Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I want to thank my friend, Mr. Towns, for pointing out that this is a resolution supporting and congratulating the New York Yankees. I grew up less than a mile from Yankee Stadium, and I have seen the Bronx during good times and bad times. These are good times now. So I want to congratulate the Steinbrenner family. I want to congratulate Randy Levine and Lonn Trost and all the others who are connected with the New York Yankees. I am glad that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns) pointed out that this is a resolution about the Yankees. Frankly, I think that people should have the respect to talk about the Yankees when we are debating a resolution about the Yankees, not to talk about other bills or other things that the Congress is doing. I would hope that our friends on both sides of the aisle would respect that and would congratulate us and would congratulate the New York Yankees.

Mr. ENGEL

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

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, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 863) recognizing the scourge of pneumonia, urging the United States and the world to mobilize cooperation and prioritize resources to fight pneumonia and save children's lives, and recognizing November 2 as World Pneumonia Day, as amended.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The United States has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to reducing child mortality. We have endorsed the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, one of which is to reduce by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015 the under 5 mortality rate. We know about the scourge of hunger and the disastrous impacts of diseases like AIDS, malaria, and measles on children around the world. But many people are not aware of that more children die of pneumonia than anything else. Every 15 seconds, a child dies from pneumonia, about 2 million children each year. It is estimated that more than 150 million episodes of pneumonia occur every year among children under the age of 5 in developing countries, accounting for more than 95 percent of all new cases worldwide. Yet pneumonia is preventable; it is a treatable illness. A life can be saved with antibiotics that cost less than a dollar. It is really outrageous that we have the ability to save lives and we don't because the money is not used for it. Sadly, according to UNICEF, fewer than 20 percent of children suffering from pneumonia receive these antibiotics which they so desperately need. Despite the fact that pneumonia kills more children under 5 than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, it has received far less attention and funding than any of them. Pneumonia can be treated if recognized and diagnosed early. Yet fewer than 25 percent of caregivers in the developing world are trained to identify the two telltale symptoms of pneumonia: fast and difficult breathing. To raise awareness of these distressing statistics and to build support for addressing the problem, World Pneumonia Day is recognized annually on November 2. That was yesterday. And yesterday, organizations and countries across the globe joined forces in support of the first-ever World Pneumonia Day. I am proud to report in New York City where I live, more than 100 leaders in science, politics, and global health, including the Earth Institute of Columbia University, convened a Global Pneumonia Summit. The resolution before us, H. Res. 863, reaffirms our commitment into national child survival and development programs that focus on protection, prevention, and treatment of pneumonia. I commend the distinguished gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea- Porter) for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 858) congratulating the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) on its 40th anniversary and recognizing its significant accomplishments and contributions.

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 yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H. Res. 858, a resolution I offered congratulating the Inter-American Foundation, or the IAF, on its 40th anniversary, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. I first of all want to thank Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their support of this resolution. And, I am particularly grateful to Connie Mack, the ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which I chair, for being my colead on this resolution. Over the years, the Inter-American Foundation has enabled millions of marginalized and poor people in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve their lives through grants promoting income and employment generation, civic education and citizen participation, access to credit and public resources, food security, environmental sustainability, and cultural and social development. During Democratic and Republican administrations alike, the IAF has been an important model of grassroots foreign assistance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, it is a vital component of United States foreign policy in the Americas and of the United States development agenda. As chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I have had the pleasure of visiting Inter-American Foundation projects throughout the region in Latin America and the Caribbean, both places. In Ecuador, I visited with the Community Corporation and Action Foundation, CACMU, a women's microcredit cooperative where I saw firsthand the benefits reaped by IAF's relatively small investment. During that same visit, I also had the privilege of meeting with representatives of the Agro- ecology and Agro-tourism Foundation, a community organization focused on food security and natural resource management. The IAF's work does not simply provide tangible benefits to the poor. It is also extremely useful in maintaining a positive United States presence in Latin America and the Caribbean. As President Obama reengages with our neighbors in the hemisphere, the work of the IAF is more important than ever. In April, I had the pleasure of attending the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago as the leader of the U.S. congressional delegation. At the summit, President Obama pledged that the United States would ``be partners in helping to alleviate poverty'' in the region. One of the best ways that Congress can stand with President Obama in supporting a robust social agenda in the hemisphere is through continued strong support of the Inter-American Foundation. So I congratulate the IAF on its 40th anniversary, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Texas for his good words. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Well, as President Ronald Reagan used to say, there you go again. The same crowd that opposed Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s, who told us that that would bring socialized medicine to the United States, are now opposing health care for all, saying once again it will bring socialized medicine and all kinds of ills. We have 46 million or 47 million Americans that don't have health coverage, and that will grow to 50 million, 60 million, and 70 million, so people that have coverage now will lose their coverage if we do nothing. So this Democratic majority is going to do something. We are going to pass a comprehensive health care bill that will ensure that virtually all Americans will have health care. We are going to pass a bill that will make sure that the insurance companies can't refuse to cover you because they say you have a preexisting condition. We are going to make it so the insurance companies don't continue to collude amongst themselves to keep health care premiums high. We are going to make it so that we have affordable health care for all for the American people. The American people should reject the lies and scares and fear tactics. We are going to have health care for all, and it is going to be good for the American people.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I rise to support the resolution. We should reject the Goldstone Report, which is part of an ongoing effort at the U.N. to single out Israel and to deny Israel the same rights accorded to other nations. For example, of the 34 motions adopted by the so-called U.N. Human Rights Council since its inception in 2006, 27 of them are directed at Israel. I might say that these paragons of democracy on this Human Rights Council are Libya, Syria, and other dictatorships. The report equates Israel's long-delayed acts of self-defense with Hamas' 12,000 intentional, indiscriminate attacks on Israeli civilians since 2001. The report ignores the well-documented, unprecedented efforts by Israel to limit civilian casualties in Gaza neighborhoods where they were being used as human shields by the terrorists. Finally, the report fails to assign appropriate responsibility to Hamas for its decision to base itself and its military operations in heavily civilian-populated areas. This Congress should stand by the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and should reject the biased Goldstone Report.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Thank you very much. I thank my friend from Long Island for yielding to me. I, too, want to say very, very nice things about our colleague John McHugh. You know, I hope he's listening now because one of the things that's so nice--I received an award a couple of weeks ago, and all these people got up and said such nice things about me. I was wondering who they were talking about. But I said the nice thing about hearing this is that it is almost like being at your own funeral, except you're alive to hear it. John can hear all the wonderful things we're saying about him from the heart. We mean it, and I think everyone can see the bipartisan feelings of affection that we have for John McHugh. John and I both served in Albany, New York, in the State legislature. I served in the State assembly for 12 years, and John served in the State senate for 8. Our careers sort of went along the same path. John and I are about the same age, and we served in Albany and in Washington at the same time; although, I always remind him that I was senior to him in both Albany and Washington. But one of the things that you always know about John is that he is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet. You know, the House gym is where you really get to meet people, talk, relax, and know them. John and I, as it turned out, had lockers right next to each other, so we often chatted there as well. I never heard him say a nasty word about anybody. He always had a smile on his face, was always pleasant, and was always caring. As some of my colleagues have said, he looked like the stereotypical Member of Congress, what a Member of Congress should look like, should act like, should be like-- that was John. And I'm sorry to lose him, but I'm happy to lose him at the same time, because I think that the President couldn't have picked a better person to be Secretary of the Army. Our colleagues have talked about some of his accomplishments and some of the things that he's done. He's had many accomplishments and has done many things, but the thing that I like most about John is that he is just a plain nice guy, down to Earth, caring about people. Actually, everything that a public servant should be, John is. We miss him already here in the House, but we know he's doing great work for our country as Secretary of the Army. John is a quiet person. He is not someone who is going to toot his own horn and tell you how great he is or get up and give a rousing speech, telling someone off. That's not John. John is quiet, mild-mannered, caring, smart, the kind of person that we all know should be in public service. So I wouldn't for the world miss this opportunity to say my words of tribute to my good friend who we're going to miss, as I said, but know he's going to do a great job. John McHugh, whatever he does, he'll do great, and I know that he will be a great Secretary of the Army. I thank the gentleman for letting me say a few words.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Ryan White CARE Act. The Ryan White CARE Act holds a very special significance to New York State. As home to 16 percent of the Nation's AIDS population, New York remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS crisis. New York has nearly 120,000 residents living with HIV/AIDS and our State and cities have been proud to partner with the Federal Government in providing care for many of these individuals. New York State receives more than $300 million in Ryan White funds under all parts of the act to provide a range of health care and support services. Through Ryan White programs, 22,000 uninsured New Yorkers receive medications and ambulatory care services and thousands more receive other essential services such as mental health, case management, nutrition, and treatment adherence support services. These individuals must be guaranteed uninterrupted access to these vital services. It is critical that Congress act swiftly on the reauthorization of the Ryan White Reauthorization which nationwide provides lifesaving medications, health care and support services to over 500,000 people. As you know, unlike most reauthorizations Congress inserted a sunset provision into the act in 2006 requiring Congressional action by September 30, 2009. While we extended temporary funding for the program in the recent CR, it is important that we do not delay enactment of a full reauthorization so that our States, cities and localities can be assured of a stable source of needed funding. While 3 years ago, this reauthorization was the subject of much disagreement and dissent, we are in a different place today. Fortunately, members on both sides of the aisle, and more than 250 organizations in the United States have worked hard over the past year to develop legislative principles where there is much agreement. This bill will provide immeasurable assistance to more than half a million low-income people served by the Ryan White CARE Act programs. I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I rise today to speak on behalf of a fallen hero from my district. On October 2, Patrick Joyce, Jr., and his fellow firefighters responded to a call of a burning building in Yonkers, New York. He was searching the burning building when an explosion of flame hurled him and two other firefighters out of a third-story window. The other two survived with serious injuries; but, sadly, Patrick, married and the father of two little girls, did not survive. Patrick and his wife, Tara, met as teenagers in my neighborhood of Riverdale the year before I first came to Congress. They married and had two daughters, Charlotte and Isabella. The family was planning to visit an apple orchard this weekend. Instead, they attended his funeral. I also attended Patrick Joyce's funeral mass. He was beloved by not only his family but by his fellow firefighters and his community. The loss of any life is one to be mourned, but the loss of a life such as Patrick's is doubly devastating. The Nation truly honors people like Patrick who are willing to risk their lives to save others. Little Charlotte said of her father, ``This wasn't supposed to happen. Daddy fixed everything. He made everything better.'' Now he's gone at age 39, and we all miss him. It's become almost a cliche to praise our firefighters since the heroism shown on 9/11 but, for me, there will never be enough. Patrick Joyce, Jr. was taken from us far too early. On behalf of his wife, Tara; his children, Charlotte and Isabella; his friends and family; and the people of Yonkers, I would like to state for the record, in conclusion, in the words of Charlotte, that this was not supposed to happen. You did make everything better. Patrick, you will be sorely missed by everyone you touched in life and those of us who are saddened by your death.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the longstanding and happy marriage of two of my constituents, Bob Fred Calvin Richardson and Cleola Johnson Richardson. This August 20 they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Bob and Cleola took their wedding vows at a garden ceremony at Mrs. Richardson's home in Meadville, Pennsylvania on August 20, 1949. They have since moved to Mt. Vernon, NY, where they owned and operated their business Richardson Electronics. They have been residents of Mt. Vernon for 45 years. Bob and Cleola have four wonderful children, Paula, Marilyn, Robert and Candice, ten grandchildren, as well as two great grandchildren. I want to congratulate Bob and Cleola Richardson on their 60th anniversary and wish them the best of luck as they spend the rest of their lives together.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, or GEAR UP. This program has improved educational outcomes for over a million low-income students across the United States by providing college readiness partnerships and scholarships for low income students.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and my good friend from New York for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, September 11 will always have a special meaning in our hearts and in our lives. I guess the previous generation, when you said December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, that was something that stuck in their minds. But, for us, September 11 is a date that will live, as President Roosevelt said, in infamy. September 11 showed us the worst in people, the terrorists that killed approximately 2,000 people in New York and at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, but it also showed the best in people, New Yorkers and others who came to try to save people, certainly at the World Trade Center. Every week when I go back to New York, I look at the skyline of New York and something is missing. It always feels, to me, empty. It always feels wrong. Of course, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are missing. But as much as I have pain in my heart for the missing towers, it is nothing like the pain in my heart and the grief I have for the thousands of people that were killed and for their families. I was very proud to be a New Yorker that day. I said it on the floor of this House soon afterwards 8 years ago. I am still very, very proud to be a New Yorker. But there is still much more work to be done. We have been fighting for years for a health care bill that would enable first responders and good Samaritans who came to the World Trade Center day in and day out, digging sometimes with their bare hands to try to find victims and who very often did find victims, and now who are suffering from irreparable injuries to their lungs and to their health. We need a bill, and the New York delegation has been fighting for a bill that will take care of these people who, by the way, come from all 50 States, and we need to do that. This Congress needs to do that. But also, as Mr. Towns said, we need to remember those people, the people who perished and the thousands of people who came to the aid of and to help the victims, to save their lives, to escort them to safety, to come and try to find people in the rubble. That again showed the best of humanity, the best of Americans, the best of New Yorkers, the best of what this country has to offer. Again, Mr. Speaker, September 11 will obviously never be the same and will hold a special meaning. I generally have not attended meetings or any kind of things on that day in the 8 years because it is, for me, a day of reflection, but I am very, very proud that this Congress is taking up this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. I thank the chairman for his yielding to me, and I rise in strong support of this resolution. And I want to reiterate some of the things I said before with Mr. Towns. When I go back to New York every week and look at the skyline of New York, it will never be the same. The World Trade Center is no longer there, and as much as that pains me, it pales in comparison to the fact that we lost nearly 3,000 people that day, and each and every one of those lives was precious. And what September 11 means to me, it means to me what the previous generation talked about December 7. President Roosevelt said during December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, that was a day of infamy. Well, to us, September 11, 2001, will always be a day of infamy. But yet it was a day that showed the best in people as well as obviously the worst in people. The terrorists who attacked us showed the worst in people. But the first responders and the people from all parts of the country who came to save people's lives and try to dig people out of the rubble, that's the best in people. I want to mention that the New York delegation has been fighting for a health bill which would ensure that those who were first responders and others who came as volunteers at the World Trade Center saving lives, that their health needs should be taken care of by this country, and there are people who live in all 50 States. So, Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate and mourn the lives that were lost at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and at Shanksville, Pennsylvania--and there were many people in my district who were killed, as there were in all districts in New York--we have to redouble our efforts to fight terrorism. But I want to say that I was very, very proud that day to be an American and proud to be a New Yorker because the way the people of New York responded was exemplary. So every day we hear more and more people who were lost at the World Trade Center. So I hope we can pass this unanimously.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague who just spoke before me because I think he hit the nail right on the head. President Obama spoke to schoolchildren today. I listened to it. It was very moving. It was very good to see the President of the United States talk directly to America's youth, and it was disgraceful to see, during the past week, parents, some teachers and some schools saying that they weren't going to allow their children to listen to the President of the United States. What a sad day it is when people can talk that way. The President of the United States is to be respected by all. He is all of our President, not just the President for the people who voted for him. I voted for him, and I'm proud that I did, but he is everybody's President; he is every Americans' President. I believe that tomorrow, as he did today with schoolchildren, the President will make a very, very good speech on health care-- highlighting health care, why we need health care reform, why it's important to have it. There are 40 million Americans who have no health insurance coverage whatsoever--47 million--and it will soon be 60 and 70 million. That's why we need health coverage, and I welcome the President's speech tomorrow.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the longstanding and happy marriage of two of my constituents, Bob Fred Calvin Richardson and Cleola Johnson Richardson. This August 20 they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. Bob and Cleola took their wedding vows at a garden ceremony at Mrs. Richardson's home in Meadville, Pennsylvania on August 20, 1949. They have since moved to Mt. Vernon, NY, where they owned and operated their business Richardson Electronics. They have been residents of Mt. Vernon for 45 years. Bob and Cleola have four wonderful children, Paula, Marilyn, Robert and Candice, ten grandchildren, as well as two great grandchildren. I want to congratulate Bob and Cleola Richardson on their 60th anniversary and wish them the best of luck as they spend the rest of their lives together.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the gentleman from New Jersey's amendment to restrict funding for the FAA's ill-conceived New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia airspace redesign plan. This plan was jammed down our throats with zero input from the residents it harms the most. It would put an additional 200 to 400 flights a day over my constituents in Rockland County, New York, with lots and lots of overhead noise, and the FAA won't even tell us how much. They tried to do it without any kind of public hearing. They tried to sneak it. They have been a bad player and have acted in bad faith. There was no notification to myself or other elected officials whose districts are affected. The residents have not had ample opportunities to have their concerns and comments heard. Landing at Newark Airport right over my communities is totally unacceptable. The noise level will be increased and, again, FAA doesn't tell us how much. I have let President Obama, Secretary LaHood and FAA Administrator Babbitt know that I am totally opposed to this. I commend the gentleman from New Jersey for this amendment. This plan must be defeated. It is not going to serve anyone, certainly not our country.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. The majority Democrats in this Congress are trying very hard to pass a health care bill that will be a good bill for the American people. Our friends on the other side of the aisle don't seem to want to cooperate. It's a national disgrace that there are 47 million Americans that have no health care coverage whatsoever. It's a national disgrace that our emergency rooms are being used to help people that have no coverage whatsoever. It's a national disgrace that so many of our health care dollars are going into administrative costs. We are trying to craft a plan that will put America back on the road so that every American will have health care; so that health care as we know it will be improved; so that people that like their health care can keep their health care, but people that don't have health care, can get health care. We know that the system is broken. I don't want to hear people on the other side of the aisle talk about deficits because when they were in the majority for 12 years, they gave us the biggest deficits in American history and left us with red ink as far as the eye can see. So I would urge my friends on both sides of the aisle, let's put our heads together and come up with a real, good health plan that America can be proud of.