Carolyn Maloney

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I call on colleagues to support the Lowey amendment. This amendment attempts to correct ruthless public policy contained in this bill. For poor women, this bill would make fathers out of rapists. If this is the new majority's idea of family values, then count me out. I think an overwhelming majority of the American people believe our government should help crime victims, not leave them to their own devices, especially with such horrible crimes as rape and incest. My Republican colleagues bristle when we use the word ``extreme.'' But there is no other word to describe this policy. Support the Lowey amendment.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Marcy Kaptur, who has been a strong fighter for increased wages, increased job opportunities for all working women and men.

Mrs. MALONEY. I thank the gentlewoman very much. I would like to bring to your attention that Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez is working on many of the issues that you raised and in fact will be hosting a public hearing on March 11 in New York City with Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. I hope that you will be able to attend, as well as other Members of Congress, as we explore ways to protect jobs in the textile industry and expand wages for workers in America.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to recognize the former Governor of Puerto Rico, the gentleman from Puerto Rico [Mr. Romero- Barcelo].

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize one of our Nation's leading experts on constitutional rights, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, Ms. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Mrs. MALONEY. Thank you very much. I would now recognize the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Waters], a leader on women's issues and the newly elected ranking member on the Committee on Banking and Financial Services for Oversight. Thank you for joining us.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize one of our newly elected Members of Congress from Texas, Sheila Jackson-Lee, who has been a strong advocate on so many important issues for this body.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to rise with some of my colleagues in this special order to celebrate International Women's Day. This day is a celebration borne out of the fighting spirit of the women's labor movement in the great city that I am honored to represent, New York City. International Women's Day was born in 1857 when women from the garment and textile industry in New York City staged a demonstration protesting low wages, 12 hour workdays, and increasing workloads. It is the perfect day to call for equal rights for women, equal pay for women, equal representation for women, equal treatment for women, and expanded health care for women and all Americans. I have called this special order today to pay tribute to women, past and present, who fight every day for improved working conditions and equal rights and treatment for women. Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, we come together today to celebrate our gains. Already this year we have celebrated the 75th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, the 23d anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the coming together of over 30,000 women from 190 different countries at the fourth U.N. World Conference for Women in Beijing, and the first Women's Expo held here in Washington, DC. We celebrate these successes at a time when we face the most hostile, antiwoman Congress that I can remember, a Congress more antifamily, antichoice, antiurban, antiworker, and antienvironment, than any in recent history. In short, this Congress is a disaster for women. In the first 6 months, we voted in this House of Representatives and passed 12 antichoice bills. But the impact of these actions in this Congress really came home in a very personal way recently. I received a notice from the Government in the mail. It said that abortion services are no longer covered under my health insurance plan. It was one small notice in the mail, but one giant step back for reproductive freedom in the United States. The letter, marked in a very personal way for hundreds and thousands of employees the first widespread practical impact of the 104th Congress's multifaceted assault on a woman's right to choose. Thanks to extremists in the 104th Congress, U.S. military hospitals, both here and overseas, are now prohibited by law from performing abortions. In other words, women who are stationed here and overseas busily protecting our rights, while in this Congress we have been busily removing theirs. The House also passed an amendment denying Medicaid-funded abortions for victims of rape and incest. For poor women, this would make fathers out of rapists. If that were not enough, on March 15, when the current continuing resolution will expire, we will effectively zero out funding for international family planning programs, denying hundreds of thousands of women around the world their only source of health care. Conservative estimates show that this reduction is much more than a loss of money. It means that over 7 million couples will lost access to modern contraceptive methods, and, for many, health care services. In other actions, the new majority suspended Federal responsibility for the women, infants, and children nutrition program, and eliminated $2 billion in school lunches and Aid to Families with Dependent Children programs. Tomorrow, this Congress will be marking up, or marching backward, the affirmative action bill, which has opened tightly held doors to so many women and minorities. They will be attempting to roll back affirmative action. When we consider the losses I have listed and those in our scorecard on women's issues, which we will release tomorrow, we might feel better served with a wake today instead of a celebration. Today we celebrate to remind each other that the obstacles we face are real, but we will succeed in enacting legislation which will counter the antiwoman actions of the 104th Congress. We will introduce shortly and hopefully pass the Women's Health Equity Act and the Economic Equity Act. We will restore funding to International Family Planning and the Children programs. We will succeed, because we have the power of the vote. Women in this country will use their vote in the upcoming elections to turn around this antiwoman Congress' actions. We do have winning strategies to build on. We need to look back to the energy and promise of the 1995 U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Over 6,000 Americans and 30,000 women attended this conference--190 countries ratified the platform for action. Although it was not legally binding, it is certainly politically binding and important that so many governments spoke in support of women's rights and a specific plan to achieve equality. Along with 53 of my colleagues, I have introduced House Resolution 119, which supports the seven United States commitments as introduced by Ambassador Madeleine Albright. The time has come to mobilize and energize. We must enact the U.S. commitments and the platform for action into law to put women in the winning column. Included in the commitments are initiatives which would launch a powerful program to end domestic violence and crimes against women with full funding, and an all-out assault on the threats to the health and well-being of women. Today we introduced H.R. 2893, the Kennedy- Kassebaum-Roukema bill, which represents the minimum that can be done to provide additional health security to all American people. It would cover preexisting conditions and provide for portability of health care, making increased availability of health care to all Americans. Today we gained 170 cosponsors for the legislation, and we are hopeful that it will pass. Third, a strong commitment to protecting women's reproductive health and the right to choose; grassroots programs to assure that women make much more than the 72 cents to every dollar a man earns today by fighting for equal pay and assistance in balancing family and work; plans to enhance economic empowerment and economic equality for women; and, finally, enforcement of women's legal rights and a drive to increase women's political participation. I must say that in this Congress we have heard a lot of talk about quotas and the need to end affirmative action, but I would like to talk about one quota, and that is the representation of women. Although we are well over 50 percent of the population, we are still only 10 percent of this elected body and only 6 percent of management positions in the private industry. This needs to be changed. In response to the Beijing conference, President Clinton established the Interagency Task Force on Women, which, along with other advocacy groups, including Bella Abzug's group, WEDO, are working hard to implement the platform for action. The 12 planks in the platform for action, combined with the seven U.S. commitments, could succeed in counteracting the new majority's all-out assault on American women. The platform for action was agreed to by 190 countries, and it is a strong statement when 190 countries and their governments endorse this platform. The platform will unify women at all levels and move forward with positive change. The platform goes further than the U.S. commitments by calling for the empowerment of women, sharing of family responsibilities, ending the burden of poverty for women and children, high-quality affordable health care, sexual and reproductive rights, workplace rights, educational equity, ending violence, protecting a healthy environment, women as peacemakers, ratifying the convention to end all forms of discrimination against women, and a long-term platform for achieving equality. Mr. Speaker, today we commemorate the International Women's Day. We celebrate because the same thing the new majority fears, women's potential power, will help us to succeed. In honor of International Women's Day, we will reintroduce and reissue the scorecard on women's issues tomorrow to inform the public on how people have voted in this Congress on women's issues and family issues and children issues, and we must hold those in power more accountable for their antiwomen actions. We intend to have score cards produced and given out on every single Member of Congress on how they have voted on women and children issues. We stand together tonight and we will come together tomorrow, and we will work each and every day to remind the extremist majority that women are neither marginal nor a minority. The rights we have gained are significant, but they are only steps in a long march toward equality of rights for all women. Today we celebrate International Women's Day. I would like to end with the words of Eleanor Roosevelt when she talked about change, when she talked about getting things done for women, children, and families. She said, ``It is up to the women.'' Mr. Speaker, I recognize the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Woolsey], who is the author of many important bills in the Woman's Equity Act and the Women's Empowerment Act, and many other areas we have been working on.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues a philanthropic organization that traces its roots back to the Dodecanese Islands of Greece. The Dodecanese Islands include Rhodes, Kos, Patmos, Kasos, Symi, Kalymnos, Haiki, Tilos, Astypalea, Kastelorizo, Nisyros, Karpathos, and Leros. These historic islands housed the Colossus of Rhodes and are where Hippocrates, the father of medicine, founded the first western medical school. These islands are prominently mentioned in Greek history and legend. When migrating to the United States, the Dodecanese Greeks brought with them their love of Hellenic culture and Democracy. They were the first to form an antifascist movement, in New York City, after Mussolini's ascension to power in Italy. The movement's members played a major role in the liberation of the islands from Italy and Turkey. The Dodecanesians who love democracy and freedom, not only fought in Greece, they served in the armies of Abysinnia, Spain, and the American military on all fronts in the Second World War. On March 7, 1996, the members of the Dodecanese Societies in my district together with all the members and friends of the society will celebrate the 48th anniversary of the unification of the islands with Greece. The members of the Dodecanese Societies are unique individuals who love their Greek heritage and the United States. They take the best of both worlds, to create a true cultural blend, that is better than the individual. Today, the society continues its positive role. The Federation serves as a link to the Hellenic past and a springboard to the future. Under the presidency of Professor Christopher I. Koronieos, the organization is concentrating on its young since those individuals will play an important role in the growth and success of the United States. But, they do not forget their heritage and will always fight for freedom and human rights, be it in New York or Imia. So I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Federation of Dodecanese Societies for their past accomplishments and future endeavors.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous matter on the subject of my special order tonight.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Miller-Schumer- Kingston amendment. This amendment will protect thousands of jobs by eliminating the U.S. sugar program. Continuation of the program which artificially doubles the price of sugar and restricts its import could also close the Domino Sugar refinery in my district, and I have a letter from the company right here stating just that. It is an important business. It employs 450 people in Williamsburg-Green Point, Brooklyn, and 150 in Manhattan, and these jobs are at risk right now. Domino Sugar has already had to close three plants, and a refinery closed four times in 1995 alone. Continuation of the sugar program could shut Domino Sugar Co. down permanently, putting more than 1,000 Domino employees out of work and destroying many small neighborhood businesses. Mr. Chairman, the American people deserve better. They deserve cheaper sugar. They deserve to keep their jobs. I have here three editorials, national newspapers, that came out in support of this amendment. Mr. de la GARZA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to our colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Minge].

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Carter Burden, a philanthropist, former New York City councilman, candidate to Congress, publisher, and arts benefactor. It saddens me to report that Mr. Burden died on January 23, 1996 at the age of 54 years. With his death, my district has lost a compassionate advocate for the elderly and generous contributor to the arts and libraries of New York City. Mr. Burden was city councilman in New York City from 1969 to 1978. As city councilman, he was dedicated to improving the health and housing for New York City's children and elderly. He advocated to improve standards for prisoners and introduced legislation for one of the first gay rights bills in the Nation. Mr. Burden ran for Congress in 1978, but lost to Bella S. Abzug. Previous to his years on city council, Mr. Burden was a legislative aid to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. While working for Senator Kennedy, he was the liaison to minority groups in East Harlem and helped establish the Bedford-Stuyvesant Development Project. He was one of the founders of the New Democratic Coalition which fought for reform within the Democratic Party, and against Tammany Hall style politics. Mr. Burden was born on August 25, 1941 in Beverly Hills, CA. He was fortunate to be a great-great-great-grandson of the railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius W. Vanderbilt, and great nephew of the actor Douglas Fairbanks. He attended Roman Catholic school, military school, and completed his secondary education at the Portsmouth Priory School in Rhode Island. Mr. Burden graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in English from Harvard college in 1963. He received a bachelor of laws degree from Columbia University Law School in 1966. During these same years, he was active in the publishing industry. In 1969, Mr. Burden became the principal owner of the Village Voice, which was then the country's largest weekly newspaper. In 1980, Mr. Burden turned to broadcasting and founded Commodore Media, a New York City company which owns and operates 20 radio stations. At his death, he was also managing partner of William A.M. Burden & Co., and director of the Reliance Insurance Companies. Although he never held another elected position after his loss to Ms. Abzug, he continued serving the public as a philanthropist. He established the Burden Center for the Aging in Yorkville, NY. He supported the National Crime Prevention Council, the Brookdale Center on Aging, and Survivors of Domestic Abuse. In the arts, Mr. Burden was a major benefactor of the New York Public Library, the Morgan Library and the New York City Ballet. His collection of rare first edition books by 20th century authors is regarded as one of the world's finest. He was also a collector of drawings, most significantly of works by Sargent, Picasso, and Matisse. I am deeply saddened by the passing of Carter Burden, and am compelled to recognize his important contributions to the people of my district and to the city of New York at large.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. I would like to add my voice to the lodge politics that is being practiced in this body. My colleagues, the Republicans are practicing winner-take-all politics. If you do not do it my way, then we will shut the Government down for 21 days. If you do not do it my way, we will default on the Government bonds and the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, even if this default would trigger a global financial catastrophe, not only in the United States, but globally. This is not a revolution. My colleague, this is destruction, pure and simple. Compromise is a way of life in public policy. It is called give-and-take. It is called checks and balances. It is called making a decision and moving the Government forward even if you do not get everything you want. My way or no way is the mindset of a 5-year-old, not the leading legislative body of the Western World. The Republicans, my colleagues know that the Republicans demanded over and over and over a 7-year balanced budget using CBO numbers. The President met that demand, but this is Stairmaster politics. The President steps up, meets the demand, only to find that he has to step again to the same place just to stay in the same place. Every time they make a demand, they just raise the bar a little higher and make another demand. The bad faith, winner-take-all negotiating stand is unreasonable, it is irresponsible, it is dangerous. It is time for the Republicans to moderate their position, join with the President and move the country forward. The Republicans should not be playing Russian roulette with the full faith and credit of the United States Government. I would like to be associated with the comments of my colleagues here and the discussion that the Republicans should put forward a clean bill on debt ceiling so that we may raise it, pay our bills and move forward and stop playing Stairmaster politics.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues Beth Israel Medical Center's Phillips Ambulatory Care Center, which is opening its doors today in New York's 14th Congressional District. The Phillips Ambulatory Care Center is an extraordinary new health care facility that is designed to provide a single standard of ambulatory care to all patients, regardless of health insurance status. The development of new ambulatory care facilities such as this one is particularly important at a time when health insurance plans are increasingly emphasizing out-of-hospital service. Phillips proposes to provide each patient medical services at a designated patient care module that is small, patient-friendly, and modeled after the most modern and comfortable private physician office. As a state-of-the-art ambulatory care center, this new facility incorporates many technological innovations into its design and operation. For example, the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center has the Nation's first digitized filmless radiology service. Filmless radiography will allow physicians to view radiographic images promptly at convenient locations within the facility and will make it possible to consult with a radiologist moments after the studies are done. Another technological innovation at the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center is a computer-based, paperless medical records system. With this system, physicians and other clinical staff will have immediate access to a patient's most up-to-date medical records. This state-of-the-art medical records system will strengthen the continuum of care for patients. For example, notes made in a patient's chart during a morning visit to the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center will be accessible to emergency room staff at the Petrie Division of Beth Israel Hospital the same day, should the patient need emergency care. Located in Zeckendorf Towers, the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center will play an important role in revitalizing the Union Square area. Early this summer, Beth Israel Hospital will open a comprehensive cancer center and a six-unit ambulatory surgery center in the same building that houses the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center. The combined facilities are expected to bring additional visitors into the area and to add to its economic vitality. Mr. Speaker, Beth Israel Medical Center has a reputation for innovation and care. The Phillips Ambulatory Care Center should prove to be another fine example of the extraordinary work done by this institution. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center all the best as it begins its work in our community.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of my colleagues the achievements of Msgr. Harry J. Byrne, pastor of Epiphany Parish, on this happy occasion--the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination. Monsignor Byrne has played an extraordinary role in my community, both in civic and in spiritual matters. The Monsignor entered St. Joseph's Seminary in 1940, was ordained on December 1, 1945, and later went on to complete a doctoral degree in Canon Law at the Catholic University of America, in our Nation's capital. After holding varied positions with the Archdiocesan Chancery, Monsignor Byrne was appointed Chancellor in 1968. Through his work with the Archdioces, he was part of an enormously successful project under which $300 million low and moderate income housing units were constructed. Later, as a public appointee of Mayor Edward I. Koch to the Rent Guidelines Board, he was actively involved in a host of issues concerning affordable housing and housing rights. Many New Yorkers are indebted to Monsignor Byrne for his tireless efforts on behalf of tenants who undoubtedly gained because of his fair and just voice on the Rent Guidelines Board. In 1982, Monsignor Byrne was appointed pastor of Epiphany Parish, where his dedication and devotion have earned him the praise of all who have had the good fortune to work with him. During his tenure at Epiphany Parish, Monsignor Byrne has been a creative and innovative leader. Among the important changes he has initiated are the early introduction of altar girls, the establishment of a restricted endowment fund, and the expansion of the Epiphany School. The Monsignor's efforts do not stop at the church doors. He volunteers in the community as well, serving as vice president of the local Ronald McDonald House. Monsignor Byrne is a very special friend of mine who has given a great deal to his community through his work in religious realm as well as his involvement in housing issues and other volunteer activities. So I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Monsignor Byrne on his extraordinary achievements and in wishing him well in his next 50 years of service to God and to his community.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as the inexcusable Government shutdown drags on, Americans all over the country are justifiably furious that critical services have been halted and that hardworking Federal employees are being forced to work without pay. In addition, many of our constituents are angry that Members of Congress continue to receive their full pay during this time of crisis. In fact, many of us have cosponsored legislation, as I have, to deny Members their pay during the budget shutdown. Yesterday, the New York times published an incisive op-ed piece written by two of my constituents, Carol Ann Rinzler and Perry Luntz. I commend this timely article to all of my colleagues. [From the New York Times, Jan. 3, 1996] Congress Shouldn't Get Paid Either (By Carol Ann Rinzler and Perry Luntz) Almost exactly a year ago, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act, a much ballyhooed measure that requires the House and Senate to abide by the workplace and civil rights laws they enact for the rest of us. Alas, like so many things in life, this long-overdue legislation turns out to be less than meets the eye. In an effort to minimize the effects of the Government shutdown on their constituents, Republicans in the House proposed last week that furloughed Federal employees go back to work without being paid, surely a new idea in free-market, conservative economics. Afterward, someone asked Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority whip, whether he would consider giving up his own salary during the crisis. No way, said Mr. DeLay, explaining that, like every other member of Congress, he isn't a Federal employee--he is a ``constitutional officer.'' Well, we've reread our copy of the Constitution, and frankly the distinction seems a bit arcane to us. True, members of Congress are specifically mentioned in the Constitution Article I, Section 5 says that ``Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.'' Cabinet members and Federal judges also get a mention, later on, but other workers-- curators at the Smithsonian, say--do not. But every Federal paycheck originates in an appropriation requiring money from the Treasury, whose funds come, in large part, from income taxes. That should give everyone of us the inalienable right to put in our 2 cents. Or to take it out. Members of the House and Senate earn a base salary of $133,600 a year (those in leadership positions get more). And don't forget the generous benefit package: life insurance, health insurance, per diem travel and a nifty pension. Mr. DeLay's base salary alone costs each of America's more than 115 million individual taxpayers 1.2 cents a year. As conscientious citizens, we have always paid our taxes, regardless of our political gripes. Even though one of us was tear-gassed in 1971 by an overzealous guard at the Nixon White House, protecting it from throngs of balding, middle- aged Vietnam War protesters and their children, the Internal Revenue Service got paid the following year anyway. This time, however, we plan to draw a line in the sand. Having voted to obey its own laws, members of Congress should be man (or woman) enough to live up to that requirement. Before Tom DeLay votes for trimming Medicare, he should whistle down his own Government-financed health insurance. If he expects Federal workers to show up for free, so should he. Until then, he can forget our helping to pay his salary. Come April 15, our joint tax return will be 2 cents short. That ought to send a message: keeping Congress in line is a hard job, but somebody has to do it.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, the shutdown of the Federal Government is a national disgrace. Yesterday the Senate acknowledged that enough was enough, that the point had been made, that the issue of a 7-year balanced budget was being actively negotiated, and that it was time to stop the widespread suffering caused by the Government shutdown. But the extremist right wing in the House seems to have so much contempt for the Government and such indifference to the pain the shutdown is causing, that they will not listen to reason. They think nothing of using the Federal Government as a tool of political blackmail or extortion. Fortunately, President Clinton has protected his priorities and not caved in to these gangster tactics. In the 104th Congress, President Clinton and congressional Democrats have defended ordinary Americans who rely on programs like Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, and student lunches. Republicans have sought to gut these programs which help millions of people. So it should come as no surprise that they seem indifferent to the plight of millions of people, both clients and Government employees, who have suffered from the Government shutdown. I spoke to several such people Monday at the Federal Government headquarters in New York City. I met one of my constituents, Ms. Edio Rodriquez, there. She is a single mother trying to raise two children on her own. But this furloughed secretary at the Department of Environmental Protection has not been paid in several weeks. In the Rodriquez household, it was anything but a merry Christmas. The only household income is earned by one of her sons, who is also a college student. He may be forced to take next semester off because he cannot pay his student loans and support the family at the same time. An employee of the Social Security Administration put it beautifully when she said, ``I don't know the politics of the situation. They aren't clear. The humanity of the situation, or lack of it, is very clear. Working people should be paid, and people who have 23 years of service should not be told to go home and stay home against their will and without a paycheck.'' The indifference of this new majority toward Federal employees is so overwhelming that I may be wasting my breath by talking about the humanity of the situation. But other Americans are being affected, too. I met my constituent Laurine Fox, a musician who was supposed to be the guest conductor for an orchestra in Bulgaria over the holidays, but Laurine could not get a passport because politicians in Washington are bickering. I met a woman whose elderly parents immigrated from Europe may years ago and now live in Georgia. They made a pilgrimage to New York to see their names inscribed on the wall at Ellis Island. But Ellis Island was closed, and their sentimental journey was ruined. It is not just individuals who are being harmed. U.S. manufacturing companies, the city of New York and the U.S. Government stand to lose millions of dollars, because the shutdown is rendering ineffectual the first Hungarian Apparel and Textile Manufacturing Seminar, which is scheduled to take place next Monday in New York. The Hungarians cannot come because they cannot get visas. Mr. Speaker, this is more than lost business opportunities; it is an international embarrassment. Mr. Speaker, we can no longer ignore the human beings who are suffering from Washington paralysis, like the jeweler who works right across the street from the Federal Building in New York City. His business over the Christmas season was down more than 60 percent. Yet some Members of the Republican majority have said that no one has noticed the Government shutdown. To those right-wing extremists, all I can say is try telling that to the American people. This shutdown is pure malicious insanity. Mr. Speaker, the blackmail and extortion will not work. It is time for the new majority to stop acting like gangsters and start acting like statesmen.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, for those of my colleagues who may have missed it, New York City is experiencing the steepest decline in violent crime since 1972. No one thought we could do it, but we did. With the help of the President's COPS Program, we have added well over 2,000 new police officers to the New York City Police Department. Those police are dedicated to new policing strategies; targeting hot spots, walking neighborhood beats, working with the community to prevent crime. That is what community policing is all about. Mr. Speaker, this trend is not just confined to New York City. Other cities, like Houston and San Diego, are experiencing a similar decline. It makes no sense to eliminate a successful program such as this, as this bill does. This is not a debate about balancing the budget, a goal many of us support, this is about the priorities of our country. To me and my constituents, ridding our streets of crime is a priority worth fighting for. Sustain safe communities. Sustain the President's veto.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained in my district this morning due to weather. Had I been present, I would have voted ``present'' on rollcall vote No. 1, and ``nay'' on rollcall vote No. 2.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, having just returned from the Christmas recess, I can report that the veterans of New York City are angry. They are angry because the VA budget has been slashed. They are angry because the Government shutdown is affecting services. They are angry because they believe that after all the sacrifices they and their families have made for our country, our Nation is turning its back on them. I would like to submit for the record a statement put out on December 26, 1995 by Col. Bernard Wray and the United War Veterans Council of New York County. It is indeed sobering reading for those of us who support our Nation's veterans. New York Veterans' Community Outraged by Unneeded Reduction in Veterans' Administration Services to Veterans in Need! The United War Veterans' Council of New York County which was first incorporated by Union Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic in New York County, in 1895, to help aging Civil War Veterans, and which now consists of fifty-five separate Veterans and Patriotic organizations, issues this distress call to all concerned members of the Veterans' Community, and to their families and friends: Never, during the past 100 years have war veterans, men and women, been treated with the disdain and disrespect that we see in this run-away session of Congress. Now is the time for our 16 million War Veterans and their families to demand full restoration of all VA services, and full restoration to their jobs of all VA service providers! It should be noted by all veterans, that the House of Representatives cut the VA allocation requested by the President by one billion dollars. This is one twentieth of the 20 billion dollars appropriated by this session of Congress for twenty B-2 bombers, which the Air Force does not even want or need in its aircraft stock. Now is the Time for all Veterans to step forward in all 435 Congressional Districts, and to spell out in the clearest terms, to all Representatives, regardless of party affiliation, that they will be held to strict accountability at the 1996 elections, should they break faith with the Veterans' community. Full restoration of Veterans' Benefits and Veterans' Health Care is non-negotiable. It was a Contract bought and paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of millions of American Veterans. Meanwhile, we call for all members of Congress, and their staffs to agree to receive no further pay, while the Veterans and their service providers are being asked to make sacrifices. We also call upon Corporate America to share in the sacrifices of the War Veterans of America on this the 50th Anniversary of Victory in World War II. Semper Fi'

Mr. MALONEY

Mr. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, this has been an extremely partisan Congress--but this is one area where Democrats and Republicans agree. Welfare needs reform. But the conference report we're considering today would make a bad system much worse. The bill would worsen poverty and hunger for innocent children by making deep cuts in benefits especially during economic downturns. It would do far too little to empower welfare recipients to rejoin the work force with education and training. It would scale back the very child care funding that would liberate welfare recipients to go to work. This plan is punitive, irresponsible, and cruel to children. For example, the 25 percent reduction in SSI benefits will effect aid to children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and other health concerns. The $32 billion in food stamp cuts will force many working poor, elderly and disabled to go hungry. The block granting of child protection services and oversight will force more children to stay in abusive and unsafe homes. This is not welfare reform. Already millions of children lack health care insurance. Under this agreement, up to 2 million more children could be added to the roles because they would lose Medicaid coverage. Clearly, welfare needs reform. Welfare reform should focus on providing real jobs and moving recipients into those jobs. Yet all the best work incentives have been stripped from the bill. This conference agreement is harsh, mean-spirited, and cruel. Although, we live in the richest society in human history, this House cannot find within its heart or its wallet, the will to make sure the no American child goes hungry. For this Christmas season, lets not be Scrooge to the poor and disabled, Vote ``no'' on the agreement.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition.

Mrs. MALONEY

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Wynn].

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Hefner].

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, the American people do not just want a balanced budget. They want a balanced balanced budget. And the Republican budget--which the President is rightfully resisting--is an unbalanced balanced budget. The Republican budget is unfairly balanced on the backs of seniors on Medicare. It is unfairly balanced on the backs of the poor, the disabled and middle class families whose parents benefit from Medicaid. It is unfairly balanced on the backs of the children of our public schools and students with student loans. The Republican budget is a load off the backs of corporate welfare recipients, defense contractors, polluters, and all the other Republican special interest groups. No issue more clearly divides Democrats and Republicans than Medicare and Medicaid reform. The proposal to block grant Medicaid takes away the guarantee that poor people will receive health care. At this time in history--when the gap between rich and poor is wider than ever--that is inexcusable. The block grant proposal is predicated on a blind-faith fantasy, that States will come up with a magic formula, to do much more in health care for the poor with much less money. If there are any such miracle cures to health care in New York State, I've certainly never heard of them. And neither has anyone else in the New York hospital system. What's more, this block grant proposal has no flexibility. It will be most effective in providing health care for the poor during good economic times, and least effective in recessions, when America needs Medicaid most. That stands the very purpose of Medicaid on its head. The Republican Medicare plan is just as reckless, and just as cruel. Cutting $270 billion out of a program that needs a $90 billion cut to remain solvent--and is so important to so many seniors--is outrageous. Just as this proposal will hurt Medicaid and Medicare clients/it will also devastate Medicaid and Medicare providers. Estimates vary, but it is clear that if the Republican plans are enacted, New York State will lose between $40 and $50 billion dollars. That would endanger the very survival of literally every public hospital in New York City. Two provisions are of particular concern to the city and State of New York under the Republican Medicare proposal. They are programs which took decades to evolve and refine. If they are gutted by these senseless cuts, these programs will be virtually impossible to reconstruct. The proposal to cut formulas for Medicare graduate medical education and disproportionate share payments would devastate New York's hospitals. Fifteen percent of all medical residents in the America are educated in New York metropolitan area hospitals. New York City's hospitals also serve an unusually high proportion of special needs patients: the elderly, the disabled, the chronically ill, and the poor. Overall Medicare payment rates determine indirect Medical education and disproportionate share payments. If those payments are reduced because of smaller inflation adjustments, New York's hospitals would be hit with a double whammy. Graduate Medical Education would be further devastated by new restrictions on training international residents, who comprise 45 percent of all residents. What country a resident comes from is unimportant as long as he or she is saving American lives. New York's world-renowned hospital system is struggling to stay afloat TODAY. These cuts are far in excess of what that system can absorb without catastrophic consequences. Medicaid cuts will especially hurt New York nursing homes and other long-term care providers, who rely on Medicaid for 90 percent of all payments. That will trickle down to middle class families, who could be bankrupted by simply giving their parents quality care in their old age. Mr. Speaker, it comes down to this. New York State, with 7 percent of the population, would absorb 11 percent of the cuts in Medicare and Medicaid. New York City, with 2.9 percent of the population, would absorb 6.5 percent of these cuts. These numbers don't just represent dollars. These numbers represent lives. Thousands of lives lost, ruined or needlessly compromised. There are numbers in this budget that we can cut which will NOT represent lives. It's time to spare these critically important health care programs for our seniors, our poor, our disabled and our people.