Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to announce the introduction of a resolution to recognize the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, located in Baltimore, Maryland, as the official national museum of dentistry in the United States. As the most comprehensive dental museum in the world, it is a national and international resource whose primary mission is to educate people, especially children, about the history of dentistry and the importance of good oral hygiene. The museum uses state-of-the-art, interactive exhibitions and expert presentations to deliver the message that oral health is important to achieve overall health. Currently, the museum is displaying an exhibit entitled, ``The Future Is Now! African Americans in Dentistry.'' The museum is affiliated with the University of Maryland at Baltimore, home of the world's first dental school, founded in 1840. It contains hundreds of interesting and significant dental artifacts, not the least of which is George Washington's dentures. It also serves as a national center of learning with an extensive library from which scholars may study the evolution of dental treatment and learn of the numerous accomplishments of the dental profession over the years. Most importantly, this museum is a reminder to all of us that oral and general health are inseparable, and good dental care is critical to our overall physical health and well-being. While oral health in America has improved dramatically over the last 50 years, these improvements have not occurred evenly across all sectors of our population, particularly among low-income individuals and families. Too many Americans today lack access to dental care. According to the report, ``Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General'', an estimated 25 million Americans live in areas lacking adequate dental services. Unfortunately, states are facing extremely tight budgets, and have been forced to implement difficult cost containment measures and unpopular proposals to generate revenue savings--tax increases, cuts in education and cuts/elimination of Medicaid services. As a result, Medicaid programs have taken a direct hit, and dentistry has already become a target for program cuts--17 states reducing or eliminating adult dental services between 2002-2003. As a result, medically needy groups, including the frail elderly, will no longer have access to necessary dental treatment. Passage of my resolution to make the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry the official national museum of dentistry in the United States will shine a bright light on the problem some Americans face in accessing dental care. The museum is endorsed by the American Dental Association, National Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and the American Academy of the History of Dentistry, among others. Please join me in supporting this national treasure by becoming a cosponsor of this important resolution. Thank you.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding, and I also will take a moment to thank him for organizing this Special Order on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus. Mr. Speaker, I rise to applaud the young Americans of our time who by the tens of thousands are standing up for what Dr. King dreamed about. They stood on the streets of our Nation's capital as my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) said, many of them sleeping in the cold of night, trying simply to make a difference. Last week, lawyers argued in the Supreme Court debating the merits of the University of Michigan admissions case. As the justices pondered the constitutionality of policies of inclusion in America's great public universities, young Americans of every racial background marched for justice on the streets of Washington, D.C. These young people filled my heart with hope and pride, Mr. Speaker. They fully understand, as Dr. King often declared, that to change America for the better we must be prepared to exercise the full measure of our citizenship. And they also understand that their acts of citizenship are inextricably intertwined with universal educational opportunities. I should also note, Mr. Speaker, that last week America marked the anniversary of that tragic moment in 1968 when Dr. King was killed while standing up for what is simply right. A growing number of young Americans are honoring that sacrifice in our time. They are determined, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus are, to realize Dr. King's dream for America now, not in some distant time. They understand that a dream deferred is indeed a dream denied. They care about somebody other than themselves. But more than caring, they were willing to share their time, their convenience, and their efforts to speak out. It has often been said that so many people measure their responses to a crisis by the level of their inconvenience. In other words, if they are going to be inconvenienced, they do not do anything. And it is so pleasing to see these young people know that they were going to be inconvenienced but still stand up. Mr. Speaker, those who cite Dr. King's dream to support their assertion that this Nation must be color blind to the racial exclusion that continues to plague America should take the time to read what Dr. King actually had to say. I recall for you and for this House that Dr. King once wrote a book entitled ``Why We Can't Wait.'' Anyone who reads his words will understand that the unwaivering focus of Dr. King's life was his unrelenting struggle for universal justice and inclusion in every important area of American life. Mr. Speaker, the peaceful demonstrators out there on the Capital's streets last week were advancing a simple, eloquent, and peaceful demand for more justice and opportunities in their lives and, yes, for generations yet unborn. They were marching in the footsteps of heroes like our good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), and the recently departed Reverend Josiah Williams. John Lewis' contribution to America reminds us that the men and women who led that 1965 ``Bloody Sunday'' march for voting rights across Selma, Alabama's Edmund Pettus Bridge were also young and brave. So I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to declare that the young Americans of today are determined to change our future for the better. They have the seed of greatness within them. They believe that they too can change the course of history and change the course of destiny. They are justified in this faith. Principled acts of citizenship convinced Virginia Tech's Board of Regents just last week to restore that university's policy of inclusion. Mr. Speaker, from their college dormitories and homes throughout the United States, the young people of America are watching what we say and do in this great chamber of democracy tonight. They have sent us a powerful message and they are waiting to see how we respond. Their message is the same challenge Dr. King delivered in the years of my youth when he said, ``Now is the time for all of us to move forward, not retreat, on the road toward a more just society.'' Dr. King declared, ``Now is our time. We cannot wait.'' Today, our young people are reminding us that their lives are moving forward in time. They are telling us that they deserve justice and opportunity now. And we who hold national positions of trust should be listening to what these young Americans are saying, Mr. Speaker. We must listen and we must act accordingly and we must synchronize our conscience with our conduct. As I bring these brief remarks to a close, permit me to recall for you what Dr. King declared during a freedom rally in St. Louis back in 1957. He said, ``The destiny of our Nation is involved. We can't afford to slow up. The motor is now cranked up,'' Dr. King went on to say, ``we are moving up the highway of freedom toward the city of equality. We can't afford to slow up because our Nation has a date with destiny.'' I was a small child when Dr. King spoke in St. Louis about our national date with destiny, Mr. Speaker. Now our own children's shared destiny is at stake, whatever the color of their skin may be. And we are the ones to whom they are looking for a renewed America of universal opportunity. We must do what is required, Mr. Speaker. America's young people cannot wait, and we thank them for being impatient.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Well, I thank the gentleman for his comments, Mr. Speaker. As we engage in this dialogue this evening, I cannot help but think about the mayor of Detroit. I shall never forget when he won, a young man who had been prepared for that. He had had an opportunity to get the kind of education that he needed to run a city, and a major city. It is just amazing to me that so often our young people are at the point of taking and grabbing ahold of opportunity, but they have to be equipped to do it. So this is what this is all about. These young people were not out there partying, they were out there trying to cut a path and say, look, we are going to make sure in our time and in our space we make a difference for those future mayors of Detroit, so that people so often overlooked will have opportunities to lead and inspire others. So I think this is one of the greatest things that our caucus could do to lift up our young people and salute them for all that they are.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will allow me, there is a saying I love. It says, ``In our time, in our space, we will make a difference, with God's grace.''

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, let me just say in regards to what the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) just said, just this evening, Mr. Speaker, we held a conference, a teleconference, with student leaders from all over the country. And it was such an exciting event. We have already come to an agreement that we are going to take all of that energy that they had back here on April 1 and we are going forward. As our first Vice Chair has said, we will be traveling from campus to campus and organizing here in Washington and across the country, because we realize that all of our young people, that one day it should not end there, but it must go forward. So we will be doing that.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) and certainly the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for their fine work on this bill. The gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) has worked tirelessly on postal issues for several years. S. 380 contains the same language as H.R. 735. As such, I am pleased to support S. 380, a bill that goes a long way to ensure the viability of the postal service. This bill provides financial relief to the postal service by reducing the amount that the postal service has to pay into the Civil Service Retirement System. The postal service will save $9.1 billion over the next 3 years and $35.6 billion over the next 10 years. I am also pleased that S. 380 contains language that calls on the postal service and other Federal agencies to study the military pensions and report back to the Congress. Currently, the postal service is paying billions of dollars more into CSRS each year than is needed to fully fund its pension obligations. The Office of Personnel and Management determined that by changing the funding formula the postal service could reduce the amount of money needed to pay into the fund. The funding formula would be more like the one used in the Federal Employees Retirement System. This bill requires the postal service to work with the Treasury Department, applying the saved funding to pay down its debt in the first 2 years. In fiscal year 2005, the bill allows for the money saved to be used to keep postal rates stable through 2006. Mr. Speaker, this bill enjoys broad support from the postal service, postal labor unions, mailing industry representatives, and postal consumers. Passage of this legislation will ensure that the postal service pays down its debts and will forestall the need for another postage rate increase until 2006. This legislation strengthens the postal service, lowers the postal service's debts, and protects postal consumers. I urge all of my friends in the Congress to vote in favor of S. 380.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to reintroduce this resolution that expresses the sense of Congress regarding the awareness of and treatment for kidney disease. This resolution serves as the vehicle--to inform the American people about kidney disease--its potential causes, preventions, and medical advances. In addition, it promotes federally funded research focused on kidney disease. The incidences of kidney disease are rising. What is even worse is that kidney disease works as ``the silent killer,'' in that most people with kidney damage are unaware that their kidneys are beginning to fall. African-Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Pacific Islanders are more at risk for the kidney disease. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is a condition that causes permanent kidney failure. Over the last decade, the number of patients with ESRD has doubled to reach approximately 400,000 Americans, and has directly caused 50,000 deaths annually. This disease has affected at least 13 million people who have lost 50 percent of their kidney function without even knowing. And still, another 20 million more Americans are unknowingly at an increased risk of developing kidney disease. Diabetes and hypertension are the number one and number two causes of kidney disease respectively. And although dialysis is a life-saving process that helps patients perform many normal activities, there is no cure for kidney disease. Knowledge is power and we should all arm ourselves with the power to fight kidney disease as best we can. The first step in the solution is to mount a comprehensive educational effort so that we all can become familiar with kidney disease. This resolution starts that important process. I ask all of my colleagues to support this kidney disease awareness resolution by becoming a cosponsor.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of brave families fighting to take back their neighborhoods from the clutches of drug abuse and the violence of the illicit drug trade. Throughout the country, communities are losing this fight. The voices of families are being silenced, lost through the isolation and suppression that comes through the use of verbal threats, physical intimidation, and even murder. April 16 marks 6 months since Angela and Carnell Dawson and their five young children were murdered in apparent retaliation for their local action in the fight against the open-air drug markets being operated on the streets before them in my district. The Dawsons' house was firebombed at 2 a.m. in the morning in an attempt to silence their important and powerful voices, and the voices of other families committed to our troubled neighborhoods in this country. We must not allow their voices to be stifled. We must support these brave families and protect their loved ones while ensuring that they can work freely with police and other law enforcement officials to push the drugs out of their communities. We must not fail to support them, for if we do, these neighborhoods and these neighborhood residents are doomed. We need to strengthen the support for these brave families as they struggle to maintain their activism in their communities and on their blocks. Witness relocation programs are necessary and invaluable in protecting witnesses in individual criminal cases, Madam Speaker, but they are not sufficient to combat the problem of intimidation of entire neighborhoods patrolled by violent drug gangs actively involved in the interstate trafficking of illegal drugs. In such communities, there are many dealers who will rush to fill the space of a single convicted dealer or enforcer. Courageous souls like the Dawsons are far less common and impossible to replace. Thus, it is vital that we support those families who insist on remaining in their neighborhoods and who are committed to working with police to repel drug trafficking in their neighborhoods. That is why I am introducing today the Dawson Family Community Protection Act of 2003. The bill serves both to memorialize the Dawson family's commitment and activism, and to remind us all of what may result when families in an at-risk neighborhood do not receive adequate support. Moreover, this bill would ensure that in the future, providing support for such communities is a Federal priority within the context of our National Drug Control Policy. The Dawson Family Community Protection Act would require the director of the National Drug Control Policy to direct each year $1 million in HIDTA funds to support HIDTA initiatives aimed at increasing safety and encouraging cooperation in neighborhoods like the Dawsons', neighborhoods that are not fighting one sole drug dealer, but a competitive open market of drug trafficking; neighborhoods where threats of reprisal for cooperation with police are commonplace, and where activist families working with law enforcement officials are in the most danger; neighborhoods that are doomed without increased support. Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials understand the importance of ordinary families courageously taking a stand and cooperating with the police like the Dawson family did. The cooperation of such people is essential to the success of law enforcement efforts to disrupt violent drug trafficking organizations and shut down markets that fund their illegal drug enterprises. I am happy that the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder), chairman of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources, with whom I serve as ranking member, supports me in this effort and is an original cosponsor of this legislation. I deeply appreciate his support for families like the Dawsons, and urge all of my colleagues to support the Dawson Family Community Protection Act, not only to protect families, but also to allow their voices to be heard. Lastly, I especially thank Tony Haywood, our counsel to the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, for his tireless work on this legislation; as well as Michael Christianson, Kimberly Ross, and Asi Ofosu on my staff for their assistance.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I began this evening dedicating this hour to a young man from Baltimore, and I talked about how we wanted to make sure that we kept America strong for him although he has gone on, SGT Kendall Damon Waters-Bey. And the things that we have talked about tonight, Mr. Speaker, is about balance, balancing addressing our needs, for protecting ourselves from the outside, and for protecting ourselves from some home-grown enemies, and at the same time balancing our needs to take care of the American people. It is so important to us in the Congressional Black Caucus that we focus in on this budget which, while it addresses a year or two now, it addresses expenditures for now, we realize that those expenditures that are made today or those cuts that are made today will affect people for a lifetime. A child only has 1 year to be in the first grade or to be in pre-K. If that child is denied Head Start, that might affect that child until she or he dies. When it comes to prescription drugs and things of that nature, when our seniors simply want medicine and they cannot get it, it can affect them today and can cut their lives short immediately. So we have come today to focus in on this budget. It is a budget that we have concluded is very unfair to the American people.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her statement. Mr. Speaker, a lot of people have asked the question, why is it that members of the Congressional Black Caucus have decided to address the budget issues while the war is going on? And it is very simple. It is what the gentlewoman from Texas just said. Life goes on in this country. We believe very strongly that not only must we protect our country from outside forces, and, sadly, some home-grown forces, but we also realize that at the same time we have to make sure that we keep America strong. As the gentlewoman said, when we talk about our children and a program like Head Start, it is so very, very important with this budget that so many of our children will be denied the opportunity to get that head start. When we look at an issue like the $215 billion of cuts in the House Republican's budget for Medicare and Medicaid, for school lunches and student loans, in agriculture and veterans programs, that is major. Major. So while the war goes on, as the gentlewoman from Texas said, we have to make sure that when our veterans come home that they come home to a very strong America. And speaking of a very strong American, it gives me great privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. CUMMINGS. I want to thank the gentlewoman for that wonderful statement, Mr. Speaker, and I just want to emphasize something that she said, because we have heard so much about support of our troops. We all support our troops. But the fact still remains, and we need to say this over and over again, the Republican budget cuts $28.3 billion, billion, in veterans benefits over 10 years compared to the amount needed to maintain purchasing power at the 2003 level. The gentlewoman talked about veterans, and I just wanted to emphasize that because that is so significant. We do not want to be a Congress that says one thing and does another. I think that is what the gentlewoman was emphasizing.

Mr. CUMMINGS. It is very painful when we go to the American Legion meetings and we see our veterans in parades and they meet us at the shopping centers, or wherever they see us, and so often they come to us with their concerns. I agree with the gentlewoman, if we are going to support our veterans, we have to support them with everything that we have. Clearly, when we are cutting $28.3 billion, and I emphasize that ``b,'' over a 10-year period, I do not know what kind of message that sends.

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentlewoman. It is my pleasure now, Mr. Speaker, speaking of veterans benefits and speaking of standing up for veterans over and over and over again, to yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), who has been an 11-year veteran of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) for her statement, and I want to thank her for emphasizing our veterans when the gentlewoman said today they are soldiers, and tomorrow they are veterans. When we see those soldiers parting from their families to go overseas, when we see their interviews over in Iraq, some of them with sand in their faces and hot weather, giving up their lives, blood, sweat and tears for us, it seems to me that we would not want to do this double talk thing. I am so glad the gentlewoman said what she said because a lot of times when we talk about the Congressional Black Caucus, people conclude that we are just talking about African American people, but we are talking about all veterans. I know that the gentlewoman has been fighting year after year, day after day. I have heard her so many times on this floor standing up for all of our veterans.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for mentioning that. Over and over tonight we have been saying we support our soldiers, our men and women in the armed services, and we want to make sure that they come back to an America that is strong, an America that will support their families, an America that will support them when they have health care needs. I can think of no better person than the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) to address those issues. The gentleman has constantly, like the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown), has stood up for veterans, but not only stood up for veterans, but stood up for people all over the world, traveling constantly to Africa and around the world trying to make sure that the entire world knows of the concern of not only the Congressional Black Caucus, but of the American people for people who may never even know all that he has done for them. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I want to say when the gentleman talks, as a former teacher I know he can appreciate our children getting where they are supposed to be. I sit on the board of Morgan State University, and every year now as it is right now, we have to let go some 600 to 700 students every year. Why, because they do not have enough money to go to school. It is so sad with the Pell grant cut situation; it is going to make it even worse. People ask me, why is the Congressional Black Caucus so concerned about this budget? The reason why we are so concerned is because life has to go forth while we are also dealing with a war, and we also understand that a lot of these young people that I just talked about, and I am sure that the gentleman has them in his district, and I am sure that people who are watching this right now who do not have an idea of how they are going to pay for their college education, they may never, they may never get back in college, and their earning power is thus reduced. They cannot do for their families as well as they could have done if they had gotten the education, and it is so very painful to so many people. So I want to thank the gentleman for all the things that he mentioned. It just kind of stood out in my mind because the gentleman talked about the Governors in various States, State budget suffering and we had our Republican Governor come down to meet with our delegation, and he gave us a book about that thick of things that he wanted from Congress. And as I began to flip through the book, I had to tell him the President and the Republicans have slashed just about every single thing he wants. So States are suffering tremendously. As a matter of fact, in the State of Maryland, it looks like we are going to have to go into extra days of session beyond our 90-day normal session just to figure out how to deal with the budget, and a lot of it is a result of this budget that we are dealing with on this Federal level.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott). We have often heard and we heard on this floor earlier tonight of people being very upset that there were people who were concerned about this war and expressing their concerns, and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) has been one who has consistently stood up for our constitutional rights and has been a conscience of this Congress; and so it gives me great privilege to yield to the distinguished gentleman from the great State of Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that excellent presentation. Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), who is a leader in the area of education and has consistently stood up for our young people.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I come with a heavy heart and come with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and some members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. We come, Mr. Speaker, at a time when our country is at war; and we want to say from the outset that we support our troops with all our heart and that we spend our days and our prayer time praying that they will be kept safe. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, on next Friday, it will be my sad duty to be with a gentleman named Michael Waters as he parts with his son Kendall Waters-Bey, Sergeant Kendall Waters-Bey for the last time. His son was one of the first young men to die in the Iraq war. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I was supposed to be meeting with the father of Kendall Waters-Bey tonight; but he, I am sure, would have preferred that I join the Congressional Black Caucus this evening in not only lifting up the name of his son but also lifting up the names of all of our people who are in our military who are giving their blood, sweat and tears and, in his case, his life. So our sympathy goes out to all of those families who have lost loved ones. Our prayers go out to all of our military personnel and others who may have been harmed. Our prayers go out to all of those who find themselves in harm's way. As I sat here, Mr. Speaker, listening to the previous hour, I could not help but think about the fact that the Republican budget cuts $28.3 billion in veterans benefits over 10 years, compared to the amount needed to maintain purchasing power in at the 2003 level. It hurts my heart. Of this $28.3 billion, $14.2 billion are cuts in health care, and there is a 3.8 percent cut in overall benefits. Mr. Speaker, I ask how we could possibly, with a clear conscience, deny the tens of thousands of veterans that we just heard about. They will be veterans, too. How can we deny them these benefits? So it gives me great pleasure to yield to the distinguished gentlewoman from the great State of Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), who has been a fighter with regard to standing up for what is right and has consistently been a conscience for this Congress and for the United States of America.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I will now address the issues that the Congressional Black Caucus would like to bring before the Congress. Mr. Speaker, at this very hour, this very moment, our servicemen and women are literally fighting for their lives. They are doing so with unbelievable courage and determination. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our military and pledge again tonight that while they are on the battlefield, they will have every resource they need to get the job done. We pray that they will return home soon to their families and loved ones. But, Mr. Speaker, I worry about what kind of country our servicemen and women will be returning to after the war. What signal and what message is the Congress of the United States sending to our men and women in the military when we pass a budget like the one that the Republican majority passed last week? A budget that cuts veterans' benefits, a budget that cuts funding to address the health care needs in America, a budget that cuts loan opportunities for college students, a budget that cuts school lunch and child nutrition programs, a budget that cuts job training programs; and on top of that, the budget does nothing to create any new jobs or businesses. Mr. Speaker, I ask what kind of America will our men and women serving in Iraq come back to and what kind of America will their families be living in while they are away? Mr. Speaker, we have to do better. We must do better. They deserve better. We must work to create an America that every American can be proud of, but most importantly, an America that invests in its people. We still have an opportunity to do better. Over the next few days and weeks, the Congress will have a conference committee on the budget resolutions passed by the House and the Senate. This conference committee has the opportunity to right some of the wrongs passed by the House. In addition, the President announced yesterday that his fiscal year 2003 supplemental legislation would be in the amount of about $75 billion. While we do not know all of the details, much of the money, and rightfully so, will go to ensuring that we win the war as quickly as possible. Some of the money will also go to helping rebuild Iraq and that is understandable, too. However, I have a question: When are we going to rebuild America? Many of our cities and rural areas need rebuilding today. I am certain that Governors, mayors, city and county officials all around the country can give us a laundry list of infrastructure needs that the American people need right now. That is why the Congressional Black Caucus will advocate for the inclusion in any supplemental bill monies to help rebuild America. Our citizens deserve the best we can give them, and we should do our very best. Mr. Speaker, in closing, when our men and women return home from Iraq and any Member of Congress greets them in their State, city or neighborhood, I want us all to be able to say we have done our very best to invest in their future and in their families' futures. Unfortunately, the budget that we passed last week does not invest in their future, but we can fix that and I hope that we will. Now, Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor and privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, this evening, members of the Congressional Black Caucus wanted to take a moment to salute our troops. These are men and women who have voluntarily put on the uniform of the United States of America to make sure that we maintain our way of life, maintain our constitutional rights, maintain our privileges; and they have put their lives on the line to keep us safe. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great sadness today to start off my remarks by having to pay tribute to a great American hero who died in the line of duty while serving his country in pursuing the American dream. Originally from my hometown of Baltimore, Marine Staff Sergeant Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, age 29, was one of the four U.S. Marines who died when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed near the Iraqi-Kuwait border. I would like to start off by first expressing my deepest condolences to the Waters-Bey family during this very, very difficult time. I mourn their loss, along with the other members of the Maryland Federal delegation. Our prayers are with Sergeant Waters-Bey's 10-year old son, Kenneth; his wife, Belinda Waters-Bey of San Diego, California; his parents, Michael and Angela Waters-Bey; and four sisters, Shernell Waters-Bey, Sharita Waters-Bey, Michelle Waters and Nakia Waters. This tragedy makes the war in Iraq more personal for all of us. I did not have the privilege of knowing Staff Sergeant Waters-Bey, but his story is one that is familiar to many of us in Baltimore. Fellow Marine and Captain Ray Coleman said that Sergeant Waters-Bey viewed the military as a path out of the struggles and challenges of urban life. I understand these challenges, Mr. Speaker, as I live in an urban area in Baltimore City. Not too far from the Capitol in which we stand tonight, many young people are confronted with violence, oppression, lack of quality health care and lack of equal access to the all-American dream every day. Their terror is as real as the terror that the Iraqi people are facing right now. For these Americans, it often takes a miracle to climb over the barriers. Achieving the American dream is often out of reach, but the barriers did not stop Sergeant Waters-Bey from reaching his dream. In spite of a hard life, friends say that Sergeant Waters-Bey had a jovial spirit. He was known for making people laugh with his funny jokes and funny faces. While a student at Baltimore's Northern High School, he refused to fall into the wrong crowd and chose instead to be an athlete whose afternoons were filled with running track and swimming. Upon graduation, Sergeant Waters-Bey was determined to make something of himself. Since he could not afford to go to college, he enlisted in the Marines and worked very hard to succeed as a Marine; and he did. He entered the service as a mechanic, but as a result of his determination he quickly moved up to crew chief. The Marines took Sergeant Waters-Bey around the Nation from Maryland to Florida and then to Camp Pendleton in California. But distance did not keep him from his family. Sergeant Waters-Bey always made time for his 10-year old son Kenneth. Whenever father and son spent time together, they would go on fishing trips, watch cartoons or just play ball, according to family members. Unfortunately, that shall be no more, for he has given his life so that ours might be uplifted. The evening before his father's death, young Kenneth was about to get a new computer so he could e-mail his dad in the Iraqi desert. Now, young Kenneth will never have a chance to send an e-mail to his father. Last Thursday, tragically, the helicopter where Sergeant Waters-Bey served as a crew chief crashed and killed all who were aboard. The other U.S. Marines killed in Thursday's crash were Major Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine; Captain Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Illinois; and Corporal Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas. Our prayers go out to all of them and to their families. Before I close, Mr. Speaker, I have to bring up the fact that Mr. Waters-Bey's family is asking why their son, father and brother died in a war that lacks an international mandate. I agree with the Waters-Bey family and also believe that our Nation should have continued to pursue diplomatic measures to disarm Saddam Hussein's regime before sending Sergeant Waters-Bey and other members of our Armed Forces to the Middle East. I still stand behind our troops. They are our sons, our daughters, our fathers, our mothers, our friends; and I salute all of our men and women in Iraq and pray for their safe return. Finally, I would like to say Sergeant Kendall Waters-Bey was not only a hero because he served this country in the Armed Forces, but also because he climbed over barriers that were placed before him, so many barriers that many of his neighbors were not able to climb. I applaud Sergeant Waters-Bey for not only what he did in Iraq, but because of what he did right here in the United States. By his example, he was not only on a mission to set the Iraqi people free from oppression, but also set on a mission to set himself free from the obstacles that keep so many Americans from achieving the American dream. God bless Sergeant Waters-Bey. Congressional Black Caucus Salutes Troops

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. I just wanted to say this to the gentlewoman: I just wanted to say, Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus stands behind our troops, but we also stand for a very strong America. We stand for our Constitution, and we want it to be well. We also stand for that flag that is up there behind you. We stand for the little children that tomorrow morning will put their little hands up to their little hearts and say, ``I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God.'' That is why we have come here today, to just remind America, and beg America, to pray for our troops, to lift their families up in their prayers, but also to be vigilant, to be vigilant for the rights and the privileges that we have as Americans.

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, the interesting thing is that that is what I hope, and I know that they are fighting for. They are fighting for that Constitution. They are fighting for the things that this country is all about. They are trying to make sure that those rights that we have are protected, not just for us, not just for our children, but for generations yet unborn. I think it is quite appropriate that we stand here and make sure that they are not fighting in vain.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.