Matt Cartwright

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I thank the gentleman. The answer is this: we don't have idiots as Federal judges in this country. If a Federal judge sees a situation where somebody is really acting egregiously, really abusing the system, really filing a frivolous case, then that Federal judge just about uniformly will sanction the guilty party. We see that over and over and over. What we are doing here is imposing a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all remedy that the judges don't like. It adds to increased litigation, and it is unnecessary and expensive litigation.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I am not sure what the gentleman is referring to.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. What this bill is really after is simply to make people afraid to go to court to assert their rights, to assert their voting rights, to assert their workplace safety rights, to assert the rights guaranteed them under the United States Constitution. This bill makes them afraid to go to court to assert their rights, and that is why I urge my fellow Members, Madam Speaker, to vote against this bill.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I thank the gentleman from Michigan. Madam Speaker, I come here as a freshman in this Congress. I come from northeastern Pennsylvania, my first time involved in the political theater. And I tell you, Madam Speaker, that I have plied my entire adult life in the civil courts. I have handled all manner of civil cases on behalf of defendants, on behalf of plaintiffs, on behalf of people, on behalf of companies. I have seen the whole spectrum of civil litigation; and I have been doing that, both before and after the repeal of the mandatory LARA provision in 1993, so I am as qualified as anybody in this Chamber to speak to the merits of this so-called lawsuit abuse reduction bill. It is a bill that should fail; and I say this, not just because it tends to shut the door further on consumers seeking justice in the court system of the United States, but because it also reinstates a rule that has already been seen to be misapplied, to be misplaced, to be a bad rule. In 1993, we abandoned this rule for a reason. It wasn't because we pulled it out of thin air, the idea to abandon this mandatory sanctions under rule 11 rule. It is because of the experience. The gentlelady from Texas held up the chart. You saw the spiking in rule 11 filings. That wasn't because people were out diligently cleaning up the mess in civil courts. It is because they were encouraged to make those filings because of the mandatory nature of the rule. They felt like their clients expected them to file for rule 11 if they won a motion or if they won a case, and it led to enormous increases in unnecessary, what we call satellite litigation. It was the Federal judges who complained to the Judicial Conference. They went to the Supreme Court, and Congress ultimately decided, in its wisdom, to abrogate that rule and abandoned it because of all of this wasteful litigation that was going on. We had a Federal judge outside of Philadelphia, United States District Judge Robert Gawthrop, who saw so much of it he added a nickname to this rule 11 litigation that people felt compelled to file. He called it ``zombie litigation.'' He called it zombie litigation, and he was enormously relieved when, in 1993, this Congress did away with it. Current law allows judges to punish frivolous filings; and, on occasion, frivolous things happen in court, and the judges don't like them and they have the power to punish them. And it is within their discretion that they do that. We like discretion to be vested in Federal judges. We are careful about selecting Federal judges. We vet Federal judges. We interview Federal judges. We actually confirm them here on Capitol Hill to make sure that they have sound discretion and good sense; and it is best left to the sound discretion and good sense of Federal judges to handle the situation when someone goes overboard with a filing. This is us here now trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist. The National Center for State Courts--make no mistake, tort cases constitute 5 percent of filings in civil court. It is debt collection, it is breach of contracts cases that take up 70 percent. From 1999-2008, tort case filings in State courts in the United States dropped 25 percent. Dropped to 2008. And this is all after the abrogation of the mandatory rule 11 rule.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share with you the story of a couple from Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, the Zakoses. In a one-on-one session last Monday, that is, a week ago Monday, Beverly and Bob Zakos of Catasauqua sat as the navigator, Mr. Hartman, worked online through their application with them. This time, although they had had a prior bad experience, the online connection worked ``like a charm,'' Hartman said. Once it is finished, the Zakoses will get a plan that will be more than $500 a month less expensive than the COBRA coverage they had been purchasing for $1,200, even without subsidies. At 62 years old, Mr. Zakos is hoping that with some adjustments to his income and his wife's Medicare, he can qualify for hundreds more a month in subsidies. I take that from the Allentown Morning Call.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the South Ward Fire Company of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. This year marks their 100th anniversary as a firefighting unit. Organized on October 22, 1913, the South Ward Fire Company has dedicated itself to preserving the safety, property and well-being of Tamaqua residents and surrounding communities for a century. Since the early 20th Century, the operation has grown from using a hand-drawn horse cart out of rented space at the Vulcan Ironworks on Spruce Street to erecting three new stations. The South Ward Fire Company today regularly maintains and updates its equipment and methods of operation, serving as a model fire and emergency response organization. The Company is composed of a competent and disciplined team of volunteer firefighters who are committed, well-trained and dedicated responders to fires and other emergencies. I offer my congratulations to the South Ward Fire Company on achieving this remarkable milestone, and I applaud them for providing effective fire and emergency services to their fellow citizens for the past 100 years.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the community achievements of attorney Carl N. Frank. Carl joined the working world when he was only 11 years old as a newspaper carrier for The Times- Leader Evening News. He later worked as a stock clerk at Lewis & Duncan Sporting Goods and for the Luzerne County Summer Youth Program as a maintenance worker at his high school. After graduating from high school, Carl worked as a Nurses' Aide at the Wyoming Valley Hospital on Dana Street in Wilkes-Barre. While in law school, Carl worked as a substitute teacher in the Philadelphia School District. In the summers of 1975 and 1976, Carl clerked in the Wilkes-Barre law offices of Congressman Daniel J. Flood and attorneys James Lenahan Brown, his uncle Joseph B. Farrell, and Francis P. Burns. Carl was admitted to practice before the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in 1977. He later practiced with his uncle and attorney Harry P. Mattern for many years. Carl joined the American Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association, where he served as Chairman of the Arbitration Committee. He also served as a member of the Association's Red Mass Committee and 150th Anniversary Committee. On December 5, 1977, Carl was appointed City Attorney for the City of Wilkes-Barre. He was reappointed by Mayor Thomas V. McLaughlin in January 1980, and again in January 1984. During that time, Carl was the Chairman of the Pennsylvania League of Cities, City Attorneys Division, Chairman of the City Employees United Way Campaign, and served on the city's Vacant Property Review Committee. Carl currently serves as the Solicitor of Wilkes-Barre City Aggregated Pension Trust Fund, on the Non-uniformed Employees Pension Fund, and on the Fire Civil Service Commission. He is the pro bono lawyer member of the Wilkes-Barre Building Board of Appeals. Carl maintains a general practice of law and has engaged in various practice areas including estate planning, estate administration, inheritance tax, real estate, personal injury, social security disability, workers' compensation, domestic relations, juvenile proceedings, criminal cases and a host of other legal matters. During the administration of Governor Ed Rendell, and briefly during the administration of Governor Torn Corbett, Carl served the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, Office of Chief Counsel in the Inheritance Tax Division. He has served for many years as legal counsel for the Diocese of Scranton representing numerous Catholic Churches throughout Luzeme County, and currently serves as pro bono legal counsel for Catholic Social Services of the Wyoming Valley, the Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen, Saint Nicholas Church, and the Mary R. Koons Charitable Trust. Carl served two terms as Chairman of the Board of Director of Catholic Social Services, where he has been a Board Member for more than 28 years, and two terms as President of the Saint Vincent de Paul Kitchen Board of Directors, where he has been a Board Member for more than 26 years. He also served as a member of the Diocese of Scranton Review Board from 1993 through 2008; President of Saint Nicholas Federal Credit Union Board of Directors, where he served as a Director for more than 30 years; and Chairman of the East Side Landfill Authority Board of Directors for more than 20 years. Mr. Frank also served King's College in many capacities, including as a member of the President's Council, Chairman of the 1994 Annual Fund Campaign, Chairman of the Act 101 Program for Economically Disadvantaged Students, a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Ethics and Public Life, and as a member of the Century Club Committee. Carl has been very active at Saint Nicholas Church, where he served as Chairman of the 150th Anniversary Committee in 2005, a member of the Pastoral Council, a member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and Chairman of the Parish Core Team during the reorganization of the Scranton Diocese. He also served as a member of the Saint Nicholas- Saint Mary's Elementary School Board of Education and President of the school's Sports Club. He served as the Coordinator of the Planning Committee for the inclusion of the Catholic Latino Community of the Wilkes-Barre into Saint Nicholas Church. Carl is a member of Saint Nicholas Church, Saint Conrad's Society, the Westmoreland Club, and the Pennsylvania Society. Carl is married to the former Jane Mary Rowan. They have two children, Carl Jr., a graduate of King's College and Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, and Mary, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh. Today, I am proud to recognize Carl Frank's lifetime of achievement and service to his beloved community. He has been and continues to be an outstanding public citizen.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate C.F. Martin & Co. of Nazareth, Pennsylvania on achieving 180 years as a guitar-maker on November 6. C.F. Martin & Co. has been as an icon of craftsmanship in America's rich musical heritage, a stalwart provider of specialty jobs and specialty exports, an inspiration as a legacy family business, a trend-setter in sustainable practices, and a supporter of its local community over its many years of operations. Since 1833, C.F. Martin & Co. has been producing some of most highly respected and innovative guitars in American history. Blending hand craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology, Martin guitars were very difficult to match in tone, playability, quality, and enduring value. Embraced by artists in all corners of the globe, Martin guitars helped to define many musical genres including country, folk, blues, and rock and roll. As the oldest surviving acoustic instrument producer in the world, C.F. Martin & Co. led the charge ever since the guitar began to take hold in the early 1800s and eventually surpassed the piano as the most popular instrument. Impressively, six generations of the Martin family have continuously owned and operated C.F. Martin & Co. The company persevered through the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and even the disco decade. C.F. Martin's adherence to high standards of musical excellence and the company's adaptability have helped account for its remarkable longevity. Business conditions and musical trends have changed over the years, but Martin's attitude toward guitar-building clearly has not. C.F. Martin & Co. is also a commendable corporate citizen, with a long-standing dedication to responsible timber sourcing and a willingness to support its local community of Nazareth and the Lehigh Valley. Nationally and internationally, royalties from more than fifty signature edition Martin guitar projects have been donated to support of an array of charitable causes of various recording artists' choosing. C.F. Martin & Co.'s achievements are a reflection of its guitars' high quality and the inspiration those instruments imbue in artists' hands. The company's accomplishments are a source of pride for its generations of employees and for Martin guitar players around the globe. I extend my wishes for continued high contributions to the world of music for many years to come.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, we have a couple of things going on today. Number one, the House will be discharged at the end of the day to go back to a district work period, and we know what we are going to hear at home. What we are going to hear is: Why can't you people do your jobs? Why can't you get together and come together and come up with a budget so that American businesspeople can plan, so that Americans can decide what to do with their futures, instead of doing what has been happening for years on end, these continuing resolutions and things like the sequester? The sequester alone is going to cost 1 million jobs next year in this country if we don't replace it. The other thing that is going on today is the opening of the work of the conference committee on the budget. Twenty-nine Senators and Representatives from this House are getting together and trying to do just that--come up with a budget, come up with something sensible, and forge the compromises that Americans expect us to reach. I say, let us speed them on their work. Good luck to them. Let's hope they come up with something Americans can appreciate.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is my pleasure, my dear friend and colleague from New York. It is almost hard to believe, I would say, that we are noting the 1- year anniversary of the terrible storm we called Hurricane Sandy striking our Nation's shores. It seems like no more than 6 or 7 months ago that that all happened. Maybe one of the reasons is that it was so horrific, so damaging, so devastating, that the harm continues. There are still families searching for a place to live. There are Americans still digging out from this problem, trying to salvage the situation for themselves and their families. And so it is almost hard to believe that it was a full year ago that this happened. This is a country that suffered so much in loss because of Hurricane Sandy, with $245 billion in business losses and $50 billion in property damage. I come from Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania, so far as it is from the seacoast, still had 1.2 million residents lose electricity during that event. In my own district, up in the hills of the 17th District of Pennsylvania, we still lost power for 53,000 residents. Indeed, I am so sorry to say that we had several lives lost in my district due to Hurricane Sandy; people who perished because of falling tree limbs and because of hypothermia due to exposure. We had somebody we lost because of exposure to carbon monoxide because of generator fumes that were emitted during the blackout. We had tens of thousands of homes and businesses damaged in my district because of Hurricane Sandy. So don't think we didn't notice it either and don't think we didn't pay attention to the suffering of all of the other Americans because of Hurricane Sandy. There is no denying that there is climate change. There is just no denying it. We can argue all day about what is causing it and what to do about it, but there is no denying that it is happening and that it is resulting in more and more frequent weather events like this and more and more severe weather events like this. There is no denying that these things are happening, and there is no denying the damage and harm that comes to our Nation as a result. In 2011 and 2012, there were 25 severe weather events that caused a billion dollars or more in damage each; 25 of them were in a 2-year span. The total price tag for that was $188 billion in property damage to our Nation. And the taxpayers had to pick up $136 billion of those losses because that is what we do in emergency relief and in flood insurance and in crop insurance. These weather events cost taxpayers money. We have something in the legislature called the GAO. The GAO used to stand for the General Accounting Office. In 2004, we changed the name to the General Accountability Office, better to reflect the mission of that office--accountability and the proper husbanding of the assets and resources of the Federal Government. And they keep track of these things. Every year, they come up with something that they call the GAO High Risk Report. The GAO High Risk Report is a compilation of all the risks and assets and finances we have in this Nation as part of our government. It is a list of the things that threaten the assets of the Federal Government. For the first time, earlier this year, the GAO High Risk Report included climate change as a reason for risk to the American Government's assets. This is not just about security. It is not just about infrastructure. It is not just about damage to agriculture. It is not just about risk to the health and well-being of all Americans. It is also about financial losses to the American Federal Government, because, after all, we are an insurance company. We are a government that insures against flood. We are a government that insures against crop damage. We do that. That is something that we have thought about and something that makes sense for our Nation. But we end up in the position of an insurance company, and we end up paying the price tag when these storms happen. The GAO recognizes that and recognizes that climate change is a major driver in the risks to the American finances as a result of these programs that we do. As a result of all of that, in a few months, I will be introducing a comprehensive climate adaptation bill. Because, again, we can argue until the cows come home about what causes climate change and what the effects of it are, but one thing that can't be denied and that the GAO doesn't even deny is that this costs American taxpayers money, and the best way to handle that is to plan for it. And so, with the support of the White House, I will be introducing a comprehensive climate adaptation bill later this year. It should be out in a few months. And so, on this, the 1-year anniversary of the horrible tragedy that was Hurricane Sandy, we remember the devastation and we remember the losses. We remember the loss of life. We remember the communities that are continuing to struggle with the damage that was caused by that storm. And I say it is time for us also to plan for the future to minimize these losses that will continue to happen as the planet climate continues to change.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged that we have today before us a bipartisan bill that will help improve our Nation's waterways and infrastructure and create jobs. However, I do agree that this bill is imperfect, and I am dismayed that this bill includes provisions that will undermine our environmental protections and reduce the ability for public input. In that regard, I wish to associate myself with the remarks of Mr. Dingell. What is left out is an environmental review process that avoids pitfalls and saves taxpayers money by allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to understand where problems may exist with their proposals. The bill also misses an opportunity to encourage the Corps to use natural infrastructure in its flood control projects. In order to better address future extreme weather, safeguard our neighborhoods, and improve wildlife habitat, nonstructural alternatives to Corps projects should be considered as viable options. Project delays are overwhelmingly due to funding issues or changes to the project, not environmental review. I urge my colleagues to fix these shortcomings in the conference committee process.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Lou Ciampi, Sr., who was selected ``Person of the Year'' by the Italian American Association of Luzerne County. Lou started his printing career over fifty years ago as a teenage apprentice in Pagnotti Coal's in-house print shop. After serving in the military and working in several shops in both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, Lou joined the PA Hutchinson company in Scranton as a folder operator in the late 1960s. He quickly rose from bindery foreman to plant superintendent and was soon on the road as a salesman. His experience as a salesman fueled his entrepreneurial spirit, so he opened Lou's Bike Shop in the mid-seventies. In January 1980, Lou and his partner Ted Heoffner founded Independent Graphics, Inc. At first, Lou did everything for Independent Graphics-- he printed flyers, forms, stationery, and policies for Mr. Heoffner's American Independent Insurance Company. In 1984, Lou purchased the company from Mr. Heoffner. Lou quickly made an impact on the Wilkes-Barre community by founding the Craftsman's Club. The club included printing owners and laborers, and provided a place where vendors could share cutting edge ideas to improve the industry. Business blossomed and the company moved to a new facility in Port Blanchard, PA. By the turn of the millennium, Independent Graphics, Inc. offered everything from black ink on post cards to full color digital printing and wide format. In 2002, Independent Graphics was named the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce's small business of the year. When the New York Yankees moved their Triple A franchise to Scranton, Independent Graphics became their ``play ball'' printer, producing program books on third shift for the next day's game. Independent Graphics also sponsors the Scranton Chamber of Commerce's Momentum Magazine. ``Our Impression Will Sharpen Your Image'' is the company's motto, and Lou's company has improved the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre community's image for three decades. The company Lou built from the ground up now employs 27 people full time, working round the clock providing imaging services. In May 2013, Lou was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. Over the last four decades, Lou has generously supported many local charities. He has donated services to numerous local little leagues, youth football teams, high school teams, cheerleading squads, and many others. In the 1970s, Lou was the president of the West Pittston Rams and the general manager of Greater Pittston Legion baseball. The American Heart Association and Garden Village Youth racing have also benefited from his generosity. Lou is a graduate of West Pittston High School. He and his wife Marianne have been married for 51 years. They have four children: Louis, Jr., Michelle Reilly, Joseph and Jimmy. They are also blessed with six grandchildren. I convey my congratulations to Lou for being honored by his community.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Sam Falcone, Sr., who received the 2013 Italian American Association of Luzerne County ``Lifetime Achievement'' Award. Sam has dedicated nearly 60 years to his family's local business, Falcone Beverage Co., which his father started along with Sam and his brothers, Raymond, Charles, Carmen, Leonard and Angelo. Throughout his life Sam has been an outstanding American and active citizen in his community. He was one of the original founders of the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame and its first president. He has been involved with an array of charities including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, YMCA, the American Red Cross, and he served on the board of the American Lung Association. He worked with many professional organizations such as the Better Business Bureau, the Chambers of Commerce in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and the Greater Pittston Area, and he served as the vice-president of the Malt Beverage Distributing Association. Sam also actively worked to preserve the resources within his community by taking part in the Susquehanna River Watch and the Rails-to-Trails Riverfront Revitalization Committee. Sam has lived in the city of Pittston his whole life and has devoted himself to the welfare of his hometown. A practicing Catholic, Sam attends St. Joseph Marello Parish and is a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus Council 372, Pittston. He also served on the Pittston Child Development Center's Advisory Council. Recently, Sam had the honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Pittston's annual Tomato Festival Parade. Today, I am proud to recognize Sam Falcone, Sr.'s lifetime of achievement and service to his community.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I received this letter from Lori Sywensky. She wrote: As a Commissioner of the Northhampton County, Pennsylvania, Housing Authority, I wanted to make you aware that the County's Housing Authority issued layoff notices today to over half of its staff members because of financial uncertainty created by the government shutdown. The next pay period would be payable on November 1, 2013, and since we cannot assure that there will be sufficient funds to honor that payroll, it has been determined that there is no legal choice other than to shut down operations of the Housing Choice Voucher Program and effect a temporary layoff beginning on Monday, October 14, 2013. If not resolved soon, over 500 landlords will next be notified by the Housing Authority that rent payments will not be issued, resulting in lost income for them and potential eviction for 637 families. That is what she wrote. Mr. Speaker, isn't it time we stopped hurting the people we came here to help?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank, whose mission for 55 years has been restoring the gift of sight to those with visual impairments. The Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank serves 37 counties and patients at over 60 hospitals, but their work benefits people across the globe. If no suitable cornea transplant recipient is found locally, they conduct searches nationally and internationally to ensure that all transplantable tissue reaches someone in need. The Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank has helped over 30,000 people worldwide who were in need of corneal donation and transplantation. Specializing in obtaining, evaluating, and distributing corneal tissue, they use state-of-the-art technology and the highest medical standards to certify that all donated eye tissue is completely safe for sight-restoring surgery. In addition to facilitating tissue donation, the Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank provides services for donors, their families, hospitals, and transplant surgeons. The Eye Bank helps transplant recipients connect with support groups and provides an array of educational and informational programs for the public and the medical community. They coordinate with other organ and tissue donor agencies in Pennsylvania and across the country to provide these services. Each year over 50,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands more around the world suffer from corneal blindness. Since there is no substitute for human corneal tissue, all of the Eye Bank's efforts depend upon the generosity of voluntary corneal tissue donors. Today I salute the Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank's efforts to help those selfless donors turn their generosity into the gift of sight for thousands of visually impaired individuals.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, so the Tea Party has successfully shut down the operations of the Federal Government. And why have they done it? Well, they've done it because they're worried: They're worried about the danger that the Affordable Care Act is going to work and people are going to like it; They're worried about the danger that people with preexisting conditions are going to be covered; They're worried about the danger that women are going to qualify for preventative health care services; They're worried about the danger that children living at home up to age 26 are going to be covered under their parents' insurance policies; They're worried about the danger that seniors are going to save money on their prescription drugs as the Medicare part D doughnut hole closes. What they're worried about is that the Affordable Care Act is going to work and people are going to like it. Mr. Speaker, the Tea Party thinks these things are dangerous, so they shut down the government. But with all respect, I say to you, it is the Tea Party--it is the Tea Party, itself. They are the danger.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the clean CR that would end this Republican government shutdown because Congress needs to do its job and put thousands of dedicated government workers back to work.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, once again Congress is set to play politics by threatening to shut down the government, rather than work toward a compromise. Just last month, we marked a disgraceful anniversary of our Nation, the S&P's downgrading of the full faith and credit of the United States. Gridlock and extremism did what wars, natural disasters, and other natural crises could not do: cause credit rating agencies to question whether or not America had the political will to pay its debts as they come due. Now we're faced with another deadline with the end of the fiscal year fast approaching, a budget that needs to be passed and a debt limit that needs to be lifted so we can continue to do business. Congress has a lot of work to do. We need to do it fast. This is the work we were elected to do. Let's stop holding blame-game press conferences and get the job done.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Patrolman Gene Ruddy, whose heroic action saved the lives of at least eight people in Dunmore, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Patrolman Ruddy was on patrol just after 2:00 a.m. Saturday on Chestnut Street when he smelled smoke nearby. He immediately searched the area near Chestnut and Drinker Street and looked for the source. He saw smoke coming from 113 Chestnut Street, a building that housed five apartments and a business. As he approached the building, Patrolman Ruddy saw flames and he knew he needed to act quickly. He called 911 and ran into the building through a stairwell. Patrolman Ruddy went to the second-floor apartment that appeared to be the source of the growing blaze. He yelled into the apartment, pounding on the door, but no one responded. Undaunted, he ran up to the third floor to make certain the building was completely evacuated. Fortunately, he found a group of several young adults who were completely unaware the building was on fire and guided the group to safety. Patrolman Ruddy ran to the neighboring apartment, breaking down the door and evacuating a family of three. Shortly thereafter, the situation escalated and the building became too dangerous to re-enter. Thankfully, by that time fire fighters had arrived on the scene. Patrolman Gene Ruddy is, in every sense of the word, a hero. Without a moment of hesitation, he risked his own life to remove several people from grave danger. Patrolman Ruddy deserves full recognition from his community and country for his acts of valor in the line of duty.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for yielding. And I also want to join Congresswoman Dina Titus in thanking Congresswoman Sinema for arranging this Special Order hour and taking the leadership to put these people together and speak out on this topic. Congresswoman Sinema, I say to you that you bring honor and credit to the Ninth District of Arizona in taking a leadership position in this role. I also, Mr. Speaker, want to point out that Congresswoman Sinema has brought the House together on these issues. She has brought Democrats and Republicans together in this Special Order hour. In case that fact has escaped your notice, we speak as one voice on behalf of American veterans. And I'm happy to lend my voice to that today. I come from Pennsylvania, which is home to nearly 1 million American veterans. These brave men and women served our country, and unfortunately, we are here to say we have not always served them. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that nationwide, 62,619 veterans are homeless on any given night. And many of these veterans do suffer from mental illness. A recently released study from the Department of Veterans Affairs found that 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Now I heard that several months ago, Mr. Speaker, and at first, I shrugged it off. I mean, we're sort of callous around here. We're used to numbers. We're used to statistics being bandied about. So when somebody said, ``Be shocked: it's 22 American veterans committing suicide every day,'' I thought, ``Well, what's that, out of 400, 500 suicides nationwide every day?'' No, it wasn't that. It was somewhere between 80 and 110 American suicides every day. So we're not talking about a small proportion. We're talking about, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Speaker, we're talking about upwards of 20 percent of the suicides every day are American veterans committing suicide. And we heard earlier this hour that it's something like less than 10 percent of Americans are veterans. So it's hugely disproportionate. The number of people committing suicide in this country is hugely, disproportionately veterans in this country, and that is a national embarrassment. As someone who cares deeply about veterans' issues, I'm here to tell you, I have introduced two bills after I heard that statistic. First, the Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act, and second, the Expediting Hiring for VA Trained Psychiatrist Act. Now the Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act aims to provide for our brave servicemen and -women when they return from combat with both easily visible and difficult to detect wounds. While the physical wounds of war are evident immediately, mental health issues obviously may take longer to discover. As many as 30 percent of the Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom veterans face the possible diagnosis of a mental health disorder. However, after 5 post-service years--and this is the rule in the VA-- after 5 years, veterans would go to the back of the line for psychiatric health care. With the average wait time for a veteran to receive benefits at 273 days, this could mean the difference between life and death. It's like a 5-year statute of limitations. After a servicemember is separated from the service, if he or she does not report a combat-related mental disorder within 5 years, it's as if they do not qualify for psychiatric care. The Veterans Mental Health Accessibility Act would ensure that no veteran be denied mental health treatment, no matter when combat- related mental health disorders first appear. It eliminates that ridiculous 5-year rule. Additionally, I've introduced the Expedited Hiring for VA Trained Psychiatrists Act. This bill allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to fast-track the hiring of psychiatrists who have completed a residency at a VA facility. Mr. Speaker, I believe that we owe a great debt to those who serve our Nation through military service, including those who stood ready at a moment's notice to fight for our freedom. As long as I am a Member of this Congress, I will be working to increase knowledge of benefits available to the veterans community, to correct shortcomings in the VA system, and to ensure that the men and women of the Armed Forces who bravely serve this country receive all of the benefits to which they are so richly entitled.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the traditional National Day of the Republic of China, upcoming on October 10, and the friendship that America has today with Taiwan. What began with the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 has today become an outstanding example of a free market economy and democracy. Our modern, multi-faceted relationship with Taiwan, one of our largest trading partners, is built on trust and shared values. As we look to the future, our economic association with Taiwan should be enhanced by additional mutually beneficial investment and trade agreements. Completing a bilateral investment agreement and adding Taiwan to fair trade arrangements should be a priority for the United States. On the issue of trade, I support agreements that strengthen labor, consumer and environmental rights as well as spur manufacturing expansion and income growth for workers and business owners. Taiwan is and will always be an important element of America's internationally focused economy. As such, Taiwan should be included in multilateral organizations of critical importance to its well-being and should enjoy enhanced integration into the regional economy of east Asia. I look forward to a deepened United States-Taiwan relationship in order to grow the middle class and achieve greater prosperity for both sides. I also hope we see a facilitation of visits to the U.S. by Taiwan officials and a continued strong cross-tourism relationship with Taiwan. We are very important to each other, that importance must be maintained going forward.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I want to thank the gentleman from California for really bringing home the point of the importance of SNAP benefits to our Nation, the validity of the program and the ridiculousness of the cuts that were passed out of the House today. Instead of working to create jobs here at home, the majority is punishing people in America. It's pushing punishing legislation that abandons Americans who want to work but who can't find jobs. Even in communities with high unemployment, with double-digit unemployment, adults who can't find at least a half-time job under this bill would be thrown off SNAP after 3 months regardless of how high local unemployment is. Now, this is unnecessary. SNAP currently has work requirements that can be waived by the States during times of high unemployment. Forty- six States, including almost every State with a Republican Governor, sought waivers in fiscal year '13 to provide SNAP for those looking for work--and repeatedly so over the last 10 years. The bottom line here is that the bill that passed out of the House today on SNAP--cutting SNAP benefits close to $40 billion over the next 10 years--is radical, and it won't pass into law. The Senate will not take up such a bill. The President would never sign it. It's radical, and it's a waste of time. By imposing such draconian cuts, the majority is really derailing any chance at the enactment of a responsible new bill, critical legislation to support our Nation's farmers and ranchers, to support food security, conservation, rural communities, and the 16 million Americans whose jobs directly depend on the agriculture industry. These majority cuts are almost 10 times those in the Senate bill, and they would make any chance at a bipartisan agreement on a much-needed farm bill nearly impossible. I want to share with you some of the statistics from my own district in northeastern Pennsylvania. I represent the 17th Congressional District. This consists of six counties. In these six counties, we have fully 39,000 households receiving SNAP benefits at this time--an incredible number of people who really rely on these benefits, who use them to alleviate hunger and to prevent the situation in which kids are going to school hungry every day. The average monthly household SNAP participation in Pennsylvania in 2011 was 815,765 people. The average monthly household SNAP participation in the United States in 2011, according to the USDA, was 21 million people in this country. In my district, over 14 percent of the households rely on SNAP benefits. These draconian cuts would go right to the heart of real people in my district. Mr. Speaker, I want to switch gears, and I want to talk about the sequester. I want to enhance the calls by our colleagues in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to end the disastrous spending cuts called ``sequester.'' It has been months since these across-the-board cuts have gone into effect, devastating many important programs that Americans rely on every day. The purpose, of course, of the sequestration was to create a scheme of cuts so odious that Congress would do anything possible to avoid them, that Congress would be forced to come together and agree on a responsible budget. It was like a ticking time bomb that would force the Members of this House to come together, Mr. Speaker, and arrive at a reasonable compromise on an American budget; but the time bomb went off, and sequestration went into effect. The bottom line here is that sequestration is going to cost 750,000 American jobs because of the disaster it wreaks on the American economy. That's not my figure. That's the figure put out by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office--750,000 American jobs. The majority's effort to make sequestration a reality shows it is ready, willing, and able to take our economy backward at a time when Americans are desperate to move this Nation forward. That's just missing the point. The majority has shown a willingness to vote on a fix for the front-page news FAA flight delay problem, but it hasn't addressed the 70,000 children who would lose access to Head Start or any of the other programs that have been crippled. Programs and services that millions of Americans rely on, like Head Start and even the Federal Emergency Management Agency program, are being decimated by draconian cuts in funding. Funding for the FEMA agency has been slashed by over $1 billion under sequester. Just as hurricane season began, cuts for the NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will delay its weather satellite launch, causing an increase in cost to the program and an increased risk of inaccurate forecasts for future extreme weather. Public safety is being put at risk. It's also being put at risk as the U.S. Forest Service is facing fire season understaffed and underequipped with 500 fewer firefighters, 50 to 70 fewer fire engines, and two fewer aircraft. In fact, our transportation infrastructure in the United States is threatened by the sequester. The U.S. Department of Transportation will face $1.943 billion in total budget cuts; and Amtrak, too, was cut by $77 million under the sequester. The services that keep us healthy are being hurt, including important mental health programs that are delivered through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which will be cut by $168 million at a time when many are looking to expand mental health services to keep our communities safer, including communities like Washington, D.C. Food safety is being compromised as the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, has to perform fewer inspections, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. Funding for NIH, the National Institutes of Health, shrunk by $1.5 billion. Remember what the NIH does. It does lifesaving medical research. Every single area of medical research in this country will be affected, including research to cure breast cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease. The cuts from NIH alone will result in a loss of more than 20,000 jobs and $3 billion in economic activity in this country. A $285 million cut from the Centers for Disease Control research compromises our ability to detect and combat disease outbreaks, to facilitate immunizations, to plan for public health emergencies, and to conduct HIV and AIDS tests. Critical support to everything, from putting police on our streets to agents at our borders, has been jeopardized. Our Federal public defenders are being furloughed, undermining the services that the already overburdened Federal courts face and forcing courts to hire private attorneys for defendants on an ad hoc basis at as much as $125 an hour. It's being penny-wise and pound-foolish. As for our national security, 800,000 Department of Defense civilian employees--including in my home district, where we have the Tobyhanna Army Depot--are facing 11 days of furloughs. These are families that are already struggling to make ends meet, to pay their mortgages, make their car payments, that try to put their kids through college. Eleven days of furloughs for these faithful employees of civilian defense contractors just isn't right. The Department of Defense budget was slashed by a total of $37 billion this year, hurting economic growth in this Nation, among many other consequences. In short, these cuts are putting the ability of our government to fully perform basic government functions that we need to keep us safe at risk. There are personal consequences. I represent Carbon County, Pennsylvania, in my district. Kim Henry from Carbon County is a participant in Head Start. Head Start doesn't just educate preschool children. It also educates and helps entire families. Head Start for Kim Henry in Carbon County helped her to figure out how to deal with situations she was facing struggling as a single mother, separated from her son's father. She was having a problem with her living arrangements. She was having a problem putting meals on the table. She was having trouble communicating her needs and figuring out how to get along in life as a single mother. Head Start, through its healthy family relationship singles workshop, helped her figure these things out. We put too much on public schools in this country. We expect teachers to solve problems that parents need to solve. Kids don't come with instruction manuals, and a lot of times people need some guidance on how to be parents. Head Start helps provide that information, and it helped Kim Henry get her life back on track and get her relationship with her child back on track so that she's going to be a responsible parent and she's going to guide her child into being a responsible adult herself. Meals on Wheels is cut by sequester, as well, not just Head Start. By the way, Head Start in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, alone, 49 kids alone are being asked to leave Head Start in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, because of the sequester cuts. They're never going to be 3 and 4 years old again. They're never going to have a chance to replay their time that they had to be in preschool. And they're going to spend their entire academic careers playing catchup with the other kids who have preschool. You know what that means. It means that they lose confidence in themselves as they struggle to keep up with the other kids, and they question their own ability to hang in there academically and to achieve and make the most of themselves. It's a big deal that kids get preschool through Head Start. When we cut kids from Head Start because of sequester, it's being penny-wise and pound-foolish because everybody knows that statistics show that the people who do worse academically, who struggle and fail academically, are way more likely to enter the criminal justice system in one form or another. It's a truth that is proven time and time again. The way to handle this problem is nip these problems in the bud, make good students out of kids, and do it through Head Start. Let's not cut these things. Meals on Wheels is another great American program. In Scranton, Pennsylvania, which I represent, Meals on Wheels is a very important program. It doesn't just provide meals for seniors; it also provides socialization. People are showing up at seniors' homes and talking with them and communicating with them and checking in on them. It's not just about socialization. It's also about safety. Just recently, a Meals on Wheels volunteer in Scranton was delivering a meal to an elderly man who didn't come to his door. The volunteer was concerned, looked through the window, and saw the man lying unconscious on his floor in his home. This volunteer was able to summon help, get the man medical help, get him to the hospital, and basically save his life. Meals on Wheels isn't just about a meal, it's about communication, it's about checking up on people who don't have other people to check up on them. Old Forge, Pennsylvania, is another town that I represent. A different Meals on Wheels volunteer in Old Forge was delivering food during winter to an elderly woman and noticed that she came to the door wearing a parka and mittens and a hat. When the volunteer inquired as to why she was wearing that, as if she had to, the woman replied that she didn't have any heat. That volunteer was able to make contact with the appropriate social service agencies, figure out how to get the heat turned back on, and the heat was turned back on. Again, a potentially dangerous situation for the elderly woman was averted. Why? Because of Meals on Wheels. It makes no sense for us to cut Meals on Wheels. The people who are suffering by these cuts are our seniors. We need to be honoring our seniors, not cutting their benefits. Mr. Speaker, while the sequestration process has obviously already begun, it is not too late to work together to change course. On behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I say we must change course. We can't take these sequester cuts and plan on living with them ad infinitum. It makes no sense. It's the wrong solution for America. Mr. Speaker, I also want to address on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus the question about Congress acting to avoid another shutdown showdown. Once again, a deadline looms before the United States Congress, and once again the majority is set to play politics by threatening to shut down the Federal Government rather than work toward a budget compromise. Instead of working together to develop a budget that is going to work for all Americans, the majority is letting extremists and ideologues drive the agenda. Just last month, we marked an inauspicious anniversary: Standard & Poor's downgrading the full faith and credit of the United States of America. So we have two things going on: we have the majority trying to extract political concessions in exchange for keeping the doors of America's government open and in exchange for America not defaulting on its national debt. Mr. Speaker, this is the United States of America. We pay our bills. We pay our bills, and we pay them on time. That's what preserves the full faith and credit of the United States, it preserves our creditworthiness, and it prevents our interest rates from skyrocketing because that is exactly what will happen if we default on the national debt. Our interest rates will go through the roof, and it will cause not an immediate recession, but an immediate depression. That is ridiculous, to hold the national debt hostage in that fashion because you're not just holding the debt ceiling hostage, you are holding the American economy and the welfare of every single American hostage, as well. We cannot let that happen. It is the most ridiculous thing. To have that held hostage for political gain, for political ideological purposes, is simply unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I urge my fellow colleagues in the House to abandon this plan to hold hostage the American full faith and credit, the American creditworthiness, and the American economy on the basis that it's a good way to extract political concessions for what the ideologues in this House are after. Mr. Speaker, instead of working together to do our jobs and resolve these critical issues, the majority are staking out a decidedly different approach from working together. In fact, Speaker Boehner has indicated that he is gearing up for ``a whale of a fight'' to push the interests of the majority's right flank ahead of the needs of the American people. In fact, Mr. Boehner has been vocal about his plans to use the need to raise that debt limit to call for cuts to the programs that we've been discussing, the programs that help American families. As Speaker Boehner said, ``I'll say this: It may be unfair, but what I'm trying to do here is to leverage the political process.'' Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I say, no, don't do that. Don't do that. Back off of that extreme approach. Back off of that dangerous approach. Holding hostage the entire American Government and holding hostage the American interest rate and economy doesn't make sense. Let's work together and figure out our problems in a responsible, reasonable, and a measured manner. We can do that. And on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I say we must do that. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Lowenthal, to your point about no one would choose to take meals for 6 quarters and that no one would choose to remain on SNAP benefits, there is this myth running around that we hear all the time that people abuse SNAP benefits--that people are buying crab legs and lobster tails with their food stamps. What is your opinion on that?

Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening on behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to repeat and enhance the calls made by our colleagues today to end the disastrous spending cuts known as sequestration, to put a stop to the proposed disastrous cuts to SNAP benefits, and to urge the majority to abandon their plans to force the closure of the government and to default on the national debt. I want to start with SNAP. Mr. Speaker, while nearly 50 million Americans struggle to put food on their tables, the majority are doubling their cuts to basic food aid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, which primarily helps children, seniors, and the disabled. Mr. Speaker, 92 percent of the people who are on SNAP are children, the elderly, disabled, or already working. Food stamp recipients currently receive just $1.40 per meal. SNAP is a vital tool to prevent hunger, fight hunger, and help struggling Americans feed their families as they seek new employment, send their children to school, and get themselves back on their feet. Slashing nearly $40 billion from SNAP, the majority bill takes the food out of the mouths of nearly 4 million Americans next year, particularly harming children, seniors, veterans, and Americans living in urban, rural, and suburban communities with chronically high unemployment. One in five children--that is 16 million children-- struggle with hunger, a record high. Mr. Speaker, here to address the effects of the SNAP cuts that we are talking about today is my valued and esteemed colleague from California, Representative Alan Lowenthal. Congressman Lowenthal was elected to represent the 47th District of California after a long and distinguished career both in city politics and in the California State Assembly in Sacramento. Congressman Lowenthal serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as with me on the House Committee on Natural Resources. Congressman Lowenthal has stood up as a loud voice against cuts to the SNAP program. He has been quoted in the press as saying, ``These cuts literally take the food from the mouths of babes.'' At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal).