Virginia Foxx

Ms FOXX

Ms FOXX. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, President Obama had a chance last night to lay out a plan for smart, strategic savings to replace his devastating sequester. We were all watching; we were all listening. We want to work together on this. But instead of laying out a vision for how government can avoid his sequester--his sequester--by living within its means, the President decided to make the impractical case for passing the buck onto taxpayers through even more taxes. House Republicans have known all along the President's sequester was a terrible plan. We gave the Supercommittee a chance to do the right thing, and when they didn't, we led. Twice since last summer we have passed legislation that would preserve savings while completely removing the threat sequester poses to American jobs and national security. The President didn't join the conversation until recently. March 1 is coming. Will he or won't he put forth a credible plan to stop the damage of his sequester? Republicans have responded. He and our friends on the other side of the aisle have not.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the Constitution of the United States of America was written to put in statute the limits of government's authority over citizens. It does not bestow rights or permit freedoms upon American people; rather, it delimits what government of the people, by the people, and for the people can and cannot do. Since well before our country's founding, Americans have exercised the right to keep and bear arms, a right formally protected by the ratification of the Second Amendment in 1791. As a lifelong defender of Second Amendment freedoms, I am committed to ensuring that any new proposals considered in Washington do not infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed rights of law- abiding citizens. In the wake of devastating tragedies, well-meaning people feel compelled to do something, and the government, likewise, to intercede. But good intentions don't often make good or constitutional laws, and they certainly are no match for those set on being lawless. The Second Amendment reads: A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. If the text alone were not explicit, our Founding Fathers clarified the purpose of the Second Amendment. James Madison wrote, in Federalist No. 46, that Americans possess: the advantage of being armed over the people of almost every other nation whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. Even more applicable to our current situation is this excerpt referenced by Thomas Jefferson, which reads: Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants. The rush to action in the wake of tragedies sadly heaps the price of criminal wrongdoing onto law-abiding, responsible gun owners. When such is the case, government flirts with construing the desire to exercise Second Amendment rights as suspect behavior, it deems some Second Amendment utilities superior to others, and it ignores the root causes of mass violence, focusing instead on the means by which violence is accomplished. Those mistakes must never be made. Federal proposals must be well-thought, data-driven, and constitutionally sound. The right to keep and bear arms is not one for hunters and sportsmen alone. For centuries, it has been a right for every American citizen to arm themselves to defend their property and the people they hold dear. And it is a right that cannot be infringed.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia for that nice introduction, but especially thank him for leading this Special Order tonight and for being such a leader with our Congressional Prayer Caucus. He has given great illustrations of the ways the Congressional Prayer Caucus has taken action. Mr. Pearce, the gentleman from New Mexico, has given us an excellent history lesson, and our colleague, Mr. McIntyre from North Carolina, has helped to round out with information about the National Prayer Breakfast, and one of the reasons why we're focusing on the topic of the Prayer Caucus this week. I think they've given great context. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that we realize that God, the author of freedom, has given us a free land, and we praise Him for it. That freedom is the basis of everything else that we do in this country. This week, many people of faith will gather in Washington, D.C., to pray to Almighty God for wisdom and guidance and, above all, for obedient hearts to carry out His will. The size and scope of the challenges before us would overcome a faithless people, so we acknowledge our desperate need for continued blessing and direction. We ask God to make us thankful, because ours is a country founded upon religious freedom and deference to our Creator and not to government. We enjoy a societal understanding that dissent is not disloyalty. The United States upholds the God-given rights of its citizens to believe as they are called and to live their faith in accordance with their convictions. That individuals may set their own course so boldly is why creative excellence and individual property are capstones of citizenship. We ask God for hearts vigilant to observe the numerous blessings He has given. And we ask for mercy not to stray from being good stewards of His gifts, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, to always protect liberties of conscience, to seek justice, love mercy, and follow humbly after God. Only by His grace do we, who serve in this Congress, have any hope of being able to humble ourselves in service to others. Only by His grace can we be safeguarded from trite competition and self-exaltation. Only by His grace can we do what my constituent Rob Lee encouraged and go outside our pride to ``pray for our leaders, regardless of their political ideologies.'' Our God is a loving God, and He is our defense. We ask Him often to keep a hedge of protection around our men and women deployed throughout the world for freedom's sake. We know it is the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lived the words ``greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend,'' that inspires the brave generosity of so many of our warriors. Our Lord is faithful to be near the brokenhearted when evil and sorrow have temporary triumphs in this world. We pray that His justice will be swift, and His righteousness our great relief. To have even the slightest chance of living up to our oath and doing right by the people we serve, we need the help of Almighty God. This week, as ever, we reflect on that reliance and declare our thanks once again that we continue to be beneficiaries of His most awesome grace.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, families budget, small businesses budget, cities budget, churches budget, schools budget, my state of North Carolina budgets, but Washington does not. Instead, year after year, budgetless Washington spends every single cent of the money it takes from the American people and $1 trillion more. Not since 2009 has the Democrat Senate bothered to pass a budget, and not since 2010 has President Obama submitted his plan for a budget on time. When you don't plan, it's easy to overcommit. And when a country overcommits year after year after year, it ends up $16.4 trillion in debt. That debt doesn't just rob our future; it hurts Americans looking for jobs today. While government spending ballooned, 8.5 million more people have given up looking for work since 2009. Mr. Speaker, the unchecked spending has got to stop. It's time to get this government on a budget. It's time for the President to submit a credible plan.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. King. I'm sorry I could not get down here early, but the Rules Committee kept me. I want to say all of us here are speaking on an extraordinarily important topic to our Nation. Life is the most fundamental of all rights. It is sacred and God-given. But millions of babies have been robbed of that right in this, the freest country in the world. That is a tragedy beyond words, and it's a betrayal of what we, as a Nation, stand for. Before liberty, equality, free speech, freedom of conscience, the pursuit of happiness, and justice for all, there has to be life. And yet, for millions of aborted infants, many pain-capable and many discriminated because of gender or disability, life is exactly what they've been denied, often at taxpayer expense. And an affront to life for some is an affront to life for every one of us. One day we hope it will be different. We hope life will cease to be valid on the sliding scale. We hope the error of elective abortions ushered in by an unelected court will be closed and collectively deemed one of the darkest chapters in American history. But until that day, it remains a solemn duty to stand up for life. Regardless of the length of this journey, we will continue to speak for those who cannot, and we will continue to pray to the one who can change the hearts of those in desperation and those in power who equally hold the lives of the innocent in their hands. May we, in love, defend the unborn; may we, in humility, confront this national sin; and may we mourn what abortion reveals about the conscience of our Nation. And I thank my colleague from Iowa very much for yielding.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Article I, section 7: ``All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. ``Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States. If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it.''

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. I thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding time and giving me the opportunity to pay a very small tribute to Jay Pierson. Mr. Speaker, it's with mixed emotions that I rise to join my colleagues in recognizing Jay Pierson, who's served the House of Representatives with dedication and vigor, vigor for the better part of 35 years. Jay Pierson is practically an institution in and of himself. Members, staffers, former pages and multiple speakers of the House know Jay by name and are in awe of the breadth of his devotion to this body and to the people it represents. The stressful and often thankless duties of a leadership floor team are difficult, at best, for mere mortals. That Jay has managed the task for decades with such professionalism and kindness is truly laudable and a testament to him as a person. For Members and legislative staff trying to make sense of House rules and procedures, Jay is a lifeline. He's helped me on numerous occasions, and I'll always be grateful for his wisdom and willingness to help Members. Regardless of the challenges or niche details propelling a legislative cause, Jay can be counted on to know the ins and outs and apply both his encyclopedic knowledge and unmatched institutional expertise for the good of this body. Whenever the House is gaveled in, Jay can be seen buzzing around the floor putting out fires before they start and doing more than his part to keep the trains running on time. And even when action on the floor of the House is slowed by the glacial pace of our Senate friends, Jay is still on duty, though in down moments he may stop occasionally to trade gardening tips with me and any other green thumbs who may be on the floor, or give us advice on the best books to be reading. At the conclusion of this Congress, the House of Representatives will be saying goodbye to Jay Pierson as he moves on to the next chapter of service in his life. Indeed, when he told me he was retiring, my response was, Jay, you're too young and you have too much energy. And while we're sad to lose him and will certainly notice his absence on the floor, we recognize the length of Jay's investment. As a body, we cannot adequately express our thanks for the years of contributions Jay has made to the House of Representatives. But as an individual Member who's been well served by Jay's hard work and consistency, I would like to thank him. And to the entire Pierson family, I would like to extend my best wishes for what the future holds. Mr. Speaker, Jay Pierson's contributions to this body and to our country will not soon be forgotten.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that our colleagues across the aisle are attempting to paint Republicans as inconsistent on welfare work requirements to distract from their position in favor of undermining successful welfare reforms. They suggest that the Workforce Investment Improvement Act, WIIA, that I offered with my colleagues, Representatives Buck McKeon and Joe Heck, would gut the 1996 TANF work requirements. That is so far from the truth. WIIA would neither contradict nor supplant the 1996 work requirements. The WIIA legislation allows Governors to reduce the number of redundant taxpayer subsidized employment and job training programs and offer real assistance to the millions of Americans who are unemployed and suffering because of the policies of this administration. WIIA would reduce inefficiencies and have States administer these programs, not undermine welfare reform. Republicans have a clear record of strengthening the work requirements at the heart of the 1996 welfare reform bill, and we have a record of working with a Democrat President to accomplish that reform. I urge my colleagues to stand with us and with the 83 percent of Americans who want to see welfare's work requirements upheld by voting in favor of this resolution.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the President has burdened the Nation with 4 straight years of trillion dollar deficits and has added more than $5 trillion to our national defense. His failed policies have done nothing but make our economy worse. Now he wants to turn our debt crisis into a defense crisis. The President's own Secretary of Defense has said the looming half-trillion dollars in defense cuts would ``hollow out the force and inflict severe damage to our national defense.'' So far the President has refused to offer any alternatives whatever. House Republicans remain committed to slashing spending and reducing the deficit but not by arbitrarily cutting funding that supports our troops and their families. That's why we passed specific, commonsense reforms to replace these dangerous cuts. It's time for the President to help us rescue our Nation's defenders from these imminent cuts before they take effect and our national security is further compromised.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Thank you, Chairman Upton, for yielding me time and bringing this important bill to the floor. Mr. Chairman, the Obama administration has failed the American people by squandering half a billion of our hard-earned tax dollars on costly, unproven projects. This legislation puts the brakes on the Obama administration's habit of trying to play the role of venture capitalist with the taxpayers' money. We need to stop the inept largesse of Big Government bureaucrats that prompted Solyndra's ex-CEO, Chris Gronet, to write that ``The Bank of Washington continues to help us.'' That outrageous statement serves as a shining example of the disregard Solyndra had for American taxpayers and the fact that they believed our government would let them get away with it. This legislation is needed to protect against the politically charged, reckless spending binges that stream from this administration. The record-breaking spending and historical deficits that will burden future generations courtesy of this administration need to end in order to strengthen our economy and build for a brighter future. We need an all-of-the-above energy policy to achieve energy security, but it needs to be a responsible plan, a plan that keeps our fiscal priorities in order and provides free market solutions without unnecessary, job-killing government burdens. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor CPL Cody Stanton of Raleigh North Carolina, United States Army, 21st MP CO ``ABN''. On January 26, 2012 while out on a mission CPL Cody Stanton was almost killed in an IED explosion. With the quick help of his brother in arms SSG Marcus Emelio, his life was saved when he applied two tourniquets. In a few short months Cody has come so far and so fast in his recovery over at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda. Another very important part of his recovery has been his mother Nancy Stanton who has been there for him constantly. The families of our wounded warriors are the unsung heroes who make the difference in recovery. I ask that this poem penned in his honor by Albert Caswell be placed in the Record. In Honor's Code . . . What men must bare, this heavy load! All in where they must go! All in what they must do! While, all in the face of death their fine hearts stand true! All for me and you! To so provide freedom's hue! All for that old red, white and blue! All in times of war, when hearts of courage must stand true! As what they are, in what they do! As so Cody, as so have you! As a man of faith . . . Whose fine heart would not so wave! Who so lives by such an ethos,

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a real American hero from Raleigh North Carolina, Ranger 1st Lt Nathan Rimpf of The United States Army. Nathan was the team leader of Demon Company 2-16 Rangers, while on patrol when he stepped on an IED on July 8th 2012 in Andar Province in Afghanistan. Already within two short weeks his recovery and his can do attitude is something to behold. With his parents support and his brother is a Capitol Policeman he is making remarkable strides. I submit this poem penned in his honor by Albert Caswell for the Record. The Few The . . . The Few! Only, The Few! Only, The Brave! Can but so wear that most heroic title and beret, of a United States Ranger as who! And so bathe, all in that most heroic hue! Ranger's like Jimmy Regan, Pat Tillman, and Kyle Comfort who our world have so graced! Who have all so worn courage's most courageous face! For Ranger's Fight! And Ranger's Lead! And Ranger's do it all at such deadly speeds! And for us one all, Rangers will so die and bleed! As The United States Ranger's so give to our nation what she needs! And Ranger's hunt! And Ranger's evil do so confront! To stand strong, to so right all of those wrongs! To so intercede, to so bring us peace! Bought and paid for, with but all of their fines lives indeed! As all in Strength In Honor they so believe! Beware, ``THE DEMONS'' are after you . . . time to run! Sorry but it's time for you to so confront your ``DEMON'S'' my son! As their strong arms and legs for all of us they so willingly concede! For all out there but in the darkest of all nights! As that's where you shall so find them Leading The Way . . . The Charge, The Fight! The United States Rangers, who but bring their most magnificent of all lights! Because, Rangers Lead! Men like Nathan Rimpf, whose hearts so shine upon us all on this very night! As it was on a July patrol, When this fine man's life almost went away . . . With his two strong legs gone, as for him his men so knelt and prayed! And that's when this platoon leader got up and ran, ran with his heart that very day! Just one more hill to climb! Just one more mountain to so scale all in his time! As against all odds once again we would find! That this Ranger led the way! Like Superman, the only thing that can stop him is Kryptonite this day! For such men are put upon this earth, to so show us what comes first! To So Teach Us! To So Beseech Us! To So Reach Us! Who out of such darkness but defeat the worst! And come shining through like a star burst! As have you Nate, The Carolina Kid who at light speed has so traversed the most! For there are but blue skies up ahead of you Nate to host! ``Can't you just feel the sunshine?'' And if ever I had a son, I wish he could shine as bright as this one! Who so teaches us how the game of life is won! Moment's are all that we so have! To fight the bad! To make a difference with it all! For something noble, it's better to lose your two fine legs . . . Then at the end of your life to so moan and beg, as so wished you a better world you had so made! But, Only The Few to our world such gifts can claim! As you Nathan, The Few . . . are but one and the same! And that's why the word Ranger is in front of your name! The Few can claim!

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 752 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would just say to my colleague across the aisle, I don't understand why our friends can't take yes for an answer. We want to extend the tax cuts that were begun over 10 years ago to everyone in this country. We agree with that, and that's what we're doing. We don't want to raise taxes on anyone. I would also like to commend to my colleague across the aisle, who represents a group of people who only ask for bipartisan cooperation when they're in the minority, a book by Australian geologist Ian Plimer who wrote a book called ``Heaven and Earth,'' which I think really does do a scientific presentation of what is happening in terms of climate change. Last, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that my colleague is trying to deal with a chicken and egg issue relative to infrastructure and how does infrastructure get funded. He wants to say that this all comes from the benevolent government, but he conveniently leaves out the fact that the government doesn't create wealth. All our government does is spend wealth, and in many cases waste the fruits of hardworking Americans by doing things often very inefficiently. Public infrastructure is funded by the taxes that we take away from hardworking Americans. Entrepreneurs predated the government in our country. And we all know that the Constitution was written to try to establish a limited government in our country so that the entrepreneurial spirit could thrive, as it has in most cases. My colleague talks about the government enabling entrepreneurs. Excuse me, I don't believe the government does a lot to enable the private sector. What most people in the private sector will tell you is just get the government out of my way. Get the foot of the government off my neck, and I will do just fine. I know my colleague has been in the private sector and created a lot of wealth for himself, and I applaud him for doing that. But most of the people that I know, Mr. Speaker, who are in the private sector would simply say the government isn't enabling me at all. Leave me alone, and I'll do just fine. Mr. Speaker, talk about taking the President's words out of context, as I think my colleague knows, when you put the President's words in context, they are even more disturbing than outside of context. I do believe that our President does believe that the government is the solution, and most of us think the government is the problem. I urge my colleagues to support this rule.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, again, we all grieve for the people in this country who are willing to farm, who are willing to deal with the vicissitudes of mother nature and do their best to provide food and other products for the American people and people all around the world. We obviously don't have a lot of control over the weather. We have no control over the weather. We have no control over the climate, basically, but we need to respond to our fellow human beings, our fellow Americans when there is a need to do that. The drought would not be as exacerbated and the effects would not be so exacerbated were it not for the overall job climate in this country. We are really suffering from the effects of our colleagues having been in charge of the Congress for 4 years and an administration that is totally out of touch with what is happening, not only in this country, but around the world, in terms of our economic situation. We have record unemployment in this country, Mr. Speaker. We have record deficits. We have record debts. It seems like everybody recognizes that except for our liberal colleagues across the aisle. We know there's something wrong with the American job climate in this country. Whereas most people recognize the government should not wall off entrepreneurship with oppressive taxes, a costly, overcomplicated, and unnecessarily burdensome regulatory apparatus, we have a liberal President who is so out of touch that he said: If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. It would be bad enough if that were the first Freudian slip from liberal leaders here in Washington, but this comes on the heels of both President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decreeing on separate occasions that the private sector is doing just fine. Apparently, the two highest ranking Democrats in the country are trying to convince themselves of an alternative reality where unemployment would no longer be a problem if only more Americans worked for the government. Fortunately, we still have a lot of Americans working out there trying to produce food for all of us. I recognize there are many government workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters, who provide critical services to this country. But to suggest that the unemployment problem in this country can be solved by continuing an unending, demonstrably failed liberal spending spree ignores the reality that it's the private sector that generates the wealth which provides revenue for government to work through an increasing seizure of personal earnings, as was displayed on the floor yesterday. Liberal elites would have us all believe that the only way to promote job growth is through a perpetual expansion of special handouts and concessions to government employee unions and politically favored industries. Less we forget that a centrally planned government-sponsored green jobs revolution was the only solution for unemployment worries during the height of the recent recession, I want to remind my colleague of the Solyndra loans and the many loans in that area that were made that have created crony capitalism in our country. The liberal Democrats promised to solve these problems by ramming through a $1 trillion stimulus bill, financed exclusively by our posterity through deficit spending and quickly shifted their focus on other crises vulnerable to exploitation, such as a new $800 billion energy tax that sought to crush millions of jobs while sending hundreds of billions overseas as well as the now-infamous government takeover of health care, otherwise known as ObamaCare. We're actually fortunate for these striking statements which reveal a peek into the mystifying mindset of liberal elites who apparently believe that government dependence is a necessary condition for economic health. Well, here's a news flash for the liberals who remain stubbornly unaware of the hardships that continue to grip Americans: the results are in, and everyone else knows that Big Government cannot simply prescribe economic prosperity and have it be so. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. FOXX. House Resolution 752 is a closed rule providing for the consideration of H.R. 6233, the Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2012. As a lifelong farmer myself, including operating a nursery and being a beekeeper, I can certainly empathize with being vulnerable to Mother Nature and the plight caused by unpredictable weather. Without a doubt, the good Lord has blessed this country with an abundance of natural gifts, and I am very thankful for America's farmers, who work to utilize and protect these blessings to help feed our country and others throughout the world. Unfortunately, the drought devastating so much of the United States this year has yielded a tremendous amount of financial hardships not only for these farmers but also for those throughout the rest of the economy that depend on their products. Mr. Speaker, it's important to remember that it is not just farmers affected by this drought. The consequences of this disaster impact all Americans, from those living in the biggest cities to those living in the most remote areas of this country. Not only does drought aggravate the risk of wildfires that have raged throughout the West, but it compromises our crops, which are used to feed our livestock and even fuel our cars. The effects will last long after rain brings much-needed relief. With the price of corn jumping 50 percent since June, grocery costs continue to climb. The Department of Agriculture now estimates food prices could climb between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent this year, and between 3 percent and 4 percent next year. Also of consequence to price conscious energy consumers is how the drought impacts the price of gasoline. Federal law provides that 10 percent of gasoline to be composed of ethanol. The increasing price has led some ethanol refineries to cut production, which, in turn, increases what drivers pay at the pump. While many will suffer from inflated costs of staples they use every day, there are millions of Americans who live in communities throughout this country that are economically dependent on agriculture activity. Many of those living in sparsely populated regions work in businesses that thrive on the income associated with agricultural sales. If anything positive is to come from this drought, my hope is that Americans gain a renewed appreciation for all the different ways agricultural productivity touches everyone's lives every day. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I will close after the gentleman closes.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire of my colleague if he has any more speakers or if he is ready to close.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Ms. FOXX. I'm sorry. I don't understand the analogy that you're making.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, there is a need to respond to recent comments that have been made by some of my colleagues involving issues of concern to Cyprus. We all agree that a comprehensive and sustainable resolution of disagreements about Cyprus is long overdue. Such a solution must allow both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to participate in all aspects of the island's national life and government while respecting the rights and political equality of all Cypriots preserved in a renewed partnership state. Of concern to me are statements by some that Turkish Cypriots, and the Republic of Turkey itself, are obstacles to any forward progress. Without rehashing the history that brought about the current situation on Cyprus, it should be made clear that the Turkish government has, on multiple occasions, welcomed the resolution of these issues which guarantees the equal rights of the Turkish Cypriot community. Turkish Cypriots voted overwhelmingly in favor of the U.N. Comprehensive Peace Plan (known as Annan Plan) in 2004, demonstrating their sincere desire to move beyond the painful past. Despite this genuine determination to incorporate, not only within the life of the island, but within the wider European and global communities, the U.N. proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek Cypriot side. Incredibly, one week after missing one of the most significant opportunities to reach a comprehensive solution to these longstanding problems, the Greek Cypriots were awarded with membership in the European Union. As a result, the Greek Cypriot community, as the Republic of Cyprus, now enjoys full membership status in the European Union including all associated rights and privileges as well as membership in the wider, global community. It is time to end the isolation and embargoes imposed upon the Turkish Cypriot community and secure a negotiated political settlement, agreed to by both parties, that allows all Cypriots to build a common future together.