Yvette Clarke

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), Chair of the Subcommittee of Healthy Families and Communities of the Education and Labor Committee.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H. Res. 292 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that schools should celebrate National Garden Month through a curriculum that includes outdoor learning. I would like to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Ohio, Representative Pryce, for bringing this resolution to the floor. Mr. Speaker, the importance of getting children outside and involving them with the environment is critical to the survival of our planet, and this bill takes the first step in that direction. National Garden Month will introduce children, particularly children from the city, such as Brooklyn, where I represent, who would not be exposed to the outdoors an opportunity to involve themselves in gardening and the outdoors. This resolution is a small step in helping to further our survival. I urge my colleagues to support the environment by supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H. Res. 292 into the Record.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 292) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that schools should celebrate National Garden Month through a curriculum that includes outdoor learning.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey, Bill Pascrell, Jr., member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H. Con. Res. 68 into the Record.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 68), honoring the life and accomplishments of Gian Carlo Menotti and recognizing the success of the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, which he founded.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 7, a resolution offered by the gentlelady from California calling on the League of Arab States to recognize the genocide that is currently taking place in Darfur, Sudan. The facts regarding the situation on the ground are indisputable. The Government of Sudan, through its proxy militia, the janjaweed, have been launching a scorched earth campaign in Darfur. More than 400,000 people have been murdered, and more than 2 million have been forcefully displaced. This resolution calls upon the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in Darfur and to pressure the Sudanese Government to take steps to bring the killings to an end. The purpose of the League of Arab States is to coordinate the cultural and securities policies of its member states, of which Sudan is a member. If genocide or any atrocity is taking place in one member state, the other member states have a duty to recognize and act to end it. Sudan has not moved to end the slaughter of its innocent civilians in Darfur. The international community, in particular the League of Arab States, must be united in its call for Sudan to end the genocide, stop the pillaging, stop the rape of women and girls, disarm the janjaweed and prosecute those responsible.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a moment today to express my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and constituents of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald and pay tribute to her legacy of leadership and her profound impact on this institution, the people she served and indeed our Nation. Chairwoman McDonald was a trailblazer who paved the way for me and many others to be elected and to serve in the Congress. I am ever mindful of the legacy of integrity and excellence that she has imparted to each and every one of us. I embrace it and can truly say that she has touched my life. Though we were colleagues in this body for a short while, we had many moments of interactions that were truly empowering. She never missed a moment to be encouraging and complimentary. Just a week ago or so before the chairwoman took her leave from the Congress, we encountered one another in this very Chamber. She inquired of me about how I was doing. My response to her was, ``I'm just trying to keep up with you, Madam Chair.'' She smiled her beautiful and elegant smile and said to me, ``You're doing it, girl.'' It has truly been a blessing for me as a freshman to have been acknowledged and encouraged by this truly remarkable, elegant and extraordinary role model. The legacy of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald will never be forgotten. It has been imparted to all of us and it will certainly always reside with me. God bless you, sister. Thank you for all you have given to each and every one of us. Well done.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to a Brooklyn landmark, the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church, on the occasion of their 160th Anniversary. The first Hanson Place Methodist Church building was erected in 1847 at the corner of Hanson Place and St. Felix Street in Brooklyn. There, the history of ecumenical cooperation and community service began with a vibrant, Christ-centered congregation. Seventeen years later, to accommodate phenomenal congregational growth, a second and larger building was constructed, and dedicated on January 4, 1874. Then, on February 23, 1927, the Central Methodist Episcopal Church came into being by merging the Summerfield Methodist Church with the Hanson Place Methodist Church. The church rose above challenges when its building purchased in 1874 was considered unsafe and had to be vacated leaving 1650 members belonging to a Church Without a Home as it was reported in the press. By the end of 1930, sufficient investment had been committed in the Hanson Place Central Methodist Church that the church owned property that covered the entire corner on which to build its new cathedral. A lot on Hanson Place and on St. Felix Street was marked off for the structure, and today stands the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church at 144 St. Felix Street. The church's commitment to the community has been shown through their various ministries. Their Campaign Against Hunger has been a valuable resource for more than 15 years. This food pantry provides meals to over 110,000 individuals annually. It utilizes a customer choice approach and adopts a supermarket style of shopping with a nutritional education component. For the past nine years, their Partnership for the Homeless ministry has provided a safe haven for men. This ministry serves as a resource for the Drop-In Center for the Bond Street Salvation Army. The shelter is open year round including public holidays. The people who once belonged to a Church Without a Home, serves as a home for so many within a changing and rapidly developing neighborhood within and throughout Brooklyn. I am honored that the Hanson Place Central Methodist Church has provided countless services to constituents within my district. I ask my colleagues to join me in commending this fine institution for their many years of service and commitment to the people of Brooklyn.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Chairman, first, I want to commend Chairwoman Velazquez for her leadership on this issue and for bringing this bill to the House floor. I rise in support of H.R. 1361, a bill to improve the disaster relief program of the Small Business Administration and to provide relief for entrepreneurs. This bill addresses the problems with the SBA's disaster loan program, which was implemented to provide timely financial assistance in the form of low-interest loans and working capital for businesses devastated by disasters. In New York City, after 9/11, small businesses that once prospered near the World Trade Center had difficulty recovering from that tragedy. Four years later, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, many applicants of SBA disaster assistance were frustrated with the agency's response or lack thereof. Many businesses found their loan applications were delayed in backlogs that took over a year to process without a well-informed, centralized point of contact within the agency. For entrepreneurs struggling to get back on their feet, the old adage ``time is money'' is much more than a cliche. Economic distress can quickly digress into systemic unemployment for the thousands of employees and bring extreme hardship to America's families. I support the intent of this bill because it will ensure that the SBA performs comprehensive, risk-based, disaster planning on an annual basis and that the agency has mechanisms in place to maintain its disaster readiness over the long term. This new bill will also enhance the SBA's disaster loan program by improving the manner in which disaster loans are processed, approved and disbursed, and by providing the agency with the additional financial assistance tools that are intended to better fit the various needs of small businesses following a disaster. I will cast an ``aye'' vote in support of an unamended H.R. 1361, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. The RECOVER Act of 2007 is a bill that will ensure that members of Congress are adequately informed about all aspects of SBA's disaster assistance and disaster planning programs so that they may provide the SBA with the support they need to fulfill their vital mission following a disaster.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Chairman, I wish to thank Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King and Chairwoman Jackson-Lee for their vigilance on this issue. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007, H.R. 1401. In the past, Congress has passed laws to improve air and maritime security. With this bill, Congress is finally taking the very important step of securing America's vast ground transportation systems. It is particularly important for my home city of New York, which has spent far more of its own treasury than any other city on securing its citizens. Along with providing much-needed funding for security improvements to mass transit, bridges and tunnels, this bill will also help fund police and counterterrorism task forces to patrol the areas and react to emergencies. Further, this bill provides $100 million over the next 4 years to bring about long-anticipated safety and security renovations at Penn Station, which sees thousands of New Yorkers and tourists from across America each day. I am particularly proud of the language included in the bill that ensures labor unions will play an integral role in the solution. Unions will now be eligible to receive a portion of the grant funding, allowing them to work hand-in-hand with transportation carriers on how to improve the safety of the workers and passengers alike. Also, for some time, many local governments and agencies have been concerned about their lack of involvement with the Federal side of the transportation security process. For years, Federal security inspectors have refused to consult with transit agencies about how best to patrol their facilities. This new bill will force DHS and DOT to work together with State and local governments when deciding how the Federal Government will interact with local agencies. H.R. 1401, the Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007, is an excellent bill that will revolutionize transportation security in America, and I wholeheartedly recommend that my colleagues join me in voting ``yes'' for this bill.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, the war in Iraq has presented numerous hardships for our troops, their families, and by extension, our Nation. Over 3,000 American soldiers have been killed. Every day brings news of more explosions and more soldiers coming home with traumatic brain injuries and other maladies. However, this war has been a particular hardship for our Nation's courageous female troops. In this, the first full week of National Women's History Month, I feel it is vital that we recognize the historic trials being faced by the women who are defending our country. As of 2005, there was a record 203,000 female troops on active duty in military, along with many thousands more National Guard and Reserve troops activated to work in Iraq. Like their male counterparts, many of these female troops never expected to fight in a war and certainly not for such an extended period of time. Countless soldiers are mothers who joined the National Guard and Reserves to give back to their country. Now they find themselves half a world away from their homes and families, fighting a war on the sun-hardened battlefields of Iraq with no resolution or end in sight.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Madam Chairman, the Employee Free Choice Act serves as a remedy to the squeeze on the middle class, due, in part, to the large scale erosion of workers fundamental freedom to bargain for better wages and benefits. Over the last several decades, workers' rights have come under increasing attacks. Even though workers in the United States under the National Labor Relations Act have the right to organize and collectively bargain, violations of these rights include the firing of employees for union activity. In committee, Madam Chairman, we heard testimony of witnesses who spoke either in support for or against the bill on the House floor today. I find it difficult to understand how, in good conscience, Americans who, a generation before benefited from union activity, would be this opposition to this bill. During organizing campaigns, 25 percent of employers illegally fire at least one worker for union activity. The chance that a pro union worker activist is fired for his or her union activity today is now 1 in 5. 78 percent of employers in organizing drives forced employees to attend one-on-one meetings against a union with their own supervisors, and 92 percent of the employers forced employees to attend mandatory captive audience meetings against the union. 75 percent of the employers in organizing drives hire consultants or other union busting firms to fight the organizing drive. The middle class squeeze has created a human rights crisis in this country. The Nation, the economy, and the employees benefit from the workers having the freedom to join together to bargain for better wages and benefits. I wanted to just take a moment today because this piece of legislation will now bring justice to what has been a real injustice to the American people. I had the occasion to sit in on our committee hearings. Today I just wanted to bring to everyone's memory a gentleman named Mr. Ivo Camilo. He worked for the Blue Diamond Company for 35 years. He signed a letter with 58 coworkers saying that they wanted the right to organize and wanted that to be respected. A week later, Mr. Camilo was fired. Today I cast my vote on behalf of Mr. Ivo Camilo, who sacrificed for each and every American the right to organize. He sacrificed his livelihood for all of us and for future generations. Thank you very much, Mr. Camilo. And I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for this legislation.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in unwavering support of our troops. I support our troops who are stationed around the globe and, particularly, those stationed in harm's way in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. That is why I wholeheartedly support H. Con. Res. 63 which disapproves of the President's decision to deploy more than 20,000 additional combat troops to Iraq, because support of our troops means I must vote to move them out of harm's way. This 110th Congress debate marks the beginning of the end of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and a realignment of our strategy utilizing America's might against the war on terror. Mr. Speaker, we now know that nothing said in justification of this war was fact. It was all fiction created by this administration to justify the unjustifiable. Our military service men and women are doing their duty. They have accomplished their mission. They have brought Saddam Hussein to justice. Remember, ``Mission Accomplished.'' This administration has distracted us from the real war on terror, the war with al Qaeda. When are we going to bring Osama bin Laden to justice? In Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command General Tommy Franks, the war's operational commander, misjudged the interest of our Afghan allies. He ran the war from Tampa, with no commander on the ground above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The first Americans did not arrive until 3 days into the fighting. It is noted that Osama bin Laden slipped through the cordon ostensibly placed around Tora Bora as U.S. aircraft began bombing on November 30, 2002. More precisely, bin Laden was in Tora Bora on November 26, 2002, spoke to his fighters about the fight being a holy war, then, as quickly as he had come, bin Laden vanished in the pine forest with four of his loyalists walking in the direction of Pakistan. Bin Laden escaped somewhere between November 28 and November 30, 2002, in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, 5 years ago, Department of Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said, ``He,'' meaning Osama bin Laden, ``doesn't have a lot of good options.'' Obviously, that was false. Further, it was reported that the administration pays bin Laden no attention, and that is evidenced by the fact that official reports no longer identify Osama bin Laden as a threat. The administration anticipated that they would have bin Laden erased by September 11, 2002. They failed at that mission. Again, the failure of this administration to get the job done, to secure our homeland, and to get the man who masterminded the attacks upon us and continues to recruit and train al Qaeda agents is parallel to the failures of the mission in Iraq. The administration did not plan to fail; they failed to plan. I support the men and women who put their lives on the line for our liberty. I am indebted to them, the sacrifices that they have made, and that is why I support this resolution. We must redeploy and make preparations to leave Iraq today. As the representative of the 11th District from New York, I and my constituents deeply resent the lies and deceptions thrust upon us to justify this war by creating a distraction away from homeland security we all require as an inalienable right. The fire that I witnessed that refused to die was stamped out by the resilience of New Yorkers, Americans who believe in our democracy and the ultimate victory of good over evil. The question I have and the question of the people from New York and the rest of America wants answered is: When will Osama bin Laden be brought to justice? Thanks to the failed policies of this administration, Iraq is now in the midst of a civil war. Due to the lies and deceptions, the civil war in Iraq is now raging. We must redeploy our troops now. Thus far, there are 135,544 troops deployed in Iraq today.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am very supportive of our troops around the globe and in particular those who are in harm's way in Iraq. I wholeheartedly support H. Con. Res. 63. Mr. Speaker, in the President's January 29, 2002, State of the Union address, in regards to protecting America, responding to terrorist threats and capturing Osama bin Laden, he said, this is a regime that agreed to international inspections, then kicked out our inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world. States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. Secretary Rice, after being named Secretary to succeed Colin Powell, warned 6 months before the invasion in Iraq that Saddam Hussein could deploy a nuclear weapon, saying that the administration did not want a smoking gun. We want to know as New Yorkers, when will we find Osama bin Laden

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I am very supportive of our troops around the globe and in particular those who are in harms way in Iraq. I wholeheartedly support H. Con. Res. 63. Mr. Speaker, in the President's January 29, 2002, State of the Union address, in regards to protecting America, responding to the terrorist threat and capturing Osama bin Laden, he said (meaning Iraq): . . . This is a regime that agreed to international inspections--then kicked out the inspectors. This is a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world. States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be Catastrophic. Secretary Rice, after being named Secretary of State to succeed Colin Powell, Secretary Rice warned six months before the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein could deploy a nuclear weapon, saying that the administration did not ``want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.'' according to the Washington Post. We now know that these assertions were a fiction created by this administration to justify the unjustifiable. U.S. Central Command Gen. Tommy Franks, the war's operational commander misjudged the interests of our Afghan allies. He ran the war from Tampa with no commander on the scene above the rank of lieutenant colonel. According to another Washington Post April 17, 2002, article; The first Americans did not arrive until 3 days into the fighting. As a representative from NY whose constituents resent the lies and deception thrust upon us to justify this war and creating a distraction away from the homeland security we all desire the question is: When will Osama bin Laden be brought to justice. The article continues by identifying that Osama bin Laden slipped through the cordon ostensibly placed around Tora Bora as U.S. aircraft began bombing on Nov. 30. More precisely, bin Laden was in Tora Bora on Nov. 26, spoke to his fighters about ``holy war'' then, as quickly as he had come, bin Laden vanished into the pine forests with four of his loyalists walking in the direction of Pakistan. bin Laden escaped according to the Christian Science Monitor, somewhere between Nov. 28 to Nov. 30 as confirmed by Arabs and Afghans in eastern Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, I support our troops and that is why we must commence the redeployment of our troops today. Thus far: There are 135,544 troops in Iraq today. 3127 or 2.3 percent of U.S. soldiers have been killed in service to our country. Seventeen percent or 23,279 U.S. soldiers have been seriously wounded in service to our country. Twenty percent of the troops wounded have received serious brain or spinal injuries; 30 percent of U.S. troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home. During the President's tenure, he has requested a cumulative total of more than $700 billion to pay for the war effort in Iraq; $9 billion of U.S. taxpayers money is unaccounted for. The State of New York has lost 143 soldiers, 16 from Brooklyn. U.S. troops continue to die from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been sent to Iraq with poorly constructed and poorly armored equipment. Pentagon war planners have created a high level task force that has spent $6.7 billion on how to combat IEDs. Thousands of Americans are dead, thousand more will die if we don't get our troops home and get them redeployed today. I oppose the President's call for 21,000 more troops to go to Iraq. I support our troops and that's why I want them home where they belong.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. Madam Speaker and my colleagues, the State of the Union? Mr. President, we are on edge. The American public have said no to the war in Iraq and you have turned a deaf ear to this American admonition. What does a troop escalation mean to American families? More of our women and men, sons and daughters, brothers and sister, neighbors and friends will lose their lives or the life of someone they love, more families, such as the family of Operations Specialist Joseph Alomar, who gave his life in honor just this past week, and LCpl Nicholas Whyte, who gave his life this summer. More families, Mr. President, will be mourning. More of the American tax dollars will be spent on the war, rather than on building better schools, hospitals, roads and bridges. Madam Speaker, in the 11th District of Brooklyn, New York, and in congressional districts around the country, Americans want our troops home. Mr. President, end this war in Iraq. Redeploy our troops now. We need our domestic tranquility.

Ms. CLARKE

Ms. CLARKE. I would like to yield.

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, it has been extraordinary. To the gentleman from Florida, I would like to thank you for welcoming me and all of my colleagues with open arms, and just to say to you that it is very clear that the winds of change are blowing here in the House of Representatives. And I find it just sort of ironic that the rhetoric does not necessarily match the outcome. We do see bipartisan voting taking place right now, and I think the American people need to know that this 110th Congress in the first 100 legislative hours today alone by a margin of 356-71 voted for cutting interest rates in student loans. Now, if my recollection is clear, in the 109th Congress I doubt that that would have ever occurred. And I think that we need to give credit where credit is due, and credit is due to the winds of change that the people of the United States have made clear through their votes in the November election. We have heeded that very significantly in the first 96-odd hours of the 100 hour agenda, and we have done the American people good. We have done them good. So I am excited about it. I am just a freshman from Brooklyn, New York, but I am trying to make my way, and I see that we have heeded the call and that we are active in pursuit of the mandates that the American people have set forth for us.

Ms. CLARKE. The gentleman is from Pittsburgh.

Ms. CLARKE. I thank the gentleman from Florida. I just wanted to pick up on all the excitement. I think the velocity and the momentum that has been built in the 110th Congress is something that is reverberating around the Nation. As I went back to my district over the King holiday weekend, the enthusiasm and just the whole buoyancy of how people feel about the work we have been doing, it is uplifting, quite frankly. I think we need to capture that and make sure we use that as a motivation to continue along this path. Just think about going home to New York City and people talking about real homeland security. We passed legislation that directly impacted on the town from which I am from. And certainly as someone whose father was in the World Trade Center in the 1993 attack, we recognize how very serious it is to reapportion the formula based on risk. And just last week we were able to make that adjustment. We were able to organize things so that we can address port security and first responders in a meaningful, tangible way based on risk. And that says a lot about how we are going to operate as a body. Everyone in New York saw the formulas before as just some of the most overt political pandering that you could possibly do. But now we have restored to them the faith that we can do what we have been sent to do, which is to create policy that protects and that uplifts our Nation. And so my hat is off to the leadership, Speaker Pelosi, and everyone who has really tapped into the pulse of the American people. Because when you talk about a minimum wage raise in a city like New York, where the cost of living has been something that has created such a gap in people's lives, where raising the minimum wage just enables them to get by, is extraordinary for the rest of our Nation. It is extraordinary for all of us. And we have an obligation to continue along this path, in making sure that everything that the American people have demanded of us, and I think the 6 in 2006 has really made it tangible, addresses that in a forthright way. I feel really great about where we are right now, and I look forward to working with all of these gentlemen in a movement to really move our civil society to where it needs to be, to make that paradigm shift and focus us as one of the greatest nations of humankind.

Ms. CLARKE. Thank you very much to the gentleman from Connecticut for sharing that, because I can only say ``ditto.'' We are, I believe, doing what needs to be done for the future of the Nation. While we see the immediate impact because we were campaigning and there were certain issues that had come before us, when I look at the fact that 8th graders, who will be entering college in 5 years, will be paying half the interest rate that current college students are paying, we are making a substantive difference in people's lives. That could encourage that one student who was saying there is no way my family can afford it to say, you know what, I can make it. And that is what this is about, future generations. I want to thank the leadership, Mr. Meek, Mr. Ryan, for giving us this forum in which we can reach out to the American people to come together in common cause with our colleagues, and even some of those folks on the other side of the aisle, to really do the work that is needed to be done for future generations. We have been doing it in the first 100 hours, and I look forward to doing it even more so as we move forward in the 110th session. I yield to you, Mr. Ryan.