another Goldman Sachs deal. By the way, others are watching all of this in the market. And there may be others doing the same things.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Our clients' interests always come first. If that were truly their goal, they would have put out that information. They seem to be saying, Well, you know, maybe it may be a little teeny bit unethical, but we did not have a duty. When you have a slogan like our clients' interests always come first, it seems to me that you would operate on the highest level of integrity, transparency, clarity, and accountability, end of case. But that's not what happened here. And so you're absolutely right. We have got to make sure that we shine some light on this system, that we have the kind of reform that we are trying to get through here. And I know that there are people who are saying, Well, maybe too much is being done. I just want to take one more minute to talk about that. It seems to me that if you want people to invest in something, you want them to understand and believe that it's not rigged before they get there. I don't know how many people--and that's basically what you're talking about--How many people are going to go into a card game believing it's rigged before they get there. They're just not going to do them, that the odds are against them big time. They're not going to do it. This shining of the light, this transparency, would be good for the market, for Wall Street. Americans would feel comfortable and others would feel comfortable in investing in Wall Street. And therefore, in the end, in the end, we have a solid, strong Wall Street that people feel comfortable about investing their hard-earned money. Again, I want to thank the gentlelady. I yield to the gentlelady.

Mr. CUMMINGS. The American people.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Fraudulent Fab. As he talked, I heard no remorse. I heard folks basically saying, This is the way we do it, this is how we do it, and almost implying that it was none of our business, none of the business of the Senate or the House. The sad part about it, as I sat there, I really wanted to almost come through the television screen because I thought about all of the people who have lost so much, have lost so much over the last few years. The people who have lost their homes, lost their savings, lost their jobs, lost opportunities. Children cannot go to school. They can't get loans. Yet, still folks sitting there from Goldman almost acting as if, You know what, don't even bother asking us about what we do. It's our business. Well, it's not just their business because it affects almost every single American, the types of things they do. That's why 60 Members of this Congress wrote to the SEC--and I'm very glad to see Mary Schapiro taking over the SEC and doing what needs to be done--and said to them, Look, we're glad that you're bringing the civil action, but we also want you to look at other deals similar to this one because we want to get to the bottom of this. And we also said that if any money was paid from AIG to Goldman and Paulsen and it was ill-gotten, we want our money back. But we said another thing. We said that if there appeared to be criminal activity, we wanted it referred to the Justice Department so that they could take appropriate action. Now let me be clear: I live in Baltimore. There are people in my neighborhood in the inner city of Baltimore that if they stole a $300 bike, they're going to jail, period. A $300 bike. And the reason why it's so important to me that we look at all these other transactions and try to figure out if there was criminal activity is because I want the folks on Wall Street to be treated like the folks on Madison Avenue in Baltimore. And so I think what we are doing here is so important. I think that we are at the tip of an iceberg, but we have got to chisel down. The gentlelady, when she first started our discussion, she said reform is so important that we've got to deal with reform now. I think when you look at what has happened in this deal as it has been so wonderfully and accurately described by my colleagues, we understand why it is so important that we have transparency. We have got to have it.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Yes, I yield to the gentlelady.

Mr. CUMMINGS. No, I really don't. Goldman, they said our slogan is: Our customers always come first.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Please don't tell me.

Mr. CUMMINGS. To the tune of $180 billion.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1281 and to mourn the loss of a strong voice for greater justice and equality in our Nation, Ms. Dorothy Height. In the 1950s and 60s, women were expected to stay at home, and stay out of the spotlight. Dorothy Height broke through those boundaries and became a role model for women, engraving her message of universal human dignity into the mantle of our society. In fact, she exploded past her boundaries, to not only make her voice heard, but make it relevant. The glass ceiling faced by women would hardly be the only barrier that Ms. Height would demolish. At a time when she showed great courage with every word she spoke as a powerful woman, that bravery was magnified by her voice being heard as a proud Black woman. She stood--like a prophetess of old--in defense of the principle that all men and all women are created equal, and are deserving of equal rights. Dorothy Height was a woman of stunning dedication, discipline and vision. Although, at times, she may have been overshadowed in the press and the history books by the men of the Civil Rights movement, she will never be forgotten in the hearts and minds of the millions whom she touched. When Dorothy Height stood with Martin Luther King, Jr., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as he delivered his famous ``I have a dream'' speech, she stood tall in her own right as both a woman, and as a leader. During the continuing civil rights struggles of the 1960s, Dorothy Height worked tirelessly to advance our cause. The Movement's success owes as much to her determination as it does to the more well-known legacies of Dr. King, Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, James Farmer, and Bayard Rustin. Ms. Height left no avenue untraveled in her march toward Dr. King's ``beloved society.'' She brought together Black and white women to initiate a dialogue of understanding; wrote weekly columns in the New York Amsterdam News, a weekly African American newspaper; promoted community development programs in Africa; and served on numerous committees to this end. In particular, Dorothy Height's work within the National Council of Negro Women encouraged positive and lasting change in our Nation. She served as the President of the Council for 40 years, retiring in 1997. From her bully pulpit as President, Dorothy Height advocated for equality for both African Americans and women. She emphasized self-help and reliance, even as she encouraged practical programs in nutrition, child care, housing and career counseling. Madam Speaker, I was deeply gratified when Dorothy Height was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, one of the most deserved awards that we have ever bestowed. With her passing, millions of women--and men--have lost a role model, and America has lost one of our true treasures. My prayers are with Ms. Height's family and friends during their time of loss.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a great American and true leader--Dr. Harold A. Carter, Sr. His is a vision and a mission--grounded in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s--that has compelling importance for our Nation today. More than a half-century ago, when Dr. Carter was still a young man in Selma, Alabama, Dr. Ralph Abernathy and, then, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., both offered Harold Carter his first opportunities to speak to their congregations as a newly ordained minister. ``I was a young college student and they wanted to give me a boost from the beginning,'' Dr. Carter observed in a 2005 article written by Mr. Sean Yoes of the Baltimore AFRO American. Madam Speaker, it was a strong, inspiring and enduring ``boost,'' indeed. This same visionary foundation has inspired Dr. Carter throughout his ministry--both in the mission to proclaim the Gospel to which he had been called and in the ``Social Gospel'' work of his faith. This year, Dr. Carter celebrates 45 years as the principal shepherd of Baltimore's New Shiloh Baptist Church. In his own words, he is above all ``a God man,'' the primary trustee of his congregation's spiritual life. Yet, at a time when our urban areas are in danger of crumbling under the stress of decades of disinvestment, Dr. Carter and his New Shiloh Congregation also offer the people of Baltimore both hope and a concrete plan for social and economic renewal. A past leader of Baltimore's chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the local chapter of the Poor People's Campaign, Dr. Carter has readily acknowledged Dr. King's influence upon his vision for community renewal as an integral element of his New Shiloh ministry. ``I learned from him that we have to take responsibility for our condition, whatever that might be,'' Dr. Carter once observed. ``People in power do not concede anything to others freely, so we have to equip ourselves and do for ourselves based on the principles of unconditional love.'' Aided by the strength and talents of his wonderful wife, the late Dr. Weptanomah Carter, his son and co-Pastor, Dr. Harold A. Carter, Jr., and a dedicated congregation that has grown to number in the thousands, New Shiloh is, indeed, equipping its community to move forward on empowering principles. Every day, people from the neighborhood can find inspiration and opportunity in its beautiful church and Family Life Center, its School of Music, Theological Center, Child Development Center and other facilities. These accomplishments of the congregation's ``Social Gospel'' mission are important aspects of Dr. Carter's vision--but they are far from the end. Already underway are plans for technical training for the community, a Computer Center, a Senior Center and Senior Housing. Madam Speaker, it is more appropriate, under our constitutional system, for me to leave it to others to commend Dr. Carter for the other wonderful ministers whom he has trained--including my own minister, Bishop Walter S. Thomas, Sr. Others are better qualified than I to attest to the lasting importance of Dr. Carter's spiritual writings. However, I have been honored to serve as a spokesman for the Congressional Black Caucus to our nation's faith communities--and, in that duty, I have gained a thorough understanding of ``faith-based initiatives'' that are working. A part of what my teacher and friend, Dr. Harold A. Carter, Sr., has taught me is that the inspiration for ``faith-based'' programs that work cannot be found in a strategy to transfer public responsibility for greater social equity to the faith centers of our country. Rather, that motivating force must first arise from the hearts and minds of people of faith themselves. This, I submit, is why Dr. Harold A. Carter, Sr., should stand as an example for all of our citizenry--whatever our respective faith traditions may be. This, I believe, is what Dr. Carter means when he speaks of how our local communities must undertake greater responsibility for themselves and their neighbors--and how they must equip themselves for opportunity. Unlike other ``mega-churches'' that have left the inner cities of our Nation, New Shiloh Baptist Church has followed Dr. Carter's vision for his congregation. It has constructed its foundation on an unwavering commitment to the people of our urban community. As we in government seek to construct a new and more comprehensive ``national urban policy,'' we would do well to take note. Dr. Carter and his congregation have invested millions of dollars in the New Shiloh Village and surrounding community. ``This is where the people are, and this is where the need is,'' he has observed. ``The wave of Maryland's future development--and the nation's--lies in the [inner] cities.'' Madam Speaker, for all of these reasons, I have come before you and this House today to commend to our Nation's attention the vision, wisdom and mission of an inspired man. During his decades of service, Dr. Harold A. Carter, Sr., has earned our Nation's praise for a lasting legacy of principle and faith. His is a vision that all Americans would do well to pay heed.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1271 and to mourn the loss of the former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Mr. Benjamin L. Hooks. Mr. Hooks led the NAACP at a time when civil rights legislation began to have its greatest impact. The vote had been secured, equal facilities were legally required and the right to an equal education had finally been confirmed through court action. Benjamin Hooks had already seen the benefits of the fight for civil rights that he helped lead. Before taking over the NAACP, Hooks was President Nixon's choice to head the Federal Communication Commission as that body's first Black commissioner. So, when he took over at the NAACP, many believed the fight was over and the impact of the NAACP had declined. Benjamin Hooks knew that the fight would never end, as long as injustice remained in this world. When he left the NAACP in 1992, the membership who believed along with him, fought along with him, and who join me in mourning his loss, had grown by hundreds of thousands of Americans. His service to his country and to the NAACP was not the birth of his activism. Even as a young man, Benjamin Hooks fought for equality. Hooks served in the Army during World War II, guarding prisoners of war. In his hometown of Memphis, these prisoners would have more rights than he did. So Hooks began fighting for those whose rights had been left behind. For 16 years, he practiced law in Memphis, became a minister and served as the first African American criminal court judge in the state of Tennessee. During his tenure at the FCC, Hooks pushed for more minority leadership of media outlets. Minority employment in broadcasting grew from 3 percent to 15 percent during his tenure, according to the Associated Press. After retiring from the NAACP, Hooks stressed that wealthy and middle-class African Americans should give time and resources to those who are less fortunate. He served as pastor of Middle Baptist Church and president of the National Civil Rights Museum, both in Memphis. He also taught at the University of Memphis. His lifetime work was so critical to the Civil Rights movement that in 2007, Hooks received the nation's highest honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President George W. Bush. So today, it is with a heavy heart that I mourn the loss of an American leader and legend, Mr. Benjamin Hooks.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the Securities and Exchange Commission to do their job. The letter Mr. DeFazio and I wrote to the SEC asks for nothing more and nothing less. The SEC has sued Goldman Sachs for potential fraud. Rather than jumping to the conclusion that there was no fraud or simply convicting Goldman Sachs in the court of public opinion, Mr. DeFazio and our 36 cosigners and I call for an expanded investigation by the SEC. Should fraud be found, we ask that any taxpayer money paid by AIG and obtained through fraudulent transactions be recovered. Finally, we are asking that evidence of criminal wrongdoing be turned over to the Justice Department. The SEC must be serious about reining in companies who ignore our laws. I am committed to this cause, Mr. DeFazio is committed to this cause, and our 36 cosponsors are committed to this cause. I invite all of my colleagues to sign onto the letter and join us.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 1062.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1062) recognizing the Coast Guard Group Astoria's more than 60 years of service to the Pacific Northwest, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me associate myself with the words of both of my colleagues. Again, I want to thank Mr. Wu for sponsoring the resolution. I also want to thank Mr. Coble for his service, not only to the United States Coast Guard, but to our subcommittee. He is one of our strongest members and has tremendous passion about the Coast Guard. As I was listening to both of them, I could not help but think about the fact that the Coast Guard does not always get the recognition that it deserves. It has a little bit over 41,000 members. It is a small agency, a small organization; but I call them our thin blue line at sea. Certainly, Coast Guard Group Astoria is typical of the men and women whom I see all over our country as I travel, and I commend them on so many things that they have done so well. On that note, when we look back at Katrina and at all of the agencies which operated during Katrina, there is absolutely no question that the United States Coast Guard was the agency that went far beyond the call of duty, rescuing some 35,000-plus lives. Many of these people would have perished if it were not for the bravery and the courage of the United States Coast Guard. In this resolution, while we are addressing Coast Guard Group Astoria, I think it also says to the other members of the Coast Guard that we are a grateful Congress and that we appreciate everything that they do every day in putting their lives on the line so that they can continue to be our thin blue line at sea.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 197.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Introduced by Congressman Kennedy, H. Res. 197 commends the American Sail Training Association, ASTA, for its work creating opportunities for young people to sail on traditionally rigged sailing vessels and for its work representing the United States in international sail training fora. Barclay Warburton III founded ASTA in 1973. After he participated in a tall ships race held in Europe, he was inspired to form an organization in the United States that would be dedicated to supporting character building through sail training and promoting sail training to the North American public. Over the past nearly four decades, ASTA has carried on his vision by working to instill a love of sea in the next generation. The organization gives young people the chance to sail on tall ships and supports professional development among the crew members who work on tall ships. ASTA also organizes tall ship races and associated maritime festivals such as the Tall Ships Challenge Series. These festivals give young people interested in sailing the chance to experience life on tall ships. They have also enabled millions of spectators to experience the majesty of tall ships and have created significant economic benefits in the coastal communities in which they have been held. I note that the United States Coast Guard Cutter Eagle was used to train cadets at the Coast Guard Academy on the principles of seamanship. It's just one of the many vessels that has worked extensively with ASTA and participated in many ASTA sailing events. ASTA's work is critical to preserving our Nation's rich maritime heritage and ensuring that its traditions are passed on to the next generation. Madam Speaker, as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I urge the adoption of H. Res. 197 of the House today and commend the good work of my friend, Congressman Kennedy, on this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4275) to designate the annex building under construction for the Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta, Georgia, as the ``John C. Godbold United States Judicial Administration Building'', as amended.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4275.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).