Steve Cohen

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Once again, this just takes it to another level. It's not just the rules, but then the rules of the rules. Really what this bill is about is a messaging opportunity. We're supposed to be legislating. The reality is that we don't legislate in Congress; we message. One side says, We're for business. We're against regulations. We're against rules. We want to create enterprise by destroying rules and regulations. The other side, which is my side, says, We're for consumers. We're for safety. We're for protection. We're for health and clean water and clear air. We think that the government process works because it saves people; it saves their lives. We go back and forth. This would effectively destroy the opportunity to have rules and regulations passed at all. It's not going to get through the Senate, so what it is is a messaging opportunity for us to fill up C-SPAN. It's unfortunate because we should be legislating about jobs and about the sequester. We ought to be talking about benefits that the government does provide, but right now sequestration is taking away important jobs in the Defense Department, moneys from the National Institutes of Health, which would protect people's lives in the long run with treatments and cures that we need, and the next generation will benefit greater than us; yet we're here talking about something that is not going to happen. It is really unfortunate, because we should be legislating, and this bill just gets us into the weeds, gets us down into the regulations. It's like we're going to strangle the ``bureaucrats.'' But the bureaucrats are the experts who come up with the safety provisions that say your children's toys are going to be safe and your car is going to have brakes and work in the proper manner and your airplane is not going to fall out of the sky when it's not near the airport. Those are important things to the American people, and if you don't have rules and regulations by experts that can be implemented, we're going to have a lot of accidents. That's why this is a very bad bill and a bad amendment and a bad use of the public's time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time so we can get to the next program on C-SPAN quicker.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 38th anniversary of the division of the island of Cyprus, and to encourage all parties in this longstanding dispute to reason together and work to achieve a final settlement that will bring about a united Cyprus. Over 50 years ago, the Republic of Cyprus was established by Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who were to have hands in the administration of the government and participation in national life. As a result of steps counter to that spirit through the 1960s and early 1970s, the two communities are now isolated from each other. The Greek Cypriot community, as the Republic of Cyprus, enjoys full membership in the European Union while Turkish Cypriots remain largely isolated from the global community. Nevertheless, Turkish Cypriots have demonstrated, time and again, their support for a solution where a bi-zonal, bi- communal federation is secured. A continuation of the status quo serves no purpose, and prevents all Cypriots from living to their full potential. I ask my colleagues to join me in encouraging both parties to set a timeline of tangible steps to achieve a final agreement, and for the Obama Administration to work with both parties and European partners in securing these steps. Any solution must respect the human rights and freedoms of all Cypriots, and this must be enshrined in the work of the parties. Let us redouble our efforts so that we do not have to observe the beginning of yet another decade in the life of the division of this island, in the hope that all Cypriots will be able to live and work together in peace.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Monday, July 29, will be the fifth anniversary of the passage in this House of the first and only apology for slavery and Jim Crow laws in this Nation's history. This Nation had 246 years of slavery and over 100 years of Jim Crow. The resolution, which passed with only two Republican sponsors, Wayne Gilchrist and Phil English, said that we needed to rectify the lingering consequences of slavery and Jim Crow. Indeed, we still need to. There are many areas in the criminal justice system that show this, such as racial profiling, that the likelihood of being arrested for marijuana is four times as much if you're African American than white, and stiffer sentencing if you are African American. The need for public health and public education, and for jobs, more significant, and a much lower net worth among African Americans, are all vestiges of Jim Crow and slavery. As we look toward the fifth anniversary of that resolution and the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington, both sides of this aisle need to look toward the least of these--people who have been discriminated against and enslaved by our Nation's laws--and rectify those lingering consequences.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained during rollcall vote 399, if present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All you have to do is look at the top, Mr. Karzai and his brother, who was killed, who was one of the main drug runners down there who was killed. The whole country from the top to the bottom is corrupt. I thank the gentleman for his thoughts. You can't find honest people there to see that this money gets to their people. They don't care about their people. They care about their own power, their own money, their own riches. They are corrupt, and we are throwing this money away. Let's face reality and pass the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment, which as originally drawn was like the amendment I offered last year that passed with a pretty strong majority, halves the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund. Mr. Walberg and I were cosponsors on a bipartisan amendment that passed that cut $79 million. To get this amendment to the same point, we would have to amend it down $60 million, I believe, to get it from the 279 to the cut. I don't know if we want to do an amendment or not. The more money it takes, for me it's fine, but if we wanted to halve it. I ask unanimous consent to modify the amendment to reflect the cut not to be--an amount of 139, but to take into consideration the 79, and so to make this amendment only $60 million. So I would like to offer an amendment to the amendment to make this amendment reflect a $60 million cut to make the total cut 139, which would be half.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, that is just better, because this amendment is kind of a compromise between the amendment Mr. Walberg and I had and Mr. Cicilline's. Mr. Cicilline's cut the fund entirely. This cuts it in half. A little more than half is really better. The fact is, yes, we need the infrastructure in America; but we spent a lot of money on the infrastructure fund in Iraq, and we know from experience that a lot of that money, if not most of it, was stolen and wasted. The same things happened in Afghanistan. The Inspector General has reported it; and, in fact, Afghani officials have reported it. They do not have the expertise, nor do they have the abilities, to maintain products after they are built. When the roads are constructed, they can't maintain them. So it is throwing money away. The same thing happened with air-conditioners and other products that we gave the Iraqis and we have given the Afghanis. They cannot maintain them. They can't maintain them when they do construct them, but before that half of it is ripped off and graft. There are rankings of the most corrupt countries on the face of the Earth. Afghanistan is always number one or number two, and continues to be. No matter how long we stay there and how long we have been there, the level of corruption has remained right at the top. That is not going to change. Giving this money away is basically encouraging and endorsing and seconding corruption and graft that we have seen in Afghanistan over the years, and waste. This Congress should not be passing funds that we know are going to be corruptly going to officials who are putting it in their pockets, not helping the Afghani people. In a perfect world, I wouldn't offer the amendment. In a perfect world, I would say, oh, ``Charlie Wilson,'' what a great movie, what a great story, we pulled out too soon. Well, Charlie Wilson was right in theory. He was wrong in application, because they steal and it is corrupt and they cannot maintain it. We couldn't have put enough money and enough people. You have to change the ethics. I've heard a lot of people here on this floor talk about situations in America. They say, we can't do it, it has got to be the family do it. Well, talk about the family--the whole country is corrupt. They have stolen and stolen and stolen American dollars. We are throwing them away, and we need to stop it. It should be a place, just as the Walberg-Cohen-Esty-Rigell amendment passed, that this amendment passes, so that we limit the amount of money that is at risk and we save this money for the American taxpayer. We put the money into deficit reduction, the next generation doesn't have to pay for the corruption of the Afghani officials and the waste of Afghanistan with the inability to maintain the projects that they finally might get squeezed out after they steal as much as they can. We should not be funding this. I would ask that we approve our amendment in the name of fiscal austerity, deficit reduction, anticorruption, and just plain old, good old common sense. We might as well just have a bonfire and burn this money up before it goes over there because it is not going to work. In theory it is great, but in reality it doesn't work. The definition of ``insanity'' is expecting something different when you do the same thing over and over and over and you get the same result and you keep doing it. So this Congress, which has less than 10 percent popularity right now, doesn't pass an insane amendment to give money to corruption and to waste, I ask you to approve this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir. I appreciate the time. Mr. Chairman, this is truly bipartisan in that we are bipartisan in favor and they are bipartisan against. We all, Mr. Chairman, have the best intentions. But I would submit to the people that speak in favor of the spending of this fund, in theory it is wonderful and it is great; but the same people that endorsed this built a $43 million base that will never be used and will be torn down. The fact is much of this money cannot be maintained. We are giving moneys to the Afghanis for programs that they cannot maintain--they can't maintain the roads, they can't maintain the equipment that we give them; and so it is wasted. It has gone on and on and on. Much of it has been stolen over the years. There is a lot of theft and a lot of corruption. The gentleman's amendment, which I joined with him on in a bipartisan fashion, cut $79 million. Mr. Cicilline has an amendment that cuts everything. I've got to compromise the cuts--about half of it. Some of it needs to be cut, if not all of it, but at least half. We are throwing away moneys that we know from the past are wasted and not doing the job that they are intended to do. Hell is paved with good intentions.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I rise today to honor the great contributions of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary here in Washington, D.C., this week. Founded in 1913, on the campus of Howard University, Delta Sigma Theta is committed to sisterhood, scholarship, and service. It's the largest African American women's organization in the country, and provides assistance and support to communities throughout the world. Delta has played an important part in civil rights and women's rights, and even in 1913, just after its founding, marched in the women's suffrage march. That was its first activity. For a century, Delta members have been at the forefront of politics, medicine, law, the arts, military, and faith. Esteemed members of Delta include civil rights heroine and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, the late Dorothy Height, and two of my heroines, Congresspeople Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm. And in the arts, Ruby Dee Davis, Cicely Tyson, and Lena Horne. Delta's storied history also includes the accomplishments of many women from my hometown, Memphis: Mary Church Terrell, Representative Johnnie Turner, Speaker Pro Tempore Lois DeBerry, the late and great civil rights leader Maxine Smith, National Civil Rights Museum Director Beverly Robertson, and Olympic Gold Medalist Rochelle Stevens. I salute both the Memphis and Shelby County alumnae chapters and the thousands of Deltas who are currently in our Nation's Capital to celebrate their first 100 years. I thank them for their service, and wish them many more.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COHEN. My amendment, which is worthy of being considered and passed, but not necessarily to be heard, would re-appropriate $50 million from the Weapons Activities account to the Renewable Energy, Energy Reliability, and Efficiency account, kind of a compromise about what we've been hearing. It doesn't take too much from nuclear. It gives some back to solar. It's a compromise where we work together. In this bill, the Weapons Activities account, which had been funded at $7.7 billion, that's more than $190 million over the President's request, and over $95 million more than the account had in 2013. And to offset this increase, which the committee voted, the committee decided to do so by funding the Renewable Energy, Energy Reliability and Efficiency account at only $982 million, slashing that account by almost 50 percent in this budget. While ensuring the security of the United States is certainly very, very important, the consequences of ignoring climate change trends and data is resulting in a serious and ever-growing threat right here on our own soil. I know that the goal of everybody here in the House is energy independence, and it's a paramount concern to all of us. However, in order to achieve this goal, we must dedicate ourselves and our budget to the serious business of securing that energy future. Ensuring that our renewable energy research program is adequately funded is one of the most effective and climate-neutral ways to achieve this goal. For example, solar power is the most abundant energy resource available to the planet, and demand for solar power in the United States is at an all-time high. As solar prices continue to fall, Americans are reassessing their energy resources. Cutting funding to projects that make this clean energy even more affordable is not prudent, and out of line with the priorities of clean-energy minded Americans. Renewable energy is secure and domestic, and energy-efficient programs not only result in greater resource supplies but savings for families and businesses alike. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, the President's climate plan to double domestic energy production by utilizing methods like renewable energy could save the average family household more than $1,000 every year on energy bills. Investing in renewable energy will result in safer domestic energy, job creation in the clean energy sector, and lower heating and cooling bills across the country. For these reasons and others, and in the best interest of our Nation's energy security, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment. I would ask you to spend money on finding research to see ways we can come up with renewable energy and improve the savings, and save about the future, save it and yet not cut too much from the nuclear program, which we already have funded higher than the President requested or last year. I would ask for a ``yes'' vote on this amendment, a compromise amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. We've had these discussions. We've got enough money in nuclear weapons to destroy the world thousands and thousands and thousands of times. And I understand defense, but I also understand the future. And the future is energy self-reliance. And that comes from the Sun. It's not going to be taken out of the Earth. It's going to come from the solar energy that God has given us to harness and use for mankind. So the amendment, in my opinion, is a sound amendment and budgetary use. But even more so--and it's getting off the path--the reality is the distinguished gentleman made his remarks and said there's nothing more important than our Defense Department. I submit to you that we're cutting $1.6 billion from the National Institutes of Health. That's my defense department and your defense department and everybody else's defense department. Because cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and AIDS, that's the enemy that's going to get each one of us. And we're cutting $1.6 from NIH, which is our defense department.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Bobby (Blue) Bland, a Memphis and American music and blues idol, passed away at the age of 83 on Sunday. Bobby (Blue) Bland was born Robert Calvin Brooks in 1930, and in the forties he moved to Memphis. In 1949, he joined a group called the Beale Streeters, which was a loose-knit group and it included Johnny Ace, Rosco Gordon, Earl Forest, and B.B. King--giants. He later worked for Junior Parker and B.B. King, two other giants. Then he went on his own way and became one of the great blues singers of all time. His four top singles were ``Turn on your Love Light,'' ``Call on Me,'' ``That's the Way Love is,'' and ``Ain't Nothing You Can Do.'' He had top 100 hits almost every year for 40 years. His songs were covered by the Grateful Dead, The Band, and Van Morrison. He influenced Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and the Allman Brothers. He has been in every music hall of fame you can think of, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the initial class of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. He served his country in the Army from 1952 to 1954. He is survived by his wife, Willie Mae, his son, Rodd, his daughter, Patrice, his four grandchildren, and by millions of disks and CDs that people will be loving forever.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 148th anniversary of the observance of Juneteenth in the United States. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862, it was not until June 19, 1865, that Union Soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger granted freedom to the last slaves in Galveston, Texas. This year also marks the 20th annual Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival in Memphis. To commemorate this day in our history and the contributions of many African-Americans to our nation, this year the festival has chosen the theme, ``Honoring African-American Medical Doctors.'' Over the course of history, there have been many obstacles in the path to success for African-Americans in many fields, and the medical field is no exception. In fact, the nation's first African-American doctor, Dr. James McCune Smith was barred from attending medical school in New York City, where he lived, so he attended medical school in Scotland and obtained his degree in 1837. He then returned to New York, set up a medical practice in lower Manhattan, and became the resident physician at an orphanage. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Smith served as a schoolteacher, a prolific writer and a strong abolitionist. The bravery of Dr. Smith paved the way for more African- American doctors to climb the ranks to prominence. Because Memphis is a medical center, the city has seen its own share of African-American doctors who have made a difference in the lives of their patients and left their respective marks on the medical community. Dr. Edward Reed was the first black general surgeon to set up practice in Memphis and to integrate the surgical staffs of Memphis hospitals during the 1960s. Dr. Lawrence Seymour was a pioneer in the fight against prostate cancer, developing several new treatments for the disease, including one that shrinks the prostate gland before surgery. Dr. Linkwood Williams moved to Memphis, after his tenure training many of the 450 pilots who served in the 332nd Fighter Group at Tuskegee University, and began an OB-GYN practice, becoming the first African-American OB-GYN in the city. Dr. Vasco Smith, a civil rights leader and the first African-American elected to the Shelby County Commission, also served the medical community as a well- respected dentist and an instrumental founder of the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. Dr. Ethelyn Williams-Neal worked to become one of the first black pediatricians in Memphis, and she continues to serve as a prominent pediatrician in the Memphis community. Mr. Speaker, it is in the spirit of these great medical professionals that I ask my colleagues to join me in observing our nation's 148th anniversary of Juneteenth and the celebrations in Memphis. This is a time to reflect upon the end of slavery in America and to recognize the many contributions of African-American citizens. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, the Emancipation Proclamation ``came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.''

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan--as they are celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Republic Day on May 28. The Republic Day commemorates the day Azerbaijan first declared independence from the Russian Empire on May 28, 1918. Though the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was ended by occupying Soviet forces in 1920, in its 2 years of independence Azerbaijan made important accomplishments on state-building, armed forces, education, their economy, and universal suffrage, from which it benefits today. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan restored its independence in 1991. Parliament adopted the Constitution Act on the Restoration of the State of Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 18, 1991. The last two decades of independence has not been without challenges. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was violated and the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan have been occupied by neighboring Armenia. In 1993 the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding complete, unconditional, and immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. I am happy that Azerbaijan is committed to peaceful resolution of the conflict with Armenia, and I support a swift, peaceful resolution to this conflict, as well. Azerbaijan is a key global security partner for the United States. Azerbaijan has extended important over-flight clearances for U.S. and NATO flights to support ISAF and has regularly provided landing and refueling operations at its airports for U.S. and NATO forces. Also, Azerbaijan plays an important role in the Northern Distribution Network, a supply route to Afghanistan, by making available its ground and Caspian naval transportation facilities. Azerbaijan was also the first predominantly Muslim country to send troops to Iraq. Azerbaijan has opened Caspian energy resources to development by U.S. companies and has emerged as a key player for global energy security. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project is the most successful project contributing to the development of the South Caucasus region and has become the main artery delivering Caspian Sea hydrocarbons to the U.S. and our partners in Europe. Notably, Azerbaijan also provides roughly 40% of Israel's oil consumption. Azerbaijan is considered a leading initiator of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) which will open up the Southern Gas Corridor to Europe. As a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, I congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Republic Day. I believe we will continue to work with them to advance our partnership which benefits both the US and Azerbaijan. I look forward to further collaboration between our two nations.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. I ask that we unanimously support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. This amendment would require that TransCanada and any future owner-operator of the Keystone XL pipeline, if there be one, submit its oil spill response plan to the Governor of each State in which the pipeline operates. I'm well aware that current law requires the Department of Transportation to maintain on file current copies of oil spill response plans and provide any person a copy of that plan. However, those copies are allowed by law to exclude certain information like specific response resources, tactical resource deployment plans, and information on worst-case scenario discharges. I understand there are concerns about broad distribution of these plans and this proprietary information, but those concerns should not apply to Governors of the States--people like Mary Fallin and Nathan Deal, who many of us have served with--States that this very pipeline would run through. These States have the right to evaluate oil spill response plans in detail, integrate it into their respective emergency management systems, and then provide the necessary resources for appropriate emergency response plans. Reliance upon some redacted plan they would receive from the Federal Government is not adequate. People's lives and livelihoods are at stake, and locals work together on these situations. Nor should those Governors be expected to wait until a spill has occurred when they are already in the process of sending first responders into harm's way to receive a copy of the full plan from TransCanada, which is, by law, the only time the company is required to share that unredacted version with the State government. South Dakota was wise enough to realize the problems with these regulations. The State enacted legislation to mandate receipt of the plan prior to operation of the pipeline. The other States should not have to jump through any hoops just to obtain the information they need in order to provide appropriate emergency response to dangerous situations to protect their citizenry. When I offered this amendment in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, my esteemed colleague, the Honorable Chairman Shuster, recognized the need to balance access to these response plans with the need to protect sensitive information from becoming public, and I think this amendment strikes that proper balance by limiting access to the Governors. He offered to work with me on the issue on a future appropriation bill, and I appreciate that kind offer. While I look forward to that partnership, and I commend the chairman for his work to address the issue on the Pipeline Safety Act of 2011, this amendment would improve this Keystone pipeline situation today. We can't wait for some possible future legislation when the likelihood of a spill and the risk to public safety is so great now. Potential effects of a Keystone XL spill could be devastating. The truth of the matter is that this pipeline is unprecedented, it's dangerous, and there will be spills. Refraining from arming our States with readily available information in order to respond adequately and safely would not be responsible. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate this time. This issue is important, and it demonstrates Congress's respect for Governors and State governments and the men and women who risk their lives to protect us every day, the first responders. With that, I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my grave concern about the Keystone XL pipeline and H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act, which, unfortunately, passed through committee this past week. It will allow accelerated building of this pipeline and give certain advantages to a foreign country--Canada--against our citizens that otherwise would have rights to go to court, which are being deprived. The world's foremost climatologist, former NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen, was one of the first scientists to warn of the dangers of burning carbon fuel. He has likened the building and the use of the Keystone XL pipeline to the lighting of the ``fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet,'' and nothing less. Dr. Hansen warns that the completion of the Keystone XL pipeline will only reinforce our dependence on fossil fuels, not strengthen our Nation's energy independence, which has been argued by some on the other side. By furthering our dependence on fossil fuels, we only push Earth farther and farther away from the point of no return. Just last week, the highest rating of carbon in our atmosphere ever was recorded in Hawaii--400 points. This portends a hotter summer even than the hottest summers we have ever faced on this planet. Building a pipeline that carries the dirtiest of oils--tar sands-- from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico on their way to China is exactly the opposite of addressing climate change in America. So, next week, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 3 in the interest of preserving our Earth for generations to come.

Mr. COHEN

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, there was a recent survey of about 9,000 outstanding high school and college students and graduates asking them where they would like to work. They had 200 companies that were all in the Fortune magazine list of top companies. I'm proud of that group of students from ages 15 to 27. Their number one choice was St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. It speaks well of that group of young people that they want to work to help others and to find a cure for cancer--and to work at St. Jude, which is such a wonderful institution in my home city of Memphis. Eight of the 25 sites that were selected by these young people were in the health care field. I think it's admirable and commendable that so many young people want to help others and do it through efforts in the health care industry, not necessarily in ways to enrich themselves. I'm proud that they chose St. Jude, and it wasn't just because of the Grizzlies.