Eliot Engel

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, Carmel Reilly has been a member of the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians for 8 years and in that relatively brief time has been involved in so many activities involving AOH causes that she has been named its 2008 Hibernian of the Year. Carmel is the daughter of Matt and Moira Reilly from Blauvelt where she grew up along with her three sisters. The family's Irish heritage was incorporated into everyday life and Irish step-dancing lessons resulted in Carmel being a participant in Rockland County's first ever Feis in 1974. Carmel has participated in all things Irish: St. Patrick's Day parades, Irish festivals, and Feiseanna, to mention just a few events. She joined the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Division 3 in 2001 and quickly joined the Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. In 2003, she was part of the newly formed Halfway to St. Patrick's Day committee. As chairperson of the committee's highly successful Night at the Races, over $20,000 was raised for the Rockland County St. Patrick's Day Parade over the next 2 years. As a Ladies AOH member, Carmel was always ready to volunteer. She has been the chair of more than a dozen Christmas and St. Patrick's Day dinners. She has contributed to the Rockland AOH/LAOH Feis for several years and was a co-chairperson, along with Michael O'Sullivan, of the Feis journal for 2 years. In 2004, Carmel began raising funds for the Rockland Gaelic Athletic Association, originating the highly successful Pub Quiz, which is in its fifth season. Carmel also has the Irish love of horses and in 2006 she invested in two racehorses--one of which, Tater Tutt, recently won his fifth race from his last six starts. Carmel, a Dominican College alumna, is employed as the Treasury/ Budget Manager for Common Ground, an organization that helps the homeless find housing. Working with the Rockland AOH in assisting hurricane victims or sending a notice of a fundraiser to hundreds of supporters, Carmel tirelessly gives her time and energy. Her energy and devotion have earned her this honor, and I join in congratulating her for this recognition.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I report the passing of Marina E. Ortega, a long time resident of Mount Vernon, who died on February 7, 2008. She was born January 18, 1938 to Felix and Maria Ortega in Jamaica, West Indies, where she was raised. She trained as a nurse in England, graduating as a state certified midwife. In 1968, she arrived in the United States and worked as head nurse in the medical/surgical unit at United Hospital. She also obtained her certificate as a nurse practitioner, HIV counselor, and New York State certified nurses aids trainer and examiner. She retired in 1992 and worked as a volunteer at the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center until June 2006. During this period she established a volunteer services program and placed over 300 volunteers at the center; she set up and coordinated a Reach-Out and Read literacy program for children, which became a model program for the State; and served on all fundraising committees. In 2006, Ms. Ortega organized and served as president of the Caribbean Cultural Caucus where she fought vigorously for an amnesty bill for the English-speaking Caribbean nations. In 2000, in part because of her work, I introduced legislation to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act in regard to Caribbean-born immigrants. Ms. Ortega was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Vernon. She is survived by a sister, Helen Graham; three brothers, Francisco Ortega, Sisto Ortega, and St. George Walker; two aunts, Josepha, Castera and Daisy Hernandez; a sister-in-law, Sylvia Webb; with Carol Morris and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Marina and I worked together many times in helping the Caribbean community. She was ardent and steadfast in helping people as a nurse, as a volunteer, and as someone who cared deeply for her community. It is with great sorrow that I and the entire community say farewell to her.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, nearly 2 weeks ago Officer Christopher Ridley, age 23, of the Mount Vernon New York Police Department saw a street scuffle outside a county social services building in White Plains, New York. While off duty and in plain clothes, he drew his service weapon and attempted to break up the fight. Unfortunately, officers from the Westchester County police also came upon the scuffle and tragically and mistakenly fired on Officer Ridley, who was killed. Last week I attended the wake and funeral of Officer Ridley in the City of Mount Vernon, which is in my congressional district. Hundreds of local residents, police, and others from throughout the area turned out to pay their final respects. My heart goes out to Officer Ridley and his family by this terrible tragedy. One of our finest was struck down at a very young age, which is around the age of two of my children. The investigation into the shooting has begun, but the life of a brave 23-year-old is already taken. I ask my colleagues to remember Officer Ridley, who was posthumously promoted to detective, and also remember so many others for the brave sacrifice they make each and every day protecting us and our communities. We must always remember those in law enforcement for the difficult job they are called to do each and every day. May Detective Ridley always be remembered for his brave commitment to maintaining the peace and keeping us safe.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to once again express my support for the independence of Kosovo, which is a nation in the Balkans, 90 percent ethnic Albanian country that has struggled a great deal and is now on the verge of independence. I would like to put a little history in perspective. The former Yugoslavia has broken up, and much of the components of the former Yugoslavia have become independent nations. I have long argued that so, too, the people of Kosovo deserve to be an independent country. There have recently been negotiations in which the United States and Russia and the European Union, called the Troika, have taken part, negotiations between Serbia and the Kosovar Albanians. And just 2 days ago, on December 10, after 120 days of negotiations, it has been found that no agreement could be reached. So now the question remains that, since no agreement was reached, what should happen? I say that Kosovo should very soon declare its independence, and that the United States and the European Union and other freedom-loving countries should recognize the new nation of Kosovo. There is a plan called the Atasari plan which was put together by the Scandinavian diplomat that has been blocked in the United Nations because of Russian threats and intransigence. The Atasari plan, which grants supervised independence to Kosovo, should be immediately implemented. And when the people of Kosovo declare their independence, that Attasari plan should be implemented again with the European Union and the United States recognizing the newly formed nation. This should come soon after the first of the year, perhaps a few weeks or months into the new year, and I intend to be in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, when independence is finally declared and accepted. I rise because I think that the United States plays a very vital role and does play and has played a very vital role, and the people of Kosovo trust the United States to be there and be their friends. I want to say to the people of Kosovo that the United States has always been your friend and will continue to be your friend. The long and troubled history of the Balkans we all know; wars started there, world wars started there, and I think perhaps a little history to where we got to where we are now. In 1999, basically every Kosovar Albanian, 2 million were driven out by the then-dictator of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, and the United States came to the rescue and bombed and helped prevent ethnic cleansing in the area. So when the Kosovar Albanians came back, they found that virtually every one of their homes were burned, some to the ground and beyond recognition. The country has been building itself up since then, but only independence can get the country on the right track. Since that time, the United Nations and the UNMIK forces of the United Nations have been governing Kosovo sort of as an international governance. But the time for that is over. The people of Kosovo need to know that there is a future and they need to know that they, like other peoples in the world, can lead their own nation to freedom and democracy. So, again, I rise here to once again offer my support for the people of Kosovo, for the independence of Kosovo, to tell them that the United States will stand behind them, and I hope that shortly after the first of the year again the U.S. will be among the first countries to recognize the new independent nation of Kosovo. They are going to need our help and we will continue to give it to them.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address H.R. 4351, the Alternative Minimum Tax Relief Act. Mr. Speaker, the original idea behind the alternative minimum tax, AMT, was to prevent people with very high incomes from using special tax benefits to pay little or no income tax. The AMT's reach, however, has expanded beyond just the wealthy to threaten millions in the middle class. And when the AMT applies, its costs are often substantial. One reason for the AMT's expansion is that, unlike the regular income tax system, the AMT is not indexed for inflation. Another reason is that individual income tax cuts enacted since 2001 have provided higher credits and deductions and lowered tax rates, thereby leading to more taxpayers owing tax under the AMT. Last year, 4.2 million Americans were affected by the AMT. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that, if Congress does not act, 23 million taxpayers will be affected this year. That will include over 54,000 families in my district--many of whom do not have very high income, and do not receive many special tax benefits. We need to protect these Americans from the AMT. Further, according to the New York City Independent Budget Office, the percentage of New York City taxpayers currently hit by the AMT far exceeds the comparable national estimate: 6.7 percent versus 4.0 percent. The bill before us today provides a much needed 1-year patch for the AMT. It is a necessary step in the right direction on this issue; and we completely pay for it. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4351.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise as a 10-term member of the United States House of Representatives, co-author of the DRIVE Act, Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy Act, H.R. 670, and co-chair of the Oil and National Security Caucus. For too long, the United States has been too dependent on foreign oil. We consume nearly 21 million barrels per day, and our appetite is growing. This reliance on a single resource is particularly troubling because much of that oil comes from nations that are unstable, unfriendly, or downright hostile. Despite our economic dominance, we continue to give our money to foreign nations because we are addicted to foreign oil. Despite our military might, we remain vulnerable because we are addicted to foreign oil. Mr. Speaker, it is time for that to change. It is time for bold leadership to move us toward energy independence. Energy independence is a goal that other countries are already achieving. Brazil, a nation that once relied on foreign countries to import 80 percent of its crude oil, will be entirely self-sufficient in a few years thanks to its investment in biofuels. I believe we can become self-sufficient by replacing our consumption of foreign oil with domestic production of biofuels; first from corn, then from cellulosic feedstock and other biomass--including agricultural and municipal waste. I am proud of the legislation that this legislative body has produced today. This bill will strengthen national security, lower energy costs, grow our economy and create new jobs, and begin to reduce global warming. This legislation takes groundbreaking steps to increase the efficiency of our vehicles, making an historic commitment to American grown biofuels, requiring that 15 percent of our electricity come from renewable sources, and strengthening energy efficiency for a wide range of products, appliances, lighting and buildings to reduce energy costs to consumers. It mandates increased automotive fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020, the first such change since 1975. It repeals tax breaks for profit-rich oil companies, and invests that money in clean renewable energy and new American technologies. Not only would this reduce our dependence on foreign oil, the measure would also save consumers billions of dollars. Mr. Speaker, among the specific legislative initiatives in this bill near-and-dear to my heart, that I have long advocated with some of my friends and distinguished colleagues here in the House, are: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, PHEV, and other Advanced Drive Transportation Technologies, which will save fuels costs for consumers and businesses, reduce air pollution, and decrease dependence on imported oil; National Tire Efficiency Consumer Information Program, which will create a national program to educate consumers about the crucial role played by passenger tires, and the proper maintenance of passenger tires, on vehicle fuel economy; Renewable Fuels Standard, which will ensure that a percentage of our nation's fuel supply will be provided by the domestic production of biofuels. It will provide a pathway for reduced consumer fuel prices, increased energy security, and growth in our nation's factories and farms. United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Provisions, which establish a grant program to fund joint ventures between American and Israeli businesses, academic institutions, and non-profit agencies, with the goal of promoting the development of clean alternative fuels and more energy efficient technologies. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will help pave a path to a new era in American energy. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this pragmatic and forward-looking bill. Thank you.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, on December 1, 2007, we commemorated World AIDS Day, and reflected both on the lives lost so far and on our continued moral obligation to ensure we provide necessary treatment and research to assist those living with HIV/AIDS. As a senior member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have fought hard for increased federal dollars for New York to treat more than 111,000 New Yorkers living with HIV/ AIDS today. New York remains the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic in our nation with nearly 18 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Last year, during the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which addresses the unmet primary care and health support needs of low income people living with HIV/AIDS, I led the charge to stave off the Administration's proposal to dramatically shift needed funding away from New York. This year, we were able to achieve record increases in funding nationwide for the Ryan White CARE Act in the Labor-Health and Human Service appropriations bill. Sadly, President Bush vetoed this critical legislation on November 13, 2007. I have also introduced the bi-partisan Early Treatment for HIV Act with Speaker Pelosi and Representative Ros-Lehtinen, which reforms rules in the Medicaid program which mandates that people be disabled by AIDS before receiving treatment. This rule is inconsistent with national health guidelines for those with HIV, which recommends early and aggressive treatment for those with HIV to keep their illnesses from progressing to AIDS. My bill will allow states to treat low-income individuals with HIV under the Medicaid program. HIV no longer has to be a death sentence with the new medical treatments available today. Globally, we must also continue to be mindful of the 33 million individuals currently living with HIV/AIDS. Over 5,700 people die each day from AIDS related illnesses and the United States must provide adequate resources to help stop the global scourge of AIDS. As you may know, Tuberculosis is the leading infectious killer among adults with HIV/AIDS, as it preys upon these individuals with weakened immune systems. I am pleased to report that my bill, H.R. 1567, the Stop Tuberculosis Now Act recently passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly and is currently awaiting action by the U.S. Senate. Worldwide, tuberculosis kills 1.6 million adults and 1.4 million children each year. My bill will go a long way towards providing resources to those with both HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. I am proud that the AIDS Institute has decided to honor me with their ``HIV/AIDS Care & Treatment Award for 2007''. I am grateful for the award but am equally aware that World AIDS Day must prompt us to examine what progress we have made and reevaluate what additional steps should be taken to combat this deadly epidemic. Madam Speaker, working together we can address both prevention and early treatment options, and hopefully one day find a cure for AIDS.

Mr. ENGEL

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 such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have now concluded six bills that came out of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I just want to congratulate all the sponsors of the bills and the members of the committee. You can see these bills were all supported with strong bipartisan support. But I want to especially commend the staffs on both sides of the aisle for working very, very hard in getting these bills through. The very first bill we did was H.R. 1567, which was my bill, the Stop TB Now Act of 2007. And I want to especially commend my legislative director, Emily Gibbons, who was so responsible for this bill. If it wasn't for her, I don't think this bill would have come to its fruition. She was tenacious and was extraordinarily helpful to me in passing this legislation, and this legislation is clearly also a tribute to her fine work. So I wanted to mention that, and I wanted to again thank my colleague from Arkansas.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of this resolution. I first want to thank the gentleman from California, our colleague Mr. Honda, for this resolution congratulating the Ethiopian people for their nation's second millennium. I also commend America's large Ethiopian community, the Committee for the Celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium, and Ambassador Samuel Assefa and his staff for making the celebration in Washington, D.C. a truly memorable event. That celebration brought together the finest Ethiopian artists, musicians, scientists, and scholars from around the world for the purpose of making the event not just a social festival but also a learning experience. Mr. Speaker, Ethiopia is one of the most fascinating countries in the world. It is a country of great antiquity with a culture and tradition dating back thousands of years. The most recent humanoid remains yet discovered, known as ``Lucy,'' were found in Ethiopia. Modern-day Ethiopia is a multiethnic country with some 83 languages spoken, most of which belong to four main language groups. It is a multireligious country where for centuries, Christians, Muslims, and Jews have co-existed. In a region of the country known as Kaffa, Ethiopians in the ninth century discovered what we now know as coffee. Ethiopians still practice a traditional ceremony around coffee, a significant social event of the day for family and community. Today Ethiopia is an emerging democracy, a leader on the continent of Africa, and a friend to the United States. Ethiopia stood by the American people on September 11 and has continued to cooperate with the U.S. Government and the world community in the fight against terrorism. I wish to express our gratitude and to extend our best wishes to the people of Ethiopia as their nation observes the beginning of its third millennium. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. H.R. 1567, the Stop TB Now Act, which I introduced with my colleagues, the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith), has 106 bipartisan cosponsors, and I am proud it is moving forward today. It is a very, very important and timely bill. International tuberculosis control has become an important issue to me. It is remarkable in this day and age, with treatment available, that TB is the biggest infectious killer of young women in the world. In fact, TB kills more women worldwide than all causes of maternal mortality. As you know, tuberculosis is also the biggest killer of people with AIDS worldwide. Someone in the world is newly infected with TB every second, and TB counts for more than one-quarter of all preventable adult deaths in developing countries. I strongly believe that the global community, with the United States in the lead, must do more to adequately address this disease by investing in quality TB control programs, using the groundbreaking Global Plan to Stop TB as a guide. It is for this reason that I have introduced this bill, the Stop TB Now Act, which will set forth the U.S. fair share towards achieving the goals of the Global Plan. I believe if we don't make bold and wise investments in international tuberculosis control, not only will we fail to save millions of lives and miss out on the many accompanying benefits of controlling this killer, but also that this disease will become far more difficult and costly to treat. Extremely drug-resistant TB, or XDR-TB for short, highlights this danger. It has been found on six continents, is a growing epidemic in southern Africa, and is already reported to be here in the U.S. Regular, or non-drug-resistant, TB is curable with drugs that cost just $16 in most developing countries. Cases of drug-resistant TB, however, can cost thousands of dollars to cure, with treatment that is far more difficult for patients and practitioners. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a man-made problem and is caused by poor TB treatment. We, the global community, have the power to prevent drug-resistant TB and the power to treat and control regular TB, and yet, unfortunately, we have chosen not to do so by our inaction. Through aggressive, committed leadership, the U.S. has proven that it is feasible to massively scale-up our investment to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria, and well we should. We have increased funding to fight AIDS from $840 million in 2001 to $2.9 billion in 2004, to over $4.4 billion in the House Foreign Operations bill in fiscal year 2008. U.S. funding for malaria efforts increased from $100 million in 2006 to an administration request of $387 million for fiscal year 2008, with a House Foreign Operations level of $350 million. Even our response to the potential threat of avian flu has been aggressive, from just $4 million a few years ago to $100 million in the Foreign Operations budget for fiscal year 2008 and an additional $160 million in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental. However, only tuberculosis, the greatest curable infectious killer on the planet, has been left behind, and we must correct that, and that's the purpose of this legislation. Because of our chronic neglect of tuberculosis, this disease is not only responsible for the preventable deaths of some 4,000 people every day, it is undermining our enormous efforts and billions in investments to fight AIDS. Tuberculosis is the leading killer of people with AIDS. Through U.S. leadership, we are seeing increasing numbers of AIDS patients access life-saving antiretroviral therapy, but they're not dying of AIDS. They're dying instead of tuberculosis. And what a shame that is and how ridiculous it is when we have the power to stop and end it. And more recently, people have been dying in large numbers in southern Africa due to drug-resistant TB. While the President's AIDS initiative has made commendable scale-ups in TB and HIV efforts, they are still, in my opinion, grossly insufficient. Much of PEPFAR's scale-up supports testing tuberculosis patients for HIV and ensuring that TB and AIDS programs work together. It's very important. I'm glad we're doing it, but it's not addressing the core TB program needs. And PEPFAR's TB-HIV efforts are focused on those co-infected with both diseases and mostly in Africa, again, while commendable, but TB is a global problem and we need to combat it everywhere. The costs of inaction are greater than the costs laid out in this bill. This past spring, it became clearer than ever that tuberculosis knows no border when a gentleman named Andrew Speaker, an attorney from Atlanta, traveled across the globe and came back to the United States with a highly resistant form of TB. We all remember that. Many of us were shocked by it. Being from New York, I'm very familiar with what happens when TB control is neglected. In the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the City of New York paid a dear price for its failure to invest adequately in tuberculosis control. The city, along with many other areas of the country at the time, experienced an epidemic of tuberculosis. In this case, the epidemic was a multidrug-resistant TB, which inevitably develops in the absence of basic TB control. New York City launched an aggressive tuberculosis control campaign and brought down its burden of drug-resistant TB. The cost to the city? Over $1 billion to control some 300 cases, far higher than it would have been and it would have cost to prevent the situation in the first place. Tuberculosis is not just a global issue, but as we can see, it's certainly a local one as well. When it comes to tuberculosis, Mr. Speaker, we simply cannot afford to maintain the status quo. The resources authorized in this bill represent a realistic and urgently needed increase in funding for global TB control based on the needs laid out in a costed-out, comprehensive business plan. The cost of inaction is much, much greater. In conclusion, I would especially like to pay tribute to our former colleague, Senator Sherrod Brown, who was a champion of global tuberculosis efforts during his time in the House. He's doing this great work as well now in the Senate. I would also like to thank the many groups whose advocacy helped bring the Stop TB Now Act to the floor, particularly RESULTS and the American Thoracic Society. Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Lantos, Congressman Payne and their staffs for their unfailing support for tuberculosis control and this legislation and to the Energy and Commerce Committee and Mr. Dingell for expediting consideration of this bill. I'm proud to serve on both the Foreign Affairs and the Energy and Commerce Committee, the two committees that have jurisdiction on this bill. Again, this is truly a bipartisan bill. I wish to thank the ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and all the people, all the colleagues who have cooperated on both sides of the aisle because only by working together can we get at the scourge of TB. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. I have no further speakers, but I would like to respond a bit to some of the points that you made.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I thank my colleague, and I just want to let him know and let my colleagues know that we worked together with Senator Lugar, who's the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we specified that the funding would be a ceiling, not a floor. The bill appropriates up to $400 million in 2008 and up to $550 million in 2009, including global activities to be carried out by USAID and CDC. So that's what we did. We negotiated it so we wouldn't necessarily spend all the money. We would spend up to that amount of money, and that would be the limit, but it would not be the money that we would spend if we didn't need to spend it. We worked closely with WHO, CDC and USAID, and the overall global number is derived from Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB 2006 through 2015, of which WHO is a partner and USAID is the current Chair of the Stop TB Partnership's coordinating board. The plan is well documented, detailed, costed out, and again, builds up from country estimates and was reviewed in an exhaustive process. Finally and furthermore, the World Health Organization developed and released a ``Global MDR-TB and XDR-TB Response Plan'' that supplements the need calculated by the Global Plan's need in light of the outbreak of drug-resistant TB. USAID and the CDC work together globally and both have agreed to this coordination of funding, and again, we have a ceiling of what we spend and not a floor. So, again, I thank my colleague. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL

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. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Let me first thank my good friend and colleague, the chairman of the Europe Subcommittee, Mr. Wexler from Florida, for introducing this important bill. The Eurasia Foundation has been a key U.S. government partner in the ongoing effort to promote democracy, expand economic opportunities, and facilitate government reform in countries that formerly comprised the Soviet Union. Created in 1992 with bipartisan support, the Eurasia Foundation has invested over $360 million in Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia in programs that have complemented United States goals for participatory government and active citizenry in this region. In addition, the Eurasia Foundation has been able to leverage significant private sector funding, in main part due to the annual funding support from the U.S. Government. This bill seeks to enhance those efforts by recognizing the Eurasia Foundation as a distinct and independent entity that could continue to raise private capital while under a U.S. Government authorization. Vital work remains unfinished in this part of the world. It is clear that political and economic stability in Eurasia will have a direct impact on the security of the United States. For these reasons, it's imperative that we continue to support programs such as those conducted by the Eurasia Foundation. I strongly support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to do the same. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 379) congratulating Nicolas Sarkozy on his election to the presidency of France, 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 to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. I would first like to commend our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), for introducing this important resolution that congratulates Mr. Sarkozy on being elected the next President of France. Over two centuries ago, the people of France assisted the people of the United States in their pursuit of independence during the American Revolution. Since then, the U.S. and France have shared an extensive and mutually beneficial relationship. Today, the United States and France are major economic partners, with nearly $1 billion in trade taking place between the two countries each and every day. France is the United States' ninth largest partner for trade in goods and sixth largest partner for trade and services. The United States and France are scientific and technical partners as well. Research institutions and private companies in both countries participate in extensive scientific collaboration on a wide range of issues, including computer development, biotechnology, and space exploration. This spirit of cooperation also typifies the cultural exchange that takes place between American and French academic institutions, museums, and theatres. In light of our continued friendship between the people of the United States and France, we are honored that President Sarkozy will be appearing before a joint session of Congress this week on November 7, 2007. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, which congratulates Mr. Nicholas Sarkozy on his election to the presidency of France and welcomes President Sarkozy to Washington. I might also add that it is especially nice that the leader of France has demonstrated time and time again that he has warm feelings towards the United States of America and is, indeed, a pro-American leader of France. The relations between the United States and France in the past several years has been a little frosty, and it's nice to see that those frosty relations have thawed. It's nice to see a leader of France who understands and wants to work with the United States and understands that we have a very close, long-standing relationship between our people. I welcome President Sarkozy. I look forward to hearing him when he speaks before a joint session of the House and Congress later on this week. I think that this resolution is a fitting tribute to him, and I believe that the United States and France, under his leadership, will enjoy warm ties. If I can think a bit about my French from grammar school, I could say, Vive la France. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I would continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. ENGEL

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 435) expressing concern relating to the threatening behavior of the Iranian regime and its leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the activities of terrorist organizations sponsored by that regime in Latin America, as amended.

Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume. I want to thank the gentlemen from Florida, Mr. Klein and Mr. Mack, both active and valued members of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, which I chair, for their work on this timely and important resolution that raises awareness about Iran's growing foothold in the Western Hemisphere and its national security implications for all countries of this region. This resolution is particularly valuable as it catalogues a series of facts and actions related to the growing presence of Iran south of our border. Last month, immediately after his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Iranian President Ahmadinejad flew to Venezuela and Bolivia. This was his third trip the region this year. Mr. Ahmadinejad has used these trips to announce increased diplomatic cooperation and multilateral agreements on energy and industry. Iranian involvement, Mr. Speaker, in Latin America is not new, as we all know. In 1994, Iran and its proxy terrorist group, Hezbollah, were involved in planning the bombing of the AMIA Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, where 85 people lost their lives in the bombing. In fact, just last week I met with the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, who updated me on Argentina's progress on the AMIA bombings. Hezbollah remains operational in parts of Latin America, and they continue to fundraise for their global operations. The United States must do everything we can to help Latin America crack down on terrorist groups in the region, both through joint military exercises and through legislation, giving to governments new tools to eliminate the terrorist threats. I strongly urge passage of this timely resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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