Joe Crowley

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure and an honor for me today to welcome our guest chaplain, Rabbi Stuart Berman, and to thank him for such a wonderful prayer this morning. New York, and my community in particular, have been fortunate to have had someone so dedicated presiding in our area. Most recently, Rabbi Berman served at the Woodside Jewish Center. However, he has had a very accomplished and profound career throughout his lifetime. The rabbi nobly served on the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the Presidential Transition Committee, the White House Conference on Children and Youth Drug Abuse Panel, as well as the White House Conference on Aging. In 1985, Rabbi Berman made history in the State of Florida and became the first rabbi to ever be appointed a prison chaplain. In New York, he again placed the community first and was appointed police-clergy liaison, City of New York Police Department, and Sanitation Department Chaplain. He is also a prolific author of numerous publications and articles, and he previously hosted a weekly television talk show on FAN-TV. I would also point out that Rabbi Berman offered a prayer at the dedication of the post office renaming for my predecessor and his friend, our mutual friend, Congressman Tom Manton, when it was being named in his honor. Rabbi Berman is joined today by his son, Nathaniel, and his sister, Zell. Audrey, his wife, who is an early childhood specialist with the New York City Board of Education, unfortunately could not be here with us and with him today. But we all know that she is very, very proud of her rabbi. Thank you, Rabbi, for being here.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 415, including corrections in spelling, punctuation, section and title numbering, cross-referencing, conforming amendments to the table of contents and short titles, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Mr. CROWLEY

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

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful woman; Jo-Ann Loftus is retiring from the New York Stock Exchange after being a dedicated employee for the past 34 years. Jo-Ann has proven herself to be a dedicated and relentlessly hardworking employee. Starting out as a secretary, Jo-Ann has worked her way up to become manager of the Government Relations department. In her many years of employment there, Jo-Ann has touched many lives at the NYSE. Jo-Ann is also the mother of two children and would be described by them as supportive, loving and full of life and integrity. Jo-Ann raised her children as a single mother, working full time and putting both through college on her own. She has also never missed one dance recital, baseball game, after-school event or award ceremony that her children have been involved in. Jo-Ann is also the founder of His Final Touch Prayer group and has been the faithful leader for over a decade. Jo-Ann is also a very involved member of her local Catholic parish and community. She will be very missed by her colleagues and friends at the New York Stock Exchange but they are very confident that she will be just as successful at retirement as she has been in her years of work and service there.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, on June 3, 2008, I was absent for three rollcall votes. If I had been here, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall vote 367; ``yea'' on rollcall vote 368; and ``yea'' on rollcall vote 369.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Weller, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Young. If these are tax increases, I just want you to know, for the record, that in the previous bill that was passed by this House, 95 members of your caucus supported the identical provision that is in this bill.

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, first of all I think my friend from Georgia needs some responding to in terms of the issue of the price of gas today. I just want to point out that what is false is Republicans, not Democrats, advocated and tried to pass legislation to increase the gas tax on Americans, offering legislation that would cost American drivers $800 million. That was a GOP motion to recommit on H.R. 2776 on August 4, 2007. And that data comes from the Joint Committee on Taxation. The fact is not a single member of the Democratic Caucus supported the Republican effort to increase the gas tax on American families. That comes from rollcall vote 834. The fact is that the Democratic leadership has not brought forward a bill to increase the gas tax on drivers, only your side of the aisle. Another point dealing with the pay-fors in this legislation. I just want to point out one of the pay-fors, the worldwide interest allocation, would bring in $24 billion raised to help pay for what we're attempting to do here. I know my friend, Mr. Hastings, was making reference to this, that these are simply tax increases. The provision that we're talking about specifically in worldwide interest allocation, $29 billion, if so, if this is a tax increase, I just want to remind the gentleman that in H.R. 3221, the Ways and Means amendment to the Democratic homeownership rescue bill, that the same provision was included in that bill in which 95 members of your party supported it, including Mr. Hayes, Mr. Porter, Mr. Ramstad, Mr. Hulshof, Mr. Reichert, Mr. Buchanan, Mr. Camp, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Keller, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Shays, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Linder, Mr. Walberg, Mrs. Drake, Mr. English, Mr. Fossella, Mr. Gerlach, Mr. Murphy----

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, in keeping with his philosophy that ``the man who dies rich thus dies disgraced,'' Andrew Carnegie took care in distributing his substantial wealth, largerly toward the goal of promoting education. When Mr. Carnegie became a trustee at Cornell University, in my home State of New York, he was appalled to learn how little professors earned and thought they deserved financial security. As a result, he donated $10 million to fund a system of pensions that today allows colleges and universities in the United States to offer some of the best retirement plans in the Nation. In 1918, the Carnegie Foundation established the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, known today as TIAA, a fully-funded system of pensions for professors. By the end of its first year, 30 public and private institutions had signed on. After World War II, facing inflation and increased longevity, TIAA created the College Retirement Equities Fund, the world's first variable annuity in 1952. As TIAA-CREF evolved over the years to meet new challenges, its noble mission bestowed on them by Carnegie never changed: to aid and strengthen the institutions they serve and to provide financial products that are suited to the needs of such entities, their employees, and their families on the best terms practicable. In his autobiography, Carnegie wrote: ``Many college pension fund beneficiaries and their widows have written to me most affecting letters. These I can never destroy, for if I ever have a fit of melancholy, I know the cure lies in re-reading these letters.'' TIAA-CREF continues to have a special relationship with those in higher education and also serves those who work in the medical, cultural, and research fields. Today TIAA-CREF celebrates its 90th Anniversary and continues to serve those whose life work advances the greater good.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, Representative Faleomavaega, for not only yielding me the time but for working with us on this important resolution. I also want to thank his staff who has worked with my staff in an expeditious way to get this resolution to the floor as soon as possible. I want to thank the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well, Congressman Berman, and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, and the other members of the committee for their quick movement on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis. Burma was hit by the cyclone more than 10 days ago, and its impact has been nothing but devastating. To date, it has claimed an estimated 100,000 lives. It has robbed more than a million people of their homes, and tens of thousands of people are still missing and unaccounted for, while millions are struggling to survive without access to clean water, food, or shelter. Shamefully, the military junta of Burma, showing no regard for the lives of their fellow Burmese, did little to warn the people in the cyclone's path that the cyclone was coming, and they have done little to help their own people in the aftermath of this natural disaster. Instead of providing much-needed emergency humanitarian aid to its people, the junta pushed forward with an election to pass their sham constitutional referendum. At a time when all resources should have been focused on saving the lives of survivors struggling to find food and clean water to stave off starvation, disease and death, the regime deployed personnel to campaign in favor of the referendum, man polling stations, and fill state television with images of dancing girls urging people to vote in favor of their referendum. Aside from failing to use their own resources to help the people, the junta would not even accept outside resources to aid the devastated communities in the aftermath of the cyclone. Immediately after the cyclone hit, the United States embassy in Burma authorized $250,000 in emergency assistance, as it does whenever such an emergency takes place around the world. President Bush also swiftly followed by pledging an additional $3 million, the assistance of the U.S. Navy assets in the region, a disaster assessment team and any additional aid that would be needed. And the United States Agency For International Development Administrator Henrietta H. Fore announced an additional $13 million in aid to Burma, bringing the total value of U.S. Government assistance to more than $16.3 million. Yet most of those funds and offers have gone unaccepted. To date the junta has allowed only one plane load of U.S. emergency aid to enter the country, and it is unclear if that reached the survivors at all. While estimates from the international humanitarian organization in Burma reveal that more than 1.5 million people are on the brink of death unless aid reaches them immediately, the Burmese military regime continues to deny international aid workers entry in the country. Yesterday, at a meeting in Rangoon, a Burmese cabinet minister told relief agencies that foreign aid workers are prohibited from entering the disaster zone, and must present all of their supplies to the military for distribution. The regime does not have the capacity or skills to handle this major humanitarian crisis, yet it continues to deny visas to disaster assessment teams that can help. It has allowed only the smallest trickle of international aid into the country. At this point, in the post-tsunami relief operation, the hard hit region of Aceh was receiving one aid flight every single hour. In Burma, the regime is only allowing three or four flights a day, after not allowing any in the first five days after the cyclone hit. Efforts to ensure aid reaches the survivors of the cyclone are continually hampered by military officials who will not allow aid workers, foreigners, diplomats or journalists, or even ordinary Burmese who want to help their fellow citizens access to the hardest hit areas. Many of the affected communities have received no aid from the regime or any aid agency. To make matters worse, it is being reported that the junta is also selling aid supplies to local markets. Mr. Speaker, that is simply unacceptable. Just yesterday, China experienced its own natural disaster, a massive earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, and our hearts go out to the victims of that disaster. But China, unlike the junta in Burma, immediately acted to help the victims and the citizens of its country. Countries that have the capacity to react to a natural disaster and provide aid to its citizens have a moral obligation to do so. China's actions in the United Nations Security Council to prevent efforts to invoke the responsibility to protect in Burma is appalling. It is truly saddening, but not surprising, to see the Burmese junta turn a blind eye to its own people. The United States, along with the international community, understands the gravity of the situation, even if the military regime in Burma does not. Even in the wake of one of the most deadly natural disasters they refused to provide the proper humanitarian assistance needed to ensure the health and survival of their own citizens. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is about making clear to the people of Burma that we stand with them, and that we will continue push the junta to accept our assistance to help those in need.

Mr. CROWLEY

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

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, my colleagues, we just passed a resolution expressing the condolences and sympathy of the House of Representatives to the people of Burma, who are suffering incredible loss of life and destruction, mass destruction, within Burma because of the effects of Cyclone Nargis. I would ask, if we could, on behalf of the suffering people of Burma, the millions of people who are without clean water, without proper sanitary conditions, without food, who are suffering incredibly, if we could stand for a moment of silence in their memory and on behalf of all the people of Burma today.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the passing of a man who I deeply admired and knew for many years; Mr. Moses Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein, or Moe as his friends called him, passed away at the age of 95. He was loved and respected, and served New York and our country honorable throughout his long life. Mr. Weinstein was a true patriot. He was a Word War II veteran, and served our country in Europe. After graduating from Brooklyn Law School and he began working his way up the political ladder. In 1959, he started what would be an 11 year career in the New York State Assembly. During his tenure in the Assembly, he served as Chairman of the Queens Democratic Party; held the prestigious title of majority leader for the 1967 convention, where the New York State Constitution was redrafted; and was elected to the post of Majority Leader from 1965 through 1968 and Speaker of the Assembly in 1968. Much of his work as a legislator focused on the importance of promoting minorities and women to hold judicial positions. After leaving the Assembly, Moe became a Justice of the Supreme Court of New York in 1970, and held the post for 14 years. Moe was so accomplished. Yet, he always claimed that he was not anyone's boss, especially in his own home. He claimed that Muriel Marshall, his wife, was the true boss of the household. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Moe's family. Jonathan, Peter and Jeremy, your father was an extraordinary man and I feel blessed to have known him.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commemorate the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Since being elected to the U.S. Congress, I have come to the floor of the House every year to solemnly remember the atrocities that began on April 24, 1915--when the Ottoman government ordered the deportation of 2.5 million Armenians and oversaw the murder 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children. Today, as I stand for the 10th time in recognition of the Armenian genocide, I do so with one major distinction from years past. This year is different because the House Foreign Affairs Committee has formally recognized the Armenian genocide. Last October, under the leadership of the late Chairman Tom Lantos, the Committee passed House Resolution 106. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I was proud to have been a part of this vote. And, as a strong supporter of the Armenian community, I will be proud when the full House of Representatives considers H. Res. 106. In 2003, during my first visit to Armenia, I planted a tree at the genocide memorial and paid homage to those who perished and suffered. It was a somber day, just like today's anniversary of the Armenian genocide. We not only participate in these events to remember the past, but also so we never forget. We must never forget the horrific events that took place 93 years ago. We must never forget those who were wrongly imprisoned, those who suffered and died, or those who lost their families and loved ones. And, most importantly, we must never forget that we must never let such atrocities occur again. Madam Speaker, today, as we commemorate the 93rd Anniversary of the Armenian genocide, I urge the House to prevent history from repeating itself by finally recognizing the past.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of the State of Israel and the greater Jewish community on the 60th anniversary of their independence. The United States supported the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, and our two countries have been the closest of friends and strong allies ever since. Our friendship is rooted in some deeply shared beliefs. We believe in freedom of religion, in freedom of the press, and in freedom of speech. We believe in free and fair elections. And we believe that extremism and terrorism have no place in the global community. Since its independence, Israel has endured unstable and troubling conditions in the Middle East. They have been subject to violence and unwarranted attacks. They have been asked to compromise their borders. They have had missile strikes threatening the lives of innocent citizens on an almost daily basis. Yet, the Israeli people remain united and strong--continuing to stand up for their beliefs and for their country. Israel is a modern success story. It is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is the only Middle Eastern country where Arabs have the right to vote for their elected officials and their political leaders. And, it is one of the only Middle Eastern nations without oil wealth that has transformed itself from an agrarian-based economy to a high tech economic powerhouse. Today, as Israel turns 60, it is important to remember what she stands for. I believe Israel, while small in geographic size, is one of the largest symbols of humankind's continued faith in God. I believe her enduring spirit to survive inspires. And, I believe in her unwavering dedication to freedom and democracy. I am proud to be a friend of Israel's and I believe we must continue to stand with her. And today, I want to join my colleagues in wishing Israel a hearty Mazel Tov on 60 years of Independence.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the people of the State of Israel and the greater Jewish community on the 60th anniversary of their independence. The United States supported the establishment of the Jewish State in 1948, and our two countries have been the closest of friends and strong allies ever since. Our friendship is rooted in some deeply shared beliefs. We believe in freedom of religion, in freedom of the press, and in freedom of speech. We believe in free and fair elections. And we believe that extremism and terrorism have no place in the global community. Since its Independence, Israel has endured unstable and troubling conditions in the Middle East. They have been subject to violence and unwarranted attacks. They have been asked to compromise their borders. They have had missile strikes threatening the lives of innocent citizens on an almost daily basis. Yet, the Israeli people remain united and strong--continuing to stand up for their beliefs and for their country. Israel is a modern success story. It is the only Democracy in the Middle East. It is the only Middle Eastern country where Arabs have the right to vote for their elected officials and their political leaders. And, it is one of the only Middle Eastern nations without oil wealth that has transformed itself from an agrarian based economy to a high tech economic powerhouse. Israel's detractors, and those who hide their anti-Semitism behind anti-Zionism, must not and will not denigrate the success of Israel. That is why I stand here today. I believe the survival of the Jewish state is paramount. I believe her existence, while small in geographic size, is the one of largest symbols of humankind's continued faith in God, enduring spirit to survive, and belief in freedom and democracy. And, I believe the United States must continue to stand with Israel and support her efforts to defend her citizens. I am proud to be one of Israel's strongest friends in Congress. And today, I want to join my colleagues in Congress in wishing Israel a hearty Mazel Tov on 60 years of Independence.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Thank you. Madam Speaker, I note that the gentleman made reference to the fact that the legislation, or at least the interpretation of the administration, that the legislation places onerous responsibilities on the trustees of the HSAs. Where in the legislation does it say that?

Mr. CROWLEY. I thank the gentleman. I perused the motion to recommit by Mr. Herger. I think it is interesting, the other side has pointed out we have chosen today, Tax Day, to bring this bill to the floor. It is also interesting they take this motion to recommit the same day that the Pope has arrived here in the United States, who is with the President right now at the White House; the same Pope who has decried the xenophobic nature of some of the legislation that has been coming out of this House by the other side of the aisle. I think it is interesting to note that no illegal aliens will be hurt by this motion to recommit. In fact, it will be the elderly woman who relies upon her opportunities to buy these bonds for their income later in life. I would also point out it is quite possible that New York State and California, the States of two of the gentleman here today, could potentially be hurt by this motion to recommit. I think it is foolhardy. It obviously is an attempt to kill the bill by requiring it be promptly reported back to committee, and therefore the attempt is clear, once again to use anti-immigrant rhetoric to kill the bill and to use ``promptly'' to kill the bill. I urge my colleagues to reject this motion to recommit and to vote for the underlying legislation.

Mr. CROWLEY. Will the gentleman continue to yield?

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, that's why Democrats are trying to be responsible and we implemented the pay-as-you-go principles, meaning all new tax cuts and new spending increases need to be paid for as we move forward. In regards to the health savings account, I really don't understand the opposition here. What we're simply asking for is accountability. We know that health savings accounts have been spent for country club membership, massage parlors, women's lingerie shops, casinos and gambling, dating and escort services. Let's really put this all in perspective. What we're talking about is accountability in health savings accounts. We're not saying they shouldn't be used for health purposes, but they should be held accountable. People right now, hardworking, honest, faith-loving Americans that want to donate to a charity or to their church with after-tax payments have to account for that charitable contribution before they can take a tax deduction. When it comes to health savings accounts, there is not that requirement. And we're talking about pretax dollars on health savings accounts. There's something wrong here. I wish my Republican colleagues would better understand it. It's simply absurd that they don't support simple accountability.

Mr. CROWLEY. It is simply absurd to me that my Republican colleagues can't understand that we're simply asking for accountability, that we're not looking to eliminate them, that if they are using it for legitimate health purposes, that's fine. Now, I did note that the HSA, the Health Savings Account Council, says that the IRS has the authority to audit these accounts. Are they suggesting that the IRS audit every health savings account to make sure that health savings accounts are being used for health reasons? I daresay that the IRS is looking at probably more often than not the charitable contributions that hardworking Americans make and making sure that those are legitimate charities before they're able to deduct them from their taxes. So what we are looking for is a little balance here in terms of what really are legitimate tax savings purposes in health savings accounts. That's really simply what the Democrats are looking for.

Mr. CROWLEY. I want to thank my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for yielding me this time. My colleagues, this is a good bill, and I ask all my colleagues to support this worthy effort. And Chairman Lewis, I want to thank you personally, and your staff. You went out of your way to include language that I had concerns of and wanted to include in this bill to increase the access of eligible taxpayers to the EITC, the earned income tax credit. So I want to personally thank you and your staff for your outreach to our office and including that. Ronald Reagan himself referred to the EITC as the greatest anti-poverty program in the history of our country, so I think it deserves worthy bipartisan support. Madam Speaker, we heard in testimony last week in the Committee on Ways and Means from the Taxpayer Advocate of the United States that identity fraud against taxpayers is skyrocketing. This bill establishes some of the strongest protections for taxpayers against identity theft scams, especially those at greatest risk of fraud, our seniors and veterans filing this year to claim the economic stimulus rebate check. But my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, my Republican colleagues and the Bush Administration, are adamantly opposed to this taxpayer protection act because they're opposed to the offset that we provide. No one can argue that some of my Republican colleagues philosophically oppose paying for anything and support the continuation of what I believe was 7 years of Republican economic theory of ``borrow and spend.'' And in case you're keeping count, the results of the Republican borrow and spend credit card economic policy is a $30,000 birth tax on every person born in this country today. In fact, in my own home, it's at $90,000 because I have an 8-, 7-, and 2-year-old. I can't imagine that they would be very happy if they understood what the birth tax was that was placed upon them by irresponsible and reckless fiscal policies over the last 7 years.

Mr. CROWLEY. I just would point to the record that, in fact, it is not the responsibility of the trustees but of the individual who opens an HSA account that we're placing the burden on, that they prove that the HSA account is for legitimate medical purposes.

Mr. CROWLEY

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Chairman, the House version of the U.S. Global AIDS Act contains language suggesting that only family planning programs compliant with the global gag rule will be eligible to receive PEPFAR funds to provide HIV education, counseling, and testing. I believe that this would be a new restriction. No such requirement exists in current law or policy. And I believe if we are serious about preventing the most new infections, we need to put aside our political differences on the merits of the global gag rule and ensure that the very best in the field have the support of the U.S. to do what they need to do, and that is prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS.

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of the bipartisan agreement that will reauthorize PEPFAR for an additional 5 years. I want to thank both the Chair of the committee, Howard Berman, the new and very capable chair of the committee, Howard Berman, as well as my long-time friend, the ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for their crafting of the legislation and in naming it the Tom Lantos/Henry Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Reauthorization Act of 2008. And in so doing, I think it enhances the legacy of both of these fine gentlemen. Let me say from the start, I support the strong program and will urge my colleagues to do the same. The first 5 years of PEPFAR have provided unprecedented prevention, care, and treatment of HIV/AIDS for millions around the world. By passing this bill we can, and we will, do more. Through PEPFAR, the United States has spearheaded the global fight against HIV/AIDS by supporting services to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. These services have helped women during more than 10 million pregnancies and led to the prevention of more than 150,000 infant infections. It has supported life-saving treatment for almost 1.5 million men, women, and children. In the focus countries, over 60 percent of those receiving treatment are women and girls. It is my honor to say that I have supported this program when it was first introduced before this body, and I worked to ensure that PEPFAR was as effective and as efficient as possible. An example of this bipartisan effort was the inclusion of language, which I championed, to emphasize education on gender equality and respect for women and girls. The reauthorization act strengthens these provisions by calling for the empowerment of women and youth and by promoting changes in male behavior and attitudes that respect the human rights of women and youth and that support and foster gender equity. However, let me be equally clear, this bill could do so much more and could prevent many more infections if it improved a critical partnership with these programs in the fields that have served women and their families for over four decades, and that is in the field of family planning providers.

Mr. CROWLEY

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