Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a champion on this issue.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley), a member of our Health Subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this week the House will have a chance to move the Iraq war in a new direction: one that holds the Iraqi Government accountable for meeting benchmarks that they have already promised they could make. In contrast, the President's only answer is an open-ended commitment to what even his own Pentagon now admits is a civil war. Military leaders across the board have already told the President that there is no military solution to the war, and yet he continues with the status quo. Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli said in December: ``The proper political pieces must be in place in order for any of the military, economic or social initiatives to take hold and flourish.'' Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno said: ``It is clear you cannot solve this problem militarily.'' And just last month, Major General Paul Eaton said: ``Time and again, they have shown a tendency to focus almost exclusively on military solutions to problems without leveraging the full economic, political and diplomatic solutions to problems.'' These military leaders are correct. Iraqis must step forward and make critical political reforms if they really want to begin to stem the violence. But unlike the President, Democrats will finally demand some accountability from the Iraqi Government this week.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to urge my colleagues this evening to support House Resolution 106, a resolution that reaffirms the Armenian genocide. I also wish to express my support for its swift passage in the House of Representatives. As the first genocide of the 20th century, it is morally imperative that we remember this atrocity and collectively demand reaffirmation of this crime against humanity. The resolution, which I introduced with Representatives Schiff, Radanovich and Knollenberg, has over 180 cosponsors. It's also the exact same resolution that passed the International Affairs Committee last Congress by an overwhelming majority. I strongly believe it is important for Members to understand that this is a matter of historical fact. Many Turkish deniers have been meeting with Members of Congress and sending correspondence, discouraging this resolution. They are claiming that passage of such a resolution would be untimely and counterproductive. Mr. Speaker, for 92 years this has not been reaffirmed here in this Congress. I think 92 years is far too long for a proper recognition to be made, and its reaffirmation is a matter of conscience. In the meantime, the Turkish Government has threatened to close supply routes to U.S. troops in Iraq if this resolution is considered. It's appalling that a country who claims to be our ally would put the lives of soldiers at risk in the pursuit of its desperate campaign to deny the systematic slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians. The highly reputable International Association of Genocide Scholars recently wrote to Members of Congress urging support for the Armenian genocide resolution, and I request permission to insert their letter in the Record. International Association of Genocide Scholars March 7, 2007. Dear Members of the United States Congress: We write to you as the international organization of scholars who study genocide. We strongly urge you to co-sponsor H. Res. 106, the House Resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. In three previous statements of the International Association of Genocide Scholars--first, a unanimous resolution declaring that the Turkish massacres of Armenians in 1915-1918 constituted genocide; second, an Open Letter to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan calling upon him to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide; and third, an Open Letter concerning scholars who deny the Armenian Genocide--we have made our position clear: the historical record on the Armenian Genocide is unambiguous and documented by overwhelming evidence. It is proven by foreign office records of the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, and perhaps most importantly, of Turkey's World War I allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary, as well as by the records of the Ottoman Courts-Martial of 1918-1920, and by decades of scholarship. We believe it is important for Members of Congress to understand that Turkey's nine-decade-long campaign to deny the facts of the Armenian Genocide is driven by a government that has yet to engage in the honest historical self-critique that is a vital part of the democratic process. The numerous trials and imprisonments of Turkish intellectuals and journalists and the assassination of the Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in January make this clear. It should be noted that there are Turkish scholars who are urging their government to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, and many parts of Turkish society share this pro-democratic perspective. We would note, however, that a government that still encourages extreme, uncritical nationalism has created a false narrative about the Armenian Genocide in order to absolve its predecessors of responsibility for the extermination of the Armenian people and their culture in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. We are aware that you may be pressured by a small number of academics who support Turkey's denialist stance for often self-interested reasons. Such academics willingly falsify, distort, and manipulate the evidence in sometimes subtle ways to present a false view of history. These academics violate the ethical obligations of historical scholarship. We have noted that academics who deny the Armenian Genocide are no different than academics who deny the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, or the Cambodian Genocide. The recent conference in Teheran devoted to Holocaust denial is a case in point. ``Where scholars deny genocide in the face of decisive evidence . . . they contribute to false consciousness that can have the most dire reverberations. Their message, in effect, is . . . mass murder requires no confrontation, but should be ignored, glossed over. In this way scholars lend their considerable authority to the acceptance of this ultimate crime'' (Roger Smith, Eric Markusen, Robert Jay Lifton ``Professional Ethics and the Denial of the Armenian Genocide,'' Journal of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, vol. 9, Spring, 1995). We urge you to reject the Turkish campaign of denial, as you may be meeting with groups and individuals who are ardent deniers. We would underscore that the Armenian Genocide is not controversial, but rather is denied only by the Turkish government and its apologists. We urge you to pass H. Res. 106: (1) It is a recognition of an historical turning point in the twentieth century, the event that inaugurated the era of modern genocide. In spite of its importance, the Armenian Genocide has gone unrecognized until recently, and warrants a symbolic act of moral commemoration. The Armenian-American community first arrived in the United States as refugees and survivors of this great catastrophe and of earlier massacres in the late 19th century. (2) Congress will honor America's extraordinary foreign service officers (among them Leslie A. Davis, Jesse B. Jackson, Oscar Heizer, and Ambassador Henry Morgenthau) who often risked their lives rescuing Armenian citizens in 1915. These courageous American diplomats left behind some 4,000 reports totaling 37,000 pages, now in the National Archives, documents that prove the Armenian mass murders were government-planned, systematic extermination--what Raphael Lemkin named genocide. By this resolution the U.S. Congress would demonstrate that the moral principles and courage of those foreign service officers continues to represent a powerful example of American leadership. It is in the interest of the United States to support the principles of human rights that are at the core of American democracy. (3) Inasmuch as the popular effort in the United States to rescue and bring relief to the Armenians, first from massacres in the 1890s and then from genocide in 1915, set the stage for the era of modern human rights activism, H. Res. 106 would honor this significant contribution to United States history. (4) We expect that the United States would not permit foreign governments to intrude on its own legislative process. We also expect that the U.S. government would not be influenced by threats to close American military bases or cut off sales of military hardware, especially when that pressure comes from a country with a deeply disturbing human rights record today, including violence and repressive measures against writers, minorities, intellectuals, and scholars. (5) As crimes of genocide continue to plague the world, Turkey's policy of denying the Armenian Genocide gives license to those who perpetrate genocide everywhere. Just as we would not sanction denying the Holocaust, we cannot give credence to Turkey's falsification of the facts of 1915. Denial is the final stage of genocide, as it seeks to demonize the victims and rehabilitate the perpetrators. We believe that it is in the interest of the Turkish people and their future as proud participants in the international democratic community to acknowledge the responsibility of a previous government for the genocide of the Armenian people, just as the German government has done in the case of the Holocaust. We would be happy to meet with you in person, and would gladly supply you with the scholarly evidence that has led to the unanimous resolution of the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Turkish massacre of over one million Armenians from 1915 to 1918 was a crime of genocide. Sincerely, Israel Charny, Ph.D., President, International Association of Genocide Scholars. Gregory H. Stanton, J.D., Ph.D., Vice President, International Association of Genocide Scholars. I would say, if I could quote some sections of that letter, in that letter the scholars state their position clearly, noting that the Armenian genocide ``is proven by foreign office records of the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia and even of Turkey's World War I allies, Germany and Austria-Hungary.'' They also say: ``Just as we would not sanction denying the Holocaust, we cannot give credence to Turkey's falsification of the facts of 1915; denial is the final stage of genocide.'' They are unanimous in their findings. Mr. Speaker, the American people and this Congress should deserve a full and truthful account of the role of the Turkish Government in denying the Armenian genocide. Congress should be allowed to reaffirm that genocide was orchestrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 to exterminate its Armenian citizens.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this evening to voice my support for an emergency supplemental bill that will produce a significant change in the way the war in Iraq is being waged. This is not an easy decision on my part. Back in 2002, I opposed giving President Bush the authority to wage the Iraq war, and ever since, I have opposed every supplemental bill that has come to this floor to pay for the war in Iraq. During each supplemental debate, I voiced concern that Congress was essentially giving President Bush a blank check to wage the war as he saw fit. I voiced frustration that the Bush administration was unwilling to face the realities on the ground in Iraq and that Republican Congresses refused to provide proper oversight of billions of dollars that were handed out to contractors like Halliburton. Last November, the American people sent a clear message that the status quo in Iraq was no longer acceptable. They entrusted Congress to Democrats in the hopes that we would help take our Iraq policy in a new direction so that we could bring our troops home soon. Mr. Speaker, the emergency supplemental addresses the concerns of the American people. It is a serious piece of legislation that brings together into one bill the recommendations of the nonpartisan Iraq Study Group, military generals, the Pentagon, and even the President himself. It provides us the first real opportunity to change course, and therefore it deserves the support of anyone who believes the status quo is no longer acceptable. The supplemental takes into consideration the views of military generals and military experts who have said for months now that there is no longer a military solution possible in Iraq. Instead, they say the only way to end the civil war that is raging in Iraq is through political and diplomatic means. Tomorrow this House will have the opportunity to send the President a strong message that the war in Iraq will not continue indefinitely. The legislation states that American troops will be out of Iraq no later than August 31, 2008, and if the Iraqi Government does not meet certain benchmarks in the coming months, our troops will be home by the end of this year. With this legislation, the fate of Iraq now truly belongs to the Iraqis themselves. It is time the Iraqi Government stepped forward and takes some responsibility. The Maliki government must realize that it has to meet political, economic and diplomatic benchmarks that the President himself set, and that if serious improvements are not seen in the coming months, then we will begin the process of redeploying our troops out of Iraq. This only makes sense, Mr. Speaker. If the Iraqi Government continues to believe that U.S. involvement there is indefinite, what kind of pressure are they going to have to make the necessary political reforms? They are not, and that is why both this pressure and a date certain for responsible redeployment are so important. This legislation also begins the process of redirecting the Bush administration's attention to the forgotten war in Afghanistan by adding $1 billion to the Defense Department's request for military activities there. This increase supports our efforts to suppress a likely spring offensive by the Taliban. In addition, it will reinforce our humanitarian efforts in that war-torn country. We must work to give poor farmers an alternative to the illicit opium trade that is rampant throughout Afghanistan. Finally, the legislation provides more money than the Pentagon requested for critical health care needs for veterans and wounded soldiers. Specifically, the legislation provides $1.7 billion more for defense health care and $1.7 billion more for veterans' health care in the hope that we can eliminate the horrific conditions and the treatment our wounded soldiers receive at Walter Reed. The brave men and women who fought on behalf of this country should not now have to endure bureaucratic delays in order to receive the health care services that they were promised. Mr. Speaker, this week we entered the fifth year of this unfortunate war. Tomorrow we must step forward and support a bill that brings our troops home within the next 18 months, exerts pressure on the Iraqi Government, prioritizes the forgotten war in Afghanistan and provides additional funds for veterans and military health care. Tomorrow we have the opportunity to change the direction of the war in Iraq, and we should certainly take it.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, American involvement in Iraq should not be an open-ended proposition, and we should not be sending more troops there to serve as referees in that nation's devastating civil war. The status quo simply cannot continue. It is time this Congress seriously level with the Iraqi Government that it must meet the benchmarks the President himself outlined earlier this year. And if they cannot meet those benchmarks, it is time to start bringing our troops home. It is time the Iraqi Government is held accountable for its actions. The Maliki government must realize that it has to meet political, economic and diplomatic benchmarks in the region, and that if serious improvements are not seen in the coming months, then we will begin the process of redeploying our troops out of Iraq. This week, we will have an opportunity to exert pressure on the Iraqi Government to meet the President's own benchmarks. If the Iraqi Government continues to believe that our involvement there is indefinite, what kind of pressure are they going to have to make the necessary reforms? They are not, and that's why this change in direction is much needed at this time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. I appreciate your comments, and, I, again, appreciate the fact that you have introduced this resolution and that we are moving it today.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Kansas and, of course, my colleague, the gentlewoman from New York, for introducing this resolution. I was here on the floor doing 1-minutes, and then I started to listen to the debate, and I think it is very important that this resolution be introduced for a number of reasons, but I also wanted to relate it, if I could, to my family. I think that many of the exploits of veterans during World War II, including Air Force veterans, and I know the Army Air Force, that is what they were called then, are kind of unsung. People are not aware of it. People are not necessarily aware of the different units and how they served, and including the Air Force. I notice that in the resolution she particularly mentions that not only are we honoring the service and sacrifice of the glider pilots, but we are also urging the people of the United States to remember and teach future generations about the contributions and sacrifices that glider pilots and all veterans have made to and for the United States, and I have to relate a story with my own dad. My father was in the Army Air Force during World War II. He served in the Pacific, and he was a tail gunner with the reconnaissance forces, the planes that came in and took the pictures before I guess the other missions with bombs and other things took place. And for a long time, he is 83 now, for a long time when I was growing up, he would never talk about it, and I could never really understand why. In fact, he would never even want to take an airplane. He apparently served in the Pacific, came back, and went across the country by train instead of using an airplane to get back. One day, we were down in Washington, and we went to the Air and Space Museum with my son, who is now 11 years old, but then maybe he was 6 or 7 years old. My father all of the sudden started to tell the story about his time during World War II because he saw some of the planes in the Air and Space Museum that were involved in some of those combat operations. It was such a tremendous experience for my son to hear my father talk about his experience during the war with reconnaissance planes and also as a tail gunner. He never told about it in a heroic way; although everyone knows that was a very difficult position. Most of the tail gunners never came back. The majority actually were killed in action, even those that were involved in reconnaissance. It was such a valuable experience for my son to hear his grandfather talk about that experience in the Army Air Force during World War II. But I think a lot of the veterans simply don't tell the story. I don't really know why. I really think that when you draw attention to this, in this case the glider pilots, but there are others, when you draw attention to it and you make it a point that we need to follow up with our veterans and have them tell the story, it really is a very important thing, a lot more than I think a lot of people realize.

Mr. PALLONE. Yes, I will certainly yield to the gentlewoman.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my intention this morning was to come here and talk about the need to refocus our efforts in the war against terrorism out of Iraq and towards Afghanistan, because, after all, when we were attacked on 9/11, those who attacked us came from Afghanistan, not from Iraq. And President Bush in the very beginning and even now continues to confuse the American people by suggesting that the Iraq war had something to do with 9/11, which it did not. However, I just listened to my colleague on the Republican side and I have to respond to him somewhat before I move on to the issue of Afghanistan. I want to commend the Speaker and commend the Democratic leadership for the supplemental appropriation bill that they are putting together and that will likely come to the floor next week. It was clear in the November election that the American people want a new direction in Iraq. They realize that the war in Iraq was begun for the wrong reasons, that it was not a response to 9/11, that a lot of the information that was provided to this Congress when the vote was taken to authorize the war was misleading and inaccurate. The fact of the matter is that Congress does have the power to declare war and Congress also has the decision as to whether to fund the war. And this is a supplemental appropriations bill that is going to fund the war and provide the funding for the troops. But at the same time Congress needs to point out that this war needs to move in a new direction and that it is not acceptable to simply give the President a blank check and say, okay, you can move ahead with your surge and essentially escalate the war. We had a majority in this Congress, including a significant number of Republicans, who just a couple of weeks ago voted on a resolution that said that the escalation and the surge was a mistake, that we are opposed to that. And so there has to be some effort in this spending bill, which is our prerogative, to indicate why the war has gone in the wrong direction and what needs to be done to end it and ultimately get our troops out of there. That is what we are doing as Democrats and I believe we will have a consensus to achieve that and I think that it will lead in a very short period of time to us getting out of Iraq and leaving the Iraqis to decide their own fate. It is time for that at this time. We shouldn't be sending the resources and we shouldn't be sending our soldiers into a situation where they no longer belong. My intention today was to come to the floor and talk about, rather than sending our soldiers to Iraq and all the resources we are sending to Iraq, that we should be focusing more on Afghanistan, because that's where the Taliban were and they continue to be. That is where al Qaeda began and continues to exist, including those who were in charge of al Qaeda. And we are not doing enough in Afghanistan. There is a new offensive now on the part of the Taliban which began last month in February and we are trying to counteract that. But we're not focusing on that because we're spending too much time focusing on Iraq in terms of our resources and our troops. Now, the President finally came to the realization a few weeks ago that this was the case and he started to talk more about what we needed to do in Afghanistan. He sent Vice President Cheney there. Vice President Cheney made the point. He also went to Pakistan because Pakistan has this border area where we believe al Qaeda and the Taliban are headquartered and where they simply hide out and regroup before they begin their attacks from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Vice President Cheney went to Pakistan as well and made the point to President Musharraf that this is unacceptable, you cannot continue to harbor these terrorists, you have to do something to make sure that they are driven out of Pakistan and that they are not being supported by those local authorities or those within the intelligence service in Afghanistan that seem to be providing support to al Qaeda and to the Taliban. But we need to focus on the issue of Afghanistan in terms of our resources, not only in terms of our troops but also in terms of reconstruction efforts. The Taliban are essentially being financed by increased production of opium and ultimately, of course, heroin. That's how they are financed. We need to deal with local reconstruction projects that will allow the Afghanis and particularly the farmers to do things that are not related to the opium trade so they can grow crops other than opium and sustain themselves. This is a major effort that we have to concentrate on and not enough is happening. I would point out that in the supplemental appropriations bill, we do provide more money for this effort, because the Democratic leadership, as Speaker Pelosi realized, that we are neglecting the war in Afghanistan where the terrorists began. Let's refocus on that. But this supplemental bill is the answer to the problem and it brings us in a new direction.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, accountability has returned to Washington after a 6-year absence. This week alone, the new Democratic Congress has provided critical oversight of the administration's unacceptable neglect of our wounded soldiers. At a hearing earlier this week, some of my Republican colleagues said they have known about some of the treatment for several years, but they didn't realize it was this bad. And that is what oversight hearings are for. If you know there is a problem, you haul the Pentagon up to Capitol Hill to get answers. The old Republican Congress simply ignored these problems. That is not happening in the Democratic Congress. This week, we held four different oversight hearings so that we can find solutions quickly to ensure that what happened at Walter Reed never happens again. This Democratic House has also held its first hearing this week on the scandal at the U.S. Attorney's Office, where politics once again trumps competence in the Bush administration. Eight U.S. attorneys were fired so the Bush administration could pad the resumes of other attorneys. The days of incompetence without any accountability are over here in Washington. Real oversight has returned.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), an organization that is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Since AHPA's founding in 1982, the organization has been at the forefront of promoting the responsible commerce of herbs and herbal products and has continually been a leader in the herbal products community. AHPA began by organizing growers, processors, manufacturers and marketers of herbal products and has since grown into a diverse trade association, representing over 250 companies in the herbal products industry and their affiliated businesses. AHPA has distinguished itself in the dietary supplement world for the quality of its work and advocacy before lawmakers and regulators. AHPA is highly regarded in as a knowledgeable and trusted voice on issues that impact trade in herbal products. Over the years, AHPA has gained a reputation for tackling complex issues in this diverse sector. One of the many contributions that AHPA is proud of is its publication of the reference, Herbs of Commerce, which established standardized common names for herbal ingredients and is used by the Food and Drug Administration as a reference in the labeling regulations for dietary supplements. AHPA also made significant contributions toward the passage of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. More recently, AHPA played a seminal role in the effort to establish a Federal serious adverse event reporting mechanism for the dietary supplement industry. AHPA's lead voice on this issue was extremely instrumental in the passage in December 2006 of the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act of 2006. AHPA and its members should be commended for their ongoing commitment to supporting the responsible commerce of herbs and herbal products in the United States. I once again rise to recognize this momentous occasion and to wish AHPA a happy 25th Anniversary.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mrs. Rhoda Ann Sokol, a dedicated teacher and citizen from Long Branch, New Jersey. It is with great pride and admiration that I honor her today for her outstanding commitment to New Jersey's Jewish community and for the legacy she has left for her students, her family, and the people of Monmouth County. Mrs. Sokol was born in New York at Beth Israel Hospital but lived most of her young life in West Long Branch, New Jersey. She graduated from Long Branch High School, my alma mater, and went on to obtain a bachelor of science degree from Monmouth College. She and her husband Robert were married for 40 years and raised three children in Ocean Township. Mrs. Sokol was a very generous person and was incredibly dedicated to her work. She taught at the Jewish Community Center in Deal for 21 years and taught at the Solomon Schechter Academy in Howell for 23 years. She loved the arts and music and worked with students on musicals while she taught at Solomon Schechter. She will always be remembered as a teacher who adored her students and who was always willing to help them in any way she could. There are many people all over Monmouth County who will never forget Mrs. Sokol. It gives me great pride to say that the Spirit of Israel Dance Company is performing a tribute concert to honor her memory. The concert will take place on Sunday, March 4th and will showcase young dancers ranging from ages 14-20. This dance group has performed all over the world, including at the Maccabia opening ceremony, Adloyada, Carmiel, various TV programs, and at numerous school events. Madam Speaker, I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in recognizing Mrs. Rhoda Ann Sokol for her lifelong dedication to her community. While she was taken from the Long Branch community before her time, her friends, family, and students will never forget her.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, what do our international friends know that the Bush administration doesn't? It seems everywhere you turn, the ``Coalition of the Willing'' is concluding it is time to get out of Iraq, while the Bush administration wants to send 21,500 more U.S. troops. Just last week our biggest ally in the Iraq war, Britain, announced that it was withdrawing 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months. The same day Denmark said it, too, would pull out all of its 460 troops by the end of the summer. And then South Korea decided that 1,100 of its 2,300 troops would be withdrawn from Iraq in April, with the rest following later this year. With this news, the ``Coalition of the Willing'' is no longer so willing, dwindling to about 10,000 troops. What is it that these countries know that the Bush administration still can't figure out? Could it be that they see the writing on the wall; that they have concluded, as many others have here in the United States, that the Iraq war can no longer be won militarily? Mr. Speaker, our dwindling coalition should serve as another wake-up call to the Bush administration that it is time for a new direction in Iraq.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 52 supporting the goals and ideals of American Heart Month. February is American Heart Month, and each year since 1963 Congress has charged the President to claim February American Heart Month. The goal of American Heart Month is to raise funds, conduct research, and promote education about heart disease and stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and the major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the U.S. is coronary heart disease, which often first appears as a heart attack. Almost 1.2 million people in the U.S. will have a heart attack and about 700,000 people die of heart disease annually. Each of us should continue to take steps to prevent and control factors that put us at greater risk. Prevention measures certainly help to reduce the risks for heart disease and its effects. Additionally, knowing the signs and symptoms of heart attack are crucial to the most positive outcomes after having a heart attack. Recognizing and responding quickly to symptoms and receiving appropriate care can limit heart damage. People who have survived a heart attack can also work to reduce their risk of another heart attack or a stroke in the future. Research has shown a healthy diet and life style are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender- McDonald) for her work on this issue. I certainly urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 52. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 52) supporting the goals and ideals of American Heart Month.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor this evening to discuss more recent developments regarding the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban and al Qaeda seem to be growing in strength, and the evidence shows that they are in the planning stages for a spring offensive. Mr. Speaker, I have spoken on the floor many times about the forgotten war in Afghanistan. It was promising to see the Bush administration finally wake up and bring the issue to the forefront this weekend with Vice President Dick Cheney making a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. I was relieved to hear that Vice President Cheney was not hurt after a deadly suicide bombing took place near the U.S. military base he was visiting in Afghanistan. A few hours after the attack, a Taliban official took credit for the tragic bombing and claimed that it was an attack on the Vice President, and this incident only underscores the recent resurgence the Taliban and al Qaeda have seen in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The details of Vice President Cheney's trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan were kept extremely classified. This is in contrast with last year, when President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice both visited Pakistan with far less secrecy. The increased level of confidentiality for Vice President Cheney's trip illustrates the growing strength of al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and shows that the administration is obviously aware of the increased dangers that al Qaeda poses in the region. During his trip to Pakistan, the Vice President apparently delivered a stiff message, as he said, to Pakistani President Musharraf. The administration will not provide details of the encounter between the two leaders, but reports claim that the Vice President warned President Musharraf that American aid to Pakistan could be in jeopardy. The Vice President is obviously referencing provisions in H.R. 1, a bill crafted by Democrats in Congress, that implements the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. These provisions will end U.S. military assistance and armed sales licensing to Pakistan unless the Pakistani President certifies that the Islamabad Government makes all possible efforts to end Taliban activities in Pakistan. Now, President Musharraf responded to these comments from Vice President Cheney by claiming that ``Pakistan does not accept dictation from any side or any source.'' It is unacceptable though, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, for the Pakistani President to completely disregard the numerous accounts that show al Qaeda training camps flourishing in the western region of his country. The Pakistani President seems to forget that the U.S. has sent over $10 billion in aid to Pakistan over the last 5 years alone. It is my opinion that unless President Musharraf takes necessary steps to eradicate al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, this aid should be put to an end. It is encouraging to see the Bush administration increase the focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, but more needs to be done to ensure the Taliban doesn't reach the level of power it achieved prior to the U.S. invasion in 2001. Taliban commanders are already claiming that they have 10,000 fighters and thousands of suicide bombers at their disposal. The U.S. and NATO must also work to support local elders in towns such as Musa Qala, where a failed peace deal between town leaders and NATO troops has allowed the Taliban regime to regain control of the town. It is clear that the Taliban has regrouped and that peace deals, such as the one in Musa Qala, are dangerous and cannot be relied upon without proper support from U.S. and NATO troops. Furthermore, our country must focus the humanitarian assistance we are sending to Afghanistan on rural development efforts that give Afghan farmers an alternative to the illicit opium trade. Mr. Speaker, President Bush wrongly continues the war in Iraq at the expense of the largely forgotten war in Afghanistan. I urge my colleagues to keep the attention on where the real war on terror is happening, and that is in Afghanistan.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), the sponsor of the House concurrent resolution.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 74, expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need for additional research into the chronic neurological condition hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus simply means water on the brain. The term ``hydrocephalus'' defines a condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. This buildup of fluid inside the skull causes the brain to swell, infections of the nervous system, lesions or tumors of the brain or spinal cord, and decreased mental function among other symptoms. The causes of hydrocephalus are not all well understood. It may result from genetic inheritance or developmental disorders. Other possible causes include complications of premature birth, diseases or infections caught before birth, and injury before, during or after childbirth. Hydrocephalus is believed to affect approximately one in every 500 children. At present, most of these cases are diagnosed prenatally, at the time of delivery, or in early childhood. Advances in diagnostic imaging technology allow more accurate diagnoses in individuals with atypical presentations, including adults with conditions such as normal pressure hydrocephalus. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of Health, is the leading support of research on hydrocephalus within the Federal Government. NINDS works collaboratively with other institutes at NIH to further research on the influence of hydrocephalus on development and on the more general issue of the effect of early brain injury. The knowledge gained from this research will foster hope for new methods to treat and prevent developmental brain disorders such as hydrocephalus. I would like to thank Congressman Mike Thompson of California for his work to bring this resolution before us today, and I would urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 74. Mr. Speaker, at this time I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill that we are considering.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 74) expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the need for additional research into the chronic neurological condition hydrocephalus, and for other purposes.