Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share my great appreciation for and admiration of the late Congressman Phillip Burton. During his two decades in the House of Representatives--from 1964 to 1983--Congressman Burton was a great champion for the interests of the people of the Bay Area. Time and time again, Congressman Burton fought for the little people, ranging from the underprivileged to seniors to workers. His voice was loud and strong for these people. And his voice was persuasive in bringing people of all backgrounds and different ways of life together. I had the privilege to know Congressman Burton while serving as a Hill staffer to Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. He was brilliant, compassionate, and a political whiz. During a reapportionment year, I remember Phil explaining to Ron the rationale for the boundaries of Ron's proposed new long District, and he said, ``Don't worry, Ron, you are in your brother's arms.'' Powerful voice that he was for his constituents, Congressman Burton will probably best be known for his respect for the environment. His record of establishing and preserving parks, wilderness areas, trails, and rivers may be unparalleled in the history of this country. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, the Congressman did everything that he could to protect our precious natural resources. His National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 represents one of the most sweeping pieces of environmental legislation ever to pass Congress. That legislation doubled the national wild and scenic rivers system, tripled our national trails systems, and, by adding more than 2 million acres, doubled the wilderness acreage in the National Park Service. In California, the Congressman's legislation ultimately protected nearly 5 percent of the state's land, including Redwood National Park. Even closer to my 9th Congressional District, Congressman Burton strengthened the beautiful Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Congressman Burton's contribution to our state and country has become recognized as an impressive legacy in the two decades since his death. Our appreciation of Congressman Burton and his efforts will no doubt grow only stronger in the coming decades as we struggle to preserve our precious, finite resources.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and also for his leadership. I rise today in opposition to the Wilson amendment and in strong opposition to this energy bill. Our national security depends on energy security. We all know that. But instead of investing in the future by developing new, cleaner forms of energy, this bill tells us the answer to America's energy problems lies in the Arctic Refuge. Well, if we drain every drop of economically recoverable oil out of this wilderness, it will be consumed in 6 months. So that is hardly the answer. We have all heard that drilling in ANWR will create thousands of new jobs. But investing in innovations and energy technology and improvements in energy efficiency could produce hundreds of thousands of new, good-paying jobs that are a lot closer to home for most of our constituents than the Arctic tundra. The question of drilling in the Arctic is also a question of environmental justice and native rights. Many native tribes oppose drilling. They know this land is sacred and they know what drilling will do to it. The Arctic Refuge is a fragile ecosystem. If we allow drilling, we will not be able to go back and make it whole. This amendment opens the door to drilling and destruction that will expand far beyond 2,000 acres.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership in advocating human rights throughout the world and also for making sure that this is a bipartisan bill. I rise today in support of the Clean Diamonds Trade Act. Finally, Congress, the international community, and the various grassroots organizations' efforts to sever the link between diamonds and war has come to the floor for a vote. So I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), and again our ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), as well as the chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) and our ranking member, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for their continued commitment to this issue. I encourage all Members to support this bill. Some have argued that regulating the global diamond industry should not be Congress' responsibility, but I argue that promoting peace over conflict, supporting our international communities' efforts to clean up the global diamond system, and introducing ways to support the people in Africa, who have not been able to benefit from their own resources, should be our goal. This legislation transforms diamonds into a commodity from which all communities can benefit, not just a chosen few. H.R. 1584, the Clean Diamonds Trade Act, provides a long list of overdue regulation on conflict diamonds. The bill requires United States compliance with the Kimberly Process certification. It imposes costly, very costly, civil penalties and jail time, which is very important, jail time for those who willfully violate the act, and incorporates oversight from our Customs Service and other key agencies which oversee international trade. I believe each component is essential to ending the sale of conflict diamonds. And, further, I hope that we will find a way to incorporate more Africans into the diamond industry itself to promote more entrepreneurship and sustainable development. In closing, I would like to thank several organizations, including Amnesty International, World Vision, Physicians for Human Rights, Oxfam America, and World Relief for their continued support of conflict diamond reforms. Over 65 percent of these conflict diamonds, Mr. Speaker, were sold to people in our own country. So I want to thank our constituents for pushing for reform instead of accepting this unjust trade. I urge all our colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and the passage of H.R. 1584, and I want to thank once again the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) again and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton).

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, knowing full well that it will pass today. Like many of you here in Congress and like millions of Americans across the country, my hopes and prayers go out to our troops. I want to see them safe at home as soon as possible. I deeply admire their courage, mourn their losses, and honor their sacrifice and commitment. I cannot, however, endorse the decision to send our troops into harm's way by launching a first strike against Iraq. I fear we are witnessing the first chapter of the Doctrine of Preemption. This Doctrine of Preemption is taking us more deeply into uncharted waters. No one knows where this will end. There is also no end in sight to the costs of war and to the price we will pay here at home in the America we will not be able to build. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught us, ``In the wasteland of war, the expenditure of resources knows no restraints.'' Thus, I cannot support the $75 billion down payment on this war that makes up the bulk of this supplemental while under-funding homeland security by $4 billion. With those facts, in mind, I must oppose this appropriations bill.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, I do not know what kind of message it sends, and also I do not think this administration remembers that we have many homeless veterans now who are just seeking shelter and a place to live. That, again, is a disgrace that we need to address in this budget. We need to address their access to health care and to housing and to all of those support services which they need. They fought for us and they deserve a decent life. They do not deserve to have their funding cut, as the President intends to do in this budget.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), our outstanding and very dedicated and very brilliant chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, for his leadership and for his vision and for organizing once again this Special Order to really discuss the disastrous Republican budget and to examine the terrible toll it will take not only on communities of color but on our entire country as a whole. As we support and pray for our troops, for their speedy and their safe return, I have to ask tonight what kind of America, what kind of opportunities and support will we provide for them upon their return? Our troops and our veterans deserve a sense of economic security. This Republican budget, however, demonstrates nothing less than a very profound disregard for the majority of Americans and for the future of this Nation. It sacrifices our children, our seniors, our security, our veterans, our environment, and our economy in order to advance special interests and promote tax breaks for the wealthy. This is a national mistake, and the repercussions of it will be felt in cities and rural communities and towns across America. They will certainly be felt in my district in northern California, where the high-tech economy has struggled, where housing costs are sky high, where seniors and veterans are struggling to pay medical costs and grocery bills, where seniors sometimes have to choose between their medication or buying food, where school infrastructure is crumbling, and where the State budget is reeling from the body blows struck by the recession. In the last year, we have seen rising unemployment, escalating housing costs, and a floundering economy. We have seen, however, tax cuts for the rich that the President wants to make permanent, forever protecting the richest 1 percent at the expense of the rest of us. That is wrong. And now we see $1.6 trillion in additional tax cuts for the wealthy. Those tax cuts and those misplaced priorities help explain why this budget falls $4 billion short of the money we need to invest in homeland security according to nonpartisan experts. They help explain why this budget underfunds education, shortchanging special ed, gutting after-school programs, freezing Pell grants and ultimately leaving millions of children far, far behind. With the struggling economy and millions of Americans unemployed, this budget cuts spending for job training and employment programs and does nothing, absolutely nothing, to create new jobs. It also cuts funding for environmental programs, including badly needed enforcement programs at EPA that will safeguard our water supply and our children's health. Communities of color will continue to pay the highest price for pollution. This budget will only increase environmental injustices and the health costs it exacts every day. In terms of energy, the budget reinforces our dependence on fossil fuels by cutting energy efficiency programs and assuming drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In energy, in education, in security, and in so many other areas, we should be investing in our future rather than bankrupting our children. With this budget, we will be spending as much on defense as the rest of the world combined. But, Mr. Speaker, $400 billion plus for defense that underfunds homeland security will not make us any safer. We could put some of these resources, and we should put some of these resources into health care, but the Republican plan is not designed to expand health care access. For example, seniors would be herded into HMOs and forced to abandon their own doctors if they want prescription drug coverage. This budget threatens Medicare without offering real coverage. And again it will hit African Americans, Hispanic Americans and other minorities especially hard. We have enormous health disparities in this country and this budget just makes them wider. Most of the 9 million children who lack health insurance in this country are minorities, children of color. Under this budget they remain uninsured. It even cuts Medicaid coverage for children. Cuts it. And it slashes funding for minority health programs. Instead of spending billions on a faulty and unproven missile defense system, we should put more resources into housing, which is a national emergency and a national disgrace, but this budget cuts funding for public housing. It eliminates funding for the HOPE VI program to replace public housing structures that are in terrible condition. I ask you, without HOPE VI, what hope will those residents really have? The credibility gap between the administration's rhetoric and its budget grows each and every day. The President promises an economic stimulus but offers tax cuts for the wealthy that leaves small business out of the picture, even though small businesses are the real engine for economic growth in this country. The President promises to leave no child behind, but then cuts nearly $1 billion of funding, $1 billion, Mr. Speaker, for elementary and secondary education. The budget cuts teacher quality programs and after-school programs for our kids and slashes Pell grants and Perkins loans that can transform college from an impossible dream into an actual diploma. The President praises our troops, as we all do, but then decimates veterans programs, enacting cuts that will reduce cost-of-living increases for the veterans who are with us and who have served our country well. What a shame and what a sham. Our veterans deserve better. Again, rhetoric versus reality. Look at the budget. It is about choices. We could choose to invest in our future, grow our economy, enhance our security, look out for our children, our senior citizens and those who are struggling economically, or we could, as the Republican budget has demonstrated, provide tax cuts for the multimillionaires and special interests. I hope it is not too late to wake up America to the damage that is being done to our country, to our children, and to our future. That is the choice that the Republican budget offers. Once again, America, wake up to what is going on in Washington, D.C.

Ms. LEE. Well, Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, and, yes, I think this really highlights the credibility gap, this increasing credibility gap of this administration. And as I say, with regard to our veterans, it is really a shame and a sham that this administration is cutting their benefits, cutting out their economic security that they so deserve. They have served our country well. Our troops deserve better upon their return, and we are going to fight this to the end, Mr. Chairman.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I hope and pray for the safe return of our troops, and I pray for peace. I know that many other Americans do as well. I do not believe, however, that it is the place of government to tell Americans how or when to pray. Matters of faith are deeply personal, and it is one of the founding principles of this government that the state should not intrude upon them.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in strong support of our troops. Today, American men and women are putting their lives on the line in the service of their country. I deeply mourn the deaths of our troops and hope and pray for the safe return of all of their comrades in arms. I mourn as well the deaths of innocent civilians, especially children, who have been or may be caught in the crossfire of this conflict. Some Americans are now held as prisoners of war and they hold a special place in our thoughts and prayers. As the daughter of a career army officer, my heart goes out especially to the families of our service men and women as they anxiously await word from their loved ones. That waiting is its own kind of torment. Thousands of National Guards and Reserves are serving in the Middle East today, honoring their commitment and abandoning their civilian lives to answer this call. We honor their service and sacrifice as well as that of all the personnel in our armed forces. It is my deepest hope that our troops will soon be home with their friends and families. I wish them Godspeed and hope that peace is both rapid and lasting. In closing, let me once again reiterate my support and admiration for our troops who are in harm's way.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me first thank the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for his leadership; also my colleagues the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich); and also to my staff, Julie, and all of our staffs who really worked many long hours to craft this very fair and balanced budget. I rise in strong support of this budget, which really does provide a dramatic alternative to the Republican budget. As a member of the Congressional Black Caucus' executive committee, and also as cochair of the Progressive Caucus, I am doubly pleased to be a cosponsor of this joint alternative budget, which, in my opinion, represents the best alternative on the floor today. Mr. Chairman, we are united today in our opposition to the irresponsible, unfair and warped priorities as expressed in the Republican budget. We cannot and we will not support a budget that spends more on defective technology than on school construction, safe drinking water, vocational education and the fight against HIV and AIDS combined. We cannot and will not support a budget that eliminates vital support for programs such as HOPE VI, the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program and brownfields redevelopment. We cannot and will not support a budget which slashes after-school programs, the school lunch program, veterans' benefits, housing programs, school loan programs, and ignores our Nation's vital need for a meaningful economic stimulus, including relief to the unemployed. Above all, we cannot and we will not support a budget that puts lavish and massive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans above everything else, thereby mortgaging our children's future. What we can and what we will support, however, is this reasonable and fair alternative. Our budget provides a real, fast-acting economic stimulus which includes $180 billion for payroll tax relief, $50 billion for Federal revenue-sharing with States, and $50 billion for infrastructure investment. Our budget provides health care for every single American, a benefit that no other budget offers. Our budget also goes well beyond the Republicans' rhetorical commitment to education by providing serious resources. It fully funds the Leave No Child Behind Act, invests in substantial school construction, our Nation's teachers, vocational education and student loan programs. It also provides critical resources to our Nation's community development and housing programs. It creates a national housing trust fund, restores the administration's cuts to eliminate the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program, and it provides over $1 billion for economic and community development. In addition to funding critical programs at home, our bill also commits substantial increases in funding toward fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic abroad and commits $1.2 billion over the President's reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. How can our budget really afford to fund these priorities? It is really very simple. Instead of tax handouts to the wealthy, our budget freezes the tax cuts passed in 2001, closes corporate tax loopholes, and really does ignore President Bush's new tax cut proposals. In short, our budget has its priorities straight. I encourage our colleagues to join me in supporting our budget. Let us support our troops tonight, Mr. Chairman, by passing this budget that says in no uncertain terms that we intend to bring you home to a country that places your economic security as our highest priority. I thank the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) for this alternative and for their hard work.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise with a heavy heart in strong support of our troops. My thoughts and prayers are with them, and I pray for their safe return. As a soldier's daughter, my heart also goes out to their families. I know they anxiously await their return home. America's Armed Forces put their lives on the line and their sacrifices should never be forgotten. That is why just 2 weeks ago I voted in favor of H.J. Res. 27, which recognized and commended the continuing dedication and selfless service of members of the Armed Forces and their families. In spite of our policy differences, I do support our young men and women in uniform. But what I cannot support, though, is this resolution that endorses war against Iraq. I believed and still believe that diplomatic alternatives existed, the inspections process was working. Keeping our troops out of harm's way has been and remains first and foremost on my mind and in my heart. May God protect them and return them safely home.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, on March 18, 2003, during rollcall vote No. 65 on H. Con. Res. 26 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus for organizing this Special Order and for his leadership, especially for giving us one more chance to discuss this march to this needless and dangerous war. This is a really sad and very somber evening for many of us. Last September, the Congressional Black Caucus issued five principles on war with Iraq. The principles began by saying: ``We oppose a unilateral first-strike action by the United States without a clearly demonstrated and imminent threat of attack on the United States.'' All these months later, Mr. Speaker, we still have no evidence of an imminent threat to our country. Even the CIA in a declassified report has said that Saddam Hussein is unlikely to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States or our allies unless he himself is under dire threat of attack. We do not face an imminent threat. The second principle reads, ``Only Congress has the authority to declare war.'' Congress has not declared war. And the Constitution is unyielding on this point. The third principle states, ``Every diplomatic option must be exhausted.'' Our diplomatic options are not exhausted, although the President's patience apparently is. Through diplomatic engagement and inspections, we have successfully contained and restrained Saddam Hussein. The inspections process is working. It is just not finished yet. The fourth Congressional Black Caucus principle states, ``A unilateral first strike would undermine the moral authority of the United States, result in substantial loss of life, destabilize the Mideast region, and undermine the ability of our Nation to address unmet domestic priorities.'' All of these concerns are still with us, Mr. Speaker. The doctrine of preemption and the threat of preemptive war against Iraq do not make us safer. They make us less secure. This doctrine threatens to set a dangerous precedent that might then be cited by other countries, including other nuclear powers, to justify preemptive first strikes against perceived future threats. That is not a world we want to live in, and not an example we want to set. We also risk unleashing new waves of instability and destruction in the Middle East. And no one here questions for a minute that we have not met our priorities here at home. The Bush budget underfunds education, job training, health care, environmental protections, housing and a host of other critical and neglected priorities. And it underfunds all those programs without including one penny to cover the hundreds of billions of dollars that war and occupation in Iraq will cost. That is still to come. The fifth principle of the Congressional Black Caucus document from last fall reads, ``Any post-strike plan for maintaining stability in the region would be costly and would require a long-term commitment.'' Those facts are still very much with us today. A well-known Yale economist said that reconstruction and occupation in Iraq could cost well over $1 trillion. That is not something the President has acknowledged. It is certainly not in the budget that he has just submitted. We issued those principles last fall, last September, when the President claimed the unilateral right to attack Iraq with or without United Nations' authority and talked a lot about regime change. After all this time, we have returned to our starting point. Tonight we are on the eve of a war. We must take this opportunity, and I thank the gentleman from Maryland again for giving us the opportunity to make one last plea. I want to read excerpts from a letter sent to President Bush by really a great religious leader, the presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson, and the General Board of the Church of God in Christ, which is the largest African American Christian denomination in the United States of America. Some of the excerpts are: ``Dear President Bush: We write to you as predominantly black clergy, intellectuals and informed laypersons of community-serving churches of the Church of God in Christ to address matters of the deepest gravity, namely, that of war and peace as presented by your statements and those of Vice President Richard Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concerning a preemptive attack upon Iraq. ``We are mindful that war, should it come to pass, will directly affect the safety and well-being of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens in the Armed Forces, of whom significant numbers are ethnic minorities in the enlisted as well as the officers and noncommissioned ranks. ``Our thoughts also extend to the safety and well-being of Iraqi civilians who have not lifted a hand against the United States. We are deeply concerned that critical moral reflection on the prospects of war has been overlooked by some in your administration. We do not advocate a weak America, unable to defend the innocents from tyranny of attack, but a strong America must examine itself before setting off to war.'' Bishop Patterson goes on to say, ``We would agree that Iraq's President Saddam Hussein has demonstrated aggression against his neighbors in the past, some of which was unopposed, mind you, by the United States Government. We would also agree that if Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, this would be a matter of grave concern. In this regard, we believe that the United States' interests are best served by using the existing mechanisms of international law, collaboration and consultation with our allies, and the use of existing United Nations resolutions to support the work of weapons inspectors so they may detect and destroy any weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. ``However, we do not find any moral justification for a preemptive strike in the absence of an attack or a real threat of an attack against the United States of America. A military strike of this nature puts the United States in the posture of aggressive warfare, not defense, which is precisely the behavior that we, and your administration, deplore in the Iraqi regime. ``Surely our Nation and its leaders can examine their own intentions in light of Holy Scripture before setting their feet upon the blood- soaked path of war whose ultimate outcome is known with certainty only by the Maker of us all.'' Mr. Speaker, in closing, I support our troops with all my heart. As a soldier's daughter, I know what their families are feeling now. I hope and pray for the return, the safe return, of our Armed Forces and for the safety of Iraqi civilians who will inevitably be caught in the crossfire of any conflict. And I hope and pray that our Nation finds an alternative to war. Once again, as Bishop Patterson said, money spent on war to destroy lives could instead be used to save lives by financing the alleviation of the impending famines in Southern Africa, or to provide clean drinking water to enhance the health of hundreds of thousands of poor, defenseless men, women and children throughout that continent. He said that these resources could also be productively directed toward providing treatment and prevention services for those afflicted by the HIV/AIDS holocaust in Africa, the United States and other countries around the world, not to forget the blight and ravages of economic depression in Appalachia and the inner cities of America. Once again, I just want to say to the gentleman from Maryland and to members of the Congressional Black Caucus, to this body here tonight, that we still have a window of opportunity, a very short window. Tonight we are making one last plea not only on behalf of ourselves, but on behalf of millions of people in our country, millions of people throughout the world who want to see a safe and secure America, who want to see a safe and secure world, who want to turn over to our children a world that is more secure, not less secure.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and commend the leaders of the community-serving Church of God in Christ on their poignant and powerful letter to President Bush regarding Affirmative Action. I encourage my colleagues here in the House and all Americans to read this important letter. Mr. Speaker, at this point I wish to insert the letter into the Record. Church Of God In Christ, Inc., Memphis, TN, January 23, 2003. Hon. George W. Bush, President, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear President Bush: We write to you as the leaders of the community-serving Church Of God In Christ on the matter of Affirmative Action and the recent actions of your Administration toward millions of Blacks in America seeking equal opportunity and participation in the economic, cultural and political life of the nation. We are deeply disappointed in the actions of your Administration regarding the legal briefs that your Justice Department submitted to the Supreme Court opposing equal opportunity for Blacks in the form of Affirmative Action as practiced by the University of Michigan. We note that the Republican Party has in recent years failed to speak with a unified voice in favor of redressing the grave effects of the historic wrongs committed against African-Americans in this country, which continue to reduce and constrain the life opportunities of their descendants. Despite the past strong leadership of Republicans such as President Richard M. Nixon, who implemented robust and vigorous measures in employment, minority contracting and university admissions to wipe away the effects of past anti- Black discrimination, we now observe that since the 1980's, your party has rapidly retreated from the historic Republican ideals of equal opportunity and racial justice. We see that your Secretary of State, General Colin Powell, made a strong statement supporting intensive ongoing implementation of Affirmative Action. This seems to put him at odds with others in your Administration and party, as well as many of your proposed judicial nominees, on the best way to redress the continuing exclusion of Blacks from the economic benefits of American Society. We support Secretary Powell's position and think that other Republicans would do well to follow his lead in standing for strong support of Affirmative Action. The reason Affirmative Action is needed is due to the historic experience of Blacks in America. The experience of Blacks in this country is without analogue and is unique due to the nature of American enslavement of millions of Blacks during the founding of the republic and thereafter. The political, social, cultural and economic effect of racial exclusion because of slavery, which continued in the form of Jim Crow laws and currently operate through more subtle forms of racial prejudice, result in Black Americans having a special and unique set of claims for redress by the body politic. This month you celebrated the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and pledged yourself to renewed efforts toward equal opportunity. The way to turn your words into something beyond empty rhetoric is to support concrete action towards equal opportunity in the form of Affirmative Action. Even Dr. King called for ``compensatory measures'' to help Blacks approach parity in employment opportunities, income wealth, entrepreneurship and other indicators of well being in this country. While we believe that race should not be the only factor in Affirmative Action efforts, we do believe that it is valid to take account of race as a factor when opportunities are distributed among people in society today. With greater effort expended by your Administration and others yet to come, we look forward to the day when Affirmative Action will no longer be necessary. That will be when America has finally attained the level of equal opportunity, inclusion and sense of beloved community for all citizens. The Black community seeks the opportunity to be strengthened so that eventually it can stand upon its own feet, having the effects of past racial exclusion and discrimination erased and able to enter into the fullness of the blessings of America. Your Administration's active support of the Black community in this matter could be among the greatest legacies of the party of Lincoln. We pledge to pray for you and your administration that you might encounter the Divine Wisdom in this matter. In Christ, G. E. Patterson, Presiding Bishop. The General Board: C. E. Blake; C. D. Owens; L. E. Willis; J. N. Haynes; P. A. Brooks; G. D. McKinney; W. W. Hamilton; L. R. Anderson; N. W. Wells, R. L. H. Winbush; S. L. Green, Jr.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend the predominantly Black clergy, intellectual and informed laypersons of the community-serving Church of God in Christ for their letter to President Bush regarding a possible preemptive attack on Iraq. I sincerely hope that ever Member of the House and every American will give serious thought to the points raised in this moving and thoughtful letter. Mr. Speaker, at this point I wish to insert the letter into the Record. Church Of God In Christ, Inc., Memphis, TN, January 23, 2003. Hon. George W. Bush, President, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear President Bush: We write to you as predominantly Black clergy, intellectuals and informed laypersons of community- serving churches of the Church Of God In Christ, to address matters of the deepest gravity, namely, that of war and peace, as presented by your statements and those of Vice President Richard B. Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld concerning a pre-emptive attack upon Iraq. We are mindful that war, should it come to pass, will directly affect the safety and well-being of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens in the Armed Forces, of whom significant numbers are ethnic minorities in the enlisted as well as officers and non-commissioned ranks. Our thoughts also extend to the safety and well-being of Iraqi civilians who have not lifted a hand against the United States. We are deeply concerned that critical moral reflection on the prospects of war has been overlooked by some in your Administration. We do not advocate a weak America; unable to defend the innocent from rapacious tyranny of attack, but a strong America must examine itself before setting off to war. Moreover, Mr. President, we must confess that we fail to see the rush to war as a rational expression of the compassionate conservatism that you promised the country at the beginning of your Administration. Sovereigns in antiquity and national leaders today, especially those who identify with the Christian heritage, are expected to examine their war aims, strategy and tactics in light of these moral principles to determine if war should be pursued, and if so, to determine how these can be pursued in as humane a manner as possible towards all parties to a conflict. Failure to satisfy these criteria renders the war aims, strategies and tactics, at a minimum, morally suspect and perhaps morally unacceptable in the eyes of the Church universal and under the gaze of a just and Holy God. We note the rising voices from all parts of America pleading for restraint, reflection and prudence in considering war against Iraq. Notable conservatives from your own party with significant prior foreign policy experiences, such as Brent Scowcroft and Lawrence S. Eagleburger, have counseled against this war. This is especially true in the absence of an actual attack, or evidence of preparation for it against the United States that could be put forth for public review. We also note the similar wise counsel against the rush to war from your own Secretary of State, General Colin L. Powell, a soldier's soldier himself. Noteworthy also is the recent letter from CIA Director George Tenet to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees warning of the grave dangers to the United States of domestic terrorism if war is waged against Iraq. We would agree that Iraq's President, Saddam Hussein, has demonstrated aggression against his neighbors in the past, some of which was unopposed by the United States government. We would also agree that if Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction this would be a matter of grave concern. In this regard, we believe that the United States' interests are best served by using the existing mechanisms of international law, collaboration and consultation with our allies and the use of existing United Nations resolutions to support the work of weapons inspectors so they may detect and destroy any weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. However, we do not find any moral justification for a pre- emptive strike in the absence of an attack, or real threat of an attack, upon the United States. A military strike of this nature puts the United States in the posture of aggressive warfare, not defense, which is precisely the behavior that we, and your Administration, deplore in the Iraqi regime. We recall the moral witness of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., forty years ago when the United States launched its military excursion into Southeast Asia without significant prior public debate. In retrospect, had the American people been able to engage in a free public debate on the military aims and process, tens of thousands of lives on all sides of the conflict might have been spared. As Church leaders, we painfully remember that while Blacks were struggling to secure full civil rights in the American South, our youth were sent off to fight and die in an undeclared war whose military and political objectives were unclear. We do not wish to see more young Americans die in a new war whose goals are ill-defined. Money spent on war to destroy lives could instead be used to save lives by financing the alleviation of the impending famines in southern Africa, or to provide clean drinking water to enhance the health of hundreds of thousands of poor, defenseless men, women and children throughout that continent. These resources could also be productively directed toward providing treatment and prevention services for those afflicted by the HIV/AIDS holocaust in Africa, the United States and other countries around the world. Not to forget the blight and ravages of economic depression in Appalachia and the inner cities of America. As those who are representative of the many churches that serve the spiritual and social needs of millions of Blacks and other ethnicities in America, we humbly ask your Administration to stay the hands of war and vengeance and instead yield to the rule of law and the inherent disposition toward peace that is central to America's Christian heritage. We call upon your decision makers to reflect upon the inspired Biblical witness of the Apostle James: ``What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but you don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.'' (Saint James 4:1-3) Surely our nation and its leaders can examine their own intentions in light of Holy Scripture before setting their feet upon the blood-soaked path of war, whose ultimate outcome is known with certainty only by the Maker of us all. We pledge to pray for you and your Administration, that you might encounter the Divine Wisdom in this matter. In Christ, G.E. Patterson, Presiding Bishop.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, for a nation that boasts about being the wealthiest in the world, claiming liberty and justice for all, the fact that there are over 40 million people without health insurance is a contradiction and a shame. And instead of addressing this crisis head on, this Administration and House Republican leadership continues to talk about health care and do nothing. The bulk of the uninsured are low-income and minorities. These are the Americans who too often are ignored. The uninsured have lived a campaign of survival, and deserve a voice today and every day on this floor. As I stand before you on this floor, I would like to introduce you to these voiceless constituents. They are the men and women who have jobs in our stagnant economy. Most Americans receive health insurance through their employers, but millions lack coverage because their employers do not offer insurance or simply cannot afford to pay for it. Many of these working Americans qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid covers 40 million low-income people and their families, but millions more do not meet its limiting income and eligibility requirements because of savage welfare reform restrictions crafted by the Republicans, leaving the most vulnerable uninsured. The numbers speak volumes. Fifty-six percent of the uninsured population are low-income and nearly one in five of the uninsured are low-income children. Although minorities comprise only 34 percent of the population, over half of the nation's uninsured are minorities. Twenty percent of these uninsured are African American and 34 percent are Hispanic. Minorities and the underserved bear a disproportionate burden of mortality and morbidity across a wide range of health conditions. Mortality is a crude indicator of health status and demonstrates how critical these disparities are for minorities. For African Americans and Latinos, these disparities begin early in life and persist. African American infant mortality rates are more than double those of whites, 14 percent vs 16 percent, and the rate for Latinos is 9 percent compared to 6 percent for whites. The death rate for African Americans is 55 percent higher than for whites, with AIDS being the 6th leading cause of death for African American males. I could go on with a multitude of statistics that clearly illustrate the stark disparities in health care that exist for minorities. Yet the point remains that these disparities are a result of lack of insurance and lack of access to health care. Health insurance is important because it impacts health outcomes. Nearly 40 percent of the uninsured have no regular source of health care and use emergency care more due to avoiding high cost regular visits. This situation creates an ongoing cycle of adults and children skipping routine check-ups for common conditions, recommended tests, and treatments because of the financial burden, resulting in serious illnesses that are more costly. The uninsured are more likely than those with insurance to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been avoided. The message we must send is that universal health care that provides high quality health care should be provided without discrimination. That is why today I am introducing H.R. 3000, the U.S. Universal Health Service Act (U.S. UHSA). This proposal challenges us as Americans to take another look at the fundamental role government will have to play if we are ever to achieve an equitable and rational health care system. Universal health care is the only way we can provide equal access and fairness to our health care system. The uninsured are suffering; if we don't acknowledge health care as a basic human right soon, it will be too late for some, and our society's most vulnerable will continue to suffer. Our nation is the only industrialized nation that does not have a health insurance program for everyone, and our health care system is failing. Make health care accessible! Make health care affordable! Make health care a guarantee! I encourage all of my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 3000 and support health care for all.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, Walter Jefferson Lewis passed away on February 22, 2003. On that day, his family and friends lost a loving son, brother, and companion and the world lost a passionate lover of art, food, travel, and life itself. Walter Lewis was born and raised in Schenectady, New York. He went on to study at Syracuse University and Schenectady County Community College, graduating with distinction in the Culinary Arts and Hotel and Business Management. Walter served his country, spending eleven years in the United States Air Force. During that period, he was stationed in Alaska, California, New Mexico, and Germany. The time spent in those distant posts just whetted his appetite for travel; his journeys took him across much of the globe, and he made lifelong friends wherever he went. That same passion and zest for life fueled both his occupation and avocation of baking. Walter worked for a number of years managing the bakery department of the Golub Corporation, and he shared his culinary skills with those around him: for him, food, family, and food, were all joyously intertwined. Walter Lewis will be deeply missed by those of us who knew and loved him. He made a special imprint through his faith, his gifts, and his joy of life. While we mourn his passing, we also celebrate his memory. May he rest in peace.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5. This bill claims to protect patients' rights but, in fact, it strips away the rights of patients, especially women, seniors, children, and lower income families. It does protect someone, however. It protects HMOs, the insurance industry, and the pharmaceutical companies. Medical malpractice is a serious issue, but so is medical error. Thousands of Americans die every year due to medical mistakes and thousands more are injured and placed at risk. The wrong limbs have been amputated. Improper transplants have been performed. These are real people, real examples, and real injuries and deaths, not frivolous lawsuits. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5 would restrict the rights of such legitimately and seriously injured patients. The Conyers-Dingell alternative offers meaningful reform without putting Americans at risk. Conyers-Dingell would eliminate frivolous lawsuits, increase competition, and reduce costs. It would address the crisis situation faced in some geographic areas, but not by sacrificing crucial protections. I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 5 and to protect patients' rights by supporting Conyers-Dingell.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for that very poignant statement and also for putting a face on what we are talking about today. Yes, it is hope that we all need, but it is resources also that provide that hope. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to ask the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) to come forward. She is a medical doctor, and with the Congressional Black Caucus in terms of her leadership on the Health Brain Trust, has been working on a variety of health care issues as they relate to the disparities we see within the African American communities, and one of those is prostate cancer. I am sure the gentlewoman, as I yield to her, would like to comment on that.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia for her participation and for her leadership.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for her statement and for her leadership and for her patience on this special order. Let me yield to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), and I want to thank her also for her participation and her leadership this evening.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens) for his participation and for reminding us that really Africa is just the tip of the iceberg, and this is a global pandemic. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for her very comprehensive statement. I would like to commend her for her leadership with the Congressional Black Caucus in terms of sharing in our health brain trust. Just today we held a health brain trust with regard to the country of Haiti, and I am delighted that the gentlewoman raised Haiti in her presentation. Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. Ninety percent of all HIV and AIDS infections in the Caribbean are in Haiti. Over 300,000 people are infected and have been identified, and deaths from HIV and AIDS have left over 163,000 children orphans, so it is so important that we encourage the administration to release the funds that the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) mentioned in terms of the International Development Bank. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Owens), my colleague and a real leader on behalf of our children and on behalf of the Caribbean, on behalf of those suffering and living with HIV and AIDS. I thank the gentleman for his participation this evening.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from California for her participation and for that very eloquent and very clear statement. I thank her for her commitment to health care issues in general. Mr. Speaker, I would like now to yield to the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, my colleague from California (Mr. Cunningham). I mentioned earlier that this has been a bipartisan effort in establishing the global AIDS fund. We passed on a bipartisan basis the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000 with the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), and I think we see progress when we work together. So I am delighted my colleague would like to speak this evening.

Ms. LEE

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the subject of my special order.