Michael Capuano

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on January 26, 2011 and I wish to state how I would have voted had I been present: Rollcall No. 22, ``no''; Rollcall No. 23, ``yes''; Rollcall No. 24, ``yes''; Rollcall No. 25, ``no''.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 359, To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions. It is my fervent belief that in this age of increasing corporate donations and outside influence on the American elections process, we need to improve public financing systems, not end them outright. As we all know, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund was born out of the Watergate scandal as a way to provide transparency and integrity to presidential elections. The tax check off box has given millions of Americans the opportunity to support more open elections for over 30 years, and polling indicates that voters favor a transition to public financing for all federal elections, not just presidential races. I concede that the system created in the 1970's has not changed much since its inception and could be greatly improved to better reflect the realities of campaigns today. The solution to this is to fix the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, not end it. I urge defeat of H.R. 359 today and look forward to working with my colleagues to instead improve our options for campaign financing moving forward.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I missed a vote yesterday, and I wish to state how I would have voted had I been present: rollcall No. 12, ``yes.''

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Charles Sumner and I join with many of my constituents in celebrating the bicentennial of his birth, January 6, 2011. Commemorations are sponsored by the Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Site, the Boston African American National Historic Site, the Museum of African American History, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and other learned societies and civic groups. Charles Sumner was born in Boston and educated at Boston Latin School, Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Like many educated Bostonians of his time, he was interested in events in Europe, where he travelled extensively between 1837 and 1840. Later, he and his friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would compare slaveholders in the American south to aristocrats whose privileges were swept away by revolution on the continent. Sumner returned to help found the Free Soil Party but he did not succeed in election to this House in 1848. He was elected to the Senate two years later on the Free Soil Ticket. In 1856, Sumner, who refused to compromise on the issue of slavery, was savagely beaten on the floor of the Senate. Interests might be conciliated but about rights he was adamant. Massachusetts re-elected him, as a Republican, while his recovery was still in doubt, so that his empty seat would serve as a reproach to slave-holders. He returned to serve until his death in 1874. I am grateful to John Stauffer, chair of the History of American Civilization and professor of English and African and African American Studies at Harvard University, for suggesting Ralph Waldo Emerson's tribute: Sumner's moral instinct and character are so exceptionally pure that he must have perpetual magnetism for honest men; his ability and working energy such, that every good friend of the Republic must stand by him.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I offer a resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5510) to amend the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to allow amounts under the Troubled Assets Relief Program to be used to provide legal assistance to homeowners to avoid foreclosure, as amended.

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, like all major bills that we do here, there is good and bad in this bill. There are things I like and things I don't like. That is a normal circumstance here. But in the final analysis I think people have to ask themselves one simple question: Are we ever going to get to the place where we pay our bills? This bill doesn't do it. In 2002, the last time this House had the opportunity to be fiscally responsible--and that's not the same thing as fiscally conservative or liberal; it's responsible--we voted to let the PAYGO rules go and the results are where we are today. This bill will kill our children, with very little input or benefit at the moment. It is not an emergency. I want a tax cut just like everyone else, but I also consider myself, and I am a social liberal. I do believe in Social Security and Medicare and senior housing and all the other things that we do here. I do believe in them. I know that others don't, and I respect those who want to cut those programs. Let's have that debate, but let's not do it through the back door. If you believe in those programs, it is incumbent upon us to pay for them. Voting for this bill simply empowers those who want to cut those programs anyway, and I cannot, in good conscience, support that. This bill must go down even if the deal we get next year is worse. I understand that, but it's not the right thing to do for those of us who believe in the programs we have.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also want to thank the committee for putting this bill out. Lance Corporal Arredondo was a recipient of the Navy Cross with combat V and a Purple Heart. He was nominated for the Bronze Star, and he gave his life for this country on August 25, 2004. As you heard, he was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. I just want to read a paragraph that was written about one of his actions, his last action, by a lieutenant general that I think sums up what his own colleagues, his other Marines, thought of him. ``On August 25, 2004, Lance Corporal Arredondo gallantly performed the duties of a fire team leader while fighting enemy forces in the old city of Najaf. While moving with his squad to attack and clear a two- story building, the platoon became heavily engaged at close ranges by enemy small arms, machine gun, and RPG fire. He never hesitated as he led his Marines under intense fire through the building, personally clearing rooms and assuming the greatest risk as grenade explosions raised an impenetrable cloud of dust and dirt in each room. ``Lance Corporal Arredondo led his Marines clearing the objective in a superb manner, never slowing down and never showing any fear. After the exhausting attack, when the platoon had gained control of the building, Lance Corporal Arredondo personally emplaced his marines in an exemplary manner while setting up a defense and preparing for further engagements with the enemy. ``After his fire team was set in defense, Lance Corporal Arredondo was shot and mortally wounded by a sniper as he walked the line checking his marines. Lance Corporal Arredondo fought alongside his fellow marines and displayed the highest levels of courage and selflessness during the three weeks of fighting in Najaf. He gave his life fighting for freedom and defending his fellow marines.'' That was not written by me or my staff. That was written by his commander. I think that that alone, that one paragraph, clearly underscores exactly what kind of a person Lance Corporal Arredondo was. For a man to give his life at such a young and tender age is an incredible thing, and I am proud--and I want to be very clear, this is the first time I have been here on something like this. I don't take this lightly at all this. This is not just naming another thing after another person. This particular one is very important to me, to my constituents, and to his family because of the service he rendered for this country, because of the fact that he gave his life fighting for our freedom and our rights. I just want to say thank you to the committee again for bringing this bill to the floor, and thank you to the people who have supported this bill.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I am here to support this resolution. Very clearly, this resolution is simply intended to encourage the Government of the United States and other governments around world to continue pressing to make sure that the resolution that is on the ballot January 9 of next year for the people of south Sudan to decide for themselves whether they want to make their own country or be part of the Government of Sudan. That is all we want. It is an agreement that was made in 2005 by warring parties. I want to be clear. Before I got elected to Congress 12 years ago, I might have known where Sudan was, not sure. I would not have known where Darfur was. I would not have known that there was a problem in south Sudan. This is not a problem that I have been studying for a while. It is a problem that started to come to my attention after 9/11 when I realized, like many Americans, you trace back who is this bin Laden guy, where is he from. He spent years in Sudan training, recruiting, preparing for attacks like 9/11. That was just the beginning of it. South Sudan decided that it wanted some freedom. They had a revolution of their own. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Millions were displaced. That same government in Khartoum also, soon thereafter, started a genocide on their own people in Darfur. All we are asking, in a very difficult situation, with multi-facets that are beyond comprehension, to simply have the United States Government continue what they are doing. The President of the United States went to New York City last week to meet on Sudan at the U.N. The United States has a Special Envoy there. We are paying special attention. And by the way, it is not just because I have a bleeding heart for people who have been massacred. It is not just that people should have their own right of self-determination. It is also because this particular country, this particular section of the country is in a critically important region in Africa. I think most everybody in this country have now heard of the Pilots of Somalia. That is right next door. Eritrea, right next door, Ethiopia, right next door. All around them is instability, danger and potential violence that could draw in the entire region. That is what this peace agreement is all about. That is why I am here, for January 9 of next year, to encourage the world to pay attention to this for their own sake, if not for the sake of the people in Sudan and south Sudan.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, on Sunday, September 26, 2010 Dr. Clifford Scott will be invested as the Twelfth President of the New England College of Optometry, and today I congratulate both Dr. Scott and the College. New England College of Optometry, located in Boston, has been the educational and intellectual center of optometry in New England since 1894. With an enrollment of over 400 students, the student body is the most diverse of any optometry college in the world: more than 25% of students enrolled in the doctor of optometry program received their pre-optometry education outside the United States. The College is committed to the advancement of vision care and exemplifies the highest standards of training for providers of quality, accessible eye care. Dr. Clifford Scott's career has been dedicated to the New England College of Optometry since he matriculated at the Massachusetts College of Optometry, New England College of Optometry's predecessor. He has been a New England College of Optometry faculty member since 1970, most recently serving as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs. As he and the College enter this next phase in their mutual history, I wish them continued success and preeminence in the field of optometry education and vision care.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey. He has been a great leader on this issue and on so many other issues with regard to international matters. I would also like to thank the majority leader for organizing this Special Order during such an important week. The reason we are doing this this week, really, is that the President is scheduled to be at the United Nations this week to meet on the Sudan issue. It seems like things are coming to a head. As you've heard many, many times--and I'm not going to repeat the facts, because the facts have been said--we have an election that is scheduled to come up in January which is very critical to this region. Let me be clear: To me, this may not be the most important issue to most of my constituents. I know that. I realize that. Jobs are more important. The economy is more important. But America has always been and, I think, always should be more than just about business. It has to be about morality and ethics as well. In this case, the morality of a genocide, or the immorality of a genocide--the immorality of keeping people enslaved, literally enslaved at a recent point in the history of Sudan--is something that, I think, only America is qualified to stand up and scream about. Up until now, the history in this region has been terrible. There have been civil wars. There has been genocide. There has been every form of human degradation you can find, mostly perpetrated either directly or indirectly by the government in Khartoum. At the same time, I'm one of those people that believes anyone can change their ways on any given day. That's not to forget the past, but it's also the only way to find a way forward. The government in Khartoum is at that crossroads right now. They have a choice, whether to actually move forward and allow the people of south Sudan to make their own decisions legitimately in January, whether they wish to go their own way or wish to remain associated with Sudan, and then to enforce whatever the people of Sudan decide and to do it in a peaceful way. This is important to the American people on a moral side, as I said, but it is also important on a very realistic side. This particular area--I'll be honest. I don't think--as a matter of fact, I am certain. I could not have found Darfur on a map before I got to Congress. I might have been able to come close to finding where Sudan was, but it would have been a guess. I know that most of my constituents, most Americans are not sitting there knowing all about this, but they will know it if it goes the wrong way, and they will know it because the entire region will go up in flames. There will be millions of people put at risk. Everybody in America knows where Somalia is because it's a lawless region. They know where Eritrea is, Ethiopia, all difficult parts. This is right next door. It sits in a critical region. If civil war starts again in a serious way, if genocide raises its ugly head again, the entire region will go up. Most countries in that area will be directly affected, and it will directly affect America and the rest of the world. Something like that cannot go on without doing it. That is why I am here today, to remind the American people, who I think, across the board, agree that genocide is something that needs to be screamed about and stopped whenever possible, agree that people should have their own right to self-determination--that's not the point--but also to put the issue in front. I also want to thank the administration. The Obama administration has put this issue at the top of its agenda, and I respect them and thank them for that. There are carrots and sticks on the table for Khartoum if they choose to take those carrots. If they don't, none of us really want to implement those sticks, but none of us are allowed to sit back and simply let genocide go forward without doing what we can. So that's why I came today, to say thank you to the administration, to encourage the Khartoum regime to make the right choices--it's not too late--and to thank the administration for all it is doing and to encourage them to do more. I join my colleagues in asking the administration to meet with Salva Kiir, the leader of south Sudan, at least meet with him and talk to him, hear it directly from him. And I hope that we won't have to be back here in January talking about this issue, other than to congratulate the people of south Sudan and Sudan for having conducted a lawful and thoughtful plebiscite. Thank you, and I yield back.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the ``100,000 Homes Campaign'', an effort to address homelessness in America by providing permanent shelter for 100,000 homeless persons over the next three years. In Boston, the Pine Street Inn, a nonprofit organization in my district that has been fighting homelessness for over 40 years, is acting as the lead local agency for this national initiative. Rosanne Haggerty, President and Founder of the New York based nonprofit Common Ground, launched the campaign in Washington, D.C. on July 12th at the Annual Conference of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. So far 34 communities have signed on to participate. In just the short time since the campaign's start, over 5,000 people nationwide have received housing assistance. The Pine Street Inn was founded in 1969 and provides low-cost permanent housing for homeless individuals. The organization also assists over 10,000 homeless individuals annually by offering emergency shelter, food and health care related services. Mental health and substance abuse counseling are also available through the Pine Street Inn. Too many Americans are struggling with homelessness and this initiative will help reduce the ranks of the homeless throughout the country. I commend the Pine Street Inn and Common Ground for their tireless efforts and their compassion. Their combined work and the efforts of so many dedicated organizations throughout the country will help make the ``100,000 Homes Campaign'' a success.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, due to the passing of my mother, Mrs. Rita Capuano, I was not present during the week of July 19, 2010 to vote on rollcall Nos. 448 through 466. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: ``yea'' on rollcall No. 448; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 449; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 450; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 451; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 452; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 453; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 454; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 455; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 456; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 457; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 458; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 459; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 460; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 461; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 462; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 463; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 464; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 465; ``yea'' on rollcall No. 466.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ron Gettelfinger and his masterful 8-year tenure as president of the United Auto Workers. Confronted with the leanest membership in the Union's history and the bankruptcy of two of Detroit's three automakers, the UAW required an effective leader who could balance the interests of members and the needs of their employers. In Ron Gettelfinger, the UAW certainly had a wise and steadfast leader who could come to terms with this troubling dynamic and act accordingly. He understood that saving the imperiled union would require a little sacrifice, and also he convinced his union to give up some of the jobs and benefits it had accumulated over the years for a better future. Mr. Gettelfinger thus played a crucial role in saving one of the United States' biggest industries during one of the nation's darkest economic hours. Today he continues to be an outspoken defender of fair labor laws and better workers' rights, and I hope that he is as successful in his future endeavors as he was these past few years.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you that this bill is one of the best bills I've ever been involved with in the 12 years I've been in Congress. Like any bill, it doesn't give me everything that I want. I don't think anybody would say that, including Mr. Frank. But it is a bill that moves us back towards thoughtful oversight of the financial institutions of this country. For 70 years, from the Glass-Steagall Act until about the 1980s, 1990s, depending what you count, we had the best financial institutions, the best financial system in the world. Every other country tried to emulate us. What happened? Slowly but surely, this country, through its Congress and its President, decided that we wanted to deregulate everything. Let's look at nothing, let everything go. What was the result of it? A financial meltdown. That was in the economic sector. What was the result of it in the gulf? An oil spill of ultimate proportions. The concept that government can't regulate has been proven wrong time and time again. Nobody argues for overregulation. That's a fair argument. Where is the appropriate line? In this case, in the financial institutions case, we went years with loans that nobody knew what the standards were. We went years with credit rating agencies giving everybody a AAA rating without having a clue what was behind those papers. We went years with people betting, literally betting with our money, our pension fund money and other money that we didn't want to do, on things that didn't exist. They didn't exist. The result of it was a financial meltdown. This bill brings us toward a more thoughtful regulatory regime that will ensure the stability of our economic system. And that's what this is all about. It's not about raising revenue. It's not about killing anything. My district has a very vibrant financial sector and we want to keep it that way, but I also want be to make sure that it's stable. That's more important than anything else. This bill accomplishes that, and that's why we should support it.

Mr. CAPUANO

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1216) congratulating Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin on his 10th year of service as Chaplain of the House of Representatives.

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous matter on House Resolution 1216.

Mr. CAPUANO. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes the Reverend Daniel Coughlin. Where is he? Come on, Father. Come on up if you're watching. We want to see you. This resolution recognizes the service of Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin as the Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rev. Coughlin was sworn in as the 59th Chaplain of the House of Representatives on March 23 of the year 2000. The passing of that date this year marked a decade of providing spiritual counseling and prayer to both Members and staff. Rev. Coughlin follows in a tradition that has served this House since May 1, 1789, when Rev. William Linn was elected Chaplain of the House. I urge all Members to support this resolution and to support Father Coughlin. I would like to mention that Father Coughlin is the first Roman Catholic to serve this House, and as not necessarily the best Roman Catholic in the world, I will tell you that I have the deepest appreciation for what Father Coughlin has done for this House as our Chaplain, as a friend and also in service to this country. I've had many personal discussions with him, and I will tell you, in my opinion, if more of our religious leaders had the same demeanor, the same personality, the same openheartedness, the same attempt to understand the differences between us, and the same obvious willingness to forgive our differences and our difficulties, I think this world would be a much better place. I will tell you that I not only want to congratulate him on his 10 years, but I also want to personally thank him for the many services rendered to so many Members of this House and for his ability to stand in such an esteemed position and to earn the respect of the Members here. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).

Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the author of the resolution, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

Mr. CAPUANO. I yield 1 more minute to the gentleman.

Mr. CAPUANO. I yield 1 more minute to the gentleman.