Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts, the vice chairman of the Rules Committee, Mr. McGovern.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the Senate bill under consideration today is a companion to H.R. 2478, legislation authored by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern). I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Mr. McGovern, for championing the cause of the people of northern Uganda who have been victimized for over two decades by the Lord's Resistance Army, a group designated as a terrorist organization by the Secretary of State. Mr. Speaker, it is almost impossible to describe the horrors that the Lord's Resistance Army, also known as the LRA, has perpetrated on the people of northern Uganda and, more recently, in several neighboring countries. Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, has led a militia group responsible for the slaughter of thousands of people and the displacement of over 2 million others since it was formed in 1986. The LRA is most notorious for abducting young children, an estimated 30,000, over the past two decades, and forcing them into armed service and sexual servitude. While claiming to represent the legitimate grievances of the Ocholi people of northern Uganda, Kony has exploited those grievances to justify what only can be described as madness in his pursuit of power. The Ugandan war is now the longest running war in Africa, longer than the conflict in Sudan. During the course of this war, the LRA has been responsible for widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement of women and children, and forcing children to participate in killing of Ugandans, often family members and neighbors. The LRA shows no mercy for the young. Boys are kidnapped and turned into soldiers. Girls are kidnapped and used as sex slaves. And to terrorize communities, the LRA often amputates limbs and disfigures bodies as so-called lessons learned for those willing to resist. The Ugandan government and the LRA began peace negotiations in 2006, and signed an agreement in August of that year which provided for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people to return home in safety. A final peace agreement was reached in 2008, but Kony refused to sign, and the LRA subsequently launched new attacks on civilians in eastern Congo. Despite the LRA leader's refusal to sign the agreement, the Ugandan government has made a commitment to carry out reconstruction plans for northern Uganda, and to implement those mechanisms of the final peace agreement not conditioned on the compliance of the LRA. Mr. Speaker, the United States Government is a friend to the people of northern Uganda, and it is in our interest to help rid Uganda and central Africa of the LRA. This bill authorizes the President to provide additional assistance to respond to the humanitarian needs of populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic affected by LRA activity. It further authorizes the President to support efforts by the people of northern Uganda and the government of Uganda to promote transitional justice and reconciliation on both local and national levels. Mr. Speaker, it is important that we pass this legislation today to draw attention to the LRA's reign of terror and to demonstrate our support for the people of Uganda. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1303) recognizing the close friendship and historical ties between the United Kingdom and the United States, as amended.

Mr. ENGEL. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of this resolution that recognizes the special relationship and historical ties between the United Kingdom and the United States. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my good friend, Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart from Florida, for introducing this measure. The United Kingdom and the United States have a long history born of shared values and experiences. British legal and philosophical traditions have greatly influenced American practices while both our nations remain committed to human rights, rule of law, and good governance. Our economies are deeply intertwined, as became particularly evident during the global financial crisis. Indeed, Britain is the largest single investor in our economy, while we are the largest source of foreign direct investment in theirs. Our two nations also share a proud military history. British and American soldiers have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout the major conflicts of the last 100 years. Together we confronted the challenges of Nazism and communism, while today we are fighting together against the scourge of international terrorism. We remain grateful for Britain's active participation in the military and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In recent months, some in Britain have begun to question this ``special relationship,'' a phrase coined by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945. As is in the case of all relationships, the dynamic link between the U.S. and the U.K. has evolved over time. However, it is clear that our relationship is unique, vitally important and must continue to be nurtured. The United Kingdom remains an essential ally, a valuable partner and a true friend. All British Prime Ministers and American Presidents have forged effective working relationships in order to confront together the challenges facing the present day. On May 6, just a little while ago, the British people went to the polls. Yesterday we watched the political drama unfold as a coalition agreement was reached between the Conservative and Liberal Democratic Parties. The United States congratulates and stands ready to foster a strong relationship with Britain's new Prime Minister, David Cameron. This postelection period is an opportune moment to reflect upon the strong ties that bind our nations, to celebrate our friendship, and to recommit ourselves to continued cooperation in the future. Much work needs to be done, and the United States has no better partner in the world than the United Kingdom. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, I want to thank my good friend, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, who has partnered with me in so much good legislation through the years. And I really do appreciate her support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1155) commending the progress made by anti- tuberculosis programs, as amended.

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

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is my resolution, and I am proud to be the lead sponsor of it. And I rise today in honor of this resolution to fight tuberculosis, which I introduced with my good friends from Texas, Ted Poe and Gene Green. House Resolution 1155 seeks to commend the progress made by U.S. anti-tuberculosis programs at the CDC, USAID, NIH and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and to reaffirm the House's historic commitment to global TB control made through the Lantos-Hyde Act enacted 2 years ago. My own legislation, the Stop Tuberculosis Now Act, was folded into the PEPFAR reauthorization, and I remain grateful to Chairman Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, the gentlewoman from Florida, for their strong support of this significant investment in tuberculosis control. The chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, Mr. Payne, is also to be commended for his commitment to tuberculosis control as well. Mr. Speaker, TB is the second leading global infectious disease killer behind HIV-AIDS, claiming approximately 1.8 million lives each year. TB is the leading killer of people with HIV-AIDS. TB control must be strengthened as part of a comprehensive approach to women's health. TB is the third leading killer of adult women globally, and women who develop the disease are more likely to die from it than men. The risk of premature birth or having a low birth weight baby double for women with TB, and those who receive a late diagnosis are four times as likely to die in childbirth. Mr. Speaker, about half a million people fall ill each year with multidrug-resistant TB, but the World Health Organization estimates that less than 5 percent are receiving appropriate treatment, which is one of the factors fueling the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Although the number of TB cases in the United States is declining, the nature of this infectious disease presents a persistent public health threat to the United States. Tuberculosis is a significant public health program for the border States of California, Texas, New York, Florida and others. Drug-resistant TB poses a particular challenge to domestic TB control owing to the high costs of treatment and intensive health care resources required. Treatment costs for multidrug-resistant TB range from $100,000 to $300,000 per person, which can cause a significant strain on State public health budgets. In 2008, 107 cases of MDR-TB were reported in the United States. Of particular concern is that four extensively drug-resistant TB cases were reported, double the number from 2007. H. Res. 1155 calls attention to the critical need for public and private reinvestment into research to develop new TB diagnostics, drugs and vaccines to replace antiquated technologies that hinder our progress against tuberculosis. Although drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines for TB exist, these technologies are increasingly inadequate for controlling the global epidemic. The most commonly used TB diagnostic in the world, sputum microscopy, is more than 100 years old and lacks sensitivity to detect TB in most HIV-AIDS patients and in children. The TB vaccine, BCG, provides some protection to children, but has little or no effect in preventing pulmonary TB in adults. We will never defeat TB without a public and private research investment into new tuberculosis tools. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H. Res. 1155, to be on record in supporting the global fight against tuberculosis. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

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

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution that commends the Community of Democracies for its many achievements since the organization's founding a decade ago, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. I wish to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), for his leadership in introducing this measure and bringing it forward for our consideration today. Mr. Speaker, in January 1999, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told the Los Angeles Times that her highest priority before leaving office was to create a global community of democracies. That objective became a reality in June 2000 when she, along with then- Polish Foreign Minister Geremek, convened ministerial delegations from 106 countries in Warsaw to sign a declaration entitled ``Toward a Community of Democracies.'' This declaration sought to demonstrate methods of support to countries that strive for freedom and democracy. It also established a global, intergovernmental coalition of democratic countries that are committed to promoting democratic rules and strengthening democratic institutions around the world. I think it is somewhat ironic that this inaugural meeting was in Warsaw, because we know Warsaw has had a long history of being occupied and not being free. Since Warsaw, ministerial conferences have been held in Seoul, Korea; Santiago, Chile; Bamako, Mali; and Lisbon, Portugal. In addition, a Permanent Secretariat was established in Warsaw in order to strengthen the institution and further its mission of democracy promotion. In early July, on the 10th anniversary of the organization's founding, the Community of Democracies will meet in Krakow, Poland to relaunch the Community and adopt a work program to advance democracy worldwide. This gathering, which will be hosted by Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski, will undoubtedly be one of the most prominent international gatherings of democracy decision-makers this year. It is fitting that this meeting once again will be held in Poland, not only because it was the location of the Community's founding and a real success story of post-Cold War democratization efforts, but also because the world is grieving with the Polish people following the tragic loss of their President in the plane crash. As the United States is one of the founding members of the Community and a participant in its convening group, it is appropriate that the House adopt this resolution that commends the Community of Democracies for its achievements and wishes it much success in its upcoming conference. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure now to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), the author of this resolution.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time as well.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts, and I second what he said about this bill being a win for all. I'm sorry there is so much negativity on the other side of the aisle about this bill. This bill takes care of our energy needs and at the same time creates a bold effort to create jobs and to improve the economy. We cannot rest. Too many Americans are unemployed, and in particular, middle class Americans are still hurting. We must remain focused on revitalizing our economy, and this bill helps to do that. A smart and effective way to generate jobs is through home retrofits. We can incentivize consumers to weatherize their homes and put our idle contractors and construction workers to work. In turn, many households would save substantial money by weatherizing their homes. So this Home Star program is a good one. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, stop with the negativity. Let's move on together.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act. Puerto Rico is home to nearly 4 million Americans. It has been a U.S. territory for 112 years and its residents have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Puerto Ricans have contributed much to the basic fabric of this country in times of peace and war. Its residents have served as high government officials and leaders from all walks of life. More than one million Puerto Ricans live in my home state of New York, and according to the latest numbers, more than 60,000 live in my congressional district. I am, therefore, proud to call myself a cosponsor of the bipartisan Puerto Rico Democracy Act. I know that the question of the status of Puerto Rico has been difficult for many years, but that is precisely why we must address it today. Under the current status, residents of Puerto Rico are bound by federal law, but cannot vote for president and do not have voting representation in Congress. Since joining the American family over a century ago, the Island's residents have never been given the opportunity to express their views--in the context of a fair and orderly vote sponsored by Congress--as to whether Puerto Rico should remain a U.S. territory or should seek a non-territorial status. H.R. 2499 allows the government of Puerto Rico to conduct plebiscites to ask voters if they wish to maintain the current status or have a different status. I support this bill because it finally creates a fair process to allow the people of Puerto Rico to decide their own future for themselves. Self-determination is a basic principle of the United States, and Puerto Ricans deserve no less. Finally, I would like to congratulate the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Pierluisi, for his excellent work, and I appreciate the efforts of members on both sides of the aisle who helped bring the Puerto Rico Democracy Act to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2499. Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. Chair, I rise today as a cosponsor and to speak in strong support of H.R. 2499, The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009, which establishes a just and fair way for Puerto Ricans to decide their relationship with the United States. Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory for 111 years and its residents have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Puerto Ricans have contributed immeasurably to the life of this nation in times of peace and war and have served as U.S. government officials, ambassadors, federal judges and military officers. The island is home to nearly 4 million Americans who are subject to federal taxes as determined by law, pay income taxes on income from outside the island, as well as other taxes such as Social Security and Medicare. Yet Puerto Ricans today still cannot vote for President of the United States and do not have full voting representation in Congress. I believe it is time for the people of Puerto Rico to decide their fate after over 100 years of political uncertainty. H.R. 2499 would identify Puerto Rico's political status options and authorize a plebiscite process in which voters could express their preferences among those options. This bill will finally give them the opportunity to determine their relationship with the U.S. in the context of a fair, neutral and democratic process sponsored by Congress. We must ensure that the views of all Puerto Ricans are heard on this fundamental question without excluding or favoring any status option. As a cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation, I support a fair and impartial process of self-determination for the people of Puerto Rico.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the First Lady of the Republic of Albania, Dr. Liri Berisha, and to welcome her once again to the United States. Dr. Liri Berisha, a devoted mother and a diligent pediatrician, became the very first First Lady in the history of democratic Albania in 1992 when her husband, Sali Berisha, was elected President of the Republic. Throughout her husband's 5 years in office and since his election in 2005 as Prime Minister, Dr. Berisha has been distinguished for her involvement in public life and commitment to people in need. Among her many endeavors, I strongly commend the First Lady for her dedication to the women and children of Albania. Dr. Berisha is Honorary President of the UNICEF office in Albania. She actively promotes efforts to expand education and healthcare to marginalized women and children and is an outspoken voice against human trafficking. In 2009, the Women's Information Network named Dr. Berisha ``Woman of the Year'' for ``her commitment to make the world a better place for women and all citizens''. In 2008, Dr. Berisha founded the Mother Teresa Cultural Foundation which commemorates its namesake as a symbol of hope and human dignity. This week, the First Lady joins us on Capitol Hill to honor the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa with a reception and special exhibition. As the Chair of the Congressional Albanian Issues Caucus, I look forward to participating in this celebration and again welcoming the distinguished First Lady of Albania to the United States.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, Harold and Florence were both born in Charleston, South Carolina where Florence attended the prestigious Avery Institute and graduated from Burke High School in that city. Florence moved to New York City where she attended Washington Business Institute. During his high school years at Burke High School in Charleston, Harold Payne excelled in athletics, in particular baseball and basketball. He was a star member of the Burke High School Senior Basketball team which won the South Carolina State Championship in 1949. Harold obtained a tryout with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1953. Harold later attended Bronx Community College. Mrs. Payne's professional pursuits took her to various organizations including the New York Telephone Company, Jujamcyn Theatres, Fine Arts Pillows Inc. as well as a private attorney, Donnaree Banton, Esq. In 1997, I asked Florence to work for me. She fulfilled her dream of helping other on a daily basis. Harold served in the Army during the Korean conflict in the 8th Army Honor Guard. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant and in 1956 began a career with the United States Postal Service while simultaneously working as a paraprofessional for 17 years with the NYC Board of Education. After 34 years with the Postal Service, Harold retired and became Director of the Tilden Towers Senior Citizens Center. It is there that he fulfilled his dream of serving his community. He retired from Tilden Towers Senior Center in January of this year. Both Harold and Florence donate time to charitable and civic organizations, it being their belief that one must give back to the community in a meaningful way. This they did by actively participating in many endeavors including: the Office of Black Ministry for the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, the Parent Teacher Association of Public School 16, NIA: A Minority Women's Professional Network, The Incarcerated Mothers Program, the Food Pantry at the Edenwald-Gun Hill Neighborhood Center and other worthwhile endeavors. They are most proud of their 50 year commitment to one another in addition to their role as parents and grandparents. The Paynes met each other through Florence's late sister Anna and her husband, Henry. On April 23, 1960, the Paynes were married in St. Aloysius Church in Harlem. They set up residence in the Bronx and have lived there for their entire married life. They are the loving parents of Lisa and Harold Jr. with a son-in-law, Terrance. They are also the proud grandparents of granddaughter Yiesha Danielle and grandson Malcolm. I ask everyone who believes in love to join me in celebrating Harold and Florence's Golden Wedding anniversary and in wishing them every happiness.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding to me. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for her strong voice. And, boy, if there was ever anything that's bipartisan, it's this resolution. The one good thing that Iran has done is brought us all together because we realize that the Iranian threat to the world is the world's biggest threat. Iran remains the leading sponsor of terrorism around the world; and, as was mentioned before, the President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, has threatened to wipe Israel from the face of the Earth. But the threat is not to Israel alone. It's to Europe, it's to the United States, it's to the entire world; and the entire world must speak with one voice. I'm a proud cosponsor of H.R. 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, and I want to commend Chairman Berman for this initiative, and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as well. Only a few short months ago, the world learned of the secret Iranian nuclear enrichment facility near the city of Qom. If there was ever any doubt that Iran was trying to build nuclear weapons, this revelation dispelled any shred of that doubt. The facility was kept secret from the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. It was built deep in a mountain on a protected military base. This is precisely how a country conceals a nuclear weapons program and defies U.N. Security Council resolutions, not how it develops peaceful energy technologies. However, although Iran is a leading producer of crude oil, it has limited refining capacity. And this bill will increase leverage against Iran by penalizing companies that export refined petroleum products to Iran or finance Iran's domestic refueling capabilities. It's my hope that the administration will apply these additional sanctions to make absolutely clear to the Iranian regime that the world will not accept its nuclear ambitions. As chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I'd also like to raise one additional concern which arose at my October hearing on Iran's role in the Western Hemisphere. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez recently agreed to provide 20,000 barrels per day of refined gasoline to Iran. It's anyone's guess as to whether this will be implemented, but the deal may be covered by the bill we are considering today. While some question whether Venezuela has the ability to provide gasoline to Iran since it imports some gasoline to meet its own demand, Chavez is clearly approaching a perilous area. I hope Chavez reconsiders this unwise step. And we must consider and keep focusing on Iran in the Western Hemisphere as well. The U.S., our allies and the U.N. Security Council have recognized that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a danger to our ally, Israel, the Middle East, the nuclear proliferation regime and to the entire world. The Iranian regime is brutal to its own population, murders its own citizens, represses people who want to demonstrate against its stolen election, and it's time for us to stand up. So I'm glad, in a bipartisan voice this morning, we say ``no'' to Iran; ``no'' to nuclear weapons for Iran; ``yes'' to support the underlying bill.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I stand today in strong support of my legislation, the Truth in Caller ID Act. But before I begin, I want to first thank my friend and the lead Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Ranking Member Joe Barton. I also want to thank the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman, as well as the staff for being so accommodating in getting this bill to the floor today. And I want to thank my friend Mr. Boucher, who has helped in bringing this bill to the floor, and my friend and classmate Mr. Stearns, who quite correctly said this is about as bipartisan a piece of legislation as you can get. This legislation has been developed in an extremely bipartisan manner, and I want to thank and commend everybody who worked on it. I introduced this bill, Mr. Speaker, because we needed an immediate change in our laws to help prevent identity theft, to crack down on fraudulent phone calls, and to protect legitimate uses of caller ID technology. I first found out about this just simply by reading an article; and when I realized that this is actually something that could be done, I was flabbergasted. I went over to Mr. Barton, who at the time was the chair of the full committee, and I said, Joe, something really needs to be done about this and would you work with me on it? And he said he would and he agreed and everybody agrees. And the House has passed this bill time and time again, and we hope we can get it passed in both Houses and get it signed. Last year, the facts are stark, over 6,000 people were victimized by credit card fraud and identity theft. Criminals stole over $15 million from banks and ruined the credit of thousands of victims. They were able to perpetrate this fraud in some instances by using caller ID spoofing. This disturbing fact about spoofing is not just that it's legal but how easy it is to carry out. Criminals use a tool called a ``spoof card'' to change their outgoing caller ID and even to disguise their voices. Now, if you see a caller ID and you see it has a phone number, most people think that it's ironclad that that's the actual phone number that's calling them when in truth it's not. This technology even allows people to disguise their voice in order to trick banks into giving them access to their victims' accounts. So a man can do that and have his voice change into a woman's voice and vice versa. So it's absolutely deceptive, absolutely scary, and dangerous; and this tool is available to anyone with access to a Web browser. So it's just ridiculous. The technology has gotten so far ahead of us, we need to have these kinds of laws to simply catch up. Now, no one can dispute that this legislation is necessary. Last year, a person in New York called a pregnant woman whom she viewed as her romantic rival. Spoofing the phone number of the woman's pharmacist, she tricked the woman into taking a drug used to cause an abortion. I use it because it's one of the horrible examples; and there are many, many more horrible examples of how this is used. And just think about it. Someone could be tricked into giving up personal medical information. Someone could be tricked to giving up banking information. If someone hears that it is their doctor calling and they take a look at the number and they see it's their doctor's number, they would give out personal information, credit card information, even Social Security identification. So caller ID fraud has even been used to prank call the constituents of a Member of this body with the caller ID readout saying it came from that Member's office. Just imagine if people committed this fraud in the days leading up to a close election. You can call and you can say you are from one candidate's camp when you are really from the other candidate's camp. And when someone looks down at the phone number, they see it's from candidate A and they think it's legitimate, and it's really from candidate B. So imagine what kind of trouble can happen, what kind of mischief can be done. So this really, again, needs to be curtailed. So, as everyone has said, in response to this problem, Mr. Barton and I have introduced the Truth in Caller ID Act. Simply, this bill outlaws the deceptive use of caller ID spoofing technology if the intention of the caller is to deceive and harm the recipient of the call. And let me say we developed that intention through hearings we had in the Energy and Commerce Committee because we want it to be legitimate. There are legitimate times where a number may have to be scrambled. We certainly do it here on Capitol Hill to protect Members and others and staff from having personal phone numbers being given out or private phone numbers being given out. So there is no intent to do that. That is why we say it outlaws the deceptive use of caller ID spoofing technology if the intention of a caller is to deceive and harm the recipient of a call. And, again, through the hearings we have had, we have refined this bill; and that's why it has such strong bipartisan support. Let say this bill does not change the rules for legitimate uses of a technology. For example, a domestic abuse shelter will still be able to change their number on caller ID to protect the occupants of the shelter, and I also gave the example about what we do here in Congress. So I am pleased that this bill passed the House in the 109th and 110th Congresses, and I look forward to its passage again today. I strongly urge my colleagues to support the Truth in Caller ID Act and outlaw this type of fraud once and for all.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the chairman for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, I'm proud to be a Member of Congress, but never as proud as I am tonight. Tonight we're finally going to pass comprehensive health care for the American people. My friends on the Republican side of the aisle keep saying the bill is flawed. The only flaw was when they controlled Congress and had the President of the United States, not once did they try pass health care, not even incrementally, as they say we should do now. No longer, when we get sick, will the insurance companies say, Sorry, we can't cover you. No longer, if you lose your job or change your job, can you not keep your health insurance. You will be able to keep it. If have you a preexisting condition, you won't be able to be denied it. If you're 26 years old, you can stay on your parents' policies. There's no annual cap or lifetime cap. We help seniors by closing the doughnut hole in Medicaid. We save money. It's CBO scored. Everybody wins with this bill, but especially the American people. I'm proud that we're passing comprehensive health care. The current system is not sustainable financially, and what we're doing means that everybody wins.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to reaffirm the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Both of our countries have shared values. Both of our countries are democracies. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. I know there have been some difficulties during the past few days. When Vice President Biden visited Israel, there was an announcement of the expansion of a neighborhood in North Jerusalem. The timing of that announcement was wrong, but I don't think that we should blow the timing of that announcement out of proportion. We should not have a disproportionate response to Israel. We need to be careful and measured in our response, and I think we all have to take a step back. The relationship remains rock solid. The Obama administration and the administration of Prime Minister Netanyahu have been cooperating on a number of things: containing Iran, the Goldstone Report, and making sure that Israel retains its qualitative military edge in the region. And there has been good cooperation between our two administrations, the Obama administration and the Netanyahu administration. But to seem to question the very nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship and to put it in personal terms in a very public way will not contribute to peace in the Middle East. Rather, it's the contrary. It will cause the Palestinians to dig in their heels, thinking that the Americans can just deliver the Israelis. Last year, when there was public pressure being put on Israel not to expand settlements, there was no simultaneous public pressure being put on the Palestinians, and we saw that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas just sat back, didn't make any concessions, didn't say that he would do anything positively to further peace talks, and just thought that the United States would wring concessions out of Israel. The fact of the matter is that the Israelis have been welcoming peace talks with the Palestinians. The Israelis have said they would sit down and have face-to-face talks for peace with the Palestinians. That's what you do when you have peace. Instead, the Palestinians have refused to sit with the Israelis, and Senator Mitchell is proposing to shuttle back and forth between the Palestinian side and the Israeli side to have negotiations, but not direct negotiations. We need to be careful. If we criticize Israel for doing what we think was wrong, then we need to also criticize the Palestinians when they do things wrong. Just recently, the Palestinians named a square in Ramallah for a terrorist who killed 30-some-odd Israelis. I didn't hear any criticism of the Palestinian side. When the Palestinians dig in their heels and say they won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state, I didn't hear any criticism of Palestinians. So all I am saying, Madam Speaker, is that we need to not only reaffirm the strength of our ties between our two countries, but we also need to understand that in a relationship between friends, as in family, there will be some disagreements. We need to be careful about how we voice those disagreements in public. Let me say that harsh words are never a replacement for working together, but I think that harsh words can sometimes make us understand that only by working together can we confront the things that we both know need to be confronted--the scourge of terrorism, the thing that all nations understand emanates in the Middle East from radical forces, and those are the kinds of fights that Israel has every single day fighting terrorism. We learned about terrorism on this soil on 9/11. Israel has to deal with it every day. So let me just say in conclusion that I think we need to take a step back. We need to reaffirm all the things that bring our two countries together. We in the United States understand that our best friend in the Middle East is Israel, and we need to continue with Israel. When we have disagreements, we have to talk about them, but we have to always understand that only by working together can we have peace in the Middle East.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank my good friend and fellow New Yorker for yielding to me. I want to commend him for the work he has done. I want to commend my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) for this bill. Madam Speaker, like all of my colleagues, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4573, which pushes for the cancellation of debts owed by Haiti to multilateral financial institutions. I am the chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and I also have a large Haitian population in my district in Spring Valley, New York. I am honored to say that, last Friday, I traveled to Haiti. You can see the devastation in the newspapers; you can look at it on television, but until you are there in person, you cannot imagine how horrible it is. The other things you see are thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people in the streets with nothing to do and with no place to go--with no place to go to work and with no place to call home. There are rows of tents and shacks and of things put up for people to seek shelter. There are people just in the streets, and they are friendly towards the United States. We have a special obligation to help the people of Haiti. We met President Preval in Port-au-Prince last Friday. Today, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting him again twice--once at the White House with President Obama and then, after that meeting, at a private meeting with Members of Congress. I will tell everyone what I told him and what all of my colleagues are saying: We must help Haiti. We have a responsibility to help Haiti. It is clear that Haiti faces a very long road of recovery from the impact of the earthquake, and this bill will allow the Government of Haiti to focus its efforts and attention on the present and future recovery of the country and on the Haitian people. We all know Haiti's early history and independence. It is tragically marked by the onerous debts it was forced to pay by major powers, depriving Haiti of many years of needed resources and development. We shouldn't allow Haiti's present debts to pose similar obstacles in the wake of this earthquake. People say that Congress can't agree on anything and that there is no bipartisanship here. What we are seeing now is bipartisanship at its best. We are all working together to help the people of Haiti.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Peter Hakim for his 16 years of outstanding service as President of the Inter-American Dialogue. Under Peter's leadership, the Inter-American Dialogue has become a top center for policy analysis on U.S.-Latin American relations. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, I have benefited enormously from the first-rate work of the Inter-American Dialogue. My colleagues and I--and our staffs-- consistently count on the Inter-American Dialogue's superb analysis of U.S.-Latin American relations. Peter Hakim testified at my first hearing as Subcommittee Chairman in 2007, and I am pleased that he is closing out his tenure as Dialogue President as a witness at my hearing on U.S. Policy toward the Americas in 2010 and Beyond. His insights are extremely useful to me as I carry out oversight of our policies toward Latin America and the Caribbean. My colleagues and I have also greatly benefited from the dinner discussions organized by Peter and the Inter-American Dialogue where we debate key hemispheric issues. I am pleased that Peter will continue to serve the Inter-American Dialogue as President Emeritus, and I look forward to working with him in the coming years. I also would like to commend Michael Shifter on his selection as the next president of the Inter-American Dialogue. Michael, who has served as the Dialogue's Vice President for Policy for several years, is clearly the best person for the job. Michael is no stranger to the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee himself. He has testified before my Subcommittee at hearings on the Colombia-Ecuador border crisis and Honduras. His essays and opinion pieces are published in a wide array of top U.S. and Latin American publications, and are a great resource for all of us in Congress. I congratulate Peter Hakim and Michael Shifter and wish both of them and the Inter-American Dialogue many more years of success.