Juanita Millender-McDonald

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to continue to speak out on the critical issue of women in Afghanistan and their plight during these perilous times. As Democratic Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I have made it a priority to address the House each week to provide a voice to the women who have been silent far too long. It is also my intention to continue to raise awareness about the current state and the future state of women and children in Afghanistan. Today marks the conclusion of the Bonn negotiations for a post- Taliban government in Afghanistan. A new interim administrator will be in place by December 22. While few women were involved in the current negotiations, I am happy to learn that women will take part in the rebuilding of their country. The new administration will include five deputy prime ministers and 23 other members for negotiation. Of the five deputy prime ministers, one is a woman. Women are also expected to occupy up to five other ministerial portfolios. One minister is to be established solely for women and children. I am happy to report that there is progress being made. Under the proposed agreement, a special commission will be appointed within a month to organize the calling of an emergency legislature or traditional constituent assembly of provisional leaders and notables. It should be called within 6 months and would have the right to revise the new interim executive and create other bodies that would serve for up to 2 years. The commission is also to ensure that due attention is paid to the presence in the governing body of a significant number of women. The proposed agreement foresees the drafting of a new constitution to be ratified by another legislature, with elections to take place at the end of that 2-year period. As women strive both inside the country and outside to contribute towards shaping a meaningful future, we must demonstrate our resolve to help those Afghanistan leaders be involved in all political and economic negotiations from the outset. It is extremely important that there are not just a few women used as tokens but as real partners and equal partners. Women need to be involved in every aspect of that country's fabric. As I have said before, Afghan women must be ensured of their basic human rights once more such as access to safe drinking water and sufficient food; to receive decent health and maternal care; and, foremost, to again move freely in their society without being subject to harassment and abuse. Above all, they must be allowed to practice their religious beliefs as Islamic women without retribution. It will be important to see that women are involved in the emergency laya jerga since it appears that this is a real place where power and authority will be exercised. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this report this evening.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, we all know that today Chairman Thomas and a number of our colleagues have begun negotiations on an Economic Stimulus Package. We also know that the administration and most of us are anxious to come to some kind of an accommodation that will help revive our faltering economy. Economic conditions are spiraling downward every day and certain sectors are experiencing dramatic setbacks. The traditional tourism and travel industries were the first to feel the impact. These industries fuel the service jobs that have been the first line of fire. The unemployment statistics are growing worse with each passing day with thousands of people set adrift with little or no compensation. Most of these jobs are at the low- paying, minimum wage end of the scale for which there is no soft landing, no cushion for these workers. Therefore, the matter of directing economic stimulus towards lower- income workers is of vital importance towards the goal of this nation regaining economic health. If more deficits occur as a result of misdirected tax breaks for the upper 2% of the spectrum, we will not be able to achieve a positive outcome. There will not be enough stimuli for both bread and butter and the working poor will become even more devastated. Painful choices will have to be made between paying for food or for the car note, for the mortgage or for medicine. Mr. Speaker, in my mind it would be disastrous to force such choices on our fellow citizens when they are already suffering severe loss. How could we in good conscience provide immediate refunds of corporate taxes paid since 1986, which were minimum to begin with, when we should be addressing the plight of the ranks of the unemployed and those soon to enter that group? With businesses folding each day, our actions must work to ensure that we help the least fortunate of the working world as well as to strengthen the hand of small and medium enterprises that employ almost two-thirds of the work force. For me and for many of my distinguished colleagues in this House, this issue strikes close to home. In our districts, across the country, large numbers of our constituents, particularly women, are employed in the service economy. They hold part-time or low-paying jobs. Many also have been the first to lose employment due to the layoffs and to the impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks. They have joined the throngs of the unemployed and have lost the minimal health and other benefits--if they had any. This situation is highly notable in minority communities across the major urban areas of America. What is being viewed as a recession in much of the country could be termed a depression in these already disadvantaged communities. In my own district, unemployment among African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and other minority groups, many of whom work in the travel and tourism areas has reached a high proportion. As pointed out, unemployment in the Los Angeles area is well above the national level. Mr. Speaker, we should be grateful for the attention on this critical matter being brought forward today by my distinguished colleagues, Congresswoman Hilda Solis and Congresswoman Corrine Brown. This Special Order should serve notice that we as congressional leaders want an economic stimulus package as much as the rest of the nation. We just want to prepare a plan that will aid the greatest number of our working citizens to ride out the effects of the worse economic downturn we have experienced in two decades. We want to ensure that this worsening job market is not disproportionately felt by our minority constituents who are already struggling to maintain their families at a level of dignity and well-being against difficult odds. Black men, women and teenage citizens since 2000 have borne the brunt of falling employment at a higher rate than other Americans. Since the playing field is not yet level and hiring discrimination, unfortunately, is still a fact of life in our great country, what can we do to help these impoverished communities? Mr. Speaker, there must be a safety net below which no working American should fall. I urge us to come up with a stimulus package that can achieve this objective in the immediate term. This is an important challenge for us and has implications for our nation's recovery, both economically and psychologically from the horrific attacks of September 11. We need urgent action. We cannot delay any further on this critical task before us.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday, December 1, marks the commemoration of World AIDS Day. In my district, I will be holding a special event in support of this occasion. As our distinguished minority leader, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), stated at the World AIDS Day briefing held earlier today in the Capitol by the African Ambassadors Group and the International AIDS Trust, the issue of HIV/AIDS, he said, is the ``moral issue of our time.'' It affects everyone and everything. Mr. Speaker, we must leave no stone unturned to bring an end to this pandemic. We must find a way to create an endowment of funding to assist the war against the spread of this disease, both domestically and internationally. We must increase and accelerate our financial support to the U.N. Secretary General's AIDS Trust Fund, and we must champion our own colleagues in their quest to craft a comprehensive approach to help alleviate the appalling suffering in Africa, as represented by the bill of my distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), to establish a Marshall Plan for Africa. Mr. Speaker, it is vitally important that we focus on ways and means to strengthen infrastructures and services that can help combat the impact of AIDS. HIV/AIDS, after all, is a multidimensional issue that has long-range development implications. It is not just a matter of clinical treatment and curative measures. We must address the issues of poverty and debt relief, so that the poorest countries can apply more of their revenues to the basic human rights and human needs of their people. We must help and encourage greater gender equity, so women and men can address their sexual dialogue on a more equal basis. We must achieve greater understanding of the cultural values and modes of behavior that undercut safe-sex practices that lead to the spread of this pernicious disease. Finally, we must increase our financial support to develop activities and programs that can lay a more sustainable foundation for community empowerment and economic livelihood. Only on this basis will communities around the world, through NGOs and public-private partnerships, be able to find the will to wage this war against AIDS. Our local event will bring together researchers, doctors, and other health professionals, as well as heads of foundations and pharmaceutical companies, together with community leaders to continue to raise support for combatting HIV/AIDS in the 37th district and in the region. It is our hope that similar commemorative activities across America and around the world will highlight the leadership being brought to bear on this critical concern of our time. Just as we are building a powerful coalition to fight terrorism on a global scale, we can do no less when it comes to HIV/AIDS. Forty million people living with this dreadful disease is one too many.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, a number of my colleagues rose on the floor to speak to the critical issue of women in Afghanistan and their needs during these perilous times. As Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I wish to add my voice in support of their excellent intervention. The Women's Caucus has been stressing for some time now that, in working out any transitional settlement in Afghanistan, Afghan women leaders and organizations should be at the forefront of all discussions. We must recall, in 1977, the women of that country made up 15 percent of the legislators in their legislative body. There is no reason that their representation should be less than that today when new and far- reaching decisions on governance are being made. In light of the fact that so many Afghan men have been killed over the past 22 years in war and conflict, Afghan women constitute 60 percent of the women's population and should be so represented accordingly. We must work, therefore, to help restore the women's level of participation in the rebirth of Afghanistan. As they strive both inside the country and outside to contribute toward shaping a meaningful future, we must demonstrate our resolve to help those Afghan women leaders to be involved in all political and economic negotiations from the very beginning. This is why it was distressing to note the absence of Afghan women's groups at the U.N.-sponsored conference held this past week in Bonn. They should be viewed, I believe, as principal actors in Afghan political negotiations from the outset, not as marginal leaders and players to be brought in to rubber stamp decisions. As the Afghan journalist Jamila Mujahed pointed out in an article in Sunday's Washington Post, ``This is very unfortunate that they have not invited women to join this meeting. No one has experienced such brutality against women anywhere in the world as what happened in Afghanistan. I want to go and tell everyone the things that happened to me and my colleagues these past 5 years.'' Mr. Speaker, I will submit the entire article for the Record. [From the Washington Post, Nov. 25, 2001] In Talks on Afghan Future, Women Aren't Present (By Keith B. Richburg) Kabul, Afghanistan, Nov. 24.--In her 16 years as a professional radio broadcaster, Jamila Mujahed has been at her microphone for some of the city's most memorable news events: the toppling of President Najibullah in 1992 and the march of Islamic holy warriors into the capital, and, four years later, the arrival of the Taliban. So it seemed only fitting that when the Taliban fled and the Northern Alliance arrived on Nov. 13, it was Mujahed who brought Afghans the news on the evening broadcast of Radio Kabul. Now Mujahed has another very public message, one aimed at U.N. officials and German diplomats organizing the Afghan political conference scheduled to begin in Germany on Tuesday: Open the meeting to professional women like herself, and give women a say in shaping Afghanistan's future. ``This is very unfortunate that they have not invited women to join this meeting,'' she said. ``No one has experienced such brutality against women anywhere in the world as what happened in Afghanistan. I want to go and tell everyone the things that happened to me and my colleagues these past five years.'' The meeting in Bonn is being hailed as a first step toward ending decades of civil strife and helping Afghanistan's warring factions form a truly representative and broad-based government. Representatives of several Afghan factions will try to hammer out plans for an interim government to replace the Taliban and prevent the country from descending into anarchy. But many Afghans here--not only women, but also professionals, academics and others--are chafing at the highly restricted invitation list. The Northern Alliance, the armed anti-Taliban faction that seized control of Kabul and about half the country during the past two weeks, is the only group from inside Afghanistan that is attending the Bonn conference. A delegation representing Afghanistan's former king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, will be attending from Rome, where he has been in exile since 1973. And two other groups that have held political talks in the past--the Peshawar Assembly for Peace, named after the Pakistani border city, and the Cyprus group--also will attend. In all, just 30 Afghans will meet to begin mapping out the country's future. In the view of many left on the outside looking in, whatever government eventually emerges from the process will be neither representative nor broad-based. ``It will be a less-than-50-percent government,'' said Sariya Parlika, a women's rights activist. Excluding female representatives in Bonn, she said, ``is a clear human rights violation.'' ``This is only the gun barrel that is sending representatives,'' said Said Amin Mujahed, a history professor at the Academy of Social Sciences in Kabul and the husband of Jamila Mujahed. ``It's not the scholars or the professionals or the other educated people in Afghanistan. It's only the war factions and King Zahir's people. It can make a government, but not a broad-based one.'' The United Nations is sensitive to such criticism but says the makeup of the conference is for Afghans to decide. At a recent news conference, U.N. special envoy Francesc Vendrell said, ``This meeting will be as representative as we can make it, given the very short notice.'' When asked about the participation of women, he said it was up to the invited groups to include women as part of their delegations--and not up to the United Nations ``to tell the Afghans who to invite.'' Today, U.N. spokesman Eric Falt told reporters, ``The women of Afghanistan . . . have a central role to play in the country's future.'' He said the Bonn meeting would demonstrate ``how much our encouragement to include women in the delegation has been listened to.'' Even if women are present at the Bonn meeting, no one expects the number to come close to representing their percentage of the Afghan population. Because of the large number of men killed in two decades of war, women make up about 60 percent of Afghanistan's 26 million people, according to most estimates. ``I think women should have more of a role than men,'' said Faizullah Jalal, a Kabul University professor who has pressed for the inclusion of academics at the conference. ``They have faced a lot of disasters in this country.'' Women have long been treated as second-class citizens in this conservative Muslim country, but the Taliban stripped women of the few rights they did have. After coming to power in 1996, the radical Islamic movement prohibited women from working, banned girls from attending school and made it illegal for women to be on the streets without a male relative and without being covered head-to-toe in the traditional long, flowing veil known as a burqa. Women caught violating the rules--even allowing an ankle to accidentally show--risked a public lashing by Taliban guardians of ``vice and virtue.'' Just before the Taliban took over, 70 percent of Afghanistan's teachers, half of its government workers and 40 percent of its physicians were women. There were female lawyers, doctors and journalists, and women helped staff the foreign relief agencies working here. Jamila Mujahed, now 36, was among those caught up in the Taliban's reordering of society. A journalism graduate of Kabul University and a veteran broadcaster, she was abruptly told by the Taliban that she could no longer work because of her sex. ``We were used to being very free women,'' she said, describing how she and her colleagues in the pre-Taliban world would remain at the station until late at night working on big stories. ``How do you feel, changing to a world where you have no freedom? These five years caused a lot of psychiatric problems for me.'' She stayed at home. She wrote poetry. She said she sometimes took her anger out on her children, hitting them. When she sought professional help, she said, doctors told her ``the only medicine they could prescribe was going back to your job.'' after facing those hardships, women like Mjuahed say they deserve a place at the table in forming Afghanistan's next government. Particularly upsetting, to the women and others, is that so many Afghan exiles will be attending the sessions while so many who stayed in Afghanistan and suffered under Taliban rule will be excluded. ``The presence of women from Afghanistan is necessary,'' said Parlika, the activist. ``Afghan women from Western countries can just tell tales about what a bullet can do. A woman from inside the country can express it with her eyes. She can express it with her body. She can express with her voice how the war has affected her.'' While it was left to the Afghani groups to decide on participation at the Bonn meeting, the U.N. agreed that the women of Afghanistan have a central role to play in putting that country back together. The future of women in Afghanistan, and ultimately the stability of any provisional settlement, will rest upon a foundation of inclusion, not exclusion. Therefore, America, so often viewed as a beacon of freedom and human rights throughout the world, must ensure that the rights and freedoms denied to Afghan women for so long are restored as soon as possible. In my national address this past weekend on behalf of the Democratic Caucus, I pointed out that we must strongly support the funding for resettlement and humanitarian efforts to aid Afghan women. We are at a crossroads, Mr. Speaker, since we have reached a stage of military advantage that few of us expected to reach so quickly. We must find common ground to push ahead to support reconstruction at the same time that the military actions are being concluded. The women Members of the House of Representatives are working with the U.N. women ambassadors and women's NGOs toward this purpose. We will continue to hold meetings and briefings to give public exposure to all of the concerns I mentioned above. Several of us, as I did on November 15, have introduced bills to authorize the provision of educational and health care assistance to women and children of Afghanistan. My bill, H.R. 3304, has been referred to the Committee on International Relations and awaits a full hearing. Let me say emphatically, we cannot afford to exclude more than half of Afghanistan's population in helping to bring about an interim settlement and peaceful resolution to this troubled country. Afghan women must be assured of their basic human rights once more; to gain access to safe drinking water and sufficient food; to receive decent health and maternal care; and foremost, to again move freely in their society without being subjected to harassment and abuse. Above all, they must be allowed to practice their religious beliefs as Islamic women, veiled or unveiled, without retribution. I urge all of us to help these women in Afghanistan regain the basic freedom and freedoms we so cherish as a people. I urge us as Members of the House to join together to forge a comprehensive package of assistance that can help achieve the important objectives being sought by Afghanis for goodwill everywhere. Finally, Mr. Speaker, there is an old African saying that women hold up half of the sky. We must do our utmost, therefore, to ensure that the women of Afghanistan resume their part of this equation and help hold up half of the sky. To do less would imperil all of us in the pursuit of democratic governance and the well-being of a global community. Helping Afghan women to regain their rightful place of national life is one of the best ways I know to combat terrorism in Afghanistan, and on behalf of the American women and people of America, let us begin the rebuilding today.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 446, had I been here I would have voted ``no'' on this bill; however, I was detained by a conference meeting with the White House and was unable to vote at the appropriate time.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, today is a glorious day for us. It is a glorious day for the American people because today we have reached a historic compromise and have finally addressed aviation security, a full 8 weeks after the tragic events of September 11. We now have a victory for the American people, the flying public, and the flight crews that will be traveling during this upcoming holiday season. We will be scrapping a system that is broken. Today, public safety is threatened by an unprecedented event: War has been declared on the American people by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network. The Federal Government must protect our country during these times of peril. Security at the Nation's airports is no longer a private-sector matter; it is in fact part of the front line of our Nation's defense. Congress needs to treat this as a question of national security by putting in place an effective Federal law enforcement system. Mr. Speaker, America is experiencing a crisis of confidence in its aviation system. The status quo of private security firms in no way will provide the aviation security necessary to protect the traveling public. Simply put, the private contractors who currently have the responsibility for screening passengers and baggage failed on September 11, and for that matter, they have failed for the past three decades. The private contractors entrusted with overseeing security for our aviation system are the same companies who pay very low wages, have a turnover of over 400 percent, and have failed to detect dangerous objects that were recently revealed by the GAO and the Department of Transportation during their testing. In fact, 68 percent of the teams sent by the DOT Inspector General repeatedly found a breach of security. Argenbright, one of the companies currently entrusted with security at our Nation's airports, was fined a million dollars and placed on 36 months probation. This company failed to conduct required background checks, hired convicted felons, and improperly trained workers which provided security at U.S. airports. Their probation was extended on October 23 for failure to comply with a previous court order. This is the same company that was responsible for the recent security breach at Chicago O'Hare. This issue does not revolve just around Argenbright. In the last 5 years, FAA successfully prosecuted over 1,776 cases for screening violations which amounts to more than a violation a day. These cases resulted in $8.1 million in civil penalties against air carriers for screening violations by screening companies. Are these the kind of companies, Mr. Speaker, that we want to ensure our aviation security when millions of our fellow Americans and even us, who travel twice a week and will be traveling during this upcoming holiday day season, need? Absolutely not. Thankfully, under the compromise reached by the conferees and the administration, all airports will have federalized screeners. In addition, this compromise will allow for a significant increase in the air marshal program. It will require screening for all checked baggage within 2 years, and it will require background checks for all airport personnel and aircraft crews. The Congress owes a duty to the American public to ensure the strongest level of security possible at our Nation's airports. As the senior member serving on aviation from California, I am very pleased to be able to come today to let the American people know that Congress has responded to their requests. Removing the profit motive from airport security and establishing a Federal law enforcement work force will provide the necessary security and restore the traveling public's confidence. Mr. Speaker, we are all the better off.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, again I rise to express my outrage to the American people about the brutal treatment directed against women and children by the Taliban regime. The Women's Caucus, on which I serve as one of its Chairs, had the privilege of meeting with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Assistant Secretary Wolfowitz, and Tori Clarke, the assistant Deputy Secretary for public affairs at the Pentagon on Thursday to discuss the war on terrorism. As the women of this House expressed their concern for the women and children of Afghanistan, we were at ease to know that our administration supports our concerns 110 percent. We have vowed to work with the Secretary to ensure that women and children are benefactors of any aid packages to the region and that any attempts to return prosperity to Afghanistan includes the input of women-led NGOs and the Afghani people. We also discussed the importance of informing the American people about how ridiculous the Taliban truly is. In order to do that, we must continue to bring attention to their treatment of women and children in the region. Tonight I will focus on the children of Afghanistan, defenseless victims in this web of persecution. In addition to women, children have also been denied their most basic rights to health, education, family life, and all too often have themselves been targets. Mr. Speaker, in addition, an increasing number of Afghan children are being drawn into war by the ruling Taliban. However, things have changed this week and we are hopeful for the better. My heart goes out to the children of Afghanistan who will be left with the scars and mental anguish of having watched their mothers being beaten in the streets or executed. Sadly, Afghani children face more hardship than simply witnessing the abuse of their mothers. The United Nations estimates that 2 million Afghan children are either refugees living in overcrowded shelters in neighboring countries or are internally displaced. About 25 percent of children inside Afghanistan die before age 5 years of diseases that could be cured by commonly-available medicine. This is as a result of women being denied or not receiving proper health care for themselves or their children. The question must also be raised about who is carrying for the over-1 million orphaned children of Afghanistan. Already an extremely poor country and a poor nation, Afghanistan is experiencing its worst drought in living memory. The Afghan people are desperate for food, medicine, and shelter. With harsh Afghan winter coming on, the prices will only get worst. Experts estimate that Afghanistan needs 1,500 tons of food relief daily. So far, the United States has only dropped about 1 percent of that need. Approximately 1.7 million children are at risk this winter from freezing and starvation. A significant increase in food, shelter, education and health care services is necessary to ward off starvation, disease and death. We must ensure that more aid is directed to the region and increased donations are directed to the U.N. funds so that children in this war- torn nation can receive assistance before the harsh winter sets in. Reports of children being recruited by the Taliban is also very disturbing. These reports indicate that there has been increased recruitment of children to perform service. I have witnessed horrific displays of young boys on the battle front who appear barely in their teens carrying assault rifles and even rocket-propelled grenade launches on television. We must continue to upholds efforts to stop this practice. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the administration's commitment to the women and children of Afghanistan; and the Women's Caucus looks forward to working closely with Secretary Rumsfeld to ensure dramatic increases in the United States' efforts to provide long-term humanitarian assistance. As I have said each time I have come to this floor to address this issue, I stand in full support of providing direct funding to Afghan women-led organizations like the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, which is RAWA, to ensure that the primary benefactors are women and children. If we are to have durable peace in Afghanistan, it is important, Mr. Speaker, to provide hope and rehabilitation to the Afghani children and youth in order to make them a constructive force for the rebuilding of their country.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. I thank the gentlewoman so much for yielding. Let me commend you on the leadership that you have taken for our children around this country, those who have been devastated by the horrors of September 11, as we call 911, urgency. Let me also commend you on your tenacity to make sure that this House gets in front of it the piece of legislation that will help these children to get benefits for those horrific things that they had nothing to do with: the loss of parents, the loss of loved ones, the loss of even having the ability to carry on without counseling. I would like to join you and the Women's Caucus to call all agencies to see how soon they can expedite the funding, the benefits for these youngsters so we can get counseling done so that they can get back on track. I would love to join you in those efforts. I also commend you for helping us to categorize just what is left on this floor, why we are still here this November 7 or 8, I have lost count of the dates; but it is because when we rushed to pass an airport bailout, I was all for that, being a senior member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the full Transportation Committee representing California; and I thought this was the proper thing to do, because on the day of 9-11, we had to bring in 2,200 flights from the air to the ground at the request of the Secretary of Transportation and the President and Vice President. But little did we know that an airline security bill would be this long in coming, for heaven's sake. We thought that after bailing out the airline industry, the secondary thing would be to make sure that all of our folks who work at the airports and on the aircrafts will be secure. Of course we asked for the cockpits to be fortified, and that is what was in all bills. We asked for the flight attendants to get antihijacking training as opposed to some generic type of training. That was put into the bill. We also asked, and I was very dogged about this, that you do not remove these screeners until they have the opportunity to vie for positions, to take exams and to try to keep their jobs. I am livid that that happens and continues to happen. You do not just erase thousands of people off a job just to bring out a whole new crop. You see how qualified those are who are currently in those positions. But the whole thing of federalization comes to be. And when we talk about security, that is a national issue when it comes to American people. And so I will say to you that I am a little disheartened over the fact that we have not passed as yet the people's bill, because that is the people's bill. That bill will rush people back on to the aircrafts; it will boost our economic stimulus, because what it will do is bring back that $6.6 trillion that we see with the traveling public. It will bring an additional $6.5 trillion that we see in tourism. And so all of those things will help our economic stimulus package. I am joining the Democrats and especially the Senate side and our side, too, in asking for the stimulus package to include a consumer interest-type of provision for those who are low-income workers who do not have homes but need some type of rebate so that they can go out and join the crowds in the mall with this upcoming big holiday. I would like to ask for $14 billion for tax rebates to low-income workers, $27 billion to spur businesses and their investments. I would like to also talk about those small businesses that came to talk with me. As the ranking member on the Small Business Committee, I had about 15 businesspeople from lower Manhattan come to meet with me last week. They said, we need some type of stimulus; we need some type of push because we are losing our family businesses in lower Manhattan, New York. That is what we are talking about, making sure that small businesses get their rightful stake in this stimulus package. Lastly, I would like to see the $24 billion that is being requested by Senator Daschle and others who are working on this stimulus package to be for health care and unemployment benefits. If we are going to rush people off of jobs, 100,000, we certainly should have the funding to give them unemployment benefits that they rightfully deserve. We should be able to try to give health care to the over 11 million children who are uninsured and the 44 million adults who are uninsured. So I thank the gentlewoman tonight for allowing us to bring into focus for the American people the unfinished business, the business that is truly the people's business that is going undone.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the gentlewoman. As I have said, and I will reiterate, in order to move any economic stimulus package, you must have people buying into the economy, and in order to do that, you must give low-income workers a rebate so that they can provide the toys and those other types of things that we provide for our children. We can ill afford not to do that. I also would like to say that when you talk about the private companies engaging in the screening and screeners, we know that those private companies were in violation over millions of dollars. But if we are talking about national security, we have to be careful of how we disseminate information that we want to do now, that we are talking about the integration of information. We have to be careful how we are going to integrate information coming from the CIA and FBI to some private company, especially foreign-born companies. So we have to be very clear and very careful on that. Secondly, when you talk about federalizing workers, as a former personnel director, we had a merit system in place in the Federal Government. You will have a merit system, and you cannot just do an exodus of employees without them having their due diligence and fairness. So this is why we need the federalization of those screeners. I thank the gentlewoman so much for having us come today to talk about this.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, as the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, I am here again to denounce the brutal and horrific treatment directed against Afghan women and women around the world. Mr. Speaker, I have developed a track record for supporting legislation and championing causes that support the needs of women, such as pay equity and the enforcement of antidiscrimination laws. My passion for supporting the needs and rights of disenfranchised women and children has motivated me to urge my fellow House colleagues to join me in denouncing oppression wherever it is manifest. I have vowed to revisit the plight of Afghan women each week until gender apartheid there ceases to exist, and for several weeks I have passionately addressed these concerns. Therefore, I come before this body not only to express my outrage and sorrow about the plight and treatment of Afghani women by the Taliban regime, but to also express my outrage regarding domestic violence within our own borders. There are atrocities that we and the House will not allow and will continue to fight until justice is done for all women. In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime is mistreating women. Their actions are woefully inconsistent with the Islamic religious injunctions that recite one should be just and compassionate to women. Contrary to Islamic custom, Muslim women and girls are forbidden from receiving an education. They can be severely punished and even put to death for violating Taliban laws. These laws enforced by the Taliban are not those set forth in the Muslim's holy book, the Koran. The laws are reflective of narrow and atypical interpretations of Islamic law. The end result is that Afghani women are confined to their homes to live, suffer, and sometimes die in a state of fear. The fathers, brothers, husbands, uncles, and men of the society share in the mistreatment of these women. Reports continue to be published about the extent of brutality that women and little girls are being subjected to. Domestic violence is not only common but rampant. I am horrified by this. It is my belief and understanding that women are supposed to be held in high esteem. If this is the case, I am forced to wonder how these men of the faith can justify such inhumane behavior to Muslim women. Domestic violence is a phenomenon that plagues women nationwide. In the United States, a woman is beaten every 9 seconds. This year, almost 4 million American women will be physically abused by their husbands or their significant others. Wife-beating, a common and repugnant behavior employed by far too many men, results in more injuries requiring medical treatment than rape, auto accidents, and mugging combined. These figures are disturbing, Mr. Speaker, and disheartening, because underlying these numbers are those not counted that are even more appalling. For example, 42 percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate male partner. But a tragic and disgraceful irony is that prison terms for killing husbands are twice as long as those for killing wives. There must be parity in sentencing for domestic violent crimes. The women of this House have fought and will continue to fight for resources to protect the lives of women. In the 7 years since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, more than $1.5 billion in grant funds have supported the work of prosecutors, law enforcement officers, the court, victim advocates, and health care and social service professionals. Through the support of VAWA funding, my home State of California maintains 23 sexual assault response teams, 13 domestic violence response teams, and scores of domestic violence advocates located in law enforcement agencies throughout the State. I am proud of these resources, but more work and funding is needed. Women need more safe havens and protection against domestic violence, not only for themselves but for their children. Mr. Speaker, we will often hear people say that I am a mother of all children; and in order to do that, we must be the defender of women's rights.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD of California

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD of California. Madam Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 2998, ``The Radio Free Afghanistan Act,'' of which I am an original cosponsor. This legislation creates a ``Radio Free Afghanistan'' under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). It will revive the broadcasts that RFE/RL conducted when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan during the Cold War. Europe is very familiar with the challenges of broadcasting to Afghanistan, and it has the institutional knowledge necessary to perform these broadcasts and get them up and running quickly. This bill authorizes the funds necessary to allow broadcasting into Afghanistan for 12 hours a day. This vital legislation will provide the voice the US currently lacks within the region. At the present time there is no alternative to the hateful propaganda that is being aired in support of Afghani terrorism. One such example is a bogus story that reported that 4,000 Jews did not go to work on Sept. 11th at the World Trade Center. This false information insinuates that Israel is somewhat responsible for the attacks--unfortunately these lies are not being responded to. The Afghan people deserve an alternative to listen to--the truth. Prior to September 11, tragic conditions existed in Afghanistan. The Afghanis had endured their worst drought in 30 years, 23 years of military fighting, and oppressive and barbaric treatment of women and minorities by the Taliban regime. All of these circumstances contributed to massive numbers of Afghan refugees who migrated to Pakistan. Some 3.5 million Afghan refugees fled to Pakistan, two million to refugee camps and 1.5 million to the cities and villages. Since September 11, the number of people attempting to flee Afghanistan and its cities has increased dramatically, and the plight of refugees and displaced persons has become even more perilous. These figures are a prime example of why the people of Afghanistan need to know the truth--that America stands in support of their freedom and is not the cause of their strife. They need to know that humanitarian aid is just that and nothing more. Author Henry Peter Brougham once said ``Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.'' The people of Afghanistan are being enslaved because they have no access to accurate information. We must empower the people of Afghanistan, counter the lies and false propaganda, and allow free flowing the factual information to be presented to Afghanis. ``Radio Free Afghanistan,'' will allow us to do just that.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, today we have yet another chance to address aviation security exactly eight weeks after the tragic events of September 11th. It is the federal government's job to protect our country during times of war and from threats to our national security. I want to urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct conferees. This motion simple asks the conferees to resolve the differences between the Senate and House aviation security bills. This will finally enable Congress to produce an aviation security bill necessary to reassuring the traveling public that it is safe to use our aviation system. This motion is particular prudent in light of the continuing failures at our nation's airports. The bill that the House adopted last week accepted more of the status quo. What does status quo equal, it equals more incidents like that at Chicago O'Hare on Sunday. Where once again the private contractor, Argenbright, charged with the security at the gate failed. This is the same company that was fined a million dollars and placed on 36 months probation for failing to conduct required background checks and for hiring convicted felons and improperly training workers which provide security at U.S. airports. This is the same private contractor that the House version of the security bill will entrust with the security of your wife or husband, your son or daughter, your brother or sister, your best friend. Enough is enough let us fix aviation security the right way, support the motion to instruct conferees.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule for H.R. 3150, because this bill does not address some of the critical issues raised by millions across this country, port authorities, aviation authority and rail authorities and emergency preparedness personnel, some of them which are the first-line responders. There were 20 amendments that were presented to the Committee on Rules, in an attempt to try to fix a flawed bill that does not address anything that has to do with constituents in my district. I have laid- off workers, many of whom are single women, flight attendants. We have not talked about real anti-hijacking training for flight attendants. I offered a noncontroversial and relevant amendment to H.R. 3150. It would require the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with Federal departments and agencies, to conduct a threat assessment on all forms of public transportation, public facilities, and gathering places. No such provision is reflected in any of the language in this bill. I will say to all of my colleagues, vote no on this rule.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Chairman, today we will finally address aviation security, given 7 weeks after the tragic events of September 11. Today, public safety is threatened by an unprecedented event. War has been declared on the American people. Therefore, it is the Federal Government's job to protect our country during times of war and from threats to our national security. Security at the Nation's airports should no longer be a private sector matter. Security must be a part of the front line of our national security. Therefore, to pass H.R. 3150 gives Americans the same old status quo and in no way provides the aviation security necessary to reassure the traveling public that it is safe to use our aviation system. Simply put, the private contractors who currently have the responsibility for screening passengers and baggage failed on September 11 and, for that matter, for the past 3 decades. The bill that we have before us, 3150, does nothing but ensure the same old status quo. The private contractors that we entrust through H.R. 3150 will make the aviation system the same, with the same companies, who pay very low salaries, have turnover rates of over 400 percent, and have failed to detect dangerous objects recently planted by the GAO and the Department of Transportation. I say to my colleagues that Congress owes a duty to the American public to ensure the strongest level of security possible at our Nation's airports. Let us listen to the American people. Let us listen to the mayors across this country. Let us listen to the port authorities. Let us listen to the American people. Pass this Oberstar- Ganske substitute bill.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. If the gentleman will yield, I really do think that the gentleman's bill is so crucial now given the fact that the Taliban is telling the people that the humanitarian efforts that we, led by our President is doing for that region, the food is poisonous and what they are saying now and putting out that type of propaganda, trying to influence and bring a type of stalemate or trying to keep the folks from knowing that the United States is in there to help them as opposed to hurting them. It is very clear that we need to have that bill passed so that we can get radios into the people of Afghanistan, especially the women, so they can understand what the real issue is and not be blind-sided by the Taliban and their barbaric regime. I know that the gentlewoman wants to speak on this issue, and I yield to the gentlewoman.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, once again we have come to denounce the ongoing abuse of Afghan women, and we will not stop coming here each week to highlight the atrocities of this attack on the very fundamental human rights of women and children, especially their girls. I want to ensure that the plight of Afghan women and girls is not forgotten, and in order to do so, we must continue to bring attention to their status. The women of this House have constantly taken a stand for Afghan women, and some of the very sensitive men as well. Tonight I am joined by one of my colleagues who has been extremely sensitive and passionate about the Afghan women and their plight and the atrocities that they have had to withstand. But it is the resolve of the entire Congress that will help return civil society to Afghan women and children. Women and children in Afghanistan have been the primary victims of the Taliban regime. Before the Taliban took control, women were leaders in public life and politics. For example, in Kabul, over 70 percent of teachers were women. Forty percent of the doctors and the vast majority of the health care workers were women. In addition, over half of the university students were women. In fact, in 1977, women made up over 15 percent of Afghanistan's highest legislative branch. Now, that is more than the 14 percent of women that serve here in the U.S. Congress today. When the Taliban came to power, they banned women from working, prohibited women and girls from attending school, and forbade women from leaving their homes without being accompanied by a close male relative. Women have been brutally beaten, publicly flogged and killed for violating the Taliban decrees, decrees no doubt that the Taliban imposed and no one else. Let me cite some of the horrific examples of the heinous acts of the Taliban. A woman who defied Taliban orders by running a home school for girls was killed in front of her family and friends. A woman caught trying to flee Afghanistan with a man not related to her was stoned to death for adultery. An elderly woman was brutally beaten with a metal cable until her leg was broken because her ankle was accidentally shown from underneath her burqa. Women have died of curable ailments because male doctors are not allowed to treat them. The two women who were accused of prostitution were publicly hung. Mr. Speaker, these acts are unconscionable and inhumane and members of the Women's Caucus here in the House, of which I serve as co-chair, have taken on this project, along with my dear friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce). Together, we are working to make sure that the women throughout this Nation and around this world help to empower Afghan women. We will continue to take action until we end this horrendous gender apartheid. Mr. Speaker, tonight I am joined by this friend of mine who has been diligent in working to bring attention, to shed light, and has been most passionate about the plight of Afghan women. The gentleman from California is no stranger to this issue, as he is no stranger to the many issues surrounding women in this House. He has a bill that he has introduced, and I am one of the original cosponsors, which is the Radio Free Afghanistan Act. He is here tonight to share with me this hour to talk about the women of Afghanistan. I now would like to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I am certain that we will continue this each week and will not stop until we see the improvements on women and children in Afghanistan. We have been joined by another member of the women's caucus who has spoken out passionately about the women of Afghanistan, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so much for being with me tonight. We do understand that we were encouraged to stay there once the Soviet Union had left, had really been defeated in their purpose, but we did not listen. I think the old adage of, ``If you do not know your history, you are doomed to repeat it,'' I think at this juncture we will not do that. Once we have defeated the Taliban, we will stay there and restore democracy and give the people the type of lifestyle they want they want to know. We have to recognize that the Taliban, Mr. Speaker, took control and that is when women who were leaders in public life and politics, leaders in every aspect of that country were then thrown aside, were not permitted to go out any more without having this burqa, really were denied the basic human rights that they enjoy. Mr. Speaker, as I opened tonight I said that we will be here each week. Well, continue to come here each week to talk about the Taliban's barbaric ruling, how they have destroyed or think that they have destroyed the women of Afghanistan, but they have simply given us the opening and the opportunity by the attacks of September 11, we have not seen that, the atrocities in Afghanistan, and we will not stop until we can eradicate that. Mr. Speaker, with that I will say that while the tragic events of September 11 were eye-openers for some, they presented windows of opportunity into the lives of the women and children of Afghanistan, and we will not rest until gender apartheid is nonexistent not only in Afghanistan but throughout the world.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I could not agree with the gentleman more. And this is why the bill authorizes, the gentleman's bill that he will be bringing to this floor, authorizes the funds that will allow a new transmitter that will roughly have 12 hours a day of broadcasting so that they can and in their local language where the Afghan people can really get the true meaning of what we are trying to do, get the type of information that will help to empower them, to get the type of support and to know about the support that it is not only inside RAWA, but on the outside with the international community, then this will help hopefully to further and to make the task a bit easier for us. But we must ensure that the legislation that the gentleman is pushing, and I am the original co-sponsor of that with him, that we bring this about because we can ill afford to allow the truth not to be told to the people, especially the women of Afghanistan.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, that is the empowerment that we are trying to do. As we looked on yesterday with Michael Jordan returning to basketball, I am reminded of the Afghan women who in 1961 had women basketball players win the national championship in Afghanistan. This just goes to show you that they were entrenched throughout that country and not only in education, not only in medicine, not only in application, as we have said, that they made up the largest legislative body than we do now presently in the U.S. Congress, but they were also in sports. So they had the freedom to move about. We know that a lot of them traveled to Turkey to seek higher education. And so given all of this, 1996, the Taliban came in and they just disrupted the whole lifestyle of a group of women and children. Of course, we will continue to denounce this. We will not allow this type of thing to happen, not only to women of Afghanistan but to women around this globe, around this world, we will not allow that to happen. So with men like you, with other men in this body who are passionate as we are about the women of Afghanistan, they too will help us rise up and will fight and bring back the dignity and the democracy that they should and have enjoyed in Afghanistan.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. It is amazing you would say the international community, because what we are trying to do as members of the Women's Caucus is to engage women around the world, ambassadors of various countries, NGOs, nongovernmental organizations, women organizations, to help us in this plight. We applaud RAWA, because RAWA is right there in Afghanistan trying to bring about the type of human rights, the type of democracy and to bring empowerment back to women. We know that is a plight in and of itself, because the Taliban is quickly trying to denounce anyone who tends to want to give freedom and democracy to the people who are so distraught and who are in the throes of their very barbaric actions. And so the bill, Radio Free Afghanistan, will really help to bring the type of information where the women, those others who are trying to do their level best to bring some sanity and some type of democracy back, will be more informed of what we are trying to do, what people around the world, this international community, is trying to do; and hopefully will help us to restore that type of democracy. Once that is done, I think we must ensure that women have a rightful place in any type of negotiations, any type of legislation. Indeed, there should be types of elections where they are elected back into office and they get the education that they need so that they can be prominent in the whole fabric of that society. We cannot stop once we restore the empowerment to women, and we will indeed continue that until we do that. But we must ensure that they continue to have their place and their seat at the table. In fact, we are asking here that Members of Congress include in all proposed legislation on the future of Afghanistan any language that assures the inclusion of women and women organizations in reconstruction of the country at every level of planning, decision-making and implementation. We must do that. We have seen through the ages through the history of Afghanistan that women have played a very pivotal role. I think about in 1919 when Afghanistan women got their right to vote. In fact, that was a year before we were given the right to vote. A progressive king encouraged women to take part in the political process. This is what we are doing here in America. This is what we must do with the women there and must ensure that the constitution that has been passed in that country be restored or be done in terms of ensuring that women get their equal rights back. It was written in 1923. We must allow that to be the sole document that encourages women to know that they have an equal right as a citizen of Afghanistan, and that this constitution that was deemed written and adopted in 1923 will encourage women to know that they have a right, a fundamental right and, therefore, should be given the restoration of their democracy and their freedom.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. I thank the gentlewoman from New York. We know how strong she has been and how outspoken she has been on the issue of empowering Afghanistan's women. We want her to come each week as we come to this floor to talk about this plight, to ensure that not only the American women, but women around this world and across this Nation take part in helping us to fight until these women have gotten their rightful fundamental rights, human rights restored back to them. We do know that millions of people in Afghanistan are experiencing the most desperate poverty imaginable. In addition to the Taliban's barbaric rule, the region is suffering under the most severe drought in decades and military incursions continue to displace hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Seventy-five percent of refugees are women and children; the conditions in which they fight to survive are horrific. According to some estimates, every 30 minutes a woman dies in childbirth and one in four children die before 5 years of age. During these uncertain times, women and families need safe havens. We must do everything within our power to guarantee humanitarian efforts and aid benefits for the women and children of Afghanistan who are suffering in this region. A significant increase in food, shelter, education and health care services is necessary to ward off starvation, disease and death and to prevent further regional instability that breeds terrorism. You might recall, Mr. Speaker, for the past 6 years, Afghan women and girls have pleaded with the world to free them from the grip of the brutal Taliban militia and have warned that the Taliban's threat to humanity would extend beyond the borders of Afghanistan. In the wake of September 11, we have come to see the realization of their warnings. Mr. Speaker, again I applaud the administration's commitment to $320 million in humanitarian aid and support, a dramatic increase in the United States' efforts to provide long-term humanitarian assistance. More importantly, I stand in full support of providing direct funding to Afghan women-led organizations like the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, known as RAWA, to ensure that the primary beneficiaries are women and children. As we cannot forget the tragic events of September 11, we must not forget the Afghan women and girls and children, the first victims of the Taliban. I want to engage again my colleagues on some of those things that the Afghan women have been very prominent in, like in 1924, they had the first women's magazine and published that about Afghan women. In 1964, women were appointed to the advisory constitutional drafting committee. In 1977, Afghan women participated in the drafting committee of the constitution of Afghanistan. As you can see, women were very much into the whole fabric of Afghanistan, and as my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) was saying, and he certainly knows this history of the Afghan women, we must again fight to ensure and restore women in these pivotal positions, such as publishing magazines, advisory committees on the constitution, because we know that the constitution in 1923 guaranteed equal rights to all citizens of Afghanistan. The Congressman from California knows this history better than I, but these were the absolute, entrenched women of Afghanistan doing these types of things that during those eras really a lot of women from other countries, including ours, did not have the ability to do. So you might want to expound again on some of those things that I have outlined here.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. If I might say to the gentlewoman, this is absolutely true. Many kids have lost their parents at an early age, some to illness and other catastrophic events. But this event has taken us not only by surprise, it has knocked us off our feet. Yet we have so many children who have been knocked off their feet, off their pedestal, if you will, of having a father to come home at night and tuck them into bed, of having a mother who is a flight attendant to come in after having circled the globe, if you will, from one end of this country to the other and then back home. We can think of the flight attendants whose husbands have talked about the loss of their wives. Yet they talk about now having to be the parent for the children. I say to the gentlewoman, this debate must be taken on this floor, because we must continue to raise the bar on the importance of attention to these children who lost their parent or parents on September 11.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, when the gentlewoman talked about this legislation and the need for the local and State to integrate their coordination of services to address the needs of these children and families, I am reminded of the fact that we will soon have the aviation security bill on the floor. The one thing that we have talked about with that bill, with the anti-terrorism bill and all of the bills that have come since the tragic events of September 11, we have talked about the local and the States services getting together, public health, other health, mental health, psychological health services, getting together in a coordinated effort to address the needs that is addressed in the various pieces of legislation I have just mentioned. It is so timely now for us to bring about the same type of coordinating of services that addresses the needs of our children. It is really I think unconscionable for us not to have the children as part of this whole package of legislation that we speak to with reference to healing, trying to bring closure, trying to bring some sense of caring and some sense of assistance to the myriad of needs out there, given the September 11, but our children, the most important investment that we have, the future of this country, we cannot tarry any longer from addressing those needs that are outlined in this legislation. So, again, I thank the gentlewoman so much for her leadership on this and for bringing this to us, letting us now include in that final piece of that puzzle our children, the need to address their psychological and other needs given the tragic events of September 11. Mr. Speaker, I will yield back.

Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. I am reminded of the fact that when we both went to New York to Ground Zero, that the very able Mayor Giuliani said that they see 20 funerals a day. Just think of the 20 funerals a day that our children see on television or even being talked about by friends who were friends to their father or mother whose life was lost. Yes, in education, as a former teacher, I have seen children who have gone through different traumas. You would think that they have walked through and there has been some finality to it. But in a month or 2 months or even a year, it all comes back and they are back into the throes of a very imbalanced, they are just absolutely frustrated, confused, they cry. They do those things that get attention because they do not know what else to do given the hurt that they are bearing, that they are feeling because of the death of a parent. Just to think of these children who just in a matter of 30 minutes with the catastrophic thing that happened to the Twin Towers, their parent, one of their parents' or both of their parents' lives were taken. And so I challenge all of us to talk about and to get to the crux of the problem of how we are going to deal with these children who have lost their parent or parents, and who are now challenged with trying to continue on in their little lives with this type of traumatic mental and psychological issue before them. I challenge every one of the Members of this House to let us pass H.Con.Res. 228, let us debate upon it, and let us begin to start addressing the needs of our children.