Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Tonight, when our President gives his State of the Union Address, I'm going to listen very intently. I know that he's going to talk about creating jobs, improving the economy, lowering unemployment, and also health care reform. Let's rally behind our President. The people sent us here to work together in a bipartisan fashion. Let's not talk about what is best politically for this party or that party, let's look at what is best for the American people. I ask my Republican friends, stop being the Party of No. Work with us on health care. We can do it if we all put our heads together. Let me remind my friends that the TARP bailout and the bailout of the banks happened under President Bush. It was President Bush's recommendation, and I and other Democrats supported it because it was the right thing to do. Let's support the President when he says the right things, as he will tonight. Let's understand that we can only succeed if we work together. We were left a mess by the previous administration. One year to clean it up is not enough. We prevented a depression. Now we have to move on. So I ask the other side of the aisle, please work with us. Please work with us to help the American people.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, a community prospers and thrives on the contributions of its citizens to the common good. David A. Ford has been active in all aspects of the community life of Mount Vernon for all of his adult life, serving as Commissioner of the Water Department since 1977 and in innumerable positions in the volunteer and political sectors. There are few aspects of life in Mount Vernon that he has not touched and made better. While his life was community involvement, his passion was politics. From 1969 to 1996, he was Chairman of the Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee. He is Chairman of the Black Democrats of Westchester County and a member of the Council of Black Elected Democrats of New York State. He is also a New York State Committeeperson for the 84th Assembly District. More personally, and to my joy, he serves as my Special Assistant. He has also served as President of the Lions Club of Mount Vernon and President of the Mount Vernon YMCA. He is a Life Member of the 369 Veteran's Association, and a Life Member of the Mount Vernon NAACP. He is Chairman of the Board of Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center and a member of the National Association of Health Care Providers. And under his leadership the Board of Water Supply has continued a longstanding tradition of excellence. He is a veteran of WWII. He is married to the former Eula (Daisy) Gadson and is the proud father of five children (David Jr., Renee, Garey, Michael, and Karen). He has five grandchildren: Rachel, Shaarod, Nardara, Jerel and David Christopher) and one great-grandchild, Amira. David is retiring and I wish him all the very best that retirement has to offer. This is Mount Vernon's loss for he has contributed to his community for longer and better than we are ever likely to see again. On a personal note I am happy to say that he will still be advising me, which means he will still be helping me to help the people of Mount Vernon.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, for a Democracy to succeed, the people have to be an active part of the political process. John Shields, who is retiring as the Mayor of Nyack, joined the political process, albeit later in life than most people. He was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and grew up as something of an Army brat, traveling from place to place. After high school he tried summer stock. He moved to New York City in 1965 where he sold caviar and worked in a drug rehabilitation center. He went to City College of New York, graduating in 1972, and for the next 30 years taught in New York City schools. He moved to Nyack in 1976 and in 1994 he ran for the Nyack Village Board and was elected Trustee. There followed two more terms as Trustee and four terms as Mayor and now he is retiring from elective office. John is primarily an activist, and got into politics as an extension of his activism. In 2004 he sued New York State for the right for same sex couples to marry. He noted that as Mayor, he could legally marry heterosexual couples while the state denied him that equal right for himself. And while he may have lost the suit he has not quit the battle. He still lives in Nyack, is still involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of Head Start of Rockland. He has not decided what to do next, but I wish him all the best that life has to offer in this next stage of his life.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4462, To Accelerate the Income Tax Benefits for Charitable Cash Contributions for the Relief of Victims of the Earthquake in Haiti Act, authored by my friend and colleague from New York, Representative Rangel, the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. This important legislation would permit people who make charitable contributions to the relief work in Haiti to take a tax deduction on their 2009 taxes instead of on their 2010 returns. This is an excellent idea which will hopefully spark additional giving to help the people of Haiti. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives in the Haitian tragedy and hundreds of thousands more are homeless. The American people have been deeply moved by this crisis and are showing their profound generosity through donations to organizations helping the Haitian people. In fact, as of yesterday, the American Red Cross had already raised $112 million for Haiti, $22 million of which came from text messages sent by the American people. The outpouring to Haiti from the great people of this nation and from around the world has been truly overwhelming. I am touched by how Americans from all walks of life have given their time, talents, and financial resources to help those whose lives depend upon such aid. By permitting taxpayers to take a deduction on their 2009 taxes instead of their 2010 returns, H.R. 4462 will help those Americans who have already donated and encourage those who have not yet done so. In addition to thanking Chairman Rangel for this legislation, I would also like to mention our colleague, Representative Kendrick Meek, who was developing similar legislation. He has been a leader on all aspects of U.S. policy toward Haiti and deserves to be recognized here in Congress. Again, I strongly support H.R. 4462 to recognize the generosity of the American people in responding to the devastation in Haiti and to encourage future giving. This is a bill that inspires ``the better angels of our nature'' and helps the victims of this disaster, as well. It deserves our unanimous support.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank my friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), for yielding to me. Madam Speaker, as chairman of The Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 1021, which expresses condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the horrific and devastating earthquake of January 12. It is with great sorrow that we come to the floor today to lament the catastrophic blow to Haiti from last week's natural disaster. Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people have died; and hundreds of thousands are homeless in the wake of the earthquake. Our hearts go out to the Haitian people as they cope with the calamity that has befallen their nation. While we mourn the great loss of life in Haiti, we must resolve to stand with the Haitian people as they rebuild their lives. Due to my long experience with Haiti from hearings in my subcommittee, visiting the country and, most importantly, my relationship with my Haitian American constituents--I have a large Haitian American community in my district in Spring Valley, New York--I know that Haiti will overcome this tremendous adversity. However, Haiti and its people will need U.S. and international help for the foreseeable future. It is reassuring to see that the Obama administration has quickly marshaled the resources of the U.S. Government in coordination with the international community. I thank President Obama and Secretary Clinton for their tireless efforts. It is also important to recognize the generosity of millions of private American citizens who have responded immediately to this crisis, and we must thank the dedicated U.S. military and government personnel and the thousands of NGO volunteers and staff for their truly valiant efforts. We should also remember that the challenges faced by Haiti will continue past this immediate period and will extend into the long term. The U.S. and global community will need to offer robust assistance to make sure Haiti can rebuild from this shocking disaster. Madam Speaker, I would also like to praise President Obama's decision to grant temporary protection status, or TPS, to Haitian nationals living in the U.S. Representative Rangel and I led the New York congressional delegation in writing to President Obama in support of this TPS designation. On behalf of my constituents and Haitian Americans around the country, I offer my gratitude to the President, and I urge my colleagues to do the same in supporting this resolution.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, the devastating earthquake which hit Haiti last night is something that pains all of us. The millions of Haitian Americans in this country and people who care about Haiti all over the world need to see what we can do to get aid as quickly as possible to the beleaguered people of Haiti. The earthquake was 7.0 on the Richter scale, the largest earthquake ever to hit Haiti. And this comes on top of devastating hurricanes a little more than a year ago. The people of Haiti are going to need the United States to help. As chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I will leave no stone unturned to try to get aid to people of Haiti. And I know that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have already made statements and promised and pledged lots of and lots of aid. Probably thousands upon thousands of people are devastated and killed, and this is going to touch all of us. So I call on this House, I call on the American people, I call on our government to do whatever we can to send aid to help the beleaguered people of Haiti. Now is the time. I urge the American people to listen, to send donations to those organizations that can get aid in as quickly as possible. Money donations are probably what is needed right now. Only the United States is in a very, very unique position. And, again, we want to tell the Haitian people that the United States of America, the U.S. Congress is there with you. We will leave no stone unturned to try to save lives. The next 72 hours is crucial in terms of saving lives, in terms of preventing any kind of epidemics, in terms of keeping food going and the water clean and making sure that there is no disease, looting, things like that. We need to do everything we can. I know we will. And, again, we will leave no stone unturned. As chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I know that our committee will be right in there with our sleeves rolled up and do everything we can to help the people of Haiti.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Ms. Rachel Miller and Mr. John Adamovich who have just become the proud parents of twins Max and Jake on January 6, 2010. A former constituent, Ms. Miller served New York's 17th District as my energy and environment legislative assistant for many years before going on to work for Senator Dianne Feinstein. Both Rachel and John have built careers of service to their country and community: Rachel on Capitol Hill and John as a social worker. They are people of integrity and will make wonderful role models for their two sons. Max and Jake should know how lucky they are to be part of this new family. As a proud father of three, I can truly say that I knew the best years of my life were ahead of me when we began our family. And I am confident that Rachel and John will experience the same. Raising children is such a rewarding experience, made double for them by the birth of their twins. I am confident that they will be wonderful parents, and I wish them the best for these exciting years to come.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, Liam McLaughlin is leaving the Yonkers City Council after serving four terms, representing the Fourth District since 1999. He served as Majority Leader of the City Council and is leaving as the Minority Leader and Chair of the Budget Committee and the Environmental Policy & Protection Committee. He also served on the Education Committee, the Real Estate & Economic Development Committee, the Municipal Operations Committee, the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Legislation and Codes Committee. He graduated from Fordham University in 1989, majoring in accounting, and worked for the major accounting firm of Ernst & Young before taking his law degree from the New York Law School. As a council member Liam worked with the mayor and fellow council members on a bi-partisan basis for the betterment of his district and the City of Yonkers as a whole. He strove to hold down taxes, to create jobs, to improve the city's parks and playgrounds, increase senior citizen programs and implement a citywide beautification program. He encouraged `smart development' to make Yonkers attractive to new businesses which brought many new jobs to the city. Aside from his representation on the council, he is a Board Member of the Aisling Irish Community Center, a Board Member and President of Tara Circle, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Westchester Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and a member of the New York State Bar Association. I congratulate Liam for all of his good work and diligence in representing not only his district and its families, but the City of Yonkers as a whole. I was privileged to be able to work with him in helping Yonkers and know first hand that Yonkers is enormously better for having him. I know his family will be happier now that he will not have as many meetings to attend but the City of Yonkers will sorely miss his leadership and dedication. I wish him the best in all his endeavors and am looking forward to his return to office.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, as she was mentioning Venezuela, quite wisely, I agreed with everything she said about the lack of freedom of the press and about the shutting down of opposition newspapers. Because the next bill we will be talking about involves sanctions against Iran, as Subcommittee chairman of the Western Hemisphere, I want to raise a concern about Venezuela, 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 that we consider now and that we are considering next. While some question whether Venezuela has the ability to provide gasoline to Iran, since it imports some gasoline to meet its own domestic demand, President Chavez is clearly approaching a perilous area. I hope that Chavez reconsiders this unwise step. I thank the gentlewoman, as always, for pointing out what is going on.

Mr. ENGEL. Would the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman. This is a bipartisan bill. I repeat: It is supported by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the employees. Each has had the opportunity for input into the final legislation. I would strongly encourage my colleagues to join with me in support, again, of this bipartisan legislation. Continued employment of these individuals is in the best interest of CBP and the best interest of our country as the work requirement remains, and it's critical to CBP protecting our Nation's borders.

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman, my good friend from Texas, for yielding to me. I appreciate the comments made by Mr. Rogers as well. Mr. Speaker, this bill rights a wrong. It's a very technical bill, but the bottom line is that 35 loyal and hardworking Federal employees stationed overseas, working for America, are being treated unfairly, and the bill corrects this. When I was in Ireland at the Customs post, I had a chance to speak with some of these employees, and I became convinced that they were not being treated fairly. I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 1517, for the conversion of certain overseas Customs and Border Protection employees. I would also like to give special recognition to my colleague and friend, Representative Peter King of New York, for the hard work that he has put into this legislation as well. H.R. 1517 would grant the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authority to noncompetitively convert employees serving on overseas limited appointments into permanent employees. The need for this legislation was brought to my attention by 15 U.S. CBP employees serving at pre-clearance centers in Ireland, who were incorrectly hired by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. These employees were hired on overseas temporary appointments, but the work requirement evolved into a permanent basis. There are two ways for a Federal agency to fill permanent overseas positions: one, by hiring locally engaged staff or, two, by U.S. direct hire. Yet because an agreement between the United States and Ireland requires that all pre-clearance employees be permanent employees, and, by definition, employees on overseas appointments are limited employees, albeit it in this case limited for an indefinite duration, CBP is technically in violation of the two countries' agreement. More troubling to me, the 15 employees on overseas limited appointments are not covered by the protections and immunities afforded by the agreement to permanent U.S. pre-clearance employees. Later, I learned the number of employees in similar positions included over 30 other CBP employees in Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Canada. It has been through no fault of their own that these loyal employees, some of whom have been protecting our country for almost 20 years, are now in limbo. Without this legislation, they will either have to become locally engaged staff, who are compensated by and receive benefits from the Irish government, or be placed into competitive positions that will require a return to the U.S. Some of them have families and have been living in Ireland working for the U.S. as American citizens, a choice that would destroy an established way of life in Ireland if they were forced to come to the United States, or a career with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They would have to choose, and that's not right. This was done through no fault of their own. This bill, H.R. 1517, would allow these employees to stay close to their families and keep their positions protecting our country. I would like to applaud the Homeland Security Committee for including language encouraging the CBP Commissioner not to be too disruptive to the employees when implementing this legislation. I recognize the standard CBP policy is for employees serving at overseas positions to rotate back to the United States after 5 years. However, in this extreme circumstance, it would be best for the CBP to allow the employees to continue to serve where they are currently with the years of experience they bring to their positions. Let me say in closing, H.R. 1517 is a bipartisan bill. It is supported by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents the employees.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from the Health Subcommittee on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Lois Capps, who is always a leader in issues like this. And I want to commend Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the gentlewoman from Florida, for her courage in talking personally, as well as Congresswoman Sue Myrick from North Carolina for speaking personally. This is obviously a disease that affects so many Americans and their families personally, so I rise in strong support of this resolution on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening guidelines. As the second most common cancer among women in the U.S. and a leading cause of cancer death for women under 60, breast cancer is an issue that resonates with us all. The recent changes in recommendations for breast cancer screenings made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on November 16 have been met with considerable attention and consternation nationwide. I can say quite frankly that I was extremely concerned that news reports related to these screenings would cause some women in their forties to no longer get mammograms annually for breast cancer. I think what was announced was a mistake. This would really be a travesty if women were prevented from getting mammograms annually. We know that declines in breast cancer death rates since 1990 are primarily attributed to early detection and improvement in treatment. In fact, about 15,000 breast cancer deaths this year were prevented in part due to an expanded access to mammography. While our screening tools are not perfect, they are valuable, and leading medical advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, and Susan B. Komen for the Cure, continue to recommend annual mammography for women starting at age 40, not 50. The USPSTF has since clarified that it never meant to send the message that women shouldn't get breast cancer screenings, but that in certain age groups women should consult with their personal physician about the benefits, risks, and limitations of mammography. Unfortunately, and the task force admitted this at a hearing in our Energy and Commerce Committee, this message has largely been lost in the media. I therefore again commend the gentlewoman from Florida for her resolution today and really her work all year, guided by her personal experience, to improve education and awareness of the benefits of breast cancer screening. The guidelines of the USPSTF should certainly not be interpreted as prohibiting a health care insurer from providing coverage for mammography services and should not be used by insurers to deny coverage for services that are not recommended on a routine basis. We recently marked the 25th anniversary of the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which celebrated great strides. We must continue that, and I urge support of the resolution.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman. Madam Speaker, only a few short months ago the world learned of the secret Iranian nuclear enrichment facility near the city of Qom. If there was any doubt that Iran was trying to build nuclear weapons, this revelation dispelled any shred of that doubt. The facility, kept secret from the International Atomic Energy Agency, was built deep in a mountain on a protected military base. This is how a country conceals a nuclear weapons program and defies U.N. Security Council resolutions, not how it develops peaceful energy technologies. Although Iran is a leading producer of crude oil, it has limited refining capability. This bill will increase leverage against Iran by penalizing companies that export refined petroleum products to Iran or finance Iran's domestic refining capabilities. It's my hope that the administration will apply these additional sanctions to make absolutely clear to the Ahmadinejad regime that the world will not accept its nuclear ambition. The U.S. and our allies in the U.N. Security Council have recognized that a nuclear-armed Iran would be a danger to the Middle East, to our ally, Israel, and to the nuclear nonproliferation regime. A nuclear- armed Iran is simply unacceptable, and we must support this sanction. To my colleagues who say that sanctions don't work, it only hurts the local population, the same argument, discredited argument, was made against South African sanctions. That worked. These sanctions will, too. Support the legislation.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Well, let me say to my friend, it's not my tempest and it's not my teapot. I wish the gentleman had come to us earlier before we were having the vote scheduled. We did not know of his objections prior to this debate. And perhaps if he had come to us a little bit earlier we might have been willing to accommodate him, but not knowing about it and being blindsided by his objection, I think it's kind of a little bit difficult to change it.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2134) to establish the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission, as amended.

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

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2134, a bill that I authored to establish a Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission. I thank Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their support of this bill. I am particularly grateful to Connie Mack, the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, which I chair, for being my lead Republican cosponsor of this bill. Madam Speaker, billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been spent over the years to fight the drug trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. In spite of our efforts, drug use in the United States has increased. According to the Brookings Institution, since the peak of the heroin and cocaine epidemics of the mid-1980s, consumption rates for these narcotics have remained more or less stable. At the same time, amphetamine use has spread. As Members of Congress, we owe it to our constituents to do a better job combating the drug trade and taking illegal drugs off of our cities' streets. I believe that we are long past due in reexamining our counternarcotics efforts here at home and throughout the Americas. H.R. 2134 will create an independent commission to evaluate U.S. drug policies and programs aimed at reducing illicit drug supply in the Americas and the demand for these drugs here at home. This commission will assess all aspects of the illegal drug trade, including prevention and treatment programs in the United States. The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission will be required to submit recommendations on future U.S. drug policy to Congress and various Cabinet secretaries, including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General. To tackle our Nation's horrific drug problem once and for all, we must have a better sense of what works and what does not work. The citizens of our great country, who deal every day with illegal drugs on their streets, and our partners in the Americas, who have worked with us in fighting the drug trade for years, deserve no less. Madam Speaker, I have long thought that, as we try to combat the growing of crops that produce drugs, we also need to combat the consumption side here at home, and this report will help us to understand what we can do more effectively. I urge my colleagues to support this crucial legislation. Congress of the United States, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, November 5, 2009. Hon. Howard Berman, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Howard. This is to advise you that, as a result of your having consulted with us on provisions in H.R. 2134, the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission Act of 2009, that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, we are able to agree to discharging our committee from further consideration of the bill, in order that it may proceed without delay to the House floor for consideration. The Judiciary Committee takes this action with the understanding that by forgoing further consideration of H.R. 2134 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill moves forward, so that we may address any remaining issues on matters in our jurisdiction. We also reserve the right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this important legislation, and request your support if such a request is made. I would appreciate your including this letter in your committee report, or in the Congressional Record during consideration of the bill on the House floor. Thank you for your attention to our requests, and for the cooperative relationship between our two committees. Sincerely, John Conyers, Jr., Chairman.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 213) expressing the sense of Congress for and solidarity with the people of El Salvador as they persevere through the aftermath of torrential rains which caused devastating flooding and deadly mudslides, as amended.

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

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 213, a resolution expressing our support for the people of El Salvador as they persevere through the aftermath of floods brought on by Hurricane Ida. I am the chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and I feel especially strongly about a resolution like this. I want to thank the ranking member of my subcommittee, Connie Mack, the gentleman from Florida, for introducing this important resolution. On November 9, a large portion of El Salvador was devastated by floods brought on by Hurricane Ida; 196 people were killed, 78 people are missing, and nearly 14,000 individuals are displaced from their homes. Our thoughts are with the people and Government of El Salvador as they cope with these difficult losses. The United States, through USAID and the U.S. Southern Command, has provided significant emergency relief and assistance to the people of El Salvador in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The President of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, and his government have worked closely with the United States to assist the affected populations. Let me add that I attended the inauguration of President Funes in El Salvador with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just a few months ago, and I am glad that our governments are working so closely together. And let me say that I have great confidence in President Funes as he takes on these crucial disaster relief efforts. I had the pleasure, when I attended the inauguration of Mr. Funes with Secretary Clinton, of meeting with then President-elect Funes at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad as well, so I have discussed things with him twice. As I have said, the U.S. and other countries have already done a great deal to assist El Salvador during this difficult time, but I believe much more remains to be done. I urge my colleagues to support this crucial legislation, and I again thank Representative Mack for his important initiative. I encourage the Obama administration to also support disaster relief efforts in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and we need to continue to assist the government and people of El Salvador and prevent future disasters by investing in the country's infrastructure. And I want to, again, say that Hurricane Ida's damages were not limited to El Salvador. Guatemala and Nicaragua were impacted as well. So I want to thank my friend, Congressman Mack, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Grand Concourse. As a proud, lifelong resident of the Bronx, I am pleased to co-sponsor H. Res. 907 recognizing the Grand Concourse as one of the most important and historic commerce and cultural centers of New York City. The Grand Concourse is both the backbone and the heart of the Bronx. Each and every day, thousands of Bronxites travel up and down the concourse, connecting our borough from the north and south of the borough. It unifies the Bronx and enables people to interact and frequent the scores of businesses and cultural landmarks which run up and down the highway. I grew up only four blocks from the Grand Concourse, and I have very fond memories of those days and the time spent along the thoroughfare. So much of my life, and the lives of my constituents, are tied to the Grand Concourse and I would not trade one moment of it for anything. As a child I watched films at the Loews Theater, I've attended numerous games at Yankee Stadium, and driven north along the Grand Concourse to visit Van Cortlandt Park. I look forward to the start of the next 100 years in the life of the Grand Concourse, and Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to come to the Bronx and do the same.