Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very much.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I wanted to make it clear that we will do that. We will rally around Miss Goodwin, but the sad part about it is Miss Goodwin is only one, and I am sure that there are many, many others and then the question becomes how do we make sure we rally around all of them. Because as you just said, with our men and women in bunkers in Fallujah and with them fighting and giving up their blood, sweat, tears and lives, and then for those who are able to come back and end up in situations like this or somewhat similar is a shame. So, yes, we will rally around here but we must find ways to rally around the many others who are voiceless, who the New York Times never interviewed, the ones that will never appear on the front page of the Washington Post, the ones that you will never hear about on ABC News, those who we have to find and help.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentleman very much. Madam Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentlewoman from the great State of Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his statement and for his eloquence. He said something when he was talking about African American males and the unemployment rate. One of the things that I talked about in my district was coping skills. But when we talk about, as my colleague just said, in the Chicago area 50 percent unemployed black males, we have to find a way to create hoping skills. And as he said, when people lose hope, that is a major problem. And when they do not have any money and have children to feed, and have to take care of themselves, that is a rough situation to have hope around.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I will yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), my good friend, such time as he may consume.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, finally, let me just say this: I cannot help but be moved by your words with regard to Senator Kerry. And I understand you were with him yesterday. It pains me tremendously, as I said a little earlier, that our military can go and fight for this Constitution and can fight for America to maintain its strength, can fight for our freedoms, can fight for the conventions and opportunities that we have, but then to hear people slam him because he comes back after doing all the things my colleague said, and I am glad he made it clear, all the things he said, he could come back and express his views, and thank God we have a country that says you have freedom of speech; but then he gets slammed for the very freedoms that he placed his life on the line for. Something is wrong with the picture.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman said something else that was really quite telling. When the gentlewoman talked about the deficit in the school system, we in Baltimore, we have a deficit too of about $58 million, if I remember correctly. When we are talking about educating children, one of the things that we have consistently said in the Congressional Black Caucus is that while we want to make sure, we do not want people to be confused, that we do not want to ever see another 9/11 happen again. So we believe in fighting terrorism, but we also want to make sure that we take care of the people here at home. One of the things, and I have said it many, many times, I think the greatest threat to our national security is our failure to properly educate our children. And if the money is not there for teachers, not there for the janitors so they can have clean schools and clean buildings, I say that it is their turn. In other words, it is our children's turn. We had our opportunity to get our education and we got it or we would not be here. But now it is their turn. And then they have to go through this deficit. Why? And they are suffering because of it, because I know in Baltimore we just had a proposal where we are going to increase class sizes. Why? Because we have to lay off teachers.

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 on this special order.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 18th annual National Minority Cancer Awareness Week and to address an issue that is of grave concern to thousands of Americans. Cancer is the second leading cause of death among Americans, responsible for one of every four deaths. In 2004, over 560,000 Americans--or more than 1,500 people a day--will die of cancer. Over 18 million new cases of cancer have been diagnosed since 1990, and about 1.4 million new cases will be diagnosed in 2004 alone. I am sure that each of us has either lost a family member or close loved one to this dreadful disease or know of someone who has suffered such a loss. In 1971, President Nixon and Congress declared an all out war on cancer. Since then, national investment in cancer research and programs have reaped remarkable returns, including a 57 percent decline in cancer mortality rates. Unfortunately, cancer still remains the number two killer in America, just behind heart disease. And despite all the progress that has been made in the battle against cancer, this disease doe not affect all races equally. The burden of cancer continues to fall on communities of color. Mr. Speaker, African Americans are more likely to die of cancer than people of any other racial or ethnic group. From 1996 through 2000, the average annual death rate per 100,000 people for all cancers combined was 257 for African Americans, 199 for whites, 138 for Hispanics, 138 for Native Americans/Alaska Natives, and 125 for Asians/Pacific Islanders. In fact, my state of Maryland ranks 12th in cancer mortality rates among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Between 1996 and 2000, African Americans in Maryland outpaced the national average on every leading cancer mortality index: lung cancer (68.7 per 100,000 persons), colorectal cancer (30.6 per 100,000 persons), breast cancer (35.5 per 100,000 persons), and prostate cancer (75.6 per 100,000 persons). It is estimated that 25,310 new cancer cases will be diagnosed in Maryland, and 10,430 members of my community will die from this disease in 2004. To make these numbers real, on a national basis if you are a black man in the United States and contract prostate cancer, you have a 73.0 percent mortality rate versus the national average of 32.9 percent. If you are an African American woman and contract breast cancer, you have a higher mortality rate, 35.5 percent versus the national average of 27.7 percent. I am sure like me many of you find these statistics truly shocking. According to the American Cancer Society, the primary cause of disparities in cancer between African Americans and the general population is poverty. Biological or inherited characteristics are less important than socioeconomic factors in explaining differences in cancer incidence and mortality among major racial and ethnic populations in the United States. As a result, many economically challenged racial and ethnic minorities lack access to high quality health care. The major consequences of inadequate access to preventive services and early detention are that diseases like cancer are more often diagnosed at later stages when the severity is likely to be greater and options for treatment, as well as the odds of survival, are decreased. The future health of America as a whole will be substantially influenced by our success in improving the health of minority and other medically underserved populations. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 18th annual National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, a national campaign initiated by Congress in 1987 to heighten awareness of the unequal cancer burden borne by racial and ethnic minority populations and other medically underserved communities. This week incorporates the theme ``Cancer is a Burden, Finding Help Shouldn't Be''. The goal is to increase the nation's awareness of the programs and services available in minority communities and to provide an opportunity to engage impacted communities in the fight against cancer. This week also provides an important opportunity to commend those working tireless in my district and in communities across this nation to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Mr. Speaker, on this 18th anniversary of National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, I urge my colleagues to make cancer research and the eradication of this terrible disease a national priority. Cancer research saves lives. We must maintain the pace of cancer research by increasing the budget of the National Institutes of Health at least 8.5 percent for fiscal year 2005. Unfortunately, the Administration's FY 2005 budget proposal only calls for a 2.6 percent increase, where an 8 percent increase is needed; thereby falling behind inflation and far short of what is required to sustain the current pace of discovery. Mr. Speaker, we must also address the national nursing shortage. Nurses serve on the front-line in the battle against cancer, providing critical patient care services and also helping conduct cancer research through clinical trials. This complex and multifaceted chronic disease demands an adequate supply of trained, educated, and experienced nurses. As such, we must adequately fund the Nurse Reinvestment Act and other nursing workforce programs. Finally, Mr. Speaker, advances in cancer prevention, detection and treatment over the past several decades have increased longevity and improved the quality of life for many people. Once again, however, not all segments of the U.S. population have benefited equally. A strong investment in the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHHD) will expand our knowledge about health disparities and target initiatives geared to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the disparate burden of cancer and other diseases on minority and medically underserved communities. The Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act of 2003, H.R. 3459, introduced by the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Asian-Pacific Caucus, would help enable community-based organizations to increase detection and screening efforts; would establish guidelines for treatment modalities for minorities; and would provide additional funding for cancers that impact minorities more adversely, such as prostate and breast cancer. Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to use the 18th anniversary of National Minority Cancer Awareness Week to renew its commitment to the eradication of this devastating disease. Together, we can reduce and ultimately eliminate the disparate burden of cancer and other diseases on minority and medically underserved communities.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Certainly the issue is accountability. We simply want accountability. We are asked to appropriate large sums of money, but the question is, where does the money go?

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon in solemn recognition of all the soldiers who have lost their lives or who have been injured in the war on Iraq. I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the Congressional Black Caucus who stood up for our soldiers in this war. As I am sure you are aware, Mr. Speaker, April has been one of the deadliest months in the war in Iraq. Approximately 100 troops have lost their lives and countless others have been injured in the escalating violence. I continue to pray for the families of the deceased and wounded and for the safe return of those fighting in the Iraqi desert. Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress we must ask the crucial questions that go to the heart of our mission in Iraq, namely, Mr. Speaker, we have the responsibility to our constituents and to our American servicemen and -women to ask what is the strategy for returning Iraqi governance to the Iraqi people. How long are our troops expected to be in Iraq and at what cost in American tax dollars and human loss of life must we expend? Just last week, the President held a prime-time press conference to address the concerns of the American people regarding the United States occupation of Iraq and the resulting loss of life. President Bush told the American people that we must unequivocally stay the course. But I must ask, Mr. Speaker, is this really a course worth staying? And most courses have an end. On our current course, Iraq Shiites have now joined forces with the Sunnis to fight against the United States occupation of their country. Mr. Speaker, the irony of this situation is that the United States expected the Iraqi Shiite majority to be the most grateful to the United States for liberating them from years of oppression. But now they are literally united with their former oppressors against the United States. Mr. Speaker, on our current course, our servicemen and -women do not have the necessary equipment and support necessary to succeed in their mission and furthermore to protect their own lives. Week after week I hear from my constituents and others in the military that are lacking the proper resources despite the fact that they face real and present dangers every day. When I hear these stories I am completely baffled. This Congress recently appropriated $87 billion in addition to the $79 billion in an original funding request for the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we were assured that these monies were being used to supply the troops with equipment and other needs. At that time, I came to the House floor to request a full and complete accounting of what the funds would be used for and received no such reporting. And now, Mr. Speaker, we see a story in today's Washington Post which reads, ``The Army has publicly identified nearly $6 billion in funding requests that did not make Bush's $402 billion defense budget for 2005, including $132 million for bolt-on vehicle armor; $879 million for combat helmets, silk-weight underwear, boots and other clothing; $21.5 million for M249 squad automatic weapons; and $27 million for ammunition magazines, nights sights and ammo packs. Also unfunded: $956 million for repairing desert-damaged equipment and $102 million to replace equipment lost in combat.'' Mr. Speaker, the article goes on to further say, ``The Marine Corps unfunded budget request includes $40 million for body armor, light weight helmets and other equipment for `Marines engaged in the global war on terrorism.' '' Mr. Speaker, this is simply outrageous. While the President tells the Nation that we need to stay the course, his own budget did not include the funds necessary to accomplish that goal.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a true American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving his country with honor and courage. 20-year old Army Private Brandon Lee Davis of Cresaptown in Garret County, Maryland, was among five soldiers killed when a bomb exploded under their vehicle in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. The soldiers were conducting security and stability operations in the region just north of Fallujah. They were from the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Brigade, based in Fort Riley, Kansas. I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Private Davis during this difficult time. I, along with the other Members of the Maryland federal delegation, mourn their loss. Our prayers are with Private Davis' mother, Jackie Weatherholt; his father, Jeffrey Davis; and his two siblings. Words cannot express the sense of loss felt by the Maryland community when one of our own, a young man who offered such promise and hope for the future, is taken from us. This tragedy makes the war in Iraq more personal for all of us. Private Davis joined the Army shortly after graduating from Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, Maryland. Like many young men and women who seek direction in life after high school, Private Davis hoped to learn a trade while serving his country. His dedication to service to others would not have rested with his duty in the Army. Private Davis dreamed of using his life to protect men and women by becoming a police officer. Sadly, that dream will never come true. The deadly consequences of war are a reality that all of us must face. However, the knowledge of what may happen in war does little to diminish the pain and anguish when that reality reaches your front door. Mrs. Weatherholt will never have the opportunity to feel the joy of a mother who watches her youngest son experience all of the milestones in life. Mr. Davis will never get to see his son teach the lessons he learned about how to be a man. All this Maryland family now has are memories. Mrs. Weatherholt must hold on to the memory of that last telephone conversation on March 20th, when she gave her son these words of caution, ``Watch your back, Brandon.'' These parents have the memories of their son making others laugh with his outgoing and upbeat personality. They have the memories of their son going out of his way to show kindness to strangers and make his friends and family feel happy. There were no limits to Brandon's loving generosity. He gave up the opportunity to come home to his family for a two-week break in February, and, instead, donated his leave time to an Army buddy who wanted to return to the United States to get married. I am sure Private Davis longed to be with his family during this time, but he gave his priority to his desire to help a friend. The Army deployed Private Davis to Iraq nearly six months ago. He never discussed his fear or worry with his family, although he was stationed thousands of miles from home in a foreign land with death and destruction as his bedfellows. This brave young American knew of the dangers of the high-risk areas into which he was being sent, but he was proud to be a soldier. He was proud that, by serving in the United States Army, he was not only making a better for himself, but he was trying to make a better, safer life for us all. Mr. Speaker, I must say that I opposed President Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq before exhausting every diplomatic measure and without clearly demonstrating an imminent threat of attack on the United States. But I will do everything within my power to support our men and women in uniform. I stand behind our troops in Iraq and pray for their safe return home. Although I did not know Private Brandon L. Davis personally, I consider it a privilege to honor his life and to pay tribute to the sacrifice that this young man made for all Americans. This country has lost a true leader. Private Davis gave his life to set the Iraqi people free. I pray to God that we succeed. God Bless you, Private Davis.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Servitude and Emancipation Archival Research Clearing House (SEARCH) Act of 2004, companion legislation to S. 1292 sponsored by Senator Landrieu. This bill would authorize the creation of a national database of servitude and emancipation records within the National Archives. For most Americans, researching their genealogical history involves searching through municipal birth, death, and marriage records--most of which have been properly archived as public historical documents. However, African Americans in the United States face a unique challenge when conducting genealogical research. Current records of emancipation and slavery are frequently inaccessible, poorly catalogued, and inadequately preserved from decay. Instead of looking up wills, land deeds, birth and death certificates, and other traditional genealogical research documents, African Americans must often try to identify the name of former slave owners, hoping that the owners kept records of pertinent information such as births and deaths. Although some states and localities have undertaken efforts to collect these documents with varying degrees of success, there is no national effort to preserve these pieces of public and personal history or to make them readily and easily accessible to all Americans. While entities like Howard University and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Library have extensive African American archives, the SEARCH Act would create a centralized database for these historic records. This database would be administered by the Archivist of the United States as part of the National Archives. Finally, the SEARCH Act would also authorize funding for States, colleges, and universities, to preserve, catalogue, as well as index servitude and emancipation records locally. It would make available up to $5 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to establish and maintain the national database, as well as $5 million in grants for States and academic institutions to conserve local records of servitude and emancipation. I believe that this legislation will be a very important step in resurrecting the rich history of African Americans and the vital role that they played in building America. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the SEARCH Act as not only a means by which their constituents can trace their lineage, but also as a means by which we can preserve historically comprehensive and accurate information for generations to come.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, just recently the economic report of the President, which was sent to Congress under the President's signature, predicted that the economy would create some 2.6 million jobs this year. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the President has yet to create a single net job since his inauguration, not one. Meanwhile, we have lost almost 9 million people in this country that are hopelessly out of work. Many of these intelligent, educated, and able-bodied Americans have given up on looking for work because our national unemployment situation is so grim. As a result, they are unable to provide the basic necessities for their families. Instead, they are watching President Bush on television traveling the country, touting his economic record that again has yet to create a single net job. Mr. Speaker, we have got to get the employment situation in this Nation back on track. The phrase ``jobless recovery'' is of no consolation to the nearly 9 million Americans who are unemployed and the millions who are underemployed in our country. Mr. Speaker, zero represents the amount of money nearly 9 million people are bringing home bi-weekly instead of a paycheck. Zero represents a degree to which the tax cuts being promoted by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have worked to achieve their goal. Zero also represents the amount of compassion American voters should give this administration in November since these numbers will not change without new leadership in Washington. Today, Congress had an opportunity to enact legislation that is guaranteed to create jobs. The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Democrats proposed $37.8 billion of Federal highway/ transit infrastructure investment. These funds would have created nearly 1.8 million jobs and about $235 billion of economic activity. However, our recommendations were disregarded because the President threatened to veto the bill. Mr. Speaker, I want to make it crystal clear to the American people that the President of the United States has threatened to veto a bill that has proven to create jobs; yet he is in favor of unlimited amounts of tax cuts that have debatable job creation effects. Mr. Speaker, it has been found that transportation construction contractors hire employees within 3 weeks of obtaining a project contract. Yet nearly 3 years after passage of the President's first package of tax cuts, the economy has yet to create a single net job. Not one. Mr. Speaker, the unemployment numbers from March will be released tomorrow. For the good of the American people, I sincerely hope that these numbers reflect a positive change in the Nation's unemployment situation. But it will not be because of anything this administration has done. It will be in spite of the obstacles to job creation that this administration continues to advocate. Lastly, I continue to hear the President and the Republicans blame all of their economic woes on September 11, corporate scandals, and the drumbeat of the Iraq War. Let me remind my friends that every President and every administration has had to overcome challenges. How about World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Iran hostage situation, the Cold War, and the first Persian Gulf War? I could continue on, but my point is that every President has faced these types of challenges and still managed to create jobs, except one, since the Great Depression, and that is George W. Bush and this Republican House and Senate. Mr. Speaker, we either need to change policies or change the leadership of this country. In the words of Tracy Chapman, ``Either we change or we live and die this way.'' I say we must, we must change.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to thank the gentleman for his vigilance and for consistently standing up for what is right. I have often said that I would like to see my children and grandchildren have a better country, inherit a better country than the one that existed on January 18, 1951, when I was born. I must say that when I listened to my colleagues speak and I look at the very subject that we are talking about tonight, I am very much concerned that they will not inherit a better country. As a matter of fact, the kinds of things that we are talking about tonight, where words of this administration are inaccurate, should give the entire American public chills, because they are the things that lead to the chipping away of this wonderful institution that we call a democracy. So I thank the gentleman for standing up and I thank all of my colleagues for coming out tonight, certainly the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) and the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky). I want to just for a moment talk about some of the misconceptions that we have seen and heard here as Members of this great body. First of all, as Members of the Congress, our constituents have vested a unique trust in us to represent their interests to the fullest degree and to make decisions that have a tremendous impact on their daily lives. Every day we are required to consider legislative proposals, policy solutions, and programmatic activities that shape the future of our Nation. In order to carry out our task for this greatest benefit of the American people, it is absolutely essential that the most accurate and current information be at our disposal. Anything less would force us to abdicate our duties and perform an extreme disservice to the American people. So, Madam Speaker, I am growing increasingly disturbed and angered by the Bush administration's penchant for being less than truthful with the people's representatives. One striking example of this tendency towards strategically bending the truth is the rationale provided for the Iraq War. What disturbs me most about the faulty reasoning provided by our rush to war is the fact that not only was our Nation's credibility at stake, but most importantly human lives were at stake. Recent remarks by the Spanish Prime Minister in which he called the United States' occupation of Iraq a fiasco, and those are his words, make it increasingly evident that international goodwill is beginning to turn against the United States. Madam Speaker, it is clear that one of the very first casualties of this war was international respect for the United States of America. Although terrorists may be jailed or killed on the battlefield, the war against terrorism will be fought and won in the hearts and minds. By advancing unilateralist policies that isolate the rest of the world without concrete proof of imminent threat, we have endangered not only our national security, but also our national identity. The Bible says, ``Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.'' Several revelations have come to light as of late that seem to indicate that the administration's reasoning for war was flawed and the information provided to the public as justification for the war was misleading. First, we had Secretary Paul O'Neill, a former member of President Bush's Cabinet, saying that invading Iraq was a top priority of this administration only 10 days after the inauguration of this administration. That is, in January of 2001, long before September 11, the administration had already had its sights on Iraq. Then to add insult to injury, former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that ``we were almost all wrong'' as it relates to our prewar intelligence. And Richard Clarke, the President's former counterterrorism adviser, is asserting that even though all credible evidence pointed to al Qaeda as being responsible for September 11, the administration still insisted on finding a link to Iraq. And now, Madam Speaker, we have this report entitled ``Iraq on the Record: The Bush Administration's Public Statements on, Iraq'' issued by the special investigations division of the Committee on Government Reform approximately 2 weeks ago and which was referred to by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) just a moment ago. This startling report, which I submit for the Record, chronicles over 200 misleading statements about the threat posed by Iraq that were made by this administration. This chart, which was included within the report, graphs the occurrence and timing of these misleading statements. Madam Speaker, the Members may notice this sharp spike between August, 2002, and October, 2002. I am sure the Members will recall that this happens to be around the same time Congress was considering the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Madam Speaker, I am sure that it is far more than a coincidence that just as Congress was debating whether or not force was necessary in Iraq, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, Secretary Powell, and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, the administration, made 64 misleading statements in 16 public appearances. Madam Speaker, that amounts to more than two misleading statements per day during the 30-day period between September 8, 2002, and October 8, 2002. I am sure that some of my colleagues across the aisle will find objection with this information, but in advance let me assure my critics that this report only contains statements that were misleading at the time that they were made. I am not referencing statements that the administration thought to be true at the time, but were proven false in hindsight. I am talking about statements that were not accurate reflections of the views of intelligence officials at the time they were made. Madam Speaker, as a Member of Congress, I am outraged by this purposeful twisting of the truth, and every American who believes in truth and justice should be outraged also. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, the argument made for war in Iraq was not the only case wherein the administration has knowingly misled the Congress and the American public. In December of 2003, the administration sent Congress its ``National Healthcare Disparities Report.'' As I am sure the Members are aware, Madam Speaker, the law requires the Department of Health and Human Services to report to Congress on national healthcare quality and national healthcare disparities. These reports enable us, as legislators, to assess the status of the health care crisis in our Nation and propose new solutions to eliminating those barriers to ensuring quality and affordable health care to every single American. Madam Speaker, eliminating disparities in treatment and access to health care is a major priority of the Congressional Black Caucus. Oftentimes people speak of health care disparities as an abstract issue that only exists in the realm of policy and political discussions. Under the leadership of the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, we have tried to make the issue of health disparities one that people understand and that we are working diligently to improve through our health care disparities legislation. Apparently, Madam Speaker, instead of joining the members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other concerned Members of Congress in our effort to eradicate health disparities, the Bush administration has chosen to delude Members of Congress as to the extent and nature of the problem. The report that the Department of Health and Human Services provided Congress was absolutely shameful. The Special Investigations Unit of the Committee on Government Reform has found that the Department of Health and Human Services altered conclusions of its scientists on health care disparities in order to gloss over the appearance of a national problem which is literally costing human lives. A congressional investigation released in January entitled ``A Case Study in Politics and Science: Changes to the National Healthcare Disparities Report,'' which I will submit for the Record, made some startling findings which I want to share with the American people tonight, Madam Speaker. The investigation revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services' scientists ``found `significant inequality' in health care in the United States, called health care disparities `national problems,' emphasized that these disparities are pervasive in our health care system and found that the disparities carry a significant `personal and societal price' in its initial report.'' However, the final version of the disparities report, that is the version the administration submitted to Congress, contained none, none, of these conclusions and instead minimized the importance and scope of the disparities in health care. Madam Speaker, not only did the administration mislead all 535 Members of Congress by rewriting a scientific report required by law, but the administration officials were dishonest with me personally when I asked about the changes made to the report. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, wrote a letter to me that began: ``I am writing in partial response to your letter to Secretary Thompson expressing your concern that these changes were made to scientific facts and findings in the National Healthcare Disparities Report.'' She goes on to say, as we will see on this chart, the very next sentence of the letter read: ``At the outset I want to make it clear that no data or statistics in the report were altered in any way whatsoever.'' This is a letter that she sent to me. However, Madam Speaker, if one were to visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Web site right now, they would find another letter from Dr. Clancy which reads: ``Over the course of the summer and fall, changes, with which I concurred,'' meaning she concurred, ``were made to the report by a broad array of staff including Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.'' The question becomes, Madam Speaker, which one is the truth? Is this the truth, or is this the truth? No matter what, there is an inconsistency that goes to the heart of a major issue on health care disparities. Finally, Madam Speaker, I ask how is it that Dr. Clancy can in good conscience tell me that no changes were made to the disparities report but a month later, after public pressure, admit that changes were indeed made? Madam Speaker, this is about more than my feeling personally insulted by Dr. Clancy. Madam Speaker, this is an insult to African American women who are more than twice as likely to die of cervical cancer than are white women and are more likely to die of breast cancer than women of any other racial or ethnic group. This is an insult to African Americans who are having more strokes at earlier ages, who are more likely to die from them, and who experience worse levels of recovery than other racial groups. This is about the prevalence of high blood pressure within the African American community that ranks among the highest in the world. This is about the administration knowing that all of these problems exist and choosing to do absolutely nothing about it and, furthermore, masking the truth about its existence. So I could go on and on, but it is so interesting too that on Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, President Bush visited an African American church and said, ``Today would have been his 75th birthday,'' and this is President Bush speaking as I conclude. ``It's important for our country to honor his life and what he stood for.'' Later in the day, the President visited Dr. King's memorial in Atlanta, Georgia, and held a moment of silence at his tomb. All of this was very moving and touching. Yet, Madam Speaker, the very next day the President appointed Judge Charles Pickering over the objection of United States Senators, the Congressional Black Caucus, and all of these civil rights organizations. I find it rather ironic that 1 day after the photo-op with Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and after saying that the Nation should honor what Dr. King stood for, that President Bush would have appointed a judicial nominee that was vigorously opposed by nearly every single civil rights group in the entire Nation. So I would say to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), I thank him for yielding to me. Again, we all have come out. We could be at home resting, but we cannot rest when we see the deceptions that are taking place for we know that those deceptions lead to erosions. It is just like a water leak in one's house, drip, drip, drip; and every single drip, it may take a long time, but eventually something wears away. And we are convinced that we have to stand up. We could not sleep unless we did stand. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. We just had a situation in my district where a water taxi capsized in a storm. Unfortunately, there were some deaths, but we also had a well-trained Navy Reserve unit which so happened to be in the vicinity. If it had not been for them, some 20-odd lives would not have been saved. During our discussions about this incident, one of the things that we talked about was homeland security. The Naval reservists were saying when incidents like this happen, if they have the kinds of equipment that they would have to have for homeland security, it would make their jobs so much easier. A lot of people say what happened on 9/11 will not happen again; I have heard people say it only happens once. Then we had the Madrid train situation, and the fact is, when we talk about homeland security and talk about our port situation, we have the Port of Baltimore; and in talking to the people at our port, they tell us that one drug load could come in and could do so much damage to our city and citizens. And yet we are cutting back on ports?

Mr. CUMMINGS. In the Baltimore incident, what they said was, if you have the equipment you need for emergencies, like if there was some type of attack on our port or our city, even if that did not happen, just being prepared for it puts us in a position to be able to address issues that would probably have a higher likelihood of taking place. It is not like the equipment sits in a corner waiting for some terrorist to come along. And they also talked about the training that they have been involved in, and said their training was helpful. Again, we hear mayors from all over the country, large and small cities, saying, we want to be prepared, we want to protect our people. We are the ones that have to address our firefighters and our police personnel and those who do emergency work. All they want is to make sure that they have the things that are necessary to do their job.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, the gentlewoman also mentioned job training, which is so very important. The gentlewoman said there are cuts in job training.

Mr. CUMMINGS. There are so many people out of work. I was speaking to a colleague from Ohio, and he was saying hundreds of thousands of jobs are cut, gone. And he talked about how important it is to have job training, so if opportunities come, people will be in a position to take advantage of it. It is one thing to have opportunity, it is another thing to be prepared to take advantage of it. It just seems to me as we see so many of our relatives and our neighbors out of a job, 9 million of them in our country, it seems to me that, if anything, we would be trying to increase the funds for job training so that people will be prepared for opportunity were it to come along. But yet and still, and the President keeps telling us jobs are coming, we have not seen them yet, but assuming he is right, if they are not prepared, what difference does it really make?

Mr. CUMMINGS. When we talk about Pell grants, and we see so many students who work so hard and they finally get to college. I am a graduate of Howard University, and since 1973, I have gone back to every graduation because I want to see the young people emerge and go out into the world. It is a good feeling that I get from seeing that. But to know there are students today like the ones we saw down at Florida A&M and Prairie View A&M, at Morgan State and Howard, so many of them have gotten there. They have gone through so many difficulties, and they finally get to college. And many of them, although it is recommended that they not work in their first year, they are working and doing whatever they can do to make ends meet to be able to pay the tuition payments. I think it was at Prairie View when they did a survey of income of the parents, it was less than $40,000 combined average. So the parents simply do not have it. So we have students who are giving it the best they can. They have dreamed of being a doctor or nurse or lawyer or teacher, and finally they get that acceptance letter and they are able to scrape together some money and, maybe their cousin or Aunt Sally gives them money for their graduation present from high school, and they get there and then they find out that the Pell grant that they are getting, even combined with other sources of income, even the money they get from working a part-time job is not enough. The sad part about it is, I believe such students at Morgan who have to drop out, and we have not done a survey, but we believe many of them never return. What that means is their income is affected for the rest of their lives. They live a totally different life. If they had gotten a college education, they would be able to do better for their children and have more opportunities and be able to open more doors for future generations. So in this country, that is probably the richest country in the world, we fail to properly make sure that they have that support system that they need. I think that is a shame.

Mr. CUMMINGS. In the State of Maryland, almost every one of our schools that prepare young people for nursing are community colleges and our 4-year colleges have long waiting lists. They cannot accommodate, they do not have the resources to accommodate the students that are qualified. Yet and still, we have a phenomenal nursing shortage. That just boggles the mind: These young people who are prepared to work in a profession where there is a demand, and that is a major problem. Those are the kinds of things that we should be addressing, when we have young people standing in line to do what they have wanted to do for the last 10 years, and do not have the chance to be able to do it.

Mr. CUMMINGS. The Bible says, Where there is no vision, the people perish. And the question is, and the gentlewoman hit the nail on the head, what is the vision that we have as opposed to what the other side of the aisle and our President have? I think our vision is for a better America, an America where each person has an opportunity, just as all these Congresspeople have had, to use all of the things that are within them to be the best that they can be. We have tried in our budget to make sure that we did everything that we could to make sure that they had fertile ground to develop and be all they can be.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, as I have said before, we may not win every battle, but we certainly will stand up over and over again. It is so amazing to me that at the end of each one of these Special Orders, Madam Speaker, when we go back to our offices, we have calls from Americans. They are not just African Americans. As a matter of fact, most of them are not. These are people calling from various States throughout the country. What they are saying is thank you for informing us and thank you for at least giving us the other side of the story, because we did not get it. We did not hear that anywhere else. We may not win. We may not win today, but at least we plant the seeds in the minds of the American people and hopefully in the minds of this Congress that there is, in fact, a better way.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Last but not least, Madam Speaker, it was the songwriter Tracy Chapman who wrote the brilliant words: ``Either we change or we live and die this way.'' And so the Congressional Black Caucus is about the business of changing for the better, changing so that all people may rise up and be all that God meant for them to be, but at the same time we present a budget which is fiscally responsible. That too is very important to us.