Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, when President Bush took office 5 years ago, the average price at the gas pump was $1.45. It has more than doubled over the past 5 years. And Republicans over the past 5 years have controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. Washington Republicans have done nothing to pass a sound energy policy that would wean us from foreign oil, create conservation programs, and provide incentives to develop alternative fuels, programs that would help us provide consumers some relief. It took Republicans 4 years before they finally passed an energy bill, but that bill continued massive subsidies to the oil industry like the rip-off ``royalty in kind'' program. The President's own Energy Department admitted at the time that the energy bill would do absolutely nothing to lower gas prices. Five years of Republican power, and 5 years of no positive results for the consumer.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues a wonderful speech made by Nanor Harutunian of the Armenian Youth Federation at a recent event that I attended in New York City to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The speech reads: Your eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Reverend Clergy, Government Officials and Honored Guests. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: ``Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.'' Silence, is a spoken language in itself. Silence may often speak louder than words. Silence, verbalizes fear, ignorance, tacit agreement, carelessness, and defeat. What it does not portray is anger, persistence, perseverance, knowledge, and strength. The Armenian Youth Federation will never be silent. We will continue to speak for justice and truth. As the Armenian Youth, the AYF was built on the endurance and determination of its ancestors. Determination to keep our nation and our country united, free and independent. It is this determination that we possess when we hold the Turkish government accountable for the Genocide of the Armenian people 91 years ago. We stand united not only as an organization but as a people to honor the memory of over one and a half million Armenians killed at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. It is by educating ourselves that we become empowered. It is through this education that we can make a difference. We are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of those Armenians who were forced out of their homeland, of those Armenians who perished. We have worked and will continue to work with other communities to raise awareness of crimes against humanity. We have held protests, rallies, vigils and memorials in the name of justice and honor. Dr. King also said ``The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.'' If one is afraid to stand up for what he or she believes in, then it is not worth believing in anything at all. We stand for recognition and reparations. Our ancestors had their families, homes, culture, and country taken away from them. The Armenian Youth Federation calls for the atrocities of the past to be recognized. Only by first recognizing the past, can we truly recognize our future.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the representative of a large and vibrant community of Armenian Americans, I rise to join my colleagues in the sad commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Today we declare to people living in every comer of our globe that the Turkish and American governments must finally acknowledge what we have long understood: that the unimaginable horror committed on Turkish soil in the aftermath of World War I was, and is, an act of genocide. The tragic events that began on April 24, 1915, which are well known to all of us, should be part of the history curriculum in every Turkish and American school. On that dark April day, more than 200 of Armenia's religious, political and intellectual leaders were arrested in Constantinople and killed. Ultimately, more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically murdered at the hands of the Young Turks, and more than 500,000 more were exiled from their native land. On this 91st anniversary of the beginning of the genocide, I join with the chorus of voices that grows louder with each passing year. We simply will not allow the planned elimination of an entire people to remain in the shadows of history. The Armenian Genocide must be acknowledged, studied and never, ever allowed to happen again. I recently joined with my colleagues in the Caucus in urging PBS not to give a platform to the deniers of the genocide by canceling a planned broadcast of a panel which included two scholars who deny the Armenian Genocide. This panel was to follow a documentary about the Armenian Genocide which aired just last week. Representative Anthony Weiner and I led a successful effort to convince Channel Thirteen in New York City to pull the plug on these genocide deniers. The parliaments of Canada, France and Switzerland have all passed resolutions affirming that the Armenian people were indeed subjected to genocide. The United States must do the same. I will not stop fighting until long overdue legislation acknowledging the Armenian Genocide finally passes. Of course, an acknowledgment of the genocide is not our only objective. I remain committed to ensuring that the U.S. Government continues to provide direct financial assistance to Armenia. Over the years, this aid has played a critical role in the economic and political advancement of the Armenian people. I have joined with my colleagues in requesting military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the FY07 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. We also have requested an adequate level of economic assistance for Armenia and assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh. On this solemn day, our message is clear: the world remembers the Armenian Genocide, and the governments of Turkey and the United States must declare--once and for all--that they do, too.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, to pay respect to the millions of Jews who perished as a result of the Holocaust. Today more than ever, it is important to recall the insanity that swept through Europe and allowed ordinary men and women to become mass murderers or to permit others to turn a blind eye to the killing. We need to remember the six million Jews whose lives were cut short because of a concerted effort to annihilate an entire people. Their deaths were not the natural result of war and deprivation. They were killed intentionally and for no other reason than that they were Jews. We should also celebrate the brave individuals who sheltered, cared for and protected Jews despite the danger to themselves. It is shocking to find that a mere 61 years later, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is openly denying the very existence of the Holocaust. President Ahmadinejad stunned the world last December when he made a speech declaring that the Nazi's mass murder of Jews during World War II was a myth. Foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki affirmed that Holocaust denial is now the official Iranian government position. ``The words of [President] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the Holocaust and on Israel are not personal opinions, nor isolated statements but they express the view of the [Iranian] government,'' Mottaki said. In March 2006, at the initiative of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, state-run Isfahan University sponsored a conference to `re-examine the scientific evidence for the Holocaust.' More conferences are expected, as Iran tries to wrap its insupportable views in scholarship. Unfortunately, these Iranian leaders are giving voice to a view that is becoming all too common. After President Ahmadinejad spoke, the vast majority of world leaders immediately condemned his irrational claims. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged all UN members to ``combat such denial and to educate their populations about the well established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered along with countless members of other minorities.'' I believe we need to take affirmative steps in the United States to make sure that our young people understand the horrors of that evil time. That's why I introduced the Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act of 2005, to ensure that programs are developed throughout the country to teach young people about the millions who died and the terrible repercussions of unfettered hatred. I am pleased that Senator Menendez introduced a companion bill in the Senate today. As the generations who survived the Holocaust pass away, we need to make sure that new generations know the horrors of that terrible time. We need to make sure that those who would deny the existence of the Holocaust do not have the ability to rewrite history. The pain of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis is all too real. We have an obligation to remember a time when pure evil swept the globe, millions were swallowed up in the gas chambers and the Jewish people were nearly wiped out of existence. As Simon Wiesenthal said, ``For your benefit, learn from our tragedy. It is not a written law that the next victims must be Jews. It can also be other people. We saw it begin in Germany with Jews, but people from more than twenty other nations were also murdered.''

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am again re-introducing legislation that is intended to help solve the shortage of available, affordable child care facilities. In my congressional district in New York City, more than half of all women with pre-school children are in the workforce and the need for child care is enormous. This is not a local problem but one that is national in nature. The Children's Development Commission Act or Kiddie Mac, will address this problem by authorizing HUD to issue guarantees to lenders who are willing to lend money to build or rehabilitate child care facilities. It also creates the Children's Development Commission which will certify the loans and create federal child care standards. Kiddie Mac will also give micro-loans to facilities which need to make the necessary changes to come up to licensing standards, as well as provide them with lower cost fire and liability insurance. Through some of the premiums paid by the lenders, a non-profit foundation will be formed which would focus on research on child care and development, as well as create educational materials to guide potential providers through the certification process. I have introduced this legislation in several past Congresses but the need for it has only grown more acute. I urge my colleagues to consider the proposal and join me in enacting it this year.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on the Rules Committee. As we can tell by the debate, there were a number of critical issues, the warrantless wiretaps and many others, that were denied by this restrictive rule. It has become clear to me that the Republican leadership of this House simply does not care about protecting the civil liberties of the American people. Last night, in a bipartisan effort, Congressman Shays and I went before the Rules Committee for the fifth time, seeking the opportunity to debate an amendment that would create the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board as envisioned by the 9/11 Commission. This morning, we learned for the fifth time in a row that the Rules Committee has denied this House even the opportunity to debate this important amendment that is supported unanimously by the 9/11 Commission and by the 9/11 families. This is just the latest in a series of actions by the Republican House leadership to deny us the opportunity to have a full debate on the protection of our civil liberties, and I want to make sure that people listening know the track record of this House. When we were considering the intelligence reform bill that enacted many of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, it was this House that refused to include a committee-approved, bipartisan amendment to create this board in any legislation passed by the House of Representatives. It was this House that stripped the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board's subpoena power, bipartisan makeup, and qualifications requirements during conference negotiations. All of these provisions had passed the Senate, a vote of 96-2, but the House of Representatives struck it out. It is this House that has refused amendments by members of the Intelligence Committee to require a budget line for this board and the authorization we are voting on today backing up the President's action to defund the board in his budget. And it is this House that denies our repeated attempt to even debate an amendment that would give the board the power and authority that it needs to do the job. I hope the American people are watching, because this House refuses to do anything to protect the civil liberties of the American people. And I would like to quote from the 9/11 Commission report where they said, ``If our liberties are curtailed, we lose the values that we are struggling so hard to defend.'' Again, they have spoken out many times in support of this Civil Liberties and Privacy Board that would provide balance and restraint to the National Intelligence Reform Act, and I urge my colleagues to have a strong ``no'' vote on this restrictive rule.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the ``Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2006'' which would authorize $45 million each year from FY2007 through FY2009 for programs in Afghanistan that benefit ``women and girls as well as the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs. The funding would be directed toward important needs including medical care, education, vocational training, protection from violence, legal assistance, and civil participation. This legislation was introduced earlier this year in the Senate by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Women's rights in Afghanistan have fluctuated greatly over the years. Women have bravely fought the forces of extremism at various points in the country's turbulent history. At one time, women were scientists and university professors. They led corporations and nonprofit organizations in local communities. While the Afghan constitution guarantees equality for Afghan women, throughout Afghanistan, women continue to face intimidation, discrimination, and violence. The United States has an obligation to ensure that women and girls have the opportunities that they were denied under the Taliban and that the gains that have been made are not lost in the coming months and years. It is imperative that we provide the support needed to ensure that the rights of women are protected in the new Afghanistan.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge American Business Media, ABM, located in my congressional district, as it celebrates 100 years of service to business media and the American economy. ABM is the not-for-profit, global association for business information providers, including producers of magazines, Web sites and digital content, trade shows, newsletters, rich data, custom publishers, as well as conventions, conferences, seminars, trade shows. ABM's 300 member companies represent about $20 billion in annual revenues and include such respected brands as Dow Jones, Forbes.com, The Economist, Farm Journal, Google, PC World, plus about 5,000 additional print and electronic titles, and 1,000 trade shows. Its mission is to help business information providers excel at their tasks and provide the best intelligence available to their readers--the captains of industry. Established in 1906, ABM has a staff of specialists in governmental affairs, marketing, communications, promotion, education and finance. More than 20 active ABM member committees regularly assess developments in the industry and formulate the Association's positions on key issues. ABM hosts prestigious editorial and creative excellence awards programs, and initiates events that are focused on enhancing the knowledge of and providing services to members and the industry. ABM offers a first-rate opportunity for networking and creative peer interchange at these meetings, and brings together thousands of the best minds in business information each year. I congratulate American Business Media on this momentous occasion and wish it continued success.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I agree completely with the gentleman. This not only will help the economic development, but certainly will give immigrants a reason to stay in their own countries and develop their own economy. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong bipartisan support of H.R. 4916, a bill that will authorize continued United States participation in and appropriations for the U.S. contribution to the first replenishment of the resources of the Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund. This bill was introduced with strong bipartisan support by Representative Pryce, who chairs the subcommittee on which I serve as the ranking member, Congressman Frank, Congresswoman Biggert and myself, and was reported unanimously out of the committee by voice vote. The MIF is operated by the Inter-American Development Bank and is governed by a donors committee composed of representatives of 37 member countries. The United States is the MIF's largest contributor with 42 percent, and as such exercises considerable influence over its strategic direction and the individual projects it approves. The MIF does exactly the kinds of things that those who follow the work of the international financial institutions on both sides of the aisle wish these institutions would do. Its principal work is to administer a private sector grant program to assist in developing microenterprises which particularly help small women-owned businesses, it builds workers' skills, it strengthens environmental management, and it improves the efficiency of financial markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. Roughly 80 percent of MIF projects are undertaken in direct partnership with private sector business associations, trade groups and non-governmental organizations. Typically, MIF resources are matched dollar for dollar with contributions from these groups. MIF resources also leverage additional funds from other sources, providing a multiplier effect for projects that have consistently been recognized as among the most innovative and effective of multilateral development institutions. The total authorization for U.S. participation contained in this legislation is $150 million over 6 years. The remaining member countries have pledged over $350 million. The first installment of the U.S. contribution, $25 million, was included in the President's budget request for fiscal year 2007. The Financial Services Committee has conducted close oversight over MIF programs since the fund was first established in 1993. In 13 years of operation, MIF has worked with over 400 private sector organizations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, approving over $1 billion for roughly 800 different projects. The MIF is the single largest source of technical assistance for this part of the world. One area in which the MIF's work has attracted particular attention in recent years involves the impact of remittances, transfer of money by foreigners to their home countries in that region. Thanks to the fund's efforts, the fees accompanying sending of these moneys back home have been significantly lowered, from 15 percent to 5 percent. Thanks to MIF technical assistance, the recipients of these funds have channeled them into their countries' formal financial systems, helping them to create badly needed jobs. Madam Speaker, I would like to note that the House report that accompanies this bill mentions that the U.S. has an overdue balance resulting from the U.S. pledge to the original MIF agreement. While no funds are included in this bill for that purpose, the committee urges the administration to seek funding to pay this amount in back dues. MIF is an example of a program that actually works. It offers proof that multilateral institutions can provide win-win solutions. MIF shows that U.S. taxpayers can benefit while hardworking citizens of Latin America and the Caribbean who wish to start a business and compete in the global economy can pull themselves out of poverty. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), a member of the Joint Economic Committee.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman mentioned the rhetoric coming from this side of the aisle; but we are not speaking rhetoric, we are speaking facts and figures and numbers do not lie. The other side of the aisle raised the debt ceiling four different times under this administration so we now have a record debt of over $8 trillion. That is not rhetoric; that is a fact. If you break it down, each man, woman and child in America owes $28,000; and it is galloping upwards, the debt on our children and our grandchildren. Another fact that is not rhetoric is we have the largest trade deficit in the history of our country, the largest in the history of the world; and other countries are financing our budget. We are shifting our wealth to other countries. It has been said if China invaded Taiwan, we would have to borrow money from China to defend Taiwan. That is not a good position to be in. Mr. Chairman, the budget offered by the majority continues the failed economic policies of the Bush administration. The typical American family is still feeling the effects of the most protracted job slump in decades. Actually, it is the worst job slump since the 1930s. On top of that, wages and incomes are stagnating. There is a growing gap between the haves and the have-nots. This is a tremendously troubling trend in our country. But this budget does not address any of those problems. It contains unfair spending cuts that disproportionately harm middle- and lower- income families to help pay for tax cuts that go overwhelmingly to those who are already very well off. Where is the fairness in this budget? And this budget continues to add to our legacy of deficits and debt and has turned us into a Nation of debtors relying on the rest of the world to finance our budget and our deficits. This is a very troubling trend in our country. We have never had it before. It leaves us unprepared to deal with the challenge posed by the retirement of the baby boom generation and weakens the future standard of living of our children and our grandchildren. I urge a ``no'' vote on this budget. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the distinguished ranking member on the Budget Committee. We thank him for his leadership on this and his leadership in so many areas.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield to my distinguished colleague from the Joint Economic Committee and from the great State of New York, Maurice Hinchey, such time as he may consume.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to speak in the time reserved by the Budget Act for discussion of economic goals and policies and traditionally led by members of the Joint Economic Committee. If you listen to the President and his supporters on the other side of the aisle, you get a very upbeat assessment of the American economy; but if you listen to the American people, you get a very different assessment. The President likes to talk about how fast the economy is growing and how successful his policies have been in stimulating an economic recovery from the 2001 recession. But the American people are saying, what economic recovery, and when am I going to see the benefits from this President's economic policies in my take-home pay, in my pocket? Mr. Chairman, we should listen to the American people and we should adopt economic policies that promote the economic well-being of all Americans, not just those at the very top of the economic ladder. The President's fiscal year 2007 budget and the House budget resolution do not do that. Instead, they continue economic policies that have produced a legacy of deficits and debt, that leaves us unprepared to deal with the budget challenges posed by the retirement of the baby boom generation and that weakens the future standard of living of our children and grandchildren. This administration has set a series of records, only they are the wrong kind of records. They have raised the debt ceiling four times. It is now over $8 trillion. Every man, woman and child in America now owes at least $28,000 of that debt, and we have had the largest deficit and trade deficit in the history of this country. This chart shows how the President inherited a budget situation with large surpluses, but we have ended up with a string of large deficits. Economic policy over the last 5 years has not served the interest of the typical American working family. The resilience of the American economy has allowed it to recover from the 2001 recession, but we are still experiencing the labor market effects of the most protracted job slump in decades. Job creation has lagged far behind what is typical in a strong economic recovery. There is still evidence of hidden unemployment, and the benefits of productivity and productivity growth have been showing up in the bottom lines of companies rather than in the paychecks of American workers. Finally, and very disturbingly, there is a growing gap between the ``haves'' and the ``have-nots'' in this country as income and earnings disparities have widened. This is a very troubling trend. Yes, workers have become more productive. They produce more and more in each hour that they work. But they have not been getting rewarded for their productivity. Average hourly earnings have not kept up with inflation, and they barely kept up even before that. Median family income has failed to keep up with inflation every year that President Bush has held office. Those who are already well-to-do are doing very well in the Bush economy. But the typical, hard-working American family is struggling to make ends meet in the face of high costs for energy, health care, and a college education for their children. This chart illustrates the problem very clearly. The red bar shows the growth in the inflation-adjusted usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salaried workers under President Bush at different points in the earnings distribution. You have to be in the upper half of the distribution to have seen any gain. Earnings at the top have grown fastest relative to inflation and earnings at the bottom have fallen farthest behind inflation. I would note the contrast with the last 5 years of the Clinton administration, which is the blue bars, when earning gains were strong and spread throughout the earnings distribution. They spread the wealth. They shared the wealth. The budget we are debating today does not address any of these problems. In fact, it makes matters worse. An analysis by the Democratic staff of the Joint Economic Committee shows that budget cuts in programs that provide payments for individuals are concentrated among lower income families, while the tax cuts go overwhelmingly to those at the top of the income distribution. The blue bars on this chart show that more than a third of the cost for spending cuts go to families in the bottom 20 percent of the distribution, families that together have only 3 percent of aggregate income. Meanwhile, those at the top get nearly three-quarters of the benefits from the tax cuts in this budget, as shown by the red bars in this chart. With policies that have turned a $5.6 trillion 10-year budget surplus into a deficit over those same 10 years of at least $2.7 trillion, this administration has turned us into a nation of debtors, relying on the rest of the world to finance our budget deficits and the rest of our excessive spending. Last year, we had a current account trade deficit of over $805 billion, the largest in the history of this country, the largest in the world. That is the amount of money we had to borrow from the rest of the world to finance our trade deficit and international payment imbalance. Foreign governments are holding large quantities of our public debt, putting us at risk of a major international financial crisis if they should decide the benefits of holding dollars are no longer worth that risk. Mr. Chairman, our future prosperity depends on increasing our national savings and making wise investments. It depends on being ready for the retirement of the baby boom generation and the pressure we know that will be put on the budget with their retirement. But how is the other side preparing us for that future? With more deficits and more debt, the largest in the history of our country. They want to make the tax cuts that have gotten us into this mess permanent, and they have no realistic plan for controlling spending or bringing revenues into line with the amount we need to spend to defend the country and take care of the needs of our citizens. This is the wrong direction that we are going in. We need a better plan. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 370, a resolution that calls on Saudi Arabia to end its boycott of Israel. In 2005, Saudi Arabia pledged to the United States that it would end its boycott of Israel as part of its accession to the World Trade Organization. Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal assured Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Saudi Arabia would follow all WTO rules, including the anti-boycott provisions and specifically pledged to dismantle the secondary and tertiary elements of the boycott against Israel during negotiations for WTO accession. However, shortly after joining the WTO in December, a Saudi official stated unequivocally that the boycott would be maintained. Mr. Speaker, this blatant disregard for the terms of agreement must be addressed. We must force an end to the Saudi boycott on Israel which has been going on far too long. I have been fighting the Israel boycott since I came to Congress. In 1993, I introduced H.R. 1407, the Arab Boycott Arm Sales Prohibition Act, a version of which was signed into law in September 1993. Thirteen years ago we talked about the harm the Arab boycott was causing--that it is a blatantly discriminatory practice which is contrary to free trade. It is now 2006 and we are still trying to end the boycott. Mr. Speaker, I urge this Administration to continue to take a strong position against the Saudi boycott on Israel. It undermines our efforts in the Middle East to bring peace, stability and prosperity and it runs contrary to the obligations of membership in the WTO. General Leave

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, misplaced priorities in the Republican budget result in ballooning deficits and the underfunding of programs women and their families need to succeed in today's economy. By cutting funding for education and training programs that help women pursue careers in nontraditional occupations, this budget does nothing to address one source of the gender wage gap that leaves women earning only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a male. By freezing funding for child care subsidies and housing vouchers, this budget ensures that fewer women receive the support that they need to make work pay and stay off welfare. Women deserve better. We deserve a better budget.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, last week, I introduced a bipartisan resolution, along with my dear friends and colleagues, Representatives Tom Reynolds, Christopher Shays, and Louise Slaughter, to recognize the cultural and educational contributions of American Ballet Theatre throughout its 65 years of service as ``America's National Ballet Company.'' Sixty-five years ago, American Ballet Theatre was formed to fulfill two essential missions: Become one of the world's great ballet companies and bring classical dance to communities who typically are not able to experience world-class ballet. Now, 65 years later, ABT has brought world-class dance to America and American dance to the world, including performances in 126 cities throughout all 50 states and 42 countries, often as representatives of the State Department. Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the important role of American Ballet Theatre over 40 years ago, stating that ABT brings ``some measure of understanding of America's cultural environment and inspiration'' to audiences through the medium of ballet. ABT's mission extends beyond the pursuit of artistic greatness. ABT's extensive educational outreach programs include the award-winning Make a Ballet program, which inspires and empowers at-risk students by guiding them through the entire process of staging their own ballet. From choreography, costumes and performance to lighting, marketing and concessions, Make a Ballet has served students in the New York City region for over a decade; now, ABT is bringing Make a Ballet on tour to communities like Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Cleveland. For 65 years, American Ballet Theatre has entertained, inspired and educated thousands and thousands of people across the country and the world. I am proud to represent this important institution and thank my colleagues for joining me in celebrating the past 65 years with ABT. We all look forward to the next 65 years.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate Egidiana Maccioni on receiving the 2006 President's Medal from Marymount Manhattan College. In her family's restaurants, Le Cirque and Osterio de Circo, Mrs. Maccioni has worked tirelessly as a chef and hostess, making special memories of great food and lively conversation for a diverse community of New Yorkers. A woman who has quietly pursued her goals as a wife, mother, and businesswoman, Mrs. Maccioni truly embodies the spirit of New York City and is more than worthy of this recognition. In presenting Egidiana Maccioni with the President's Medal, Marymount Manhattan College continues a long tradition of honoring individuals who have distinguished themselves through service to their professions and communities. I congratulate Mrs. Maccioni on this prestigious honor, the latest among her noteworthy achievements.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This august institution is celebrating its 140th anniversary this month, and all Americans should salute its remarkable success as the first organization dedicated to the protection of animals in the Western Hemisphere. Over the course of the last 140 years, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, has helped change the way Americans think about animals. The society came into being on April 10, 1866 when its founder, the diplomat and philanthropist Henry Bergh, succeeded in securing it a charter from the New York State Legislature. Just 9 days later, Mr. Bergh and his colleagues from the ASPCA convinced the legislature to pass a new law preventing acts of cruelty to animals and giving the society the power to enforce it. This burst of activism succeeded in focusing public attention on the plight of animals throughout the United States, and its activities helped spawn similar efforts across the Nation. Headquartered on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has expanded its services over the decades to encompass a humane education program and a government affairs initiative that lobbies for the enactment of laws to provide better protections to animals. The ASPCA provided the city of New York with animal control services for a century, rescuing countless animals in its ambulances, providing them with medical care in its clinics, and sheltering and placing them in new homes whenever possible. The society's humane approach to law enforcement established a model that has been adopted by cities, towns, and villages across the United States. Today, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is one of the largest humane societies in the world. Its New York City headquarters house an animal hospital, shelter, and adoption center. Law enforcement officers for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continue to serve as the primary enforcers of anti- cruelty statutes in our Nation's greatest metropolis. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me recognizing the enormous contributions to the well-being of both animals and humans made by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Robert J. Levinsohn, an outstanding New Yorker who has devoted himself in service to others throughout his career. Robert Levinsohn has distinguished himself both as an attorney in private practice and as a driving force behind New York County's pioneering role in fostering a reform of its judicial culture, rendering it free of corruption and unwarranted partisan political influence. A member of our Nation's greatest generation, Robert J. Levinsohn proudly served his country in the United States Army during World War II. He went on to graduate with a bachelor of arts degree from Yale College in 1946 and from the Columbia University School of Law in 1948, where he was named editor of the prestigious Columbia Law Review. In 1952, Robert J. Levinsohn joined Proskauer Rose LLP, one of the Nation's oldest, largest and most highly respected law firms, and one of the first in the Nation to develop a specialized practice in tax law, which became Mr. Levinsohn's area of professional expertise. Named a partner of the firm in 1963, he continues to represent clients in the firm's New York office to this day. In addition, Mr. Levensohn's professional qualifications and impeccable reputation for probity and integrity have led his colleagues to name him to numerous leadership positions in the New York State and City Bar Associations as well as the New York County Lawyers' Association. A lifelong activist devoted to the highest ideals of the Democratic Party, Robert J. Levinsohn naturally assumed a series of important positions of leadership in the world of politics and public policy. An active member and longtime Executive Committee member of the Lexington Democratic Club, one of the first political organizations in the Nation devoted to reform of the political and judicial system, Mr. Levinsohn also served as president of the Columbia Law School Democratic Club; president of the New York Young Democratic Club; chief campaign legal aide to the late, much beloved, Manhattan Congressman William Fitts Ryan; cochairman of the Committee for Democratic Voters and of the New Democratic Coalition; cochairman of the New York County Democratic Committee's Law Committee; vice chairman and member of the New York City Council Districting Commission; and a delegate to New York County Democratic Party judicial conventions for more than 35 years. Throughout his professional and civic obligations, Mr. Levinsohn remains devoted to his beloved wife, Louise Katz. It is in Robert Levinsohn's extraordinary success in reforming New York's judicial and political culture that he will undoubtedly bestow his most enduring legacy on the citizens of our Nation's greatest metropolis. A leader of Manhattan's postwar political reform movement from its first origins, Mr. Levinsohn helped spearhead the drive to remove the taint of political influence from New York's judicial branch. The key to this movement's ultimate success was the reform of the process selecting nominees for judicial office through the establishment of nonpartisan judicial screening panels. This long- sought goal of civic activists like Mr. Levinsohn was finally realized in 1977 under the leadership of former New York County Democratic Party Chairwoman Miriam Bockman. The judicial reform package promoted so ably by Robert J. Levinsohn and like-minded advocates of good government succeeded in establishing ``doubleblind'' independent judicial screening panels that effectively removed partisan political considerations from the judicial nominating process in New York County. Mr. Levinsohn's efforts to ensure the independence of the judiciary was further ratified after a fellow reform advocate, Congressman Edward I. Koch, was elected mayor of New York City and instituted a merit selection process for mayoral appointees to the bench. The reforms advocated by Robert J. Levinsohn have now become a model which is the envy of every other county in the Empire State. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me recognizing the enormous contributions to our civic and political life made by Mr. Robert J. Levinsohn, a true reformer in the finest traditions of our great republic.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, if you look at the headline economic numbers and listen to the Bush Administration's talking points, you could get the impression that the economy is in pretty good shape. But when we talk to our constituents, we get a very different picture. We hear anxiety about the economy, and a feeling that things are not going very well for the typical American family. The White House seems puzzled by this discrepancy, but it is very simple. The benefits of the economic recovery from the 2001 recession have not been going to ordinary Americans. President Bush likes to cite statistics on how fast the economy is growing and how much productivity has increased. But what he does not mention is that, on his watch, the economy went through the most protracted job slump in decades. There is still considerable evidence of hidden unemployment and that the benefits of productivity growth have been showing up in the profits of companies rather than in the paychecks of ordinary American workers. Yes, workers have become more productive. They produce more and more in each hour that they work, but they have not been getting this reward in their own paycheck for their productivity. Average hourly earnings have not keep up with inflation for the past 2 years, and they barely kept even the year before that. Median family income has failed to keep up with inflation every year under President Bush. Mr. Speaker, even more disturbing than the general stagnation in wages and incomes is the growing gap between the ``haves'' and the ``have-nots'' in this country, as income earnings disparities have widened. This is an extremely troubling trend for everyone in our country. Those who are already well-to-do are indeed doing very well in the Bush economy. But the typical American family is struggling to make ends meet in the face of high costs for energy, health care and college education for their children. This chart illustrates the problem very clearly. The red bars show the growth in the inflation adjusted usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers under President Bush at different points in the earnings distribution. You have to be in the upper half of the distribution to have seen any gain. Earnings at the top have grown fastest relative to inflation, and earnings at the bottom have fallen farthest behind inflation. I would note the contrast with the last 5 years of the Clinton Administration, which is illustrated with the blue bars when earnings and gains were strong and spread throughout the earnings distribution. Mr. Speaker, the economic policies of the Bush Administration are not benefitting ordinary American families. The Bush economy and Bush economic policies have produced a widening gap between the ``haves'' and the ``have-nots,'' and they have produced a legacy of deficits and debt that leaves us unprepared to deal with the budget challenges posed by the retirement of the baby-boom generation. And that weakens the future standard of living of our children and grandchildren. We need to do better. We can do better if we focus on policies that address the economic challenges facing the ordinary American worker.