Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the remaining time. Mr. Chairman, everyone acknowledges that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, only a political solution; but we are putting billions of dollars into building up our military presence without a clear vision of how to bring our troops home, an exit strategy, for lack of a better term. Every military mission has a beginning, a middle, a time of transition and an end. But I have yet to see that vision articulated in any document, speech or briefing. We're not asking for an immediate withdrawal. We're surely not talking about cutting or running or retreating. Just a plan. If there's no military solution for Afghanistan, then please, just tell us how we will know when our military contribution to the political solution has ended. Requiring an outline for how our military operations are to proceed in Afghanistan so that Congress can effectively weigh the level of investment, both human and financial, is called doing our job, something this body neglected to do throughout the past 8 years. I welcome the reports, the time frames, the matrixes included in H.R. 2647. But once again, we're trying to define what the administration has failed to articulate for itself. When I first ran for Congress, I promised my constituents that I would never, ever send our servicemen and -women into a war without a clearly defined mission and a clear vision of how we would bring them home safely to their families and to their loved ones. I am sticking to that promise. Please support the McGovern-Jones-Lee-Pingree amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I am the final speaker on my side so I will let the gentleman proceed.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 15 seconds. All we are trying to do is fill in the holes of the strategy that President Obama has already articulated. I think the American people would welcome that. I think the Afghan people would welcome that. The notion that we are sending our men and women into harm's way without a clearly defined mission, which includes a beginning, middle and end, to me, is a mistake. Mr. Chairman, I would yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Chairman, President Obama on a recent ``60 Minutes'' interview said he favors an exit strategy. This shouldn't be controversial. We are told that there's a political solution ultimately to be had in Afghanistan. All we are asking is: When does our military contribution to that political solution come to an end so that we know when we can think about bringing our troops back home? That's all this amendment does. This should not be controversial at all. What we are asking is simply a clearly defined mission, and nothing more. At this point, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield 2 minutes to a cosponsor of this amendment, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia, who represents WHINSEC in his district (Mr. Bishop).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1\1/2\ minutes. This amendment is identical to the amendment approved by the House last year. Its purpose is quite simple: for over 40 years, the names of students and instructors at the former U.S. Army School of the Americas and now the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation were available to the public. All you had to do was make a phone call, write a letter, file a FOIA request, and the names were provided. Suddenly in August 2006, the names became classified. The only reason cited by the Defense Department for denying the names was that the list includes personal information, but nothing about the request had changed. No one had asked for new information and certainly none of a personal nature. So for the past 3 years, the names of graduates and instructors at WHINSEC have remained secret. Well--almost secret. Names constantly pop up in WHINSEC PR materials, sometimes with a photo; but the public is still denied access. In over four decades of public access, not once has there ever been a whisper that the military officers attending WHINSEC were targets. And those were some pretty turbulent years with coups in the southern cone, civil wars in Central America, drug lords, drug cartels and armed groups in the Andes, especially Colombia and Peru. Not a hint that attending the school was dangerous. The WHINSEC is supposed to be a model for transparency, accountability, and respect for civil society and human rights. What signal does the school send to its Latin American counterparts about our democratic values when it denies access to information that has been available for decades? Vote to restore public access to this amendment. Vote for this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, my friend from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) talked about the fact that the names were being released by WHINSEC. The fact he didn't mention is they're being released to us in a classified form so that no one in the public can see them. And it is not unique for this information to be made public. Other Army, Air Force and Navy military schools and training schools still provide the public with the names of Latin American students. I have a pile of them right here. Each one asserts the needs of the public interest outweigh any consideration for privacy. And I believe that standing up for transparency, accountability, and our own democratic values strengthens our national security and U.S.-Latin American relations. The danger comes when democratic values and transparency are viewed as detrimental. Mr. Chairman, the House approved this amendment last year; it should approve it again. The cosponsors of this amendment do not agree on the fate of WHINSEC, but we all agree that we need to restore public access to these names. Look at these lists, Mr. Chairman, all blacked out. Does this look like transparency? Is this democracy at work? Is this the model we want Latin American militaries to copy? The names were public for decades until August 2006. Openness was the norm, not secrecy. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and restore public access, restore transparency, restore accountability. It is the right thing to do. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, a military strategy that has no exit is no strategy at all. I'd like to yield 2 minutes to the cosponsor of this amendment, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. McGOVERN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield myself 2 minutes. Mr. Chairman, this amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to provide Congress by the end of the year with an outline of our exit strategy for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. This bipartisan amendment, offered by Representatives Walter Jones, Chellie Pingree, Barbara Lee, and me, does not demand a timeline for withdrawal or a halt to the deployment of the 21,000 additional troops called for by the President. It simply asks the administration to present its plan for beginning, middle, and end of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. For over 8 long years, our uniformed men and women have done all that we have asked them to do in Afghanistan. We are now asking them to do more. And we are giving them more resources and more boots on the ground to accomplish their mission. What we have not told them is how to tell when their contribution to the political solution is done and they can begin to transition out of Afghanistan. Mr. Chairman, I want President Obama to succeed in Afghanistan. I stand by our commitment to provide the necessary resources to help the Afghan people take charge of their own future. But as Congress authorizes and appropriates billions and billions of dollars for a new strategy in Afghanistan, is it too much to ask how we will know when our troops can finally come home to their families? Certainly, we need to hold the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan accountable for governing their own nations. But it is incumbent upon us in Congress to hold ourselves accountable--and before we can even do that, the administration must clearly articulate and outline how it envisions completing its military operations in Afghanistan. Eleven months into its term is not too soon for that outline to be provided. We are asking the Congress be a proper check and balance. We are asking for Congress to do its job. The people of this country want clarity. They are tired of endless wars. Please support the McGovern-Jones-Pingree-Lee amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado, my colleague on the Rules Committee, for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand here in support of this rule and of the underlying legislation. This Interior Appropriations bill is a bill that respects our environment. I'd especially like to thank Chairman Dicks for his leadership, and I want to thank him also for accepting my amendment to increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Stateside Assistance program by $10 million and for including it in the manager's amendment. The LWCF Stateside Assistance program is one of the most successful Federal-State-local partnerships in the history of the Department of the Interior. The LWCF Stateside Assistance program matches funds to assist communities in creating new public parks, creating open space, and developing public resources and creating jobs. The States, cities, counties, and towns that apply for and accept Federal funding from the LWCF Stateside Assistance program agree to match the Federal investment on a dollar-for-dollar basis, and often match significantly more than the Federal share. Since its inception, it has provided funding for over 41,000 State and local projects in 98 percent of all U.S. counties. There is not a congressional district that has not been impacted in a positive way by an LWCF stateside project. Having said that, Madam Speaker, I also want to rise in strong opposition to an amendment that will be offered by my colleague from Utah, Mr. Chaffetz, later on today, which would eliminate, which would eliminate the LWCF Stateside Assistance program. Madam Speaker, as I have already stated, the LWCF Stateside Assistance program has supported projects in 98 percent of all United States counties, including the counties that are included in the State of Utah that are in the district of my friend who's offering this amendment. This program serves a vital, national need, which helps fulfill conservation efforts while promoting healthy living for all Americans. LWCF funding provides critical funding to protect and enhance our parks, protect our wildlife, and retain the quality of our conservation spaces. Again, I want to thank Chairman Dicks for working with me on this issue, and I look forward to continuing efforts on behalf of the LWCF Stateside Assistance program. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and to support the underlying bill.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, there is much good in this conference report on the FY09 supplemental. I support the IMF monies and I certainly support the funding to respond to the H1N1 flu virus. But I will vote ``no'' today on the final bill for the same reason I voted ``no'' on the original supplemental. This supplemental is primarily a war funding bill. It includes a huge escalation of our military involvement in Afghanistan: an escalation without benchmarks, conditions, or most importantly, without an exit strategy. I hope all my concerns about Afghanistan are wrong. There is a different team in the White House no--who I believe are trying very hard not to repeat the mistakes of the previous Administration. President Obama and others have said there is no military solution in Afghanistan, only a political solution. I believe this, too. So I am very concerned when we put billions of dollars building up the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan without a clear mission and without an exit strategy. Just as I insisted that the Bush Administration provide Congress with clear benchmarks and an exit strategy for Iraq, then we should the same with this Administration for Afghanistan. I am not advocating an immediate withdrawal of our military forces in Afghanistan. I understand that our humanitarian mission may have to be protected in the near term. All I am asking for is a plan. If there's no military solution for Afghanistan, then please, tell me how we will know when our military contribution to the political solution has concluded. I suspect that the votes are in place to pass this supplemental conference report. But I am deeply concerned. I'm concerned that we are moving ahead with a significant military escalation in Afghanistan without any real debate or any sense for how we will eventually bring our troops home. Some have suggested that we have that debate at some point in the future. I respectfully disagree. I am not and never will be an advocate for ``cutting and running'' from Afghanistan. But we need to provide the American people and the people of Afghanistan a clearly defined mission, which includes a clearly defined plan for departure.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 2410. I especially want to express my appreciation to the Chairman, Members and staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, for crafting a bill that will allow the State Department and our embassies around the world to close the diplomacy gap and carry out their missions more effectively. I especially wish to thank Chairman Berman and his staff for working with me to include language in the managers' amendment to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to address global hunger and food security, issues very close to my heart and also a priority for the Committee. A wide range of federal departments and agencies have jurisdiction over policies and programs addressing global hunger and food security, often lacking coordination and a coherent vision. A comprehensive strategy will increase the impact of the resources we invest in these programs and ensure that U.S. policies and programs contribute in a more substantial way to reducing global hunger and increasing food security around the world. Advancing such goals is not just a humanitarian and development priority, it also strengthens our national security. Every child who receives a meal in school, every farmer who can make a decent living from the land, every mother who raises a well-nourished child, every family that has hope for the future creates a more stable country, region and world, less prone to recruitment by those who would sow terror or the exploitation of old hatreds and prejudice. I salute the Chairman and the Committee for including this provision in the managers' amendment and in the House bill.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work and achievements of Fred Alexis, Brandon Wood, Robert Hill, Devon Moore, Tiera Givins, Josh Alexander, Sheena Agyemang, Ricordo Myers, Zakee Jenkins, Anesia Wright, Rohan Amarsingh, Latricia Harris, Amenze Enoma, Angelique Berry, Kofi Owusu, Malcom Evans, and Roshorn Morales. These students are high school seniors who are graduating from the Minority Achievers Program of the YMCA of Central Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, through academic support, the YMCA of Central Massachusetts Minority Achievers Program creates a diverse, inclusive, and challenging environment for middle and high school students. This program helps primarily minority students advance and reach their academic goals and prepares them for the transition to college. It creates and inspires a diverse pool of future leaders by providing an environment in which students can realize their potential. These students worked together and empowered each other while perfecting their own knowledge and learning to become well-rounded individuals. However, these achievements would not have been possible without the help and guidance of dedicated adult mentors. I also recognize Marie Boone, Mark Bilotta, James Bonds, Marion Wilson, and Annie Cox for their passionate commitment and unyielding belief in their students. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in honoring these graduates of the Minority Achievers Program for their hard work along with the mentors who guided and supported them. They represent the tremendous promises of education and deserve our recognition.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, this measure merits review in the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the motion. Parliamentary Inquiries

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Berman), the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his leadership on this issue and for his advocacy of human rights. And I also want to thank my good friend, Congressman Sander Levin, for introducing this resolution. I want to thank Congressmen Frank Wolf and Chris Smith for their dedication to promoting human rights in China. And I especially want to thank the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for insisting that we keep alive the memory of Tiananmen Square. Madam Speaker, 1989 was a tumultuous year. It was the year Solidarity won the elections in Poland, the year the people of Germany tore down the Berlin Wall, and the year six Jesuit priests were murdered by the Salvadoran military. And in May and June of 1989, it was the year when the people of China spontaneously came together calling for political and economic reforms. Students, journalists, workers, government employees, police, and even members of the Armed Forces, nonviolently raised their voices and asked their government, the Chinese Government, to listen to the people and engage in direct dialogue on how to reform the nation. Because the largest gathering was in the largest main square of China, Tiananmen Square in Beijing, this moment in history is known as Tiananmen Square. After an internal struggle, the Chinese authorities decided they did not want to talk directly with their people. Instead, they chose to respond with brute force that forever links the words ``Tiananmen Square'' with the brutal quelling of democracy, dissent and human aspiration. Earlier today the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing entitled, ``20 years After the Crackdown: Tiananmen Square and Human Rights in China.'' And I would like to briefly describe just two of the individuals who testified before the Commission. Mr. Fang Zheng was leaving Tiananmen Square in the early morning of June 4, 1989, along with other student protesters in an orderly retreat. He suddenly realized that a military tank was approaching them from behind. Sensing the imminent danger, he used all his strength to push a female student out of the tank's path. In doing so, both his legs were crushed by the tank's rolling treads. Fang Zheng has continued to live in China. He has refused to cooperate with the government in its effort to cover up the truth of his lost legs and the massacre that took place. For the past 20 years he's been harassed and closely monitored by the police. Always an excellent athlete, he excelled at sports, even after his legs were amputated. He won two gold medals and broke two Chinese national records at the 1992 All-China Disabled Athletic Games. And in 1994 he was forbidden to participate in the Far East and South Pacific Region Games, and last year he was banned from competing in the 2008 Special Olympics held in Beijing. With the help of the mothers of Tiananmen Square and other brave Chinese who keep alive the memory of Tiananmen Square inside China, Fang Zheng is here in Washington to remember the 20th anniversary. And even before Tiananmen, another brave man, Mr. Wang Youcai, was active in the Chinese democracy movement. In 1989 he was the Secretary- General of the Beijing Higher Education Students Autonomous Union in the Tiananmen Square protest. A graduate student at Peking University, he was arrested in 1989 and sentenced in 1991 to 4 years in prison for counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement. He was paroled in 1991, following a visit by then-Secretary of State, James Baker. In 1998, Wang and a group of fellow Chinese citizens tried to officially register the China Democracy Party, but it was banned by the Chinese Government. And in December of 1998, Wang was sentenced to 11 years in prison for subversion. He was released in 2004, due to U.S. and international pressure, and sent into exile. He has since lived in the United States, studying at Harvard and the University of Illinois, and he continues to be a member of the Chinese Democracy Party and firmly believes that the transition to constitutional democracy will occur in China. These are just two of the millions of stories surrounding the events known as Tiananmen Square. And I would like to take a moment to remember the hundreds, perhaps thousands who were murdered in Tiananmen Square or later imprisoned or sent into exile. And I want to remember the families and friends and the colleagues of those who died and those who survived. Madam Speaker, I will enter into the Record articles by Dr. Jianli Yang and Mr. Ha Jin, both of whom live in Massachusetts, and have recently published reflections on Tiananmen Square. Dr. Jianli was a student in Tiananmen, and Mr. Ha, a member of the People's Liberation Army and a student in the United States. This week there will be a number of events on Capitol Hill and around Washington to remember Tiananmen Square. I encourage my House colleagues, congressional staff and House employees to take advantage of this opportunity and hear from firsthand eyewitnesses like U.S. journalists.

Mr. McGOVERN. They will be able to hear from firsthand eyewitnesses like U.S. journalists speaking at the Newseum on reporting live from Tiananmen Square, watching the documentary ``Tank Man'' in the Congressional Visitor Center, celebrating around a replica of the Goddess of Democracy Statue on the west lawn of the Capitol, or attending other hearings and events. The Chinese Government wants not only the Chinese people but the world to forget Tiananmen Square. It is up to each of us to keep the memory alive. [From the New York Times, May 31, 2009] Exiled to English (By Ha Jin) Boston.--I was in the People's Liberation Army in the 1970s, and we soldiers had always been instructed that our principal task was to serve and protect the people. So when the Chinese military turned on the students in Tiananmen Square, it shocked me so much that for weeks I was in a daze. At the time, I was in the United States, finishing a dissertation in American literature. My plan was to go back to China once it was done. I had a teaching job waiting for me at Shandong University. After the crackdown, some friends assured me that the Communist Party would admit its mistake within a year. I couldn't see why they were so optimistic. I also thought it would be foolish to wait passively for historical change. I had to find my own existence, separate from the state power in China. That was when I started to think about staying in America and writing exclusively in English, even if China was my only subject, even if Chinese was my native tongue. It took me almost a year to decide to follow the road of Conrad and Nabokov and write in a language that was not my own. I knew I might fail. I was also aware that I was forgoing an opportunity: the Chinese language had been so polluted by revolutionary movements and political jargon that there was great room for improvement. Yet if I wrote in Chinese, my audience would be in China and I would therefore have to publish there and be at the mercy of its censorship. To preserve the integrity of my work, I had no choice but to write in English. To some Chinese, my choice of English is a kind of betrayal. But loyalty is a two-way street. I feel I have been betrayed by China, which has suppressed its people and made artistic freedom unavailable. I have tried to write honestly about China and preserve its real history. As a result, most of my work cannot be published in China. I cannot leave behind June 4, 1989, the day that set me on this solitary path. The memory of the bloodshed still rankles, and working in this language has been a struggle. But I remind myself that both Conrad and Nabokov suffered intensely for choosing English--and that literature can transcend language. If my work is good and significant, it should be valuable to the Chinese.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 25th anniversary of Father Aved Terzian serving at the Parish of the Armenian Church of Our Saviour. Father Aved was born in Istanbul in 1956. He grew up in the church and decided to study divinity after high school. The person who really influenced his life was His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and it was at his invitation that Father Aved came to America in February of 1975. In 1984, ``Deacon Onnig'' was ordained by his spiritual mentor Patriarch Torkom Manoogian. Following the tradition of the Armenian Church, the Patriarch named him Aved. As the longest serving Armenian priest in Worcester, Father Aved has played a vital role in the promotion of Armenian culture, bringing the community together for Genocide Commemorations, Joint Christmas Eve Services, and the Greater Worcester Armenian Chorale. He has maintained a positive relationship with the Armenian Church of Our Saviour's neighbor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, giving commencement prayers and providing crisis counseling. In 1984, he participated in a Task Force to introduce holocaust studies to the Worcester Public Schools Curriculum. He has served on the Community Partnership for Police and Clergy, the City Manager's Coalition on Bias and Hate, the Diocesan Council Governing Body, the St. Nersess Seminary Board, and as an advisor to the Dean of Clark University. Father Aved was instrumental in coordinating efforts to renovate the Armenian Church of Our Saviour, an ambitious project that included the Church Sanctuary, Sunday School, Church Hall, Cultural Center and an elevator to accommodate the handicapped and elderly. During his tenure, Memorial Endowment Funds were established as a means to generate income for the church. Looking back over the past twenty-five years, Father Aved believes one of his greatest accomplishments has been to bring the parishioners, ``the backbone of his ministry,'' to work together in serving the church. Father Aved is thankful that the people of Worcester have accepted him, and been generous with their love and respect. When asked how he came to serve the Armenian Church as a priest, Father Aved referred to his calling as a process of getting closer to God, one that unfolded within him. Being a priest has been very rewarding for Father Aved. It is not a job, but a life he has chosen. As a representative of Christ, he is able to give people comfort, and lift their spirits when they are faced with life's challenges. He is, in his own words, a ``wounded healer.'' Madam Speaker, I commend Father Aved Terzian for his commitment to the Parish of the Armenian Church of Our Saviour for 25 years. The Parish celebrates this Silver Anniversary milestone with Der Hayr, his wife Yeretzgin Vivian and sons Onnig and Raffi. I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in paying tribute to this remarkable man.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, in 2001 I voted in favor of the resolution to authorize the use of force in Afghanistan to hold to account al Qaeda and the Taliban for their unconscionable and unforgivable acts against our fellow citizens. I would do it again if faced with the same decision. But after 8 long years, our mission has been vastly expanded and the policy is unclear. It has been a very hard decision to make because I appreciate the good work of Chairman Obey and many of the items in this bill; but I cannot support the supplemental appropriations bill. I believe not just the United States but the international community made a promise to the people of Afghanistan, not to the Karzai government, not to the regional powers, but to the people of Afghanistan. We promised that we would stand by them as they rebuilt their country after ousting al Qaeda and the Taliban government that provided these terrorists safe haven. Everyone I know, including President Obama, keeps telling me that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, only a political solution. And I believe this, too. So I am very concerned when we put billions of dollars into building up the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan without a clear mission and without an exit strategy. Just as I insisted that the previous administration provide Congress with clear benchmarks and an exit strategy for Iraq, then we should do the same with this administration in Afghanistan. I am not advocating for an immediate withdrawal of our military forces from Afghanistan. All I am asking for is a plan. If there is no military solution for Afghanistan, then please, just tell me how we will know when our military contribution to the political solution has concluded. I appreciate and I support the required reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan that Chairman Obey has included in this supplemental. But these reports don't tell us anything about the mission of our service men and women in Afghanistan and how we will know when it is time to bring them home. I hope, at the very least, at some point in the near future we will have a full and thorough debate about our strategy in Afghanistan. Sadly, that will not happen today. In preparation for that debate, I have introduced this morning a bill with 73 bipartisan cosponsors that requires the Secretary of Defense to outline for Congress by the end of the year the exit strategy for our military forces in Afghanistan. My bill doesn't withdraw our forces; it doesn't set a definite timetable. It simply asks the Secretary of Defense to outline what our strategy is. I don't think that it is too much to ask that over the next 7 months the Defense Department tell us what is the plan for completing our military mission in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, when I first ran for Congress, I promised my constituents that I would never vote to send our servicemen and -women into war without a clearly defined mission, and I am sticking to that promise. I am sick and tired of wars that have no exits, deadlines or an end. We owe our troops and their families much better, and I am deeply concerned about how long we will be able to sustain and pay for an expanded military presence in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to know: What is the exit strategy that brings our servicemen and -women home? Until someone gives me a credible answer, I will be voting ``no.''

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the School Nutrition Association, (SNA) and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF). It is my distinct pleasure to share with you how one organization, along with some loose change, can make a dramatic difference for those around the globe who are less fortunate. April is Global Child Nutrition Month and to celebrate, the School Nutrition Association, in conjunction with the Global Child Nutrition Foundation is collecting funds to ``Change the World''. SNA and GCNF encourage school nutrition professionals to take a day, a week, or the whole month to partner with students and teachers in raising funds to fight global hunger. Through the Change Our World campaign, the funds raised will be used to support GCNF and other local and international hunger organizations. Hundreds of school districts nationwide are participating this month. For the second year during Global Child Nutrition Month, the annual Change Our World fundraising campaign continues its mission to raise awareness about global hunger. Last year, Change Our World raised $110,000 for GCNF. I am hopeful that this year's campaign will exceed last year's efforts. The Global Child Nutrition Foundation was created in 2006 with the mission of expanding opportunities for the world's children to receive adequate nutrition for learning and achieving their potential. I visited the GCNF Web site to learn more about its work and was delighted to see how just in a few years' time, one organization has done so much to make a difference. I would encourage all of my colleagues to visit the GCNF Web site at www.gcnf.org to learn more about its activities. Additionally, I am delighted to report that the GCNF will hold its 2009 Global Child Nutrition Forum outside of Cape Town, South Africa, May 5-9, 2009. The Forum marks the beginning of a three-year technical assistance cycle to advance school feeding through sharing problem solving guidance and ongoing communication with country leaders from selected developing countries. As we speak of these developing countries, we are reminded that nearly 300 million of the world's children are caught in the debilitating cycle of poverty and hunger. According to the World Food Programme, 170 million of these children attend school, but most do not receive meals there. Because a hungry child cannot learn, GCNF works to help nations build and sustain school feeding programs to nurture and educate children. Madam Speaker, as someone who is committed to ending hunger once and for all, I thank and commend the School Nutrition Association and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation for recognizing April as Global Child Nutrition Month. It is my hope that all of us can work together to be a part of the solution as we continue to raise awareness in eradicating hunger.