Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, this week marks progress in the return to regular order. Although 4 months late and following the resignation of former Speaker John Boehner, a victim of Republican gridlock, this critical funding legislation deserves passage to avoid another shutdown of the Federal Government. This Congress must be disciplined and constructive, and I thank Chairman Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of New York for leading our committee in that direction. I want to thank our subcommittee chair, Mike Simpson, as well as staff leads Donna Shahbaz and Taunja Berquam for absolutely stellar work. Our appropriations accounts constitute but a third of overall Federal spending, about 30 percent. The appropriations accounts have been shaved away for nearly 30 years now, down from 50 percent of cost for running our Nation's most vital functions in prior decades. This has meant cuts to everything from defense of our Nation at home and abroad all the way to funding for critical lifesaving programs like clean water modernization. Just ask the people in Flint, Michigan, how it feels to have a water emergency because the children and the adults are having to drink water with lead. We can't continue to shortchange our appropriations accounts. Other committees beyond our own must act to grow our economy while balancing our Nation's accounts: the Committee on the Budget, the tax committee, and the authorizing committees. Quite frankly, Congress ought to require the executive branch to balance U.S. trade accounts, which have ballooned to $9 trillion in the negative over the past quarter-century, creating such a drag on economic growth. Still, vast energy imports continue to represent the single largest component of our trade deficit, and this bill promotes an energy and water bill that tries to move our Nation forward despite all of this. As 1 of 12 measures in the omnibus, our Energy and Water section provides a strong pathway for American energy independence as well as upgrades to vital port and water assets essential to life in America. A $535 million increased investment at the Corps of Engineers will keep our ports open for business and continue to clean our waterways.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, there is $1.275 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation for western drought response, WaterSMART programs, and river restoration. The increased funding for science is equally important, up to $5.3 billion, which will support American innovation, critical for manufacturing competitiveness, and job creation. The $2 billion in the bill for energy efficiency and renewable energy sets us on a path toward greater energy independence. Let me end with this. When our foes decide to flood our global market with excess crude oil and push prices below $2 a gallon, they try to snuff out emergency energy sectors like natural gas. Our bill attempts to move America and the world in a different direction. We don't want any more recessions caused by those who control the spigot raising gas prices over $4 a gallon. Though this bill is not perfect, it reflects a compromise. I urge my colleagues to vote positively and support this measure to move America forward again.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call on my colleagues and the American people to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP. This job-outsourcing trade deal, like every one before it, has been sold to the American people with the false promise of jobs in exports. By looking at America's accounts, you can tell they are all in the red if you take a look at the gaping trade deficits out there and job deficits and the lives of people, how they have been impacted by every single trade deal that has been signed. Once again, our global trade deficit grew by more than $40 billion just in October, and it had grown by $1 billion more than the increase from September. Experts estimate that $1 billion invested in this country creates 5,000 additional jobs. For every $1 billion of trade deficit we have, we lose 5,000 jobs here. When your trade deficit is half a trillion dollars, it is no wonder we have a job deficit across this country. Since China joined the WTO, the U.S. goods trade deficit with China has reached $324.4 billion, hundreds of thousands of jobs gone. The same with NAFTA, $9 trillion in deficit. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject the TPP.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as Western Europe strains with more than 1 million refugees fleeing war in the Middle East and enduring terrible conditions, I rise tonight to address another growing humanitarian crisis in Eastern Europe, in Ukraine. The free world has experienced time and again what happens when it fails to support innocents caught by fate under the brutal grip of war and oppression. Today that reality looms largely over Europe and surely over Ukraine, a nation of freedom-seeking people under siege outnumbered and outgunned due to Russia's invasion on Ukraine's eastern front. So Europe in the western end as well as the eastern faces major displacement and humanitarian needs not seen since World War II. Ukrainians are fighting to choose their own path, and surely America, with our moral leadership, can find a way to help the beleaguered people of Ukraine survive the siege and the onset of a bitter winter, with climates that can be unforgiving, with temperatures falling as low or more than 25 degrees below zero. To not attend to Ukraine now risks Ukraine accessing to the free world. If one looks at the size of Ukraine in Europe, imagine if Ukraine could access to be part of greater Europe. That is all held in abeyance now and also risks millions more potential refugees fleeing from Ukraine to Western Europe for sustenance and more. I call on the Obama administration to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Europe, not just on the western end, but on the eastern end in Ukraine. This is a challenge that can be met. America has done this before. The humanitarian need in Ukraine is immediate and growing. I include in the Record evidence of this growing crisis by the major religious leaders of Ukraine from all confessions, representing, imagine, nearly 90 percent of the faithful of Ukraine. These denominations include Baptist, Pentecostals, Muslims, Reformed Church, the Lutheran Church, Jewish religious organizations, Evangelicals, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Bible Society, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Christian Evangelical Church. It is a very, very long list. I am going to read this in the Record as well as place it in the Record. This was sent to President Obama. A delegation, over this last month, from Ukraine, of its top religious leaders presented the Obama administration with a request. Let me read it. ``We, the undersigned of the All Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations and representing Ukraine's diverse religious community, appeal to you on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the humanitarian catastrophe, Mr. President, gripping our country. The needs are enormous, ranging from medical supplies to everyday items, such as food, water, and clothing.'' They don't even ask for new clothing. They are willing to take used shoes from the United States of America. ``While the global news media regularly reports on Russia's war against Ukraine, government reforms and financial challenges, there is rarely any mention of the extraordinary dimensions of the human suffering caused by Moscow's aggression. While Ukraine certainly needs greater military, financial, and political assistance, our focus here, as religious leaders, must be on the humanitarian aspect. ``As you know, according to the United Nations, over 5 million people''--5 million--``including 1.7 million children, are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.'' I brought a chart to the floor that shows pictures of just a few of these children. ``8,000 people have died and over 17,000 have been injured and wounded. There are over 1,390,000 displaced people, including 174,000 children.'' Here is one child whose only dwelling has been in a bomb shelter since the time of his birth. ``The challenges of this human tragedy are overwhelming. Even the most conservative estimates show that over 65 percent of projected needs have yet to be met--even on the level of pledges. ``As representatives of the interfaith community, we witness on a daily basis the challenges and needs of people suffering because of this war. And with the onset of winter, an already dire situation will only get worse. We pray for their lives and for the future of our country. ``While we are grateful for the assistance provided by the United States Government to date, we know that the need is so much greater. Thus, we appeal to you,'' President Obama, ``to increase assistance and to activate the full potential of the National Guard State Partnership Program and the Partnership for Peace as instruments for alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe. One of the stated goals of the Partnership for Peace is to `provide a framework for enhanced political and military cooperation for joint multilateral crisis management activities, such as humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping.' Ukraine was the first post-Soviet country to join the Partnership for Peace in 1993. ``In addition to the assistance provided by the US government, we, during our travels throughout the United States, have come to personally witness the great generosity of the American people expressed through numerous spontaneous initiatives to ship medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. ``Time is of the essence, Mr. President.'' They are begging. ``The people of Ukraine need to know that they are not forgotten in their time for need. The instruments anticipated by the National Guard State Partnership and Partnership for Peace programs will allow the American people to more effectively and rapidly access and deliver already available medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine-- literally within days. We each represent distribution networks''-- through their various religious confessions--``that cooperate with each other; we now ask for the resources to meet the growing human needs. ``We pray that God grant you guidance, wisdom and bless you and the great American nation. God bless the United States and Ukraine. Sincerely.'' And I place all their names in the Record. The people of the world must meet this moral imperative. The United Nations has reported that 2.6 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the current conflict in eastern Ukraine--so unnecessary--because of Russia's invasion. A staggering 5 million Ukrainians currently need humanitarian survival assistance. I met with one religious leader who came to Washington. I said: What are you finding? He said: Congresswoman, we are in Kharkiv. We need shoes, even used shoes, for the children. Currently, less than half of those in need receive any assistance at all. If Russian aggression were to trigger a flight of these Ukrainians westward, it would also add to the dangerous, destabilizing stress to Europe's already-stretched refugee services as a result of what is happening with the immigration and refugee resettlement from the Middle East. The situation in Ukraine is far from contained. According to a recent report by Refugees International, approximately 2 million Ukrainians live close to the cease-fire lines separating Ukrainian and Russian- backed forces. It is hard to see some of these pictures that are on this chart, but what they basically show are bombed-out buildings, bridges that are completely destroyed, old women living in buildings where there are no roofs or windows in eastern Ukraine, children living in bomb shelters, and people just, unfortunately, killed because of Russian shelling. A Ukrainian and Russian peace settlement likely will take a while, but another 2 million people are living under control of Russian-backed forces. The basic needs of these civilians go unmet daily. Shockingly, most international aid work has been suspended there, and there are hardly any news stories about this. Aid workers have been ejected from regions that are called Luhansk and Donetsk by the Russian-backed fighters. Some refugees, torn from their villages and towns, have managed to stay in Ukraine and survive even after being driven from their homes by violence. How they are doing this, I simply don't know. But these internally displaced are overwhelming the already limited resources of Ukraine's local governments, which are already stretched thin by Russia's invasion. These 1.5 million internally displaced Ukrainians lack durable housing or jobs to pay for food or support their families. Don't forget, with Russia's invasion, the value of their currency has just plummeted. Everything is so much more expensive. How people are making it, I simply don't know. We often talk about refugees in abstract numbers. But inside these numbers are the stories and faces of individuals. I just wish people could see the eyes of these parents looking into the future that is so uncertain and so daunting. Ukrainian children in these conflict zones are being born under conditions that most Americans couldn't even imagine, never having lived without the imminent threat of death or loss. Many risk becoming stateless, as they have been unable to receive birth certificates, passports, and school certificates. In looking into the eyes of children, I am again reminded of the urgency of this crisis. As freedom-loving nations grapple with the Ukrainian crisis, let us recall the nations of the European continent remain America's most enduring allies in liberty. To not measure up to meet the current internal challenge for Europe is to walk away from liberty's call at freedom's edge in our time. Existing efforts to assist Ukraine's eastern regions face a daunting set of challenges. Roads leading to Ukrainians trapped in separatist- held areas are difficult to navigate. There is a photo here. I mean, they are walking across rubble, down very steep embankments. Making matters worse, many of these routes are now scarred by the ravages of war. Roads and bridges have been completely destroyed. On roads running through conflict areas, Russian-backed fighters require registration by any humanitarian group seeking access to the region. Can you imagine? Can you imagine what life is like there? The United Nations is the only aid group allowed to even enter the Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. Even the U.N. was prevented from delivering aid to eastern Ukraine for 3 months as people suffered. And then on November 9, just a couple weeks ago, the U.N. was finally able to deliver a convoy of nine trucks carrying vital aid to the city of Luhansk, including 10,000 blankets, 10,000 towels, 5,000 buckets, and a similar number of jerricans and plastic sheets, cement and timber for shelter repairs, and other winterization need and domestic items. That was to one town, and it did not completely serve their enormous needs. As the U.N. agency head for Ukraine said: ``This is a small drop in the ocean of needs . . . in these conflict-affected areas.'' Can you imagine, millions of people displaced but only 10,000 blankets? Millions of people, 10,000 blankets. Delivery of basic medical supplies also faces obstacles. There is a shortage of medications that treat critical and common diseases. After his organization was forced out of Donetsk by Russian operatives, Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations at Doctors Without Borders, said the following: ``We are almost the only organization providing treatment for tuberculosis in prisons, insulin for diabetic patients, and hemodialysis products to treat kidney failure. Thousands of patients suffering from chronic, potentially fatal diseases will now be left with little or no assistance.'' This is the situation Ukraine faces in real time. What will the world do? What will the United States do with so many storehouses of used clothing, used blankets, or anything to help sustain life there? As temperatures fall across that region, shelter assistance has to be delivered quickly to people living in buildings without windows, without doors, without roofs, and, most often, without heat. Thousands of displaced people need warm blankets, winter clothing, and shoes, as well as coal and heating fuels. If the free world fails to act, it must prepare for the reality that, come spring, we will discover more elderly who are dead, more who are ill, more children who have fallen into illness and have probably died, simply cut off from assistance, who succumbed to starvation and the cold, needlessly adding to the over 8,000 who have already lost their lives in this Russian-directed invasion. America, as a nation, has long been one of supporting freedom and economic stability across our world. Let me remind you that in a 1947 speech laying out what would become the Marshall Plan for Europe following World War II's devastation, war-weary America stood the test of liberty. And one of our greatest Americans, a statesman, a general, and then Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, observed the dire post- war economic conditions in Europe. And despite America's exhaustion from World War II, he urged American involvement and support of European recovery, noting that: ``It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.'' Those words apply to Ukraine today, as they did to Western Europe after World War II. General Marshall continued, saying, ``Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation, and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.'' He added that struggling nations must take the lead in their own rebuilding and that America's role should be a supporting one. It was really remarkable to go back and look at the films of the brilliant airlift from World War II and see what this country did. This crisis is not commensurate with what happens after World War II, but we have a model. We know what to do; we know how to do it. Why aren't we doing it? I include in the Record separate statements from three religious leaders who are begging the United States of America and its President to pay particular attention to the humanitarian needs of Ukraine: remarks by Patriarch Filaret, Ukraine Orthodox Church; the Archbishop of Ukraine, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; and also Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, head of the Jewish faiths that have presence in that country. Transcript of the Speech by Patriarch Filaret at the National Press Club on November 9, 2015 (Translated live from Ukrainian) Dear Friends, we just met with the staff of President Obama. We have handed him a letter signed by leaders of All- Ukrainian Council of Churches and International Organizations of Ukraine leaders of different religious denominations of Ukraine. First of all, I want to emphasize that the All- Ukrainian Council of Churches represents 85% of Ukraine's residence. So our statement is on behalf of all those people. What is that letter about? We are discussing how the humanitarian aid that has been collected for the Ukrainian people here in the United States can be delivered to Ukraine. And we are asking President Obama to implement certain provisions of the Partnership for Peace program. Why are we asking that? Because, today, Ukraine is defending democracy and freedom for the whole world. If Ukraine had accepted Russia's offer and desired to pull it into the Eurasian Union, there would be no war, but Ukraine would have lost its democracy and freedom--it would have become a totalitarian state. The United States is the leader of democracy and freedom in the world. And, today, Ukrainians are giving their lives for this democracy and freedom. So do Ukrainians deserve such support from the United States and Europe in standing against Russian invasion and totalitarianism? I think Ukraine does deserve that. This is why we are making this request for help. We are asking to help deliver the humanitarian aid that the people of the United States have already collected. And we are also asking to increase the levels of assistance of multi-sided assistance. At this time, the war in Eastern Ukraine has not stopped-- it only went down in intensity. Putin has diverted the world's attention by going into Syria--this does not mean that he has given up on Ukraine and military warfare may erupt in Ukraine with new strength anytime. So we are asking--please, help. We are giving away our live and you give us the resources, including the humanitarian assistance. Thank you.

Ms. KAPTUR. The United States has more than just a moral and strategic duty to the sovereign people of Ukraine. Twenty years ago, the United States, Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom came together to sign the Budapest Memorandum. This agreement reaffirmed the common commitment of those signatory nations ``to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.'' And in return for that promise of protecting those borders, Ukraine dismantled its vast nuclear weapons complex, the third largest in the world. With that memorandum in hand, Ukraine did what it promised, but what about the other signatories to that agreement? Today, the Budapest Memorandum appears to be a hollow promise. It comes as little surprise that Russia would break that promise, but it disappoints me to no end that the free world, led by the United States of America, seems reluctant to honor its promises to take a more effective role as a coalition of nations and civil society organizations to help Ukraine stand on its own in the face of internal carnage perpetrated by Russia. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, a man who knows an enormous amount about that continent, recently expressed his deep concern that our focus has been pulled away from Russia's proxy invasion of Ukraine. ``Folks have taken their eye off of Ukraine a little bit because of Syria,'' he said. According to him, the situation is similar to how the world lost focus on the Russian invasion of Crimea, which the United States still considers Ukrainian territory, after Russia invaded eastern Ukraine and triggered the current war. Fighting in the Donbass region of Ukraine has fluctuated, but skirmishes continue and Ukrainian territory remains under Russian occupation, with no withdrawal in sight. Congress took initial steps to address Ukraine's need last year, just about a year ago, with the Ukraine Freedom Support Act--legislation we fought hard to pass and which most of our colleagues voted to support. However, conditions continue to worsen. A report done by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe acknowledges that the fighting in the east, which began in the spring of 2014, has resulted in extensive damage to schools and medical facilities, leaving the local population increasingly dependent on outside aid. Assistance is needed to meet basic needs and access to clean water, which is a problem already for 1.3 million Ukrainians at a minimum. Two weeks ago, I sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland to call for the United States to work with the Ukrainian Government and Russia to restore access to humanitarian workers and to allow aid to proceed. In particular, I identified a need for access to--and this is in working with the religious leaders of Ukraine across confessions for these items--winterization activities, including blankets, quilts, kerosene, heating stoves; direct financial assistance to these religious groups to help them help others; water pumping station equipment to prevent freezing; electrical repair kits and tools; coal; batteries; clothing; and everyday necessities, including medical equipment, basic and specialized medicines, emergency medical kits, shoes, socks, long underwear, coats, mittens, hats; redevelopment assistance, including economic aid and tools as well as equipment to repair homes, bridges, and roads. They don't even request new material. They just request help. I just think to myself, how much is thrown away in landfills across this country, items that still have good wear and good possibility? How much is thrown away at construction sites? And what we can do to help the people of Ukraine? These items are more than just objects to the people of Ukraine. They are life itself right now. The people of Ukraine want desperately to stand on their own, access to the European continent, and to govern themselves in the light of liberty. I have seen it in their eyes. Let us help them weather this terrible storm now when they need it most. My heavens, if the United States of America could lead the Berlin airlift after World War II in those old, tired planes, sending goods to the people of Europe, to the people of Western Europe, and to give them hope and sustenance, you mean to tell me that the America of the 21st century can't figure this out, especially when Congress has put money in the budget of the Department of Defense and the Department of State to carry this out, working in cooperation with organizations across this great land? Last month, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, a globally unique coming-together of diverse religious faiths which represent 85 percent of the Ukrainian population, presented President Obama with a letter I referenced earlier, appealing on behalf of the people of Ukraine to help address the humanitarian catastrophe gripping that Nation. Each is a daily witness to the challenges and needs of the people suffering because of this unnecessary, brutal war, where over 8,000 have already been killed; 17,610 wounded--that was a figure as of October--2.6 million people internally displaced; 5 million in need of aid, including 1.7 million children, and one in five homes of displaced families damaged or destroyed. Surely, the free world can figure this out. I do have to say a word about this. A few weeks ago, I stood here in Washington with many distinguished Ukrainian leaders, including the First Lady of Ukraine, Maryna Poroshenko; His Holiness, the Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus'-Ukraine Filaret; and my dear friend and fellow Ukraine Caucus cochair, Congressman Sander Levin of Michigan, to dedicate a memorial here in our Nation's capital to the 1932-1933 Soviet Union's forced starvation of between 2.5 million and 7.5 million Ukrainians whose names are lost to history forever. I think America should also consider doing this humanitarian lift to Ukraine because, frankly, no place on Earth suffered more in the last century from brutal tyranny than did Ukraine. Perhaps something is owed to those sacrificial people for what they endured and for the spark of liberty that still breathes so strongly in their hearts and minds. In marking the brutal tragedy of the forced famine, called the Holodomor, I am reminded of the importance of teaching about the cost of liberty, the need to fight for it, and the legacy of that sacrificial people. Through this memorial, we seek to better guard against any oppressive regime that would seek to rule over any people, for, at that time, our Nation failed to reveal and respond to that ongoing brutality of forced starvation in Ukraine. Had the free world acted then, we might have changed the fate of millions, but that did not happen. Let us not repeat the blindness of the past. America must act with dispatch to support the freedom-loving people of Ukraine. Time and again, in moments when the world has found itself at a crossroads, American leadership and action has made the difference. We must be prepared to join with others in this effort to save the children, to save the families, to save the people of Ukraine, and, in doing so, to let liberty march forward. We must do the right thing for our brothers and sisters in liberty. America must act, and we must act as leaders. Ukraine is waiting. The world is waiting. I call upon the President of the United States and the Obama administration to do what is necessary and achievable to meet the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, to relieve the unnecessary suffering of their people, and to prevent a gigantic refugee crisis from spilling over and impacting European stability. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), who could not be here tonight for this Special Order, supports these efforts. His formal statement includes the important role that the people of southeastern Pennsylvania have played in keeping a focus on Ukraine and this ongoing tragedy and what the United States of America can do at very little cost to the people here by the mobilization of the hearts of the American people to provide humanitarian assistance to help save Ukraine in our own time and day. President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington,

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to offer my deepest sympathies and condolences from the citizens of Ohio's Ninth Congressional District to the people of France, our longstanding brothers and sisters in liberty. To all whose loved ones were killed or hurt in the barbaric attacks in Paris last weekend, we offer our prayers of comfort and consolation. Our sincerest thanks are extended to the law enforcement officials who bravely brought order, the health officials who ministered to those who tragically lost their lives, and to the hundreds suffering injury. Around the world, freedom-loving people are repeating the words of La Marseillaise, the national anthem of France. This powerful song of liberty against tyranny roused that nation when it was written at the start of the French Revolution, just a few years after America's own fight for liberty. One verse seems especially appropriate to recite tonight. Translated into English, it says: Sacred love of the Fatherland: Liberty, cherished liberty, fight with thy defenders. Fight with thy defenders. This is a message for the world today. America is fighting alongside those who defend liberty. Surely, France. We stand with those who fight for liberty--Combats avec tes defenseurs. The American people have long cherished and defended the spirit of liberty alongside the people of France, and there is no greater symbol of that in our harbor, New York Harbor, than the Statue of Liberty, which reminds us always of the triumph of freedom over subjugated people. In modern times, France has been a founding member of NATO and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and we will work together to defeat this enemy as we have together defeated Nazism, communism, and now, as well, this new threat. We will have the finest intelligence assets that our nations have placed on the ground in countries around the world. We have used our intelligence assets here at home to keep out and prevent those who would harm our people from coming inside our borders. We always worry. We keep trying to make the security even better. But we have come a long way since 9/11. Each American can play an important role by reporting suspect behavior they observe, and you can help our law enforcement officials ferret out dangerous elements that could prey upon our own people. On the home front, every citizen can help by paying attention to what you see and, if suspicious, report it to your local law enforcement officials and, in an emergency, to 911. Also important is strengthening the bonds of community, at home, at work, at school. Build bridges in your own community, including religious confessions. Let's build bridges across religious confessions in this country. Let no denomination feel isolated or abandoned at this tense time. We stand with the people of France. We feel their loss. We stand with you as partners in liberty and forever keep in our hearts the enduring call: Liberty, equality, and fraternity--liberte, egalite, fraternite.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to encourage you to join with me and 69 of our colleagues, a total of 70 already, who have signed on to cosponsor H.R. 381, the Return to Prudent Banking Act. This bipartisan bill would restore the provisions of the Glass-Steagall banking law that separated prudent banking from wild speculation in the financial realm. Yesterday marked the 16th year, to the day, that Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, bestowing on financial institutions and investment firms the ability to put the life savings and deposits of the American people at greater risk. I was one of the 57 Members of this Congress who voted against that repeal of Glass-Steagall. At that time, my colleagues and I were told by Wall Street that the banks were strangled by outdated restrictions, that the repeal was a modern experiment in deregulation; so Congress repealed this bedrock law, over our objections. Look where that decision took America. We witnessed a terrible market crash in 2008; now, slow growth and the outrageous enormous accumulation of banking assets in a handful of institutions like JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America. They are raking in record-shattering profits while paying depositors almost nothing on their interest or on certificates of deposit as wages for working-class Americans continue to flatline. The original Glass-Steagall Act served our country well. It laid the foundation for an unprecedented half century without financial panics or crises. Just as important, it contributed to a right-sized banking system focused on serving our economy and society as a whole rather than enriching itself at everyone else's expense. This Congress must reinstate the regulatory prudence of the Glass- Steagall Act. Without these proper safeguards, it is only a matter of time before Wall Street's greedy operatives once again steer the American economy over the precipice. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 381, the Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2015. Help restore prudence, discipline, and sanity to our financial system and, in turn, real economic growth to America.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, October is National Farm to School Month, an important opportunity to celebrate the close connection between local schools and local food in communities throughout the country. Farm to School initiatives play an important role in growing that connection, improving child nutrition, supporting local jobs and economies, and educating the next generation about the sources of their food. Many of our rural communities are struggling. Meanwhile, access to affordable, nutritious food continues to be a challenge for many inner city communities. With these trends at work, it will be especially important to grow our Farm to School initiatives. One such initiative in Sandusky, Ohio connects students and their families with fresh, healthy food and local food producers. These programs are vitally important because they bridge the gap between rural and urban communities and help build local food systems that provide food security and independence. It is no wonder that Farm to School programs are cropping up all over the country, today reaching more than 40,000 schools and over 25.5 million students. Here are the outcomes: For Farmers: Growing sales opportunities. Reliable demand. Expanded community interest in local foods. For Schools: Reduction in child obesity; fresh and local food options that increase participation rates in school food programs, thereby boosting revenues. For the Community: Keeps food dollars in the community; ensures healthy local farms that provide jobs, pay taxes, and protect working agricultural land. Mr. Speaker, America's Farm to School programs are a win-win-win scenario. So as we conclude this month long celebration, I urge my colleagues in the House to support H.R. 1061, The Farm To School Act of 2015 introduced by Congressman Fortenberry, which reauthorizes Farm to School programs through FY 2021 and allows land grant colleges and universities to participate as well. Connecting our nation's schools to locally produced nutritious foods is not a partisan issue. It affects both Democratic and Republican districts. The House has an opportunity to act on this pressing matter with dispatch today. I suggest we take it.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much. I would just like to say that one of the features I like best about John Boehner is that he wanted to be Speaker of the House. He didn't want to be President. He didn't want to head over to the other body. He didn't want a Supreme Court nomination. He really loved this House, and that matters. That matters to all of us who continue to serve, and that matters to the historical record. We appreciate all of the substance that he has given. Whether you agreed with him on issues or not, he definitely was a man of the House.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, next will be Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, who had served as the minority leader of the Ohio Senate prior to arriving here has just arrived with such capacity, and I know she has served with John Boehner and knows him very well. Thank you for being here this evening, Congresswoman Beatty.

Ms. KAPTUR. Congressman Chabot, I have no further speakers, but I would just like to add this if I might.

Ms. KAPTUR. That is, the circumstances that have led to Speaker Boehner's decision to depart this Chamber trouble me a great deal. History will report on everything that happened that has led to this point, but how sad is it that someone with that experience from our part of the country--the Great Lakes region doesn't have all that much here in terms of leadership positions--would do this for what he views as the good of the country because certain individuals seem not to be able to work as a team. If we can't work as a team, team America, then I think that really harms our entire Republic. Speaking as the dean of our delegation, Ohio will lose a great deal by the Speaker's departure. Many times I have said in my career: How is it that the State that produced John Glenn and Neil Armstrong to both orbit the globe and land on the Moon, why do we have the smallest NASA center in the country? There are real regional pulls inside this institution, and John Boehner put his sword in the ground for our Great Lakes region. I worry a lot about what this means for us as other parts of the country weigh in more heavily. As an Ohioan, understanding that there are so many things we don't have from this Federal Government, we don't have a major research center from the national energy labs; other than Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, we really don't have bases, as other parts of the country do, to the same extent, when you look at the Federal establishment in Ohio; if you look at the National Park Service and what it does west of the Mississippi versus what it does east of the Mississippi. We actually had a voice for our part of the country, so I take his leaving very personally in terms of what it means to us as a State. I want to thank him for allowing the Ukraine Freedom Support Act to move to the floor late last year. It was one of the last agenda items of that session of Congress. I know, without his intervention, we wouldn't be where we are today in terms of trying to be relevant at liberty's edge. I thank him for his service. As third in line to the Presidency of this country, most Americans will never know some of the burden that he bore, with knowledge that most of the rest of this Chamber does not have, but for certain he did, and he held that close to himself. I thank him for all those quiet moments when perhaps the burden seemed almost overwhelming. I thank him for his service. I assume he will continue to be involved in some ways in the days and years ahead. He loves politics too much to just walk away from it. I thank him on behalf of the people of Ohio for representing our State, our region, in his dutiful service to the United States of America. Thank you, Speaker John Boehner, from Ohio, from the heartland. I thank Congressman Chabot, the dean on his side of the aisle, for yielding to me.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from Cincinnati, Congressman Chabot, for organizing this important hour of recognition, and I thank all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have taken the time to be here to thank Speaker John Boehner for his service to America. Mr. Speaker, John has served the people of Ohio ably for well more than two decades, having begun his career in the Ohio legislature, but he has served here in the Congress now for more than two decades. If we think about that period of time, we think about the various situations that he has faced as a Member and then later as Speaker, certainly, in the late 1990s, being part of a broad coalition to balance the budget when President Clinton was President. Literally, we were able to balance the budget by the end of the 1990s and begin paying back America's long-term debt. That all changed with the dawn of war in the 21st century, with the 9/11 attack on our country, subsequent military conflicts, and then the 2008-2009 economic crash, which we are still digging our way out of. We look at the more recent, sad invasion by Russia of Ukraine and at the ensuing conflict in the Middle East that has now spilled over into Syria. I would say that this period of Speaker Boehner's service, both as Speaker and then prior, as a Member, has been a very difficult time for America. If I think about some of my favorite memories of the Speaker, certainly it would be one of our most recent experiences as a Congress, with Pope Francis coming here and the Speaker's handkerchief being very wet during that period, but I know of his utter joy at having worked so hard to invite the Pope here to address us. For the first time in American history, a Pope addressed the Congress as the head of state. Another memory I have of the Speaker--and, I think, Congressman Chabot shared--was with Ohio State and the victors over here in the Speaker's Lobby. Over in the Rayburn Room, all of us were posing, Republican and Democrat alike. We were very proud of our Ohio Buckeyes. Some of our colleagues, like Congressman Joyce, was handing out Buckeyes to every Member, which his wife made. There were moments of joy as well. There were the Speaker's many accomplishments, such as the Speaker requiring bills to be posted 3 days online before we voted on them. He had many accomplishments and built a legacy in his own right, as a reasonable voice for his party, despite presiding over a fractious membership that has become more fractious with the ensuing years. He consistently worked to find a way forward during a period as contentious as any, that I recall, in the history of this Congress, even when compromise seemed out of reach. I would have to say, without question, Speaker Boehner's departure is a huge loss to our Buckeye State. The House is a place where seniority and the ability to balance competing and sometimes intractable demands matter, and we as Ohioans are very, very grateful for his service. As the most senior member of Ohio's Buckeye delegation, I thank the Speaker for his dutiful and patriotic service to the people of the United States and to this House for 25 years. His respectful and moderating presence--often with a smile--in this House will be missed. May he and his family enjoy the years ahead as he returns home to Ohio and, I think, to some other locations to get some deserved R&R after the very difficult period during which he has served. We have several speakers on this side, Congressman Chabot, and we await your yielding us time in order to recognize them in due order. I thank you so much.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, last week I came to the floor and recommended that the Obama administration appoint a special envoy with a very broad portfolio: dispatched to work on a diplomatic solution to the tragedy that is destroying Syria and unfolding in the Middle East, now having broad impact in greater Europe. I want to point out to those who are listening that the displacement crisis in the Middle East, centered in Syria, has consumed seven nations and propelled the largest refugee crisis Europe has faced since World War II. Already in Syria, over a quarter of a million people have been killed--civilians--and that is probably a low number. With over 12 million people displaced, Europe is being besieged by hundreds of thousands, legions, of the dispossessed. Meanwhile, it almost seems surreal that no effective diplomatic negotiation is underway that holds the prospect of leading to peace. I again ask the Obama administration to dispatch a special envoy with a broad portfolio to work full time on a diplomatic solution to the tragedy that is destroying Syria. Then yesterday in The New York Times appeared an editorial by the legendary 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, entitled ``A Plan to End the Syrian Crisis.'' I served President Carter during his years in the Presidency. I well remember the incredible moment in 1979 when President Carter stood with Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, and the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, and they signed that treaty in March of 1979. Who would have ever thought that that moment in history would have been possible? Yet, until today, that treaty holds between Egypt and Israel, and it has made a gigantic difference in the saving of lives in that extremely troubled region. In his editorial to The New York Times, President Carter references that the Carter Center--which he founded and to which he has dedicated his life with his wife Rosalyn ever since his service as President--has been deeply involved in Syria since the early 1980s. Who would know more than he? He recommends the only real chance of ending the conflict is to engage the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in preparing a comprehensive peace protocol with Syria. He knows what that requires. He recommends a cease-fire, formation of a unity government, constitutional reforms, and elections. Mr. Speaker, I include for today's Record the editorial entitled ``A Plan to End the Syrian Crisis.'' I say to my colleagues and to those who are listening: As we watch this tragedy unfold, our Nation is the most powerful nation in the world. Surely, we should have the wisdom and the will to take this latest tragedy, which we had no small part in precipitating, and find a way to bring the parties to the table. What is happening in Syria due to the lack of a diplomatic solution is now impacting Europe in ways that we have not seen since World War II. It is very destabilizing. With what is happening inside Ukraine today due to Russia's invasion, with over 1.7 million displaced persons internally, if Russia would happen to turn the tourniquet tighter in eastern Ukraine and cause additional displacement across Europe, imagine what the winter months would bring. I can't urge in strong enough terms that the Obama administration pay heed to President Carter's very lucid editorial in yesterday's New York Times. I commend all Members and citizens to read it. [From the New York Times, Oct. 26, 2015] A Plan To End the Syrian Crisis (By Jimmy Carter) I have known Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, since he was a college student in London, and have spent many hours negotiating with him since he has been in office. This has often been at the request of the United States government during those many times when our ambassadors have been withdrawn from Damascus because of diplomatic disputes. Bashar and his father, Hafez, had a policy of not speaking to anyone at the American Embassy during those periods of estrangement, but they would talk to me. I noticed that Bashar never referred to a subordinate for advice or information. His most persistent characteristic was stubbornness; it was almost psychologically impossible for him to change his mind--and certainly not when under pressure. Before the revolution began in March 2011, Syria set a good example of harmonious relations among its many different ethnic and religious groups, including Arabs, Kurds, Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians who were Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Alawites and Shiites. The Assad family had ruled the country since 1970, and was very proud of this relative harmony among these diverse groups. When protesters in Syria demanded long overdue reforms in the political system, President Assad saw this as an illegal revolutionary effort to overthrow his ``legitimate'' regime and erroneously decided to stamp it out by using unnecessary force. Because of many complex reasons, he was supported by his military forces, most Christians, Jews, Shiite Muslims, Alawites and others who feared a takeover by radical Sunni Muslims. The prospect for his overthrow was remote. The Carter Center had been deeply involved in Syria since the early 1980s, and we shared our insights with top officials in Washington, seeking to preserve an opportunity for a political solution to the rapidly growing conflict. Despite our persistent but confidential protests, the early American position was that the first step in resolving the dispute had to be the removal of Mr. Assad from office. Those who knew him saw this as a fruitless demand, but it has been maintained for more than four years. In effect, our prerequisite for peace efforts has been an impossibility. Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general, and Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, tried to end the conflict as special representatives of the United Nations, but abandoned the effort as fruitless because of incompatibilities among America, Russia and other nations regarding the status of Mr. Assad during a peace process. In May 2015, a group of global leaders known as the Elders visited Moscow, where we had detailed discussions with the American ambassador, former President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, former Prime Minister Yevgeny M. Primakov, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov and representatives of international think tanks, including the Moscow branch of the Carnegie Center. They pointed out the longstanding partnership between Russia and the Assad regime and the great threat of the Islamic State to Russia, where an estimated 14 percent of its population are Sunni Muslims. Later, I questioned President Putin about his support for Mr. Assad, and about his two sessions that year with representatives of factions from Syria. He replied that little progress had been made, and he thought that the only real chance of ending the conflict was for the United States and Russia to be joined by Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in preparing a comprehensive peace proposal. He believed that all factions in Syria, except the Islamic State, would accept almost any plan endorsed strongly by these five, with Iran and Russia supporting Mr. Assad and the other three backing the opposition. With his approval, I relayed this suggestion to Washington. For the past three years, the Carter Center has been working with Syrians across political divides, armed opposition group leaders and diplomats from the United Nations and Europe to find a political path for ending the conflict. This effort has been based on data-driven research about the Syrian catastrophe that the center has conducted, which reveals the location of different factions and clearly shows that neither side in Syria can prevail militarily. The recent decision by Russia to support the Assad regime with airstrikes and other military forces has intensified the fighting, raised the level of armaments and may increase the flow of refugees to neighboring countries and Europe. At the same time, it has helped to clarify the choice between a political process in which the Assad regime assumes a role and more war in which the Islamic State becomes an even greater threat to world peace. With these clear alternatives, the five nations mentioned above could formulate a unanimous proposal. Unfortunately, differences among them persist. Iran outlined a general four-point sequence several months ago, consisting of a cease-fire, formation of a unity government, constitutional reforms and elections. Working through the United Nations Security Council and utilizing a five-nation proposal, some mechanism could be found to implement these goals. The involvement of Russia and Iran is essential. Mr. Assad's only concession in four years of war was giving up chemical weapons, and he did so only under pressure from Russia and Iran. Similarly, he will not end the war by accepting concessions imposed by the West, but is likely to do so if urged by his allies. Mr. Assad's governing authority could then be ended in an orderly process, an acceptable government established in Syria, and a concerted effort could then be made to stamp out the threat of the Islamic State. The needed concessions are not from the combatants in Syria, but from the proud nations that claim to want peace but refuse to cooperate with one another.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Export-Import Bank means jobs in the United States of America. From 2007 to 2015, in Ohio, it supported 363 exporters, 263 small businesses, and more than $3 billion in value of Ohio exports. Superior Holdings, First Solar, Port Clinton Manufacturing, A.J. Rose Manufacturing, and so many other Ohio companies want to export. They require Ex-Im to do so. Frankly, in today's world markets, no serious nation can compete without the Export-Import Bank. More than 50 countries have an Export- Import Bank: China, Japan, Germany, India, Korea, France, Brazil, and other competitors. I support reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank. It means jobs, and it means business for the USA.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a significant event in the life and times of a Toledo, Ohio institution: 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Toledo branch of the NAACP. The organization celebrates this milestone with a special gala on Saturday, October 24, 2015. The Toledo Branch of the NAACP was chartered on February 2, 1915. Today, one hundred years later, it is one of the oldest continually operating branches in the country. The branch was formed by some of the leading citizens of the day including Albertus Brown--the first chapter president--Charles A. Cottrill and Della Fields. These three founders were able to grow that initial gathering to about 160 people. Since then, the Toledo NAACP branch has marched through time thanks in large part to what historian Kenneth Goings refers to as the `` `unsung heroes' of the Toledo chapter--everyday men and women who worked behind the scenes over the years to make sure the chapter would make it to its 100th birthday.'' In addition to the legion of ``unsung heroes'' the Toledo branch of the NAACP was led by several legendary leaders who served at the helm of the organization throughout the years. These leaders' names reverberate through history, still recognized today through the buildings and streets named for them. We remember their legacy and the shoulders on which the generations forward have stood through the century. During its rich history the Toledo NAACP has been a leader in the fight for empowerment and justice for all. Its focus grew from battles against outright discrimination in the past to prosperity and ensuring the economic, educational, judicial and social equality as well as enfranchisement of all citizens. The Toledo branch explains, its ``purpose is to serve our mission by having a relevant agenda that emphasizes career and economic development, next level entrepreneurship, political empowerment, educational excellence, health and lifestyle awareness, civil rights and youth outreach.'' Coupled with the mission and vision of the NAACP ``to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination and ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination'' the Toledo branch's 100 year history is a story of highs and lows in that journey. The organization has been at the vanguard of the events which have shaped our nation's 20th century and beyond. Today, it continues on a path toward social justice reminiscent of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's admonition that ``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'' Experiencing a rebirth, the Toledo branch of the NAACP is headquartered in the city's historic Dorr Street corridor, once home to a thriving African American business district and the center of its residential communities. The corridor's own storied history marched alongside that of the NAACP in bringing prosperity to Toledo's African American families. Former national NAACP chair Julian Bond once explained when discussing the organization, ``. . . the NAACP branches--the grassroots--kept plugging away. They kept doing what they do, and they do it well.'' For 100 years the Toledo branch of the NAACP has done it well: as a champion of humanity and hope, a beacon of light and a wellspring of truth. As we look back on a century of service, of triumph and trials, we look forward to renewed hope for the future.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the Syrian displacement crisis has consumed seven nations in the Middle East, among them Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, obviously, and Syria itself, and has spawned the largest refugee crisis Europe has faced since World War II. The scope of the damage is incredible. This protracted conflict has decimated Syria's infrastructure and has already taken the lives of over 250,000 civilians, has displaced over 4 million people, and has subjected tens upon thousands of children in that nation to Assad's horrific barrel bombs. Most everyone who remains in Syria endures power and water cuts, the threat of shelling, galloping inflation, and rampant speculation about: What will happen next? Who will help us, the innocents? With roads often subject to ambush, freedom to travel has been heavily curtailed. Checkpoints and concrete blast barriers have become accepted adornments of daily life. Institutions such as schools, hospitals, and offices remain open in government-held areas, though many schools have become shelters for the legions of war injured and homeless. Truly, it is grim. Often, classes are held in double shifts to make room for the extra students. This is everyday life in Syria. Five years into the conflict that has ravaged this once-modern nation, more than half of the Syrian population is displaced, with over 4 million refugees in neighboring countries and tens of thousands moving toward Europe. We see this on television every evening. My hometown of Toledo has taken in 8 weary Syrian families--refugees who have now again found hope in the liberty that America offers--but fewer than 2,000 Syrians have come to the United States, though the war has displaced more than 12 million since 2011. The free world simply cannot allow this savage slaughter and dislocation to continue. We ask ourselves: Where is the leadership for resolution? Now, in addition to daily airstrikes against civilians by the Syrian Government violating international humanitarian law, Russian warplanes are striking medical facilities and residential areas in non-ISIL areas where rebel forces are fighting to overthrow the Assad regime while Russia publicly proclaims its aim of eliminating ISIL targets. I brought a map to the floor here that essentially shows most of Syria, who holds it. If one looks at these red dots here, the Russian planes are mainly bombing in the rebel-held areas, not in the ISIL-held areas. So we see a complex situation that has developed on the ground. As Putin moves with defiance to maintain the Syrian dictatorship, his actions simply must be checked because it tells us that, in the future, there will be more slaughter with what remains if those moderate forces are not allowed to survive. Since Russia began airstrikes at the end of September, at least 127 civilians, including 36 children and 34 women, have been killed by Russian airstrikes, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. For the sake of liberty in Syria, in Europe, and around the world, America, NATO, the Transatlantic Alliance, and our allies in the Middle East must lead the region to peaceful settlement. I happen to represent a region in America where Syrian Americans have lived for over a century. I can't even explain to you how they feel about the total destruction of their homeland, its artifacts, and its history. I am not even able to contain it in words here. They came to see me last week, and they asked if I would read some of their words into the Record, which I promised I would do this evening. They want the American people and the world to know: The biggest killer of civilians in Syria is the Assad regime's use of barrel bombs. Packed with TNT and shrapnel, these dumb bombs have no target and are just dropped from helicopters on civilian neighborhoods. These bombs cause massive destruction and casualties. Thousands upon thousands of children have been killed and injured by these helicopter flights. And they said to me: Congresswoman, if you can say one thing to the Congress and to those in Washington who can make a difference, please tell them to disrupt and stop these helicopter flyovers. So the barrel bombs aren't coming out of the F-16s obviously flying over Syria, but they are coming from helicopters that the Assad regime is dispatching across that country. The most important step that can be done to save lives would be the imposition of a no-fly zone. A no-fly zone will turn the tide of war, and bring down the regime of terror and force Assad to negotiate his exit. We know there is resistance to that, but the world community must meet this latest test in order to secure a better life for the people that remain in Syria, those who may wish to return, and, obviously, the millions that have fled and are in refugee camps throughout that region and now as far as Western Europe. I would urge the President of our country to consider the appointment of a special envoy without portfolio for Syrian peace to work full-time to bring all relevant nations together to resolve this unfolding tragedy and aim at a civil military strategy for transition and settlement. I include for the Record Anthony Cordesman's writings. [From the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Oct. 1, 2015] The Long War in Syria: The Trees, the Forest, and All the King's Men (By Anthony H. Cordesman) Cliches are cliches, but sometimes it really is hard to see the forest for the trees. In the case of Syria, the ``trees'' include the UN debate between Obama and Putin over Syria and the fight against Islamic extremism, Russia's sudden military intervention in Syria, the failure of the U.S. training and assist missions in both Syria and Iraq, and the developing scandal in USCENTCOM over exaggerated claims of success for the U.S.-led air campaign in Syria and Iraq. The most important ``tree,'' however, is trying to negotiate an end to the fighting from the outside, as if Assad was the key issue and as if it would be possible for some diplomatic elite or mix of power brokers to bring Syria back to some state of stability if only Assad would agree to leave and the United States and Russia could agree on how to approach the negotiations. Focusing on the Trees When the Forest is Burning The problem is that the ``forest'' is dying, burning, and occupied by four broad sets of fighters that have little reason to cooperate with any UN-led negotiating effort, outside agreement over Assad--with or without U.S. and Russian cooperation. To shift from one cliche to another, Syria presents far more problems than Humpty Dumpty. ``All the king's horses and all the king's men'' couldn't put Syria back together by negotiating a solution from the outside even if there was one King instead of a divided mix of the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, the other states surrounding Syria, the Arabian Gulf states, Egypt, and France and the other interested European powers. It shouldn't take a child's nursery rhyme to point out the obvious--although it is one whose origins may date back to England's civil wars and first appeared in print shortly after it became fully clear that there was no way English could ever bring the 13 colonies back under its control. To begin with, there is no equivalent of Humpty. Putting Four Humptys Together with No King and No Unity Among the King's Men The problem is not simply ISIS or Assad. ISIS is one of the four ``Humptys'' in a shattered Syria, but ISIS controls only a limited part of Syria's population even in the east. ISIS occupies both parts of Syria and Iraq. It continues to systematically purge any religious and ideological dissent while neither government in Damascus or the government in Baghdad have shown any clear ability to gain support from a major portion of the Sunnis in the area that ISIS controls. So far, neither the forces of the Syrian or Iraqi government have had much military success against ISIS, and U.S. claims that Iraq has regained some 35% of the territory it lost to ISIS are little more than dishonest spin. They are based on the maximum line of ISIS advance before any fighting took place and before ISIS established any level of governance or control. They include vast areas of unpopulated desert: areas where no one controls anything because no one is there. The Kurds The second Humpty consists of the Syrian Kurds--who have gone from a partially disenfranchised minority to the equivalent of a mini-state in the north and east of Syria, and have been the only real U.S. military train and assist success. They have no reason to support Assad or any of those who support Assad. They too are divided, and some have ties to Turkish Kurds, some to Iraqi Kurds, some to both, and some are independent. At the same time, they have no clear economic viability as a state, face growing water problems, and would need to grab a significant part of Syria's limited oil and gas resources in the East to be viable unless they somehow united in a broader Kurdish entity--one that included Turkish and/or Iraqi Kurds and would be likely to create a new set of regional conflicts. Furthermore, these Administration claims and maps that talk about liberating 35% of the area that ISIS occupied ignore the fact that control of much of the disputed populated areas in Anbar remains undecided, and that it was the Iraqi Kurds which not only recovered much of the lost populated areas that did matter, but grabbed a large additional part of Iraq--including Kirkuk and its oil fields--and created a whole new dimension of the Kurdish problem and its tensions with Iraq's Arab and the Turks while the corrupt government in the Kurdish zone of Iraq has divided and threated to create a new round of internal power struggles. The Other Sunni Fighters The third Humpty consists of an uncertain coalition of other Sunni fighters. They control--or are fighting for control--in many of the most populated areas in Syria. There are no reliable unclassified estimates of the number, strength, and ideological character of these factions but there are well over 20 groups--and some estimates go well over 30. Some, like the Al Nusra Front--one of the most successful in military terms--are linked to Al Qaeda. Others are less radical Islamist factions, but are scarcely secular or moderate, also have no ties to the hollow outside efforts to create moderate governments in exile, and are being backed by Arab states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The small groups being given limited support with U.S. weapons and Special Forces assistance are at best petty and uncertain players. This is also a group of fighters that is fighting the pro- Assad forces in what is increasingly becoming a wasteland. The fighting on the ground, Assad's barrel bombs and the threat of poison gas, deliberate isolation and efforts to starve out rebel held areas have created one of them most serious humanitarian disasters in any one country in modern history. Many of the more than 4 million Syrian refugees that had left Syria lived in the area where this fight takes place. The same is true of the well over 7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) that no long have a real home, job, business, or access to key services like health and education. Many of the more than 250,000 Syrian civilian dead, and at least 500,000 seriously wounded are the product of this fighting--although it is important to note that the UN ceased to be able to make meaningful casualty estimates well over half a year ago, and the estimates of refugees and IDPs have ceased to increase because (a) there no longer is a basis for guesstimating the increase, and (b) many of the remainder are simply too poor to leave. To go back to cliche number one, this is the area where the forest has now been burning for some four years. This was one of the most populated and developed parts of Syria. It is an area where Syria's already poor economy probably now has a GDP around 20% of what it was in 2011 and has no clear basis for recovery. It is an area where no top down negotiation between Assad or his backers and any outside faction can begin to put even one Humpty back together again. The Assad Faction(s) The fourth version of Humpty is the group of factions and fighters supporting Assad. It is important to note that this is not a unified group. No one has given most of those in the area Assad control a choice as to who controls them. The majority of the population is Sunni and other non-Alawites. The Alawites are not Shi'ite, and are a gnostic religious group that may have political ties to Iran and the Hezbollah, but Alawites are not Muslims in the normal sense of the term. There are no reliable data on Syria's population. The CIA estimates, however, that some 17-18 million people remain in Syria, it estimates that 87% are Muslim (official; includes 74% Sunni 74% and 13% that are a mix of Alawi, Ismaili, and Shia). Some 10% are Christian (includes Orthodox, Uniate, and Nestorian), and the final 3% are Druze and some small number of Jews who remain in Damascus and Aleppo). If one looks at the maps of Syria's sectarian and ethnic divisions before the fighting, they are also distributed into a series of small enclaves, many near the coast. They have no clear ``region,'' and it is far from clear how many of the Sunnis in the regular Syrian forces, the real Shi'ites and other minorities in Syria, or the more secular Sunni businesspersons and civilians would support either Assad or any mix of Assad supporters if they had a choice. It is also important to note that the World Bank rated the Assad regime as having some of the worst governance in the world before the uprising began in 2011. It was also rated as deeply corrupt. Transparency International rated it as the 159th most corrupt country in the world--out of 175--in 2014. The Arab and UN development reports warned that the younger Assad was no better in moving the country towards real economic development than his father, and that the massive population increase in Syria had created a ``youth bulge'' for which there were often no real jobs. The Syrian GDP per capita was at best around $5,100 even in Purchasing Power Parity P terms in 2011 before the upheavals began--and ranked a dismal 165th in the world. It now may average half that level. Some 33% of the population is 0-14 years of age; 14% is 15-24, and over 500,000 young Syrian men and women now reach job age each year in a country where direct (ignoring disguised) unemployment is estimated to be 33-35%, and the poverty level was well over 12% before the fighting started. A Time for Honesty, Transparency, and Realism One cannot ignore trees, anymore than one can ignore the forest. The failure of U.S. policy and military efforts, Russian and Iranian support of Assad and major Russian military intervention, and the conflicting ways in which other states intervene will all make things worse. The impact of religious warfare and extremism, and failed Syrian secularism, are even more serious problems. It is time, however, to stop focusing on either ISIS or Assad, to pretend that Syrian ``moderates'' are strong enough to either affect the security situation or negotiate for Syria's real fighters, and act as if a shattered nation could be united by some top down negotiation between groups that hate each other and have no competence in dealing with the economic, social, and governance challenges Syria now faces. The first step in solving a problem is to honestly assess it. No negotiation can work that does not deal with grim realities and divisions created by years of fighting. No amount of U.S. and Russian intervention and argument can bring security or stability. No UN effort at conventional negotiation can survive encounter with reality, and no effort of any kind that does not address the sheer scale of Syrian recovery and reconstruction.

Ms. KAPTUR. Anthony Cordesman, probably one of the most respected thinkers on this subject, ends a very significant analysis of the situation in Syria and greater Europe with this admonition. He tells America: ``We face a moment of facing up to honesty, transparency, and realism.'' And he tells us, ``One cannot ignore trees anymore than one can ignore the forest,'' related to Syria. ``The failure of U.S. policy and military efforts, Russian and Iranian support of Assad and major Russian military intervention, and the conflicting ways in which other states intervene will all make matters worse. The impact of religious warfare and extremism, and failed Syrian secularism, are even more serious problems. ``It is time, however, to stop focusing on either ISIS or Assad, to pretend that Syrian `moderates' are strong enough to either affect the security situation or negotiate for Syria's real fighters, and act as if a shattered nation could be united by some top-down negotiation between groups that hate each other and have no competence in dealing with the economic, social, and governance challenges Syria now faces. ``The first step in solving a problem is to honestly assess it. No negotiation can work that does not deal with grim realities and divisions created by years of fighting. No amount of U.S. and Russian intervention and argument can bring security or stability. No U.N. effort at conventional negotiation can survive encounter with reality, and no effort of any kind that does not address the sheer scale of Syrian recovery and reconstruction'' can work. I commend his writings to my colleagues and the major studies that have been done this year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies as providing a glimmer of the road that we must walk toward. I want to just thank my colleagues for the opportunity to place this in the Record tonight. I want to thank the Syrian Americans that live in northern Ohio for their patriotic citizenship and their deep concern about what more the United States of America could do to bring resolution to this deeply troubling conflict in Syria that has precipitated such unrest, not just through that region but, indeed, to all of greater Europe. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Sue Ann Wuest; a friend, an intellectual, and a valued member of our Toledo community. Sue was born in Oregon, Ohio on July 31, 1956 to Joan and Howard Wuest. She was a graduate of Cardinal Stritch High School and earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo. Sue went on to serve as the assistant director of the Urban Affairs Center at the University of Toledo for many years, where she worked to address challenges and find solutions in urban and regional development. Her interest in her community led her to serve as a Member of the Toledo Planning Commission, where she helped to guide land-use decisions to create a better community life and economic opportunity for Toledo residents. During her time on the Toledo Planning Commission, the Commission voted unanimously to allow the Toledo Museum of Art to begin construction of its $25 million Center for Glass museum building, of which she had said: ``We have to demonstrate courage to build buildings that make a statement for our time.'' Sue was an active resident of the historic Old West End neighborhood, where she often threw parties to celebrate the Old West End Festival. Her commitment to her community did not end there; she thrived on mentoring public officials and young professionals. In her spare time, she was an artist, drawing, making beaded jewelry and hand painted silk scarves, among other things. Sue also enjoyed cooking for others. It seems as if Sue's hallmark was to bring people together: among her family and friends, bring them together to celebrate a holiday or just to enjoy a dinner; at her work, where she sought out solutions with others to address the needs of the region; and in her community, where she dedicated her life to making the Toledo area a better place for all of us to live. Sue will be remembered lovingly by her parents, Joan and Howard Wuest and her sisters, Ann Simpkins and Amy Roman; and her brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, and her many friends. We offer them our prayers and hope that they find comfort in the wonderful memories of our dear friend, Sue, who will be remembered with affection and gratitude for her probing intellect, kind heart, and utter dedication to advancing Toledo as a community, its people and its institutions.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank you, Congressman Murphy, for yielding to me. I want to say how fortunate the country is that the people of Pennsylvania have elected you here to serve the people of our Nation with the strong background that you have and with the obvious depths of knowledge that you have about those who are mentally ill and the compassion you have in a field that is very difficult, where the answers still remain incomplete. I want to be on the floor this evening to say to those who are listening in the Chamber, to those who may be listening outside, your efforts to draft the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2646, is a watershed moment in this Congress. I have served in this Congress a lot longer than the others on the floor this evening. I was here in 1998 when, sadly, we lost two of our Capitol Police officers, Jacob Chestnut and John Gibson. A diagnosed schizophrenic receiving Federal SSI benefits but off his medicines and estranged from his family headed on a rampage all across the country, all the way from the West to here, and delusionally, he set out to quash, I guess, a purple force he had tracked here to the Capitol. He broke into the majority leader's office. All the staff went under the desks. I thought, well, maybe this is the moment that Congress will finally face up to the violent impulses that have fallen right at our knees. I said, but I would wager one of two things will happen: either we will finally cut the mustard and do what is right, or we will have more barricades and armed officers. Well, it was the latter option that actually happened. As we mourn the deaths of nine innocent victims at Umpqua Community College, I commend Congressman Murphy of Pennsylvania for putting a bill forward that forces us to probe deeply the pattern of these mass shootings. We need to know the perpetrators. We understand the perpetrator in Oregon had served in the U.S. military for a very brief time. He was discharged. And my question to the U.S. military is: Why? Why was he discharged? Did you discharge him to care if you saw a pattern that needed treatment? Or did you close your eyes too? Because that has happened repeatedly in the U.S. military, though I must say that they are doing a little bit better, because some of their own members have now been killed around the country because of individuals who face very severe illnesses in their own lives and have simply never had the kind of doctor to help them come out of the dark shadows of the existence in which they have been living. Many of these individuals have been abandoned by their families. Many times they are expelled from school. As you look around the country and you see the people who commit these heinous, heinous crimes and then many times take their own life, they are completely alone or they are living with one member of their family, abandoned by their other family members and, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania has said, many times ending up homeless, the victims of attacks themselves, or many times, out of whatever is happening in a very ill brain, taking it out on the rest of society. Probing deeply into mental illness requires a discipline that Congressman Murphy has and an understanding that no Congress yet has had. That myopia is symptomatic of what is happening across our Nation: more security but no significant attention to those who show out-of- control and violent tendencies, those tragically mentally ill citizens who are driven by their illness to harm others. If someone has a broken back, we have special wards. What happens to the mentally ill in the district that I represent and across this country, some of them end up in the jail. Seventy-five percent of those incarcerated in northern Ohio have dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance abuse. What does that tell us? Our jails have become the depositories for this Nation's mentally ill. I am not saying that individuals diagnosed with mental illness are more likely to commit crimes. I agree with Congressman Murphy that most of them become victims of crimes because they aren't thinking straight, and it doesn't have to be this way. The bill that Congressman Murphy has written and has vetted and has worked with different groups and individuals, and which I support and a host of other Members do on a bipartisan basis, is supported by one of the most important organizations in our country: the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I have the highest respect for them. H.R. 2646 fixes the Nation's broken mental health system by refocusing programs, reforming grants, and removing Federal barriers to care. It names an assistant secretary for mental illness at the Department of Health and Human Services, and it encourages more meaningful involvement from family members and caregivers who, frankly, at this point, many times, just give up because they have this force within their homes that they cannot contain. Rather than just paying tribute to those among us who have been lost and those who save them at risk to their own lives, cannot we elevate the solution to efforts that could help to prevent further tragedies? We think about the Capitol shootings. We think about Sandy Hook. We think about Virginia Polytechnic. The U.S. leads the world in mass shootings. There have been 294 mass shootings in 2015 alone, and each one gives us an indicator of the possible sign of untreated mental illness. Each one represents a failure of our society, and dispelling the stigma of mental illness for those who suffer remains a task unfinished. When do the elected Representatives of the American people say, ``Enough. America can do better. America must do better''? Let's create a pathway, by passing H.R. 2646, to immediate treatment for those mentally ill citizens dangerous to others and dangerous to themselves. Congressman Murphy, I can't thank you enough. I don't recall a bill which has had such broad bipartisan support. You have worked so hard to go around the country. This is not a partisan issue; this is an American issue. I hope America can lead the world in trying to find a better way. The suffering that we see in our districts, in community after community after community, broken families, broken people, this doesn't have to be in our country. In the hearing that you conducted in Cleveland, I learned something really important that I didn't know, and that is that in the way that the reimbursement occurs to hospitals for people seeking care, that research in mental illness is at the bottom of the list because reimbursement doesn't flow the same way. So as we try to find answers to what is going on in the human brain, with the secretion of such chemicals like dopamine and serotonin and these different chemicals that those who are healthy have being secreted at a normal level, those who do not have that system working for them have big problems; but yet, if doctors try to get research dollars to solve and figure out what is going on in the human brain, the reimbursement system we have today simply doesn't work. I didn't know that. So I thank you for coming to Ohio because I am focused on that like a laser beam, and it is a part of the answer. So thank you for allowing me some time tonight on the floor. The people I represent thank you. We want to help you. I hope those listening will find cosponsors from their different parts of the country to help you move this bill forward. We couldn't do anything more important for the country. Thank you.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate thirteen community leaders who are being recognized as 2015 honorees of the Toledo African American Legacy Project. The Toledo African American Legacy Project is dedicated to bringing together people to document and preserve the history of northwest Ohio's African American communities and demonstrate the impact and influence of individuals upon Toledo and the greater world community. This year's honorees are indeed a celebrated group. Elinor Allen is a retired school teacher who for 33 years served as an elementary teacher, Unit Leader, and reading teacher in Toledo Public Schools. Ronald Jackson, Sr., was appointed as the first African American Deputy Chief of the Toledo Police Department and also served as Executive Director of the Board of Community Relations. Theresa M. Gabriel has served in many capacities within the city government including Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry and Director of Department of Human Resources. She currently serves on Toledo City Council. John Moore is a consultant, motivational speaker and author whose current and past board memberships include Owens Community College and the College's foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo and Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Doni Miller is the CEO of the Neighborhood Health Association, a federally qualified health center. She earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Toledo and has 25 years of experience in health administration in addition to hosting a local public affairs television program. Ben Williams has dedicated his life to youth. He is currently the Executive Director of the Ben E. Williams Youth Service, Inc., and was the first African American coach inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The Toledo African American Legacy Project also posthumously recognized: Dr. Frank A. Brown, who was elected the first African American as Vice President of the Toledo Board of Education and eventually President; and Roland A. Gandy, Jr., who was Chief of Staff at Mercy Hospital and Maumee Valley Hospital and was known for providing services free of charge to Scott High School and the University of Toledo athletics. In addition to honoring these community leaders, the Toledo African American Legacy Project also highlights young, emerging African- Americans leading the way for the future. This year, four people were recognized for their efforts. Larome Myrick is a Parole Service Supervisor in the Department of Youth Services Toledo Region. Kelly Westmoreland is an agent for Bankers Life and Casualty. Jason Woodward is a minister, deacon and finance director at Trinity Faith Tabernacle Church. Rashieda Timpson is founder and CEO of the Christian based non- profit organization United Sisters (women inspiring women). It is my sincere pleasure to congratulate all of these honorees for their hard work and dedicated service. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and together we build community forward. The 2015 African American Legacy Project honorees represent the excellence that is in us. Their leadership inspires.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the gentleman from California for being an extraordinary leader on Make It In America and restoring prosperity to all corners of this country. The citizens of California really have sent an amazing Congressman to speak on behalf of the Nation and the importance of making items in America. It is probably a tragedy, over the last three decades, that we have accumulated over $9 trillion in trade deficit, which translates into lost wealth, lost income for America's families, and, ultimately, a budget deficit that we just can't get under control because people aren't earning enough. So much economic activity has been outsourced that there are many who have forgotten how much manufacturing actually matters. So I agree with the gentleman. Make it in America, grow it in America, use the technology of America to transform farm field products into ethanol and biodiesel. Let us use the sun. Let us invent our way forward to become energy independent because, at some point, not in our lifetime, but at some point over the next 100 years, the oil wells will run dry, and even the natural gas fields currently being discovered in Ohio and Pennsylvania, which are mother lode supplies with horizontal drilling, those are finite and they will be gone. So the world with many more people is going to have to figure out how to sustain life. The gentleman has addressed many of these issues in terms of energy production, America's need to become energy secure, which would create prosperity here at home, and also all the investments of hard infrastructure on rail, on over-the-road, air transportation. I have to add, obviously, our ports and, in my part of the country, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway so in need of infrastructure improvement, several billion dollars actually. We are having a Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway meeting tomorrow morning, inviting in many of the business interests along the seaway and looking for ways in our transportation bill where we can make more investment in that region so it can sing fully economically again. So I thank the gentleman for a moment here. And believe me, I unite with you in your efforts to make America fully strong again, and Make It In America can lead us down that path.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a landmark business in Toledo, Ohio. Red Wells Roast Beef restaurant closed its doors this month after nearly 100 years of serving its traditional hot roast beef sandwich. As he retires, owner Richard Wells does not wish to sell the restaurant and its homemade offerings. Legendary in West Toledo, Red Wells officially began in 1894 when Allen and Eva Wells served food in their hotels, boarding houses and saloons. After he returned from service in World War 1, their son Clark Wells--nicknamed ``Red''--partnered with his father to open up a restaurant serving signature hot roast beef sandwiches. The restaurant grew quickly and in 1930 the family opened up two restaurants in downtown Toledo, one of which was the first restaurant in the city to be electrified. Richard Wells started in the family business in 1946. He persuaded the family to open up its current location on Sylvania Avenue in West Toledo in 1957. The business continued to do well offering a menu of items first cooked by Eva Wells: in addition to the most luscious hot roast beef sandwiches anywhere in the world, the restaurant also served such comfort food as mashed potatoes and Red Wells' famous gravy, a hot turkey sandwich, green beans, corn, pies and pudding. Richard Wells also grew the business to other locations, but it was the Sylvania Avenue restaurant that was the business' mainstay. A gathering place for friends and family, both the regular and occasional diners of Red Wells will surely miss its homey cafeteria atmosphere, friendly staff and hearty food. Just as the restaurant was generational, so too were the diners. Patrons passed their love of Red Wells down through their children. On its last day there were so many people the restaurant could not serve them all. As Richard Wells eases into retirement, we wish him much enjoyment spending time doing what he wishes and being with those for whom he cares. May he know that the legend that became Red Wells Roast Beef restaurant will live on in Toledo memory.