John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the Voting Rights Act made it possible for all of our citizens to become participants in the democratic process. Mr. Speaker, voting rights are under attack in America. There's a deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent millions of elderly voters, young voters, students, minority, and low-income voters from exercising their constitutional right to engage in the democratic process. Voter ID laws are becoming all too common. But make no mistake: Voter ID laws are a poll tax. People who struggle to pay for basic necessities cannot afford a voter ID. The right to vote is precious and almost sacred and one of the most important blessings of our democracy. Today we must be strong in protecting that blessing. We should be making it easy, simple, and convenient for people to vote. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, people stood in unmovable lines. Sometimes people were asked to count the number of bubbles in a bar of soap, the number of jelly beans in a jar. People were asked to pass a so-called literacy test. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, and college professors flunked the so-called literacy test. Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 46 years ago, many people were jailed, beaten, and some were even killed for trying to register and vote. We must not step backward toward another dark period in our history. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society. We must fight back. We must speak up and speak out. We must never, ever go back. We will not stand idly by while millions of Americans are denied their right to participate in the democratic process.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the American people are sick and tired of Washington petty games. People's lives, their homes, their retirement, their health care are hanging in the balance. The American people are good, strong, resilient people. They are willing to sacrifice to get our country back on track. But they will not be played as fools. Middle class Americans know they are not getting a fair shake. This bill protects tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, while the middle class pay more than their fair share and watch their retirement savings disappear. The American people know that there is a deliberate, systematic attempt to destroy Medicare, to damage Medicaid, and threaten Social Security. This is ducking, dodging, and destroying. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. The American people want one thing. They want jobs, good jobs, jobs that pay the bills, give people back their dignity, and get people back on track with the American Dream. Our Nation deserves nothing less. But this bill would destroy those hopes and those dreams. It will plunge our economy back into a deep recession. It will mean more lost jobs, more lost homes, and seniors living in poverty without health care and basic necessities. It will mean children going hungry, and it will keep smart young people from going off to college. This bill will sell the very soul of our Nation. We, as Americans, are better than this. We are more compassionate than this. We know better. It is easier to destroy than it is to build. Another generation of leaders did more with less; they built people up. We cannot turn back. Vote ``no'' on this bill. Let's go back to the table and work on a compromise that prevents default, preserves our moral obligation to our seniors, and puts America back on the road to greatness.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Chair, I wish to speak.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I made my point, and I don't have another point to make.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Chair, let me begin by thanking the ranking member, Mr. Dicks, and his staff for all of their hard work on this legislation. As always, they offer great assistance and guidance for all Members and staff, regardless of our differences on policy. Thank you all for all that you do. Madam Chair, my amendment is very simple: It requires that the Department of Defense put on its Web site the costs of war to each American taxpayer. It is time for Americans to have a receipt for these 10 years of war. What has it cost us? How much cold, hard cash has been spent? I have stood here time and time again and listened to debates about how we don't have any money. There is no money for the elderly, no money for the sick, no money for the poor, no money for women, no money for children, no money for people who lost their jobs by no fault of their own. It just costs too much. No money for you, or you, or you. But when it comes to war, war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Libya, there seems to be a bottomless pit of resources. And it is not fair; it is not right. We nickel and dime the people who need it most. But when it comes to war, there is a big fat blank check. We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to be honest with each other. Across the country, there are Americans, hardworking, taxpaying citizens who oppose war. They oppose their hard-earned dollars being sent overseas to support 10 long years of war. But let me be clear, Madam Chair, they do not oppose paying their taxes. They are not anarchists or anti-government activists. But as conscientious objectors to war, these Americans want their taxes invested here at home. They want to help provide food for the hungry, safe roads, and strong schools. They want Medicare and Social Security to exist for their parents, their children, and their grandchildren. They want their tax dollars to care for soldiers and their families when they return home. They want to see an end and a cure to cancer. They want a cure for AIDS. They want to see small businesses thrive and innovation become the engine of our economy. They want high-speed rail that rivals Europe and Asia. They want transit systems that are safe and get people where they need to go. They want government to work for them. Even if you do not oppose war, don't you want to know what it costs you and your family? It's time, Madam Chair, it's time for the Department of Defense to be honest with the American people. This is not some wild, crazy, farfetched idea. It is simple, commonsense transparency and good government. This amendment takes a tiny, small step in the right direction. Madam Chair, it is my hope and prayer that all of my colleagues will support this straightforward amendment. With that, Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the American people have grown weary of war. War destroys the dreams, the hopes, the aspirations, and the longings of a people. A wise man once said, ``Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, hopes of its children.'' These are not the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These are not the words of Gandhi. These are the words of a five-star General, President Dwight Eisenhower. We have spent billions of dollars. Thousands of our sons and daughters have been left dead on the battlefield and scarred by the brutality of war. I'm glad that the President is bringing 10,000 soldiers home from Afghanistan, but we must do more to end this war and start investing in our future. We cannot continue to fund this war while we tell our seniors there is no money for Medicare. We cannot fund war and tell our children and young mothers that we won't pay for food stamps. We cannot pay for war while our bridges and our roads are crumbling. We cannot afford to make bombs and guns. We must use our resources to solve the problems of humankind, to build and not to tear down, to reconcile and not to divide, to love and not to hate, to heal and not to kill. If we want to create a beloved community, create a beloved world, a world that is at peace with itself, if that is our goal, our way must be love, peace, and nonviolence, skilled diplomacy not military might. We must lay down the tools and instruments of war and violence. Stop paying for war. Believe in the power of peace and end this war.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I really want to thank Ms. DeLauro and Mr. Farr for their wonderful, unbelievable work. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the underlying bill. Mr. Chairman, nutrition programs did not run our economy into the ditch. Nutrition programs did not drive us into debt or stop the banks from extending credit. But my colleagues want to cut programs to feed millions of women, infants, and children. Who is next? I ask you, Who is next? The Republicans went after the seniors' Medicare. Now they are going after the babies. Who is next? Mr. Chairman, the WIC program is a necessity. It is a lifeline. It is our obligation. This is not the way America treats our seniors. This is not the way America treats our mothers. This is not the way America treats our children. This is not the America we want to live in. If we repeal the tax breaks for the wealthy for just 1 week, we could pay for this entire program. Make no mistake, this bill will reduce the number of people served by nutrition programs. Right now, over 50 percent of the children born in our country rely on this program every single day, every week. They serve almost 10 million people each year. My beloved brothers and sisters across the aisle know that, but they should also know that this bill will mean empty shelves at food banks and smaller portions at dinnertime--and not a dent in the deficit. Make no mistake, make no mistake, this bill will hurt people. It will reduce the number of people who receive assistance. The poor, the sick, the mothers, these little babies. They didn't overspend our credit card. They didn't do it. They didn't overspend our credit card. Why are we doing this? Why are we punishing? Why are we cutting the WIC program? It is a lifeline. No one in this country should have to go hungry. It is not right. It is not fair. It is not the just thing to do. It's not the good thing to do. The Atlanta Community Food Bank in my own district, in the heart of downtown Atlanta, is distributing 35 percent more food than last year. Their funding would be cut as well. Countless people are already on the waiting list. One such man in my own district, Johnny Battle, this man worked all of his life, and he worked very hard. Mr. Battle is 71, and his wife is 76. He can't look for work because his wife has fallen ill. He is her caregiver. I say we should be their caregiver. We should look after those who are suffering through no fault of their own. They receive emergency food assistance from Antioch Baptist Church when they can and receive only $16 a month in food stamps. Assistance from the food bank would make a huge difference in their lives. Sixty thousand people depend on Atlanta Community Food Bank to make it through the month. We cannot allow more people to be pushed onto the waiting list like Mr. Battle and his wife. Mr. Chairman, and my colleagues, our country is hurting. Our people are hungry. They need our help. This is not how America treats her children. This is not how America treats her seniors. This is not how America treats her little babies, the mothers. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and commemorate Marine Private First Class Ted Dennis Britt, who gave his life at Khe Sanh, on March 30th, 1968. Ted grew up in my district; in Decatur, Georgia. He was born into a military family--His father was a Navy veteran of two wars, and his brother served in Afghanistan as a Brigadier General in the Georgia Army National Guard. Ted grew up playing baseball and joined the Marine Corps not long after graduating from Southwest Dekalb High School in 1967. It's hard to believe that he was already engaged to be married when he enlisted at only 18 years of age. Mr. Speaker, in 1968, PFC Ted D. Britt, was one of many Marines serving in harm's way. Far from home, his family, and from everything he knew, Ted served gallantly and gave everything. Our country can never repay our debt to him or his family, but I wish to join with his friends and family in spirit, as they honor and remember him this week. Mr. Speaker, as you would imagine, our military has already posthumously awarded PFC Britt the appropriate medals and ribbons for his bravery under fire. But I wish to add my voice to their chorus. I wish to help ensure that Ted's sacrifice is not lost to history--but remembered, honored and understood. I never knew Ted Britt, but his selflessness is what I will never forget. To this young man's family, and to those who called him friend, I offer my thoughts and prayers. May God bless them and keep them in their moment of remembrance.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I thank my colleague and friend for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this amendment, and I urge every single one of my colleagues to vote ``no.'' Every single one of the last five Presidents--including President Reagan and Bush--understood the importance of the United States Institute of peace. USIP is not a think tank. They don't sit in the clouds shouting recommendations. They jump into the conflicts and work side-by-side with DOD and with the Department of State in Afghanistan and Iraq. Listen to the generals and the commanders who are telling us that USIP saves the life of our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. USIP saves American taxpayers dollars around the world. This is not a partisan issue. It is not hawk versus dove. This is basic, common sense--prevent and stop conflict, promote dialogue, build bridges, and save lives. I ask all of my colleagues to vote ``no.'' It moves us away from peace, this amendment. Give peace a chance. Give peace a chance.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I thank my colleague from Arizona for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I have never been one to stand silent in the face of injustice. Today, I see before us one of the greatest betrayals in American history--the betrayal of our seniors and the disabled who rely on Medicare for their health care. We have made a social compact with our seniors, and the Republican budget breaks that compact. It is a disgrace and a shame. Where is our sense of fairness? Where is our outrage? We can and we must do better. Republicans head down a very dangerous path. We cannot, we must not, and we will not balance our budget on the backs of people who can least afford it. Our seniors, the disabled, the poor, the hungry--they have done nothing wrong. They do not deserve to bear the burden of these budget cuts. Support and vote for the people's budget. It is the right budget, it is fair, and it is just.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the longest running war in our Nation's history. I want to thank my friend and colleague from Ohio for introducing this resolution. War is not the answer. It is not the way to peace. We must root out the causes of hate and violence. Gandhi once said: ``Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment, and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from the fear of punishment.'' Our path to peace in Afghanistan is not through war; it is not through violence. Enough is enough. The time is long overdue. We are spending billions of dollars a week. Not another nickel, not another dime, not another dollar, not another hour, not another day, not another week. We must end this war and end it now. I urge all of my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Chair, I rise today for each and every person who owns a home. I rise today for every American who has struggled to pay their mortgage each month. I rise for every person who has watched their home, their piece of the American Dream, slip away because they lost their job through no fault of their own or because they got cancer and are no longer able to work and pay their medical bills. I rise to condemn what these bills are trying to do today. Make no mistake; repealing these programs will close the door on the American Dream for more and more Americans. Madam Chair, when I was a young boy, my family did not own a home. My father was a sharecropper. My mother and father had to ``go without'' for years. They saved and they saved. They prayed. They waited. My father could never get a mortgage. Mortgages were not available where we lived. They were not available for families like mine. It's just the way it was. In 1944, my parents bought a house with three rooms and 110 acres outside of a small town called Troy in rural Alabama. It cost us $300. I couldn't imagine that much money changing hands at once. I look around this Chamber, and I see some suits in this room that cost much more than what my father paid. Up until the time she died, my mother spoke about the day we moved in. How proud she was. It was a huge achievement for us. It changed everything. That house, that land, it was ours. Ours. Looking back, I can't imagine what it would have been like to have lost it all for reasons beyond my father's control--the harvest or the weather or because it would fix someone else's bottom line. Madam Chair, I know that buying a house is the biggest decision most people will ever make, and it is the greatest source of pride. For most people, their dream is their house. It was for me. When I bought my house, I thought of my mother and my father. His house made it possible for me to buy mine. This American Dream is built from hard work. But that dream is also made of bricks and mortar. It's a house, Madam Chair. It is a home. And this Chamber is shutting the door on that house. They're locking the door on the American Dream. These two bills today would end two new programs that are helping struggling homeowners who have lost their job through no fault of their own. To me, it is unthinkable. Madam Chair, I strongly oppose H.R. 836 and H.R. 830. We must stand up for the American homeowner. We must stand in their corner. We must not walk away from them in their time of need. I urge all of my colleagues to stand with me and defeat these bills. Don't lock the door on the American Dream.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act. Four years ago, a horrific accident occurred in my congressional district when a bus carrying the Bluffton University men's baseball team crashed on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Georgia, en route to a tournament in Florida. Twenty-nine people were injured on that terrible day, but seven others--Zachary Arend, David Betts, Scott Harmon, Cody Holp, Tyler Williams and Jean and Jerome Niemeyer died that terrible day. They were all treated at various hospitals--Atlanta Medical Center, Piedmont Hospital, and Grady Memorial Hospital. The entire nation was shocked by the tragedy, and I was floored when my office received a phone call from one of the surgeons who treated the victims. Dr. Jeffrey Salomone, an Associate Professor of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, and Deputy Chief of Surgery at Grady Hospital was outraged. He felt that the injuries would have been less severe, and that more lives may have been saved had the victims not been ejected from the motorcoach bus. It was an accident that had been seen time and time again in emergency rooms across the country, and Dr. Salomone couldn't understand why the government had not acted. Well last year, Congress almost did. The sponsors of the Senate- companion to this legislation--Sens. Sherrod Brown and Kay Bailey Hutchison--worked tirelessly to move the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act through the Committee process and onto the Floor. In the House, the Chairmen of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee expressed interest and empathy on this issue. Secretary LaHood coordinated discussion groups and drafted a preliminary proposal to address motorcoach safety. Simply said, Mr. Speaker, Congress needs to act. This bill addresses the most common-sense of issues and has always enjoyed bipartisan support. The U.S. used to be a leader on safety and standards issues, but now we're falling behind. The proposals laid out in this legislation bring our nation's motorcoach industry into the 21st century. I hope that all my colleagues will cosponsor this important bill, and that the victims and their families will celebrate its signage into law this year.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, it is unbelievable that with so many people out of work and millions of people uninsured that the first item of this new Congress is to take health care away from people who just got coverage. More people have insurance today because of the Affordable Care Act; more small businesses are offering health insurance to their workers. For the first time in the history of our Nation, we are headed in the right direction. We are making health care a right and not a privilege. The repeal will force seniors to pay for more drugs. It would kick young people off of their parents' insurance. We will go back to a time when insurance companies were allowed to discriminate. And once again it will allow insurance companies to put profits above patients' health. We must not turn back. We have come too far. We cannot go back. The American people are counting on us to do what is right, what is just, what is fair. We made a promise of health care to the American people. We must keep that promise. Vote ``no.'' Keep the promise of health care for all of our citizens.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Congressman Brady and the Democratic leadership, and especially our new Speaker and his staff for their help with this bill and their support for holding this historic event in the rotunda. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. Con. Res. 2, authorizing the use of the rotunda for a ceremony to honor the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. President Kennedy came to us during difficult times. In 1961, America was a very different place. In the South, Jim Crow and racial segregation were a part of everyday life--a part of my life. Around the world, the possibility of nuclear war and the spread of communism were clouds that hung over every country. Tensions were rising. The danger was real. The world, once again, looked to us. For me, and for millions of Americans, the young man from Massachusetts looked like the future. As a young activist, I know that I challenged him to ensure that the future included civil rights. But on inauguration day, just outside this very building, he challenged me. He called me to serve in a new way. He reminded me that the principles upon which this country was founded must live within each of us; inspire and guide each of us; and be sacred to each of us. President Kennedy came to us during difficult times. And he was taken from us during difficult times. He never saw the success in civil rights, the fall of the Berlin Wall or men on the moon. But on his first day--his very first day--he gave to us a new hymn. One that seemed to express what we had been struggling to put into words. His inaugural address gave us a hymn of hope, a hymn of optimism, a hymn of service. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this resolution, and I think it is appropriate and fitting that Congress honor this important anniversary in the rotunda of the United States Capitol.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, today I rise with a heavy heart at this moment of great sadness in our nation's history. The violence we witnessed last weekend in Arizona still seems so unreal, so shocking, so unbelievable. Only a few days ago, Representative Gabrielle Giffords stood in the well of the House reading the First Amendment, and today she is fighting to regain her ability to speak. I keep hoping that in the midst of this great tragedy, we will say enough is enough. I keep hoping we will finally find it necessary to teach the way to love, the way of peace and non-violence, not only to our children, but that we will embrace it among ourselves as adults and as national leaders. We pray a special prayer today for all of the people of Arizona, but especially Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly. Representative Giffords is one of the most hopeful, optimistic people you would ever want to meet. She is wonderful. She is smart, and she is beautiful. I hope that one day soon she will rejoin us in this chamber. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of all those who were hurt, those who are still struggling to be made whole, and with the families of all those who were slain. May God bless them all in these difficult hours.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Amendment 13, section 1: ``Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.'' Section 2: ``Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I have just two words for you, my colleagues: Vote ``yes.'' Vote ``yes'' to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Vote ``yes'' for equality. Vote ``yes'' because discrimination is wrong. Vote ``yes'' because you believe in the beloved community. Vote ``yes'' because every American deserves the right to serve their country. Vote ``yes'' because the survey results are in, and the military leaders say the troops are ready. Vote ``yes'' because, on the battlefield, it does not matter who you love only the flag that you serve. Whatever your reason, I urge you, each of you, each of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' today, to stand up and vote ``yes.'' Vote ``yes'' because it is the right thing to do.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the DREAM Act, this is a bill that we should have passed a long time ago. The American dream--isn't that why we are all here, why we work, toil, and sacrifice for these United States of America? These young people, uprooted from their homes and brought to this country as children, some of them so young this is the only home they have ever known. They have obeyed our laws, became excellent students, sacrificed blood and tears for our country, just as any good American would do. Mr. Speaker, the time is always right to do what is right. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and pass it now.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, long before a man finds a political party, he finds his principles. This debate about the ``Bush Tax Cuts'' is an opportunity to show the American people our principles--to show them that we stand for and believe in a strong middle class; to show them we believe in fiscal responsibility. Forty-seven years ago, on the steps of The Lincoln Memorial, I criticized both the Republican and the Democratic party for doing too little for the working man and the disenfranchised. And now, as I stand here on the floor of the House of Representatives, I hope this is criticism I will not have to repeat today. To my colleagues who fret or seek the cover of Republican votes I say, ``be not afraid.'' Be not afraid as history will judge us right. Be not afraid as the numbers are on our side. Be not afraid as an elected official is judged not by the number of years he has served, but by the cause he has served. Stand up and show America the cause you serve. Stand up and show America your principles. If you value and believe in the strength of America's working families, then vote ``yes.'' If you truly believe in fiscal responsibility, then vote ``yes.'' But if partisanship and political games come first, then vote no and allow America to see you for who you are.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the chairman, Mr. Conyers, for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I want to thank Mr. Poe for his support for this resolution. The two gentlemen are right. Fifty years ago today, a brave African American, a 6-year-old girl, young Ruby Bridges, walked bravely to the doors of the previously all- white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was not your typical first day of school. This little girl walked to her new school with her mother and armed Federal agents. She was not met with the smiles of schoolyard friends. She was met with screaming, angry mobs of people who did not want her to be there. In protest, parents withdrew every other student from her class. The only remaining teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry, attended school each and every day to teach young Ruby. Ruby Bridges was born the year that the United States Supreme Court handed down the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision. They struck down the doctrine of ``separate but equal'' schools. Yet, 6 years after that historic decision, Louisiana and much of the South had yet to make Brown's promise of equality a reality. It took courage, nothing but the raw courage of a little girl, to integrate the schools in Louisiana. In the face of verbal abuse, threats, and unveiled hatred, Ruby Bridges learned to drown out the shouts with her prayers. Little did she know on that first day of school 50 years ago that her image, immortalized in the painting of Norman Rockwell, would symbolize the end of segregation in schools. Her story is the story of our Nation. She paved the way for integrated public schools all across the United States. Today, Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to pause and recognize the 50th anniversary of Ruby Bridges' courageous walk to school. I encourage all of my colleagues and all Americans to reflect on the historic Brown decision and importance of desegregating of schools. I ask all of my colleagues to support this resolution and recommit ourselves to equality in education for all Americans.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank my chairman, Chairman Levin, for yielding. Madam Speaker, this week on the news we heard economists declare that the recession ended sometime last year. But while Wall Street may celebrate, in Atlanta and many other cities there is a different story. Small businesses from Peachtree to Cascade and from Moreland Avenue to Clairmont Road continue to struggle. People are still suffering. With this bill, we give them the support they badly need. Enough with politics and enough with the posturing. Small businesses need access to capital, and they need it now. They need it right now. They need tax relief, and they need it now. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and pass this bill. It is the right thing to do, and we must do it and do it now.