John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Thank you for yielding again. We have not had any discussion about benchmarks in the bill. We will wait to hear from the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Obey, and his members.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Thank you, my friend, for raising the question. I must tell you that we cannot make any type of commitment on that. We're working on it, and we will continue to work on it, and we hope to work with you and others in a bipartisan fashion before we act.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank my friend again for yielding. If you turn the pages of the past few days and the past few weeks, I think we have a record of bipartisanship. First, I am happy to remind my friend that we have passed a number of bills recently with bipartisan support, including the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act. The vote was 410-13. Today we passed credit card legislation, 357-70. And the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, which we expect on the floor next week, passed out of committee on a bipartisan vote of 49-21, with eight Republicans supporting it. So I say to my friend, I hope there are many more opportunities in the future to continue to build on our record of bipartisanship, and I look forward to working with you to find opportunities to do much more. We want to work with the President. We want to work with you to cut waste.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I think our leadership and the Chairs of committees are prepared and ready to work with your side and to work with the President in finding a way to cut waste. I must say to you, my friend, while $100 million may be only a small fraction of the overall Federal budget, I remind you that it is $100 million more than the previous administration cut in 8 years, with the help of the Republican-controlled Congress. In fact, with the Republicans, we went from a surplus of $5.6 trillion to a deficit of $4.5 trillion, a turnaround of almost $10 trillion. We are going to work with you. We are prepared to do what we can to work in a bipartisan fashion to cut waste and to save the taxpayers' dollars.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I must tell my friend, again, that we have not discussed that with the majority leader, with others in leadership. But right now it is our intention to pass a bill that includes the two wars.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I want to thank my friend for yielding. You know by now that we have had a very busy agenda during this break period, including the bills we have already completed: National Water Research and Development Initiative Act, credit card legislation, hate crimes legislation, the budget conference report; and next week, we expect to pass the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act and the Fight Fraud Act of 2009. I must tell you that in addition before the Memorial Day break, we will need to pass the supplemental appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan. The President sent his request on April 10 for more than $83 billion. We expect the House and Senate to act on the request before the Memorial Day recess.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. The Chair of the Appropriations Committee has informed us that he expects to mark up the bill next week, and we will make that information available at that time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. At this moment--things can change--but at this moment, we plan to have the two wars in the bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague for yielding. I must tell my friend, the gentleman from California, that on Monday, the House will meet at 12:30 p.m. for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business; on Tuesday, the House will meet at 10:30 a.m. for morning-hour debate and noon for legislative business. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for legislative business. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House. We will consider several bills under suspension of the rules. The complete list of suspension bills will be announced by close of business tomorrow. In addition, we will consider H.R. 1728, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, and the Fight Fraud Act of 2009.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. We all must work together in a timely fashion to save the jobs, create more jobs, and put all of our people back to work.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Looking down the road, we will be working on energy and climate change. We would like to see these bills on the floor in the near future.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I thank my friend for yielding. I am so glad and pleased that you are raising the issue of trade agreements. It is an issue that Democrats and Republicans have a history--and a long and rich and gloried history--of working together, and we will work together. I know that the Majority Leader, Mr. Hoyer, is very focused on the issue of trade, Panama FTA, and that he is working with the administration and with Members on your side of the aisle--including Mr. Kirk and your leadership--to get this trade agreement done in a timely manner. I promise you that. And I know if Mr. Hoyer was standing here, he would make the same promise.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. That is correct, my friend.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I cannot assure you, I cannot guarantee you that we will have it done by July 4. But I will assure you that we are going to work together, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and I am sure the Chair of our subcommittee, Mr. Levin, is going to work with the ranking member and others, and the full committee Chair and the full ranking member, to get it done as soon as possible, but hopefully in a timely fashion.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Clerk be authorized to make technical corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 627, to include corrections in spelling, punctuation, section numbering and cross-referencing, and the insertion of appropriate headings.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next for morning-hour debate.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chair, for too long now, credit card companies have toyed with the lives and financial health of the American people. For far too long, credit card companies have seemed to offer hard-working Americans a lifeline, but that lifeline is really an endless web of debt. Cardholders are surprised by huge hidden fees that are buried in the fine print. Credit card companies aggressively prey on our young college students who are not yet working. These companies rove college campuses and entice students with gifts, with the intent of collecting interest payments as the student ravels herself in debt. We are in the midst of a horrible recession. Millions of Americans are without work, trying to keep their homes, feed their families, and stay healthy, because a trip to the doctor could be the straw that breaks the camel's back. But credit card companies remain cold, chasing the almighty dollar. Many people have a hard enough time just paying monthly interest charges, yet these companies add on additional fees and increase interest rates by 10 and 20 percent--all without notice. The truth is they do not want consumers to pay off their balances. It is much more profitable to feast on the interest. We must put an end to this. We can no longer allow these unjust practices to continue. We cannot allow this industry to continue to profit on the hardship of Americans who use their services.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, while it is an honor to be able to participate today's debate, I must say that it gives me feelings of both joy and sorrow. Sorrow, because in the year 2009, I would hope that we should not have a need for such a bill. I find it most ironic that some of the very same voices in the community who speak out against this bill are the very same voices that question whether racism and prejudice no longer exist simply because a person of color has been elected President. Racism, prejudice, and hate did not disappear on November 4th, 2008. Nor did they disappear on January 20th, 2009. Yet it gives me joy that we are able to do something about it. I grew up in the Deep South and faced vile hatred up close, and it gives me joy to vote ``yes'' on the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Today we proclaim that our country will not stand for, and will not tolerate hate crimes. This bill is the right thing to do. It protects our citizens, our nation; our principles and our values. We are all Americans-- Black Americans, White Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native American, Christian Americans, Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, Gay Americans, Straight Americans--all Americans. We are one people and one nation, the American nation. This bill will bring us one step closer to the Beloved Community, a nation at peace with itself. A constituent came by my office just yesterday and spoke about her son who fought in Iraq. Her son completed two tours in Iraq. Her son has said that he was indeed concerned about his safety. But her son said that he was even more concerned about the safety of his father--a transgender woman, walking the streets of the United States of America every day. President Obama has talked repeatedly about renewing America's promise. Today, I urge my fellow Members to vote ``yes,'' and keep America's promise.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. John Hope Franklin. Dr. John Hope Franklin grew up in segregated Oklahoma. He was only 7 years old when his new family home was burned to the ground in the Tulsa race riots of 1921. As a child, he was evicted from white-only train cars. He was forced to attend segregated schools. And on one occasion he was threatened with lynching. John Hope Franklin tasted the bitter fruits of segregation and racial discrimination, and he didn't like it. But he did not give up, he did not give in, he did not give out. His parents taught him to hold his head high, that he was the equal of every human being. They told him to forget any thought of oppression and spend his time improving his own value and worth. So he followed his father's example and began spending every evening reading and writing, a habit he continued until he died just a few days ago. Dr. Franklin attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated at the top of his class. Then he earned a master's and a Ph.D. degree from Harvard College. He had planned to be a lawyer like his father. But one of his professors encouraged him to tell the story of African Americans, to tell their history. His first book, called ``From Slavery to Freedom,'' sold 3.5 million copies. He became a full professor at Brooklyn College, and he taught one of our colleagues in the Senate. He was appointed Chair of the history department at the University of Chicago, and many years later he became a professor at Duke University. I knew John Hope Franklin. He was a beautiful human being. He never gave up on the promise of America. Even though he dug deep into America's dark past, he never lost faith in the dream of a new day. He believed that if we were willing to take a hard look at where we have been, we could reconcile the future of all humanity. He believed in a nation and world community at peace with itself. And he did his part. John Hope Franklin was not only a great historian, but he was a champion of civil rights and social justice. He worked alongside Thurgood Marshall to help dismantle legalized segregation and racial discrimination. In him we have lost more than a brilliant scholar, more than a noble historian, more than a father of African American history. We have lost one of the great men of our time. There was a gentle power in his presence, an abiding respect in his name, a brilliance and humility in his spirit that changed us all. He is an inspiration to everyone who met him. John Hope Franklin was a prince of a man. By sharing the riches of his mind and the wealth of his knowledge, he helped not just to educate but to free a people and an entire Nation. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Family Smoking Prevention Act; and, Mr. Speaker, I want to take the time to thank Mr. Waxman for all of his great work in making it possible for us to have a vote on this bill. We all know that tobacco is a killer. We all know that it causes cancer and respiratory problems. We all know that smoking is addictive and that most people who are hooked began smoking as children. We cannot and we must not wait a moment longer to protect our children from this killer. We must break the cycle. This bill is the right approach. Children should not see cigarette advertisements from their school playground and at sporting events. Children should not be able to buy cigarettes in a vending machine. And children should not be the target of advertisements designed to get them hooked on smoking. We should know what it is in the cigarettes that people smoke. People try to fool us and say that certain things are not in the cigarette. With the passage of this bill, for the first time, the FDA will know the ingredients in a cigarette, and they will be able to reduce or eliminate harmful ingredients. Mr. Speaker, we cannot and must not allow another child to get hooked on cigarettes or on tobacco. We must pass this rule, and I support the rule and I strongly support the bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 169, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is a shame and a disgrace that the Dalai Lama will not be permitted to attend a peace conference in South Africa this week. How could a nation, once a symbol of the power of reconciliation, be so wrong today? How could the home of Albert Lituli and Nelson Mandela and other men and women of courage deny their brotherhood with one simple man of peace? Madam Speaker, I am afraid that this says something very troubling about the leadership of South Africa. It says that they are willing to sacrifice the cause of justice on the cross of trade and monetary gain with China. Today, I stand with former President F.W. de Klerk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others around the world who condemn this unnecessary act.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to give Members 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House bill 1512.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1512) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.