Rahm Emanuel

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Chicago for yielding me this time. I may have to go into a witness protection plan after this speech, given Wrigleyville is in my district. As a fan of the Chicago Cubs, as those have noted and anybody listening tonight knows, the difference between the north side and the south side of Chicago when it comes to baseball is like deep dish pizza versus thin pizza. It is a serious, lifelong fight. I will say as the proud father of an 8-year-old son, who took his son to the World Series game Sunday in the rain and 32-degree weather, which is a little more like a football game than a baseball game, and watched that grand slam and being there with my son, it was a great moment. It was a great moment for baseball, it was a great moment for Chicago, and a great moment for this country. And as a north sider, it was a great season for watching the Chicago White Sox, a great team.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, last week, America reached a tragic milestone in Iraq, the 2,000th American died. As of today, nearly 2,030 Americans have been killed in Iraq and a little over 200 in Afghanistan. In fact, October was the deadliest month in Iraq since January. I say this not to exploit the grief felt by those families who have lost loved ones. Rather, I raise this grim milestone because it should give us, all of us, pause. Two-and-one-half years after President Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared ``mission accomplished,'' the brave men and women of our Armed Forces are still fighting and dying in Iraq, worse today than during the actual hostilities, and there is no end in sight. There is not a time to debate how we got into Iraq. There is a place for that. What is more important now is resolving the issues and the sense of how we have gotten into this quagmire and bring our men and women home to their families. It is time the administration finally leveled with the American people and presented us with a viable strategy towards success and victory. It is time that the President finally surrounded himself with competent leaders who can get the job done, rather than cronies and political operatives interested in advancing a political agenda. Before the war, General Shinseki said it would take several hundred thousand troops to secure Iraq. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said his estimate was widely off the mark and General Shinseki was let go. Lawrence Lindsey predicted the war would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. In fact, many ridiculed his estimate and said again he was widely off the mark, that oil revenues would pay for the reconstruction. His predictions were ignored; and $400 billion later, the tab keeps rising. Some say it will finally cost nearly $1 trillion, this war. Dick Cheney famously predicted that we would be greeted as liberators. Let me say, if Iraq treats liberators like this, they have a funny way of greeting liberators. Weeks after the invasion of Iraq, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld fought against increasing the troop levels in Iraq. In fact, months before the war, he was still debating whether we needed less than 100,000 troops, when those in the Armed Forces were saying we needed 200,000-plus to win that war. When the looting broke out in Iraq right after the invasion, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld replied ``stuff happens.'' Later he said during the looting, ``freedom is untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.'' That was the Secretary of Defense. That sense of freedom has led to the situation we have today because we did not create order in that society in Iraq and a sense of who was in control. In fact, the Defense Secretary has been flat wrong on countless occasions, both before hostilities and after the hostilities. I have lost track of the number of times he has told us that the insurgency was in its ``last throes.'' On March 30, 2003, regarding the fabled weapons of mass destruction, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld again: ``We know where they are. They are in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad.'' He has misled us on the number of Iraqis trained to conduct police and military operations. In September of 2003 he said 55,000 Iraqis have been trained. Earlier this year, he told us three battalions were operational. About a month ago, in front of the Senate, we were told that there was only one operational Iraqi battalion. Imagine that: Mr. Speaker, $450 billion, a little over 2,000 American lives, over 10,000 Americans wounded, and one operational Iraqi battalion to show for that, and two elections. The truth is that the administration's plan for their invasion was brilliantly planned, but they have failed to plan for the occupation, costing American lives, our treasury, and our reputation, and all because of the incompetency of this administration. Today we are left with a quagmire that has created terrorists and threatens to destabilize the region. Let me read you what some of the experts in the Republican national security apparatus have said. Retired Army Lieutenant General Odom, former head of the National Security Agency, said the invasion of Iraq ``will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history.'' Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser to the first President Bush said: ``You have to know when to stop using force. You encourage democracy over time, with assistance, and aid, the traditional way. Not how the neocons in this administration do it.'' Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff in the State Department, called President Bush's foreign policy ``ruinous'' and said that ``we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran.'' The people I just quoted are not exactly the board of moveon.org or the Democratic Party. These are the pillars and the heads of the national security apparatus of the Republican Party. These experts are saying that it is time for a new direction with new priorities when it comes to Iraq. We have to get it right in Iraq, but the current path the President has us on is not the path to success; and it is not simply, as he says, the choice between doing more of the same and getting the same results or merely pulling out. Mr. Speaker, $400 billion and one Iraqi battalion. Some are estimating, as I said, the cost of this war will get closer to $1 trillion. It is time for the President to level with the American people and show us a path to success. We need a performance-based Iraqi strategy. How many police will we be reduced to this quarter? How many police will be reduced next quarter? How many Army members will be produced this quarter, the next quarter, and for the next 2 years, every quarter this administration has to have a performance-based policy on police training, on Army training, on civil society development, on reconstruction, and on the political front so we can finally, in the President's words, stand down. But having given them free rein for nearly 2\1/2\ years and we have one battalion operationally ready to show for it, they have abused the trust of the American people. We need to internationalize our operations in Iraq. We need to convince the world that a stable Iraq is in everyone's interests, and we need to refocus on stopping terrorism. Mr. Speaker after 2\1/2\ years and more than 2,000 American lives, it is time we adopted a different strategy, a strategy for victory that will reunite American families and provide Iraq a stable society. It is time the President stopped campaigning and began to lead on the issue of Iraq.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, while American families and businesses struggle with sky-high energy prices, oil and gas companies are facing an entirely different crisis: What to do with all their money. Yesterday, Exxon Mobil reported that its profits increased 75 percent in the third quarter, $9 billion. American families are struggling while energy companies are reaping huge profits, but the oil companies are unapologetic. In fact, Henry Hubble, Exxon Mobil's vice president for investor relations, defended the profits and said, ``You have got to let the marketplace work.'' Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. The oil companies should take their historic profits and use it to execute their business plans, and that is also why oil companies should give back the $16.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies that the Republican Congress has given to the energy companies in the past 4 months. Mr. Speaker, right now Americans are paying twice: Once at the pumps and then again on April 15 when they file their taxes. That is not the free market, it is corporate welfare. What Congress subsidizes big oil to the tune of $16.5 billion, yet cuts home heating assistance to the elderly? A Republican Congress. Exxon said let the free market work. Let us get rid of corporate welfare for the big oil companies.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois and the kind gentleman from California for bringing this resolution to the floor today and allowing me to join them as a cosponsor. On Wednesday at a speech in front of 4,000 Iranian students, the President of Iran called for Israel to be ``wiped off the map.'' He led a group of students in chants of ``death to Israel.'' Our message to Iran and its President is firm. We condemn in the strongest terms his dangerous and reckless remarks. These comments are a wake-up call to the international community as we deal with Iran's attempt to gain access to nuclear technology. It goes without saying, Iran's words are a challenge to all members of the United Nations and the integrity of the United Nations Charter and those who have signed on to it. As a member of the United Nations, the President of Iran's comments violate U.N. rules and must be dealt with decisively by the United Nations leadership and all those in the Security Council. This kind of hateful rhetoric, it breeds a terrorism and a violence that we saw in the 20th century, and we took steps to deal with that type of reckless, hateful speech. Yet, unfortunately, it is what we have come to expect from Iran's leadership, but I do not believe that spirit or those words represent the aspirations of the Iranian people. I support this resolution and urge my colleagues in both parties and those in the world body to condemn its hatefulness in all its forms. Again, I want to thank my two colleagues from Illinois and from California for their leadership and the speed in which they brought this resolution to the floor, because today, when it comes to hate, the United States Congress speaks with one forceful voice.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of an energy crisis. Gas is at $3 a gallon, and utilities are now predicting that families could pay as much as 70 percent more to heat their homes this winter. Natural gas prices are so high that the Energy Department predicts that the average natural gas bill for every family will be about $350 more this winter. Home heating oil used by many in the Northeast has skyrocketed. But while American families struggle with sky-high energy bills, and oil and gas companies are facing an entirely different picture, an entirely different crisis, to be exact, what to do with all their profits. For example, yesterday Exxon Mobil reported that its profits increased by 75 percent in the third quarter alone; their revenues, more than $100 billion. Shell Oil said that their earnings increased by 68 percent. ConocoPhillips' third-quarter earnings surged 89 percent, and BP reported a 34 percent rise in quarterly earnings. To summarize, as American families are struggling with massive energy bills, both at the pump and home heating, energy companies are reaping huge profits. Now, Henry Hubble, Exxon Mobil's vice president, said, ``You have got to let the marketplace work.'' As a Democrat, I could not agree more, which is why I oppose what my Republican friends try to do, which is provide the oil companies $16 billion in taxpayer subsidies. To quote again the executive from Exxon Mobil, ``You have got to let the marketplace work.'' My view is we have got to stop corporate welfare in its worse take. If you are making $100 billion or a run rate of $100 billion, profits are at $9 billion for one quarter, the taxpayers should not be footing the bill, both at the pump and on April 15 when they are subsidizing corporate America, big oil. This is corporate welfare at its worst. The corporate oil companies should take their historic profits and use them, in my view, to execute their business plan. The taxpayers should not be subsidizing big oil's business plan. You are in the energy business. Drill for oil. Taxpayers should not be subsidizing it for $16 billion. Remember, college grants, the Pell grant system for college education in this country is a little less than $12 billion a year. Our corporate subsidy, taxpayer subsidy, for corporate America for big oil is $16 billion. It is more than we actually give for college assistance for people going to college. And they are making, just one company alone, $100 billion, $9 billion profit. Right now Americans pay twice. Once at the pump, once on April 15, subsidizing big oil. Again, Exxon Mobil's vice president, ``You have got to let the marketplace work.'' Therefore, give us back the money we are subsidizing you. That is not the free market when we are subsidizing corporate America. It is corporate welfare. It is time for corporate big oil to get off the welfare roles and start executing their business plan. While Congress subsidizes big oil to the tune of $16.5 billion, we have cut home heating assistance to the elderly. What Congress would subsidize big oil for $16 billion and cut home heating assistance to senior citizens? A Republican Congress, but of course. The energy bill we passed earlier this year contained $14.5 billion in subsidies to the energy industry. A few weeks ago we just had not done enough; in a refinery bill, a bill for oil and gas companies, which they did not even ask for, this Republican Congress gave them another $2 billion in subsidies. This week the Resources Committee marked up a bill which would allow oil companies to drill near the coral reefs of Florida and in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Yet at the same time, we are cutting the low-income heating assistance program that helps the elderly and those most vulnerable in our country. It is notoriously underfunded. As part of the energy policy Congress authorized an increase in funding to energy assistance to $5 billion. However, we only allocate $2 billion. Some of us voted to try to bring that up to snuff so we could do the full assistance for the elderly low-income, those most vulnerable, and we are underfunding it; therefore, a cut in the program. My view is it is time we stop subsidizing big oil and stop having the taxpayers who are very stretched, do not ask them for $16 billion when you have record profits throughout the energy industry and are cutting assistance to our elderly and most vulnerable. We can do better. We need a new set of priorities, and we need to change the direction of this country to reflect the values of the American people and their generosity.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, this week we passed two milestones in Iraq: The constitution was ratified, and, tragically, the 2,000th American died. These milestones, one positive, one clearly negative, provide us with an opportunity to review our progress in Iraq. This is not a time to debate how we got into Iraq. What is important is resolving the mess. Hear what the experts are saying: Retired Army Lieutenant General William Odom, former head of the National Security Agency, said that the invasion of Iraq ``will turn out to be the greatest strategic disaster in U.S. history.'' Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser under the first President George Bush, said, ``You have to know when to stop using force. You can encourage democracy over time, with assistance, and aid, the traditional way. Not how the neoconservatives'' are trying to do it in Iraq. And Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired lieutenant colonel and former Secretary of State Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff at the State Department, said President Bush's foreign policy was ``ruinous'' and said that ``we have courted disaster in Iraq, in North Korea, in Iran.'' These are not the words of partisans or the board members of MoveOn.org. As these experts and the American people know, it is time for a new direction and new priorities. We can do better. The current path is not a path to success. It is time for the President to level with the American people and produce a plan forward.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House for 5 minutes at this time.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, since 2000 this Congress has racked up more than $3 trillion in additional new debt, and by the year 2008, we will cross the $4 trillion mark. Why? It is trying to do something that no other Congress and no other President has ever tried in American history. It is trying to fight two wars with four tax cuts. This Congress has served as an ATM machine to the special interests, showering them with billions of tax breaks and tax shelters and handouts of the hard-working tax dollars of the American people. Yet suddenly our Republican friends are finding themselves as fiscal hawks. In fact, right now the House is working to slash more than $50 billion from education, health care, environmental programs, all that are important investments for the American people. Why? So they can do another $70 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent in America. At the same time that these so-called fiscal conservatives are complaining about the deficit, they are trying to add a total of another $100 billion in tax cuts to the special interests. I ask my colleagues, are these the right choices for the American people? We are now paying $445 billion to date for the war in Iraq, $20 billion to rebuild Iraq. We just have a spanking new dam in Mosul, Iraq, with all of the levees, yet we cut the Corps of Engineers here in the United States, which affected the levee in New Orleans. In fact, we built 110 primary health care centers in Iraq, vaccinated 3.2 million children in Iraq. This Congress cut $10 billion from Medicaid, cutting Medicare programs, cutting back community health care clinics in the United States and training of doctors. In Iraq, we have rehabilitated 2,700 schools, trained 36,000 secondary teachers. What do they do in America? They cut $806 million from our schools and education programs, $6 billion from our Pell grants and other higher education programs. We funded 3,100 community development projects in Iraq; yet the community development project investment fund here in the United States, cut by $250 million. We are investing in Iraq and trying to provide Iraq a future that we are denying the American people. I have no problem. We made a decision on Iraq. We have an obligation, but we do not have an obligation to cut back on America's future. There is no choice in the sense of American children and their future playing second fiddle to those who are in Iraq. If you go through American history, every President in the middle of a war has thought about how do I make sure America is stronger when we come back from that war and it ends? Abraham Lincoln, in the middle of the Civil War, thought of the land grant college systems. President Roosevelt during the middle of World War II thought of the GI bill and passed it 11 months before the war came to an end. President Eisenhower, on the heels of Korea, funded the Interstate Highway System that built America and made it what it is today. President Kennedy, during the struggles of the Cold War and Vietnam, envisioned a man on the moon. What does this President and what does this Congress offer America during the middle of the war on terrorism? Cuts in education, cuts in health care, cuts in our Corps of Engineers, cuts in our development and investments here in America. Every President, every Congress thought about America after the war, thought about how we built a brighter future. They thought about not only what we did overseas, but how we were going to do it here at home and make sure that every American had a brighter future. Only this President and this Congress, because of their careless and reckless policy of trying to fight two wars and fund it with two cuts that has added $4 trillion to the Nation's budget. Today we are thinking about cutting $806 million from our education investments, cutting $6 billion from our investments in higher education, eliminating investments in America's Amtrak system, cutting back our investments in the Corps of Engineers' program which invests in all of our infrastructure projects like what happened in New Orleans. No other President and no other Congress has thought of a future in which America is less after the war than it was before the war. What is going on now? Families are facing an energy crisis where energy is now running about $3 a gallon. Home heating costs are going to go up 50 percent this winter. Inflation has increased at its fastest rate in 15 years. Hundreds of thousands of fellow citizens have lost everything in the gulf coast. Health care costs are running up at close to 15 percent, nearly four times inflation. Educational costs and higher educational costs are running at about a 10 percent annualized increase over inflation. These are difficult times, and these times are when people look to their fellow citizens and their community and their government. What is this Congress doing? Rather than building up America, this Congress is cutting back on the investments we need to make America a stronger place tomorrow. We can do better than we are doing today. We can make a change in the right choices for America. We should find ways to balance the budget without doing it on the backs of our children. Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to change its tune. It is time for Congress to begin to represent the people's interests and the people's House rather than the special interests.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, yesterday we marked a solemn milestone: over 2,000 American military personnel have now given their lives fighting in Iraq. 246 Americans have also fallen in the line of duty in Afghanistan. We owe these brave men and women and their families a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. In July of this year, I led a bipartisan group of 21 Members of Congress in reading the names of the fallen into the Congressional Record. Tonight we continue this tribute by reading the names of some of those who have fallen recently to complete the list. At that point we had said we would read every American's name as an official part of the Congressional Record. In the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase in its blessings. God bless each of them and keep each of the brave Americans whose memory we honor tonight in our hearts: 1st Sergeant Alan Nye Gifford, Specialist David H. Ford IV, Staff Sergeant Regilio E. Nelom, Sergeant 1st Class Lawrence E. Morrison, Specialist William L. Evans, Specialist William V. Fernandez, Sergeant Michael Egan, 1st Lieutenant Mark H. Dooley, Sergeant Pierre A. Raymond, Staff Sergeant William Alvin Allers III, Sergeant Travis M. Arndt, Specialist Scott P. McLaughlin, Specialist Kevin M. Jones, Specialist Mike T. Sonoda Jr., Sergeant Paul C. Neubauer, Sergeant Andrew Joseph Derrick, Sergeant Brian E. Dunlap, Staff Sergeant Daniel R. Schelle, Sergeant Shawn A. Graham, Sergeant Kenneth G. Ross, Sergeant Tane T. Baum, Warrant Officer Adrian B. Stump, Sergeant Patrick D. Stewart, Chief Warrant Officer John M. Flynn, Sergeant 1st Class Casey E. Howe, Master Sergeant Tulsa T. Tuliau, Private Elijah M. Ortega, Sergeant Andrew P. Wallace, Specialist Michael J. Wendling, Sergeant Howard P. Allen, Lance Corporal Steven A. Valdez, Staff Sergeant Robert F. White, Staff Sergeant Jason A. Benford, Private 1st Class Oliver J. Brown, Specialist Lee A. Wiegand, Sergeant Eric W. Slebodnik, Staff Sergeant George A. Pugliese, Staff Sergeant Daniel L. Arnold, Airman 1st Class Elizabeth N. Jacobson, Sergeant Steve Morin Jr., Sergeant 1st Class James J. Stoddard Jr., Staff Sergeant John G. Doles, Staff Sergeant Jens E. Schelbert, Specialist Joshua J. Kynoch, Sergeant Marshall A. Westbrook, Staff Sergeant Timothy J. Roark, Sergeant Larry Wayne Pankey Jr., Private 1st Class Roberto C. Baez, Specialist Jacob T. Vanderbosch, Sergeant Bryan W. Large, Corporal John R. Stalvey, Sergeant Sean B. Berry, Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian K. Joplin, Private 1st Class Andrew D. Bedard, Lance Corporal Carl L. Raines II. Madam Speaker, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, who wrote to the mother of five fallen soldiers in the Civil War, ``I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom.'' I would also like to thank the brave men and women who continue to serve our Nation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the world, and serve their country with distinction and honor. Our thoughts and prayers and gratitude are with you and your families at this time until you return home. Madam speaker, in case I mispronounced any names of any of the individuals, I apologize to them and their family. This brings us to little over 2,136 names read out of the 2,246.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, today marks a solemn milestone: 2,000 American military personnel have now given their lives fighting in Iraq; 244 Americans have also fallen in Afghanistan. We owe these brave men and women and their families a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. In July of this year, I led a bipartisan group of 21 Members of Congress in reading the names of the fallen into the Congressional Record over a 2-week period of time. Tonight I continue this tribute by reading the names of some of those who have fallen most recently. In the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase in its blessings. God bless them, and keep each of the brave Americans whose memory we honor tonight in our memory: Staff Sergeant Jeremy W. Doyle, Specialist Ray M. Fuhrmann II, Lance Corporal Phillip C. George, Private 1st Class Timothy J. Seamans, 1st Lieutenant Laura M. Walker, Sergeant Willard Todd Partridge, Private 1st Class Elden D. Arcand, 2nd Lieutenant James J. Cathey, Specialist Blake W. Hall, 1st Lieutenant Joshua M. Hyland, Sergeant Michael R. Lehmiller, Staff Sergeant Brian Lee Morris, Specialist Joseph C. Nurre, Private Christopher L. Palmer, Sergeant Joseph Daniel Hunt, Specialist Hatim S. Kathiria, Staff Sergeant Ictoir P. Lieurance, Private 1st Class Ramon Romero, Master Sergeant Chris S. Chapin, 1st Lieutenant Carlos J. Diaz, Sergeant 1st Class Trevor J. Diesing, Master Sergeant Ivica Jerak, Corporal Timothy M. Shea, Staff Sergeant Damion G. Campbell, Specialist Joseph L. Martinez, Sergeant 1st Class Obediah J. Kolath, Chief Warrant Officer Dennis P. Hay, 2nd Lieutenant Charles R. Rubado, Major Gregory J. Fester, Specialist Jason E. Ames, Captain Lowell T. Miller II, Sergeant Monta S. Ruth, Sergeant George Ray Draughn, Jr., 1st Lieutenant Derek S. Hines, Staff Sergeant Robert Lee Hollar, Jr., Sergeant 1st Class Lonnie J. Parson, Lance Corporal Ryan J. Nass, Sergeant Matthew Charles Bohling, Specialist Luke C. Williams, Hospitalman Robert N. Martens, Specialist Jeffrey A. Williams, Sergeant Franklin R. Vilorio, Staff Sergeant Jude R. Jonaus, Staff Sergeant Christopher L. Everett, Specialist Jeremy M. Campbell, Sergeant Kurtis Dean K. Arcala, Seaman Apprentice Robert D. Macrum, Sergeant Alfredo B. Silva, Lance Corporal Shane C. Swanberg, Sergeant Matthew L. Deckard. Mr. Speaker, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, who wrote to the mother of five fallen soldiers, ``I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.'' I would also like to thank the brave men and women who continue to serve our Nation in both Iraq and Afghanistan and throughout the world and serve with distinction. Our thoughts and prayers and gratitude are with you and your families at this time until you return home. To the families whose names I have read here tonight and other nights, if I have mispronounced your names, my apology. I want you to know your family member, your son and your daughter, your brothers and sisters, your fathers and mothers, that we only meant to put your name in the Congressional Record and to always be part of our country and our community. God bless you.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Chicago White Sox for winning their first pennant since 1959. On the strength of its pitching staff, clutch hitting and expert managing, the White Sox led the American League with 99 victories in the regular season and won an American League Central Division title. Ozzie Guillen, a long-time White Sox player, managed the team to a sweep of the defending champion Boston Red Sox in American League Division Series. The team followed that impressive feat with a victory over the Anaheim Angels in five games in the American League Championship Series, led by series MVP Paul Konerko and tremendous starting pitching. Jose Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Freddy Garcia pitched consecutive complete game victories for the Sox in the ALCS, an accomplishment not seen since 1956. I'd also like to extend my personal congratulations to Jerry Reinsdorf, who is the owner of this historic franchise, and one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, the Chicago Bulls. Jerry was born in Brooklyn, New York, but he has made his mark on Chicago history, providing North and South Siders alike with years of excitement and memories. Jerry has been the head of these historic franchises for over 20 years, during which the Bulls won six World Championships, and the White Sox won 4 division titles and one pennant. Jerry is also to be commended for his work in ensuring that these historic franchises remained where they belong, in Chicago. In an era when countless sports franchises abandoned their local fan base to move to the suburbs or new cities, Jerry oversaw the construction of new stadiums for the White Sox and Bulls, directly across the street from their former locations. He has also been instrumental in the community outreach efforts of his teams and has been a credit to the Chicago community. Jerry has also exhibited a strong community spirit and work ethic in his other work as an attorney, certified public accountant and real-estate developer. As a lifelong North Sider I must admit that I'm a little wistful seeing the activity at U.S. Cellular Field while Wrigley Field goes into another quiet October, but I'm thrilled to join first fan Mayor Richard M. Daley and all of Chicago in hoping the White Sox can win it all for the first time since 1917. I wish manager Ozzie Guillen, general manager Ken Williams, owner Jerry Reinsdorf and all the players and loyal fans the best of luck against the Houston Astros in the World Series. Go Sox!

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to S. 397, the Gun Manufacturers Liability Protection Act. Shielding gun manufacturers, dealers and distributors from liability is one of the most egregious forms of corporate welfare we've considered in this House all year. This is George Orwell legislation at its finest--all industries are equal, but some are more equal than others. If you sell beer to a 17- year-old and he causes an accident, you can be held liable. But if you allow a 17-year-old to walk out of your store with a high powered rifle, don't worry. Congress has your back. Mr. Speaker, this is not a hypothetical case. Last year the families of DC sniper victims settled for $2.5 million with Bull's Eye Shooter Supply and Bushmaster Firearms, because Bull's Eye allowed Lee Boyd Malvo to shoplift a military quality rifle--one of 233 guns they could not account for when investigated by the ATF. Some of my colleagues call this a frivolous lawsuit. I don't think there is anything frivolous about 233 missing guns. In July of this year we gift wrapped a provision in the Medical Malpractice Bill that shielded the pharmaceutical industry from liability on any drug that made it through the regular FDA approval process. Coincidentally, Merck Pharmaceuticals was at the same time facing multiple lawsuits tied to its misrepresentation of the dangers of the prescription drug Vioxx. Thanks to this Congress, Americans can continue to exercise their Constitutional right to seek redress in the court system, unless it involves guns or drugs. I am gratified to see that this bill does include certain common- sense provisions such as child safety locks and a ban on armor-piercing bullets. We fought hard for these ideas in the Clinton Administration and I urge my colleagues to resist any pressure to have them removed. Despite my support for these ideas I must vote no on the overall bill. Mr. Speaker, this bill denies Americans one of their most basic rights in order to provide special protections for a very special interest. I urge my colleagues to resist the gun lobby and defeat this bill.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, after racking up nearly $3 trillion in new debt in the past 4 years, suddenly this Congress has decided to become budget hawks. Tomorrow we are set to slash up to $50 billion from essential investments in America in order to cut taxes for the wealthiest 1 percent. To pay for those tax cuts, we are cutting health care, education, community investments, heating assistance, and nutritional programs. American taxpayers all the while are being asked to carry $445 billion invested in Iraq's war. In Iraq we have built and renovated 110 primary health care centers, vaccinated 3.2 million children, but right here this budget by the Republicans is cutting $10 billion from Medicaid. In Iraq we have rehabilitated 2,700 schools, trained 36,000 secondary school teachers. In America, we are cutting $806 million from public school funding and college assistance by billions of dollars. We have funded 3,100 community development projects in Iraq, but this Congress is cutting $250 million from community development block grants. Madam Speaker, it is our duty to rebuild Iraq, but Iraq's future should not come at the expense of America's. This Congress should be working to leave America stronger in the future, not weaker.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, since the year 2000 this Congress has racked up more than $3 trillion in new debt. How did that happen? They tried to do what no other President has tried to do and no other Congress, to fund two wars with four tax cuts. This Congress has served as an ATM to special interests, showering them with billions in tax breaks and handouts. Suddenly our Republican friends have become born-again budget hawks. In fact, tomorrow we may have to vote on a resolution to slash more than $50 billion from education, health care, nutritional investments important to millions of Americans and families and their future. All for what? So we can fund $70 billion in tax cuts just for the wealthy Americans. That is what this budget package is, $70 billion in tax cuts. At the same time that these so-called new-born fiscal conservatives are complaining about the deficit, they are going to push through yet another round of tax cuts on top, close to $20 billion added to our deficit. I ask my colleagues, are these the choices the American people asked us to do? To date, the American taxpayer has funded $445 billion in the effort in Iraq, $20 billion going to rebuild Iraq. We have built and renovated 110 primary health care centers in Iraq, vaccinated 3.2 million Iraqi children; all the while here in the United States the Republican budget has cut $10 billion from Medicaid. We have also cut community health care clinics. In Iraq we have rehabilitated 2,700 schools, trained 36,000 secondary education school teachers. What is their budget doing for America? They cut $806 million from America's public schools, Leave No Child Behind. They have also proposed nearly $9 billion in cuts to college student aid. We funded nearly 3,100 community development projects in Iraq alone. Yet the President's budget is cutting the community development grants here for the United States by $250 million. The Corps of Engineers in the United States has been cut by over $300 million. Yet we built a new light rail system in Iraq. We have also rebuilt their dam with a levee in it. All the while their budget cuts from America's future and American families' future while literally loading up close to $445 billion for the effort in Iraq, of which $20 billion goes to rebuilding their schools, their health care, their nutritional programs, things that we are cutting from the United States and from American families. Every President going to war has thought about America's future. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln thought of the Land Grant College system. President Roosevelt in the middle of the World War II thought of the G.I. Bill. President Eisenhower at the tail end of the Korean War built the interstate highway system for the United States. During the height of the Cold War and Vietnam War, President Kennedy envisioned a man on the Moon. What does this President propose? Eliminating Amtrak, cutting $9 billion from student aid, and cutting veterans benefits. Why? Because he has tried to do something that no other President has thought of doing, which is to cut taxes in the middle of two wars. Where has it left America? $3 trillion in debt, cuts in our future for American families. Now Americans are faced not only with these cuts in its investments. Gas prices are nearly $3 a gallon, home heating costs are up by 50 percent this winter, inflation has increased at the fastest rate in 15 years, hundreds and thousands have lost everything in the gulf coast, and our brave men and women are fighting and dying in Iraq with no end in sight. Yet what are we proposing to America? Cuts in their educational investments, cuts in health care investments, cuts in nutritional investments. All the while we are making those same types of investments in Iraq. That is not the choice the American people want. I have no problem if we are going to make a commitment to Iraq and Iraq's future and the future of their children. I have a problem when we are not going to leave America stronger, but weaker, at the end of that effort, and we are not willing to make that same investment in American children's future. We cannot afford those types of choices. Those are the false choices. All the while what we are trying to do is wall off and protect tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent, people making $300,000 a year, while the rest of America gets cuts in Amtrak, student aid, nutritional programs, veterans get cut from their health care benefits. That is not what the American people think of as an investment in their future. It is clearly not the one you are willing to make in Iraq where we now have a $445 billion bill due to the American people. It will get close to $600 billion before it is all over. The American people are going to be asked to pay for it. How are they going to pay for it? With cuts in their education college loans, cuts in their communities' health care clinics, cuts in Medicaid, cuts in Medicare, cuts in their programs that have guaranteed them a middle-class future. We should find ways to balance the budget, but we should not do it on the backs of our children. The American people expect their leaders to make the right choices. Mr. Speaker, it is time Congress changes its tune. We can do better. Building a strong America begins by building a good America here at home.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown).

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, since the year 2000 this Congress has racked up more than $3 trillion in new debt. Mind you, at a time in which in 2000 the American budget was running a surplus, but in that time we have run deficits on average a little north of $400 billion and we have added $3 trillion to the Nation's debt. How did we do it? We have tried to fight two wars with four tax cuts; and this Congress has served as an ATM to the special interests, showering them with billions in tax breaks and handouts. The prescription drug bill is a classic example where we are now adding close to what the American people were once told would be a $400 billion prescription drug bill, is now worth $800 billion and $139 billion in extra profits to the pharmaceutical companies over 10 years. Yet, all of the sudden when it comes to rebuilding the lives of our fellow citizens in New Orleans and on the coast, we are talking about cutting education, health care, areas of environment and energy for the rest of America, $50 billion; and all the while we are trying to do that this Congress under a Republican majority wants to shower the wealthiest 1 percent, those who earn over $200,000, with more tax cuts and more debt. Yet, what are we saying to the rest of America? You are going to get cuts in education, health care, environment, energy, national security areas, homeland in the area of police. Yet the interesting thing, while all of this is happening here in the United States we are trying to turn ourselves into a pretzel, trying to cut $50 billion from our education and health care. What are we doing in Iraq at this time? What are we doing in Iraq? We are actually renovating and building 110 primary health care centers, vaccinating 3.2 million Iraqi children, rehabilitating 2,700 schools, training 36,000 secondary school teachers in Iraq. We fund 3,120 community development projects in Iraq, and we have provided housing for tens of thousands of Iraqis. And what do we tell the American people in the same area, health care and education? We are going to cut in America. This is the only time in American history. When you look back to it, Abraham Lincoln thought of the land grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad system. Eisenhower at the end of the Korean War thought of the interstate highway system. President Kennedy at the ending days of Vietnam was thinking of putting a man on the moon. At this time when we are thinking about, as we have always thought towards the end of the war, every President--Roosevelt had the G.I. bill--every President said, how do we bring this peace home to America and how do we make sure we invest in America so we reap the benefits as a country? Only this President at this time in this war is thinking about rebuilding another country while cutting back in the United States. President Lincoln thought of the land grant colleges. We are going to cut Pell grants. President Eisenhower thought of the interstate highway system. President Kennedy thought of putting a man on the moon. What are we going to do? We are going to cut Amtrak in this country. This is not the way to invest in America. You want to make the 21st century the American century like the 20th century? You have to invest in America. What have you done? You have turned the budget into a pretzel all to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans. They are patriots too. When it comes to America's future, every American must have skin in the game. When it comes to rebuilding the coast, that is the families and the communities of New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. The choice should not be cutting Pell grants and college loans, cutting student nutrition programs, cutting health care for our elderly and most vulnerable as a way to pay for that. Yet at the same time this Congress has allocated $445 billion to Iraq and it is going to go north to $600 billion unaccounted for, unpaid for, all debt the American taxpayer has to pay for. And what are the Americans going to get for it? Cuts in education, cuts in the students loan programs, cuts in health care clinics. Our senior citizens are going to get cuts in health care. That is the budget you have presented to the American people. The American people deserve better. We can build a stronger America. We do not and America does not deserve gas prices at $3 a gallon. Energy prices this winter are going up by 50 percent. Inflation is increasing at its fastest rate, 15 percent. What are you providing Americans? You are providing them protection for those who earn $200,000 or more and the rest of America gets cuts in its investment for its future. Yet you have told the Iraqis. Why do we not give Iraq some cuts in their investments and provide America the schools we are talking about in Iraq? I have no problem investing in Iraq's future. What I have a problem with is the cuts in America's future that you want to make here. We can do better for America. We can definitely do better. A stronger America around the world begins at home. You are making the wrong choices for America's future. I hope as we deal with this budget and the time coming up for this budget that we understand that writing $445 billion of hot checks for Iraq's future and cutting education and health care in America is not the right choice.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow will mark the 4-year anniversary of our troops' deployment in Afghanistan. In honor of their service and their memory, Democrats and Republican colleagues of mine have been reading their names, the names of those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, into the Congressional Record so that our Nation will never forget their sacrifice. Prior to the summer recess, a number of us have read a little over 1,800 of their names into the Record. Since that time in July, an additional 188 have fallen. To date, 244 American service men and women have perished in the Afghanistan theater of combat. Additionally, 1,957 members of our armed services and fellow citizens have died fighting in Iraq. We owe these brave men and women and their families a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. At the very least we must pay tribute to our fallen servicemembers. Staff Sergeant Jefferey J. Farrow Private Lavena L. Johnson Sergeant Arthur R. McGill Corporal Steven P. Gill Petty Officer Third Class Travis L. Youngblood Sergeant Bryan James Opskar Sergeant Jason T. Palmerton Specialist Jacques Earl ``Gus'' Brunson Specialist Ernest W. Dallas, Jr. Staff Sergeant Carl Ray Fuller Sergeant James Ondra Kinlow Staff Sergeant Jason W. Montefering Sergeant Milton M. Monzon, Jr. Sergeant Christopher J. Taylor Sergeant John Frank Thomas Private First Class Ramon A. Villatoro, Jr. Specialist Adam J. Harting Staff Sergeant Michael W. Schafer Specialist Adrian J. Butler Captain Benjamin D. Jansky Specialist Edward L. Myers Specialist John O. Tollefson Lance Corporal Christopher P. Lyons Corporal Andre L. Williams Private Ernesto R. Guerra Sergeant First Class Victor A. Anderson Sergeant Jonathon C. Haggin Staff Sergeant David R. Jones, Sr. Private First Class Jason D. Scheuerman Sergeant Ronnie L. ``Rod'' Shelley, Sr. Private First Class Robert A. Swaney Specialist James D. Carroll Corporal Jeffrey A. Boskovitch Lance Corporal Roger D. Castleberry, Jr. Sergeant David J. Coullard Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin, Jr. Sergeant James R. Graham, III Lance Corporal Brian P. Montgomery Sergeant Nathaniel S. Rock Petty Officer First Class Thomas C. Hull Staff Sergeant James D. McNaughton Lance Corporal Timothy Michael Bell, Jr. Lance Corporal Eric J. Bernholtz Lance Corporal Nicholas William B. Bloem Lance Corporal Michael J. Cifuentes Lance Corporal Christopher Jenkins Dyer Lance Corporal Grant B. Fraser Specialist Jerry Lewis Ganey, Jr. Specialist Mathew V. Gibbs Sergeant Bradley J. Harper Over the next couple of weeks, I will continue to read the names until we complete the 188 that have fallen since the summer. I want to also read the words of then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: ``Each of these heroes stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live and grow and increase its blessings.'' Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to read all the names and think of the lives that have been lost in service to our country. My colleagues and I will continue to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. Your Nation thanks you and we will never forget you.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I know we are pretty busy, so to catch everybody up here, a few of today's headlines: ``E-mail Show FEMA's Disarray.'' Documents offer a glimpse of communication breakdowns in the Federal response to Katrina. ``Inflation Soars Largest Amount in 15 years.'' ``General Motors Health Care Benefit Cut Part Of A Trend.'' ``Greenspan says surge in energy prices will act as a drag on economy.'' ``States Protest Contributions to the Medicare Drug Plan.'' The Bush administration is requiring States to pay billion of dollars to fund the new prescription drug benefit. ``Vice President Cheney's Office Is A Focus in Leak Case. Sources Cite Role of Feud With the CIA.'' ``As of Monday morning, 1,957 U.S. servicemen had died in the war on Iraq.'' Mr. Speaker, these stories serve as a wakeup call for change, or we can continue the same policies that have led us to this direction and this place. America can do better. We need new priorities. In the spirit of Edward R. Murrow, ``Good day, and good luck.''

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 248, a resolution honoring the memory and legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, a man known as the ``conscience of the Holocaust.'' Wiesenthal was relentless in the pursuit of justice for victims of the Holocaust and the eradication of anti-Semitism around the globe. Born on New Year's Eve in 1908, Simon Wiesenthal spent the bulk of his life fighting for those who, like him, had suffered unspeakable wrongs at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators across Europe. He was interned at the Janwska concentration camp in 1941 and survived twelve different camps until his liberation from the Mauthausen camp in 1945. From that moment until his passing on September 20, 2005, Simon Wiesenthal dedicated his life to fighting for those who perished in the Holocaust. He was a man of indomitable spirit and courage, and even greater was his resolve after the war. Almost immediately after leaving Mauthausen, Simon Wiesenthal set out to collect and prepare evidence for the War Crimes Section of the United States Army for use in the Nuremberg trials, thus beginning his lifelong work as a Nazi hunter. Over the past 60 years, Wiesenthal's research and investigative work led to the capture and conviction of more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals, including the infamous Adolf Eichmann. Simon Wiesenthal was the recipient of countless awards, including honorary British Knighthood, the Dutch Freedom Medal, the French Legion of Honor, the World Tolerance Award, and the Congressional Gold Medal. When some of Wiesenthal's fellow survivors asked him why he decided to become a Nazi hunter, he looked down at the flames of the Sabbath candles from that particular Friday evening and said, ``My dear friends, do you know what I see in the glow of the candles? I see the souls of our six million brothers and sisters. And one day when our lives are over, they will come to all of us and they will ask us, what have you done? You, my dear friend, will tell them that you went into construction to build homes. And you will say you went into the jewelry business. And you became a manufacturer of clothes. But I will have the privilege of saying to them, `I have never forgotten you.' '' Mr. Speaker, we will never forget Simon Wiesenthal and his many years in pursuit of justice for victims of the Holocaust. I thank the gentleman from California for introducing this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 61, Supporting the Goals and Ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important resolution, which honors the mothers of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. We often invoke the sacrifices of our nation's fallen in general. Seldom do we take the time to thank them and their families individually. In June and July of this year, I joined 21 other members from both sides of the aisle to read the names of each of our fallen on the house floor. I am pleased to have this opportunity to recognize an thank the mothers of these individual heroes. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once wrote to the mother of a fallen serviceman, ``He stands in the unbroken line of Patriots who have dared to die that freedom might live, and grow and increase its blessings. Freedom lives, and through it he lives, in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men.'' Organizations such as American Gold Star Mothers keep the memory of these heroes alive, as they help fellow mothers and family members of the fallen work through the grief of losing a loved one. They are also actively involved in their communities, visiting VA hospitals, helping veterans with claims to the Veterans Administration and volunteering at patriotic and memorial services throughout the year. Mr. Speaker, I would like to echo the words of President Abraham Lincoln, who wrote to the mother of five fallen soldiers in the Civil War: ``I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom.'' We owe gold star mothers and their families a debt that can never be fully repaid. I hope all Americans will take this opportunity to recognize and thank America's Gold Star Mothers.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 66, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of ``Lights On Afterschool.'' Lights On Afterschool is a national celebration of after school programs and the dedicated people who keep them going. After school programs play an important role in the lives of millions of school children throughout the United States. These programs provide fun and educational activities that help develop the social, emotional, physical, cultural, and academic skills of children, while giving them a safe and enriching alternative to the streets. Students in my home town of Chicago benefit from hundreds of exciting after school options. Many of these are coordinated through After School Matters, a non-profit organization which partners with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Public Library, and the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services to create a network of after school opportunities for teens in underserved communities. Through After School Matters, Chicago teens take part in engaging activities that provide skills that translate to the workplace. After School Matters helps kids build positive relationships with adults and peers, providing them with access to educational and career opportunities in their neighborhoods and the city. Programs such as After School Matters are making a difference in communities throughout the United States. These programs deserve our support, and I urge my colleagues to make after school programs a priority as we move through the budget process. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity to recognize the work of these dedicated people who help provide quality after school opportunities for children. On October 20th, I urge my colleagues to participate in ``Lights On Afterschool'' and honor the after school programs which serve their communities.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 209, Supporting the goals and ideals of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence continues to have a devastating effect on American families. It is important for Congress to take a leading role in raising awareness about this issue. I am proud to have played a leading role in creating the 1994 Violence Against Women Act during my time in the White House. Since the passage of this important act, the rate of domestic violence in the United States has diminished. However, there is still work to be done in breaking the cycle of violence and addressing the root causes of domestic violence. Domestic violence affects women, men, and children of all racial, social, religious, ethnic and economic backgrounds. Between 1998 and 2002, family violence accounted for 11 percent of all reported violence in the nation. 22 percent of murders in 2002 were committed by family members of the victims, and approximately 15 percent of violent crime convictions were for an attack on a family member. Congress must support measures to stop domestic violence before it begins through education, transitional housing assistance and counseling programs. We must also make it a priority to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and ensure that this important legislation receives sufficient funding. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for introducing this important resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in support of establishing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Mr. EMANUEL

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I find the debate over how we are going to pay for the reconstruction and revitalization of the gulf coast ironic because in the past few years this body has allocated nearly $400 billion for the war in Iraq, without a peep, just a rubber-stamp Congress. We have added $3 trillion to our national debt with annual deficits at $400 billion as far as the eye can see. This has become the Congress known for hot checks. Yet when this Congress faces a tab for rebuilding America and American lives that is less than half of what we have spent in Iraq, suddenly everyone here is wearing green eye shades. In Iraq, we have spent millions to rebuild the Sweet Water Canal System, rebuilding and repairing the levee system; and here in America, we cut the levee construction down in Louisiana by 80 percent. Tuesday's Christian Science Monitor reported that the National Guard's response to Katrina was hampered by a lack of equipment because two-thirds of that equipment is in Iraq. We need a new direction with new priorities. We need a Congress that is going to put some checks and balances and not act like a rubber stump. In the coming weeks, I intend to reintroduce the American Parity Act, a bill to ensure that, as we rebuild Iraq, we ensure that we also rebuild America. This Congress cannot have one set of books, one set of priorities for Iraq, and another one for the American people.