Anna Eshoo

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, it is with a profound sense of sadness that I rise to honor the memory of a good and honorable man, Salvatore ``Sal'' Fazzino, who passed away on Saturday, July 19, 2003. Sal Fazzino was a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Sicily to Ellis Island. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, Sal served his country during World War II and was stationed in the Philippines. Upon returning from the War, Sal vacationed in Florida and met his future wife Dolores. They were the proud parents of three sons: Gary, Wayne and Brian, and a daughter, Donna. It was his dedication to his children that inspired Sal in the mid- 1960's to drive his family across the country, moving to California. Without a job or any job prospects, Sal bought a house in Palo Alto so that his children would be the beneficiaries of the Palo Alto school system. With a high school education and vocational training, Sal went to work at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center repairing the facility's air conditioning. He became an avid follower of local politics, guided by ``Harry Truman-like common sense.'' One of his proudest moments was when his son Gary became the Mayor of Palo Alto. He was a sound advisor to his son, consistently reminding him of the needs of the middle-class in Palo Alto . . . many like himself who moved to the city when it was predominately a middle class community. In 1994, Sal lost his wife Dolores. In spite of this loss, Sal continued to be active in the community through the Menlo Park Italian- American Social Club, and serving as President of the Amici Club. It was through the Italian-American community that Sal met his second wife, Mary, whom he was married to for the past five years. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues in the House to join me in honoring Sal Fazzino and extending our condolences to his family. His life exemplifies the best of America . . . serving his country in uniform, raising four fine children, taking risks so that their future would be better, and giving back to his community. Sal Fazzino distinguished himself as a loving husband, a great father and a proud citizen of the country he loved. We, in return today, pay tribute to a great American.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. I was absent June 4th through 12th for a family emergency. Had I been here, I would have voted ``yes'' on roll call votes 237-241, 246-251, 256, 259-264, 267-271, and 275 and ``no'' on roll call votes 236, 242-245, 252-255, 257-258, 265-266, and 272-274.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. I thank the distinguished ranking member of the committee for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, for those that are listening in this evening, besides the vote that some Members of Congress have had to take on going to war, I consider this the most important vote in the House of Representatives. Tonight we debate a bill where there is only one thing that the two parties agree on, and that is that our seniors deserve prescription drug coverage. For 38 years, there has been a gold standard for those that are 65 years and older and it was named Medicare. How dare my colleagues on this side of the aisle say that the Democrats have not done a damn thing. I regret those words in the Record. We love Medicare. We put it on the books, and we have defended it ever since then. And we want a policy in Medicare that is ennobling and recognizes what senior citizens are. The advertisers are very busy, but beware. Beware of the advertising. Read the bill. If your insurance salesman comes to you, the first thing you say is, how much is this going to cost a month? Read the bill. There is no premium cost in the bill. It says choice. Yes, there will be choice of insurance companies but not choices of doctors. By 2010, every senior citizen that is listening in, you will be forced, you will be mandated to go into a private insurance program. That is what our friends have written.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I thank our distinguished ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman), and the chairman of our committee for their joint leadership and the standards that they set for us every day. I respect and have high regard for the men and women of the intelligence community, and I really consider it a high privilege to have been appointed to serve on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the House. As a new member, I have valued meeting and learning from the many talented and patriotic individuals in our intelligence community; and I believe it is important for the foreign policy and the national security of the United States that our intelligence community be given the tools and the support they need and that their efforts be focused on important priorities. That is why we are on the floor today in support of this authorization act for fiscal year 2004. I do have some concerns today that I would like to voice. I serve as the ranking member of the Subcommittee of the Intelligence Policy and National Security, as the ranking member just said. The role of the subcommittee is to examine how intelligence supports national security policy, ensuring that intelligence is focused on the right priorities and is as reliable as it can be and that it is used appropriately by senior policymakers in furthering U.S. foreign policy. Issues such as potentially politicized intelligence, potential exaggeration of intelligence and imprecise characterizations of intelligence are of significant concern to me in my role on this committee. So I am very concerned about the role intelligence played in the foreign policy debates about going to war in Iraq. The answers must await a thorough accounting, and we cannot predetermine what those outcomes are. But I am concerned that the administration and the American people and the Members of this House relied too heavily on their interpretation of the threat facing this country, a threat that was described as imminent, as grave and growing without sufficient transparency into the intelligence picture underpinning the argument for war. I think we are learning that a foreign policy based on preemption puts far too much pressure on the intelligence community to deliver certainty when it simply cannot. So the intelligence community must be given all that they need to protect our magnificent Nation. Every administration deserves the best intelligence that they possibly can get. But we must assure the credibility of this for the American people and for the world community. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this authorization act. It is important for our country and the protection of our people.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, on July 27th of last year this body made a bipartisan commitment to American workers who lose their jobs on account of international competition. Part of this commitment was that the government would provide for 65 percent of their healthcare costs. Another part of this commitment was that an insurer could not deny them coverage on account of their age, pre-existing conditions or any other arbitrary reason. The bill under consideration today undermines these protections and allow insurers to arbitrarily avoid covering them. The consumer protections that are law ensure everyone eligible for the tax credit can actually claim it, regardless of their age or health status. Many who will qualify for the TAA benefit are older workers and retirees who are more likely to have significant health care needs. Today's bill is particularly awful because it strips healthcare coverage from those who need it most. This is not the time to revisit TAA, when commitments to the current program share broad bipartisan support and the current law has yet to be fully implemented. I urge you to oppose this bill and reaffirm your commitment to the American worker.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor James C. Morgan who recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Applied Materials, Inc., of Santa Clara, California. Mr. Morgan was named Chairman of Applied Materials' Board of Directors in 1987 and continues to serve in that position today. He joined Applied Materials as President in 1976, after serving as senior partner at WestVen Management. Mr. Morgan received his B.S.M.E. and MBA degrees from Cornell University and has earned countless honors and awards. He received the National Medal of Technology in 1996 and is Vice-Chair of the President's Export Council. He was appointed to the 2002 U.S.-Japan Private Sector Government Commission and served on the Commission on U.S.-Pacific Trade and Investment Policy from 1996 to 1997. He serves on the boards of Cisco Systems, the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the California Nature Conservancy, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Santa Clara University. Under Mr. Morgan's leadership Applied Materials has been recognized as one of our nation's leading corporations. Fortune Magazine named Applied Materials one of America's Most Admired Companies, one of the Top Ten in Total Return to Shareholders, one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For and one of the Best Companies for Asians, Blacks and Hispanics. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring James C. Morgan for his extraordinary corporate leadership and corporate citizenship. Our community and our country have been strengthened by his countless contributions and his lifetime of service. How proud I am to know and represent Jim and his distinguished wife Becky, and wish them great health and every blessing.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Carol Bartz, special guest and honoree at the June 18, 2003 Forum for Women Entrepreneurs Silent Auction and Awards Dinner. Carol Bartz is the Board Chair, President and CEO of Autodesk, Inc., and she has earned an honors degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin, and been granted honorary degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and William Wood University. During her tenure at Autodesk the company has diversified and revenues have grown to more than $947 million in 2002. Carol Bartz gives generously of her leadership skills, both in Silicon Valley and elsewhere through her service on the boards of organizations such as TEA Systems, Cisco Systems, Network Appliance, Technet, and the Foundation for the National Medals of Science and Technology. She serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange and is one of its 12 members who represent public companies. She was recently appointed to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology where she will play a key role in setting our nation's high-tech agenda. Carol Bartz has earned many well-deserved honors, including the Ernst and Young Northern California Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Horatio Alger Award and the Donald C. Burnham Manufacturing Management Award and she's been named a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Carol Bartz for her extraordinary accomplishments and for the leadership she is known for in everything she does. It is a special privilege to represent her and to honor her for all she has done to make our country stronger and better.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Honda, Ms. Lofgren, and myself, rise to honor Amy B. Dean, Chief Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council who is leaving the Bay Area to go back to her original home of Chicago. On June 7, 2003, Amy Dean will be participating in her final COPE Awards Banquet as CEO of the organization she has so ably led. Through Amy Dean's leadership, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council has been extremely successful in working for living wage contracts for city workers, affordable housing requirements in new developments, and health insurance for every child in Santa Clara County. Amy Dean has been a tireless and passionate advocate for social justice and has helped to strengthen the labor movement, bringing dignity and hope to countless families, whether they are union or non-union workers. Amy Dean was the youngest person in the country to lead a large metropolitan labor council and the first woman to head a labor council as large as the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council. She founded Working Partnerships USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuilding the links between regional economic policy and community well-being. She will continue her advocacy for community-centered economic development through Working Partnerships in Chicago. She has been widely recognized for her many accomplishments, has served on many committees and advisory boards and has written extensively on labor issues. Mr. Speaker, we ask our colleagues to join us in honoring Amy B. Dean for her extraordinary service to our community as an ardent advocate for working women and men and their families.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker I rise today to introduce a private relief bill on behalf of Yevgeniya Dobrovolska and Mykola Dobrovolskyy. Mr. Speaker, in 1999, Alexander Dobrovolskiy brought his wife Yevgeniya and son Mykola to the United States from the Ukraine to pursue the American dream. He worked for Prophet Financial Systems, Inc. and immediately impressed his colleagues as a committed and hard working man. Most importantly, Alexander Dobrovolskiy's greatest source of pride was his family and he demonstrated this pride as a dedicated husband and father. Tragically, Alexander Dobrovolskiy was killed in a car accident on November 8, 2002. Prior to his death, he had applied for a green card, with his wife and son as beneficiaries of this petition. As a result of his unforeseen death, this application will be automatically terminated and his wife and son will be denied their green cards. I'm proud to introduce a bill which provides relief for Yevgeniya Dobrovolska and Mykola Dobrovolskyy. My bill readjusts their status to permanent resident status so that Yevegeniya and Mykola will be able to remain in the United States and continue to live out the dream of Alexander. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill which will restore the hopes of Yevgeniya Dobrovolska and Mykola Dobrovolskyy.

Mr. ESHOO

Mr. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor George M. Scalise, who was recently named chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. George Scalise is a highly respected business leader in the high technology and semiconductor industries. As president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, SIA, George has distinguished himself as one of the premiere experts on the issues of international trade, competition, environmental safety and health, as well as workforce issues. In addition to his leadership of SIA, George Scalise serves on President George W. Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and on the boards of Cadence Design Systems and iSuppli Corporation. George previously served on the Boards of SEMATECH, the Semiconductor Research Corporation, and the Bay Area Economic Forum. George Scalise is dedicated to investing in the education of future science and technology leaders. A graduate of Purdue University, George is on the advisory committees at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, the School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, the Engineering Visiting Committee at Purdue University and a member of the California Council on Science and Technology Fellows Program. He is also actively involved in the University Research Fund. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to have George Scalise as a constituent and my friend. He is one of the most effective and respected leaders in our country and our community, with a deep commitment to the betterment of our Nation. I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in congratulating George M. Scalise on his chairmanship of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and wish him every success in shaping sound monetary policies for our country.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment offered by my colleagues Chairman Dreier and Representative Lofgren. The amendment allows the Administration to reform the MTOP standard to control computer exports, a standard implemented during the Cold War to protect high-performance computers from falling into the hands of rogue nations. Why should this standard be reformed? Quite simply, the MTOP standard has failed to keep pace with technological innovation and has become a useless tool that serves no other purpose other than to place American companies at a severe competitive disadvantage with their foreign competitors. Personal computers available today perform at more than 25 times the speed of the supercomputers built just a decade ago. Yet these same PCs are treated like weapons under the MTOP standard. Clearly, reform of our export system is necessary. This amendment protects our national security while at the same time allowing American high technology companies to compete on a level playing field with their foreign competitors. Importantly, it is not only the technology and computer industries who are calling for this reform. Both the Defense Department and the GAO agree that the MTOPS export control system is ``ineffective'' and ``irrelevant''. We must reform this standard and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, this bill isn't about wildfire prevention. Fire prevention is being used as an excuse for allowing massive commercial logging in our national forests. Although its proponents say otherwise, the bill allows more than just ``thinning'' of small trees and brush that are at risk of burning. It allows logging of the largest, most fire-resistant trees which are found in areas of the forest that are the least likely to burn. Timber companies want special access to these commercial-grade trees and the isolated sections of forest where they flourish. Under the pretext of ``fire prevention,'' this bill rewards the industry with that access. When this proposal was unveiled by the White House last summer, James Connaughton, the Chairman of President Bush's Council on Environmental Quality, gave the only frank description of the plan to come from the Administration. He said: ``[T]he best place to get commercial grade timber is in the context of these thinning projects. So why not go there? And that's really what this [initiative] is about.'' So the ``thinning'' is simply a Trojan horse to allow massive commercial logging in our forests. If we're serious about stopping the destructive fires that destroy homes and threaten lives, we need to focus on the borders between forests and populated areas. Clearcutting in isolated areas of our forests, as the bill allows, will not protect lives or property. The slash created by clearcutting undermines forest health and increases the risk of damaging wildfires. The Miller Substitute focuses on where the greatest threat exists . . . the border between forests and population centers. At the same time, it preserves our ecologically valuable old growth forests. If wildfire prevention is the goal, then the Miller Substitute is the best way to get there. We need to defeat this bill and adopt the Miller substitute.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Ms. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 766 and I thank the Chairman of the Science Committee Mr. Boehlert and my Silicon Valley colleagues Reps. Honda and Lofgren for their work in bringing this important bill to the floor of the House. Recent history indicates that the investments in research and development made by the federal government have benefited our nation considerably. The federal government provided seed money for the research that led to the development of the Internet, the web browser, and cracking the genetic code, these investments have spawned a decade of economic prosperity and promise, increased productivity, and hundreds of thousands of American jobs. In fact the federal government has served as a venture capitalist by making investments in nascent technologies that have generated companies who maintain our national technological and scientific predominance. This legislation builds on that tradition by authorizing over $2.3 billion dollars in federal funding for nanotechnology, the science of creating and manipulating objects at molecular levels. In Silicon Valley nanotechnology is already being used to develop new types of semiconductors, medical devices, and sensors that detect environmental and other types of hazards. Progress in this field has been hampered by a lack of trained scientists which is why this bill and the investment we make today is absolutely essential. This funding will help to produce the next generation of great American scientists. The NSF has estimated that the market in products that carry nanocomponents could reach $1 trillion by the next decade. The seed money we provide today will go a long way to ensuring that the nanotechnology market, which is poised to be the next big thing in the technology industry, will also be the next big AMERICAN thing. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor William R. Brody, M.D., Ph.D., who has earned the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award and will be presented with it by the Stanford Medical Alumni Association and its Board of Governors on May 2, 2003. Dr. Brody is a native of Stockton, California, who earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from MIT and his M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. Following post-graduate training in cardiovascular surgery and radiology at Stanford, the National Institutes of Health and the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Brody was professor of radiology and electrical engineering at Stanford. He's been a cofounder of three medical device companies, is responsible for over 100 publications and one U.S. patent in the field of medical imaging. He has made contributions in the fields of medical acoustics, computed tomography, digital radiography and magnetic resonance imaging. Dr. Brody, who became the 13th president of the Johns Hopkins University on September 1, 1996, has extensive ties to the 14th Congressional District which I'm proud to represent. He and his family lived in Palo Alto for many years and his children attended several years of school in our community. In addition to his extraordinary accomplishments in the fields of engineering, medicine and education, Dr. Brody is a talented musician, a great athlete, a loving husband, a proud father, and an exceptional friend to many. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. William R. Brody for his lifetime of service to others and for his extraordinary contributions to medicine. He has made our country stronger and better, and for this we salute and honor him.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mark Simon, who for ten years has educated, amused, irritated, informed and instructed the readers of the San Francisco Chronicle with his well-written, well-read column. ``From beaches to redwoods,'' Mark Simon loves the region of which he writes. Over the years, the people, politics and problems of our region have all become grist for his Chronicle column. He has regaled us with tales of John Madden's taste for tamales and kept us up to date on the unfolding of the Century Loan scandals. He has raised awareness and informed his readers on issues as diverse as campaign finance reform, gunshot locators, Devils Slide, and breast cancer treatment for low income women in our community. Mark has reported on every side of Stanford, from sports to the opening of the Cantor Art Museum. His columns have traced the dynamic changes in our community: Silicon Valley's ups and downs, the birth and death of a San Francisco Bay Olympic bid, and the constant rising and falling of housing prices. He has filled the narrative of our region with a variety of colorful events and characters, spotlighting the Tour de Peninsula, former monks, great achievers such as LaDoris Cordell, and even his own beloved sons. We know them all now and we're grateful to Mark as a son of the Peninsula, for his unswerving love of it. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mark Simon for his service to our community as the Chronicle's chronicler of life on the San Francisco Peninsula and the magnificent 14th Congressional District. No one has done it better or with as much knowledge, guts, intelligence or love of our area.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, it's with great disappointment that I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1350, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization. H.R. 1350 fails special ed kids for these reasons: It undermines their civil rights and their educational opportunity by removing parental involvement in actions relating to the identification, evaluation and education of their child. It limits the dialogue between school professionals and families. It institutes a one-year statute of limitations on parents to bring about any grievances with their child's education. It eliminates short term objectives for a student's Individualized Education Program and limits a teacher of special ed to participate in the process. It makes changes to disciplinary procedures which allow disabled children to be punished or removed for behavior due to their disability. And H.R. 1350 fails to fully fund IDEA. It calls for full funding over seven years, but there isn't any guarantee that these dollars will be there in seven years. Congress made a commitment in 1975 to our children and our school districts to fully fund special education at forty-percent. What an insult it is that twenty-eight years later, Congress is still funding less than half of this commitment. The budget passed by the House this year authorizes only $8.5 billion, far short of the $20.2 billion needed to fulfill our obligation. Today every state across the nation is struggling fiscally, the worst condition of states since the Great Depression and school funding is being slashed. It's critical that our nation's Governors unite with Congress now to uphold the special education commitment to school districts. I support the Woolsey-McKeon amendment which requires that any additional increases in IDEA federal funding be passed down directly to the local level. I regret that the House is missing a critical opportunity to invest in our children and our schools through IDEA reauthorization. The reality of this bill is that it's bad for our children and it will set back the progress we've made.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished gentleman for his leadership on this issue of many, many years. I have some prepared remarks, but since I do not have that much time, I am going to summarize. The people that are tuned in to this, that are listening to C-SPAN today, we have on the floor a national energy policy. What some of us are trying to do is to put the legislative vehicle into drive, to go forward into the future, instead of insisting on keeping the vehicle in reverse. What is at stake are fuel-efficiency standards for how much gasoline we use in this country. If in fact we want to become less dependent on foreign oil, clean up our air, embrace the technologies that are already there on the shelf, then this amendment would absolutely slide through the House. But regardless of who is here in a handful of years, this policy, I predict, will become the policy of our land, because America is always about the future and the best ideas, and not the past.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished ranking member for his leadership and acknowledge the leadership of the committee chairman and everybody else involved in this bill. But I rise today in strong opposition to it, and let me state why. I think we should recognize that this bill neither advances energy independence nor any kind of national security. Instead of becoming less dependent on foreign sources of oil and energy for our national security, this bill is a repeat of the past. What the bill does not improve is the efficiency of automobiles and trucks. Instead, it calls for the sixth government report on motor vehicle efficiency in 10 years. As a Californian, I have to say that this is the biggest shortfall and loss of opportunity to address what the energy companies did to the State of California. They manipulated, they cheated, they lied, and they ripped Californians off: small businesses, large businesses, consumers, residential homeowners. This is what happened to California. This is no longer speculation. In this bill, there is not one sentence, there is not one phrase that says Californians deserve a refund. I tried with my colleagues to accomplish this. Thirty-two California Democrats signed on to that amendment and said that if it were offered on this floor today, we would support it. Unfortunately, not one Republican stands to say for their constituents that we deserve a refund. The chairman of the FERC said that the amendment was helpful. I have tried and tried and tried. This is a failure of this Congress to stand up and to do something about this; and I think it is an outrage, because I think it is one of the biggest heists in the history of this country. So I oppose the bill. It does not provide national security, it does not provide energy independence, and it certainly does not make the wrongs right.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Donna Rutherford, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. Donna Rutherford was one of thirteen children who learned early in life the values of work, sharing and helping others. A mother of three, she became active in her children's schools as a parent volunteer, working to improve education for all children. This led to her being elected a Trustee of the Ravenswood City School District, a position she held for 12 years. In 2000, she became a member of the City Council of the City of East Palo Alto and she currently serves as the City's Vice Mayor. Donna Rutherford worked in the food services industry for many years and became a part-time cook at Mateo Lodge's Wally's Place. She was promoted two years later to Social Rehab Coordinator and now serves as Wally's Place's Program Administrator where she supervises counseling staff and the care and management of the facility. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Donna Rutherford as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Mildred Swann, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. Mildred Swann organized a neighborhood forum where people of different ethnic heritages gathered to share their experiences and aspirations. She engaged many volunteers in the effort that resulted in the formation of a tutoring and mentoring program for Tongan Youth. She serves as the Facilities Chair of Community Gatepath, and in this position she led the campaign to decrease dependence on shrinking government funding while maintaining the quality of the organization's programs. She also heiped Community Gatepath to work with San Mateo County to identity high-risk MediCal families and provide them with prenatal care and parenting skills. Mildred Swann has served her community in many ways and with many organizations, and has been honored by Menlo College for her contributions to the community. She was also recognized by Foothill College Haramba for her service to youth. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mildred Swann as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my very distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), who, as he brings his distinguished service to this House, also is the distinguished father of a son who is serving tonight as we have this debate. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in support of this resolution; not because I like every single word that is in it, but the words that mean the most to me this evening are those that relate to and are connected to the treasures of our Nation, the sons and the daughters that are in harm's way this evening. They are the sons, they are the daughters; they are fathers, they are mothers; they are grandsons, they are granddaughters; they are nephews, they are nieces; and they are really the beloved of our Nation. I have raised questions about what would bring us to war. I stand in opposition to preemption, but tonight I do not believe is the night for that debate. We had it before; I think we will have it again. Our troops who wear the flag on their uniform may very well, some of them, come home with a flag draped around their coffin. So, tonight I think our entire Nation genuflects and prays for every single one of them. Let God watch over them and bring them home safely to the families who gave birth to them, to the families that love them, and to the families that had to bid farewell to them. God bless them, and God help us.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Vicki Smothers, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. As Vice President of Free at Last's Board of Directors, Vicki Smothers has devoted herself to treating substance abuse and its tragic effects on the people of our community. She has been with this highly effective, grassroots organization which specializes in community recovery and rehabilitation from its inception. She was also one of the cofounders of the East Palo Alto AIDS Task Force. Vicki Smothers is Community Programs Specialist for Prenatal Advantage where she coordinates prenatal services and counsels teen mothers in an effort to reduce infant mortality rates. A long-time East Palo Alto resident, she has a keen awareness of the needs of the community and is devoted to assisting others. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Vicki Smothers as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished Californian, Ruth-e Bennison, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. Ruth-e Bennison received a Masters degree in accounting from the University of Washington and worked as an accountant until her marriage in 1956. She later opened her own travel agency, began to travel extensively herself and became the Western Regional Manager for Sheraton Hotels. When her mother became ill and entered a nursing home, she developed a keen interest in long-term care facilities. She became a volunteer in the long-term care ombudsman program in San Mateo County and she has selflessly dedicated more than 15,000 hours to the program over 15 years. Ruth-e Bennison has also given generously of her time and talents as a HICAP volunteer and has given 5,200 volunteer hours to this agency, She's been honored for her work by the Department of Health and Human Services and was honored with the HICAP Excellence Award in 2002 for saving San Mateo County more than $5 million in Medicare related expenses. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ruth-e Bennison as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and a most distinguished Californian, Lenore (Lennie) Roberts, as she is inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame. Ms. Roberts has been named to the Hall of Fame for her success in protecting ``much of the open space that makes the San Francisco Peninsula a uniquely beautiful place to live and work.'' I founded the Women's Hall of Fame in 1984 to honor women who have made major contributions to our community and our country. Lennie Roberts is the personification of those we honor; she is intelligent, fair, effective, trusted, and articulate. The Peninsula would not be the place it is today without Lennie and her extraordinary work. Lennie Roberts has a unique vision which extends beyond the limits of San Mateo County. In addition to her work with the Committee for Green Foothills, she serves as a member of the Yosemite Association Board of Trustees and helped form the Yosemite Fund Council of Directors, and is a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Among Lennie Roberts' many achievements were the passage of Measure A which protects San Mateo County's rural coastal area from urban sprawl and her successful fight to prevent a giant freeway from being built on the coastside. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this great and good woman. Lennie Roberts is one of the most exceptional, effective and respected leaders in our community and through her commitment and professionalism, she has made our communities and our country a better place for all.

Ms. ESHOO

Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) for her distinguished service in the House, and I thank her for putting together this Special Order. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about what will be coming before the House of Representatives, the House of the people, and that is our Nation's budget. We know that the Federal budget is a very, very thick book of many, many pages with fine print and many, as we say, line items. But at the end of the day what a budget is about is not only a compilation of numbers but it is a statement of the values of the American people. I have done much budgeting in my day from local government, the county of San Mateo, where we were required, obviously, to balance our budget. I still adhere to that because I think being fiscally responsible is not only necessary but it is the prudent thing to do. So what is this budget debate going to be about? Both sides of the aisle are really challenged to come up with their best ideas for their vision of our country, of where we are going and what we need in order to get there. Tonight on the Feast of Saint Joseph, the worker, our country is on the brink of war. And yet the President's budget does not include one dime for that. There is something wrong with that picture. There is something very wrong with that picture. Let me give you a picture of my congressional district. It is a very distinguished place in our country. It is the home of Stanford University. It is the home of Silicon Valley. In 2 short years everything that was up is now down. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in our Nation. Our State is facing up to a $35 billion deficit. Keep in mind that our State and our local governments represent 12 percent of our national economy. Now, what are the President and this House proposing in their budget? The same old same old. How many months ago? 18 months ago the President said as the economy was sputtering. We need massive tax cuts. Tax cuts that would go to the wealthiest, the best off in our Nation. It is a legitimate argument that was pitched then about whether that was the best prescription for our Nation's circumstances. I voted against it because I thought at the time that when the sun is shining, that is when you fix the roof. We did not do it. Squandered the surplus. We now have a different economic condition in our country. Indeed, our country faces even more challenges than we could have ever dreamed of as the first roll of tax cuts went out. So what is contained in this new budget that the President has brought to us and your Republican friends are going to bring to the floor? More tax cuts. I believed it was wrong then; it is certainly wrong now. Imagine if Winston Churchill, when he was rallying his countrymen to go to war said, And in addition to my rallying you, my countrymen, I am calling for a massive tax cut. This is a sober time in the life of our Nation and in the families of our Nation. Many have committed their children, their treasury and our Nation's treasury to this war in Iraq. Veterans benefits should not, therefore, be cut. Our Nation's defense needs to be paid for. But the education of those that are serving in Iraq, their children's education should not be cut at home. We do them a disservice. We dishonor them, and we dishonor the future of our country by doing this. This is not about throwing money at things. This is the responsibility of a great democracy. That is why the Democrats have held the line on education here at home. It is why Democrats recognize that we will not have homeland security unless we fund hometown security. There is something wrong when the firefighters from my district who came in to meet with me just this morning said, because hometown security is not being funded, our positions, our jobs are being eliminated. Now that does not make sense. It is not right. I keep thinking of what my father used to say when something really got mucked up. He would say, You have made a real mess of this. This is a harsh judgment of my Republican colleagues, but you have made a mess of the economic life of this country, a real mess. We are now back to you have produced a deficit and it is over $300 billion. You will drive the national debt up to at least 5 trillion. The cost of this very tax cut that you are going to bring to the floor in your budget, the cost, the price tag of that alone is $1.6 trillion. This is not pitting those that have more against those that are average, against those that have even less. This is about the United States of America. We are all in this together. And so the fairness and the responsibility and the fiscal responsibility need to be exercised. It is a budget that leaves the American people wanting. If we cannot fund properly our national defense, our hometown security, education for our children, and the health care of our veterans and those amongst us, then what have we come to? What have we come to? We have a responsibility not to place these burdens on our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. The Democratic budget recognizes that. That is why I am proud to stand next to it. The Republican budget does not. It is no wonder that those in Republican seats on the other side of the aisle are rising up and saying, This is not fair and we are not going to vote for it. I salute their guts and their courage to do that. Why? Because our Nation's treasures are putting their lives, their courage, their lives on the line some place else on the globe; and we need to stand next to them by honoring their families here at home. That is what this is about. So, Mr. Speaker, as we come to the floor and speak about what is going to come to us on the floor, there may not be that many people in the country listening, unfortunately. Why? Because legitimately we are preoccupied with the moment when America is going to strike. But whether people notice it or not, whether they notice it or not in terms of our words in this debate, make no mistake about it, it will be felt. It will come home to each individual, each mother, each child, each health clinic, each classroom, each senior center, each lunch program in your grammar schools and our elementary schools. It will be felt in communities across this country. Why? Because that is what our Nation's budget is about. It is about our democracy. It is about what we value. It is about where we place our priorities. I hope that it is a budget that reflects the best of us and not some bumper sticker. I hope it is a budget that funds what is going to collectively take us into the future. I hope it is a budget that does not shortchange what children eat in their lunch programs, whether they have a classroom that is the right size, whether their teacher is trained and educated the right way, whether those that have served in other wars are honored with the benefits that they receive. I hope it is not a slap in the face to America. That is not what this should be about. I am proud that the Democratic alternative will take us back to a balanced budget by 2010. I do not think our friends on the other side of the aisle can boast that. It covers the priorities that we believe not only have made our Nation great in the past, what has been given to us, but what we can do for the future of our country. I thank my colleagues, especially the New Democrats, for taking time this evening to demonstrate the differences, because there is a difference, Mr. Speaker, and, Mr. and Mrs. America, between the two major parties. It is our responsibility to bring our ideas forward and have them be part of the debate in this country about which way is the best way to go. I thank my colleagues, and I especially thank the gentlewoman from Oregon who has brought such leadership to this.