Donna Edwards

Ms. EDWARDS

Ms. EDWARDS. I will.

Ms. EDWARDS. I thank the gentleman. I am going to finish up because we have other Members who want to speak on this really important issue. I want to say in closing, today I began with a story of a young woman who is very close to me. Her name is Annie. She is such a delight. Well, in the spring she was diagnosed with leukemia. She will be 28 years old in February. When she was diagnosed, she had health insurance; but what she realized and her family realized right away was very quickly, as she was approaching trying to get a bone marrow transplant and all of the attendant costs that are associated with that, that without the change that we made in the health care law, maybe her parents would have to give up their retirement fund; maybe they would have to sacrifice their home because they wanted to save their daughters's life because she would have bumped up against those lifetime limits. And so what we did in the 111th Congress in passing a health care law is we said to young people like 28-year-old Annie that we are committed to making sure that she has the ability to take care of her health and to save her life. That is what this is about. It is about real people. It is about their lives, and it is about our obligation that we have to one another. I thank the gentleman for organizing this Special Order this evening.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and prayer for our friend and colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a delightful personality, a dedicated legislator, and a powerful advocate for her constituents. Sitting next to her on the Science and Technology Committee, you only had to be there to know and feel her passion for NASA, solar technology innovation and research. It has rubbed off. As we pause to reflect on the terrible tragedy that took place in Tucson, we know that Congresswoman Giffords was simply doing what she does so well, meeting with the constituents of Arizona's Eighth Congressional District and hearing their different points of view. This is a sentiment that is reflected in Congresswoman Giffords' own words when she said, ``My position . . . is to listen to my constituents . . . then ultimately make sound, rational decisions that are going to be beneficial for the Eighth Congressional District. That's my job.'' Mr. Speaker, I join the Nation in expressing my sorrow for the senseless and tragic loss of life--Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwin Stoddard, and Gabriel Zimmerman--and to all those injured, including our friend and colleague, Gabrielle Giffords and her staff. We will keep you and your families in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers. We are deeply grateful for the heroes, sung and unsung, who showed great courage and sacrifice and continue to do so in caring for their friends, family, and community. To Gabby; to Mark Kelly, her husband; her staff, we pray that your burdens are lifted and that the dark days become light. May God bless you and strengthen you. May God bless this Congress, and may God bless America.

Ms. EDWARDS

Ms. EDWARDS. I thank the gentleman. I am so pleased to be here again. I have been here in the House on this floor for the last hour and a half because I feel passionately, as we all do, about health care. There is not one among us, either personally, as the gentleman from Colorado has expressed, or one of our constituents, who doesn't have a health care story to share. So I thought that I would actually share with you a story today, Mr. Speaker, from a constituent of mine who lives in the Fourth Congressional District in Maryland. She writes to me that her daughter graduated from college in 2008 and lost coverage under my--this is from her--my health insurance. She got a job in August 2008 that provided her with health insurance coverage. When she lost that job in June 2009, as millions of Americans have lost their jobs, she was eligible for COBRA, the continuation of her health care. Mr. Speaker, she writes that the COBRA subsidy made it possible for her to continue with that insurance. But then when that subsidy ended in September of 2010, they had to make a family decision, she says, to continue to pay for her COBRA coverage until the end of 2010 when it expired. It was an affordability question. She continues on: We knew she would become eligible for my insurance at the start of the plan year in January 2011. And why is that? Because under the Affordable Care Act, she would be able to cover her daughter for her health insurance and would no longer have to COBRA that care. She continues on: The unsubsidized COBRA premium was over $400 a month, actually closer to $500 a month, and it is going to cost me only $60 to $70 to add my daughter, now 24, to my employer plan. And some of her doctors who were not in the network under her COBRA plan are in network for my plan, meaning we will not have to pay for their full cost of out-of-pocket costs. Vicki--I won't say her last name--says to me: I am in the sandwich generation and help with the care of my stepmother who lives in Florida. She falls into the part D prescription doughnut hole every year, so now on January 1 her costs will be reduced because of the health reform legislation as well. Mr. Speaker, what I am saying to you and what we say to the American people today is that this isn't about numbers and statistics; it is about real people like Vicki and her daughter and her stepmother that she cares for. It is about real people who, in their lives, work every single day or are trying to find work and they don't have health care coverage. We cannot repeal the Affordable Care Act, because that would be like throwing ice water on the American people. With that, I yield back.

Ms. EDWARDS

Ms. EDWARDS. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And it occurred to me as we heard this discussion--and thank you to Mr. Courtney for raising these issues with us, Mr. Speaker. Because it occurred to me that while we should be spending our time focused on job creation--and we know that a core for job creation for the 21st century for this country is in our investment in our transportation infrastructure, really putting people back to work. And instead, we are relitigating what the American people thought we had finished with--health care. So here we are with a rule that then says to us, Even as the bipartisan debt commission has said that we need to invest in the Nation's infrastructure--those are investments that create jobs, jobs where taxpayers are paying into the system so that we have revenue, so that we can invest in our infrastructure--that we are going to be constrained from doing it. And I am reminded that in the last Congress, in the 111th Congress, every Member, I believe, of our Transportation and Infrastructure Committee wrote to the President of the United States saying, We need to do a long-term transportation and infrastructure bill so that our States can begin to really put people back to work. And here we are in the 112th Congress, led by the Republicans who have put forth a rules package that will constrain our ability to create jobs in this country.

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you for yielding, Mr. Yarmuth. You know, as I listened to this discussion, I thought, I wonder what taxpayers are thinking about with this discussion. I wonder about those taxpayers who go to work every day but who, through no fault of their own, can't afford to buy health insurance even though they work every day and they pay taxes every day. I thought, well, under the Affordable Care Act, indeed, for those people, we get to, you know, put a little bottom under them so they can be covered, so they can, you know, go to work and take care of their families and can also have the security of knowing that their families are going to be covered with health care. I thought about the discussion earlier on this floor where our colleagues on the other side of the aisle talked, you know, somewhat disparagingly of the young people who maybe finish college or trade school and go to get jobs, but there is a gap in health care coverage because they've turned 22 or 23 years old. They're working for a living, doing what they need to do. They've gone to school. They've gotten trades, maybe, and they can't afford health care coverage. So their parents get to say, You know what? For all of our peace of mind and for your security, we're going to, you know, pay for that health care coverage under our plan. Mr. Speaker, as I stand here today, I think about my son, who has just gotten a job. There was this period, and I remember when I received that notice from our health insurance company. That notice, you know, was a shocker to me because it basically said, You're done. Had we not had this provision in the Affordable Care Act that enables parents like me and other parents around the country to have the peace of mind of being able to keep our children, our young people, our young working people on our health care plans, I don't know what working families would do out there. Mr. Speaker, I thought also about a conversation that I'm going to share with you, a conversation with some seniors that I had, as I was spending New Year's Eve with friends. One of the seniors said to me, as we were talking about health care, You know, I have a medical condition. I'm spending thousands of dollars, and I've fallen into the doughnut hole, and it is really taking a chunk out of our pocket. I had the privilege on December 31 of saying to this family, Do you know that, as of January 1, as of the next day, in 2011, your prescription drug that has fallen into that doughnut hole will actually receive a 50 percent discount? They had no idea. I was glad to be able to share it with them. They're not my constituents. They live in somebody else's State, but it's great to be able to share that with them. And that's the experience many of our seniors all across the country are having right now as they realize that they won't have to bear the burden of out-of- pocket costs for prescription drugs that fall through a doughnut hole because they can't afford it anymore. Their young people will be able to be covered until they're 26. If you experience domestic violence in a handful of States, that's a preexisting condition. Guess what? Insurance companies will no longer, as we move into the implementation of our health care reform bill, be able to call that a preexisting condition. And so I will close and allow you some additional opportunity in your time, but I do want to say that it was really compelling to read the Constitution here on the floor of the House of Representatives today, and again, a very important reminder of our obligation as elected officials to look out for the general welfare of the people, and I can think of no better way to do that than making sure that we protect the health insurance, the health care that Americans have been guaranteed because of what we were able to accomplish with the Affordable Care Act.

Ms. EDWARDS

Ms. EDWARDS. I'm so pleased to join you today and to talk about health care. And I feel very personally about health care, as somebody who went for a long time without any health care coverage and worried like Americans do all across this country. They did prior to our really investing in reform for the American people. And so I know that anxiety. And I was thinking about some of our constituents, constituents in Maryland's Fourth Congressional District, and around the country, who, today because of what we did in the Democratic-led Congress in passing landmark health care reform legislation, are better off today. And we haven't even fully implemented the benefits for the American people. I think about a letter that I got from a gentleman who lives in my district in Olney, Maryland, a small town, Olney, Maryland. And he writes to me that his son, Mike, was 25 going on 26, and he could receive health care insurance coverage. When he wasn't able to get it, he needed it and he couldn't get it. And he got a letter from Blue Cross/Blue Shield saying to him that his son could continue to be covered until his 26 birthday. And what he did was he did what a lot of American families do, they're wiping the sweat from their brow because they know that they can now keep their young people on their health care plan until they're 26. I have a 22-year-old. I was feeling exactly the same way. I got another letter from a woman who actually does health care policy, but she lives in my district; and what she said to me is that her daughter had a preexisting condition and she was very concerned, but she was an older young person, 20-some years old, 20 years old with a preexisting condition, really worried that she wouldn't be able to provide health care. And then she got the notice for COBRA coverage, which we've all said, you know, the backup is COBRA. It turned out that that was going to be an extra $400 to $500 a month for her to have COBRA coverage to make sure that she didn't lose her health care when she actually lost her job. Well, now, this parent, actually, for the cost of about $70 or $80, as opposed to $400 or $500 a month, can keep their young person, their child, their young person on their health care coverage. I think this is a great benefit for America's families, for families who work every day and actually have health care coverage. I heard us earlier discussing premium increase hikes, and I want to tell you something. I know when we were working on health care reform, and many of us, very concerned about people who don't have insurance and need coverage. But most Americans all across the country actually do have some form of health care coverage. And you know what they're worried about? They're worried about those premiums going up at astronomical rates. And I've heard from my constituents, 20, 30 percent premium hikes. Well, because of what we did in this health care package, insurance commissioners, like you were a commissioner, insurance commissioners all across the country now have the power vested in them to be able to actually say, you know what? We're going to put a check on these companies. And so in States like California, a big State like California and Connecticut and Maine and Colorado and Maryland, all across the country, that's what these insurance commissioners are doing. And they're not saying the Feds do it for them; it's the States. And of course we heard here this morning, as we read the Constitution, a reminder that States are in a great position to look at what insurance companies are doing in their States, to regulate what's happening in their States, and to say to them, you have to stop taking money away from consumers, away from patients by raising your premiums excessively. And so these are real accomplishments for the American people and for people who go to work every day. And so I'm glad to be here actually talking about these benefits with the American people.

Ms. EDWARDS

Ms. EDWARDS. ``Each House shall keep a Journal of its proceedings and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the discretion of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the Journal.''

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Thank you to the chairman for your leadership and your vision. I rise today in strong support of the work that you have put in on America COMPETES. It's legislation that's going to usher in a new era of scientific and economic leadership and prosperity for the country. In particular, I want to highlight an amendment I authored that will give special consideration to high-needs schools and underrepresented teachers and minorities when determining STEM fellowship grants. My colleagues, we often come together to discuss the importance of education, laying the groundwork for economic prosperity. And here, America COMPETES is an important step forward to laying that foundation, to ensuring that opportunities provided in this legislation will be available to all of our young people, regardless of race or economic circumstance. This is a game changer; not a Hail Mary pass but a playoff strategy for the future and for the long term success of our children. And we need all of these players on the field. So today let's put our shared sentiments into action, send America COMPETES to the President's desk so we can continue to generate economic competitiveness, creating high- wage jobs, and educating and preparing all our young people for the future.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from New York. As of this morning, I was not prepared, much to my disappointment, to support this rule, but I do support the rule now and the ability of this House to move forward on this tax cut bill. It is sad that later on we're going to consider a bill that isn't just about an estate tax that benefits only 6,600 families. It's about what we do with Social Security for the long term, protecting the investment that all of our seniors, people who have invested in Social Security should be able to expect in the years to come. It is about the debt that's going to be saddled onto our children and our grandchildren. The underlying bill is so problematic in so many ways--and I'll have an opportunity to speak on my opposition to that bill--but I do stand here able to support a rule that allows me to take a vote as a Democrat, to speak to the values that I hold for working people and for working families and for our children and our grandchildren and their future.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Chairman, in 2006, Warren Buffett wrote, ``There's class warfare, but it's my class, the rich, that's making war, and we're winning.'' Today, in this bill, Mr. Buffett's sentiment rings as startlingly true today as it did 4 years ago. I rise in strong opposition to this bill that will benefit only the wealthiest Americans at the expense of putting billions of dollars in debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Over the last 35 years, our tax policies have concentrated a third of this Nation's wealth in 1 percent of our population, leaving 80 percent of us with 16 percent of our Nation's wealth, the rest. The proposal on the floor today only exacerbates that trend. Mr. Chairman, we have staked our reputation and the legacy of this 111th Congress on fighting for working families. I just don't understand how we can saddle those same families with unsustainable tax cuts for the wealthy, an estate tax that benefits 6,600 families, and a payroll tax that without question raids Social Security. If this is war, then let's put away this white flag. I refuse to surrender to those who want to benefit the two-percenters at the expense of the rest of us. To do that would surrender the hopes, the dreams, the retirements, and the paychecks of families all across this country. It is time to put away the white flag and fight for working families.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, where is Robin Hood when you need him? I rise today to express my profound sadness about the tax bill that was passed by the Senate and set to pass in this House that benefits the wealthiest of Americans at the expense of putting billions of dollars of debt onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. Where is Robin Hood? It's not just about the estate tax for 6,600 families or the tax cuts for the 2 percenters. This is so irresponsible. It contradicts everything, as Democrats, that we have been fighting for for generations. And for those who charge that it's purity or sanctimony, make no mistake, this is about our value as Democrats. It's about the prospect of creating hope and opportunity for our children and grandchildren, and we're not doing it here. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say that it's time for us to do what's in the interest of working families in this country and not to continue to sacrifice for the very few.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the DREAM Act, H.R. 1751, and on behalf of many young people in my district like 17-year-old Yves Gomes, an advanced placement student, an honor student, a graduate of Paint Branch High School. Yves came to this country from India when he was just 14 months old, a toddler. He loves this country. He's all-American. He plays basketball. He listens to music. He wants to be a doctor to help poor people in this country. Let's give Yves a chance to study, to work, to contribute to this, his country. In a letter to President Obama, Yves wrote, ``The U.S. is different from any other country in the world because the government is willing to listen to its people when something is wrong.'' Let's pass the DREAM Act.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give voice to the growing chorus of millions of hardworking Americans who are without their unemployment benefits and to middle class taxpayers who deserve tax cuts on their income up to $250,000 permanently. We're seeing a steady improvement in the economy, but families are still struggling and need unemployment benefits to put food on the table and remain in their homes. Extending unemployment is more than support for our families, friends, and neighbors; it's also good economics. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office, it's hands down the most cost-effective stimulus available. Mr. Speaker, I want to clear up the confusion. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle are fighting for tax cuts for millionaires while millions of Americans are losing unemployment benefits. My colleagues on the other side are calling for us to pay for $18 billion to extend unemployment but refuse to see the hypocrisy of putting $700 billion of tax cuts for millionaires on the backs of our children and grandchildren. To be clear, Mr. Speaker, this Congresswoman and congressional Democrats are fighting for real families, 98 percent of middle class families, 9.6 percent unemployed. Republicans are fighting for the 2 percenters, the millionaires. Let's stop it right here.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the need to immediately extend unemployment benefits and to make permanent the middle class tax cuts. To the 14,600 Marylanders and 2 million Americans across the country who are facing the loss of their unemployment benefits, this Member of Congress and Members on this side of the aisle understand who you are and understand what you're facing. I've stood in an unemployment line. I wasn't lazy, I wasn't not looking for a job, but I needed unemployment benefits. I've stood in a food pantry, and it's humiliating, the entire experience. And so the idea that we are going to allow Americans, hardworking American families who have earned their benefits, to go home at Thanksgiving and not know whether they're going to put a turkey on the table to feed their families, we should be ashamed if we allow that to happen. I know that I am committed, my colleagues are committed, to make sure that the American public understands that you need your unemployment benefits and that you want to work, and that you have worked before and that you want to work again. And so I would say to all of those out there who would choose to not allow Americans to put food on their tables to ask themselves who we are as a country.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the dedicated employees of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) in safeguarding the citizens of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties in Maryland. In the early morning hours of July 1, 2010, a WSSC fiber optics monitoring system notified key WSSC personnel of impending danger involving a 96'' water main located near Tuckerman Lane in Montgomery County, Maryland. This highly pressurized water main is one of the main distribution conduits serving both Counties, but is of particular importance to the citizens of Prince George's County. WSSC mobilized immediately coordinating with Maryland state and county officials to isolate the problem, dewater the main, replace the damaged section, and restore water service. This all occurred without a loss of water pressure in the system that could have impacted adversely critical services like hospitals and firefighting capabilities. WSSC instituted and enforced mandatory water restrictions over the holiday weekend to ensure adequate pressure was maintained for public health and safety. WSSC is to be commended for their leadership and efforts throughout this incident. As Paul Hajek, Acting Director of Operations for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) wrote to WSSC's General Manager, ``I found WSSC to be highly professional, responsive and cautiously deliberate in how they handled the entire incident. From a State perspective, it was refreshing to work with a company that at every turn `had it under control'. Your company's actions turned what was a probable `emergency incident' into an `event'.'' WSSC Commissioners and General Manager Jerry N. Johnson honored WSSC employees for their efforts in this incident during the July 21, 2010 Commission meeting. In a communication from the General Manager to the employees honored, Mr. Johnson wrote: ``As you know, I believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. The members of the WSSC team demonstrate their commitment every day whether they are responding to a customer inquiry in the Call Center, inspecting a contractor's repair of a sewer lateral, turning valves to isolate a water main break or repairing a pump in the machine shop. I am proud to be a member of such a dedicated and capable workforce that so fully understands the critical nature of our work and how each of us plays an important role in fulfilling our obligation to provide high quality reliable services to our customers. ``Due, in part, to your hard work, WSSC averted a potentially catastrophic break in the 96-inch main. We know from past experience the destructive power of such a break. There is no doubt a sudden break at Tuckerman Lane and Gainsborough Road would have been devastating. ``We appreciate your personal sacrifices, including the physical demands of working long hours in near-record breaking heat, and the time that could have been spent with loved ones celebrating our Nation's Independence Day holiday. Your professionalism and work ethic personify the work ethic of the entire WSSC team. We are so very proud of our employees and the contractors who represented the Commission in all phases of the repair operation. ``On behalf of our customers and staff, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your excellent implementation of WSSC's customer service goals and expectations. You selflessly carried out our mission to provide safe and reliable water, life's most precious resource, in an ethically and financially responsible manner. We salute you for a job well done!'' One noteworthy individual is WSSC Customer Care West Group Leader, Hak Kwon. Nicknamed by many during and after this event as ``The General,'' Mr. Kwan lead the WSSC Team working tirelessly and professionally to resolve the problem as quickly and as safely as possible. In crisis situations such as this early July 2010 incident, it is comforting to know that the employees of the WSSC can rise to the occasion, make the difficult decisions, and safeguard our citizens. Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join General Manager Jerry Johnson and me in commending the WSSC and its employees on a job well done.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a new postgraduate educational program in dentistry of the United States Air Force. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, USUHS, and the United States Air Force, USAF, Dental Service have collaborated to provide a Master of Science in Oral Biology. The recently accredited USAF Postgraduate School of Dentistry is a unique partnership between USUHS and the 59th Medical Wing at Wilford Hall Medical Center on Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The newly established Air Force postgraduate educational program in dentistry will give our airmen and women the opportunity to receive an accredited master's degree in oral biology for the first time in its history. The initiative was spearheaded by Major General Gar S. Graham, Assistant Surgeon General for Dental Services and Commander of the 79th Medical Wing at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. This is another step towards fulfilling our commitment to providing our servicemembers with the educational opportunities they deserve. The class of summer 2010 will be the first class eligible to receive this prestigious degree through USUHS.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join all of America in celebrating 75 years of a bedrock promise to our seniors, to our retirees, of Social Security. That's right, 75 years of Social Security, a promise from one generation to the next generation. In this country, 6 in 10 seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their income. Over 6 million children, nearly 1 in 10, receive part of their income from Social Security. I was one of those young people when my father was disabled. I and my siblings received Social Security to help us continue to support our family in a real time of need. It really is one promise from one generation to the next. Now, there are some on the other side of the aisle who want to privatize Social Security. They would put Social Security into the stock market, and maybe we would face a year like we have faced in the last couple of years, and retirees would lose a third or more of their income. But that's not the promise that we make from one generation to another. So this summer I and my colleagues are going to be talking about Social Security. I will be doing it this weekend at a senior forum out in Prince George's County, Maryland. A promise from one generation to the next generation, it's a promise that Democrats plan to honor. It's a promise that we make to the American people, and we will keep that promise no matter what our Republican colleagues try to do.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Well, Madam Speaker, here we go again. Today and every day in this Chamber my Republican colleagues stand here and blame Democrats for failing to create jobs. What nerve they have when they haven't voted for one jobs bill for the American workers. Right now, Senate Republicans, just like their House colleagues, are blocking the passage of five critical bills that would create at least 1.5 million jobs for the American people, and House Republicans have the audacity to accuse Democrats of not doing enough to create jobs? Shame on them. I urge Republican Senators to vote for the America COMPETES Act, the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, the Jobs For Main Street Act and the Small Business and Infrastructure Act to provide desperately needed jobs. If Republicans are really serious about job creation, then they'd urge their colleagues in the Senate to take immediate action and pass these bills. Madam Speaker, it's been 186 days since we passed our first jobs bill and still they haven't acted. It's time for Senate Republicans to act, write a paycheck to the American people, and finish the job that House Democrats started.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. I thank the gentlelady. Madam Speaker, I have to tell you, it really troubles me to be here this evening because once again we have to point to action by House Democrats to bring jobs to the American people and inaction by our Republican colleagues, particularly those who sit in the United States Senate, who have failed to deliver on the promise of jobs to the American people. Now, when President Obama came into office, I think that month, Madam Speaker, we lost something like 750,000 jobs that one month, after having hemorrhaged for over a year thousands and thousands of jobs, not creating a single job in this country. And so then the President comes in and we have to deal with a financial crisis, also inherited from the previous administration. Still, Americans are without jobs. But this Congress didn't stand still. The Democratic leadership in this Congress didn't stand still. We passed significant jobs legislation. First, the stimulus package that created jobs across this country, saved or created 3.5 million jobs around this country in every single State, in every single congressional district, so that Americans could continue working. But we said that wasn't enough. We need to be on the progress of building up our economy and creating more jobs for the American people, creating jobs that are about the 21st century, making sure that Americans don't just get extended unemployment benefits, which I agree we ought to have done. It was the right thing to do. And it was wrong for Republicans to say that people who receive unemployment benefits don't deserve that because somehow that keeps them from looking for a job. Those aren't the Americans that I know. The Americans that I know get up every single day. They want to work hard, and they do work hard to take care of themselves and their families. And our job as Members of Congress is actually to deliver on that promise. So what have we done in this Congress? We have delivered. Democrats in the House of Representatives, almost without any Republican votes, have delivered jobs for the American people. But where is it? Sitting over in the Senate. At least five jobs bills that I can think of, and I know that there are more. Jobs for veterans, jobs for teachers, jobs for first responders, jobs in the 21st century economy and the green economy, all of these sitting over in the United States Senate because Senate Republicans are standing in the way of job creation for this country. I will tell you, Madam Speaker, it's not that they're standing in the way because these aren't good ideas. They're standing in the way because they have let politics get in the middle of whether Americans should have jobs or not. And so here we go. It's time for the Senate Republicans to actually deliver a paycheck and a payday for the American people, to stop standing in the way of job creation, to make sure that Americans can get paid an honest day's wages for an honest day's work, because Americans want to work. Now, here we have bill after bill. We have House Resolution 5297, passed on June 17; 5019, passed May 26, May 28, March 21. I mean, it's been days and days and days since we have passed major jobs legislation that sits to this day in the United States Senate. It is not right. It's not right for the American people, and it's time for Senate Republicans to stop standing in the way and filibustering jobs for the American people because they believe in politics and not a paycheck. So, Madam Speaker, let me just tell you something. We've done a lot of things in this Congress, but we have to draw attention to this. And I'm asking the American people, Madam Speaker, that they turn on their television screens at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to make sure that they know that House Democrats will be waiting on the Senate floor, waiting moment by moment, 2 o'clock every single afternoon this week so that we can bring jobs to the American people. It's time for the Senate to get out of the way. It's time for Senate Republicans to stop standing in the way of a paycheck for the American people and to deliver the jobs that House Democrats have created over in this body. And we need to move them forward over in the other one. So, Madam Speaker, I would say to you it is time that we deliver a paycheck for the American people, millions of jobs and a paycheck for the American people, that we stop standing in the way of job creation. Madam Speaker, here's what we've done. It's really payday for the American workers. Small Business Jobs and Credit Act for small businesses and tax incentives. Home Star Jobs, incentives for energy- efficient homes and cutting energy bills and delivering jobs. America COMPETES. That's about what we do in the 21st century. It's about whether we're going to be competitive globally by creating jobs in this new economy. Jobs for Main Street, so we can boost small business, build highways, and hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters. You want to tell me that there are not police and firefighters and teachers who need jobs in every single State in this country, whether that State is led by a Senate Democrat or a Senate Republican? Of course they need jobs. And finally, Madam Speaker, I'll tell you, the other side does a lot of talking about small business and infrastructure, but here we've passed H.R. 4849, small business and infrastructure that we know are going to create jobs, and who's sitting on that? Those Senate Republicans sitting on jobs, playing politics with the American people. The American people want a job. American workers want to work, and it's time for us to deliver that work. Thank you.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, look, at 3 o'clock this afternoon, 2,742,660 Americans were denied an extension of their unemployment benefits. It's just that simple. And I have heard the arguments on the other side, but when a liberal goes in to buy bread, nobody says that's liberal bread. When a conservative goes in to buy cereal, nobody says that's conservative cereal. When Republicans go in to pay their rent, nobody says that's Republican rent. When Democrats go in to pay that electric bill, nobody says that it's a Democratic electric bill. Yet here on this floor, we have heard time and time again about liberals and conservatives and Republicans and Democrats. And when Americans are unemployed, it really doesn't matter what any of those labels are because they are trying to feed their families. They are trying to take care of their responsibilities. They have paid in, in many cases, for years and years and years, into an unemployment compensation insurance fund, and now that it's time to draw on it, our Republican colleagues want to deny them the opportunity to get what is justly theirs. Now, our Republican colleagues a number of times, first in March of 2010 this year, 85 percent of them voted ``no'' for extending unemployment benefits. April 15, 93 percent of them voted ``no'' for extending unemployment benefits. On the 20th of July, we don't know. Are we going to again vote not to extend unemployment benefits to those who have run out of employment benefits, those who are not employed, to those who work hard every day going out there searching for jobs? So the Republicans want to extend tax benefits for the wealthiest of Americans, billions and billions of dollars, but they don't want to extend unemployment benefits for people who have done everything that we have asked them to and they can't find a job. Republicans don't want to create jobs. They don't want to give unemployment benefits. I have to ask. I mean, I just think that at home people are saying, What in the world is going on here? It's time to stop it. It's time to extend unemployment benefits, and it's time for Republicans to stop playing games, because this is about jobs.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, day after day my Republican colleagues stand in the well of this Chamber blaming Democrats for failing to create jobs. As a Democrat who voted time and time again in this House of Representatives to create jobs for working families, I am shocked. Right now, and today, Senate Republicans are blocking the passage of five critical bills that would create at least 1.5 million jobs for the American people, and House Republicans, after not having cast votes for these bills, have the audacity to accuse Democrats of not doing enough to create jobs? Shame on them. I urge Republican Senators to vote for the America COMPETES Act, the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, the Jobs for Main Street Act, and the Small Business and Infrastructure Act to provide desperately needed jobs. If they're serious about creating jobs, then they will urge their Senate Republicans to take immediate action and pass these bills. Senate Republicans, it's payday for the American workers. It's time to write a check to the American people and finish the job that the House started.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the upcoming 75th anniversary of Social Security and express my support for the financial security of millions of retired Americans. Representing Maryland's Fourth Congressional District, I serve many who oversee and administer the Social Security Administration. One of my constituents I had the honor of meeting out at Collington retirement community in Mitchellville, Maryland. Robert M. Ball was one of the chief architects of Social Security, the program we know today. Mr. Ball was Social Security's chief administrator from 1962 to 1973. He was described once as ``the undisputed spiritual leader, and its chief advocate and defender.'' He served three presidents, Republicans and Democrats, to make sure it remained strong for all of us. He passed away in January 2008, but he left a legacy barely known outside Washington, but a program that's the backbone of America's social safety net. At a time when Republicans are threatening the privatization of Social Security, Mr. Ball would say not now. Can you imagine what would have happened just a year ago when our Nation suffered its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Our seniors would have lost everything, and our young people would be starting from scratch. The American people deserve better. Democrats are going to give them better. And we need to get our economy back on track, put people back to work, contribute to Social Security, and strengthen our most successful program of the 21st century.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. I thank my colleague from Ohio for keeping our focus on working people and on the struggles of working people, particularly this environment, this recession, coming out of this recession, people who have lost their jobs, people who need unemployment. Last week, Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of meeting Louise Strong. She's one of these women who represents workers all across this country. She's a constituent in my congressional district in Maryland. She is unjustly suffering from the loss of her unemployment benefits. Louise told me that after 28 years she lost her full-time job with the Marriott Corporation in October 2008. She was then offered a temporary position, but it only lasted 4 months. For the first time in almost 30 years--I think since she was a teenager--Louise was unemployed and began receiving unemployment insurance. Since then, Louise has fought tirelessly to get a job, sending out hundreds of resumes, filling out countless job applications, and over a year later she's still without work. And since June, she is no longer receiving her unemployment benefits, benefits that she is entitled to as a working person. Mr. Speaker, as of six o'clock this evening, I looked at the counter, like Americans can do across this country, just go online, 2,645,088 Americans as of 6 o'clock this evening, including more than 12,000 from my home State of Maryland, joined Louise in losing their unemployment benefits. Right now, 16 million Americans are out of work, and almost 50 percent have been out of work for 6 months. These are Americans who have spent their entire lives working. They are Americans who want to work, who are out every single day, looking for opportunities to work. They are not lazy. They are not shiftless, and they won't become lazy by receiving unemployment benefits. The misperception about unemployment is great, but unemployment is insurance. Take Louise. Louise paid into the Unemployment Insurance Compensation Fund for 28 years, and now she wants to draw on the insurance that she has paid into. Americans understand that. It is an insurance fund. People draw on it. Do you know what they're doing with that unemployment, Mr. Speaker? They are buying eggs and bread and cereal. They are paying their rents and their mortgages. They are taking care of their children. They are paying their utility bills. It is money that is going directly back into the economy. Now, Republicans in both Chambers, I mean especially these days in the United States Senate, are keeping busy by arguing that we neither have the resources nor sufficient reason to extend unemployment benefits to these hardworking Americans like Louise Strong. The fiscal resources, they argue, would contribute to the deficit, and that is something they ideologically cannot allow. Well, I'll tell you. When you have to put food on the table, it is not about ideology. It is about being able to go to the grocery store. They'd know this if they went into the grocery store. Like Mr. McDermott, our colleague from Washington, mentioned, when you go into the grocery store, people are stopping us, and they're asking, ``Why can't you just extend unemployment benefits? I worked for this.'' Yet, if you believe the quotes from Members of the Republican Party, they're willing to support tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans regardless of their budget impact. They argue, ``Congress has the authority, and if we decide we want to cut taxes,'' we don't have to ``offset those costs'' for extending tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. They won't offset $680 million in tax cuts for people with incomes over $1.5 million a year. This is really shameless that they can't find the heart or the will to extend unemployment benefits for the 2,644,088 Americans who are seeking unemployment benefits. Shame on them. Shame on them for not extending unemployment benefits. Americans are smart enough to realize the duplicity in these kinds of tactics. They understand the difference between providing meaningful economic solutions and playing off of fears about a rising deficit. The budget impacts of extending tax cuts far outweigh the costs of extending unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits go right back into the economy. Senate Republicans aren't concerned at all about the deficit. That is just their shameless politics, and it needs to stop because it is being done off the backs of hardworking Americans. So there is a fundamental difference that we are fighting for, and it is one that is worth fighting for. We are fighting for working Americans, and Democrats in Congress know that, for every dollar invested in unemployment benefits, the economy gets $1.50 back. That's a 150 percent return on our investment for extending unemployment benefits. This is smart, especially at this time when so many Americans are out of work. So, Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop holding hostage workers who have been laid off in this recession and the political tactics. We must do what is right for the middle class and not the wealthiest of Americans. It is time to stop blocking emergency relief for those who are out of work, and it is time to extend unemployment benefits so that Americans who have worked all of their lives, like Louise Strong, can get the benefit of the doubt, the benefit of the bargain of what they put into the Unemployment Compensation Fund. People want to work. Unemployment insurance is the bridge that gets them there while our country gets strong, and it is time to extend that bridge to help Americans get back to work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for making sure that we keep our eyes on the prize for working Americans. With that, I yield.

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland

Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support as a cosponsor of this amendment, and I thank Congresswoman Lee for her steadfast leadership on this issue. This amendment requires that we act on evidence. And we know that based on the evidence, our Afghanistan policy is a failure. Numerous revised strategies and restated mission statements, from President Bush, to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to Prime Minister Blair, to President Obama, restated mission statements that continue to fall short of the touted successes, so-called successes. The U.S. military reported today that 102 coalition forces were killed in June alone, along with countless Afghanis, rivaling the heights of the Iraq war. It's time to cast aside a policy of increasing entrenchment and use our resources to bring our troops, our treasure home. I want to be perfectly clear: My opposition to the war is opposition to the policy; it's not to the brave men and women who serve this country with honor. But we do them an injustice by not having a real debate on the floor of this House about this policy and its failure. I have seen the conditions on the ground, just recently in May, for myself, and I can assure you this war will never end quickly, if at all. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. And whether it was McKiernan, McChrystal, Petraeus, it's not just about the generals; it's about the policy. And it's a failure.