Sheila Jackson Lee

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me first thank Congressman Elijah Cummings for introducing this resolution honoring the USS Constellation, a 153-year-old American Warship that now is restored as a museum in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. This historic ship serves as a reminder of the role that the United States Navy played in the abolition of the Transatlantic slave trade. In 1787, our Nation began to adopt legislation to prohibit the importation of slaves to the United States and the transport of slaves from the U.S. to other parts of the Western Hemisphere. Over the next several decades, the U.S. Government joined with the British in deploying naval vessels along the African coastline to intercept slave ships, rescue kidnapped victims and place them under international jurisdiction, and return them to homelands in Africa. Mr. Speaker, this is sometimes little known history, and I congratulate my colleague from Maryland of highlighting the fact that the good news is, even though it took long years to end slavery in the United States, they began to stop the transportation and importing of slaves, and they vigorously used the United States military in the name of the United States Navy. The USS Constellation was the flagship of an eight-ship fleet that comprised the U.S. African Squadron. The Constellation captured 14 slave ships and rescued nearly 4,000 Africans from a life of forced servitude in the Americas. Launched in 1854 from the Chesapeake Bay's Gosport Navy Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia, the USS Constellation served our country for 100 years before its final decommissioning in 1955, I would venture to say, a long, long time. Maybe its good work of preventing the importation of slaves allowed it to have a long life with good health. After serving the anti-slavery effort, the USS Constellation was charged with chasing Confederate raiders during the Civil War, and served as a training ship for the midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis from 1871 to 1893. The ship was brought to Baltimore's Inner Harbor in 1955 and restored as the USS Constellation Museum. This is a historic year, 2008, as we watch presidential politics. This legislation is an appropriate testament to the history of the United States and doing the right thing as it relates to slavery here in this country. It also incorporates our recognition of the United States Navy and the United States military as fighting for the unity of this Nation and the promotion of equality and justice for all Americans. Ending slavery was contributing to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that offered to say that we all are created equal. I thank our colleague, Congressman Cummings, and I rise in strong support of this resolution, because this resolution celebrates the USS Constellation as a historic reminder of the battle to end slavery and of the role and capabilities of the Navy's elite vessels of that era. They continue to serve us, and I strongly support the resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1159), recognizing the historical significance of the United States sloop-of-war Constellation as a surviving witness to the horrors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and a leading participant in America's effort to end the practice.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 344) recognizing that we are facing a global food crisis, as amended.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. In closing, I'd like to thank my 46 cosponsors and thank my distinguished friend from Texas for his support of this legislation. As well, having no further speakers, I would like to yield back and ask my colleagues to strongly support prioritizing children and helping us to end or to solve the global food crisis and the negative impact on the world's children and American children.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me indicate to my friends and colleagues that I thank the chairman of the full committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Berman, and the ranking member, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, for their collaborative effort in this legislation that I am now offering today, and it is interesting that we bring this legislation to the floor of the House at a time that we have watched the Caribbean being ravaged by one hurricane after another. One of the most unfortunate scenes or incidences that have occurred is the constant beating, if you will, of the island of Haiti, the nation of Haiti, a long-time ally and friend of the United States. My legislation speaks to prioritization of children during the food crisis and this global food crisis that has been occurring over the last couple of months. Now, more than ever, with the ravaging of Haiti through the Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, we know that children are suffering. There are places in Haiti where rescue teams for food and water cannot even rise or locate or be able to reach. Therefore, I rise today to speak to an issue as fundamental as our basic needs as human beings, and that is the travesty that we must address. But, unfortunately, we have to do so. We are facing a global food crisis, now compounded by natural disasters. Furthermore, this food crisis is not only having a wide impact in countries far away, but also right here at home in our hemisphere. In a nation with plenty, many of our children are going to bed with nothing to eat. Tackling worldwide hunger is a moral imperative which threatens the political and economic stability of a multitude of developing nations. The recent dramatic increase in food prices will continue to have a destabilizing affect in already unstable regions of the world where so many lives are already vulnerable to ongoing conflicts and political turmoil. According to the United Nations, over 850 million people in the world are chronically or acutely malnourished, and over 300 million of these are children. The statistics are both shocking and tragic. Can you imagine the impact now with the natural disasters. Globally, a child dies every 7 seconds. Malnutrition caused by chronic hunger leads to the death of an estimated 5.6 million children under 5 years old, and roughly 1 in every 4 children under 5 years old is underweight. Rising food prices have precipitated a crisis situation. On March 20 of this year, the U.N. World Food Program made an urgent appeal to the United States and other food aid donors for an additional $500 million to fill a funding gap caused by rising food and fuel prices. Since then, this gap has expanded. It is now an estimated $755 million. As food prices rise, children are the first to suffer. Hunger is a condition of poverty. Living below poverty puts tremendous strains on a household, giving families barely enough money to purchase healthy and nutritious foods, as well as other essentials of life. Nutrition research shows that as income goes down, the nutritional adequacy of the household's diet goes down as well. According to the data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 50.9 million people, or 17 percent of all Americans, if we can imagine, lived on less than 125 percent of Federal poverty level in 2007. This is the ``borrow from Peter to pay Paul.'' This is people who probably are suffering, even with food stamps. This means they are income-eligible for most Federal nutrition programs like food stamps and other child nutrition programs. These programs can help families and children stretch their food dollars and get access to healthy foods. To set the poverty level, the U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of income thresholds based on the Consumer Price Index. In 2007, the Federal poverty guideline for a family of four was $21,203. The new Census data shows that 37.3 million persons, or 12.5 percent of our population, lived in poverty. My friends, it is happening worldwide, including the United States of America. Children continue to be the poorest age group in the country, with 13.3 million children, or 18 percent of all children under age 18, were poor; a larger percentage than any other group; 20.8 percent of related children under age 6 in families lived in poverty; 9.7 of all Americans 65 and over, or 3.6 million elderly, were poor; and the poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites was 8.2 percent, 24.5 for African Americans, 21.5 for Hispanics, and 10.2 for Asians. As the Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am particularly concerned about the devastating impacts that hunger and malnutrition have on children. Mr. Speaker, I have been in the feeding camps of Africa. I have watched as they have come in trucks to be able to deliver the food. I am sympathetic, and I understand when people are hungry, but the stampede of adults stampeding past children, or even sometimes the children being used to get more food and not having it distributed, is an issue. Lack of adequate nutrition stunts children's growth, leaves then more vulnerable to numerous diseases, and affects their ability to learn. Even temporary deprivation of essential nutrients can have a lasting impact on children's physical growth and intellectual potential. Under current conditions, more and more children face the prospect of growing up malnourished. On May 7, with the help of 46 of my colleagues, I introduced H. Con. Res. 344, recognizing the global food crisis, the disproportionate effect rising food prices have on children, and calling for the prioritization of the nutritional needs of children. My resolution calls for the United States and other G8 nations to continue to monitor the impact of the global food crisis on children and commit to increasing their assistance to respond to the global food crisis, and, specifically, responding to the needs of children impacted by the global food crisis. I hope in the passage of this legislation that a statement can go forward to those who are helping in sending humanitarian aid to Haiti and others in the Caribbean that we get a focus on the children during this, if you will, this disaster. It is important to note that along with the Global Health Caucus and the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, we held a briefing on the effect of the global food crisis on children. We heard from UNICEF, the World Food Programme, Save the Children, World Vision, Christian Children's Fund, and the Congressional Hunger Center, and Danny Glover, all emphasizing the importance of this issue. Therefore, I look forward to continuing to focus on this, with rising food prices, families in needs, the loss of nutrition, and yes, the amount of children that suffer. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note that when we think, we should think of children who are constantly suffering, being able to have cups of milk, which emphasizes why it is important to ensure that children don't look like this who are here and around the world. My predecessor, Congressman Mickey Leland, died in Ethiopia, as I always say, on the side of an Ethiopian mountain, because he was trying to end world hunger. In his name and those who have gone on, the Congressional Hunger Center, it is important to recognize the children. I want to thank my colleagues, Representatives McGovern, Payne, McCollum, and Blumenauer, for their work on hunger and water issues, and I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak of an issue so fundamental to our basic needs as human beings that it is a travesty that we must address it--but unfortunately we do. We are facing a global food crisis. Furthermore, this food crisis is not only having a widespread impact in countries far away, but also right here at home and in our hemisphere. In a nation with plenty, many of our children are going to bed with nothing to eat. Tackling worldwide hunger is a moral imperative which threatens the political and economic stability of a multitude of developing nations. The recent dramatic increase in food prices will continue to have a destabilizing effect in already unstable regions of the world where so many lives are already vulnerable to ongoing conflicts and political turmoil. According to the United Nations, over 850 million people in the world are chronically or acutely malnourished and over 300 million of these are children. The statistics are both shocking and tragic: globally, a child dies every 7 seconds, malnutrition caused by chronic hunger leads to the death of an estimated 5,600,000 children under 5 years old, and roughly one in every four children under 5 years old is underweight. Rising food prices have precipitated a crisis situation. On March 20 of this year, the U.N. World Food Program made an urgent appeal to the United States and other food aid donors for an additional $500 million to fill a funding gap caused by rising food and fuel prices. Since then, this gap has expanded, and is now an estimated $755 million. As food prices rise, children are the first to suffer. Hunger is a condition of poverty. Living below poverty puts tremendous strains on a household, giving families barely enough money to purchase healthy and nutritious foods, as well as other essentials of life. Nutrition research shows that as income goes down the nutritional adequacy of the household's diet goes down as well. According to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 50.9 million people, or 17 percent of all Americans, lived on less than 125 percent of the Federal poverty level in 2007. This means they are income- eligible for most Federal nutrition programs, like food stamps and other child nutrition programs. These programs can help families and children stretch their food dollars and get access to healthy foods. To set the poverty level, the U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of income thresholds based on the Consumer Price Index. In 2007, the Federal poverty guideline for a family of four was $21,203. The new Census data shows that 37.3 million Americans--or 12.5 percent of our population--lived in poverty in 2007. Children continued to be the poorest age group in the country: 13.3 million children, or 18 percent of all children under age 18, were poor--a larger percentage than any other age group; 20.8 percent of related children under age six in families lived in poverty; 9.7 percent of all Americans 65 and over, or 3.6 million elderly, were poor. The poverty rate for non- Hispanic whites was 8.2 percent, 24.5 percent for blacks, 21.5 percent for Hispanics, and 10.2 percent for Asians. As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am particularly concerned about the devastating effect that hunger and malnutrition have on children. Lack of adequate nutrition stunts children's growth, leaves them more vulnerable to numerous diseases, and affects their ability to learn. Even temporary deprivation of essential nutrients can have a lasting impact on children's physical growth and intellectual potential, and, under current conditions, more and more children face the prospect of growing up malnourished. On May 7, 2008, with the support of 46 of my colleagues, I introduced H. Con. Res. 344, legislation recognizing the global food crisis and the disproportionate effect rising food prices have on children, and calling for the prioritization of the nutritional needs of children. My resolution calls for the United States and the other G8 member states to continue to monitor the impact of the global food crisis on children and commit to increasing their assistance to respond to the global food crisis, and specifically, responding to the needs of children impacted by the global food crisis. In addition, the Congressional Children's Caucus, together with the Global Health Caucus and the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, held a briefing on the effect of the global food crisis on children. Members of Congress heard from panelists from UNICEF, the World Food Programme, Save the Children, World Vision, Christian Children's Fund, and the Congressional Hunger Center, as well as special guest Danny Glover, to galvanize the United States Congress to take action on this important issue. As a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, I will be hosting the Children Issue Forum on September 25, 2008. The panel will be on the Global Food and Water Crisis. I will again convene experts on this crisis, not only to look at how we arrived at such disastrous food levels but how we solve this issue. As a result of rising food prices, families throughout the world, particularly in developing nations but also here in the United States, are increasingly facing a decision between quantity and quality when buying food. With incomes stretched thinner by the day, many families must either buy significantly smaller quantities of food, or purchase less nutritious food. In times of food crisis, families face cuts in expensive foods, such as meat, fruit, and vegetables. The loss of these nutritious foods, in favor of cheaper staples such as rice and maize, is extremely detrimental to children's development, putting them at greater risk of disease or stunted growth. The full extent of the consequences of deprivation of vital nutrients during essential stages of growth is not known. However, it is clear that once children's growth is stunted by malnutrition, they do not catch up to their peers. While it is important that we respond to the emergency we currently face, our solutions must take a long-term view as well. We cannot simply provide increased food aid; we must address the root causes of chronic hunger by addressing systemic problems with food production and food prices in the developing world. If we do not, we risk finding ourselves facing recurring food crises in the coming years. In the midst of this current food crisis, I am reminded of my distinguished predecessor, Congressman Mickey Leland. In 1989, Congressman Leland lost his life in Ethiopia, fighting the same battle against global hunger that we continue to face today. It is tragic that, in the year 2008, we still have not learned to draw the links between hunger, violence, and instability. I thank my colleagues Representatives McGovern, Payne, McCollum and Blumenauer for their work on hunger and water issues. But we cannot leave this to only a few Members, we must all work together now, and we must find a way to win the war on hunger. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 937) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the emergency communications services provided by the American Red Cross are vital resources for military servicemembers and their families, as amended.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. First let me commend my colleague from Texas, Dr. Michael Burgess, for introducing this important resolution and for his work in support of the American Red Cross. All of us have watched the American Red Cross reform itself, but we have also known that its brand name has represented the aid to help, the anchor in the time of storm. In times of emergency and other important events, the American Red Cross has the important and at times difficult duty of notifying military servicemembers on behalf of their families about such events. The Red Cross provides critical information to commanding officers to help them decide whether to release a servicemember from duty in order to join with his or her family in time of crisis. Regardless of whether it is a birth notice or a tragedy, such as the devastating floods in the Midwest, the Red Cross ensures the timely delivery of vitally important messages and ably provides the families of military servicemembers with the support and assistance they need until the servicemember returns home. This resolution recognizes the critical mission that the American Red Cross undertakes in providing information about these events to military servicemembers. We are all thankful to the Red Cross for carrying out this important work. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the gentleman. And let me, in supporting this legislation, indicate that there are friends that we have mentioned. And we hope that our allies such as Egypt will work with us to address what has been noted as particularly heinous comments and use of the airwaves. Respecting our own viewpoints of protecting the first amendment, we do believe in that. But we also know that even though our law is not international law, that crying fire in a crowded theater certainly is not acceptable. Teaching children to murder heads of states is not acceptable. Let us try to work and collaborate and point out these ills so that we can promote peace and democracy around the world. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend from New York, Joe Crowley, for introducing this timely and important resolution. Despite the shaky cease-fire reached between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has neither changed its explicitly stated aim to destroy the State of Israel nor given up the use of terrorism and violence as a means to achieve that end. But while Hamas' use of terrorism to undermine peace and destroy Israel is well understood in the West, few are aware of its sophisticated use of broadcast media to spread hatred of the United States, Israel and Jews, and to incite Palestinian youth to violence. Hamas has had its own television station, known as al-Aqsa TV, which is telecast throughout the Arab world. Among its many crude and contemptible practices, al-Aqsa TV utilizes cartoon characters and puppets, one resembling Disney's universally recognized Mickey Mouse, in programming that advocates terrorism, anti-Americanism and anti- Semitism. On March 30, 2008, this TV station broadcast a puppet show depicting the stabbing and murder of the President of the United States. This morally twisted type of children's programming violates all civilized norms, cynically undermines prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and flagrantly violates phase I of the U.S.-backed roadmap for peace, calling for an end to incitement in Palestinian society. It even stigmatizes the Palestinian people who want peace, many of them fighting every day to ensure that there is an opportunity for collaboration and dialogue and peaceful discussion with Israel. In fact, I would imagine that children who are watching are certainly not children who are intending to grow up to be terrorists. The resolution puts this body on record supporting the overdue designation of al-Aqsa television as a specially designated global terrorist entity. Such a designation would follow logically from the administration's designation of Hezbollah's al-Manar TV as a specially designated global terrorist entity 3 years ago. This designation proved useful in persuading a number of satellite companies around the world not to transmit al-Manar's hate-filled broadcasts. Designating Hamas' al-Aqsa TV would similarly send a strong message to satellite companies transmitting its vile programming, including one of Europe's largest satellite companies, the privately-owned, French-based Eutelsat. In addition, this resolution calls on Saudi Arabia, the primary shareholder in the Arab League-owned satellite Arabsat, to take the lead in ending Arabsat's transmission of al-Aqsa TV, as well as Hezbollah's al-Manar TV. Thanks to Arabsat, both al-Aqsa TV and al- Manar TV are seen throughout the Middle East and beyond. Unfortunately, our friend and ally Egypt is also involved in transmissions of hate media. Egypt's state-owned satellite, NileSat, broadcasts at least two terrorist mouthpieces, the Hezbollah station and the Iraq focused station and an Arabic language network affiliated with anti-American insurgent activity. This latter network consistently telecasts material glorifying insurgents and their attacks on American forces. It would be especially important if our allies and friends would recognize that it is our intent to collaborate and work toward uplifting forthright, educational, politically sound conversation and dialogue. It is not our intent, of course, to control their own sovereignty, but it is important when that gets out into the world marketplace that it is civil, that it is strong, that it is democratic, that it is fair, and that it is reflective of the human dignity of all people. It is deeply dismaying that one of our strongest allies in the region and one of the largest recipients of U.S. Foreign assistance tolerates the advocacy of attacks on Americans in Iraq on its state-controlled satellite provider. I know that the terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah will not soon abandon their mass-media means of hatred and violence, but it is long past the time for all state-owned and privately-owned satellite companies around the world to cease transmitting these destructive messages that encourage the murder of Americans and Israelis. That is why I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in that support. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. It is my pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York, the author of the legislation, Mr. Crowley.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1069) condemning the use of television programming by Hamas to indoctrinate hatred, violence, and anti-Semitism toward Israel in young Palestinian children, as amended.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to add for the Record that the author of the legislation, Congressman Crowley, is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a member of the Ways and Means Committee. It now gives me great pleasure to yield 2 minutes to Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who is a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, but a former member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Does the gentleman from Texas have any further speakers?

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. It's an important time in American history in the opportunities for Americans, and in re-stating the value of our Constitution, and our respect for democracy. Through the long history of America, we've come to know the terms ``majority'' and ``minority'' and the words that sometimes fall to our early history and to our relationship with Great Britain--England. We know the words ``loyal opposition.'' This morning, I want to share with my friends in this House how sometimes the loyal opposition can be loyal to a fault. There are always ways of saying what you would have and should have done, but as I watch the slow process and progress in Iraq, I want to remind my friends on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans, of the lockstep commitment that they made to the administration on a war that, of course, was misdirected. We're all united behind our soldiers, but 4,000 are dead, and of course, it was the important opposition of the Democrats who persisted and said that Afghanistan has to be the focus. That was the genesis of 9/11. That was where the terrorists were. That was where the Taliban was. We insisted day after day after day that to go into Iraq, to create the destabilization, to, in essence, create the havoc of death, to move the Baathists out of Iraq created the years of devastation and the loss of life--4,000-plus dead Americans and tens and tens of thousands of Iraqis. Of course, I applaud the changes that have been made now. Of course, I recognize the great valor of our soldiers and of the Iraqi soldiers who have managed to overcome through great hardship, but isn't it interesting: As we have the soldiers announced to come home from Iraq, what happens? What the Democrats said should happen. More soldiers are going to Afghanistan. Bloody fights are taking place on the Pakistani and Afghan border. Again, Republicans, loyal to a fault. Of course, now there is great discussion about drilling. I practice oil and gas law. I come from Texas. I'm not afraid of drilling, but I recognize the American people are smart enough to know that we must have a seamless energy policy. We are like a fruit basket. The fruit basket has a multiple of fruit--some you like, some you don't--but we enjoy it, the seamless energy policy, unlike the loyal opposition that is on one song and one refrain over and over again. There must be alternatives--biofuel. There must be the look-see at what we can do with clean coal. There must be, as T. Boone Pickens has indicated, wind and solar, and yes, you must find a way to organize a drilling program that, in essence, allows States to opt in. Floridians may have a different perspective, New Yorkers and Californians as opposed to Midwesterners. We know that we must become energy independent, but the loyal opposition has one song, one dance, and it won't work. Then, of course, when you talk about how much affection we have for our veterans, it's the Democrats who fought and fought and fought to get the first GI bill of rights since World War II to give the opportunity to our returning Iraqi veterans more than the yellow ribbons. We want to give them an opportunity for education and home- buying. We want to give them a leg up. I have legislation to declare a national day of honor so that people don't come home when the lights are off, that we welcome our returning soldiers home with a day of honor and celebration in every Hamlet City and everywhere in America. That's what Democrats are thinking out of the box. That's why we want to make a difference, not just the loyal opposition to a fault. Then, of course, we hear talk of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It so happens that the collapse came under this administration, and my fear is that, as the government seizes it in the dark of night on the weekend when Members of Congress are not here, what special contractors will get the deal? Who is going to benefit from seizing it? Of course I want to stabilize the housing market. Of course I want the hardworking real estate persons across America to work, but let me say that the Democrats are standing up and are being counted on behalf of the American people on health care, education, energy, and otherwise, our loyalty is to them.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me generally, Mr. Speaker, thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Berman, and the ranking member, Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both of whom are now conducting a hearing regarding the relationship between Georgia and Russia, for their leadership on these legislative initiatives. And I want to thank the Chairs and ranking members of the subcommittees from which these legislative initiatives have come forward. It is well noted the Foreign Affairs Committee works collaboratively together, and I guess it continues to be in the spirit of our fallen leader, Representative, former chairman, Tom Lantos. So let me thank our colleagues, Congressman Eliot Engel and Dan Burton, the chairman and ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, for introducing this important resolution. Brazil and the United States both share a history of slavery in the Americas. The legacy and residual effects of that common history remain with both our countries long after the abolishment of slavery throughout the hemisphere. The experience of race and the phenomenon of racism has been treated and understood very differently in Brazil than it has in the United States. Brazil holds the largest and one of the most ethnically diverse and racially mixed populations in the world. Historically, Brazil's multi-ethnicity has taken its own unique path, devoid of the spasms of violence and resentment that have characterized similar historical moments in the United States. In fact, in the 20th century, Brazil's tolerance and accommodation came to be known as ``racial democracy'' and became a source of great pride for its people. Having been to Brazil on several occasions, I can attest to the fact Brazil and its people seem to be constantly working on finding racial accommodations, racial democracy. Significant changes have taken place in the U.S. and Brazil in the issue of race and racism in the past two decades. Today, Brazilian self-identity regarding race has become more nuanced. The undeniable fact of Brazilians as a mixture of different races has run headlong into the notion of racial exclusion. To paraphrase Professor Edward E. Telles of UCLA in his book ``Race in Another America: The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil,'' Brazilians today grapple with how their society can at the same time reflect inclusiveness and the differences that make them unique. The United States and Brazil have much to learn from each other in this realm. The ways in which our racial histories have diverged, and more recently the ways in which they have converged, offer much to share and even more to discuss. As I mentioned, as I have traveled to Brazil, I have seen the opportunity to make everyone a Brazilian. We here are now talking about the fact that different groups want to be acknowledged for their own cultural history, and also, as we have made everyone a Brazilian, different groups have noted that only one group of those Brazilians have been able to ascend to the highest corporate ranks as well as governmental ranks. Therefore, it is especially timely, then, that we take up this resolution recognizing how our racial histories currently affect minority communities and celebrating the goals of a joint action plan between our two governments on racial and ethnic discrimination. This resolution supports the ``U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and Promote Equality'' that was signed by Secretary Rice and Brazilian Minister of Racial Integration Edson Santos in March of this year. The Joint Action Plan is an agreement between both governments to create opportunities for minorities in the U.S. and Brazil to become active in technical, academic, and cultural exchange programs. It creates the Steering Group to Promote Equality of Opportunity, which will consist of a panel of government officials from both the United States and Brazil to facilitate the exchange of information and the best practices for antidiscrimination measures and develop ideas on how to bilaterally promote racial and ethnic equality. I want to applaud the Afro-Brazilians Parliamentarians of whom I've had the opportunity to meet with who have been a persistent voice in asking for this approach to avoiding discrimination and promoting affirmative action. I also want to thank my good friend and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks, who has worked on these issues and as we have traveled together to express our concern about discrimination in Brazil. This Joint Action Plan is only one part of the expanding strategic relationship between the United States and Brazil and is a positive step in strengthening that friendship and promoting racial and ethnic equality. Yes, we applaud racial democracy in Brazil. We applaud the race- neutral stances that they've taken, but now we applaud even more the opportunity to cite different ethnic groups and their contributions to Brazil in giving them a greater equal opportunity in Brazil. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.