Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, the only way we are going to see the shift that we need, and I am so glad that you are referring to studies that were not only done recently but were done 4 years ago, and also having a backdrop of reading articles that are in daily publications and the facts from the Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor of what the reality is, because many times people may turn on C-SPAN, Members may be sitting in their offices listening to us right now, and they are saying, oh, well, that is just the 30 Something Democrats, upset because they are not in the majority right now; so they will say and do anything, and we will tell the American people anything. I just wanted to say this is not the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) report or the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) report. This is the report of the reality of what is going on in this government that we serve in and what is happening to the American people. The rubber meets the road when one has to go into the emergency room for health care services. I must say if we cough or our throat feels a little funny today, we walk down to the clinic. We have good health care. Fine, not a big long wait. We are not told what veterans are told; we will see you in a couple of months. If we need to see an ophthalmologist or optometrist or whatever the case may be, oh, sure, in a matter of hours, not days, not weeks. Folks did not elect us to Congress nor any Member to Congress to say I want you to have better health care; we love you so much we want you to have better health care than what I have. No, they elected us to make sure they have life better for them. That is our purpose, and I am pretty sure that a lot of Members come to this body thinking that that is what they would do eventually. We have impediments of allowing us to be able to provide a better way of life, and so the question that you mentioned earlier, are you better off than you were 4 years ago, well, looking at the numbers, it does not necessarily look that way. In the past 4 years, the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds have gone up 3.7 percent, and I think it is also important, in the past 4 years a number of unemployed college grads have doubled from 600,000 in 2000, a whopping 1.2 million in 2004 and this is the Economic Policy Institute in case someone wants to check that out. Goodness, I do not want to talk about gas prices. Have you filled your car up lately?

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark civil rights ruling of Brown vs. The Board of Education. The plaintiffs in this case, led by Thurgood Marshall, argued that states did not have a valid reason to impose segregation, that racial segregation caused psychological damage, and that restrictions based on race or color violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth amendment. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed. Fifty years later, we must ask ourselves if the vision of equality sought by the plaintiffs in Brown has been realized. While today the legal battle against segregation is largely over, the struggle for equal opportunity continues. Gaps in academic achievement and outcomes separate white and minority students, and little has been done to address them. New data from the Urban Institute and the Harvard Civil Rights Project indicates that only about one-half of black and Hispanic students graduate from high school nationwide. The study also found that black students are over represented in special education programs and under represented in honors education programs. Meaningful change in our public schools is needed, but the No Child Left Behind Act passed by Congress in 2001 is not the answer. Showcasing achievement gaps will only further erode support for our public schools and drive more students to private schools. A national mass exodus from our public schools, which has already occurred in some urban communities, would turn our public schools into classrooms of last resort and little hope. The dream codified by Brown is alive, but we must continue to push for full equity and quality in education for all Americans. Today is an occasion to celebrate the progress made in the last 50 years, reflect on our progress thus far and recommit ourselves to the goal of equality that is the promise of our Constitution.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) has hit the nail on the head. I am glad we are here with our 30-something working group; and we are also joined by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez), as she was last week. We are showing a level of consistency; and just from last week, I hold in my hand, almost like the David Letterman Top 10, just some of the e-mails sent in from individuals who saw us here talking about issues not only facing college students, but also facing working families in America that are concerned about how they are going to pay back the second mortgage that they have taken out to allow their children to be educated, and also to students that are now working in student work study to try to pay for college. But they know they have loans that are under attack here in this Congress and the banking community is coming with a new scheme to have them pay more in interest rates rather than have a fixed low rate. I will talk about the e-mails later. But first, I could not help but look at rockthevote.com before I walked over here, and I can tell Members something that is very, very disturbing. We talk about direct democracy and young people being part of the process to correct the issues that we are here to talk about tonight, health care; and in many locations throughout the country and in some States, students are being told that they cannot register to vote on their college campus. This is very, very disturbing because it violates Federal law for a State to say you cannot vote, and if you are going to be on a college campus, the University of Ohio, whatever the case may be, if they are there, they are in school, they may register to vote. I would encourage parents and students that care about higher education, care about tuition costs, Pell grants and care about making sure that we have the workforce for the future to lead our country, I encourage them to go to rockthevote.com so they can learn more about this voter suppression. Mr. Speaker, I am from Florida, and we cannot wait until the last minute to inform not only parents who want their children to be politically active.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. If I can, I just want to make sure that the listeners that are listening to us right now and also Members of the House, I would definitely urge them, because they should lead in this fight. Direct democracy is important, being able to do away with voter apathy. I do not believe that the folks that are not voting, that it is all voter apathy. It is voter access. I want to read something to you: Under Federal law, college students have the legal right to vote where their residence may be and that is at schools. The Supreme Court established this right in 1979. Yet 25 years later, many local elected officials across the country have not gotten the message. They are rejecting the voter registration applications of students claiming that they are not permanent residents in their community, but the Supreme Court has already said that this concept of permanent is not relevant to students. We have to get that word out. I would say to the parents that are listening to us tonight, your children can vote in the fall elections. Where will they be in late August or September? They are going to be in school. Where are they going to be in November? They are going to be in school. We have to make sure their voices are heard.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if I can, I just want to mention I am so glad that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is here and also the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis). The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) represents a rural part and a very poor part of Alabama, and I have heard him on many other occasions, not only in the Committee on the Budget, share the stories of his constituents, and I just want to steal from that for a minute. I represent Miami and also South Broward County, and it is a very urban area. I will share with my colleagues that not only with the educational institutions that we have there, we have children or we have young people that are gambling on health care. They do not have health care because they cannot afford health care, and they are what I call emergency room health care. As we speak right now, some mother or father has to take their child into an emergency room because they do not have health care coverage. They are working. They are not at home eating a bag of chips and drinking some sort of soda saying that, well, I do not want to work. They go to work every day. These individuals are walking into emergency rooms for their health care. Then we wonder why our health care cost is so high. Why do we have a pill in the hospital, Tylenol, that costs $10?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I do not want to start talking, but the first thing we instituted in Iraq was universal health care. So I do not want to bounce back and forth, but the gentleman from Alabama is on the Committee on the Budget, and I am glad we have a diversity because I know the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is on the Committee on the Judiciary and the gentleman from Ohio is on the Committee on Armed Services along with me, and I am on the Select Committee on Homeland Security; but really where the rubber meets the road is how we set our budget here, and then how we are setting up future generations and even this generation for failure. Can the gentleman from Alabama talk a little bit about that? Because I am so glad he is here and he is knowledgeable on the issue.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I must say that I was not only quite disturbed, but concerned about the President's remarks yesterday at the Pentagon, and it goes as so: ``Mr. Secretary, thank you for your hospitality and thank you for your leadership. You are courageously leading our Nation in a war against terror. You are doing a superb job. You are a strong Secretary of Defense, and our Nation owes you a great debt of gratitude.'' I must say that it is good to give commendations and thumbs up when it is time to give a thumbs up. But in the light of what is going on in the Department of Defense right now and in light of congressional hearings that are ongoing in the other body, I think the question mark of our true sincerity, being against the pictures, being against the acts that were carried out on individuals that were being questioned by members of our military in prison in Iraq, that I could say that the statements that are made by the Commander in Chief and also statements that are made by Secretary Rumsfeld and others could and will stimulate additional terrorism. Now, to say that you are leading our Nation against terror, well, that question is the question of the week and of the month. As the Pentagon admits, Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers, that we have had knowledge of the ungodly acts that took place in mid-January, and that it was reported from Central Command that this was a big deal, this was a big deal, and that Secretary Rumsfeld and General Myers both admit that they meet 3 to 4 times, maybe 5, using Secretary Rumsfeld's number, a day, and that they meet with the President at least once a week to talk about what is going on in the Pentagon; that anyone that might have seen or heard about these pictures or the acts that were being carried out, that they did not rise to the level of the Presidency of the United States. Not only were these pictures and this investigation that the Pentagon had within the Pentagon, but the fact that it was not shared with the American people is even further disturbing. Some folks say, well, Members of Congress are upset because they were not told. We are representatives of the people of the United States of America. Serving on the Committee on Armed Services, seeing week after week Pentagon brass coming before us, Secretary Rumsfeld coming before us and never once mention that something fundamentally wrong, we are investigating it, is going on in Saddam Hussein's prison in Iraq, not only the prison that the President spoke of as it relates to the terror and rape and things of that nature that were going on in that particular prison but including the Secretary of State and Secretary Rumsfeld, he mentioned 18,000 cases that are being heard by the Pentagon a year, 18,000. Well, 18,000 in that particular prison, not 18,000 in the theater of war. One may say, well, if the Secretary steps down, then the terrorists win. I beg to differ. I feel that it will stop terrorists from recruiting young men and women to carry out acts of terror against Americans abroad and here on the homeland. It will show a true commitment of the fact that we are taking an about-face on what took place. Some of my colleagues have shared with us that there are six or seven individuals at fault here. I hope that is the case, but I can tell my colleagues that there is a building tide of evidence that proves different. Contractors, we may very well have to bring CEOs of companies before Congress to ask them what role did they have over commanding our American troops. That is disturbing in itself, the fact that a whole branch of our military or the Army unit that was over this particular prison was not trained for doing what they had to do; the fact that we knew and that the Pentagon was called in mid-January to say this was a big deal, not a little deal but a big deal; the fact that we were not informed. I will tell my colleagues the reason why Congress was not informed was because we would not have tolerated the suppression of this information. At the highest levels of our military, it is very, very important that this information is shared with the American people. At the highest levels of our military, including the Secretary of Defense, it is very important he shares this information. I will tell my colleagues, let us not stand and say things that will stimulate terrorism. Let us not take one step forward and three steps back. So, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the House continues to move forth. I, for one, feel that Secretary Rumsfeld stepping down will save American lives and will allow our Pentagon to move forward the courts martial that are before it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the contributions of one of our community's most remarkable leaders, the Rev. Dr. George E. McRae, Pastor of Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church in Miami, Florida. I know Rev. McRae well, because he is my Pastor. On Friday, May 14, 2004, at the Sheraton Biscayne Bay Hotel in Miami, the members of our congregation will honor Rev. McRae, for his 15-year service to our church and its surrounding neighborhoods. Historic milestones and countless awards characterize Rev. McRae's pastoral service, including his recent designation as President of the Florida General Baptist Convention. Yet perhaps the one achievement of his many achievements that says the most about his values and priorities is his establishment of a community-based non-profit organization called MOVERS, or Minorities Overcoming the Virus Through Education, Responsibility and Spirituality. MOVERS is designed to meet the needs of lower income people with few options who are afflicted with the HIV/AIDS virus and other sexually transmitted diseases, and their families. Over the years, Rev. McRae and his dedicated staff have taken few resources and done much good. The 17th Congressional District of Florida is so honored to bear witness to the consecration of this Man of God to works of charity. The timeliness of his wisdom and the focus of his sensitivity guide us in committing ourselves to the well being of the less fortunate, the voiceless and the underrepresented. By establishing MOVERS, he has made it his mission to courageously stand by this mission of mercy, thus evoking his calling to bring to everyday life the Gospel's good news of healing and reconciliation. Rev. McRae is a man of great faith who has come to define the role of the church in its stewardship over the voiceless and the disenfranchised members of society. It is something analogous to the role of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he resiliently struggled through the harrowing challenges of racial equality and the demands for simple justice and equal opportunity for all. The timeliness of his common sense and the courage of his conviction serve to strengthen and guide us at a time when our community needs someone to put in perspectives the agony and pain of people without resources or options who need help with problems that are much bigger than they can handle alone. While Rev. McRae will be honored by the members of the Mt. Tabor congregation, this fitting but symbolic ceremony is but one small measure of the genuine respect and thanks that people in Miami feel for his contributions to our community. Our collective pride in sharing his friendship is only exceeded by our gratitude for all that he continues to do on our behalf. Indeed, this is the remarkable legacy for which we will honor Dr. McRae. We are fortunate to have a man of his compassion, intelligence, caring and energy, and I want to express to him the thanks and best wishes of everyone in our community.

Mr. MEEK

Mr. MEEK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize the achievements of a truly great and gifted leader in our community. On June 20, 2004, Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin will step down as president of Barry University. To the people in South Florida, that is almost like saying that the sun will rise from now on in the North, it is that big a change, because Sister Jeanne, as she is affectionately known to virtually everyone, has contributed so much to the best of who we are, and what we would like to become. I am proud to be a member of the board of directors of Barry University, so I have worked with Sister Jeanne and seen her work first-hand. Sister Jeanne has served as Barry University's fifth president for the past 23 years. In 1981, she took over the helm of what was then Barry College, a small Catholic institution of higher learning in Miami Shores, FL, with 1,750 students. It was not long, however, until she brought her considerable power to bear on building up Barry College-- not for the sake of construction, although construct she did. She added 38 buildings to the institution, doubled the number of academic schools, increased the number of students to over 9,000 and turned Barry into a full-fledged University--now the fourth largest private University in Florida. She built up the University in order to meet specific and critical needs in our community and in our nation. She saw that there were increasing needs for highly trained health professionals; Sister Jeanne saw to if that Barry University met that need. She saw that minority students had trouble getting into college; she established programs at Barry to create new opportunities for them, making Barry one of the leading minority-graduating institutions in Florida. She also looked outside her campus and saw needs in the surrounding neighborhoods, and created curriculums and programs focused on the people living there. Sister Jeanne will always be known for her commitment to issues she held dear, such as the advancement of women in education and in human rights at home and abroad. When three young Chinese women sought political asylum in South Florida, it was Sr. O'Laughlin who took up their cause and got the Immigration and Naturalization Service to withdraw its opposition to political asylum, thereby allowing the three young women to stay. And when young Haitian children needed sponsors to get out of government detention and into the community, Sister Jeanne was there to make that happen. Sister Jeanne has chaired many charities and non-profits, and has used her fundraising skills to help countless organizations. A measure of her influence was her membership in the Non-Group in Miami, which was composed of the most important movers and shakers in the community. She held her own with the CEOs of billion-dollar corporations, just as she did with the parents of children in her neighborhood who needed health care but could not pay for it. Her honors and accolades are countless, and her accomplishments are extraordinary--mostly because she is so good and so great, that it is impossible to tell her no. Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin was the engine that powered tremendous growth and expanded opportunity at Barry University, and has been a symbol of enlightened and integrity. As she now moves into a new period of her life, I wish her joy and happiness: I know she will be successful. Her involvement and contribution have left an indelible mark on Barry University, on all of South Florida, and indeed on everyone who ever had the good fortune of crossing her path.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly oppose H. Res. 627, the Iraqi Prisoner Resolution, because it is simply deficient as a statement expressing the outrage and revulsion that I feel, and that I believe the American people feel, about the despicable abuse and humiliation of these prisoners. The resolution also lacks any call for bipartisan congressional investigations to be conducted immediately into these allegations of abuse, including those by U.S. civilian contractor personnel or other U.S. civilians, and into chain of command and other systemic deficiencies that contributed to this abuse, which have been called for by members of both parties. It is impossible to exaggerate the seriousness and importance of this abusive mistreatment. It sets us back in the War on Terrorism by turning against us the very allies among moderate Muslims that we need in order to be successful. It taints the reputation of our Nation in the world community and the reputation of our men and women in uniform for years to come. It undermines U.S. credibility as the world's leader in the protection of international human rights. It hurts our efforts to protect the state of Israel and broker peace in the Middle East. And it invites similar abuse of members of our military, indeed any U.S. citizen, who may be captured by our enemies in the future. My great fear is that American lives will be lost because of the impact of this illegal, inhumane and un-American mistreatment. The Bush administration has not gone nearly far enough or fast enough to apologize for these human rights abuses, or to hold accountable those who are responsible for them, and neither does this resolution. I am therefore opposed to it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I am glad he is here, and we appreciate his service. We are going to continue to stand up on behalf of the American people, need it be defense, need it be education, need it be this issue dealing with Iraq. I thank the gentleman for being here tonight, and I thank the Black Caucus for continuing to do what they are doing. Mr. Speaker, as I close, I just want to say that we must have the annals of this House and the annals of history here in the United States to reflect that pictures that continue to come out about the abuses of what took place in Iraq or what is taking place in other parts of the world, that we condemn them, and we salute our troops; but at the same time our response is imperative and needed to be able to continue this effort against terrorism and have friends in the world that are willing to be with us.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, what is about to happen is due to the lack of top-end response from this administration, that you are going to have the true American spirit break through many of the troops that know different. They are going to blow the whistle on them. Not blowing the whistle on them because they are an Independent or member of the Green Party or the Democratic Party or the Republican Party that disagrees with the President. They are going to blow the whistle to save lives of Americans, because they know the tension and how Americans are treated abroad now. You have people that are living overseas that they would not wear a flag, or you have some ambassadors that are not flying the American flags on their cars due to the fact of terrorism, of them being a target. If we are going to be the leader of the free world, then we have to be the leader. We have to be able to lead in a way that lives up to that title. I will tell you, today earlier when we had a press conference about Secretary Rumsfeld, if you have a basketball team and they are not doing well, sometimes you have to remove the coach. I will tell you right now, I am not one to stand up on a daily basis or I do not remember a time in my career that I have asked for someone to step down. I really have not. It is not something in my nature. I feel it is something that someone will say, well, I am not performing the job in a way that I should perform it on behalf of especially the lives of troops that are overseas, that are fighting right now as we are here on this floor, fighting on behalf of Americans and fighting on behalf of making sure that we are able to make advances in the Arab world, fighting on behalf of creating and trying to maintain democracies, that their lives are at stake and we want them to come home. We want them to come home. We want to make sure they get home to their families. I just want to share a few things. 135,000 soldiers are in Iraq right now; 767 and counting have died since the war. Nearly 40 troops have died since these pictures were released last week. I will tell you that I am just getting goose bumps by just mentioning those numbers. But I also feel for those individuals from the Middle East that are Americans, that are fighting in the armed services, that are paying taxes every day, that hate and despise and pray against future terrorism, that they are wearing the flag on their shoulder, they are carrying that M-5 machine gun. They are taking the bullets; they are losing limbs. And to have people of the same hue, people that live in the Middle East, being treated like these pictures depict that they are treated, or depicting how they have been treated, I will tell you, from what I have seen thus far and what has been reported thus far, we have not even broken the ice on this issue. I am very, very concerned about the future of our security here in the United States. I am very, very concerned about the increased attempts and achievements of terrorism, of terrorists achieving their goal of killing American troops. I am concerned about the diplomatic community, about the CIA agents that we have working within terrorist organizations to try to weed out terrorism before it happens. I am concerned about those individuals that are contract company workers that are civilians that are there trying to fight with us in this war on terrorism. I am concerned about their safety. I do not have a lot of patience for the President to call the Secretary of Defense into the office and chastise him. That is what you do to a teenager when they stay out too late. This is the security of the world. This is the security of the United States. This is our future, how our children will live, how our grandchildren will live. No one is going to stop a troop and say, wait a minute, are you a Republican, before I kill and torture you. They are not going to do that. They are not going to ask you if you are black or Hispanic. Well, who do you support? They are going to kill you and torture you because you are an American, because we are not responding in the way we should respond. I implore the administration and Mr. Rumsfeld, please do not try to low-ball and low-roll this thing, to say we are going after some low- level individuals, and it does not rise to the level of the Pentagon. The Pentagon did know. I am pretty sure they did know. We will have very good evidence in the very near future. But why do we have to lose additional American lives, and then make sure that the world knows that we mean business about this? Passing resolutions to clear our conscience so we can go home and spend the weekend and say we passed a resolution condemning and commending our troops is not enough.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to address the U.S. House of Representatives this evening and also the American people. This hour every week the Congressional Black Caucus comes together to speak to the people of the United States about issues that are facing our country, how we can play offense in certain areas to make sure that we stay a vital and sovereign country. But today I must say it is a very difficult day to stand here in this House of Representatives and be able to share with the American people that we have grave issues with the leadership of the Bush administration as it relates to the handling of what has happened to Iraqi prisoners in our custody. It is appropriate to say there will be investigations that will be conducted. It is appropriate to say that there are future courts martial that will take place and individuals will pay on the front line; but it is very difficult for us to continue, and when I say us, I would mainly want to say the majority party of this House, and for the majority leaders of this House to look in the face of something very wrong, very much mishandled in this country as it relates to the abuse of these prisoners. I will say this is a very emotional thing for me due to the fact that I have had more than four people in my district die in Iraq. Yes, I commend the troops for their service. Yes, every day on the Committee on Armed Services I make sure that we do what we have to do to make sure that they have the equipment that they need to protect themselves, to make sure that Reservists that signed up to defend their country if need be, that they are able to make ends meet. We commend our troops every day. We appreciate their patriotism. We have over 120,000 troops in the Middle East, not even counting the individuals that are providing civilian services and contract services throughout the world. But I must say that Secretary Rumsfeld, with him having the number one job at the Pentagon and being the Secretary, should resign from the Department of Defense. The reason we are calling for his resignation is not because he happens to be a part of the Republican administration or we disagree with Secretary Rumsfeld with his strategy towards the war. It is to save American lives. It is just that simple. American troops will be terrorized even more now in the Middle East than they have been over recent weeks and days due to the fact of the humiliation of Iraqis and pictures that we will never live down. The Iraqi people will never live it down, the Arab world will never live it down because their pictures are all over the Internet, The Washington Post, CNN, any network Web site. You can definitely pick them up by just picking up the New York Times. The Washington Post today has a picture of one of our soldiers with an Iraqi prisoner on a dog chain. We all condemn these acts. There is nothing wrong with condemning them, but there is something fundamentally wrong for the President of the United States not to be able to say, I am sorry or someone in my administration, or I was wrong. I will share with you as a Member of Congress and somebody who has been elected for 10 years, there are days I have to admit that I am wrong. There are days that publicly I have to say that I made a mistake. There are certainly days I have to say I am sorry, to not even my constituents when I make a mistake, but also to the American people. But I will say, this is not the time to shield the administration, the majority party in this Congress, to shield the President because this is an election year, or to shield Secretary Rumsfeld because he is going to be before the Senate and before the Committee on Armed Services at 3 by putting forth a resolution saying we commend the troops' service in Iraq. We commend them. We appreciate them. We love them. Members of the minority party here on the Democratic side, we are fighting for up- armoring Humvees. We fought to make sure that individuals had Kevlar vests. We are working to make sure that the Reservists called up on a 12-month call, that they can get home in 24 months or even shorter because their families are going through a lot. But for this administration, and as it relates to the economy and other issues that have taken place in this country, where the President has hunkered down and said they are my friends, we are in this together, and we are going down together, he cannot do that this time. I do not want the President to have to fire Secretary Rumsfeld, but that may have to happen. I am hoping that Secretary Rumsfeld understands on behalf of the country and on behalf of protecting American troops abroad and also on behalf of protecting Americans and shielding us against additional terrorist attacks in this country, that not only should the world see it, but America sees it. This is a huge mistake. This is a mistake that is going to cost Americans their lives. I hope that he would be leader enough to say, you know, Mr. President, I did the best I could, but I know the circumstances that we are living under now, and I know the pressure being put on the United States and I know this endangers our troops even more. Personally, even though I did not have my hands on these individuals, I resign. Not to say by him resigning this issue goes away, but it at least shows Americans and the world that we have some level of account and balance. I think it is very, very important for us to understand that, one, we have over 120,000 American troops in uniform overseas; two, we have Americans that live here in the United States that need protection and we need the Arab world to be with us, or some of our allies in the Arab world to be with us in our efforts against terrorism. As a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security, terrorism is alive and well in the world; and we need as many friends as we can get. So chastising Mr. Rumsfeld in the Oval Office, as is referenced in the New York Times today, is not enough to let individuals know that we are sorry and that we are working towards corrective action to make sure that does not happen again. Going on television, going around on Arab television and saying this is not how Americans see the war, this is not how we look to fight against terrorism, we denounce the acts of the pictures, that is not saying anything. Pictures, the President said today in his press conference we are sorry that these pictures have given an image of Americans that we are insensitive. I am sorry about the pictures. Sorry about the pictures and the act are two different things. We need to make sure, Mr. President, and to the majority party here in this Congress, we need to protect our troops in harm's way. We need to make sure we do that. If we do not remove Secretary Rumsfeld from the position of Secretary of Defense, we are letting the world know that we are not really sorry. We are letting the American people know that we are not really sorry. We are not doing that. I will share with you that we cannot fall short of that. This is not the first mistake, this is not the first blunder, but this is a serious, serious issue. I do not think the American people, and definitely some Members of this Congress, understand the gravity of this situation. This is a very, very difficult situation dealing with some very, very dangerous individuals that will use these pictures to fuel more terrorism, show them to young Arab children and say, this is what America thinks of you. We have to be able to push back by saying that is not true, we removed the individuals that were in control. It was not just front line individuals that were held responsible; and it is very, very important that we do that. Before I yield to the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, I just want to make sure that the American people understand that this is not a partisan issue. When our troops are taken hostage or a civilian employee is taken hostage, I guarantee Members that we, although preferably not, will see something similar to this if we do not respond to it in a very strong way. Mr. Speaker, I would also say that the President has spoken out and has done the right thing for less. I will say that this situation is not a time to say that we are not going to allow certain Members of Congress to ask for the Secretary to step down. American lives are at stake. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that the chairman shared with the American people and Members of the House on how dangerous this situation is for our troops in Iraq. And, Mr. Speaker, I am going to enter for the Record a statement of why I voted against a resolution today and I will hand it to the Clerk. But I think it is important for discussion points to the fact that the Pentagon knew to contact 60 Minutes II 2 weeks ago, when they wanted to run the story of these pictures and what has happened to these prisoners and they were guaranteed once, if other news organizations were moving forth, if they were to just stand by and allow the Pentagon to take another look at this that they would be given an exclusive interview. Those kinds of things, when a news organization, 60 Minutes II, or 60 Minutes period, when they call, I mean it is kind of difficult for me to even just comprehend or understand that the Secretary of Defense had no knowledge of what was going on in this prison. That is one fact. The second fact is the issue on January 13 of 2004. A soldier gave a disk of pictures to a brass commander to let him know what was going on. The Ryder report never made it up the chain of command, that is what someone has said. But I will tell you, we are going to continue to have problems, and even more problems, if we slow-walk this thing, if we politic this thing in a way of trying to shield the administration and the President. I can care less about shielding someone. I do care about protecting American lives. I am glad the gentleman addressed that.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of a quiet and dignified matriarch, the late Theodora Johnson. Her passing last week has cast a veil of deep sadness over our community. ``Momma Dear'' Johnson was an extraordinary person by any measure. Her life was a delicately drawn picture of a calm, confident, dignified and strong woman with an unwavering commitment to the well being of her family and to those who shared her vision of a community of service and faith. She volunteered her time at Christ the King Catholic Church in South Dade--she was a founding member of the parish--and dedicated countless time and effort to enhancing her community. She taught and volunteered in her parish school because she firmly believed in the high stakes involved in the education of children. Her work with children literally transformed their lives. She was keenly aware of the fact that giving our children the care and attention they need in life was her vocation. She understood full well that either we pay now or we pay later. And so, she reached out to the parents of these children because she instinctively knew that the future of society is inextricably linked to the education of the young. Her approach to motivating youth emphasized personal responsibility and communal sharing. Theodora Johnson lives on in the lives of the people she touched, in the good works she left behind, and in the wonderful memories we have of her. I know that I speak for all my colleagues in extending to her family our deepest sympathy and condolences.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of U.S. Army PFC Jeremy Ricardo Ewing, who was killed on April 29th in a car bomb attack in Iraq. He served his country with dignity and honor, and he was a true hero. Private First Class Ewing's death is particularly saddening to me as he grew up in our community and was one of my constituents. He graduated from Miami Central High School in 2000. He was known for his independence and ambition, and for his sense of duty. He enlisted shortly after the September 11th attacks and became a member of the 1st Armored Division of the Army's 4th Battalion's 27th Artillery Regiment. The 1st Armored Division's tour of duty was recently extended due to increased insurgency in Iraq. Private First Class Ewing, 22, was one of eight soldiers mortally wounded last Thursday, in a car bomb attack on his Army convoy near Mahmoudiyah, south of Baghdad. Private First Class Ewing is a symbol of bravery and freedom, and the sacrifice he has made for his country will never be forgotten. My heartfelt condolences go out to Private First Class Ewing's parents, Arthur and Hilda Lewis, and to his family and friends. All of America mourns their loss.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, just to the point, I have some information here. I am so glad the gentleman from Ohio segued into summer jobs. I worked in the summer and I worked every summer. I had to because my mom was like, you are going to go out and you are going to work. So right now, we have the Center For Labor and Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston saying, right now we are experiencing the lowest job opportunity; summer jobs for teens this summer are expected to be at the worst since World War II, since the end of World War II. And I think it is so very, very important for us to see that and understand that. Kids that are going to be released from school soon that are going to have all day and idle minds to sit at home or even to get in trouble. They are usually productive because we provide an opportunity for those individuals to go out and get a job to hopefully help mom, dad or grandpa, whatever the case may be, are not going to have that opportunity. Not only the fact that we have a bad job growth experience right now in the United States, but the fact that companies that would usually carry out that goodwill gesture of saying, I am hiring some kids this summer, I am putting them to work, I am going to do the right thing, they cannot afford it. They cannot afford to do so, because they do not even have the job to give to a full-time person, their unemployment has expired and they do not have health care. I just wanted to give that point out.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. As we close here tonight, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) and also the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) for their assistance and help here today. We ask American people to continue to tune in and communicate with us. I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for putting this together. We thank the Speaker for the opportunity to address the House and the American people tonight.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, I can tell my colleagues right now, this whole issue of taxes, who pays them and who does not pay taxes is the defining issue here. I think it is very important that the American people understand that I am so glad that we are here tonight talking about solutions. We have a bigger job, identifying and describing the problem, that is good, because we are the Congress, we are an investigative body, we are hopefully a body of action and correction. But I will tell my colleagues this: if we stand idly by and allow individuals to come in, rob future blood lines of families, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, you name it, like David Letterman said, if you live in Sioux City, Iowa, you should be able to receive a higher education, your grandchildren and your children. I will say once again, there is no greater prayer or hope that your children do better than what you have done, and the grandparents' philosophy is that their grandchildren have a better opportunity than what they had. And right now the way we are going, that is not happening. Now, we talk about how we are going to do certain things, we talk about promises, and I am so glad that the gentleman from New York mentioned what Mr. Kerry is talking about. Mr. Bush, I can go forever talking about things that President Bush has said he was going to do that he has not; but tonight is not that night. It is what he said that he would do for students, what he would do for working families, and he said that he would make good on his promise in the 2000 election, that he would raise the maximum Pell grant award to $5,100 for college freshmen. That is just for college freshmen. The gentleman mentioned Senator Kerry wants to give a $4,000 tax credit every year. That is just not, we want to get you in school, but we are not necessarily concerned about you finishing school. Because, guess what, you got to take out that loan to make sure our friends at the banks are happy. That is what keeps this thing rolling. Instead of producing young minds, making them bright, making our country strong, we have a number of visas where we are shipping in people constantly to do the work that Americans could do if they were trained and if they had an opportunity to get that education. I am glad the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) mentioned his lawn cutting. I used to be a State Trooper in Florida. The gentleman was in Ohio so I did not pass him out on the highway while he was cutting grass. So I am glad the American people know that we are not from Mars. We are from the ranks of working people. I want to mention one other thing that is very, very important, that Americans that are able to receive good jobs, they are able to support our economy, also provide health care for their families, if they do not receive a college experience, fewer and fewer students are going to school today, are being denied education, more and more students are being denied education because of what? Cost and also the availability of classes and community college systems and the 4-year institutions because they are having to cut. Some of the chancellors, God bless them, they say we cannot go up on tuition any more, but what do they do then? They cancel classes or courses.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, my son's birthday was yesterday and I pulled the wallet out. I have been married 12\1/2\ years and someone asked me for a 20 and I said, I have not seen one in 12 years. So I ended up opening my wallet and somehow gifts and things, and I am here and I am waiting for the end of the month.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I find comfort in the fact that we will be back next week to have a similar discussion, and each week we are going to try to move to another subject on the issues that have arisen that week. But I just want to pause 1 minute and make sure that folks know, because we want to continue to listen to the American people and what they have to say about this. Thirty-Somethingdems at mail dot house dot gov, that is 30somethingdems, all one word, D-E-M-S, at mail.house.gov. I want to make sure that we understand how this thing works. I used to be a member of the State legislature in Florida for about 8 years prior to my arrival here. I want to make sure the American people understand, because Members of Congress definitely understand, but the majority, the Republicans are looking the other way. That is the reason why we need an opportunity, Democrats need an opportunity to stand for all Americans. We are not here talking about the Democratic young person or working family experience. We are talking about the American family experience. We are talking about where the rubber meets the road. We are not talking about a cable news show where you have 30 minutes on there and the dialogue is already slanted towards a particular position. We are talking about what is happening every day in America. I have constituents, and these student loan individuals call every day, harassing them, terrorizing them. And then, better yet, we have the banks that are fueling these individuals to say, we do not want a fixed rate, we want a variable rate, and they will say, well, it is low at the beginning and then eventually it has ballooned to the point where the interest rate is a tax on individuals. So I just want to mention how these things work. The gentleman from New York mentioned a $7 trillion deficit. So when we cut the Federal commitment to the States, the State governments, they look for the prey. Where can they cut? They are not like us. I mean we can go and, well, let us see, what credit card are we going to use today? We will use this one. We are just going to continue to charge. We are going to continue to knock on the door of the Bank of China saying, we need more money to pay down on the interest, not the debt, but just on the interest of the debt. They cannot do that. So what they do, they go and they pull in the chancellor of the university system and say, hey, listen, it all rolls downhill and students end up footing the bill of additional tuition increases. So what does that mean, an increase? One may say, well, it is not bad. They are just students. No. It hits home. Because guess what? Parents have to help. I mean the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) talked about it. You have to come up again out of your wallet and guess what? You cannot afford to pull out your credit card every time. You have to go in this part of your wallet, which mine is empty at this particular time, you have to go into this part of your wallet and pull cash out or go to a family member or go to the credit union, or go to the title loan company, or go to a prime interest rate to make sure that your kid can stay in school. I just want to make sure the American people understand how this thing rolls downhill. When a Federal commitment is cut, the State has to cut their commitment, tuition rates go up and, I must say, just on case in point, for individuals that have a fixed rate that we have now, that I must say, senior members of the Republican Party are joining in with the banks to come up with this variable rate scheme that is put on by the banks, I must add, that borrowers default 8 percent of the time when they are able to consolidate their loans and 24 percent of the time with when they fail to consolidate their loans. So when you look at it, the 24 percent, guess who wins? Well, the American people lose because they back the loans. But the banks win because, guess what? They are able to do that $500 fee all over again. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman can, before we run out of time, which I think we have about 10 minutes left, the gentleman from Ohio has to talk about this scheme that books are higher here in the United States than they are overseas. But before that, I am sorry, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) was in the middle of something.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. What I am glad to hear and see, especially the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), many times I think people know the glory, but they do not know the story. The story is real. The story is, as one comedian said, you had to move back in with your parents, write your name on the orange juice container, and sleep in the den. But you had to do it. The real issue is, especially for a majority of this Congress on the Republican side, standing firm to make sure that millionaires receive a permanent tax break, so that we would have in the very near future a $7.1 trillion deficit. I am looking for the deficit hawks every day. I am saying, where are they? The folks that used to take the floor on the other side, the Republican side used to jump up and talk about the deficit every 2 minutes, when it was this Congress, the Democratically controlled Congress that balanced the budget. President Clinton balanced the budget that put forth the opportunities for young people. And when we are talking about young people, I say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), we are talking about you. We are talking about what you have to pay, what your constituents have to pay, my constituents, towards educating their children in the real world. In the real world, many of these individuals that we are talking about here tonight, they cannot walk into a conventional bank and say, I want to get a loan for my children's education. They have to go and mortgage their homes. They get a second mortgage. They even go into the sub-prime mortgages, which is the high interest rate, because it is their children. As a parent, you will do anything to make sure that your children have a better opportunity than what you have had. Just for a minute, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) shared with us where he came from and how he got here and what he had to do as a young prosecutor in New York. I know the story of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan). I remember when we first got here, the gentleman said, the last time I was here I was passing out papers in the hall and I worked for a Member of Congress. I thought that it was not only quite amusing, but I want to make sure that people know we did not just drop out of the sky and end up here in Congress. We also are Americans. We have gone through some things. We want to make sure that people like us do not have to continue to go through things, especially when we can provide and do better.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me share one other thing with the gentleman. I want to make sure the American people understand we are listening, and we will continue to listen. Not only young people, but parents that are facing this problem and grandparents that are now having to reach into their honey pot, however big it may be, of money they put aside, hard-earned money they put aside to help educate their children. Because the future of the bloodline is to make sure we have an affordable education system. Democrats, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and all of us in this Chamber, stand united in ending the $500 unfair student loan tax, which is the origination fee that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) spoke about. That is the fee that banks celebrate. That is the cream on the top. That is the ``we are already going to make a load of money off of interest rates, but we are going to add another fee on.'' These are the things that individuals do not realize that are taxes that they are paying that they should not have to pay. Also providing the Public Service Scholarships for up to $17,500, and loan forgiveness for high-qualified graduates to teach in our schools, in nursing, child welfare and other high-priority public service careers that are there, and at the same time doubling the maximum Pell grant award to $11,600 by the year 2011. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring on the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks). We spoke of the $7.1 trillion deficit. That is a lot of money. As we go to make tax cuts permanent, this means that the education opportunity for young people and for parents who want to educate their children, I know this time of night I am usually either eating or we are putting children to bed, and I am going to tell you what is on my mind. On my mind is, can I afford it? And let me tell you, this is not about me, because, guess what? Many of us in this Chamber, we are going to be okay. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez), we are going to be okay, because we are Members of Congress and we are respected members of our community and we have some level of influence. Individuals may want to help our children. But what happens to that individual who is not a Member of Congress? What happens to that individual that works every day, that is punching in and punching out, trying to live honestly? How do they educate their children? That is where the rubber meets the road. That is why we need the opportunity. My good friend and colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), no relation, he said that he is ``meek'' when he is in Miami and I am ``meeks'' when I am in New York. I thank the gentleman for joining us.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I want to thank the gentleman for identifying this, and really this is about a discussion. We want everyone to share opening statements, but I think it is important that we talk about these issues. Once again, I want to make sure this is not the report of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) or the report of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) or the report of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) or the report of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks). These are reports produced by the Congress. These are reports produced by reputable institutions in the United States of America that are looking out for costs to the American people and looking out for our future as it relates to a workforce.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we just had another colleague join us. But I want to share with the American people, like I said, we are interactive here. We want to make sure that we hear from the American people. We want to make sure that we take them up on their suggestions. And the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is welcome to stay as long as she can. I know we all have schedules. But we are here to listen, and we are here to act. For the Democratic leader, and I must add, female leader of any major party, to come here tonight to put emphasis on a weekly commitment of being here in this Chamber to make sure that we do not continue to see young people and families in debt because we feel that we are giving them one thing, okay, we will give them a $200 or $300 tax cut, but at the same time, we are pulling the carpet out from under them to allow their family to educate themselves better, to be able to provide for their families. I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) for pulling us together, letting us know that our purpose here in this Congress is very important. I want to give an e-mail address out. I want to make sure that the American people know that they can communicate with us on the topics that we should talk about in the future or topics that we are talking about now and also personal stories that not only working families are going through, trying to make sure they put money aside for students to be able to receive affordable tuition or that they can be able to provide for their children, 30somethingdems@mail.house.gov. They can send us e-mails. They can send us battles that they are fighting. They can also send us recommendations so that we can legislate better on behalf of them. We also have someone who is joining us who is also one of our anchors here tonight, and I am so glad. I know the American people, nine times out of ten, think there is probably not a lot going on here, but there is a lot going on and we are so glad the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) can join us. He is from Ohio, Congressional District 17, one of the youngest members, if not the youngest member, of the 30-Something group that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) put together, and is a dear friend and colleague. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).