Joe Crowley

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1215) expressing support for Bangladesh's return to democracy, as amended.

Mr. CROWLEY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1215, a measure to honor Bangladesh's return to democracy. I'd like to thank the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Chairman Berman, and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for their support of this resolution. I'd also like to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) for leading this effort with me, along with other members of the House Caucus on Bangladesh. Just 18 months ago, this House passed a resolution urging a return to democracy in Bangladesh. At the time, we were concerned that Bangladesh was creeping toward totalitarianism and authoritarianism, especially after the ruling caretaker government postponed national elections. The 160 million people of Bangladesh faced an uncertain future. Instead of succumbing to the temptations of permanent power, the caretaker government ultimately scheduled nationwide elections. They invited international election monitors into the country and created an independent anticorruption commission. The elections were deemed credible by numerous international observers, and, most importantly, by the people of Bangladesh. Today, the day before Bangladesh celebrates their Independence Day, it is an opportunity for this House to honor the Bangladesh people and their democracy. Bangladesh has made important strides towards reaching the qualification requirements of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. It has taken steps to create a path into government for women, and, not least, the Bangladeshis have worked very hard to fight extremism. Bangladesh has become an important partner of the United States. Even as it faces challenges with serious poverty, threats from climate change, and extremism, the Bangladeshi people have shown remarkable resilience, creativity, and principle. This is exactly the kind of country the United States ought to work with and do more to support, not because the situation on the ground is perfect, but because by working together we have clearly created a better path forward. In the coming months, I hope the Bangladeshi authorities will make every possible effort to deepen and strengthen political reconciliation within their country. I also hope the Bangladeshi people and their government will work with us to identify stronger mechanisms to improve assistance and protection for refugees fleeing from neighboring countries. Inside Bangladesh, the protection of minorities must remain a high priority for its government. At the same time, I hope the international community will more quickly wake up to the positive changes Bangladesh has made thus far. The fact is, Bangladesh is a moderate Muslim nation of 160 million people that wants to work with the United States of America. I hope that our government can find more ways to work alongside Bangladesh to support good governance, human rights, and development. There's clearly much more that we can do to work together. For today, though, we honor Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi people, and the many hardworking Bangladeshi Americans on their national day, a day that I know that they treasure. As an independent, moderate, and democratic nation, Bangladesh deserves no less. With that, Mr. Speaker, I wish to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a historic measure that will put families first when it comes to accessing health care coverage. American families need this bill now more than ever. In the past decade, the cost of health care for American families has skyrocketed. Last year, more than half of Americans postponed care or skipped their medications because they could not afford it. If we do nothing, it is only going to get worse. If we do nothing, in ten years small businesses will shell out $29,000 in medical costs per employee--a staggering 166 percent increase. If we do nothing, the cost of an employer-sponsored health insurance plan will reach $24,000 a year by 2016--an outrageous increase of 84 percent. And if we do nothing, the American economy will break under the weight of mounting debt. Just saying no and doing nothing is not an option. And yet, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to tell us exactly that--stop, do nothing, things are okay as is. But, Americans know that the current situation is neither okay nor sustainable. Americans may be tired of the endless media coverage regarding this debate. And, they might be frustrated by the lack of cordiality between Republicans and Democrats. But, they know that we have serious problems in our health care system that must be fixed. And we are ready to do it. The Democratic Congress, along with President Obama, has put together a reform measure that will put an end to abuses in the insurance industry and mandate that patients' needs be put first. When the President signs this measure into law, immediately: Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to children who are sick or end coverage for Americans who get sick; Children and young adults will be allowed to remain on their parents' insurance plans up to the age of 26--helping them stay healthy during this important transition period; Seniors who currently have a gap in their prescription drug coverage will see the cost of their brand name drugs reduced by 50 percent and the gap in their prescription drug coverage reduced by $250. In the coming years, all gaps in coverage will be eliminated entirely. Beyond the immediate benefits, many other important reforms will go into effect within a few years: There will be stability and security for those who have health insurance. So, if you like the coverage you have currently, you can keep it. Small businesses will qualify for generous tax credits to help offset the cost of insuring their employees and keep them competitive in the global economy; The growth in medical costs will go down, as will the Federal government's deficit. Simply put: health reform is good medicine for American families and businesses. There's no doubt that this reform measure isn't perfect. But, like any significant change in policy, it will always be a work in progress. We will make changes as we move forward. There is no denying, however, that today's vote is historic and significant and will benefit millions of hard-working American families. Madam Speaker, it is time for courage. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said ``The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.'' We must not be afraid of tomorrow, when today we can change the lives of millions of Americans for the better. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and join us in the effort to put the health of Americans before insurance company profits.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, a historic measure that will put families first when it comes to accessing health care coverage. American families need this bill now more than ever. In the past decade, the cost for health care for American families has skyrocketed. If we do nothing, it's only going to get worse. If we do nothing, in 10 years small businesses will shell out $29,000 in medical costs per employee. If we do nothing, the costs of an employer-sponsored health insurance plan will increase 84 percent by 2016. And if we do nothing, the American economy will break under the weight of mounting debt. Americans may very well be tired of the endless media coverage regarding this debate. But they know as we do that we have a serious problem in our health care system that must be fixed. We on this side of the aisle are ready to deal with it. Simply put, health care reform is good medicine for America and good medicine for American businesses.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, on March 4th, 2010, I was absent for one rollcall vote because I was attending a meeting on healthcare at the White House. If I had been here, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote 90.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank my good friend from Massachusetts for yielding me the time. The Republicans keep claiming that Federal spending and deficits are growing under the Democrats, but let's look at the facts. Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence said just a few minutes ago that they, the Republicans, doubled the national debt in 8 years to almost $12 trillion. And you know what? Mike is right. About an hour or so ago Republican Jeff Flake said spending was out of control when Republicans were in charge of Congress and the White House. And you know what? He was right as well. And the funny thing, when President George Bush was voted into office he inherited a multi-trillion dollar surplus of funds from President Clinton and the Democrats. So the party who borrowed and spent and squandered surpluses is now standing in the way of moving forward in the right path. The very Republicans who refused to run the country like our constituents have to run their households--buying only what they can afford--are opposed to legislation that will ensure all new spending and tax cuts are paid for. This would prevent us from adding to the deficit, yet Republicans are opposed, arguing they should be allowed to tax and borrow from the Chinese at will, but only for their priorities. So the hangover from President Bush and Republican control of Congress still lingers. It was Republicans who pushed a $700 billion bailout package for the banks, a package that Democrats and President Obama are demanding be paid back--and with interest--from those very same banks. Then we had tax cuts for the wealthiest in America, with no assistance to the middle class, and then a refusal to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Democrats are correcting these disastrous decisions by our Republican colleagues. The only thing more galling than the inaccuracy and denial of the Republicans of their own records and votes is their hypocrisy on this issue of their own out-of-control spending and legacy of deficits.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on November 18th, 2009, I was absent for three rollcall votes because I was attending the funeral of a family member. If I had been here, I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote 896; ``yes'' on rollcall vote 897; and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 898.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank my good friend, the gentleman from New York, for yielding me this time. I rise today in support of the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will provide millions of hardworking American families the quality, affordable health care they deserve. In the past decade, the cost of health care for American families has skyrocketed. Premiums have doubled, yet wages remain stagnant at best. Last year, more than half of Americans postponed care or skipped their medications because they simply could not afford them. The status quo is no longer acceptable nor affordable, and the status quo is changing today. Today Democrats are taking action and delivering to the American people real change, a better, safer, more affordable way of life. The Affordable Health Care for America Act will give American families peace of mind, peace of mind that health care is not just a luxury for some but an affordable, accessible benefit for all of us. I urge all of my colleagues to make history today and vote ``yes'' on this bill to make health insurance affordable and accessible for each and every American.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, on October 29th, 2009, I was absent for four rollcall votes. If I had been here, I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 828; ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 829; ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 830; and ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 831.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the resolution be referred to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, this motion would refer this matter to the appropriate committee. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the motion.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. I appreciate again his comments and his desire to work in a bipartisan way to help lift America out of the doldrums that it's in, lift America out of what has been called ``the Great Recession.'' I think it's also important to note that we didn't get here in the last 9 months. And we can decry the overspending by this administration all we want, but we also have to reflect upon the overspending of the prior 8 years, which I recognize the gentleman was not serving in the House of Representatives at the time, when the other side of the aisle increased the spending and increased the deficit beyond anyone's wildest dreams. So I appreciate your thoughts. I too want to help stop putting debt on the backs of my children and my grandchildren. We both share that. And we all need to work together in a bipartisan way to help this President. As he has said, his desire is to slash the national debt in half, and I think we're going to work together to make that happen.

Mr. CROWLEY. I would ask the gentleman, as a point of clarification, was that from George Washington to the beginning of George Bush's term or the end of George Bush's term?

Mr. CROWLEY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. CROWLEY. Will the gentleman yield once again? I just want to respond, if I could, to the gentleman.

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank the gentleman. I'll just restate for the record: The CBO, the CEA, Moody's all estimate there are 1 million more jobs now than there would have been without the Recovery Act that we passed here in the House. The Congressional Budget Office said in the budget economic update that ``even though some elements of the CBO's forecast, particularly the unemployment rate, have clearly worsened, such revisions to the forecast reflect a much sharper deterioration in underlying labor market conditions than had been anticipated rather than a smaller impact of the legislation.'' In addition, the CBO also said that ``the fiscal stimulus provided under the American Recovery and Investment Act will significantly boost economic activity above what it otherwise would have been.'' So I think, going back to what I said before, we're seeing a reversal in job loss. We are not at zero yet, but as I said before, 21,000 fewer jobs were lost in the prior month than they were the month before that. I think that's showing that it is stemming, it is slowing down. And we anticipate that if it continues in that way, which we all hope for and anticipate it will, we will begin to see job growth.

Mr. CROWLEY. I think we all welcome bipartisanship on this debate, and we hope in the end that this will be a bipartisan solution to what is a problem not only for Democrats and Republicans but for all Americans. I think if we could have more productive town halls around the country like the one you referred to that took place where the facts and the issues can be exposed, talked about and deciphered, I think we will all be better off for that.

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank the gentleman for his question. I think the gentleman knows, as do I, that the majority leader is a man of his word; and if he gave his word to do that, I anticipate that he will follow through on that. I can't speak for him. But knowing if that's what he said, I'm sure that he will follow through on that request.

Mr. CROWLEY. A bill will be brought to the floor when a bill is ready to be brought to the floor. I would leave it at that. The bill will be brought to the floor when it's ready to be brought to the floor.

Mr. CROWLEY. Well, if the bill is ready to be brought to the floor by next week, it could very well be that case. The bill will be brought to the floor when the bill is ready to be brought to the floor.

Mr. CROWLEY. Again, the bill will be brought to the floor when the bill is ready to be brought to the floor.

Mr. CROWLEY. Thank you for yielding. I appreciate your words of desire for more bipartisanship, and I would just suggest that the Recovery and Reinvestment Act that we passed reflected more bipartisanship in the legislation than was reflected by the vote that took place here on the floor. I think there were many attempts to include some of the ideas and thoughts from your side of the aisle that were included in that bill, and I can talk about a number of them. But it was not reflected in the overall vote that took place. I, too, hope that in the future we can have more of a reflective vote of bipartisanship on issues like that, as we had this week when both Democrats and Republicans voted 331-83 to extend unemployment for those Americans who are still out of work, who are looking and struggling to find employment. And I hope the Senate will act to pass that bill and send the bill on to the President as soon as possible. I appreciate the gentleman's yielding for this discussion.

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. I don't think there's any question that these have been very, very difficult months and, quite frankly, years that the American people have been suffering through. We have looked consistently at months-- prior to recent months--of 600,000, 700,000 jobs lost per month, quite frankly, going back to the previous administration, under the Bush administration, where the job loss was at its height. I'm happy to note that that job loss has been diminishing steadily over the past few months, and, in fact, we saw an additional 21,000 fewer jobs lost in this month than the prior month. Having said that, the road to recovery remains a long one, and we understand that. That's why we took the steps that this administration took, following up on the legislation passed in the prior Congress to help stimulate the growth of jobs in this country. And I believe, as many of my colleagues do, that increasingly there are signs that the economy is turning around. I know that Mr. Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman said, ``The recession is likely over at this point.'' I think those are very optimistic statements, and I appreciate the chairman's response to a query. But I do think we still have a long way to go, and we will work to ensure that job loss is not only stemmed but that we have actual job growth. And we anticipate when the Recovery Act is fully appreciated that we will begin to see job growth in this country.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday next for morning-hour debate.