Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from California, our ranking member, for yielding and for your leadership. I also want to thank Chairman Smith. I want to thank Mr. Payne for your leadership and for helping to get this bill this far. This is a good step in a direction that I hope will ultimately stop the slaughter, stop the genocide, protect the people of Darfur and allow the people of Darfur to go home. Over 2 million people have been displaced. We hear upwards of 450,000 people have been killed. This is a horrific genocide. We need the world community to say no, and we need to make sure that the young people who have been working and organizing throughout the country and raising their voices saying ``not on our watch'' that this is not on our watch and that we on our watch allow for the genocide to end. You do remember very clearly that over a million people were killed in Rwanda. And what we did, unfortunately, was sit back and say later that we were sorry. This should not ever happen again. Not on our watch will it happen again. So I think even with the difficulties we have had with the language remaining with regard to not preempting States in their divestment movements, this is, again, a good first start. I just want Members in this body to know, especially, that we are coming back on divestment, because it makes no sense to allow companies with holdings in the Sudan to continue to do this type of business. Pension funds should not have blood in their banks, and that is exactly what has happened. The people in the United States of America do not want genocide to take place with their money. That is what is taking place. And so we need to allow the wishes and the desires of people throughout the country, including in New Jersey, and today California signed its divestment legislation, Illinois, there are many States that are moving forward. So we are going to come back with our divestment legislation so that this Federal law will not preempt it. So thank you again, Mr. Lantos and Mr. Smith. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Chris Smith and Ranking Member Don Payne for their hard work on H.R. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act but have concerns on versions emerging from the other body. We all agree that the systematic displacement, torture and slaughter of millions in Darfur must be stopped. However, the legislation before us today is not the same bipartisan bill that received almost unanimous support in the House of Representatives in April of this year--and then awaited consideration in the other body for nearly 6 months. Mr. Speaker, the original H.R. 3127 legislation that the House approved contained all the steps necessary to bring about peace and justice for the victims in Darfur and criminal penalties and financial sanctions against those who perpetrated the genocide. H.R. 3127 still contains many strong provisions including: immediately mobilizing support to expand the African Union mission, blocking assets and restricting travel of any individual the President determines is responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity in the Darfur region; and offering U.S. support for the International Criminal Court's efforts to prosecute those responsible for acts of genocide in Darfur. However, Mr. Speaker, this bill falls short on the issue of divestment. The bill that came out of the House International Relations Committee and passed by the House included an amendment I authored on divestment. In particular, the language that was included in the House-passed bill provides pre-emptive protections for states and universities who are mounting divestment campaigns throughout our Nation. States and localities, and colleges and universities across the Nation have passed legislation mandating divestment of State funds from companies that conduct business in Sudan. Mr. Speaker, divestment works. The lessons from South Africa taught us that divestment is an effective tool--and clearly it's time we hit Khartoum where they'll feel it most, in their pocket books. We should not provide cover to businesses whose profits maintain Khartoum's systematic torture, rape, murder and displacement of millions. And moreover, I am profoundly disappointed at my colleagues in the other body. By removing this key provision, they are sending a message to states and universities nation-wide that stopping divestment is ultimately more import than stopping the genocide. Without the Lee Section 11 Divestment language a message is also going out to Khartoum and the companies that have been sheltered by the removal of this language--the message is ``With a wink and an eye your profits are more important than the Darfur people. I will support this bill. But, Mr. Speaker, I will also continue to fight to ensure preemption protections for states and communities and other bodies pursuing divestment strategies. That is why I introduced H.R. 6140, a bill that bars Federal contracts with firms doing business with Sudan but also protects states' ability to divest their pension funds from such companies. Mr. Speaker we have a moral responsibility to use every tool at our disposal to stop the genocide. And divestment is a powerful tool and should have been part of the legislation we are considering today.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2006. As a Member of Congress who traveled to Darfur and visited the refugees in camps along the Chadian border, I am confident that now is the time for a two-pronged approach of diplomacy and divestment to end the genocide in Darfur. As many of you know, divestment was a successful tool in ending the apartheid in South Africa. Similarly, we must make sure that the federal government prohibits contracts to multinational businesses enterprises if they maintain business relationships and investments with Sudan and other national, regional, and local governments involved in genocide or participating in business activities with any warring parties or rebel groups perpetrating genocide. Today, state legislatures, colleges, and universities are leading divestment campaigns to pressure the Khartoum regime and show the international community that to achieve an end to the fighting, peace, truth, and reconciliation are needed immediately in Darfur. The hard earned money of American citizens should not be used to support a pariah government that is killing its own people and supporting terrorists. State legislatures in Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Maine have passed legislation mandating divestment of State funds from companies that conduct business in Sudan. California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Iowa, and Texas have considered or are considering legislation to divest State funds from companies that conduct business in Sudan. Connecticut, Ohio, and Vermont have passed nonbinding divestment legislation with respect to Sudan; and Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, and Pennsylvania have adopted screening processes for investments in companies that conduct business in countries that are sponsors of terrorism, including Sudan. Additionally, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) has launched successful student campaigns across the country, driving their respective colleges and universities to divest from companies doing business with Sudan. Amherst, Boston University, Brandeis, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Middlebury, Oberlin, Princeton, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Samford, Simmons, Smith, Stanford, Trinity, the University of California, the University of Maryland, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Vermont, the University of Washington, Williams, and Yale have all divested their funds from, or placed restrictions on investment of their funds in, certain companies that conduct business in Sudan. The Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act aplauds the divestment efforts of the state and local government, colleges, and universities. Mr. Speaker, my bill would also require the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Corporate Finance and the U.S. Treasury to require all companies listing securities on United States capital markets, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary company, including partly-owned subsidiaries, have business operations in a country with a genocide declared by the Department of State or Congress, to disclose the nature of their business operations. The Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2006 would require: (1) The Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Corporate Finance and the U.S. Treasury to require all companies listing securities on United States capital markets, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary company, including partly-owned subsidiaries, have business operations in a country with a genocide declared by the Department of State or Congress, to disclose the nature of their business operations. (2) The United States Government (federal) to prohibit contracts with multinational business enterprises if: (a) They maintain business relationships and investments with national, regional and local governments involved in genocide; and (b) They participate in business activities with the government or government entities. (c) Exemptions for businesses who are working in areas of Sudan that have been neglected by the Khartoum regime (Darfur, Southern Sudan, Kordofan/Nuba Mountain State, Blue Nile State or Abyei) or who are providing immediate humanitarian assistance (delivery of food aid, road construction, basic sanitation, education, etc.). (3) Recognition and support of: (a) States and Cities that have divested or are in the process of divesting State and City funds from companies that conduct business in Sudan; and (b) United States colleges and universities that have divested their funds from, or placed restrictions on investments of their funds in, companies that conduct business in Sudan. (c) Provides preemption protection for states and universities who have sponsored their own divestment campaigns. (4) Within 180 days, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the existence and extent of all Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board investments with national, regional and local governments involved in genocide; or business activities with any warring parties perpetrating genocide; or related to debt-obligations issued by the government of Sudan; (5) The following reports not later than 60 days after enactment: (a) The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission shall report to Congress the names of the business enterprises and the details of their business operations in Sudan; (b) And biannually thereafter, the Office of Global Security Risk shall report to Congress the names of the business enterprises and the details of their operations in Sudan; (6) The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to maintain and publish a list of the names of the business enterprises identified by the Securities and Exchange Commission as having ties with perpetrators of genocide. Please join me in sending a message to the international community and out national pension funds that we do not want blood on our hands. Mr. Speaker, I encourage you to lend your support to the Darfur Accountability and Divestment (DADA) Act of 2006.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to all three of these bills. We should be passing real immigration reform today not these mean- spirited, divisive bills. Real immigration reform should include a clear path to citizenship not targeting people who don't fit the Republican majority's conception of what a citizen should look like. Under the provisions of H.R. 6094, they want to be able to single out two or three minorities walking down the street, call them a gang, and have an easy route to deport them by classifying them as a ``criminal street gang.'' Not only is that an infringement on the constitutional guarantee to right of a assembly, it's indicative of the xenophobic sentiment shrouding the Republican's version of immigration reform. Real immigration reform should take meaningful steps at securing our borders like investing in infrastructure at our ports and airports. We shouldn't be deputizing local law enforcement as border police. Real immigration reform should recognize the intrinsic value that diversity through immigration has brought to our Nation and not seek to divide us as these three bills do. Unfortunately, this debate is no longer about border security, jobs, or the economy--it has become about spewing hateful, rhetoric. These bills will contribute to the incitement of attacks against the immigrant community, such as the recent arson on a Mexican restaurant in California, or the attack on the young Latino student in Texas earlier this year. Mr. Speaker, these bills are nothing but a cynical attempt 7 weeks before an election to score political points. That's not only irresponsible it's reprehensible. I urge my colleagues to reject these hateful bills.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, more than $600 million of Federal contracts has gone to companies whose business in Sudan may directly or indirectly support the Sudanese Government's campaign of genocide in Darfur. No one should have to worry that their tax dollars are supporting genocide, and that is why I am introducing the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act of 2006. This bill is designed to wash the blood off of our Federal contracts and increase the financial pressure on Khartoum to end the genocide in Darfur. It also protects the rights of States to divest their own public pension funds from companies doing business in Sudan, because some in the other body insist on stripping that language out of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. Divestment played a critical role in ending apartheid in South Africa, and it is unconscionable that anyone in Congress would try to prevent people from washing the blood from their pensions and doing their part to end this genocide. We have a moral responsibility to use every tool at our disposal to end this genocide. I call on my colleagues to cosponsor my bill and support the growing national divestment movement.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Payne for his leadership, and for being that lone voice many, many years ago, calling to our attention the atrocities, the genocide, that has been taking place in Darfur. We have debated this genocide for nearly 2 years now. It is time for action. As we speak, the violence in Darfur escalates while the hands of the United Nations, quite frankly, are tied by Sudanese President al-Bashir. Mr. Speaker, this is the moment of truth. The world is watching. Just yesterday, the President announced at the United Nations General Assembly that Andrew Natsios will serve as the President's Special Envoy for Sudan. A special envoy is long overdue. The situation in Darfur has deteriorated rapidly over the last few months. Rapes have increased. There were about 500 rapes over the summer in one camp alone. Twelve humanitarian workers have been killed, including two in the last 4 weeks. Mr. Speaker, 26,000 Sudan armed forces are headed to Darfur for major offensive. There has been renewed aerial bombardment. Twelve years ago, the world stood by when almost 1 million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. And for the most part the only thing our government did was say ``I'm sorry,'' and that was after the fact. Now we have said, ``Not on our watch. We will not have another Rwanda,'' so our credibility, quite frankly, is on the line. We cannot let Darfur become another Rwanda. Already too many people, we are hearing upwards of 400,000 to 450,000 people have died. Too many women have been raped, too many villages have been burned, and too many people have been displaced. I witnessed this ongoing tragedy on two occasions. The first time was in January of 2005 in a bipartisan delegation under the leadership of Chairman Ed Royce. We visited the refugee camps in Chad and went into Darfur with two great humanitarian leaders, Don Cheadle, the brilliant Academy Award nominee, star of ``Hotel Rwanda,'' and also Paul Rusase- bi-gee-na whose courage in Rwanda saved many, many lives. During that visit we saw children and we talked to the children who were traumatized. Everyone was traumatized. You could see it in their eyes. They were dazed. The children painted pictures when we said what happened. They painted pictures of airplanes and helicopters with bombs dropping on the villages. Then at the bottom of picture, what was there but men on horseback with guns and with machetes burning down the villages and killing the people. This is what children saw and what they were communicating with us and begging and pleading us to stop. Most recently, under the great leadership of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, she led a bipartisan delegation, we once again visited refugee camps in another region of Darfur and saw the same suffering. This was a year and a half later, and it was escalating and getting worse. We talked to people and saw once again, genocide is taking place right during our watch. We have to be more about action and not just about talk. We have to use every tool available to end this genocide. That is why we are doing everything we can do. We are frustrated by the slow action of this Congress and especially the Senate. The House passed the bipartisan Darfur Peace and Accountability Act in April. Who knows how many lives would have been saved had that bill been moved out of the Senate quickly? Yes, I believe we have to hit Khartoum where it hurts, and that is in their pocketbook, and allow States to divest of their pension funds in companies with blood on their hands, companies that have invested and are doing business in the Sudan. You may remember that divestment was a successful tool in ending the apartheid regime of South Africa. Today, young people, State legislatures, colleges, universities, States, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Maine, have all passed legislation mandating divestment of State funds from companies that conduct business in the Sudan. The divestment legislation in California awaits signature of our Governor. States like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Georgia, Maryland, New York, Iowa and Texas, all of these States have legislation, they are drafting it or it is in place, to divest of State funds from companies that conduct business in the Sudan. It is a shame that we can't get this provision in the bill or keep it in the bill as it moves out of the Senate. Additionally, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) are driving their respective colleges and universities to divest from companies doing business in the Sudan. And yes, we have introduced the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act which applauds the divestment efforts and provides preemption language to protect their divestment activities. And we also believe in this bill that we are going to go a little bit further and say the United States Government prohibits contracts with any multinational company doing business in the Sudan if the nature of the business relationship is with the national, regional, and local Government of Sudan, and many other aspects of really calling out those companies who continue to hide behind the shield of their business operations and investment operations, but really what they are doing is contributing to the Sudanese Government in their efforts to wipe out a whole group of people. We are not without options to stop this genocide and the suffering in Darfur. If we have the political will, we can end the suffering. It is a desperate situation. It is a humanitarian catastrophe. We must insist upon a real political settlement, a peace agreement that goes far beyond the May 6 agreement. We have to ensure that Darfurians return to their villages quickly and reclaim their lives. We have to bring the perpetrators of this State-sponsored genocide, and that is what it is, State-sponsored genocide; we have to bring them to justice. I thank Mr. Payne for his leadership.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of order.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in the preservation of democracy and also in the promotion of justice. Talk about a cynical and discriminatory election-year ploy. This is unbelievable. This bill, as well as this closed rule, should be defeated. As the country with one of the lowest percentages of voter participation in the world, we should be doing everything we can to remove the barriers to voting. For example, we should have been debating legislation to fix the real problems with the 2002 and 2004 elections: long voting lines, voter intimidation, faulty machines, poor training for poll workers, discriminatory voter registration laws; or making, for example, election day a Federal holiday so everyone can exercise their right to vote. But, instead, we are debating a bill that effectively suppresses voter turnout by imposing this new, unconstitutional poll tax on all Americans. Have we already forgotten why we just reauthorized the Voting Rights Act a few months ago? Now the Republican leadership is already working overtime to try and undermine it. Yes, we must eliminate voter fraud, but that is certainly not what this bill does. There are real solutions that will enforce our constitutionally guaranteed right to vote, that will ensure that every vote is cast and counted. That is what we should be voting on. As we supposedly promote democracy throughout the world, we are quickly, and I mean quickly, eroding it right here at home, and this bill is an example of another step in that direction. Let us practice what we preach. Let us defeat this rule and this sham bill and do some things in this body this session to make sure that every individual who has the right to vote is allowed that right and that voting becomes freer and fairer in our country.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Let me just thank you again for your calling this special hour and for allowing all of us to participate, and also for reminding us that as we promote democracy abroad, especially in Iraq, we are shutting it down here in America.

Ms. LEE. Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and also for your leadership and for that very powerful statement. And I want to thank you for reminding the country that this is one-party rule, and that there are no checks and balances, and that, unfortunately, there is no accountability. I appreciate the opportunity to participate with you tonight, and again thank you very much for calling this special order and for Iraq Watch. This week has been the fifth anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and we should be commemorating the lives of those who died. We should be coming together as a Nation to grieve and to remember the men, women, and children who lost their lives that day. We should be honoring the courage and the heroism of our first responders and those who put themselves in harm's way to help others. But, instead, as we have seen, Republicans are politicizing this solemn anniversary by shamelessly attempting to hide the administration's failure to make our Nation safer, and, quite frankly, failing to hold accountable those who perpetrated the attacks, and that is Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden is still at large. He is alive and well. The Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan. Why? Because the Bush administration pulled troops out of Afghanistan to send them to Iraq. But Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The President, as you said earlier, has admitted this. Now, the members of the Out of Iraq Caucus have been saying that even before we went into this illegal, immoral, and unnecessary war. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and we knew this. During the debate on the authorization to use force, if you remember, I offered an amendment that merely said let the United Nations complete its inspections process. Now, had that amendment passed, lives would have been saved, Iraq would not be what it is today, and that is a terrorist training ground, and America would not have lost its standing in the world. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Woolsey, Congressman Hinchey, and many others participated in the Downing Street memo hearings, where it was revealed and exposed and demonstrated factually that the administration concocted the intelligence and used what they had to cherrypick and fix the facts as they saw it to justify this war and invasion. Hundreds of thousands of people around our country signed petitions. We delivered those petitions to the White House saying this war should end; that there were no weapons of mass destruction; that this was wrong and that we should get out. And last Friday, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report refuted one of the administration's key justifications for going to war in Iraq; the claim that Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda had ties in planning 9/11. There was no connection between them and, again, the Senate Intelligence Committee, bipartisan committee, said that. The war in Iraq is a war of choice by this administration. And what has resulted? This war and the continuing occupation has created a terrorist training ground in the heart of the Middle East. It has really created and fueled more anti-American sentiment and has been a powerful recruiting tool for terrorists. It has emboldened Iran and North Korea. It has diverted our focus and resources from pursuing Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. It has cost us the lives of 2,700 brave men and women, with over 20,000 wounded, and Iraqi civilians dead. We have committed over $400 billion to this war and this occupation has now fueled a civil war. It has left our military overstretched and unable to respond to crises in other areas. I tell you, the bottom line is our Nation now is less safe due to this unnecessary war in Iraq. The 9/11 Commission has given the Bush administration and this Republican Congress D's and F's in terms of how we have moved forward in keeping our Nation safe and implementing these recommendations. There can be no ``stay the course'' in a no-win occupation. There can be no ``stay the course'' as long as our troops remain the target of the insurgency. We must go in a new direction. We have to bring our troops home and end this occupation. And when they come home, we must make sure that they all come home and ensure there be no permanent military bases in Iraq. Eighty-four percent of America's top national security experts have said that America is not winning this war on terror. So it is time that we stop misleading the American people by trying to convince them that the horrific events of 9/11 were somehow connected to the war in Iraq and to Saddam Hussein. They are not. It is time to bring our troops home. It is time to support Congresswoman Woolsey's H.R. 5875 and revoke the War Powers Act, or the war powers authorization that this House and the Senate gave to the President.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 6016, the so-called Secure Fence Act. Once again, we are playing politics instead of debating sound public policy. As we conduct the last legislative business before November's mid-terms, the Republican Leadership has fast-tracked a bill that was introduced just yesterday, in a cynical attempt to mislead the American people, who are demanding real policy, not this political pandering. Mr. Speaker, we have had plenty of time to have an actual debate on immigration. This rhetoric is simply a way to make it look like Republicans are doing something, when they have squandered opportunities to pass amendments offered by Democrats to help address immigration and border security. Over the past four and a half years, Republicans have voted against Democratic amendments that would have added an additional 6,600 Border Patrol agents, 14,000 more beds to detain undocumented people, and 2,700 more ICS agents. However, these Band-Aid bills that the Republicans keep bringing to the floor do not address the overall wound--our immigration system needs an overhaul from the top down. Arming troops to intimidate the defenseless and building up costly fences will not address the issues of immigration backlogs and more effective border patrol and customs management. Mr. Speaker, let's address the real issues when it comes to immigration. Let's talk about the work these people are literally dying to come over here to do. Let's talk about why our neighbors would risk their lives and well-being, and that of their children and loved ones, to get across the border for low-paying jobs, in often less-than- desirable work environments--picking from pesticide sprayed crops, or teetering 40 stories high in the air to make the high rises they probably also helped build, look clean. Mr. Speaker, I ask you--when does the Republican Leadership stop playing politics here, and start working on actual policy; Policy to address the real issues important to Americans--like real immigration reform, like healthcare, education, rebuilding of our Gulf Coast, and ending the bloodshed in Iraq.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, President Bush continues to say that one of the most difficult parts of his job is trying to connect the war in Iraq with the overall war on terror, but I tell you it is a difficult job because it is clear there is no connection between the war in Iraq and the overall global war on terror. Just this past week, a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded that there was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. In fact, the Senators wrote that Saddam, ``only expressed negative sentiments about Osama bin Laden.'' And yet, President Bush continues to contend that our Nation's safety depends on what happens on the streets of Baghdad. With all due respect, this is just not the case. The President is trying to convince the American people that al Qaeda is responsible for all of the violence in Iraq. In reality, the overall majority of the violence today comes from the growing sectarian divisions between the Sunnis and the Shias, a civil war which some of us believe has begun. From day one, the Iraq war diverted the Bush administration's attention from those who attacked us on 9/11. Today, Osama bin Laden is still at large, and the Taliban is alive and well in Afghanistan. It is time for the President to focus his attention on those responsible for the horrific 9/11 attacks 5 years ago.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Lantos for yielding and for your leadership and for your commitment to global peace and security. Today we should be reflecting on the fifth anniversary of the terrible terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It should be a time when we come together as a Nation to grieve and to remember the men, women and children who lost their lives that day. It should also be a time to honor the courage and the heroism of our first responders and those who put themselves in harm's way to help and to save others. Instead, we have before us a resolution that simply politicizes the somber occasion. What is glaring today is that the Bush administration's complete failure in apprehending Osama bin Laden, once again, is before us. Even worse, the Bush administration pulled our troops out of Afghanistan to put them into Iraq, which had nothing to do with the tragic attacks of 9/11. Even the President acknowledged this. Unfortunately, our country is less safe today than it was 5 years ago. Iraq has become a haven for terrorists. It was not before 9/11. This Congress and this administration gets Ds and Fs in implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. Yet the Republican majority hasn't received the message. It chooses willfully to ignore it. By politicizing this resolution, the Republican majority seeks to detract from their utter complicity in this failed war and their utter failure to demand accountability for this war. The memories of those who lost their lives in New York and the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, deserve better. We should be united as a country in commemorating those who paid the supreme price on that day 5 years ago. Yet today, once again, because of this resolution and the divisiveness of it, we are divided

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, tonight we should have had an opportunity to help lift 6.6 million Americans out of poverty by passing the first minimum wage increase in nearly a decade. As it is, it's an absolute disgrace that the minimum wage has been stagnant at $5.15 since 1997. Republican inaction has led to the fact that the minimum wage is at its lowest level in 50 years. In fact, if the minimum wage had just kept up with inflation since 1968, it would have been $8.88 in 2005. That is still, quite frankly, a pittance for what people need to live. But this increase is in jeopardy by a cynical, political ploy on the part of the House Republican leadership. Mr. Speaker, this sham minimum wage legislation contains ``poison pills.'' Namely, the incorporation of the estate tax cut and further tax cut extensions into the minimum wage bill. Even worse, under this sham Republican legislation 1.8 million workers will have to wait until June 2009 before the minimum wage reaches $7.25. Once again, the Republican majority is proving how much contempt they have for the working families of America. Mr. Speaker, Congress should be voting on a clean minimum wage bill that will provide a meaningful increase to working Americans. Its only fair.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome and to recognize my pastor who offered this powerful prayer as we opened our session today, the Reverend Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., of the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California, in my district. Among his many accomplishments, Pastor Smith serves as a distinguished professor of Christian ministry and preaching at the American Baptist Seminary of the West and the Graduate Theological Seminary in Berkeley, and is the past national president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Church of the West. From his work in helping ex-offenders to turn their lives around and successfully return to our community, to his efforts in the fight against HIV and AIDS, I can tell you that you can see the results of his loving and his spirit-filled ministry in my district. Pastor Smith has been described as a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness, and he has been a source of strength and inspiration for me and for thousands in our community and throughout the world. So as Congress reconvenes, I want to thank Pastor Smith for his powerful words of wisdom and of guidance, and for a lifetime of service to God and to humankind, and to my Allen Temple family, several of whom have joined us this afternoon in the House gallery. Thank you, Pastor Smith.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Girls Inc., an outstanding organization that serves young women and girls throughout my district and across our country. Girls Inc. is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire all girls to be ``strong, smart, and bold.'' With local roots dating to 1864 and national status since 1945, Girls Inc. has responded to the changing needs of girls and their communities through research-based programs and public education that empower girls to reach their full potential and to understand, value, and assert their rights. Girls Inc. reaches nearly 800,000 girls through its direct service, website, products, and publications. In 1,700 program sites in the United States and Canada, Girls Inc. directly serves girls ages 6-18 with research-based programs focusing on science, math, and technology; physical and mental health and sexuality; violence prevention and safety; substance abuse prevention; financial literacy; sports and athletic skills; leadership and advocacy; and media literacy. Of the girls served by Girls Inc., 76 percent are girls from communities of color and 70 percent come from families earning $25,000 or less. More than half are from single-parent households, most of which are headed by women. The Girls Inc. movement started in New England during the Industrial Revolution as a response to the needs of a new working class: young women who had migrated from rural communities in search of newly available job opportunities in textile mills and factories. The movement grew during the Great Depression, and in 1945, 19 charter clubs formed the Girls Club of America, a name that would, in 1990, change to Girls Inc. Over the years Girls Inc. programming has changed to accommodate the evolving needs of young women in our society. While programming in the 1950s focused on preparing young women for future roles as wives and homemakers, amidst the social turbulence that marked American life in the 1960s, Girls Inc. rethought its mission and educational message. In response to hundreds of letters from young women seeking programming that could better address the changing roles of young women and girls in our society, Girls Inc. initiated a major fundraising campaign, tripled its budget, and more than doubled the number of centers nationwide. With a strong financial foothold, and in the wake of the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and a flood of women entering the workforce, Girls Inc. shifted the organization from its role as shaper of homemakers and good citizens to a new role as an advocate for the rights and needs of girls of all backgrounds and abilities. Girls Inc. today is a multifaceted organization, devoted to the dual goals of empowering girls and creating a more equitable society. The work of Girls Inc. is especially significant in California's 9th Congressional District, with Girls Inc. of Alameda County annually serving over 7,000 young women and their families, many of whom are my constituents. Under the excellent longtime leadership of Executive Director Pat Loomes, Girls Inc. of Alameda County has reached untold numbers of girls in the East Bay through its successful implementation of numerous programs such as the GIRLSmart intensive after school literacy program, and the Eureka Program, which seeks to give young women the opportunity to explore different career options, take on leadership roles and take positive risks. This four-year program is especially significant to my District Office, where Girls Inc. Eureka Program participants have sought and been placed in internships there every summer for the past several years. It has been an honor to get to know these young women and to assist them in developing the tools and the knowledge they will need as our future leaders, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this work in partnership with Girls Inc. every year. Today, on behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting the directors, staff, supporters, and most of all, the girls of Girls Inc. for their work to reach out to, educate and empower young women and girls everywhere. Their extraordinary work has touched the lives of countless young people, and I thank Girls Inc. for its ongoing commitment to helping all girls to become strong, smart and bold.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to my sister, and friend, colleague Ambassador Anne Forrester, one of the premier civil servants and pan-Africanist of our generation. A great spirit departed this world when Anne lost her battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away in her home in New York City on June 23, 2006. Today we mourn the loss of this great woman and celebrate her great legacy. As the third African-American woman ambassador in U.S. history and co-founder of TransAfrica Forum, Anne was a leader and mentor to us all. She devoted her life to public service and touched the lives of countless individuals. At the same time, Ambassador Forrester broke down barriers and paved the way for others to follow in her stead and continue the charge. As an Ambassador from the United States to Mali, a senior aide to U.S. United Nations' Ambassador Andrew Young, Staff Director of the Sub-Committee on Africa for the House of Representatives, and a senior official at United Nations Development Program in Africa and in the Caribbean, Ambassador Forrester had a truly inimitable impact on the African Diaspora. I met Anne on Capitol Hill during the mid-70s and got to know her and benefited from her brilliance, her great intellect, and her warm heart. Today, my thoughts and prayers are with her family--daughters Camara and Kandia and aunts, Helena and Ethel--during this difficult time, along with the countless individuals throughout the world who were impacted by her tireless dedication to public service. We all share their pain. Ambassador Forrester was truly an unparalleled force on the forefront of an international movement; she worked tirelessly to connect and improve the condition of African peoples throughout the Diaspora. And no words can express how greatly our sister-friend will be missed. Anne's far-reaching contributions to foreign affairs set a premier example for people all over the world. As we mourn her loss, we all must commit ourselves to ensure that Anne's spirit and work will live on.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and community service of Charlotte Marie Peterson Quann, a courageous servant of the public good. A protector of battered women and children, an advocate for the poor, and a courageous woman in her personal life, Charlotte Quann always strove to lift up the disadvantaged and bring light to any situation with her great sense of humor. Her life is being celebrated following her passing on May 17, 2006. Charlotte was born on December 5, 1934, the first of seven children. Charlotte grew up in Detroit and attended Detroit public schools, graduating from Northwestern High School at the young age of 16. Throughout her childhood, Charlotte was extremely precocious and motivated; she was active in the Urban League, YMCA speech and debate, ran for President of the school, and excelled academically. Unsurprisingly, her picture now sits in the Northwestern High School hall of fame. Beyond her achievements, she also nurtured a sense of civic duty from a young age. Influenced by her father, a union organizer, she helped unionize Detroit's factory workers while still in high school. Because of her intelligence and political activism, she went to Washington and served as one of the youngest Congressional pages, working for Congressman John Conyers. Shortly thereafter, she attended Wayne State University. Charlotte's energy and ambition continued, and she achieved great personal success. Charlotte became the first African American to work for Capital Airlines, which later became United Airlines, rising through the ranks of management. However, she was always cognizant of social and racial issues within the company. She became an important leader for African-Americans in the organization, serving as Secretary, Vice President, and eventually President of the United Airlines Black Professional Organization. Beyond achieving professional success, she also sought personal success, and she worked to balance the different areas of her life. During this time, she started her family. After marrying Charles David Quann on June 7, 1958, she gave birth to three children, Steven, Warren, and Carla. All of her children have grown up to emulate Charlotte's compassion, generosity and community-mindedness. I have personally known Warren for many years, and have always held him in high regard for his constant community advocacy and work for political change at the systemic level. He places the same high value on the well-being of others and of his community as his mother always did, and I am privileged to know and to have worked with someone as special as Warren. In 1972, Charlotte transferred within United Airlines to San Francisco, which ultimately became one of the most important events in her life because all of the philanthropic work that she would do in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her passions in community service were wide ranging, but mostly she focused on underserved children, battered women, and impoverished families, and her record of charitable work is second to none. She served as the Chair of the Board for the Casa De Las Madres emergency residential shelter for battered women and children, for the Mary Elizabeth Inn residential shelter for battered women, for the Center Point drug treatment programs, and served on the board at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, becoming extremely involved there, with a particular focus on Glide's children's programs. She also grew involved with the ministry and represented Glide within the United Methodist Church and was an active member on the Commission on Race and Religion. Charlotte was not only cherished by people for her service to the community, but also because her bright spirit served to lift up those around her. The good humor and optimism that Charlotte radiated could make any situation more bearable, and her love and desire to help others was cherished by all who knew her. A champion of the underserved, a courageous citizen, and a loving mother and wife, Charlotte Quann, as her sister said, ``lived well, loved much, and laughed often.'' On behalf of California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, I am proud to add my voice to the countless others who have united in appreciation of this outstanding individual, and I salute Charlotte Quann for her invaluable contributions to the San Francisco Bay Area, the United States, and to our world.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and work of Robert Brauer of Berkeley, CA. A visionary and courageous public servant, Bob has dedicated his life to serving his community and his country. Bob's unwavering commitment to social justice has inspired me and many others to dedicate our lives to this struggle, and has impacted the lives of countless others in California's 9th Congressional District and across our country. This month Bob ``retires'' after a lifetime of working for the advancement of a more just and equitable society for us all, and today I join our entire community in saluting him for his public exemplary service. Bob's dedication to public service has been evident since he was a young adult. After graduating in 1960 from the University of California, Berkeley, where he met his wife Penny, Bob was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He was stationed in El Paso, TX, in the Strategic Air Command, and served there until 1963 when he left the Air Force as a Captain. Upon completion of his service in the Air Force, Bob and his family, which by then included his wife, a son, and two young daughters, returned to Berkeley, CA, where he began a new job as an Assistant Personnel Officer at Wells Fargo Bank, where he was an integral part of Wells Fargo's participation in the industry-wide effort in California to integrate women and minorities into parts of the workforce in which they were dramatically underrepresented. Following that job, Bob became the Skills Bank Director for the Bay Area Urban League, a role in which he was responsible for creating job opportunities for and placing minorities in jobs that had historically been inaccessible to them. During this time, Bob was also very active in civic and political affairs, serving in leadership positions in a number of local organizations, and with his wife Penny, he was very active in local political campaigns. Bob was appointed to the Recreation and Parks Commission by then-Berkeley City Council member Ron Dellums, and around that time he was also named as President of the Catholic Interracial Council of the Diocese of Oakland. He and his wife continued their activism in the farm workers' and civil rights struggles, the anti-Vietnam War movement and other local issues related to the ongoing fight for social justice. In 1969, Bob became the Regional Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC), Department of Labor, and soon became the OFCC Assistant Director in Washington, DC. In this role he helped to develop the national plan to integrate the construction trades, as well as the Philadelphia Plan's goals and timetables for women and minorities. Bob and his family, which by that time had grown considerably, moved to Bethesda, MD. In 1971, the Secretary of Labor nominated Bob and the American Political Science Association (APSA) selected him to be an APSA Congressional Fellow, and he spent the next year working in the office of his friend, the newly elected Congressman Ron Dellums of California's then 7th District. At the end of his fellowship he left the Department of Labor and joined Mr. Dellums' staff. This marked the beginning of what would become more than two decades of distinguished service to California's now-9th Congressional District and to our country. Bob would serve as Special Counsel to Congressman Dellums and for the House District of Columbia Committee during Mr. Dellums chairmanship. In 1993, Bob became a Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Armed Services Committee when Mr. Dellums became the HASC Chairman. Bob was an integral part not only of the personal office and Committee staffs, but he played a major role in supporting Mr. Dellums' many policy initiatives during those years. At the DC Committee, Bob helped implement bold initiatives to use the Committee as a vehicle for promulgating solutions to some of the District's, and the Nation's, most important urban problems: mass transportation, pension reform, health care and infant mortality and education reform, among others. Among his most notable activities were his work on the investigation of the U.S. Intelligence Community undertaken by the Pike Select Committee, the successful authorization of the 50-foot federal channel dredging project at the Port of Oakland, and the construction of the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland. Bob was also centrally involved in the drafting and passage of Mr. Dellums' incredibly important anti-apartheid bill in the House of Representatives in the 1980s, a bill which became law over the veto of then-President Reagan. Throughout his time in Washington, Bob was also actively involved in international human rights issues, traveling as a peace observer several times to wartorn countries in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s, at the risk of his own life. On the HASC staff he played a significant role in maintaining Mr. Dellums' excellent working relationships with both sides of the aisle and assisting Mr. Dellums to accomplish one of the House's most exemplary chairmanships. I met Bob during his early years in Congressman Dellums' personal office. I was then an intern for Congressman Dellums. I will never forget the way he supported and guided me, and helped me to not only become engaged in politics and policy, but also to become an effective advocate for social justice. For over 30 years, Bob has been a willing mentor, an advisor, a teacher and a friend, and serving the 9th Congressional District and our country alongside him has been and continues to be a great honor. Bob worked for Congressman Dellums until the end of 1996. In 1997, Bob became Special Assistant to the President of California State University, Hayward, where he played a crucial role in the sizeable structural improvements, enrollment increases, and expansion of that campus into a leading institution in our state. During that time he has also continued to serve our community in numerous other roles, such as a volunteer Board member of the Chabot Observatory and Science Center, where he was responsible for raising close to $60 million to build a new facility in Oakland. Bob recently retired from the renamed CSU East Bay, and today I would like to add my voice to the countless others that are expressing their congratulations and their gratitude to this extraordinary individual for his tireless work and ceaseless advocacy for social justice and equality of opportunity in the United States and around the world. On behalf of California's 9th Congressional District, I am humbled to honor Bob Brauer for his extraordinary service to our community, and to wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter in his life of conviction, character, and integrity.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and work of Lewis Edward Jordan. In a time and place when it was a rarity for an African American to operate a business, Lewis broke boundaries in the world of business. He used his acquired wealth to help lift the community as a whole and to instill the same optimism in others that drove him to accomplish so much. He passed away on June 20, 2006. Lewis was born on September 7, 1914 in Oakville, Maryland. Lewis faced tremendous adversity as a child and teenager, living in southern Maryland after slavery with his grandparents, who were slaves themselves. As a child he had very little money, and he only received an eighth grade education because the county where he lived, Saint Mary's County, had no high school for African Americans. As a young adult, Lewis moved to Washington, D.C. He married Catherine Frederick in 1936 and fathered three children, Frederick, Andre, and Monica. It was in Washington, D.C. that his great creativity and vision would help him find success in his various entrepreneurial ventures. He was successful in many different businesses, including a taxicab company, a coal distribution company, mobile markets that served urban communities, a bar and restaurant, and eventually a trucking company. Lewis had the bravery to start these companies at a time in our nation's history when, unfortunately, many thought that a man like Lewis should only work for these companies rather than be the man at the helm, and his courage deserves recognition. Lewis received many accolades for his work during and after his life. For his work on the decoration of the Blair House, he received a personal commendation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In addition, as a testament to his business skill, his trucking company was awarded the contracts for work on the Sam Rayburn Congressional Building as well as many other important Washington D.C. structures. Also, he received a tacit compliment from the business community when his ``mobile market'' concept for serving groceries to underserved neighborhoods was replicated by many. Even when engaging in business, Lewis was socially conscious and sought to do business in a humane way. His mobile market business bloomed into all different sorts of philanthropic works. He became known for delivering fresh fruits and vegetables to families of need in northeast Washington, D.C., and in 1996 he started the Frederick and Jordan Families Fund. The fund is administered by the San Francisco Foundation, and focuses specifically on helping African American communities in areas of homelessness, at-risk youth, and food programs. In his golden years, Lewis stayed busy, serving as chairman of the Frederick and Jordan Families Fund and writing his own book, From Slave Days to Present Days, the Roots of the Jordan Family, which is considered to be one of the few works portraying the lives of African Americans in Maryland after slavery. In addition to his business and philanthropic efforts, Lewis was a loving father. His love and care are reflected in the success of his children. Andre Jordan became the highest-ranking African American federal law enforcement official in the United States; Frederick started a civil engineering and construction management firm, which was the first African American owned firm of that sort on the West Coast; and Monica is the Assistant General Counsel of a federal agency. For his vision in business, his giving spirit, and his love of family and others, I am humbled to honor Lewis Edward Jordan. On behalf of California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, I am proud to add my voice to the countless others who have united in thanks, respect, and praise for this pioneering individual, Lewis Edward Jordan.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership and for really crafting a bill that I think is much better than what it was prior to the hearing, but I must rise to oppose this bill. I had the privilege to visit India a few years ago with Mr. Crowley, and I witnessed firsthand the brilliance, the spirit, and the commitment to democracy of the Indian people. And like many of my colleagues, I strongly believe that it is in our country's best interest to strengthen our relationship with India. But to suggest that we can only do so at the expense of the international nonproliferation standards, as this legislation before us would, I think that is both dishonest and it is dangerous. Let us be clear. This is not about India. As far as I am concerned, there is no country, and I mean no country, for which it would be acceptable to sacrifice our international standards. The problem with the deal, as it is currently written, is that it will do lasting harm to more than 30 years of international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. This deal creates a double standard that undermines our efforts with countries like Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. It creates incentives for withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Why have countries like Brazil and South Korea spent all these years playing by the rules and not building nuclear weapons in exchange for civilian technology when India gets both? It sets a dangerous precedent. In explaining Beijing's rationale for potentially pursuing a deal with Pakistan, Professor Shen Dingli of China's Fudan University has already argued this. He said, ``If the United States can violate the nuclear rules, then we can violate them also.'' We should be fighting to save what is left of the international nonproliferation framework, not just throwing it away. We should insist that India formally commit to the goals and restrictions on the international nonproliferation framework and sign the Nonproliferation Treaty. Short of that, we should at least insist on specific nonproliferation safeguards, as specified in an amendment that I offered, which of course was not ruled in order. It would have required, however, India to commit to the basic principles consistent with the NPT. Again, unfortunately, this amendment was not made in order. We should not pass any type of a nuclear deal, a nuclear, quite frankly business deal, without these safeguards. I don't think we should throw them away. We need to go back to the drawing board and we need to make sure that international nonproliferation goals are adhered to.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 844 to congratulate the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. As an original co-sponsor of this resolution and a strong supporter of IAVI, I want to thank my colleagues, Representative Eliot Engel and Representative Peter King, for working in a bipartisan manner to introduce and shepherd it to the floor. IAVI was funded 10 years ago as a public-private partnership to help develop a safe and effective vaccine to prevent HIV/AIDS. Today IAVI operates in over 23 countries with a variety of partners and is in the testing phases for several vaccine candidates. In addition to working on the hard science, IAVI has also worked to lay the groundwork to ensure that a future vaccine is affordable and accessible to all who need it, especially in the developing world. This year Representative Pallone and I spearheaded a $35 million appropriations request for IAVI in the FY07 Foreign Ops bill, along with the support of many members of this committee. While the House has approved a $29 million funding level for IAVI this year, the same as FY06, I am hopeful that in conference my colleagues will support the Senate funding level of $31 million. While the search for an AIDS vaccine has so far eluded us, the partnership represented by IAVI is in many ways our best hope at finding a cure. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the Prime Minister of Iraq will address a joint session of Congress, and I hope that he levels with us about the current situation in his nation. Over the past week, the violence in Iraq has been replaced on the front pages and the television screens by the violence in Lebanon and Israel. However, that does not mean that things are getting any better. In fact, last month more than 3,100 Iraqis were killed in sectarian violence. That is more than 100 killed every day. While the situation in Iraq continues to spiral out of control, the Bush administration is just simply incapable of coming up with a strategy that provides a new direction. And for 3 years now, the House Republicans have refused to demand any answers from this administration about its failures in Iraq. They have allowed the incompetence to continue without holding anyone responsible. Congress can no longer sit on the sidelines. It is time to recognize that our brave young men and women must come home. They must be brought home as quickly as possible. We must end this occupation of Iraq. We need to provide a new direction for this administration and for our country. The American people are insisting on that.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering yet another fundamentally flawed free trade agreement--the U.S.-Oman FTA. How many times will it take to learn that the current model just isn't cutting it? Given the failures of NAFTA and CAFTA, you would think that the U.S.-Oman FTA would be an improvement. Sadly, the same misguided formula is being applied again. Just look at the facts; you simply cannot camouflage a race to the bottom. So please don't be fooled by the word games that proponents of this deal will play. FTAs should promote democracy and offer new opportunities for all parties involved. They should not benefit a select few by making the rich wealthier and bankrupting the poor. We should be protecting labor standards, human rights, the environment, access to medicines, and national sovereignty--not sacrificing them under the guise of promoting business and economic growth. When will we learn that these are not contradictory goals? But again, these critical issues are shoved to the margins in empty promises and side-letters. There is no excuse for why this trade deal is not fair and balanced. I urge all of my colleagues to vote against another ludicrous trade deal.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Caribbean American community in honor of the first-ever National Caribbean American Heritage Month. On June 27, 2005, the House unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, my resolution to declare June National Caribbean American Heritage Month. On February 14, 2006, the Senate followed suit, thanks to the work of Senator Schumer of New York and Arielle Goren on his staff. And let me begin by recognizing the many people who helped realize this 2-year bipartisan, bicameral effort, because this was quite a feat. First, I want to recognize our colleague, a great leader on so many issues and especially on health care, Congresswoman Donna Christensen from the Caribbean, who has been tremendous in terms of bringing us together to address the issues of health disparities throughout our country and throughout the world. Also, I would like to thank the Institute of Caribbean Studies, especially Dr. Claire Nelson and her team, for joining us in this effort from the very beginning. And we must recognize our friends from the Caribbean diplomatic corps, who worked so hard to spread the word about this effort both at home in the Caribbean and in their embassies and consulates across the country. There are many Members of Congress who supported this effort. In addition to early support from my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and Friends of the Caribbean Task Force, the former chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Representative Cass Ballenger, was the first Republican to endorse this bill, and his successor, Chairman Dan Burton, was one of the first to help urge the President to issue an official proclamation. This was truly a bipartisan effort, with, of course, our chairman Mr. Hyde of the International Relations Committee and our ranking member Mr. Lantos, who lent their very strong support. And, of course, we never would have done any of this without our staff. First, let me commend and thank my staff person Jamila Thompson for her leadership and for her commitment to not only this issue and this bill, but for so many of the efforts that she mounts. She has roots in the Bahamas, and she understands the importance of recognizing Caribbean Americans and their proper role and proper recognition in our country. Also, we had many other House staff members--Ted Brennan, Jack Scharfen, Paul Oostburg, Dan Getz, Mark Walker, and Michael Layman--who worked in a bipartisan way to make this a reality and really to realize this dream for many, many people. The Government Reform Committee, Chairman Tom Davis, and our Ranking Member Henry Waxman applauded the passage of this resolution last year and were instrumental in its passage. And, of course, in the final weeks before the proclamation was issued by the White House, a coalition was formed that was very instrumental in urging the White House to officially declare June National Caribbean-American Heritage Month. This coalition included Senator Mel Martinez from Florida, Ambassador Tom Shannon, State Department's Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and Brian Nichols of his staff. And the Caribbean American community was very active around this effort. It could not have been done without them. From Glenn Joseph and John Felix in Florida; to Jean Alexander, Horace Morancie, and Anthony Carter in New York; to Shorron Levy in California and so many others across the country, this became, quite frankly, an international grass- roots effort. So I am pleased that on June 5, the President responded by officially declaring June National Caribbean American Heritage Month. We have some phenomenal spokespersons Sheryl Lee Ralph and basketball legend Rick Fox, who are traveling throughout the country. Sheryl Lee Ralph is a woman of Caribbean descent from Jamaica actually, and is a great actress as well. Her voice on HIV and AIDS, as well as promoting and spreading the word about Caribbean American Heritage Month, will be very valuable in terms of making sure that our entire country knows about the phenomenal contributions of Caribbean Americans. On a very personal level, my relationship with persons of Caribbean descent began with the late great former member of this body, the first African American woman elected to Congress, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. I worked as a volunteer in her historic 1972 Presidential campaign. As a woman of Barbadian and Guyanese descent, Congresswoman Chisholm never forgot her roots and connections to the Caribbean. Her work, whether it was fighting for equal access to education in the United States Congress or Haitian refugees in detention camps, her commitment always stemmed from her faith and her strong Caribbean values. When the United States-Caribbean relations began to deteriorate over the war in Iraq, the coups in Haiti, and the Cuban embargo, I knew that we needed to go back and really recognize our deep and strong relations with the Caribbean. So we need to send a message of goodwill to the Caribbean American community. Soon I will be introducing the Shirley Chisholm Caribbean Educational Exchange Act of 2006 to provide existing and expanded educational exchanges between our country and the Caribbean. This legislation has two components: First it supports and expands existing primary and secondary training programs currently operating in the Caribbean. And second it establishes the Shirley Chisholm Educational Exchange program structure for U.S. and Caribbean high school, undergraduate and graduate students, and professional scholars. I would like to close by reminding those here in Congress and others watching at home that during Caribbean-American Heritage Month, each of us should look to the past and to the future in recognizing the strong role of the Caribbean and the Caribbean-American community in United States history. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. This process was really an exercise in democracy, and I ask unanimous consent to insert into the Congressional Record a list of organizations from across the country that supported this effort: The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and CARICOM Foreign Ministers included the following statement in their joint press release issued at the conclusion of the US-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting held in The Bahamas in March 2006: ``The Ministers and the Secretary of State welcomed the recent resolution of the U.S. Congress to commemorate Caribbean American Heritage Month in June. The resolution is a recognition of the deep and lasting human ties that bind the United States and the Caribbean.'' This bi-partisan effort to create a National Caribbean-American Heritage Month is supported by Ambassador Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, the Caucus of CARICOM Ambassadors in Washington, DC, and the following organizations: The Institute for Caribbean Studies, DC; Caribbean-Central American Action, DC; Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, Inc.; The West Indian American Day Carnival Association, NY; Caribbean- American Cultural Association, Inc. of North America (CACANA), FL; Caribbean-American Center of New York; Conference of Heads of Caribbean Organizations of Central Florida; TnT International, Inc.; The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry--Greater Washington Area Network; South Florida Caribbean Diaspora Task Force; Trinidad & Tobago Working Women's Committee, DC; Caribbean Association of World Bank Group and IMP Staff, DC; Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CACCI), NY; Global Exchange, CA; Caribbean Peoples International Collective, NY (CPIC); The St. Lucia Nationals Association; Andrea M. Ewart, P.C.; Dominica Academy of Arts & Sciences, DC; Metro Atlanta Caribbean Cultural Arts Centre, Inc. (MACCA); The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA); The Caribbean Voice, NY; Northern California Caribbean American Heritage Month Committee; Central Florida's Caribbean Sun Newspaper; The Guyanese Society of St. Louis; The Caribbean Club in Mount Vernon, NY; Caribbean Professional Networking Series, DC; Caribbean World Arts & Culture, Inc.; St. Kitts and Nevis Association of Metropolitan Washington; The West Indian Social Club of Hartford. Inc.; The Inter-American Economic Council; Sunrise Symphony Steelpan Corporation; Barbados Assoc. of Central Florida; Jamaican American Association of Central Florida; Grenadian-American Educational and Cultural Organization of Central Florida, Inc.; Caribbean and Floridian Association, Inc. (CAFA); Guyanese American Cultural Association of Central Florida; Orlando Carnival Association, Inc.; Alliance of Guyanese Expatriates of Central Florida; Caribbean Students' Association at the University of Central Florida; Jamaican/American Partners in Education, GA; Central Florida Cricket League; Caribbean Bar Association (Central Florida Chapter); Antigua and Barbuda Association of Central Florida; Association of Asian Cultural Festivals, Inc.; Caribbean Community Connection of Orlando, Inc.; Trinidad & Tobago Association of Central Florida; Suriname American Network; Haitian American Support Group of Central Florida, Inc.; Caribbean-Guyana Institute for Democracy; The Indo- Caribbean Council, NY; The Haitian American Historical Society, FL; Caribbean American Intercultural Organization; Sistas-With Style, CA; Dominican American National Roundtable, DC; West Indian Social Club of Hartford, Inc.; Caribbean American Society of Hartford; The Ballentine Group; Jamaica Progressive League; St. Lucian American Society of Hartford; Mico Alumni Association Inc.; Guyanese American Cultural Association; Connecticut Haitian American Organization, Inc.; Barbados American Society of Hartford; Sportsmen Athletic Club & Cricket Hall of Fame; Cultural Dance Troupe of the West Indies; Trinidad and Tobago Steel Symphony; Jamaica Ex-Policeman Association of Connecticut; West Indian American Newspaper; Center for Urban & Caribbean Research; CAYASCO, Inc.; Martin Luther King Jr. Soccer League; Morancie Family Reunion, Inc., NY; Tropical Paradise Restaurant and Juice Bar, NY; Jamaica Nationals Association, DC; Medgar Evers College, NY; Carriacou Charitable Health Services, Inc., NY; The Caribbean World News Network, NY; The Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc., DC; Caribbean Research Center, NY; Montserrat Progressive Society of NY, Inc.; The Georgia Caribbean-American Heritage Month Planning Committee, GA; Ainsley Gill & Associates LLC, DC; SOCA Warriors United, NY; The Black Diaspora, NY; Sunrise Symphony Steelpan Orchestra, Inc., NY; Gloria's In & Out Restaurant, NY; Virgin Islands Association, DC; CCB International, Inc., NJ; TATUCA, NY; Callaloo Magazine, NY; Department of African American Studies, Ohio University; Hannah's Place International, NY; Guyana Folk Festival, DC; Caribbean Sunshine Awards, NJ; Trinidad and Tobago Business Association, Inc., NY; RAJHUMARI Center for Indo-Caribbean Arts & Culture, NY; Mauby Media Services, NY; Merrymakers Cultural Association, NY; Caribbean People's Association, NJ; Trin-American Social & Cultural Association, DC; Trinidadian and Tobagonians Inc., NY; Gasparillo Group, NY; Trinidad and Tobago Association of Washington, MA; Caribbean Journal, NY; St. Anthony's Spiritual Baptist Church, PA; Friends of the Caribbean, Inc., DC; The International Consortium of Caribbean Professionals (ICCP); Tropicalfete.com, NY; St. Louis-Georgetown Sisters Cities Committee, MO; Virgin Islands Association of the District of Columbia (VIA); Patterson Dental Clinic, NJ; Barbados American Society of Hartford, Inc.; TransAfrica Forum, DC; Caribbean-African-American Hotline, Ads, News, Gospel & Global Events (411XCHANGE), NY; Belizean Information & Services International, NY; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Nationals Association of Washington, DC; eCaroh Caribbean Emporium, MA; Caribbean American Weekly (CAW), NY; Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations U.S.A., Inc., NY; St. Vincent Benevolent Association; Bequia United Progressive Organization, Inc.; Chateaubelair Development Organization; Club St. Vincent, Inc.; Canouan United Social Organization, Inc.; Friends of the St. Vincent Grammar School; Girls High School Alumnae; Hairoun Sports Club; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Humanitarian Organization; Mas Productions Unlimited; Striders Social and Cultural Organization; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex-Police Association; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ex- Teachers Association; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Nurses Association; United Vincie Cultural Group of Brooklyn; Concerned Americans for Racial Equality, NY; Benevolent Missions of Atlanta, Inc. (BMA); Barbados Association of Greater Houston; Bahamian Junkanoo Association of Metropolitan DC.; The National Coalition on Caribbean Affairs (NCOCA), MD.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, let me first thank Mr. Lantos for yielding; also just to say to him that I appreciate the respect and the space that you provide for all of us who may have a different point of view, but who all support peace and security and Israel's right to defend itself. I also have tremendous respect for Mr. Lantos just in terms of your work and your long history as a champion of human rights not only on behalf of the State of Israel, but throughout the world, and so I thank Mr. Lantos for yielding. Madam Speaker, I join with those who condemn the recent kidnapping of Israeli soldiers and the rocket attacks into Israel, and also, I rise in support of Israel's right to protect and defend itself from attacks in accordance with international law, including Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. However, this resolution goes much further than that, and it also omits any mention, and I think this is so critical at this stage, it omits any mention of how and why the United States should exert its leadership in stopping the violence. Too many people, Israelis Lebanese and Palestinians, have been killed, and there is no end in sight. Very seldom do I cast a ``present'' vote, but in this instance I will, and let me explain why. This resolution reaffirms our support for Israel, demands that the Government of Lebanon do everything in its power to find and free the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and to gain control of its borders in order to prevent future attacks. It also condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for killing Israeli soldiers and for indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians, and it recognizes the plight of the families of the innocent victims. These provisions warrant our strong support and certainly sends a strong message in support of Israel, in behalf of Israel and on behalf of Israel. But on the other hand, there are provisions in this resolution that are totally unfinished or missing and leave this resolution very much incomplete. Such a course of action, I believe, ought to make it clear that in no uncertain terms will the United States support a strategy of the use of force against Iran or Syria. This resolution leaves the door open for this. This resolution ought to make it clear that the only way to remove the threat to Israel and to the larger region is to resolve these issues through an immediate cease-fire and commit the United States, through the cease-fire, to high-level and sustained diplomacy. We need to be doing that right now in support of many of the initiatives such as the road map. This resolution does not really address how to end the escalating violence that really, quite frankly, does more violence and harm to Israel's long-term interests and living in peace and security with her neighbors. This resolution should offer concrete steps on how to achieve peace and security for Israel and the region, and the resolution says nothing about the peace process. The bottom line is there is absolutely no military resolution to the issues confronting the Middle East, notwithstanding the acts of self- defense to which Israel is entitled in accordance with international law. If we do not put a stop to all of the hostilities today, what is to stop future violence with more technologically advanced weapons systems, rockets with even longer ranges? Where does it end? Is war the only answer? Israel's security and a sustained peace that includes a two-state solution cannot be achieved militarily. The only option, and the only hope, is a political solution to this crisis and for a sustained peace. That is why, Madam Speaker, it is imperative that all parties return to internationally recognized borders and for all parties to resume urgent, multilateral diplomatic efforts, including a return to the road map and a full engagement by the quartet. What we should be doing today is imploring all sides to agree to a cease-fire, insist on the return of the hostages, and agree to an international security force. If we can reach the end of that road that we are walking down right now, then our ally, I believe, Israel will find the peace and security that she and her people rightfully deserve. So, Madam Speaker, I intend to vote ``present'' on this resolution because, while I believe there are some provisions that warrant our support, I do not believe it goes far enough in addressing the immediate security needs and the violence that is taking place right now in the Middle East.