Barbara Lee

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. As the founder of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, I rise again today to remind this body about the crisis of poverty in America, which really should prick the conscience of every Democrat and Republican. As we begin to consider legislation for this year and budgets for the fiscal year 2013, we must do more to help millions of Americans living in poverty. We must do more for the millions of Americans who are looking very hard for a job and working hard every day to move up the ladder of opportunity, really trying to remove these very difficult barriers. We must not balance our budgets on the backs of the most vulnerable, the poor, and low-income individuals, and we cannot allow any budget cuts or authorize new spending on programs that will increase poverty or increase income inequality in America. We also must commit to taking bold steps to reducing the devastating impact of poverty in America, and that is by creating jobs. It's inexcusable and immoral to fail to take the strongest possible action to bring immediate help to those Americans in need. We cannot continue down the path that leads to increasing poverty, inequality, and income disparities which focus more and more wealth in the hands of the few and leave millions of Americans behind. With nearly 50 million Americans in poverty and half of all Americans in low-income households, we cannot wait. We must act now. Mr. Speaker, poverty doesn't just hurt families and the children who grow up in families trapped by poverty, but it costs our Nation hundreds of billions of dollars in lost productivity and slows the Nation's economic growth. We must act to strengthen funding for programs that not only prevent hunger, homelessness, crime, and maintain access to education, but we all must create initiatives to demand goods and services which boost our economy. That means that small businesses across America need customers, and they need customers right now. So we must extend the expiring unemployment benefits. We can't abandon the millions of job seekers before they find a good job. We should also immediately add an additional 14 weeks of tier I unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have completely exhausted their benefits after 99 weeks. Far too many Americans have exhausted all of their unemployment benefits and are still unable to work. We must not abandon these 99ers. To achieve these ends, we must ensure that we protect the efficient and effective programs we already have in place and provide strong investments that spur immediate job growth. And we have the resources to do this if we commit ourselves to increasing fairness in taxation to ensure that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share and enact a reasonable Tax Code that includes financial transactions which will not only raise vital revenue but set some limits to the wild, out-of- control speculation and vulture capitalism that nearly brought down this entire economy. Also, we must take a bold approach in how we allocate the large savings from our defense budgets as we bring our troops home from abroad. I'm confident that the President will speak to the moral and economic crises of income inequality and will not forget the long-term unemployed, the poor, our seniors, our students, and the middle class in his State of the Union speech tonight. I hope the Republicans and Democrats in this body take heed and tomorrow pass the American Jobs Act for the good of the country.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much. I thank the gentlelady for her kind remarks, and I also thank Congresswoman Christensen for her leadership. She serves as the first vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and has led on so many issues in this House on behalf of our country and on behalf of her constituents. Thank you very much. Let me also take a moment to thank Congresswoman Fudge and Congresswoman Jackson Lee, Congressman Bobby Scott and Chairman Rangel for their leadership in defending the most basic element of our democracy--the right to vote. I'd also like to thank our Congressional Black Caucus chair, Emanuel Cleaver, for his focus on this very critical issue. His leadership is making such a difference on so many important issues in our country. The right to vote is our most fundamental right that guarantees and preserves all other legal rights. When Americans lose their right to vote, that endangers their ability to defend further attacks on their rights. The assault on voter rights continues in 2012. In this election year, a coordinated campaign designed to block access to the polls to tens of millions of Americans threatens to undermine our democracy and change election outcomes. And sadly, Mr. Speaker, it's no secret which communities these laws are designed to disenfranchise--communities of color, students, elderly Americans, impoverished families, and the disabled. Let me say that the Republican legislators and Governors who are pushing these antivoter laws know exactly what they are doing. They saw the election results of 2008, with the surge of voter participation from Americans who had never voted before. They see the rising tide of Americans who seek to change their country by doing their basic civic duty on Election Day. Instead of embracing change, they are desperately trying to avoid change by undermining our voting process. These Republican legislators are proposing partisan laws that require voters to show a government-approved photo ID before voting. Those who are truly concerned about voter fraud have plenty of actual, documented problems to take on. Why aren't they going after those who spread false information meant to trick voters or public officials who improperly purge eligible voters or political operatives who tamper with election equipment and forms? Instead, they all are pushing laws designed to change election outcomes by reducing voting, repressing turnout, and turning the clock back. Now, I have an aunt who is 100 years old, who was born at a time when records were not kept like they are today. How in the world would my aunt know where to start to find her birth certificate to be eligible to qualify for a government ID? How can I ask her to pay to do the research so she can figure out where her birth certificate may be and then pay to get a government ID to vote? Outrageous. One hundred years ago, my aunt did not have the right to vote. Thanks to the hard work of those who came before us, my aunt witnessed the expansion of voting rights to women with the 19th Amendment and the protection of African American and other minority voters with the Voting Rights Act. These regressive laws seek to turn my aunt back to where she was a century ago when she could not vote and her fundamental right to fully participate in our democratic society was cut off, mind you, just cut off by unjust laws. These partisan laws are shameful and a disgrace to our country. These antidemocratic efforts have no place in a modern democracy, and we must unmask these shameful attempts to disenfranchise voters. We encourage democracy and voting rights all around the world. I was an observer in the first election in South Africa where President Nelson Mandela was elected. I was an observer in the nineties in Nigeria. I witnessed long lines of people waiting patiently to vote. People believed and said to me that in America voting was encouraged rather than discouraged, so we need to stop these partisan efforts that strike at the core of our democracy. It really is, Congresswoman Christensen, fundamentally anti-American. We have to win this war against voters. We should be about dismantling and reducing barriers so we can reignite their hope for the American Dream. I want to, again, thank you for your leadership, and Congresswomen Fudge and Jackson Lee, and Bobby Scott and Mr. Rangel and the entire Congressional Black Caucus for their calls and their hard work to protect the right to vote for all citizens across this Nation. We must protect voters from these attempts to deny access to the heart of our democratic process. We need to move forward and encourage more voter participation. People need to know that they have a stake in this system and in this democracy. These laws were designed to stop that.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me just say to the prior gentleman who spoke, Mr. Jones, that I appreciate him continuing to call for the end of the war and occupation of Afghanistan and bringing our young men and women home because, of course, we know that this war has created undue hardship, so many deaths, and really has been the longest war in our lifetime. And so thank you, Mr. Jones, for your leadership. I am the founder of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, and I just have to rise today on behalf of the caucus to continue to talk about the tide of poverty that is sweeping our country. As we begin now the second session of the 112th Congress, we must do more to help the millions of Americans living in poverty, looking hard for a job, and working hard every day to move up the ladder of opportunity and earn their share of the American Dream. Mr. Speaker, on January 4, The New York Times reported that economic mobility--the ability to work hard and make your fortune from humble beginnings, which is the fundamental cornerstone of the American Dream--is getting harder and harder to achieve in America. Americans have fallen behind and are increasingly cut off from their dreams of having a job and supporting their families. How in the world did this happen? The failed policies of the past administration only helped the richest among us become richer and concentrated greater wealth into the hands of a wealthy few. And today, House Republican leadership has failed to address the needs of most Americans. The only way that our economy can recover and reduce poverty is to create jobs and to expand access to the economic opportunities. We find that the lack of opportunity and economic mobility is worse at the bottom, and without a real commitment to change, it will only get worse. The Republican-led Congress has been too beholden to their extremist Tea Party base to reach the necessary compromises to move our Nation forward and to begin the hard work of rebuilding and growing our economy for all Americans. Now, President Obama did stop the economy from going off a cliff, and Congress must work with the President to put our Nation back on the road to recovery and growth. We continue to have unacceptably high unemployment, and we all know that the rates of unemployment and the rates of poverty in our minority communities continue to be about twice the national average. But even these painful and these shameful statistics may not completely show just how much Wall Street has focused their efforts on stripping communities of color of the little wealth that they have managed to accumulate over the last few decades. The Pew Research Center found that minority households were hit disproportionately hard by the housing and financial crisis. The Pew Center found that from 2005 to 2009, median wealth fell by 66 percent among Hispanic households and 53 percent among black households, compared with just 16 percent among white households. As a result of these declines, the typical African American household now has, mind you, just $5,677 in wealth; the typical Hispanic household has $6,300 in wealth; and the typical white household has $113,000 in net worth. So the facts speak for themselves. Wall Street targeted minority homeowners and minority communities, and we must respond accordingly. It is long past time that we as a Nation enact bold programs and policies that ensure that we are a Nation that truly does provide equal opportunity and access to the American Dream rather than allowing, for example, minorities to be targeted for policies and programs that undermine their ability to achieve the American Dream. We must begin immediately to have an up-or-down vote on a clean bill that extends vital emergency unemployment benefits for the 99 weeks for the millions of job seekers who continue to struggle to find a job and are no longer eligible for unemployment compensation. Mr. Speaker, the majority of Americans who are struggling to find a job now are already no longer getting unemployment benefits due to the 99-week wall. But people want to work. There are four people, however, looking for one job, and that is a fact. So we need to pass H.R. 3638, the Restore the American Dream Act, for the 99 percent, a package of job-creation measures and policy reforms introduced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. This bill would significantly boost employment and create jobs in the short term and improve the fiscal outlook in the long term. It's the right thing to do. Instead, this Tea Party-led Congress has wasted an entire year without any jobs bills, without extending any new help to the millions of Americans in need. We can't wait and neither should Congress. Let's help to make sure that the poor and the unemployed Americans find good-paying jobs and make that our number one priority. We must remove these obstacles to reignite the American Dream.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I just wanted to say, perhaps the gentleman was confused about which bill I was talking about. I was talking about the Senate compromise, which 39 Senators voted for, which the President supported, which came over to the House as a bipartisan bill. That's the bill I'm talking about.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the political games that the Republicans continue to play. We know that an extension of unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways to get our economy going again, and it's the right thing to do, especially because people are just living on the edge right now. Yet the GOP is ready to cut unemployment benefits for 2.2 million Americans. They're ready to raise taxes on 160 million Americans by $1,000. Yet they want to lower taxes for those in the 1 percent. The GOP is ready to tell 48 million seniors that they will no longer have access to their doctors. This is really outrageous. It's un-American, and it's wrong. This jobs crisis is a national emergency, and long-term unemployment is at unprecedented levels. We need an up-or-down vote on this Senate compromise.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Congresswoman Slaughter, the gentlelady from New York, for her leadership and for yielding. This is not the open and transparent process the Republicans have promised the American people. Instead, we have had a closed-door process that has stacked this critical spending bill, a bill that is necessary to make our government and our Nation function, with a bunch of special-interest riders. For example: Gutting the budget of the IRS, that will not reduce deficits caused by the Bush tax cuts for the 1 percent, and that's in this bill. Helping to spread HIV and hepatitis C through dirty needles will not help our economic recovery. Yes, that will happen in this bill. Denying the women of Washington, DC, the right which other women have throughout the country, the right to health services, the right to have an abortion with the city's own money--not Federal funds, mind you, not Federal funds but other funds. We are denying, again, low-income, mostly African American minority women that right in this bill. Why in the world would we want to include this type of a rider in a bill to fund our government? It makes no sense. It's mean-spirited and it's wrong. Also, why would we want to continue to have provisions to pollute the air that we breathe and the water that we drink? That's in this bill, with some of these riders. That will not raise the failing median income of American workers. Unfortunately, again, this bill does that. Funding abstinence-only sex education, we know that fails. That won't create the millions of jobs necessary to grow the American middle class and to help more people from falling deeper into poverty. This recession--and for many, it's still a depression--is hurting millions. Half of all Americans are either in poverty, near poor, or low income. We should be focused on lifting these families up and reigniting the American Dream.

Ms. LEE of California. Thank you. In this bill, we should have focused on creating these ladders of opportunity, removing barriers and helping to reignite the American Dream for all Americans. Instead, we're scoring, I believe, political points on the backs of Washington, DC, women and millions of poor and struggling individuals and families in this country. The process that this bill underwent as we brought it forward to this floor was not a good process. I think had we had regular order, due process, we would have been able to figure some of these issues out.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, while I am deeply concerned about Iran's capacity to develop nuclear weapons and I support targeted sanctions against Iran, I voted no on H.R. 1905, the Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011 because I do not believe it would accomplish its stated goal of reducing the threat from Iran. I am concerned that at a time when more nuanced diplomatic tools are needed to successfully address this important and multifaceted effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, this legislation would dangerously limit the flexibility of the U.S. Government to engage directly with Iran to turn back these efforts. The Administration has made it clear that the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act (CISADA), enacted just last year after careful deliberation by both the House and Senate, is an adequate and effective tool for addressing the threat potentially posed through multilateral negotiations with Iran. I have spoken directly with officials at the State Department and they tell me they are very concerned that piling on additional sanctions could have the counterproductive result of sending the already destabilized economies of our European allies into a tailspin and threaten the stability of the global economic recovery. I am also troubled by the 601(c) provision inserted during mark-up of the bill, which takes the unprecedented step of restricting dialogue between U.S. and Iranian officials. The controversial provision would prohibit contact between U.S. diplomats and any Iranian official who ``would pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the vital national security interests of the United States.'' This is dangerous and would have prohibited the efforts that secured the release of two of my constituents, Sarah Shourd and Shane Bauer, along with their friend and fellow U.C. Berkeley alumnus Josh Fattal, who were detained for years in Iran after being arrested while hiking near Iran's border with Northern Iraq. Furthermore, not only is it unclear how restricting negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program would advance our security interests, it should be clear that taking this option off the table is counterproductive in addressing the very real threats that Iran presents. It is my hope that my colleagues will address these issues in conference and return a bill for final passage that considers what it takes to effectively undertake national security strategy execution. It is time for us to stop posturing and to understand that far from a reward to withhold, diplomacy is a critical tool for protecting United States national security interests.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and also thank our chairman and ranking member and subcommittee chairs, really, for bringing together a bipartisan bill to the floor. But I cannot support the bill because, once again, poor and low-income communities are taking the brunt of the terrible cuts. While there are good provisions in this bill, what we have, however, is a bill loaded with special interest, Tea Party Republican riders at the expense of low-income people, especially women of color, right here in Washington, D.C. Cutting off low-income women in Washington, D.C. from access to the same health and reproductive services available throughout the country is really not critical to preventing a shutdown. Forcing the continuation of abstinence-only sex education that fails to meet the needs of young people, that's not critical to preventing the government shutdown. Increasing the spread of HIV and hepatitis C through dirty needles is not critical to preventing a government shutdown. Finally, let me just say this bill continues to fund over $2 billion a week, mind you, $2 billion a week on a war without end in Afghanistan. We must allow the Afghan people to control their own destiny and immediately begin to pull our great young men and women in uniform out of harm's way.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. First let me thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding. He is a former member of the Intelligence Committee, and I just have to thank him for his tremendous leadership and for his opening statement which laid out many of the concerns that many of us have about this bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this very controversial bill that directly attacks the bedrock values of America. I'm talking about the constitutional guarantees of due process for those charged with crimes. Now, against the wishes of President Obama; our Defense Secretary, Mr. Panetta; the Director of National Intelligence, Mr. Clapper; and FBI director, Mr. Mueller, this bill allows the Federal Government to seize suspected terrorists, including United States citizens, and hold them in indefinite detention. Arresting citizens and holding them without trial violates the Fifth Amendment's due process guarantees. This bill fundamentally is un- American, and it threatens all of our liberties. We cannot allow those who seek to terrorize the American people to win by trashing the very civil liberties at the heart of our national identity. Giving up American ideals will not make us safer. This legislation undermines our national security and our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I would like to enter into the Record this letter from 26 retired generals and admirals concerned about how the United States treats detainees. These veteran national security experts wrote this rare public letter denouncing the detention provisions. I will conclude with the words of those honorable retired generals and flag officers who warned that this legislation ``both reduces the options available to our Commander in Chief to incapacitate terrorists and violates the rule of law, and would seriously undermine the safety of the American people.'' I ask my colleagues to defend the civil freedoms which we all cherish, to support our national security, to support our democracy, and to vote ``no'' on this very dangerous bill and this rule. November 28, 2011. Dear Senator: We are members of a nonpartisan group of forty retired generals and admirals concerned about U.S. policy regarding enemy prisoner treatment and detention. We write to urge you to vote for Amendment 1107 to the National Defense Authorization Act which would strike all of the controversial detention provisions in sections 1031, 1032 and 1033 and, in their place, mandate a process for Congress to consider whether any detention legislation is needed. As retired general and flag officers, we clearly do not make this request lightly. It is clear, however, that there is significant disagreement over the impact on our national security of these provisions. There should be no disagreement that legislation which both reduces the options available to our Commander-in-Chief to incapacitate terrorists and violates the rule of law would seriously undermine the safety of the American people. We appreciate that our leaders are constantly striving to make America more secure, but in doing so, we must be careful not to overreact and overreach, resulting in policies that will do more harm than good. At the very least, the current detention provisions merit public debate and should not be agreed to behind closed doors and tucked into legislation as important as our national defense bill. Sincerely, General Joseph P. Hoar, USMC (Ret.); General Charles C. Krulak, USMC (Ret.); General David M. Maddox, USA (Ret.); General William G. T. Tuttle Jr., USA (Ret.); Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard Jr., USA (Ret.); Lieutenant General Charles P. Otstott, USA (Ret.); Lieutenant General Harry E. Soyster (Ret.); Major General John Batiste, USA (Ret.); Major General Paul D. Eaton, USA (Ret.); Major General Eugene Fox, USA (Ret.); Rear Admiral Don Guter, USN (Ret.); Major General William L. Nash, USA (Ret.); Major General Thomas J. Romig, USA (Ret.); Major General Murray G. Sagsveen, USA (Ret.); Major General Walter L. Stewart, Jr., ARNG (Ret.); Major General, Antonio `Tony' M. Taguba, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General John Adams, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General David M. Brahms, USMC (Ret.); Brigadier General James Cullen, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General Gerald E. Galloway, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General Leif H. Hendrickson, USMC (Ret.); Brigadier General David R. Irvine, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General John H. Johns, USA (Ret.); Brigadier General Anthony Verrengia, USAF (Ret.); Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, USA (Ret.).

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding time and for her leadership on an issue so critical to extending a safety net to those who are desperately looking for jobs and who need this bridge over troubled waters at this point. Mr. Speaker, the Republican bill would gut unemployment benefits to the millions of Americans who are looking for work when there are, roughly, four people for every one job. It would reduce unemployment benefits down to 59 weeks from 99 weeks at a time when we are facing a serious crisis among our long-term unemployed. It makes no economic sense, and quite frankly, it is heartless. The Lee-Scott amendment would have replaced these Republican Christmastime cuts with real extensions of unemployment benefits, and it would have added an additional 14 weeks of unemployment insurance for the millions of Americans who have already exhausted their benefits, but the Republicans did not make any amendments in order--no fixes allowed to the heartless and senseless cuts that this contains. This bill is really a sham. It's a shame, and it's a disgrace. It will cost our Nation jobs, and it is a slap in the face to job seekers. We should really be about the work of reigniting the American Dream, not making it more of a nightmare for people as this bill would do.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleagues today to call for an immediate extension of the emergency unemployment benefits, including those who have hit the 99-week limit. Also, I want to ask for the extension of the payroll tax holiday for millions of Americans. I also urge my colleagues to reject attempts to attach these urgently needed economic recovery actions with partisan proposals to gut the Clean Air Act and support Big Oil at the expense of middle and low-income individuals. Republicans in the House have already tried to pass hundreds of anti- environmental bills, amendments, and policy riders. Apparently, this is not enough. Now Republicans want to combine repealing important Clean Air Act provisions with the extension of the payroll tax cut. Ironically, Mr. Speaker, repealing these Clean Air Act standards for industrial boilers would cost our economy $21 billion to $52 billion per year in higher health care costs resulting from asthma, lung cancer, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths. Not surprisingly, Republicans have also included expediting approval of the Keystone pipeline in exchange for a payroll tax extension. This is unacceptable. The proposed route for the Keystone pipeline is currently being reviewed and revisited by the State Department. Also, past State Department environmental impact statements have been found to lack key information on the real and potential environmental impacts of the pipeline. Republican politicians must stop playing games with the American people and holding hostage the recovery of our entire economy just to score political points with their extreme Tea Party base. Instead of wrapping special interest policy riders and polluter giveaways into a tax extender package, Congress should focus on those policies which are demonstrated job creators; that is, the payroll tax cuts, domestic clean energy incentives, and unemployment compensation extension. We must not fail to do the work of the American people, and we must not fail to extend these critical benefits before they run out. I call on Republicans to quickly bring a clean bill to the floor that extends emergency unemployment benefits for the millions of job seekers who continue to struggle to find a job in the middle of an economic disaster that the careless deregulation of the banks, two wars, and tax cuts for the wealthy created. Also, it's really unconscionable that, while we're trying to increase the time limit for unemployment compensation past 99 weeks, the Republicans now want to reverse this to 59 weeks. This is just down right mean-spirited. So let's have an up-or-down vote on a clean bill that extends the temporary reduction of the payroll tax cut for millions of Americans who really cannot afford a tax hike. Let's have an up-or-down vote on a clean bill that isn't filled with special interest policy riders and polluter giveaways. Let's have an up-or-down vote on a clean bill that keeps millions of families out of poverty. Failing to extend these critical benefits would cripple our recovery, endanger the public health of our communities, and cost the economy over a half million jobs. We can't afford to ignore the needs of the millions of Americans who have run out of time and who are now losing their homes, falling out of the middle class, and relying more and more on government assistance. We really should be taking actions to implement targeted programs and policies that ensure that we are a Nation that truly will provide ladders of opportunity and the removal of barriers to the American Dream. We should be taking strong action to protect public health and the full implementation of the Clean Air Act as a tool for cleaning up pollution from these power plants and commercial boilers. We also should be working with other countries to reduce the impacts of climate change and to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts. This is nothing short of a national emergency, and we must do more to support middle and low-income families, protect the health of our communities, and support our hospitals and local businesses and get people back to work. This really should be a moral imperative during this holiday season.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include extraneous materials and statements into the Record. First let me thank Chairman Cleaver for organizing this timely special order and for his leadership on these issues that are so critical for millions of Americans who are looking for work and living on the edge. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to call for an immediate extension of emergency unemployment benefits and to extend the vital payroll tax holiday for millions of Americans. We must not fail to do the work of the American people and we must not fail to extend these critical benefits before they run out. Republican politicians continue to play games with the American people and threaten the recovery of our entire economy just to score political points with their extreme Tea Party base. If you believed, even for a moment, that Republican politicians truly cared about the plight of the millions of Americans who are struggling to find a job and did not care just about protecting their special interests and getting more tax breaks for the super rich, then this bill should end all doubt. H.R. 3630 reveals their true colors. This latest bill, the so called Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011, is another slap in the face to the millions of Americans who are struggling to find a job and are living in poverty or on the edge of falling into poverty. Republicans are holding hostage critical unemployment benefits and threatening every working American with a tax hike so that they can advance the special interest agenda. I call on Republicans to quickly bring a clean bill to the floor that extends emergency unemployment for the millions of jobseekers who continue to struggle to find a job in the middle of the economic disaster that the careless deregulation of the banks created. Let's have an up or down vote on a clean bill that extends the temporary reduction of the payroll tax for millions of Americans that has been critical in boosting demand and lifting our economy. Let's have an up or down vote on a clean bill that isn't bogged down with riders and special interest spending. Let's have an up or down vote on a clean bill that keeps millions of families and 1 million children out of poverty. Failing to extend these critical benefits would cripple our recovery and cost the economy over half a million jobs. If you speak to nearly any business person, they will tell you that they are not hiring and not expanding, not because of ``uncertainty about the tax code'' or ``burdensome regulation,'' but because they are certain that they don't have customers. Failing to extend these critical benefits and cutting off unemployment benefits during the holidays would strip 2 million customers out of the economy by March and over 6 million customers out of the economy by the end of the year. We could not make a worse decision than to cripple our recovery by failing to protect millions of families and children from poverty, because that is just what unemployment benefits does, it keeps 1 million children from falling into poverty. Mr. Speaker, our economy is on the way to recovery, but much more must be done. We may have seen a small drop in the national unemployment last month, but during that same month that saw a .4 percent drop in unemployment nationally, we saw a .4 percent rise in unemployment for African Americans. There can be no clearer reminder of the ongoing racial and ethnic disparities that continue to plague our Nation and keep minority communities suffering disproportionately higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and tragic health disparities like the unconscionably higher rates of HIV infection. 100 million people--1 in 3 Americans--live in poverty or the zone just above poverty. The budget shortfalls caused by the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and his two unfunded wars are causing massive lay-offs in States, counties and cities across the country and those lay-offs are again striking minority communities at disproportionate rates. Not only must we immediately extend the emergency unemployment benefits, but we should also immediately pass legislation that I, along with my colleague Congressman Bobby Scott introduced, H.R. 589. Our legislation would add an additional 14 weeks of tier I unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have already completely exhausted their benefits. Mr. Scott and I have introduced an amendment which would replace the draconian cuts to unemployment benefits contained in the Republican bill with a clean extension of the existing Emergency Unemployment Compensation and H.R. 589 which would give some help to the 99ers who have completely run out of unemployment benefits. We cannot ignore the needs of the millions of Americans who have run out of time and are now losing their homes, falling out of the middle class, and relying more and more on other forms of government assistance. We should be taking strong action to implement targeted programs and policies that ensure that we are a Nation that truly does provide equal opportunity and equal access to the American Dream. This is nothing short of a national emergency and more must be done immediately to put in place programs that directly address the on-going crisis of poverty and unemployment in America by creating millions of new jobs now.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``yes'' on the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 10.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Thank you so much. First off, let me thank the gentleman from Michigan for those very kind words, more importantly for your leadership on so many fronts and for caring about those who are falling through the cracks at this point, and also for this very sobering Special Order tonight, because this is very sobering on the need for an immediate extension of unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who are struggling to find work. While we received some welcome news on the unemployment rates from last week with the national unemployment rate falling to 8.6 percent from 9 percent, we cannot stop. We cannot abandon the millions of job seekers during the middle of a faltering recovery. In fact, failing to extend these critical benefits would really cripple our recovery and cost the economy over half a million jobs. The slow pace of private sector job creation is not because of regulations or uncertainty in the Tax Code. If you speak to nearly any business person, they will tell you that they are not hiring because they don't have customers. Abruptly ending unemployment benefits during the holiday season, first of all, it's mean and it's morally wrong. It would strip 2 million customers out of the economy by March, and over 6 million customers out of the economy by the end of the year. But again, more importantly this is just morally wrong. This is just not who we are as Americans. We could not make a worse decision than to cripple our economy by failing to protect millions of families and children from poverty because that is just what unemployment benefits do. It keeps 1 million children from falling into poverty. So we absolutely must extend this critical benefit to workers who were laid off through no fault of their own before the end of this year. Hidden, though, within the positive 0.4 percent drop of unemployment is the discouraging news that over 300,000 Americans dropped out of the workforce and that the long-term unemployment picture is not improving, with the average length of unemployment now rising from 39 weeks to 40 weeks. So not only must we immediately extend the emergency unemployment benefits, but we should also immediately pass legislation that Congressman Bobby Scott and myself have introduced, H.R. 589, which would add an additional 14 weeks of tier I unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have already completely exhausted their benefits. And I hope that the Republican leadership will bring that bill to the floor for an up-or-down vote. We can't ignore the needs of people who have hit the 99 weeks, because unfortunately when we extend unemployment benefits, there will be 2 to 3 million people who still won't be covered because they've hit the 99 weeks. So we can't ignore the needs of the millions of Americans who have run out of time and who are now losing their homes, falling out of the middle class, and relying more and more on our help. In addition, there was a startling rise in the African American unemployment rate from 15.1 percent to 15.5 percent in the same period. There can be no clearer reminder of the ongoing racial and ethnic disparities that continue to plague our Nation and keep minority communities suffering disproportionately than higher rates of unemployment, poverty, near poverty, and tragic health disparities like unconscionably higher rates of HIV infection. When the national employment picture improved significantly for the first time in months, African Americans faced a marked increase in their unemployment. That means we must take immediate and bold action to implement targeted programs and policies to ensure that we truly are a Nation that provides equal opportunity and leaves no one behind in terms of accessing the American Dream. Now, Congressman Levin, I held a job fair in my district a few months ago. Thousands of people showed up in Oakland for the few jobs--four people for every job--that were available. But let me tell you, people want to work. They want to work. We in the Congressional Black Caucus held five job fairs around the country, thousands of people showed up for limited jobs. I can say with certainty, people want to work, people want to work. And so we have to, however, extend the safety net or this bridge over troubled waters until we figure out how we can deal with the politics of getting the American Jobs Act passed, and also other opportunities and legislation to provide jobs for people because people want to work. So we have to extend this unemployment compensation until we do that. We have to save our economy and the millions of struggling families from poverty and immediately pass and extend unemployment benefits now. Let's not forget again the 2 million-plus people who've hit that 99- week limit who will not be eligible for an extension unless we figure out a way to include them in these initiatives and in this policy. Mr. Speaker, we've got a lot of work to do. But I know we intend to stay here until we do our job, until we extend this bridge over troubled waters, the safety net for people just to survive. That's all this is, is for people just to survive. If we don't do that, those of us who call ourselves people of faith really need to come to grips with our faith and who we are, and how we propose to move forward within the context of looking out for and making sure that the least of these are addressed and taken care of until we can provide them those opportunities and dismantle those barriers so they can reignite the American Dream, because it's turned into a nightmare for millions and millions of people. So Congressman Levin, I want to thank you again for, again, this clarion call to our conscience. It should prick our conscience tonight. We should, tomorrow, say let's pass this now. The holiday season is upon us. People need some certainty in their lives. They need to know that they have a bipartisan effort to help them through this period, and they need to also know that we're going to work very hard to pass the American Jobs Act so that they can finally get a job, because that's what this is all about. And people want to work. Thank you again.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first let me take a moment to thank the gentlelady from Ohio, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, for her fearless and tireless leadership in protecting our democracy and the bedrock, of course, of our country, and that is the right to vote. She has done an amazing job keeping us very focused and pointed with all of the information we need to try to address this in a big way. Once again, I am here today to sound the alarm because, make no mistake about it, the fundamental right to vote which is at the heart of our democracy, it is under attack. Republican legislators and governors are proposing partisan laws that require voters to show government-approved photo IDs before voting. Now, I came to this floor years ago after the stolen Presidential elections in Florida and in Ohio to protest the results of those two elections that were filled with voter suppression. It worked for the Republicans before, and so legislators in 42 States on this map of shame have doubled down on these strategies to make it harder for certain communities to vote. These proposals would disenfranchise 21 million Americans. That's over 1 in 10 eligible voters in America who do not have adequate identification. Now, how in the world, for example, would my 100-year- old aunt get her birth certificate to prove who she is to get a government ID to vote? She wouldn't know where to start, nor how to pay for it. And it's no coincidence that a disproportionate number of these disaffected voters come from communities of color as well as the poor, the elderly, and students. Fully one in four otherwise qualified African Americans would be unable to vote under these voter-ID laws. Around one in five Asian Americans, Latinos, and young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 would be blocked. In my home State of California, a voter-ID bill was introduced to suppress voter participation. It would cost $26 just to get the required documents to qualify for a government-issued ID. Now, having been born and raised in Texas, this certainly looks like a poll tax to me, which those of us remember as a way to prevent African Americans from voting. These voter-ID laws have a partisan agenda seeking to disenfranchise and deny specific populations of voters before they have the opportunity to elect their representatives in government. These partisan laws are shameful, and they're a disgrace to our country. If these Republican lawmakers were truly concerned with fighting voter fraud, they would take on actual documented problems such as distributing fliers with false information meant to trick voters, improperly purging voters, or tampering with election equipment and forms. Instead, they are pushing laws designed to change election outcomes by reducing voting, repressing turnout, and turning the clock back to the days of Jim Crow. This is the exact opposite of where our country needs to go. With almost 40 percent of eligible voters regularly staying away from voting booths, we need to be expanding participation in our democracy, making the ballot more accessible, not less. We cannot and we must not allow democracy to be undermined, especially while we're promoting democracy abroad. We must unmask these shameful attempts to disenfranchise voters. Let's stop this partisan effort that strikes at the very core of our country. Let's win this war against voters. We should be about dismantling and reducing barriers so that we can really begin to reignite the American Dream for those who have lost hope. So I want to thank my colleagues, especially Congresswoman Fudge, for their calls to protect the right to vote on behalf of all the citizens across this great Nation.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as a founding co-chair of both the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus and the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, I rise today to draw attention once again to the ongoing crisis of poverty in America. And, today, I also want to draw particular attention to the impact of poverty on our national fight to stop HIV and AIDS. Mr. Speaker, December 1 is World AIDS Day, and this year marks 30 years after the first discovery of AIDS cases. The United States and the HIV/AIDS community globally have made tremendous progress in our collective response to this domestic and global crisis. We have reduced the stigma surrounding the disease and strengthened education and outreach activities which continue to prevent millions of new cases of HIV worldwide. The scientific community has improved the treatment of HIV and AIDS with anti-retrovirals and combination therapies, and recent breakthroughs have revolutionized the way we think about AIDS. We have come a long way in our battle against AIDS. Contracting HIV no longer has to be a death sentence. But we have much more work to do. Not everyone who is HIV positive has access to these life-saving therapies. For the one in three Americans who are poor or near poor, HIV can still be the same death sentence that it was during the Reagan Presidency. Today, nearly one in five Americans with HIV do not even know their status, and only about half of Americans who do know their status are receiving the treatment that they need. For the 100 million Americans either in poverty or living on the edge of poverty, much more must be done. Access to the drug cocktails, high- quality health care, housing, and healthy foods that are all critical for people living with HIV are out of reach for far too many. Mr. Speaker, 30 years later, we continue to shortchange HIV efforts in poverty-stricken communities; we fail to fully include women in outreach education and treatment; and we lack the resources for communities of color. This is just simply unconscionable. Women of color and young gay and bisexual men still receive the most severe burden of HIV in the United States. African Americans represent approximately 14 percent of the United States population, but accounted for an estimated 44 percent of new infections in 2009. And we know the numbers are on the rise in Latino communities and Asian Pacific American communities as well. These disproportionate rates of infection are not something that have happened in isolation. People of color continue to face higher rates of unemployment, incarceration, poverty and near poverty than their white counterparts. We can and we must do much better than this. We must do more for those who are disproportionately impacted by HIV and AIDS, both here in America and around the world. We must provide the science-based, comprehensive sex education that is proven to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. And we must grow past old fears and engage all community stakeholders to truly end the stigma surrounding the testing and treatment of this disease. We must repeal laws that legalize and promote discrimination and hate. We must support and expand programs which provide critical support for people living with HIV and AIDS and immediately--mind you, immediately--extend treatment to the thousands of Americans on the waiting list for life- saving drugs. And of course we must fully implement the national HIV/AIDS strategy and support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. These policies are the critical next steps in our fight to stop this terrible disease. And we must protect the fraction of one percent the Federal budget directed to our global AIDS programs through PEPFAR and the Global Fund. U.S. efforts are dramatically reducing the burden of HIV and AIDS in developing countries, and failing to support these programs would have dramatic national security and diplomatic implications for the United States--not to mention the humanitarian disaster that would occur. That is why last week I was very proud to be joined by over 100 Members of Congress in seeking appropriations of at least $5.25 billion for the PEPFAR program and $1.5 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. And I will enter this letter into the Record. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I was proud to have played a role in overturning the unjust and ineffective HIV travel ban in 2008. And, now, for the very first time in 20 years, the International AIDS Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. in July of 2012. So let me encourage every Member and their staff to engage with the leading researchers and doctors in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS. Our global leadership will never be more important than at this promising moment of reversal, when we could move forward or we could go backwards. So I hope every Member will join our bipartisan 60-plus members of the HIV/AIDS Caucus. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, November 21, 2011. Hon. Kay Granger, Chairman, Appropriations Subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations, Washington, DC. Hon. Nita Lowey, Ranking Member, Appropriations Subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations, Washington, DC. Hon. Patrick Leahy, Chairman, Appropriations Subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations, Washington, DC. Hon. Lindsey Graham Ranking Member, Appropriations Subcommittee on State/Foreign Operations, Washington, DC. Dear Chairmen Leahy and Granger, and Ranking Members Graham and Lowey: As you begin negotiations on a final Fiscal Year 2012 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill, we write to respectfully request that you secure funding for bilateral and multilateral HIV/AIDS programs at the levels proposed in S.1601, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012. We urge support for $7.9 billion for global health programs contained in the Senate mark. More specifically, we urge you to support, at the very least, $5.25 billion for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and $750 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as explicitly allocated in S. 1601. In total, we support $1.05 billion for the Global Fund (of which $300 million is contained in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill). Moreover, we are strongly opposed to language contained in the House Subcommittee Mark prohibiting funding for syringe exchange programs, which are proven to reduce the incidence of HIV infection. U.S. global health programs including PEPFAR, along with U.S. contributions to the Global Fund, are reducing disease burden in low- and middle-income countries, and these programs have important national security and diplomatic elements for the United States. Global health programs directly impact American security interests by stabilizing parts of the world where extremism and a lack of alternatives are a recipe for future conflict. The economic impact of global health activities is also felt in the U.S., providing thousands of jobs to help plan and implement global health programming and to conduct health-related research at colleges and universities. Thanks to the help of the United States, the Global Fund has grown into a proven, country-driven, performance-based mechanism which ensures that countries themselves are responsible for building their own sustainable programs. The Global Fund has a robust history of improving its function and continues to do so through its recent announcement of an improvements agenda to further ensure every dollar is utilized effectively, remains accountable, and is transparent in operation. We also welcome PEPFAR's leadership on advancing combination HIV prevention approaches and urge the conferees to ensure that these interventions are implemented to their fullest and meet the needs of those most at-risk, especially marginalized populations. Moreover, integration of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs--and, where appropriate, other critical global health programs funded by this bill, including maternal health, child survival, family planning/reproductive health, and nutrition--is critical for ensuring that the health needs of individuals are met and the impact of funding is maximized. In recent months, U.S.-funded research has made enormous progress in shaping the response to AIDS and malaria worldwide. These remarkable scientific advances call for a renewed emphasis on ensuring that we maintain robust support for PEPFAR and the Global Fund and continue the vital U.S. commitment to the fight against global HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. These programs amount to a fraction of one percent of the federal budget, but they affect the lives of tens of millions, guard against future conflicts, open up developing markets, and will have lasting impact on the global AIDS epidemic in the long term. Thank you for considering this request. Barbara Lee, Member of Congress; Wm. Lacy Clay, Member of Congress; Bobby Rush, Member of Congress; Maurice Hinchey, Member of Congress; Donna Christensen, Member of Congress; Donald Payne, Member of Congress; John Lewis, Member of Congress; Keith Ellison, Member of Congress; Emanuel Cleaver, Member of Congress; Dale Kildee, Member of Congress; Sheila Jackson Lee, Member of Congress; Pete Stark, Member of Congress; Tammy Baldwin, Member of Congress; John Conyers, Jr., Member of Congress; John Sarbanes, Member of Congress; Mike Quigley, Member of Congress; Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of Congress; Gwen Moore, Member of Congress; Karen Bass, Member of Congress; Frederica Wilson, Member of Congress; Diana DeGette, Member of Congress; Yvette Clarke, Member of Congress; Edolphus Towns, Member of Congress; Lynn Woolsey, Member of Congress; Bruce Braley, Member of Congress; Raul Grijalva, Member of Congress; Barney Frank, Member of Congress; Donna Edwards, Member of Congress; Lucille Roybal-Allard, Member of Congress; Janice Schakowsky, Member of Congress; Theodore Deutch, Member of Congress; Alcee Hastings, Member of Congress; Terri Sewell, Member of Congress; Jim McDermott, Member of Congress; Tim Ryan, Member of Congress; Grace Napolitano, Member of Congress; Russ Carnahan, Member of Congress; Marcia Fudge, Member of Congress; Colleen Hanabusa, Member of Congress; Hansen Clarke, Member of Congress; Sanford Bishop, Member of Congress; Ed Perlmutter, Member of Congress; Charles Rangel, Member of Congress; Robert Brady, Member of Congress; G.K. Butterfield, Member of Congress; Eliot Engel, Member of Congress; Eddie Bernice Johnson, Member of Congress; Henry Waxman, Member of Congress; Danny Davis, Member of Congress; Mike Honda, Member of Congress; Sam Farr, Member of Congress; David Scott, Member of Congress; Joe Baca, Member of Congress; Betty Sutton, Member of Congress; John Garamendi, Member of Congress; Melvin Watt, Member of Congress; Dennis Kucinich, Member of Congress; Maxine Waters, Member of Congress; Cedric Richmond, Member of Congress; Jackie Speier, Member of Congress; Doris Matsui, Member of Congress; Carolyn Maloney, Member of Congress; Bobby Scott, Member of Congress; Steve Cohen, Member of Congress; Laura Richardson, Member of Congress; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member of Congress; Ruben Hinojosa, Member of Congress; James Moran, Member of Congress; Gary Ackerman, Member of Congress; Andre Carson, Member of Congress; Bennie Thompson, Member of Congress; Hank Johnson, Member of Congress; Al Green, Member of Congress; Judy Chu, Member of Congress; Bob Filner, Member of Congress; Jared Polis, Member of Congress; Corrine Brown, Member of Congress; Chaka Fattah, Member of Congress; Albio Sires, Member of Congress; Joseph Crowley, Member of Congress; Ed Pastor, Member of Congress; Zoe Lofgren, Member of Congress; Michael Capuano, Member of Congress; Louise Slaughter, Member of Congress; Chris Van Hollen, Member of Congress; Shelley Berkley, Member of Congress; Howard Berman, Member of Congress; Jose Serrano, Member of Congress; Rosa DeLauro, Member of Congress; Lois Capps, Member of Congress; Luis Gutierrez, Member of Congress; David Cicilline, Member of Congress; James McGovern, Member of Congress; Jerrold Nadler, Member of Congress; David Price, Member of Congress; Sander Levin, Member of Congress; Madeleine Bordallo, Member of Congress; Rush Holt, Member of Congress; Gregory Meeks, Member of Congress; John Olver, Member of Congress; Elijah Cummings, Member of Congress; Earl Blumenauer, Member of Congress; George Miller, Member of Congress.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues Congressman Berman, Congresswoman Bass of California, Congresswoman Waters, Congresswoman Hahn, and Congresswoman Richardson, to honor the extraordinary life of Dr. Teresa Hughes, the trailblazing Democratic state senator and assemblywoman who spent 25 years in the California Legislature championing education policy and reform. As the second African American woman ever elected to the Legislature, Dr. Hughes broke barriers for women and people of color during a long career marked by astute leadership and tireless advocacy. Dr. Hughes and her husband of 30 years, Dr. Frank Staggers, Sr., have been stalwart members of the Bay Area and Los Angeles communities for many years. With her passing on November 13, 2011, we are reminded of the joy Dr. Hughes inspired and the powerful legacy of her life's work. Born in New York City on October 3, 1931, Dr. Hughes grew up in Harlem and earned a bachelor's degree in physiology and public health from Hunter College. After earning her master's in education administration from New York University, she completed a doctorate in education administration at Claremont Graduate School. A former New York social worker, teacher and school administrator, Dr. Hughes moved to Los Angeles in 1969 to finish her doctorate. She worked as an assistant professor of education at California State Los Angeles, and briefly as an assistant to then State Senator Mervyn Dymally. In 1975, she was elected to California's 47th Assembly District, representing the greater Los Angeles area. Just one of three women in the 120-member Legislature at the time, and one of only seven African Americans, Dr. Hughes spent the next 17 years fighting for education and social justice initiatives. She authored an Assembly bill dedicating $800 million in bond money for school construction and the creation of a California School of the Arts. In 1982, she authored a bill that established the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education, CARE, program, of which now there are 113 programs throughout the state serving low-income individuals and families. And in 1983, while chairing the Assembly Education Committee, she co-authored an education bill that set state graduation standards, raised teacher salaries and requirements, and lengthened the school day and year. She also wrote a bill that established the California Museum of Afro-American History and Culture within the Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles. When, in 1985, the Joint Rules Committee formally recognized the new bipartisan Caucus of Women Legislators, comprising just 15 women state lawmakers in office, Dr. Hughes was selected to chair the caucus as the most senior woman legislator. And, after Dr. Hughes was elected to the 25th Senate District in 1992, she established the Senate Select Committee on College Admission and Outreach and wrote a school violence prevention bill that led to the Task Force on School Safety. Before she was termed out in 2000, the ever-pioneering Dr. Hughes became the first woman and first African American to serve on the Senate Rules Committee. A member of many associations throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Hughes founded Aware Women of California, was a member of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Board of Trustees, was Legislative Consultant for the State Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing and, until just recently, was a member of the Nehemiah Corporation of America Board of Directors. Her namesake was dedicated to the Teresa Hughes Elementary School in 1988. Today, California's 9th, 28th, 33rd, 35th, 36th and 37th Congressional Districts salute and honor a friend and an outstanding human being, Dr. Teresa P. Hughes. The State of California is truly indebted to her many civic contributions over the years. Our thoughts are with Dr. Staggers, Sr., their family, and Teresa's extended group of loved ones as we celebrate her incredible life. May she rest in peace.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise again to really beat the drum about the ongoing crisis of poverty and unemployment in America. On November 6, the Associated Press reported that we have crossed a terrible threshold. More job seekers now in America have run out of unemployment benefits than are receiving them. Simply put, the majority of Americans who are struggling to find a job are no longer getting unemployment benefits. We need to extend unemployment benefits and we need to do it now, not just for those who are about to run out, but for the millions of Americans whose benefits ran out a long time ago--the millions who ran out of time to establish their careers, the millions who ran out of time to safeguard their families' futures, and the millions who ran out of time to ignite the fires of the American Dream. Congressman Bobby Scott and I have a bill, H.R. 589, which will give millions of families just a little more time to find a good job, to make a secure home, and would provide a bridge over troubled waters while our Nation and the economy recovers. Extending benefits for the 99ers is the right thing to do for millions of Americans who were laid off through no fault of their own. They watched as corporations took over their government and ran the economy into the ground. They watched as the banks raided the Nation's treasury and lined their pockets with massive bonuses while millions of Americans lost their jobs. They watched as our Nation's future was traded away for needless wars and tax cuts for billionaires. Mr. Speaker, the American people are sick and tired. They don't want to watch anymore. They don't want to wait anymore. They have run out of time. Nearly 50 million Americans are already living in poverty, struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. Countless millions more are living on the edge. They are desperately trying to stay one step ahead of disaster, living from paycheck to paycheck and waiting for the other shoe to drop. The American people really have run out of patience. They don't want to hear that the most powerful nation in the world is broke. They don't believe it when they are told that we can't afford Medicare or Medicaid or Social Security or unemployment benefits when we are spending $1 trillion on wars halfway around the world. They don't want to hear empty promises from Republicans in Congress about taking responsibility to ensure that the poor in America have ``food in their stomachs and they have a roof over their head,'' even while they pass bills that slash affordable housing programs and cut nutrition funding for women and children, a program which is very important. Americans know that the rich should pay their fair share and that working men and women of America deserve more. They don't want this generation to be the first generation of Americans who won't do better than the last one. Americans want to move ahead, and they want those who have benefited the most from our economy to pay what they owe to the 99 percent of the American people who are the real engines of our economy and the heart of our democracy. The generation that is marching in the streets right now is asking what went wrong in the pursuit of the American Dream. So let's pass H.R. 589 and give Americans a little more time to land that job that gets their family back on their feet. You know, when you run out of unemployment benefits after 99 weeks, that's it. That's it. So we must extend unemployment benefits, but we also need to extend, as our bill says, at least an additional 14 weeks so that those who have hit the 99-week wall have some form of survival until we can figure out a way to create jobs. So we must pass the American Jobs Act to reinvest in the future of this country and build up our roads and bridges, repair our sewer lines, and build 21st century schools for all of our students. Let's put America back on track with American jobs, American manufacturing, American ingenuity, and American leadership toward a brighter tomorrow for all Americans. We must build these ladders of opportunity. We have to remove these barriers and obstacles. And let me tell you, not having a job is a huge barrier and a huge obstacle to reigniting the American Dream. And so we must extend unemployment benefits, but we must not forget that there are those who have had 99 weeks who are no longer even eligible for unemployment benefits. And as the AP article says, we now have over 2 million people who won't even be eligible for unemployment compensation. That's 2.2 million people that won't even be eligible even if we extend unemployment benefits. So let's work to try to figure out how to, one, create jobs, but to provide some safety net for those who really do want to work. And people want to work. [From the Associated Press, Nov. 6, 2011] Most Unemployed Americans Are No Longer Receiving Unemployment Benefits Washington, DC.--The jobs crisis has left so many people out of work for so long that most of America's unemployed are no longer receiving unemployment benefits. Early last year, 75 percent were receiving checks. The figure is now 48 percent--a shift that points to a growing crisis of long-term unemployment. Nearly one-third of America's 14 million unemployed have had no job for a year or more. Congress is expected to decide by year's end whether to continue providing emergency unemployment benefits for up to 99 weeks in the hardest-hit states. If the emergency benefits expire, the proportion of the unemployed receiving aid would fall further. The ranks of the poor would also rise. The Census Bureau says unemployment benefits kept 3.2 million people from slipping into poverty last year. It defines poverty as annual income below $22,314 for a family of four. Yet for a growing share of the unemployed, a vote in Congress to extend the benefits to 99 weeks is irrelevant. They've had no job for more than 99 weeks. They're no longer eligible for benefits. Their options include food stamps or other social programs. Nearly 46 million people received food stamps in August, a record total. That figure could grow as more people lose unemployment benefits. So could the government's disability rolls. Applications for the disability insurance program have jumped about 50 percent since 2007. ``There's going to be increased hardship,'' said Wayne Vroman, an economist at the Urban Institute. The number of unemployed has been roughly stable this year. Yet the number receiving benefits has plunged 30 percent. Government unemployment benefits weren't designed to sustain people for long stretches without work. They usually don't have to. In the recoveries from the previous three recessions, the longest average duration of unemployment was 21 weeks, in July 1983. By contrast, in the wake of the Great Recession, the figure reached 41 weeks in September. That's the longest on records dating to 1948. The figure is now 39 weeks. ``It was a good safety net for a shorter recession,'' said Carl Van Horn, an economist at Rutgers University. It assumes ``the economy will experience short interruptions and then go back to normal.'' Weekly unemployment checks average about $300 nationwide. If the extended benefits aren't renewed, growth could slow by up to a half-percentage point next year, economists say. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates up to $1.90 in economic growth. The CB0 has found that the program is the most effective government policy for increasing growth among 11 options it's analyzed. Jon Polis lives in East Greenwich, R.I., one of the 20 states where 99 weeks of benefits are available. He used them all up after losing his job as a warehouse worker in 2008. His benefits paid for groceries, car maintenance and health insurance. Now, Polis, 55, receives disability insurance payments, food stamps and lives in government-subsidized housing. He's been unable to find work because employers in his field want computer skills he doesn't have. ``Employers are crying that they can't find qualified help,'' he said. But the ones he interviewed with ``weren't willing to train anybody.'' From late 2007, when the recession began, to early 2010, the number of people receiving unemployment benefits rose more than four-fold, to 11.5 million. But the economy has remained so weak that an analysis of long-term unemployment data suggests that about 2 million people have used up 99 weeks of checks and still can't find work. Contributing to the smaller share of the unemployed who are receiving benefits: Some of them are college graduates or others seeking jobs for the first time. They aren't eligible. Only those who have lost a job through no fault of their own qualify. The proportion of the unemployed receiving benefits usually falls below 50 percent during an economic recovery. Many have either quit jobs or are new to the job market and don't qualify. Today, the proportion is falling for a very different reason: Jobs remain scarce. So more of the unemployed are exhausting their benefits. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has noted that the long-term unemployed increasingly find it hard to find work as their skills and professional networks erode. In a speech last month, Bernanke called long-term unemployment a ``national crisis'' that should be a top priority for Congress. Lawmakers will have to decide whether to continue the extended benefits by the end of this year. If the program ends, nearly 2.2 million people will be cut off by February. Congress has extended the program nine times. But it might balk at the $45 billion cost. It will be the first time the Republican-led House will vote on the issue.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for continuing to fight the good fight on behalf of the American people. Many of my Republican colleagues have come to the floor to keep telling us that the Federal Government must balance the budget, just like every American family. Well, it sounds like it makes sense to me, but it's nonsense. How would those families and businesses feel about Congress passing a constitutional amendment making it illegal to borrow money to invest in their futures? What if they could not get a mortgage to buy a house? What if they could not get credit to buy a car or get a credit card just to buy some clothes? What if they could not get a loan to grow their businesses? That's what this fundamental change to America's Constitution would do to the entire country. Can you imagine opening up the Constitution to make it impossible for people to invest in their future? In addition, millions of families across America are taking in less income than they need to survive because of failed Republican economic policies that drove our economy into the ditch. Why would you now want to balance the budget on the backs of these people--seniors, the poor, our children, the most vulnerable? Now that people need a helping hand, Republicans want to tie the hands of government and restrict our budget so that exactly when Americans need more, you want to hurt them more. This is really a moral disgrace. Let's stop wasting time on ridiculous efforts to amend our Constitution when millions of Americans need jobs now. Let's stop wasting time keeping campaign promises to Republican Tea Party supporters and pass real legislation that will create jobs like the American Jobs Act. Let's stop wasting time when nearly 50 million Americans--mind you, 50 million--in the richest and most powerful country in the world are living in poverty.

Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much for the 30 seconds, and I just want to remind us all that 50 million Americans are living in poverty in the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world. And millions of job seekers are about to lose their unemployment benefits. We do not need to radically alter our Nation's founding document to do what is right. We just have to take a balanced approach to reducing our deficits and balancing our budgets, and you do this by creating jobs. So let the unwise Bush tax cuts expire, end the wars, cut the bloated and wasteful Pentagon spending, and protect the social safety net that protects millions of Americans.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. I rise to call on Republicans to wake up to the needs of Americans, millions of Americans, mind you, and to create jobs. The Republican-led Congress has led almost an entire year without enacting a single piece of jobs legislation. Madam Speaker, America cannot wait. Republicans continue to ignore the crisis of unemployment and poverty in America and instead keep bringing more bills to bail out the wealthy. Let's stop bailing out Wall Street and bring some real relief to Main Street. Let's stop wasting time pretending that markets can regulate themselves. We need strong oversight so that we have no more Bernie Madoffs and bank bailouts. Let's stop wasting time pretending that tax cuts for the wealthy pay for themselves. We need corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share. Last week, Madam Speaker, I held a jobs fair. Thousands showed up. People want to work. This is a national emergency. Let's reignite the American dream by passing the American Jobs Act now.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. A historic work of modern engineering once believed to be impossible, the completion of the ``Bay Bridge'' opened up groundbreaking transit channels and changed the face of the Bay Area as we know it. The Bay Bridge was not only significant for its innovative engineering. It also created a new chapter in transportation history and represented an unprecedented feat of political and public consensus in the early 20th Century. At the onset, the Chief Engineer for the Bay Bridge California Toll Bridge Authority, Charles H. Purcell, encountered several obstacles. He was faced with four-and-a-half miles of water in between the two metropolitan areas of the Port of Oakland and San Francisco shoreline. No one had ever contemplated a bridge so long, so expensive or with such deep piers. The idea for a bridge had been popular since the days of the Gold Rush. However, with the increasing prevalence of the automobile, a reliance on railroads to bolster trade and an already crowded ferry system, the need for a bridge became so great that Bay Area leaders were able to persuade President Herbert Hoover and the former independent U.S. agency Reconstruction Finance Corporation to advance approximately $62 million in federal funding for the ambitious project. The California Toll Bridge Authority formed as a result of the California State Legislature's 1926 passage of a law calling for a policy-making body to bridge San Francisco and Alameda County. As early as 1930, formal plans for the Bay Bridge began to take shape among Purcell and his colleagues. First, in order to address the issue of length, it was decided that a suspension bridge and cantilever bridge would meet at Yerba Buena Island. In order to design what is now one of the longest bridge spans in the world (23,000 feet), employing the world's deepest bridge pier (242 feet underwater) and the earth's largest diameter bore tunnel (76 feet wide by 56 feet high), Purcell turned to some of the most experienced bridge engineers in the country, including Ralph Modjeski, Leon Moisseiff and Daniel Moran. The low bidders for construction of the job included some of the giants of construction contracting, including the American Bridge Company, McClintic-Marshall for the steel work and the ``Six Companies'' contractors for the foundation work. In total, over 8,000 workers from around the Bay Area and across the country produced the complicated and dangerous work, logging 214,870 ``man-days,'' at what would now be considered an unthinkable speed. And although there were no mass incidents during the building, we also pay tribute today to the hundreds of workers who were injured on the job and the over two dozen men who lost their lives. After three years of construction, the Bay Bridge opened for traffic and to huge public fanfare on November 12, 1936--six months ahead of schedule. Today, after several modifications to allow for the unexpected flood of increased traffic in the 30s and 40s, seismic retrofit after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and continued improvements, the Bay Bridge carries over 270,000 vehicles per day on its two decks. It has repaid and reinvested its $77 million price tag many times over in the last 75 years. Most importantly, it has allowed for the growth, progress and unification of the Bay Area's vital urban areas to the benefit of its residents. Therefore, on behalf of the residents of California's 6th, 9th, 11th, and 13th Congressional Districts, we extend our congratulations on this important milestone. We express immense gratitude to the countless people who have contributed to the continued success of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and wish you all the best in the coming years.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, again, I rise to bring attention to the Crisis of Poverty in America. As a founder and Co-Chair of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, in 2008, I was proud to introduce H. Con. Res. 198, which committed the House of Representatives to setting a goal of cutting poverty in half in ten years. I was proud that the House passed my resolution unanimously. I hope that together this Congress can take the first steps toward that goal. The Crisis of Poverty in America is nothing short of a national emergency and we must begin to act like it. The U.S. Census recently released their supplemental poverty estimates which confirms what every other survey and report has shown, that communities of color continue to face tragically higher rates of poverty than their white counterparts. 27.4 and 26.5 percent of Black and Hispanic communities suffer under poverty respectively when compared to the 9.9 percent rate of their white counterparts. This is no accident, rather the direct result of a long history of disparity and a lack of economic, educational and entrepreneurial opportunity in our communities. We know that this disparity is reflected in the rates of unemployment, in the ranks of the uninsured, in the impact of health care disparities, in education, in income and in the already vast and expanding wealth gap. Doing everything that we can to reduce poverty and to end this terrible racial disparity is not only the morally right thing to do, but it is the best way to jump start the economy as well. There is simply no way forward for our economy that leaves communities of color and the poor behind. As I said, it is time to take the first step on the road to cutting poverty in half in America. I have introduced H.R. 3300, the Half in Ten Act of 2011, which 55 of our colleagues have co-sponsored. My bill would establish the Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty. The Working Group will develop and implement a national plan to reduce poverty in half in ten years. They would also work to eliminate child poverty, extreme poverty, and finally bring an end to the historic and on-going disparity in poverty rates in communities of color. The Half in Ten Act would dramatically improve how the federal government responds to the needs of families in poverty. It is time to work together to dramatically improve access to opportunity for low income Americans so that they can climb up the economic ladder and reignite the fire of every American Dream. It is clear that our policies and programs addressing poverty have not kept pace with the growing needs of millions of Americans. It is time we make the commitment to confront poverty head-on, create pathways out of poverty and provide opportunities for all. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3300.

Ms. LEE of California

Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to share the following remarks for the Special Order organized by Congresswoman Marcia Fudge on voter suppression on the night of Tuesday, November 1, 2011: Let me thank Congresswoman Fudge for her leadership in protecting our democracy and the bedrock of our country: the right to vote. We are here tonight to sound the alarm because make no mistake about it: the fundamental right to vote, which is at the heart of our democracy, is under attack. Republican legislators and governors are proposing partisan laws that require voters to show a government-approved photo ID before voting. I came to this floor after the stolen Presidential election in Florida and Ohio to protest the results of those two elections that were filled with voter suppression. It worked for the Republicans before, and so legislators in 42 states in our map of shame have doubled-down on these strategies to make it harder for certain communities to vote. These proposals would disenfranchise 21 million Americans, over one- in-ten eligible voters in America, who do not have adequate identifications. It is no coincidence that a disproportionate number of these affected voters come from communities of color, as well as the poor, the elderly, and students. Fully one in four otherwise qualified African Americans would be unable to vote under these voter-ID laws. In my home state of California, a Voter ID bill was introduced to suppress voter participation. It would cost $26 just to get the required documents to qualify for a government issued ID. This certainly looks like a poll tax to me, which those of us from the South know and remember is a way to prevent African Americans from voting. These voter ID laws have a partisan agenda, seeking to disenfranchise and deny specific populations of voters before they have the opportunity to elect their representatives in government. These partisan laws are shameful and a disgrace to our country. If these Republican lawmakers were truly concerned with fighting voter fraud, they would take on actual, documented problems such as distributing fliers with false information meant to trick voters, improperly purging voters, or tampering with election equipment and forms. Instead, they are pushing laws designed to change election outcomes by reducing voting, repressing turnout, and regressing us backwards in history. We will continue to press the Justice Department for a vigilant and aggressive investigation to protect the civil rights and the voting rights of Americans. We cannot and must not allow our democracy to be undermined. We must unmask these shameful attempts to disenfranchise voters. Let's stop these partisan efforts that strike at the core of our democracy. Let's win this war against voters. We are better than that! I thank my colleagues for their calls to protect the right to vote for all citizens across this nation.