Chaka Fattah

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, first of all, I appreciate the majority leader. I know for certain that he has an interest, particularly in these areas that he has spoken about, because on one day, at the end of a long week, the two of us ventured over to the National Institutes of Health to sit and learn a little bit more about the merit-based selection process for investment and investigations to end diseases, and Lamar Smith, who is a great Member, led the effort on patent reform. However, I think that both are misguided in this attempt to move away from the world-renowned merit-based selection process at the National Science Foundation. All of our competitors are actually trying to mimic the merit-based selection process that the National Science Foundation utilizes, and it is critically important that the National Science Board, in the ways that these decisions are made, is not going to be influenced by politics. That was in the wisdom of the creation of this, and it has worked so well that we now lead the world. If we want to continue to lead the world, the last thing we want to do is to interject politics into the decisionmaking process of what basic scientific research should be supported. There are more proposals that come in than can be funded that are done on a peer-review, science-only basis, and I think it would be a very unwise signal for this Congress to send if we were to move in this direction. I hope that our colleagues, even though we have great respect for the majority leader, would act with more respect for basic science and for a merit-based selection process. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. I rise in support of this amendment and thank the chairman for accepting it. I join with the chairman in asking for a recorded vote. My home State, like many of our States, rushed forward with hundreds of thousands of names into the system after the Newtown shooting of 20 schoolchildren, but names that should have been in the system from the beginning. So I think it is very important that, if we are going to have this system, that we have the information in it, and this amendment provides the resources, and none of the offsets are from the census account. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chairman, I thank my colleague from Iowa for offering his amendment. I oppose it. I would hope that we would usher in the day in which the House would take up comprehensive immigration reform. The President has acted, the Senate has acted. The people's House should vote on this matter so that we can come to some conclusion on these issues. We are not going to handle it in a piecemeal fashion, but I think that it is clear that there is enough concern in our country. The Chamber of Commerce says we need to do immigration reform. Every responsible organization has spoken out on this, all of our religious leaders have spoken out. The United States Congress has the responsibility not to run from this issue but to stand up and vote and be counted. I hope one day the gentleman from Iowa will have an opportunity to vote on comprehensive immigration reform, and I hope that the people in my district will have a chance to see me vote on this. The House should not delay any longer. This is an appropriations bill. We are not in the business of immigration reform on this bill. We are just trying to run the bare bones of the United States Government. I hope one day we will come back to this issue appropriately. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Chair, I oppose the offset. I do not oppose the notion that we should have a more robust clemency approach in our country. I commend the administration for this, and I hope that we can find a way to provide more support. I don't agree with the gentleman's math, that $2 million cut from any number of other places in the Bureau of Prisons would be just fine. I know these accounts pretty well, and I have some concerns about that. I do think that in a $28 billion investment or spending in the Department of Justice in total, clearly, there are dollars that could be used so that innocent people in our country, or those who have deserved to have some relief, can appropriately apply for clemency. I will be glad to work with the gentleman on this as we go forward. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentleman. I want to thank the chairman and ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee. Madam Speaker, I want to speak in support of the underlying matter, the appropriations bill. There is a lot that I could say, a lot of progress that we have made on a number of issues; but I want to, at this moment, talk in particular about the investments we are making in science and innovation. The World Economic Forum says that the American economy is an innovation-driven economy; and throughout this appropriations bill at NASA, at NIHS, in terms of our Federal laboratories and across our whole spectrum of activities including DARPA and others, we are making significant investments. I want to say that working with Chairman Wolf over the last three bills that we have moved through this floor and through the process, we have launched a high-priority research effort on neuroscience or brain research, and we have added to that each year. This bill is no exception. We have worked now in this legislation to internationalize this collaboration in important ways because the E.U. and others have launched similar initiatives in terms of understanding the complexities related to human brain diseases and disorders therein. So I thank the chair and the ranking member.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. I want to thank the leadership of the committee, the staff and my fellow colleagues on the Appropriations Committee. This is a moment that I think we can all see helps us move our Nation forward, and I rise in support of the bill. I want to also thank my great friend, the chairman of the subcommittee which I have the privilege of being the ranking member of. Chairman Wolf has done an extraordinary job and will continue to because we have some more work to do. But I want to just extend to him my public thanks for his cooperation through this entire process. Let me say a couple of things very quickly. I introduced some legislation, the American Discoveries and American Jobs Act, that suggested that where we finance investment with taxpayers' money, we should require that new products that emanate from that be manufactured in America. The impulse, the essence of that, is embodied in the CJS bill, and I want to thank Chairman Wolf for that. I want to join with him on the prison reform effort because it is so critically important that our Nation think anew about our criminal justice system. I think that this is an action-forcing event that will pay great dividends for our Nation through the task force that is embodied in the bill. I want to indicate, again, that one of our highest priorities on the committee has been youth mentoring; and, again, we have a significant investment in that regard, the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Big Brothers Big Sisters, all of our national, evidence-based youth mentoring programs. And I know that we as a Nation want to see many more of our young people be successful. So I'm thankful for that. The Gear UP funding, working with Ranking Member Bishop on the suicide prevention efforts, this bill represents in a lot of respects progress on these issues, and legal services, and then in terms of my day job, NASA, both in terms of space technology, commercial crew and the James Webb Telescope. I'm looking forward to voting to support this and then having the U.S. Senate support it so that the President can sign it. I thank Chairman Rogers and our Ranking Member Lowey for their great leadership on this effort.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise at this moment for the House to appropriately acknowledge the life and legacy, the truly extraordinary leadership, of President Nelson Mandela who has passed on to history now but who, during his 95 years, played an extraordinary role in the life of his country and his countrymen. And this Congress played a part in that process through the debates on this floor and through, finally, the passage of sanctions and then, even more so, by overriding the Presidential veto and putting into place sanctions that President Mandela indicated and all recognized played an important role in ending apartheid in South Africa. There are Members who are no longer Members of the House, some of whom have even passed on themselves. There was Congressman Bill Gray from Philadelphia, who authored the sanctions legislation; Congressman Dellums, who had previously authored and fought side by side; and many members of the Congressional Black Caucus and others, Democrats and Republicans, on the floor of this House who were involved in this activity. I rise for this Special Order to appropriately pay tribute to the leadership that was exhibited by President Mandela and his African National Congress. I am going to yield to Members for an opportunity for them to reflect on the life of President Mandela. Obviously, we recognize that he was born and that he died, that he went to school and he played certain roles in his profession as a lawyer, but he has also been recognized around the world for the struggle that he led and that he dedicated his life to. I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Ohio (Ms. Fudge), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlewoman, and I thank her for her leadership on this House floor on behalf of not just the people she represents in Ohio, but throughout the country. I now yield to someone who is no stranger to struggle. Nelson Mandela, when asked about his life being a struggle, he said, No, you misinterpret; the struggle was my life. Well, the struggle is this gentleman's life. I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Lewis).

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material relative to the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. FATTAH. In closing, I would like the House to focus on the transformation of this man who moved from a prison cell to being the President of a nation. Through his circumstance of 27 years, during which his picture or his name could not be spoken, he became a world figure. He could not have more than one visitor for 30 minutes in a 6-month period, but yet hundreds of thousands have gathered to memorialize him. Delegations from almost 100 countries will go to his funeral and have gone to his home-going celebration. This is a man who traveled a great distance over these 95 years. He had the willingness to fight against oppression, and he had a willingness to reconcile with his oppressors in a way in which all could live in harmony. He sets a great example for the world, so I thank the House for taking this time to honor his life and legacy. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FATTAH. I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia. To this list of Republicans who supported this effort, let me add the name of former Speaker Newt Gingrich, who supported the divestiture effort here in the House, and we want to appropriately recognize his contribution since he is from the great State of Georgia. I yield to Congressman Johnson.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlewoman for her extraordinary contributions to this remarkable occurrence in our lifetime, to see Mandela and his transformation from prison to President. I will have something more to say about that as we close. But I want to recognize the gentlelady from the great State of New York, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, our new ambassador to South Africa who is doing an extraordinary job. I want to mention that she also, by the way, has the best birthday in the world because she shares it with me.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady. I thank not just you, but all those who hail from your part of the country who helped in this struggle. I will yield to the Congressman from the city of Newark, the State of New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., who will speak on the life and legacy of President Nelson Mandela.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady from the great State of Ohio. And, obviously, when Nelson Mandela looked at the United States, one of the things that he was most interested in was the civil rights struggle in this country, understanding that African Americans who were fighting for the right to vote and for equal justice under the law, we were in a significant minority position demographically; whereas in South Africa, Black South Africans were the overwhelming majority in that country. And he was quite taken that the United States could right itself in such a way, at least legally, against the law that oppressed minorities here in our country, African Americans, in particular. He always was interested in this. One of the persons who was uniquely involved in that and who serves with us in this House today is the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady. And she reminds me of all the great people in Philadelphia who played a role, Godfrey Satoli, who represented the ANC. He was the ANC's representative there, and former State representatives David Richardson and Sonia Sanchez. But the one clarion voice in the Congress when I was very, very young, who introduced the divestiture legislation, and was just at the very point of the spear, was Congressman Ron Dellums. And Barbara Lee, who now represents that district, but worked for the great Congressman when he was here, I want to recognize Congresswoman Barbara Lee now, who has dedicated a significant part of her work to helping Africa in its development and continuing to deal with the challenges that remain after so many years of colonial rule in a number of these countries. I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady from California. I yield to my colleague from the United States Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady, and I thank the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands for establishing this honor. Obviously, there are many segments of Nelson Mandela's life and there was a period, a point, when he was a lawyer. There was a point in which he was leading and involved in negotiations. There was a point in which, upon the police assault on those who gathered in Sharpeville when 69 died, that he took up armed struggle. And there was a point, after being released from prison, after 27 years, that he was elected President. I embrace the entire legacy. I think it is very much in keeping with our own country's evolution over time, in which you had to deal with the times as they presented themselves. Remembering her predecessor, Congressman Mickey Leland, who was so involved in these issues over time, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I met President Mandela on a number of occasions, both in Philadelphia and here in Washington, and when I traveled to Africa with then-President Bill Clinton when Mandela was leading some peace talks in a country that was involved in a great deal of conflict at that time. Before I met Nelson Mandela, I knew a State legislator from the great State of California who had led the fight and the rallying cry in State houses, not just in California, but around the country, for divestiture from South Africa. I want to yield now to Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who really was an extraordinary figure in the fight in the United States to get pension funds and universities and others to divest. I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlelady from the great State of Texas. In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected President. It is not of the same historical importance, but I was elected to the Congress that same year. But I am reminded that every day we are made anew. And we have a new Congresswoman from the great State of Ohio, Congresswoman Beatty, who I want to recognize now for her comments on the life of Nelson Mandela.

Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentleman. I now yield to the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. FATTAH. Thank you, Madam Leader, for coming and sharing with us profound reflections on the life of President Mandela. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, who has done a lot of work in this House today.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I only have a minute, so let me be concise. On Monday, I was in San Diego with 30,000 brain researchers excited about the age of discovery and attacking diseases like Alzheimer's and bipolar and schizophrenia. Yesterday, via satellite, I spoke to a public health conference in Brussels for the European Union. Their theme was that the wealth of their member countries was the health of their population. And then I come to the floor today where we see people who want to retreat from the idea which is to make sure that every single person in our country, for the first time in this Nation's history, has access to affordable health care coverage. There will be no retreat, no equivocation. I know there is this desire among Members on the other team always to somehow go backwards, to some other age in our country as if our future is in the past. Our future and the shaping impulse of our country is in the future, and it is in the health of the citizens of our country.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill, and I want to first thank Chairman Shuster, Ranking Member Rahall, and Tim Bishop for their hard work. The committee has developed a product that is worthy of House support, and I rise in support of it. We are almost at the 80th anniversary of the Mississippi River Control Council. We have seen a lot of progress in my part of the country in terms of waterways. I like the work that the committee has done on the Harbor Maintenance Fund. I serve on the Energy and Water Appropriations Committee, as the ranking member has indicated. The Army Corps has taken some hits on this matter. Really, it is the responsibility of Congress to put us in a position to move forward. Some of the delays that have been occasioned by the environmental assessment have been much too long, and I think that the committee's efforts to shorten that is good. I have some concerns about limitations on dollars, but I know that, as this bill goes forward, it will be perfected even more. So I rise in support, and I hope that many Members of the House will find it within their purview to support this important legislation.

Mr. FATTAH

Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I rise to urge expedited passage of this legislation. I join with the chairman and the ranking member of my committee, and I agree with every word that has been stated by the majority chairman and the ranking member. This is critically important. This Monday, I was in a foreign country. I was in the State of Israel. I met with the President and with a whole group of brain researchers from around the world. They had difficulty understanding, given our Nation's leadership on so many critical issues, that we could be in a paralyzed situation. So I am happy that the Senate has acted in such an overwhelming way on this matter, with some 81 bipartisan votes. And I would urge the House to act--and I know we will--to restore our government, to pay our bills, and to get on with our responsibilities as the most powerful Nation in the world, the wealthiest country in the world. We can pay our bills, and we can conduct the affairs of government in a way that gains us respect around the world rather than befuddlement.