Jesse Jackson

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. The majority has accepted the McHenry amendment and the minority continues to engage in irrelevant debate about the SCHIP program in another bill for another day.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Point of order.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, the majority has accepted the McHenry amendment and the minority continues to engage in irrelevant debate about a piece of legislation that will come up in a few days. We are discussing the Agriculture appropriations bill.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Point of order.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, the gentleman sounds like a broken record. The majority has accepted the McHenry amendment and the minority continues to engage in irrelevant debate.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. The majority has accepted the McHenry amendment, and the minority continues to engage in irrelevant debate.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I am making the point of order that the debate is absolutely irrelevant.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Point of order.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. The minority continues to engage in irrelevant debate.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I make the point of order that the debate is irrelevant.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 180, the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007, and I want to congratulate my good friend from California, Ms. Lee, on producing the bill before us today. H.R. 180 would put much needed pressure on the Government of Sudan by, (1) prohibiting the U.S. Government from entering into contracts with companies fueling the genocide, (2) authorizing states to divest from the worst offending companies in Sudan, and (3) authorizing states to prohibit contracts with companies fueling the genocide. This bill is necessary because states deserve protection for acting as responsible and moral market participants. Furthermore, this legislation does not affect American companies, and its provisions would expire once the genocide has ended. In 2004, I traveled to Darfur to see this devastation first hand. I was shocked and appalled at the level of human suffering. As the vice- chair of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, I have tried to improve conditions in Darfur with humanitarian aid and peacekeeping funds, but more must be done. This bill begins to do the things that our humanitarian aid and our peacekeeping funds can't--address corporate and social responsibility and put additional pressure on the Khartoum government to end the genocide. Again, I congratulate the gentlewoman for her legislation, and I strongly urge an aye vote for H.R. 180, the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3123 and want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island, my friend Congressman Kennedy, for his leadership and hard work on this issue. This bill provides support and assistance to our ally Liberia, during a critical time in its social and economic reform and recovery. Specifically, this bill extends until October 1, 2008, the designation of Liberians living in this country under Temporary Protected Status, TPS. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that only 3,600 Liberians are currently eligible for TPS. Many of these Liberians have been in the U.S. for more than 16 years, and all of them have been here for a minimum of 5 years. TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries. In 1990, as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, Congress established a procedure by which the Attorney General, and now DHS, may provide TPS to people in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. During the period for which a country has been designated for TPS, TPS beneficiaries may remain in the United States and may obtain work authorization. However, TPS does not lead to permanent resident status, and TPS holders are not illegal immigrants. Since 1989, Liberia has been ravaged by two brutal civil wars, which have destabilized the region, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and destroyed the country's economy and infrastructure. In recognition of these conditions, the United States has protected some 3,600 Liberians in the U.S. from having to return to Liberia. Recently, DHS has decided to terminate these temporary protections in light of the fact that Liberia's civil wars have finally ended and in anticipation of the political stability that newly-elected President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will bring. However, while there is no question that President Johnson Sirleaf has put Liberia on the road to recovery, that road will unfortunately be very long. According to a 2006 United Nations report, Liberia is currently enduring an 85 percent unemployment rate and it continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world. Improvements to the country's infrastructure following the war have come slowly, and it continues to suffer from severe shortages in electricity and running water. The country also lacks adequate medical care, as a mere 26 physicians currently practice medicine for a population of some 3.4 million people. According to Liberian Government officials, their nation is not yet in a position to provide returnees with employment, housing, health services, education services, and other necessary amenities and services. Due to these and other issues, the Liberian Government has stated that the country cannot absorb and provide for the estimated 3,600 Liberians who would be required to return to their homeland. As an aside, Liberians in the U.S. also provide financial assistance, including remittances averaging about $6 million monthly, to the Liberian economy. These transfers constitute a vital source of financial assistance and economic stability during the country's still- nascent period of recovery. President Johnson Sirleaf stated during her address to Congress in March 2006: ``For those unable to come back home now, we must appeal to you to grant them continuing protection status, and residency where appropriate, to put them in a condition to contribute to their country's reform and development.'' For these reasons, and in order to support Liberia as it emerges from two decades of dictatorship and civil war, I strongly support H.R. 3123 and urge its passage.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I appreciate the gentleman and his analysis. At least as I read page 58, line 21, the gentleman seeks to reduce by $8 million section 501 of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 and section 505 of the Family Support Act of 1988. That reduction the committee fundamentally opposes in part because of Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 and the Family Support Act of 1988 are reputable programs that have provided an enormous benefit to the American taxpayer. That is precisely why it is in the bill. And it is specifically in the section of the bill ``Children and Families Services Programs'' because of its enormous benefit to the American taxpayer. I appreciate the gentleman's effort at fiscal accountability and fiscal responsibility, and the gentleman has clearly led a crusade through every single one of these appropriations bills, but I would encourage Members to oppose the Hensarling amendment.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Reclaiming my time, I want to make sure, and I appreciate the gentleman from Rhode Island's thoughts on the subject, but I want to make sure that this amendment is going to the heart of Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 and Family Support Act of 1988. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chairman, as I understand Mr. Hensarling's amendment, he goes at the heart of the Administration on Aging, section 204 of the report, and these programs, including supportive service centers, preventive health, are protection for vulnerable and older Americans that are at the heart of the bill. It's clear to me that according to the Health and Human Services budget in brief that consumer empowerment, healthy lifestyles, community living incentives, are a critical part of taking care of families and their caregivers. And I just don't know where the gentleman arrives at the numbers that he seeks to cut in the bill. The committee learned through exhaustive testimony from the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services the importance of funding this program. As the gentleman, Mr. Hensarling knows, the President has sought to fund the program, and the committee has worked in a Republican and Democrat bipartisan way, sought to increase the program, and so we are going to stick with this number. I want to thank the gentleman from Rhode Island for yielding me the time. I am encouraging members of the committee to oppose the Hensarling amendment.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I yield to the gentlelady from Texas.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry before the gentleman begins.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, at the desk, the amendment that the gentleman was speaking to concerned Native Hawaiians, but the gentleman spoke about Alaskans. And I asked the Clerk if he had the amendment that the gentleman was speaking about on Native Alaskans and he said he did not have that amendment. So I'm trying to figure out, are we responding to the Native Hawaiian language for $33,907,000, which is what is at the desk, or the gentleman's argument about Alaskans, which is not at the desk? And that is my inquiry.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, that's about Hawaiians.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I thank the Chair.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I was going to yield a minute of my time to the gentleman from Texas to explain his amendment. I appreciate his speech, and I thought the gentleman's speech was a thoughtful speech. He has come to the floor consistently on every appropriations bill in an effort to save money, but I would like to yield to the gentleman just so he can tell us what his amendment does in this bill. If the gentleman would be kind enough to explain that to us, we would appreciate it over here on the majority.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I yield back the balance of my time.