Candice Miller

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 629) supporting the goals and ideals of a Day of Hearts, Congenital Heart Defect Day in order to increase awareness about congenital heart defects, and for other purposes.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think it is especially appropriate that today on Valentine's Day, when we celebrate love and affection from the bottom of our hearts, that this House passes a resolution that seeks to provide protection from our hearts being damaged from disease. I urge all Members to support the adoption of H. Res. 629.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry).

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the State of Georgia (Mr. Price).

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H. Resolution 629, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price), would support the goals and the ideals of a Day of Hearts, Congenital Heart Defect Day. Today in the United States, heart disease and stroke, the basic components of cardiovascular disease, are the first and third leading causes of death for both men and women, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all deaths. Over 900,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, Mr. Speaker, which amounts to a death every 34 seconds. Even though this dangerous disease attacks those over the age of 65 most commonly, the number of sudden deaths from heart disease among people between the ages of 15 and 34 has increased dramatically. Along with the individual effects of this vastly growing disease, there is also a widespread economic impact. The U.S. health care system continues to be hit with the cost of heart disease and stroke in the U.S. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of permanent disability in the U.S. workforce, and there are over 6 million hospitalizations each year due to this disease. As our population ages, the cost of heart disease and stroke was projected to be $394 billion in 2005, last year, which includes health care expenditures and lost productivity from death and disability. Mr. Speaker, I would ask all Members to support H. Resolution 629 with the hope that, because cardiovascular disease is preventable, increased awareness and research could enable us as Americans to cut down on the unnecessary deaths due to this disease each year in our country. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I would urge all Members to support the passage of S. 1989, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1989, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island, Senator Reed, would designate the post office building in Cranston, Rhode Island, as the Holly A. Charette Post Office. United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Holly Charette, a Cranston resident, was killed on June 23, 2005, while serving our country in Iraq. Charette served as a mail clerk at the Marine Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi, which is the headquarters battalion of the Second Marine Division. Holly Charette was recognized by every soldier who had the pleasure of receiving mail from her, as she always greeted them with a smile and with a kind word. She was known for her ability to sort through thousands of letters and parcels, identifying each name with a face, never letting down those who relied on her. In fact, Holly Charette was quoted as saying, I never really thought too hard about being a mail person, but it is really an important job and people depend on me. There are a lot of stresses involved, but it is really worth it at the end of the day. After her service in the military, Charette had planned to apply at the U.S. Postal Service, where she could continue to serve the citizens of the United States. About her future plans, she stated, It will not be the same as being a marine, but at least I am still in uniform. I would urge all Members to come together and to honor this dedicated young woman in her efforts to serve our country. I thank Senator Reed for his diligence in bringing this important measure forward. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1989) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 57 Rolfe Square in Cranston, Rhode Island, shall be known and designated as the ``Holly A. Charette Post Office.''

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I urge Members to support the passage of H.R. 4152, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4152, offered by the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), would designate the post office building in Clinton, Massachusetts, as the Raymond J. Salmon Post Office. On April 16, 1923, Raymond J. Salmon was born in the town of Clinton, Massachusetts. In his younger years, Ray served his country as a Technical Sergeant in the U.S. Army in World War II. In 1950, he began his political career by working for Congressman Phillip Philbin of Clinton, Massachusetts, and served as his Chief of Staff until 1970. While working on Capitol Hill, Ray managed to complete law school and be admitted to the bar in 1952. After several years as a sole practitioner, Ray was appointed the Clerk Magistrate of Clinton District Court in 1976, and he remained in this position until his retirement in 2000. His service in this capacity did not go unnoticed by his community. He was loved and revered by the citizens of Clinton, and he remained involved in many other community activities. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion, Turner Veterans, the Polish American Veterans, the Hibernian AOH Master of Ceremonies, President of the National Exchange Club, Exalted Ruler of the Clinton Lodge of Elks and President of the Clinton Democratic Town Committee. It is an honor and privilege to be able to recognize such an unselfish and giving member of the community by passing H.R. 4152 and recognizing the efforts of such a committed individual. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4152.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4152) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 320 High Street in Clinton, Massachusetts, as the ``Raymond J. Salmon Post Office''.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, since it has been revealed that the NSA had a terrorist surveillance program, opponents of the administration have been quick to criticize this program. Let us try to set the record straight on this effective tool in fighting the war on terror. One Senator has charged the NSA is eavesdropping on Americans who have no indication of wrongdoing. The Senate minority leader, who has been briefed on the program, called it domestic spying. In fact, this program is extremely limited to international communications, in which one party is suspected of links to al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations, like calls made by 9/11 hijackers to their leaders in Afghanistan. Are some Democrats so confused, or do they care more about attempting to gain political advantage than protecting our Nation? Mr. Speaker, we know our enemies place operatives within our borders who blend in and wait to strike as they did on 9/11, but they are still out there. I do not care one iota about protecting the privacy of terrorists who have been sent to this country to murder innocent Americans. It is regretful that some seek political gain at the expense of our security.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of this rule and the underlying resolution as well, because this House must show our troops, the Iraqi people, and our terrorist enemies that we are committed to achieving victory in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, just a couple of days ago, I spoke with a constituent of mine named PFC Josh Sparling. Josh serves in the 82nd Airborne Division with the 3rd of the 504th, also proudly known as the Blue Devils. Josh was wounded by an IED while serving with his unit in Ramadi, Iraq. He is currently at Walter Reed Hospital recuperating from surgery, with doctors working literally to save his leg. When I talked to Josh, he did not want to complain about his wounds nor the pain that they were causing him. No, this American hero wanted to talk to me about the progress being made on the ground in Iraq, and how well the new Iraqi troops performed in the field, and how committed the Iraqis were to reclaiming their country from the terrorists. His proudest day in Iraq was when he provided security in the Iraqi election last October. He watched thousands of Iraqis singing and celebrating on their way to polling stations. It made him proud that the American military was accomplishing their mission to spread peace and hope and freedom and democracy. He was disappointed that he was not in Iraq right now with his unit providing security for yesterday's election and watching the left flank of his buddies. Mr. Speaker, that is commitment. That is dedication, what we expect and what we get from our brave men and women in uniform. Yesterday's election was a great victory for the Iraqi people, more proof of an historic pivot in that part of the world, and now is not the time to wave the white flag just as our Iraqi allies begin the difficult business of forming a new democratic government. We cannot redeploy troops based on political concerns instead of needs on the ground to secure victory. We must not let down all of our brave men and women in uniform who have served so remarkably. We cannot let down over 11 million Iraqis who yesterday stuck a finger in the eye of the terrorists as they stuck their finger in that blue ink. We cannot give our terrorist enemies a victory which they cannot achieve on the battleground. We need to send a message, this House needs to send a message, today that we are committed to completing the mission. Vote ``yes'' on the rule and the underlying resolution.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, when this issue first came to the floor, I was very concerned, certainly, about how it dealt with some of our manufacturing companies and our workers as well. So many people in my district have worked a lifetime to secure a good pension to help them in their retirement years. They perform jobs that are difficult on them, both physically and mentally; and they have earned their pension. In Michigan we have so many workers in the airline industry, because, of course, Detroit is the hub for Northwest Airlines. But we obviously also have a huge number of auto workers because of the Big Three and the numerous suppliers to the auto industry that reside there. Northwest Airlines supports this legislation, as does Continental Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines. So you might think, well, it must be bad for the airline workers then, right? But the bill is actually supported by the Airline Pilots Association and the Association of Flight Attendants. So both management and labor do support this bill. This bill is also supported by General Motors and even the Delphi Corporation. So you might think it might be bad for auto workers, right? Well, it is actually also supported by the United Auto Workers Union. In fact, it is also supported by the Affiliated Unions of the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, the Transport Workers Union, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. It is also supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. Any bill that acquires the support of business and labor must be doing something right in today's economy and this climate. I think we have crafted an excellent piece of legislation. It does what needs to be done: It protects workers pensions. Let us pass this legislation. Let us get it into conference with the Senate, and let us get on with the job of ensuring that workers are secure in the knowledge that the pension that they have worked so hard to get will be there when they retire.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule as well as the underlying bill. This legislation is absolutely long overdue, and it is time we enact some very pragmatic and useful methods to prevent noncitizens from moving freely back and forth across our borders. Quite frankly, the American people have lost their sense of humor when it comes to illegal immigration. They are demanding action, and it is no secret that our borders are porous. Every day, countless individuals are entering our country illegally and advantaging themselves of government services at taxpayer expense, and they take the jobs that otherwise could go to American citizens as well as those immigrants who came here legally, who abided by our laws. It is time that we put these practices to an end. It is time that we as Americans take more responsibility in the fight against illegal immigration. One of the most important provisions in this bill ends the ludicrous practice of catch and release with detained illegal aliens. Upon passage of this bill, anyone caught in this country illegally will be detained until further judicial action can be taken. It is unfathomable that this has not been the procedure since day one, but I am pleased that we are finally going to put an end to that. Another key feature of this bill is the increased cooperation between Federal authorities and local law enforcement. This bill will reimburse sheriffs on the southern border for immigration enforcement and treat any individuals in their custody as Federal detainees. I hope this is the beginning and not the end of immigration reform. And let us keep in mind that while we are having this national debate today, that because our laws currently require us to count noncitizens for the purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, that a number of Members of this House represent districts where fully 30 to 40 percent of their constituents are illegal aliens or noncitizens. So perversely, illegal aliens will be well represented in the U.S. Congress on the vote today to secure our border and to crack down on illegal aliens, and it is my hope that the issue of congressional representation for American citizens can also be dealt with as we move forward in this process so the full voice of the American people can be heard and that American citizens do not continue to have their vote disenfranchised. I support the rule and the underlying bill.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, the United Nations has supported a series of three resolutions which praise Palestinian actions while condemning Israeli self-defense. Rather than promoting democracy in the Middle East, the U.N. continually strikes at Israel, even though it is the only true democracy in that region. Without any consideration of Palestinian aggression, the U.N. has relentlessly gone on the offensive against the Israeli government, despite themselves having established the State of Israel after the Second World War. It is truly shameful that some 30 percent of the U.N.'s total legislative business is anti-Israel, when so many of the U.N.'s member nations have abhorrent human rights records that go unaddressed and unspoken of. Mr. Speaker, I have a simple request for the United Nations: Please do your job. Stop wasting our time with your anti-Israel political agenda and start doing something useful, might I suggest, like really investigating the Oil-For-Food scandal and holding the responsible parties accountable. Most importantly, take a fair and balanced approach towards solving the problems that are plaguing the Middle East. If we are honestly trying to bring peace to the Middle East, we must help the Palestinians establish their own independent state, while at the same time showing them they must live in peaceful coexistence with Israel. Mr. Speaker, the President of Iran recently said that Israel needs to be wiped off the face of the map, yet no one at the U.N. made more than a passing reference to these outrageous comments. The United Nations must realize that all member states deserve respect, and that these kinds of hateful, anti-Semitic remarks offend fair-minded people throughout the entire world. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret that many Americans question our membership in the United Nations. Many resent that our dues are being spent on a political agenda that undermines our American ideals; and when such ridiculous actions are taken, no wonder questions arise about our involvement and our membership. I urge our colleagues to support H. Res. 438 and ask that the United Nations as well take a balanced approach to the problems facing the Middle East.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the goal of this Nation has been the same, to topple the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and to bring freedom to the Iraqi people. Our coalition forces were successful in bringing down Saddam, and today he is facing the justice of the Iraqi people in a country that is beginning to understand and to live under the rule of law, not the rule of a barbaric and brutal dictator. Today the people of Iraq have elected an interim government that drafted a Constitution, subsequently approved by the Iraqi people, and on December 15 they will again go to the polls to elect a permanent Parliament. None of this could have been achieved without the sacrifice of the brave men and women who serve in our armed services. While we have been working to establish a democratic government, we have also been working to reestablish the Iraqi Army and security forces, and when the Iraqi forces are ready, our troops will come home, their mission accomplished. The question before the Congress today is shall we pull our troops out now before their mission is complete. Let us examine just for a second the consequences of such action. If our forces leave now, we would empower terrorists such as Zarqawi to spread violence against innocent civilians, unchecked. Iraq could then devolve into anarchy and become a base of terror operations. That is the question, and that is the risk, and I believe we must fight the terrorists at the heart of their power, not in the streets of America. Mr. Speaker, many of the same Members who voted in 2002 to support this effort now say that the President misled them. If they actually believe such an outrageous allegation, why did the President not just simply plant weapons of mass destruction in Iraq while he was at it? This whole train of thought is absolutely nuts. They just looked at the same intelligence, and they cannot simply rewrite history. Mr. Speaker, with our assistance Iraq is making remarkable progress, and when our American forces do come home, they will come home as heroes, and our Nation will be more secure. I urge my colleagues to support this rule.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman sincerely for yielding. Mr. Speaker, nearly half a million Americans have served in our National Guard since the beginning of the war on terror. A half million fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters, a half million people so dedicated to protecting our Nation, protecting our families that they have sacrificed time with their own families. This is a half million people willing to confront America's enemies face to face. Mr. Speaker, none of those great patriots would be able to serve our Nation without the incredible support and the sacrifice of those back home. For each man and woman deployed by the Guard, there is an employer who must operate without an employee. There is a company that must do business and meet its challenges without a member of its team. There is a boss who must get by without his full staff, even though he or she is faced with intense competition and unyielding deadlines. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to see our American businesses answering the call and serving their country by supporting our Guard. They are selflessly going about their business with a half million fewer workers, and they are doing so without complaint. They are setting an example for future generations by loyally holding those positions open at the same level of pay and with the same level of benefits for when our proud men and women, our Guardsmen return home. American employers are proving that their relationship with the National Guard is as strong and as important as ever. They are proving that the men and women who serve the United States proudly should be well served by our country. My hometown of Harrison Township, Michigan, is also very proud to be the hometown of Selfridge Air National Guard Base. I have watched as literally thousands and thousands of National Guard members have deployed from Selfridge in defense of America, and I am proud to say that I have also seen countless Michigan employers ensure that Guard members are taken care of when they return home. I strongly support House Resolution 302, because it is time we in the Congress, here in the House of Representatives, formally recognize the great work and the great sacrifice of American businesses, those who employ our Guard and Reserve members. Though they serve our Nation quietly and nobly, these companies deserve a profound and enthusiastic thank you from their government. The men and women who have served and now serve our Nation in the Armed Forces make an incredible sacrifice, and this Veterans' Day week this resolution is especially appropriate in an important recognition that their friends and loved ones and their employers back home are sacrificing, too.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren), who is a distinguished member of the House Administration Committee that did ask for us to bring this up under suspension.

Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.