Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. It is now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from New York, Charles Rangel. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. I am privileged to yield 2 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott). (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Let me say a few words. I really regret that the minority has decided to use this bill as an opportunity to talk about the health care bill I think in totally irresponsible ways. I don't think it is fitting for the service of the veterans of the United States of America that you decide to essentially use this time to talk about issues unrelated. I don't think that is consonant with why you are here and why we are here. So I am not going to debate the health care bill. We are talking today about a bill to make very clear, if there is any need, about one provision. Talk about playing politics, that's what's been endeavored here by the minority speakers. And I think it's deeply regrettable. There is a difference of opinion as to whether there was any mistake at all on this specific issue. There is a difference of opinion. The Secretary of the VA said that this issue was already covered. That was his judgment. There is no need for anybody to apologize to the Secretary. And so there was this difference of opinion as to whether there was any need to correct. And a lot of us said there was no such need. When it was raised, this issue by Mr. Buyer, we said that. So instead of acting on something that we thought was not necessary, what we said was we will take further steps to make sure there is no concern. There was a lot of rhetoric that went around regarding that issue. And I want to just read a letter that came out shortly thereafter from the commander in chief of the VFW. It was a letter to our Speaker. It was a letter to our Speaker, and this is what the letter said: ``Dear Madam Speaker, I want to apologize for saying in a Sunday press release that you and the Democratic leadership are betraying Americans, America's veterans. Your support of America's veterans, military, and their families is and has been above reproach.'' Above reproach. And so now using this opportunity to try to cast any aspersion, I think, is more than unfortunate, if I might say so, it is disgraceful. There was said something about we were doing something in health care reform on the emotion of the moment. Talk about emotions? Now, we had worked on this, health care reform, in our country for decade after decade after decade after decade after decade, and more decades. Health care reform was an effort in the best American tradition to try to advance what has made this country great--and that is acting as a community to meet the needs of individuals, to combine responsibility and community. So, let me get back. If you want to go out and talk about repeal, as the gentleman from California has, go and talk to the seniors who are going to benefit from the health reform bill, go and talk to the kids who are under 26 who are going to receive coverage through this bill, go and talk to the people who otherwise would have their health care rescinded as some entities tried and then, to their credit, backed off when we raised the issue. Now, if anybody is playing politics today, it's no one on this side led by our distinguished Speaker. So I urge adoption of this legislation, and I will enter into the record three letters. Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Washington, DC, May 12, 2010. Hon. Bob Filner, Chairman, House Veterans Affairs Committee, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Filner: On behalf of the 2.1 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and its Auxiliaries, I would like to offer our very strong support for your legislation H.R. 5014, which would clarify and protect all VA health care programs under Title 38, Chapter 17 and 18 to constitute as minimum essential health care coverage. VFW applauds your efforts to clarify this critical issue. We sincerely appreciate your commitment to America's veterans and their families and we look forward to continuing to work with you on issues of concern. Very Truly Yours, Robert E. Wallace, Executive Director.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5014) to clarify the health care provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that constitutes minimum essential coverage, as amended.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous materials.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5014, a bill to reinforce that health care provided by the Department of Veteran Affairs constitutes minimum essential coverage under the individual mandate. Very specifically, this bill clarifies that coverage at the VA for individuals who have spina bifida as a result of their parents exposure to Agent Orange counts as minimum essential coverage. I want to be clear that this bill does not in any way change veterans health care, nor does it put anyone but the Secretary of Veteran Affairs in control of veterans benefits. The bill has no cost. A similar version of this legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent. This legislation is consistent with the commitment that the Congress has made to the veterans of our Nation. Finally, I would like to highlight that it is supported by numerous veterans service organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the AMVETS, and the Disabled American Veterans. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LEVIN. How much time is remaining?

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Joseph Peters, who is retiring as Director of the United Automotive Worker's Region 1 in Michigan. Our friendship and working relationship spans the many issues important to working Americans--trade, automotive, and health care--we worked on throughout the years, and it is my pleasure to pay tribute to him today. Mr. Peters first joined the UAW in 1967 and, in the decades since, has been a tireless advocate for automotive workers. Certainly, the past few years have been ones of tremendous challenge for the automotive industry, and Mr. Peters' dedication to preserving the industry, strengthening it for the future, and supporting the jobs of its employees, was steadfast. A native of Highland Park, Michigan, Mr. Peters began his career with the UAW Local 400 at the Ford Motor Company Mount Clemens Paint Plant. In 1978, he was elected to serve as the midnight shift committeeman of the Ford Utica Trim Plant and quickly gained recognition for his hard work and dedication: he was elected to the plant bargaining committee in 1981, chairman of the Utica Plant in 1984, vice president of Local 400 in 1985, and president of Local 400 in 1986. Mr. Peters was appointed to the UAW International Staff in 1988 and served for the next eleven years in the Union's National Ford Department. There, he was responsible for health, safety, benefits and job security issues, and was involved in four national negotiations. He became assistant director of Region 1 in 1999 and was elected the Region's director in 2005. Despite this accomplished career, Mr. Peters cites as his greatest achievement the ``No Child Without Christmas'' foundation. This program brings together union workers, community leaders, and businesses to provide clothing, food, and gifts to thousands of homeless, neglected, or abused children each year during the holiday season. Mr. Peters' commitment to improving the lives of those around him is unyielding. He has a kind heart, an intense focus on what is important to workers and communities, and a loyalty to purpose and people. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Peters on the occasion of his retirement after more than forty years with the UAW and decades of community and public activism. We recognize his many achievements and extend to him and his wife, Ann, and their entire family our best wishes.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I will close very, very briefly. There needs to be a general framework for trade policy, and we have been working to spell that out. A trade policy, as we expand trade, as we must, does so in ways that are mutually beneficial; that expand the benefits of trade. Within that framework, each trade agreement must stand on its own feet--and this trade bill does exactly that. It responds to needs. It does so in a way that takes into account the very crucial needs within Haiti and also the needs of American industry and workers. It achieves not a compromise, really, but a balance--the kind of balance that should be a hallmark of our approach to trade. I very much urge that we support this bill. It's excellent both in its letter and in its spirit.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to my colleague on Ways and Means, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to yield myself 30 seconds and then yield more time if I might. I first want to yield to the lead sponsor of this bill, Mr. Rangel. Our colleague, Charles Rangel, has devoted his life to fighting for underdogs wherever they are in this country and beyond, and he has devoted so much time to the people of Haiti. He is the lead sponsor, and it is my privilege--and I think all of us join in this--to yield such time as he shall consume to the gentleman from New York, Charles Rangel.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5160) to extend the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, to provide customs support services to Haiti, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to say a few words about the nature of this legislation. I want to start off by saluting the bipartisanship in this House. I want to salute the work of our staffs, working with USTR. I would like also--and I think others would join me--in saluting Presidents Clinton and Bush, who have devoted their energy and their time to the needs of the people of Haiti, expressing on behalf of all of us that there is a mutuality in terms of the response to the horrible, horrible events in the earthquake. I also want to salute industry and the labor movement. We have tried in these last months with our leadership to begin to craft a new trade policy--a trade policy that takes into account the needs of this country to try to make sure that trade is two-way; to try to make sure that it is mutually beneficial; and to be very sensitive to the impact of trade agreements on American industry and American workers. We very much took that into account as we designed this legislation--and it succeeded. It has that mutuality. That's why the two main textile organizations in this country who have a deep stake in the continued health of this industry in this country sent, as Mr. Camp indicated, a letter to him and to me in support of this legislation. I just want to read a few lines so it's clear, and I quote from this letter from AMTAC and NCTO: ``After lengthy negotiations with your staffs, we are pleased that we were able to reach an acceptable compromise on this legislation. While the bill provides Haiti with a path forward for long-term economic recovery in the wake of its devastating earthquake, it also takes into account various sensitivities from the perspective of the U.S. textile industry. For these reasons, we are encouraging our congressional members that represent the nearly 500,000 U.S. textile and apparel workers to approve this legislation in an expeditious manner under suspension of the rules in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate.'' I would also like to salute the workers and also the American labor movement. In the original legislation--and it's very much continued in this legislation--we have been very sensitive to the needs for Haiti to abide by the international rights of workers. In 2009, the ILO established a monitoring program required under the HOPE II legislation. It was certified by USTR. Under the program, the ILO has a country director and staff in Haiti committed to conducting unannounced factory level inspections as to whether factories are meeting core labor standards--these are international basic standards--issuing biannual public reports naming factories that are not in compliance, and helping the factories remedy any problems. The ILO has conducted its first round of factory inspections. It had already done so at the time of the January 12 earthquake and was set to issue its first report on April 21. However, the collapse of the U.N. headquarters in which the ILO was located and the subsequent evacuation of ILO personnel in Haiti disrupted the process. All ILO personnel are now back in Haiti and expect to produce the first public report regarding factory conditions shortly. So we have taken into account the needs here and tried to find ways to respond to the needs in Haiti--and I think we have succeeded. And so I close with this. I think all of us want to salute the people of Haiti. The earthquake was unprecedented. The damage was hard to imagine. The sacrifices being made by the people of Haiti under these circumstances are really hard to describe. This is an effort in a mutual way for us to respond. We did this carefully. We did it also with a sense of purpose. I urge all of us to unite to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who has been so actively involved in this legislation and related efforts.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I close, quoting a woman who spoke to my office today from Eastpointe, Michigan. She was laid off from a large accounting firm, and she says, ``I was there for 2\1/2\ years. The firm let me go because they had some clients who closed shop because of the economy the way it is. It was nothing I did. I received a raise every year I was there. I've been unemployed ever since. That was the end of May of last year, 2009. ``Without unemployment, we'd be in a lot of trouble. I'd probably lose my car.'' Mr. Speaker, holding unemployed Americans, hundreds of thousands of them, like this woman, hostage to score what some think may be political points I think is reprehensible.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of today, I call up the bill (H.R. 4851) to provide a temporary extension of certain programs, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 4851) to provide a temporary extension of certain programs, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and to consider in the House, without intervention of any point of order or question of consideration, a motion offered by the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means or his designee that the House concur in the Senate amendment; that the Senate amendment be considered as read; that the motion be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means; and that the previous question be considered as ordered on the motion to final adoption without intervening motion.