Jim Moran

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished military career of Rear Admiral Raymond A. Archer III, Vice Director of the Defense Logistics Agency. Admiral Cunningham will retire on November 1, 2002 after 38 years of dedicated service to the U.S. Navy and to his country. Admiral Archer's military career began in 1964, with his enlistment in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Following his graduation from Ohio State University's School of Business, he went on to develop an extensive background in logistics, making him an invaluable asset to the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense. After a series of key assignments, both ashore and at sea, Admiral Archer became the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics Business Systems and Technology Department in Washington, DC in 1996. He continued his service as Commander of the Naval Inventory Control Point in Mechanicsburg, PA. Then, in October, 1997, Admiral Archer was recognized for his exceptional abilities and outstanding accomplishments with his selection as Vice Director of the Defense Logistics Agency. In his current capacity, Admiral Archer has been responsible for aiding the effort to provide other Department of Defense Components as well as Federal agencies, foreign governments, and international organizations with logistical support in times of war and peace. Admiral Archer has contributed his expertise to the Agency most specifically by serving as the Agency's knowledgeable authority regarding Business Systems Modernization, the most dynamic and important project facing the Defense Logistics Agency. He has succeeded during his time with DLA in surpassing all expectations regarding the improvement of logistics programs for the Department of Defense and Federal Agencies. Over the course of Admiral Archer's exemplary career he has earned several personal awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit and four Meritorious Service Medals, one of which was awarded to him by Naval Forces Central Command for providing logistics support during Battle Force Zulu, Operation Desert Storm. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in congratulating Raymond Archer on his retirement as it marks the completion of a distinguished career by an honorable officer. Thank you, Raymond, for your superior service to the U.S. Navy and to this Nation.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of The Metropolitan Chorus (TMC), a community symphonic chorus located in Arlington, Virginia. This season marks the 35th anniversary of the organization's founding. As the only community symphonic chorus based in Arlington County, TMC remains a visible force in Virginia's 8th Congressional District and plays a leading role in the cultural life of the region. This 90-member chorus offers residents the opportunity to perform a wide range of music, with pieces spanning the Renaissance period through the 21st century. In the wake of the tragic events of September 11th, the TMC provided assistance to grieving citizens by organizing and conducting the Chorus and the Arlington Symphony Orchestra in Arlington's Day of Remembrance and Appreciation. Featuring many local and state dignitaries, the tribute honored the victims and emergency rescue personnel of the Pentagon attack. This rousing event lifted the spirits of all who were in attendance. Under 26 years of outstanding direction by Artistic Director Barry Hemphill, the TMC has performed in a colorful array of venues from the Kennedy Center to Constitution Hall and in various locations throughout the world. A number of these shows were performed for free and given at special early times specifically for the elderly. Through actions such as these, TMC has proven its dedication to the development and promotion of the performing arts in Northern Virginia. I applaud TMC's many contributions and wish them all the best at their season ending performance on June 24, 2002 at Lubber Run Amphitheater in Arlington Virginia capping off a highly successful 35th Anniversary season.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I hope that every Member of this body votes with his or her eyes open on this rule, because I was in discussions when USAirways was assured they would be taken care of. They are taken care of in this rule. This rule prevents our being able to take out language which terminates the loan guarantee program that USAirways has told us they need to prevent insolvency. Maybe it will not happen; maybe we will luck out. But from any of those Members that represent any one of those more than 200 cities served by this airline, this airline, that could not operate for 1 month out of National Airport, where its headquarters is located, that had only partial service for 8 months, that now has 40,000 employees, many of whom have called Members' offices, wants all Members to know exactly what they are doing if they vote ``yes'' on this rule. They are voting to put them into jeopardy that may cause the loss of those jobs and the bankruptcy of that airline. It may not be the biggest issue, but certainly the underhanded way in which the debt ceiling is lifted and any number of the other issues that have been raised may be. But make no mistake what this rule does: it deliberately protects that provision which terminates the loan guarantee program, knowing that this airline was going to come in to get that loan and needed it by August. Many Members have been in those conversations, and they know exactly what they said. After all those assurances, we have turned our backs on them, and the Senate has, as well. If we go into conference, neither the House nor the Senate has allowed this.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member on the House Committee on the Budget. What he says is absolutely the case. USAirways indicates that it will run out of money by August and it will need the infusion of loan money by then. What this language does is to not make any of that money available until October 1. And unless we can work out some language, it has no assurance that it can give to the creditors that money, in fact, will be authorized.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and I thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), all of those folks who have tried to protect USAirways' ability to be financially solvent. I have to say, though, that I am convinced that the language in this supplemental appropriations bill does just the opposite. I do know that the Chair of the Committee on Appropriations and the Chair of the subcommittee want to make it right. But I think we need some assurance that it will be made right. I see the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), who will be affected. There are 204 cities whose economy is going to be severely damaged if USAirways is not able to continue operations.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I would say to the gentleman, I have seen the CBO analysis dated today, that it is only $343 million. It is not $1.3 billion.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), ranking member of the full committee.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I will reclaim my time to tell my good friend from Virginia that I know he has been aggressive as well in supporting U.S. Air, but I think the gentleman also knows that on the Senate side they have capped this loan program in such a way that U.S. Air will not have access to the money. So if the money is not available on the House side, if it is not available on the Senate side, we are not going to be able to get it in conference.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, as I was saying, there are 204 cities who are dependent upon the air service that USAirways provides. There are 40,000 employees who are dependent upon the income that they earn from employment with USAirways. This is a very, very serious issue. I know we have discussed previously that it looks an awful lot like a budget gimmick, $1.3 billion by terminating the ability to apply for a loan. But it is serious business when you are talking about one of our premiere airlines. And I know that we have substantial support on the other side of the aisle, and certainly those who voted against the rule, this is one of the reasons that virtually all Democrats voted against the rule. And I know there is substantial support on the majority side. But we have got to find a way to make USAir whole, at least to the extent we are capable of doing so. And that is why we passed the airline guarantee program. We did it right after November. We know that USAirways is the most adversely affected. National Airport was closed down for an entire month and for 8 months it has been in partial operation. How can an airline survive under those conditions? I do not know. So this is the airway that was most likely to benefit from the legislation we passed, and now we turn around and say we are going to terminate the loan program knowing that they are ready to apply so we can save $1.3 billion to get under their nonofficial ceiling? Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt).

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, let me just share some information regarding USAirways. In the first place, USAirways attempted to sustain its operations as long as possible without having to draw on a Federal loan guarantee. In the second place, as I think the gentleman knows, USAir has been working very diligently in working out labor agreements and showing a long-term plan so that this loan guarantee will be able to be paid off and they can show a viable financial plan into the future. This is a very difficult process for such a large airline.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is absolutely correct. My other concern is I know how sincere the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, the chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation, the chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary, and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis) has been working very hard on this. I believe we had the votes in full committee to strike the language. We were assured that we would not have to do that because it would be taken care of, and my concern is that I do not know at this point how it is going to be taken care of, and if the House bill leaves the floor, I am very much concerned it is going to be too late.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shine a spotlight on the 2002 Washington, D.C. Dragon Boat Festival, being held this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Beginning 2000 years ago in China, dragon boat racing continues to be popular in many parts of the world, especially in Taiwan. Dragon boat racing displays a unique aspect of Taiwanese history, culture and tradition. This colorful and exciting event showcases one aspect in the vast array of the region's cultural diversity and will attract a multitude of spectators to the Washington area. Over forty teams will participate in the race, held on the Potomac River Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th, including those from the D.C. Police Department, the Harbor Patrol Officers, and even one for Congressional Staff. Through the efforts of numerous Taiwanese organizations, eight magnificently painted 45-foot long dragon boats were donated to be used in the competition. I send my congratulations to the distinguished members of the 2002 Washington D.C. Dragon Boat Festival Committee, especially to the three honorary chairpersons: Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Chairwoman Linda Cropp and Representative C.J. Chen of the Taipei Economic Council. Also many special thanks should be given to Mrs. Yolanda Chen and all the cosponsors under her leadership. They have spent a lot of time and effort to bring this spectacular event to the Greater Washington area. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce what a great source of pride this event will provide to the local Taiwanese community. They are an integral part of our society and I am pleased that the 2002 Washington, D.C. Dragon Boat Festival helps to highlight the contributions they have continuously brought to the region over the years.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have heard any number of reasons why this is a bad rule. Let me give my colleagues another one. If this rule passes, one of our premier airlines is liable to go out of business because this rule specifically protects language that terminates the airline loan guarantee program. After the events of September 11, we passed legislation knowing that the airlines were hurting, knowing that some of them could go into insolvency. One airline in particular, U.S. Air, is headquartered at Washington's National Airport. Washington National Airport was closed down for an entire month, and for 8 months it has only had partial service. So understandably U.S. Airways has not had the revenue to stay afloat. That is what this loan guarantee program was for, but this rule protects $1.3 billion in savings by terminating the program because it knows that that is the amount of money that U.S. Airways needs to stay afloat. So we are forcing an airline into bankruptcy, 40,000 jobs, 204 cities served. Now, this is not what the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) wanted. This is not what the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) wanted. They have been trying to work it out along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis). They have been trying to do the right thing, but this rule does the wrong thing. It is outrageous to try to save money through this kind of a budget gimmick and cause the loss of 40,000 jobs, and think of what it is going to do to the economy of 204 cities that are served by U.S. Air. Unbelievable. This rule needs to get defeated. It is one of the worst rules to come before the House of Representatives.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation which is falsely named, the Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act. In 1996, when this body passed the ``welfare to work'' bill, we changed welfare forever and it was a giant in the right direction. Now 6 years later, we have seen results from this law being put in place. However, this welfare bill is a step in the wrong direction. No one will argue that the ``welfare to work'' law isn't successful. I believe that in our hopes to move forward on welfare reform, we are ignoring an important population in our communities: our children. How can we support a bill that wants welfare recipients to work 40 hour work weeks but provides no additional funding for care? And how can we as a body entertain providing tax benefits for stay at home mothers, while at the same time, forcing low-income mothers to work more hours and be separated from their children for longer periods of time? The bottom line is that you cannot expand work requirements without expanding child care. Should welfare recipients really have to choose between being a good worker or a good parent? The Democratic substitute provides states with the necessary resources, such as child care funding, to meet the stronger work requirements. The Republican bill does not. The Democratic substitute provides recipients with the chance to allow education, vocational education as well as training, as well as participation in English as a second language and GED programs to count toward the participation rate. The Republican bill eliminates vocational education from the list of work-related activities. Most of us are parents. We know the daily struggles of balancing work and family. Sometimes these struggles prove even more difficult for single-parent families. We need a system that does not discriminate by family type or marital status. The Republican bill does just that. In a perfect America, children would be raised in two-parent families. In a perfect America, all citizens would be trained and educated in order to choose any job they wanted, not limited to only the ones they are qualified to do. Regrettably, this bill imposes heavier work responsibilities on welfare recipients without providing the tools to protect their families. Another population that is largely ignored by the Republican bill is our immigrant population. While I still have many concerns with the farm bill that was signed into law on Monday, I was pleased to support the provision which restores food stamp benefits to legal immigrants. Let's do one better for our immigrant population. Let's allow states to be able to provide welfare benefits to legal immigrants. The welfare of all our nation's children, whether they are born here in the United States, or somewhere else, should be today's most important consideration. The Democratic substitute does just that. It will also allow states to provide Medicaid to legal immigrant pregnant women and children, certainly our most underserved citizens. Today, let's send a message to America that we want citizens on the road to economic independence. Let's arm these citizens with the training and education necessary to sustain and advance employment, while ensuring their family's security by providing child care. Let's protect the welfare of our most important commodity, our children. I urge all my colleagues to vote against H.R. 4700 and vote in favor of the Democratic substitute. Let's pass a meaningful welfare reform bill today.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lt. General (RET) Charles J. Cunningham, Jr., the Director of the Defense Security Service (DSS). General Cunningham is retiring from his position on May 31, 2002 after 43 years of service to his country. For over four decades, Lt. General Chuck Cunningham has worked in a tireless and selfless manner, serving our nation with great distinction. He began his career as an officer in the United States Air Force. As a fighter pilot, Chuck flew 366 combat missions in Vietnam, earning numerous awards including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 27 Oak Leaf Clusters. He served as a commander at all levels of the Air Force originating in the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron and ascending into the 12th Air Force. Following several successful years in the private sector, Chuck began his second government career, serving in many positions ranging from Commandant of the Joint Military Intelligence College to Senior Regional Representative for the Defense Intelligence Agency in Europe. During the past three years as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense (Intelligence), General Cunningham made one of the most important contributions to our country over the course of his illustrious career. Through his indomitable perseverance, General Cunningham inspired his agency, the Defense Security Service, by leading it through a challenging transformation, enabling the DSS to reach its full potential as a critical element in our national security framework. For his effort, General Cunningham earned the prestigious Defense Civilian Distinguished Service Medal. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in congratulating Chuck Cunningham as he prepares to begin a new phase of his life. Words alone do not give Justice to the integrity, pride and professionalism of this officer and gentleman. He is an inspiration to every American and a role model for all public servants. Thank you, Chuck, for the dedication of your life's work to the service of our nation and its people.

Mr. MORAN of Virginia

Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I deeply regret that I must vote against this resolution, not for what it says, but for what it does not say. Of course I agree with the strong condemnation of Palestinian suicide bombings killing so many innocent Israeli civilians. Terrorism is utterly intolerable, and it cannot be rationalized by other injustices. The Palestinian leadership's choice of violence against the innocent as a weapon of war does in fact justify retaliation. But how I wish we could have a leader with the greatness of Ghandi in the Middle East who understood that violence begets violence, as it has catapulted the region into killing and destruction. I must oppose this resolution because it is unbalanced and, thus, I believe counterproductive in bringing long-term peace and security to the people of Israel. It does not reference President Bush's words of April 4 and America's consistent foreign policy that Israel must stop the expansion and withdraw from the Palestinian-controlled territories before a sustainable peace can be achieved. This country supports U.N. Resolution 242, and Israel's unwillingness to comply is a contributing factor to the cycle of violence and despair. This House resolution does not make it clear, as Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said before thousands at an Israeli rally that America mourns the deaths of all innocent life, Israeli and Palestinian. Over 1,500 Palestinians and 500 Israelis have been killed just since September. Yes, many Arabs hate the U.S. for our prosperity and our way of life, but they especially hate us because they see us as turning a blind eye towards the aggression and adding to the daily humiliation that hardens the hearts of even the most peace-loving Palestinian people. And, yes, shame on the Arab states for too often being part of the problem rather than the solution, but their values and actions are not the standard by which we must measure ours. Our response should not be to further alienate these states, thus undercutting our efforts to persuade our Arab allies to help stem the Palestinian violence. We as a Nation are defined by our respect for all innocent human life, and believe that our power has a purpose to promote peace, understanding and mutual interdependence among all of the neighbors of the world. When whole towns and villages are reduced to rubble, when innocent loved ones are killed indiscriminately, and when the Palestinian people have been treated with such contempt by their occupiers, it breeds rage and desperation among a whole new generation of avengers; and a whole new cycle of vengeance, by any means, begins. That is not in our interest; and it is certainly not in Israel's interest, whose existence, security and future is not best served by this unbalanced resolution; and that is why it should be rejected.