Joseph Hoeffel

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first off rise in support of the Oberstar amendment, which I think is a very wise legislative proposal to protect these dollars against being used retroactively; and after an agreement has been reached and a deal struck, a deal should be a deal. I also, though, want to express my concerns about the airport improvement program, the way it is run by the FAA and how it impacts on local communities. There is a community airport in my district in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, called Wings Field. It has been there for many, many years; and it is a community asset. As a county commissioner, when the private owners wanted to sell it, I cooperated with my colleagues to try to create a county authority to buy it so that we could keep it as a community asset and as a valuable transportation program, an asset in our suburban county outside of Philadelphia. The community was concerned about that, did not want it to go into public hands, and that authority was disbanded. The pilots that were using Wings Field then bought the field themselves and have undertaken some improvement programs which I think were meritorious. Specifically, they applied for an airport improvement program grant and received it for about $3 million to extend the runway, which I believe made the airport safer. It was controversial in the community, but I think it was the right thing to do. The problem was that there was no public discussion, that the owners, the new pilot group owning the airport, applied to the FAA quietly without involving the local township supervisors who had been deeply involved in zoning matters and such affecting this airport. They did not tell the county commissioners, the current board deeply involved in the affairs of this airport, and did not notify the Member of Congress, myself, from the community; and I have also been deeply involved in promoting this airport. I am a friend of Wings Field, but it has transpired that this grant was approved without notice in a way that generated great public outcry. Pennsylvania is a block grant State when it comes to aviation dollars, and we all thought and had been told that any Federal money coming to Pennsylvania would go through this block grant program. There would be transparency, and people would understand when money was being applied for and when money was being appropriated, and there would be notice. These airport programs might still be controversial, but there should be notice and understanding. That did not happen. The ownership group applied directly to the FAA and got $3.5 million to extend the runway. The merits of that runway are very real, but the process is terrible. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the committee will, next year, when I understand from the ranking member of the committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), that his committee will be dealing with FAA renewal and reauthorization, that the committee will look at how the FAA deals with the airport improvement program.

Mr. HOEFFEL. I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. There was an end-run done here, and I hope that it will not happen again.

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize Mrs. Anne Spector of Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. For over 30 years, Mrs. Spector has taught at every level in the Philadelphia area from kindergarten to third year law students. I recognize her today specifically for her endless dedication to the children of the Cheltenham School District. Anne embarked on her remarkable teaching career in 1967 at Bartlett Junior High School in South Philadelphia. In 1972, Anne took her only sabbatical from teaching to give birth to Caralyn, her daughter, and Michael, her son. While at home, caring for her children, Anne attained her Reading Specialist Certification and a variety of master's degrees. She also served as co-president of the Wyncote Parent Teacher Organization. Anne returned to full time teaching at Norwood-Fontbonne as the head of a program for gifted children. There Anne demonstrated dedication to fostering the talents of special children. She subsequently took on a long-term position with Cheltenham School District. Here she worked diligently to implement programs that she felt would cultivate the gifts of every student. Most recently, Anne has contributed tremendously to Cheltenham by taking on the duties of District Grant Development Specialist. In this capacity she has affected all grade levels by writing million-dollar grant proposals. Throughout her teaching career Anne touched the minds and hearts of countless students and parents. I would like to thank Anne for her unmatched dedication to the education of our leaders of tomorrow. We are grateful to have such a distinguished citizen in our community.

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Chairman, once again the GOP leadership in the House has taken a necessary bipartisan effort to fund our war on terror and bolster our homeland security, and riddled it with partisan budgetary maneuvers including a thinly veiled provision that would permit an increase in our nation's debt ceiling. This supplemental appropriations bill includes $15.6 billion in necessary military and defense-related expenditures to fight the war on terror, and another $13.6 billion for homeland security, financial help for rebuilding efforts in New York City, and foreign assistance, including $200 million for Israel--all necessary expenditures that I support and will vote for. However, the rule for this legislation includes seemingly innocuous language that would allow a huge increase in the debt ceiling to be inserted in the conference report without a separate vote. This is unconscionable. Raising the debt ceiling, coupled with the current reckless fiscal policy of increasing spending while reducing tax revenue, will put us on the track for a fiscal train wreck. This will plunge this country back into a level of debt, borrowing, and higher interest rates that we thought we had permanently left behind. In just a year, we have seen actual and projected surpluses erased. Today, the most recent analysis suggests that we will run a $300 billion non-Social Security deficit in this fiscal year. Even if we spend Social Security dollars to fund the government--a policy that I adamantly oppose--we will still run a $150 billion deficit this year. Our debt ceiling is like a limit on a credit card, and if we keep raising it without taking action to put our fiscal house back into order, we are heading for fiscal disaster. It is not prudent for a family in financial trouble to seek a higher limit on the family credit card nor should Congress impose a long-term debt ceiling increase without a sound fiscal plan. I would support a time-limited increase in our debt limit to help fund our war efforts--possibly one to three months--but that must be accompanied by a budget summit between leaders of Congress and the Administration to put our budget back into order and prevent us from further fueling our debt with money from the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. While the supplemental bill is generally a good bill--absent the provisions contained in the rule--I am troubled by one particular provision. In order to keep the cost of the bill under $30 billion, the bill drafters offset $643 million of the costs by striking airline loan guarantees that Congress passed after 9/11. These guarantees are a matter of survival for the airlines, particularly US Airways. I will work with my colleagues in the Senate to see that this language is not included in the conference version. Although I support this supplemental spending, I will quite possibly vote against it in a conference report if an unfettered debt ceiling increase is included. Funding our war on terror, making America safe and putting our fiscal house back in order are not mutually exclusive pursuits. We need a budget summit to come to a bipartisan agreement on ways to fund our current spending needs, stabilize our tax policy and protect Social Security and Medicare without throwing our budget into turmoil from which it will take years to recover. I have been a hawk on our national debt since I came to Capitol Hill, and I will remain so in this crucial fiscal period.

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Madam Chairman, the original bill, the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act, urged the creation of a coordinator at the Department of State for aid to Afghanistan and mandated that this coordinator be appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate. I am disappointed that these two provisions have been removed from the bill by the chairman's amendment. My amendment would do three things. It would mandate that the President designate a coordinator for Afghanistan aid within the State Department. It would mandate that the coordinator report to the Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs, and it would mandate that this coordinator be designated with the advice and consent of the Senate. Madam Chairman, one of the biggest problems in planning and implementing an Afghan aid program is the plethora of agencies and operations within the United States Government, each responsible for a portion of the overall program, a piece of the pie. There is a lack of a central coordinating authority to provide direction to these agencies. A Senate-confirmed coordinator would establish prominent State Department leadership for this new program. The stature of this person would automatically command, would help the State Department rein in all of the 13 agencies that currently work on aid and policy affecting Afghanistan. H.R. 3994 is a solid bill that will do very well to address the development needs of Afghanistan. It is a good start. It is not enough. If we want to eradicate terrorism, that fight will have to extend beyond Afghanistan's borders. I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the ranking member, for supporting the insertion of my language into the declaration of policy section during committee consideration, that the U.S. should implement a broader comprehensive aid program that extends beyond the borders of Afghanistan into central Asia, to best foster stability and democratization and to effectively eliminate the causes of terror. President Bush recently outlined his vision for a modern day Marshall Plan at the Virginia Military Institute on April 17, 2002. The President stated, ``Marshall knew that our military victory against enemies in World War II had to be followed by a moral victory that resulted in better lives for individual human beings.'' I applaud the President and his vision of seeking hope and opportunity for all people. The successful rebuilding of Afghanistan can only happen if we invest in the surrounding countries and help bring stability to the region.

Mr. HOEFFEL. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Madam Chairman, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for his comments. I am particularly pleased by the chairman's interest in working with me and others in the future on these important issues. Madam Chairman, out of deference to Secretary Powell and to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize Mr. Thomas Joseph Nyman of Abington, Pennsylvania. For 30 years Mr. Nyman has taught Social Studies at Abington High School. I recognize him today as he is retiring at the conclusion of the 2001-2002 school year. Throughout his career, Tom is a pillar in his community and has played an active role in improving his surroundings and bettering the students he taught. Tom honorably served his country as a sergeant in the United States Air Force where he served on active duty from 1964-1968 as an intelligence analyst. After returning home, Tom received both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Education from West Chester University. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts from Villanova University. Active in his community through the American Red Cross where he has been a volunteer instructor since 1961, Tom also served with the Plymouth Community Ambulance from 1971-1979. He was a coach for his children's teams in the Glenside Youth Athletic Club and served in various parish ministries for St. Luke's Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania. He volunteered in the Abington Community Handicapped Swim program from 1990-1995. He is active in Citizen's and Police Together (CAPT), serving as the Co-Chair of the 24-Hour Relay Challenges in 1994 and 1995. Tom is also a volunteer instructor with the Brigantine, New Jersey Community USLA Junior Lifeguard program. Tom is the recipient of many awards including the American Red Cross honor for 4,500 hours of volunteer service, the Abington Township Community Service Award, the Pennsylvania Community Crime Prevention Award, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Citation for Community Service, and the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils Advisor of the Year Award. An inspiring force in the Abington community, Tom helped to educate students in both academia and in civil service. He influenced the lives of countless students for more than a quarter of a century and has created a legacy of community-minded citizens. He is a passionate, caring and personal leader who empowers those who learn from him to go forth with confidence and become leaders in their own night. I thank Tom Nyman for his commitment to his country, community and to Abington High School. I am pleased to recognize Mr. Thomas Joseph Nyman for his many years of dedicated work. Our community is fortunate to have someone of such distinction and we appreciate all that he has done for us and given to us.

Mr. HOEFFEL

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to the attention of the House the very serious problem that exists in the Middle East and to report back to the House with several colleagues this evening on a trip taken to Israel the weekend before last to express solidarity with the people of Israel and with the government of Israel in light of the campaign of terror that has been directed against them by the Palestinians. We will be joined later this evening by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch), who has organized, or attempted to organize, this evening an Oxford style debate between those of us who voted in favor of a resolution to express solidarity with the people of Israel and those few Members of the House who voted in the negative on that question. Unfortunately, those that opposed the resolution of solidarity with Israel have chosen not to participate in the debate this evening. It is unfortunate, Mr. Speaker. We are missing an opportunity, I think, to have a good debate and a good discussion regarding the right of Israel to defend herself and the position of America that in my view should be not to try to limit Israel's right of self-defense. But I am happy to report that the gentleman from Florida has arrived, the organizer of the discussion this evening and the man who tried to organize this Oxford style debate to his great credit. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. HOEFFEL. What struck me as off-target with that statement was the notion that there is some kind of equivalence here between the behavior of the Palestinians and the behavior of the Israelis. Our colleague who said that, who is a fine Member of this House, seems to feel that there is some moral equivalence between the actions of the two sides that he stated. That does not persuade me, Mr. Speaker, because what we are seeing on the side of the Palestinians are acts of terror directed intentionally against innocent, unarmed Israeli civilians, men, women and children. What we are seeing from the Israeli side are acts of self-defense, military acts by the armed forces of Israel, but acts that are not designed to kill Palestinian civilians in some kind of retribution but acts by the Israeli army to defend Israel.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Would the gentleman agree that the whole phrase of suicide bombing is also missing the point here? When I hear the phrase ``suicide bomber,'' I think one person committed suicide. I think the gentleman used a separate phrase a minute ago that is a lot more illustrative of what is actually happening here.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, if I could give the gentleman an individual example of that spirit of the Israelis, that willingness to remain positive and to maintain their humanity in the face of this horror, let me tell my colleagues about Gila Weiss, a former constituent of mine who graduated from high school in my district in 1988 when she was known as Jennifer Weiss. Her parents still live in my district, Fred and Susan Weiss. Jennifer moved to Israel, changed her name to Gila, and is making her life there. On April 19, 2002, she was shopping at the Jewish market the Friday before Sabbath, finished making her purchases, walked to the bus to get the bus back to her apartment and, as she was approaching the arriving bus, a woman stepped off the bus and blew herself up. She killed 6 people, wounded 40, Gila among them, using a suicide vest such as is pictured in the photo of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch) that I know he wants to talk about in just a minute. But let me just tell my colleagues about Gila. She survived that blast, shredded with shrapnel; her eyesight is still in jeopardy today, but the doctors are optimistic that she will make a full recovery and she will recover from the wounds that the shrapnel caused. When the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch) and I visited the hospital on our trip to Israel, Gila was there to greet us, showing incredible spirit, and indicated, without even being prompted, that in the face of this terror that she had faced and incredibly survived, that she did not harbor hatred herself toward her attackers; the individual, now dead, or the Palestinian people or leaders that sent that bomber to that bus stop in Jerusalem. When I returned from my trip, I gave a report to my district and asked Mrs. Weiss, Susan Weiss, to be with me. She talked about the injuries and the terrible ordeal that Gila had been through, and her parents, and then Susan Weiss, unprompted, told the assembled press corps in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that she harbored no animosity, that she felt that we had to move forward and try to figure out some way someday, somehow to return this process to peace. Recognizing the need for defense now, recognizing the need for safety now, the security of Israel being paramount, but both Gila and her mother were prepared, even though they have suffered the worst kind of experience with terror, prepared to move forward to try to reach peace.

Mr. HOEFFEL. If the gentleman would yield, what our colleague is missing is the intention behind the actions. The actions of the Palestinians when they commit terror, they are intending to kill innocent civilians and the Israelis are intending to defend themselves. That is the fundamental difference. The action that the gentleman describes and both gentlemen have referred to, the military incursion into Jenin and other areas of the West Bank first was designed to stop the terror from continuing to come against Israel. It certainly was taken at great risk to members of the Israeli defense forces and 22 Israeli soldiers died in Jenin and had the Israelis chosen to bomb I doubt any Israeli soldiers would have died. But it also uncovered an extraordinary number of weapons, as the gentleman has mentioned, most of them in complete violation to the Oslo Accord that the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) described. The Palestinian police under Oslo were allowed to maintain handguns, rifles and AK-47s.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Exactly right. That is a very good picture illustrating the point. What the Israelis seized were anti-tank missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, rockets, all in complete violation of the Oslo Accord. All there, as our friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston), said, who identified himself as a sportsman, not there for sporting purposes, not there for hunting game during the doe season with a license from your local State government, but they are to kill people. That was the purpose of those weapons. And the suicide vest that the gentleman identified a few pictures ago was the exact type of vest used in an attempt to kill Gila Weiss and that did kill six of the people that she was standing around with, total strangers.

Mr. HOEFFEL. Would the gentleman agree we won the debate?

Mr. HOEFFEL. Well, the enormity of this, it is hard to appreciate unless you see the weapons. And the great variety, from brand-new modern weapons never used before seized from the Karin-A with an attempt to smuggle them in from Iran, to old battered, well-worn weapons that the Palestinians have obviously been using for years and years to homemade weapons, weapons made with sections of water pipe and slingshots for the firing pins to set off the ammunition put in these homemade weapons. An absolutely staggering commitment to mayhem, to using violent means to try to win their political goals. The enormity of the terror is hard to grasp unless you see the weapons, unless you talk to the families of the victims, unless you see the locations of the terror bombings in Jerusalem as we did on our walking tour. And when we hear the stories of the families and the human tragedies of innocents dying, not soldiers dying in combat for their country but innocents. We have heard the story of Michal and Malka, two 15-year-old friends, inseparable, went to school together, lived next door to each other, had known each other since both were babies, 15 years old. They snuck off to get some pizza last August at the Sbarro restaurant in downtown Jerusalem and got blown to kingdom come. Their parents buried them side by side where they will rest forever. That is hard to understand. It is hard to appreciate the horror for those families and hard to understand how anybody can justify such action. You can have the world's most difficult grievance; you can be really ticked off about something, and feel that the other guy is causing you a lot of aggravation, but how can you ever justify murdering innocent civilians?

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, the documents do indeed speak for themselves and leave one just no choice but to conclude that Yasser Arafat has directed terror, that he has in the past and he presently is, and the question is for this House, for this country what needs to be done in order to stop this activity. It seems to me, I know the gentleman and I have discussed this, that there must be a recognition that Arafat, other Palestinians and the leaders of the Arab league must declare that terror must be renounced, that violence must be renounced and they must do this in word and deed. They have done it in word, but the documents that the gentleman has and the photographs of the weapons indicate that indeed they are still involved in terror and in financing terror.

Mr. HOEFFEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I could not agree more. The violation of law and the agreement represented by these weapons really goes a long way towards showing the attitude of the Palestinians toward the agreement that they made and their intention for their future use in the Middle East. The other thing that was quite persuasive to our group were the documents that the Israelis seized from the Palestinian Authority offices in the West Bank during the military incursion. Documents were seized in Arabic showing how the terrorists are funded, showing how the Saudis make payments to the terrorists and the families of terrorists, showing how Yassar Arafat's organization submits memos to him recommending that payments be made to a list of what they euphemistically call ``freedom fighters.'' That would be in American English ``terrorists.'' And how Yassar Arafat signs off on those memos asking for certain levels of funding. In most cases he reduces the payments to be made to each individual, but there are signed documents showing to my satisfaction certainly, that Arafat has been directing terror. Certainly through the Fatah organization, the Tanzim and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades that he commands as head of Fatah, and these documents and the gentleman has a picture up, and I would yield back to the gentleman in just a second, the documents plus the seized weapons certainly make clear to me that Yasser Arafat has been directing terror in the Middle East. I am happy to yield back to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutsch).

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, let me ask the gentleman, does he think those payments are for putting a roof on Arafat's house?

Mr. HOEFFEL. Can there be any question about what those payments are authorized for, what the purpose behind them is?

Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is entirely correct, and it seems to me that we need to make clear that both the United States and the government of Israel need to have someone to talk to representing the Palestinians that clearly renounces violence, that renounces violence and terror and that does so in word and deed and who, secondly, clearly recognizes the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state, not as a state that someday may have a Palestinian majority because of the demographics, but a state that is recognized as a Jewish state with a full right to exist in peace and security. Until we get those two commitments, a complete renunciation of violence and terror and a recognition of Israel to exist as a Jewish state, I do not see how we can go forward. I do not see how the Israelis can go forward in furthering the peace process when there is literally nobody to talk to presently on the other side that has any credibility whatsoever.

Mr. HOEFFEL. We face the reality of what to do now. There can be little doubt regarding the complicity of Arafat in the terror. He is continuing to call for martyrdom for the Palestinians, and in the lexicon of the Palestinians, one who is a martyr is one who commits terror and is willing to die in committing that terror against Israelis. What the gentleman and I need to do is to urge this House and our administration to clearly set out the conditions that need to exist before Israel can be expected to go forward, before the United States government can be expected to go forward. We all want peace. There is no question about it. Even the Members that voted against this resolution certainly want peace. There is no question about the motivation. The disagreement can be in how to get there, but what conditions do we need to set forth? I have stated, too, I am sure the gentleman could add, the absolute need for the Palestinian leadership and the Arab league leadership to renounce terror and to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. I know the gentleman has got additional views on what must happen next before we can go forward. I would be happy to yield back.

Mr. HOEFFEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, Mr. Speaker, and let me make one more comment. As the gentleman from New York said about the misnomer of suicide bomber, the phrase suicide bomber suggests one crazed person going off into a field and killing themselves with a bomb. We call what is happening in Israel the actions of suicide bombers, but in fact they are better named homicide bombers because they are not just taking out themselves, they are trying to kill as many innocent people as they possibly can. That is the terror faced by Israel. That is what she has to defend herself against. And we can clearly state that Israel has the right to self-defense. It is not for us to set a limit on that right. It is up to us to support her in her activity, to make sure she survives; and she will survive with our support.