Ted Poe

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, here we are after Veterans Day still indecisive. Our soldiers continue to fight in Afghanistan. Winter is setting in. The commander of our Afghan forces laid out the plan to defeat al Qaeda and their Taliban terrorist pals. General McChrystal says he needs more troops to defeat the terrorists. The response has been months of indecision, doubt and delays that have encouraged the enemy. Losing Afghanistan to radical terrorists hangs in the balance. So what's the holdup? Vietnam taught us that wars can't be won with political posturing. We owe our troopers a commitment to winning when we put them into the valley of the gun. Churchill once said, ``As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.'' It is that dogged determination, the will to win that is essential to victory and freedom's cause. The courage and capability of America's fighting men and women are unequalled anywhere in the world. The only thing capable of defeating our military is politics. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3962 forces businesses and individuals to purchase health insurance. It raises at least two constitutional issues. Congress should never pass an unconstitutional bill, and I will vote against H.R. 3962. The Constitution doesn't give the Federal Government direct authority to compel the purchase of health insurance. The Supreme Court would once again have to come in and by judicial edict give the government the intrusive power to do what it obviously cannot do now: stretch the meaning of the Commerce Clause. Can the Federal Government force people to buy health insurance whether they can afford it or not? Can the Federal Government then impose a criminal fine on them under the guise of calling it a tax if they fail to buy the insurance? What happens if the citizen doesn't pay the fine? Do they go to jail without the benefit of trial by jury? Do they lose their right to confront witnesses and have a lawyer? Congress forcing mandatory health insurance on Americans and then imposing criminal sanctions without due process is a violation of the Constitution. This action would shock the Framers of our Constitution. These serious constitutional issues cannot be ignored and I strongly oppose H.R. 3962 and any other bill that violates our Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I am strongly against H.R. 3962, and I will vote against it should it come to a vote on the House floor. However, I do believe the sections relating to the creation of a market for biosimilar products is one area of the bill that strikes the appropriate balance in providing lower cost options to consumers without destroying a healthy and functioning industry in this country. These provisions were one of the few areas in the bill adopted on an overwhelming bipartisan vote for the Eshoo-Inslee-Barton (EIB) amendment in the Energy and Commerce Committee. Creating a pathway for new products that doesn't destroy the ability or the incentives for innovator companies to develop breakthrough technologies and at the same time providing a safe and effective way to bring competition to benefit patients is a laudable achievement. I wish we could remove this provision from this fatally flawed piece of legislation and consider it separately because it would pass with the kind of overwhelming bi-partisan support that Americans across the country wish to see. However, these provisions are only the first step in a long path to the marketing of these new products. New research and clinical testing will have to occur and the FDA will write rules that will ensure this research is done safely and effectively. One of the reasons I have long supported the U.S. biotechnology industry is that it is a homegrown success story that has been an engine of job creation in this country. Unfortunately, many of the largest companies that would seek to enter the biosimilar market have made their money by outsourcing their research to foreign countries like India. With this week's devastating news that unemployment has reached 10.2% it is critical that we preserve jobs in the United States. While the innovators, have created jobs here, these generic companies have shipped them overseas, so they can turn around and sell cheap knockoffs of innovative American products. As this new market launches in the U.S., we need to ensure that we foster innovative products in this country for the creation of jobs and research that will go into proving whether these products are interchangeable with the innovators products. I have my doubts that these companies can create such interchangeable products, but I am certain that the research and testing of whether or not they can should occur in this country and not somewhere across the globe. Testing and research on these interchangeable biosimilars should occur in this country to ensure that it is done properly and safely and to benefit our economy.

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, in my prior life I was a judge for 22 years. I tried only criminal cases. This bill forces everyone that can to buy insurance whether they want to or not. If they don't, they're taxed. But that tax is really a fine. Be that as it may, if they don't pay the fine, they're in violation of the IRS Code and they can pay another $250,000 fine and go to a Federal penitentiary for 5 years. That is government oppression of the people, forcing them to buy insurance whether they want to or not. That is repressive government control, and that's the way that I see it. If they don't submit, they are forced to go to jail. You know, this bill is about government control. It's not about choice. It's oppression. It's not about liberty. The Constitution starts out with ``We the people.'' If this bill passes, especially that section, let's scratch out ``We the people'' and write in the phrase ``We the subjects of Big Government.'' And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we debate this great legislation about health care, but we forget the obvious. This massive government takeover of our health care still allows the 20 million people in this country that are illegally here to get one of those fake Social Security cards without benefit of even a photo ID and get some of that free government health care that everybody else has to pay for. We need to fix that problem, and we need to fix some other problems, but don't turn the Federal Government loose on the health care of America. This bill costs too much, $700 billion in new taxes, and citizens and legal immigrants are going to get stuck with the bill with poor health quality and health care. And that's the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this tax- increasing, runaway-spending, government-controlled, rationed health care bill.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government promised to save the country by providing 120 million H1N1 virus vaccines in 3 months. Of course the government only made 20 percent of that number on time. So the government had to decide who would get medicine and who would not. Wall Street special interest groups got their shots, but vaccines didn't go down the street to hospitals for children and pregnant women, the most vulnerable. The Feds are also giving criminals in prison and even the terrorists at Guantanamo Bay prison flu shots while Americans who have committed no crime must get to the back of the line. This simple shot program administered by the government is a mess and has its priorities wrong. Why? Because the government is in charge. The government decides who gets flu shots and who doesn't. Patients don't decide; doctors don't decide. This is what a universal government-run and government-rationed health care program looks like. Welcome to the future. And get to the end of the line. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, many years ago during the mid- eighties, I had the opportunity to travel to what is now the former Soviet Union when it was the Soviet Union. I had that experience based upon the fact that I was a judge in Texas and got to go see what it was like to live under that type of regime. Of course, in those days, everything was controlled. Everything was controlled by the government. The lives of the people were totally controlled by the government because the government, as they say, knew better. It made all decisions for the people. It made the decision what town they lived in, what apartment they lived in, what job they had, where they worked, and gave them permission or not to even travel from town to town. And, of course, government made also the decision and the control over their health care. I noticed as I went from clinic to clinic that the lines would be down the street. Four in the afternoon, they shut the door. The people disappeared. The next day they would come back and stand in line again, hoping to get some of that government-controlled, rationed health care. I also noticed something more important than all of that, that the spirit of those Russian people was broken. They had given up. They had given up on themselves and on their government. Eventually, of course, they were defeated, as we say, when the wall came down. But they were not really defeated by the United States, by the West. They were defeated by their own government because of their oppression and subjugation to the government and government control of their lives. Yes, in those days, the evil empire, as we called it, was the ultimate example of total government control. Now, of course, we are not the Soviet Union. I am not saying we are. But today we are engaged in the great debate of at least this century of health care. But it is a bigger issue than health care. The issue is about government control of our lives. Regardless of how you put the bill that is now over 2,000 pages, it changes the philosophy that the government now will control health care in this country, rather than us as citizens. You know, the idea that government is going to save us all. We are going down that road of government, more government, more government, more government, and more government. You know, government is already the biggest employer in this country. It is the biggest consumer in this country. It is the biggest landowner in this country. It is the biggest spender in this country. It has most of the money. And when it runs out of money, it takes money from the people when they are alive and even when they are dead because of the death tax. Just a few months ago, the government took control over the financial industry, the mortgage industry, the banking industry, and the automobile industry, just to name a few. But I don't believe the people in this country are broken, and they are not defeated. They showed it when they came to Washington, D.C., this week. They are concerned about government. It is a bigger issue than health care. They are concerned about government running roughshod over their lives. They exercised, even with all of the critics and cynics, they exercised their right to peacefully assemble and petition government for redress of grievances. It is in the First Amendment. It is first because the First Amendment is the most important. But people are fearful of government, of government control over their lives. This health care bill is just one example of us moving down that road of government is going to take care of us all; it is going to save us all. Mr. Speaker, this country has never been great and will never be great because we have government programs. Government programs have not made this country what it is today. Individuals have made it. But, also, the individuals that had the right and have the right of liberty, to make decisions on their own rather than government taking care of them all. We are great because of the people here and who have not been defeated by the government of the United States. So I hope we in this House would turn against the temptation of turning everything over to government. This is one place where we can put the brakes on and say no to government running the health of this Nation. Because government doesn't do it better. You know, this government-run health care plan has the confidence of FEMA, the efficiency of the Post Office, and the compassion of the IRS, and we should start over and fix the problems that we have rather than expecting government to take care of us all. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Chairman, specifically, I stand in support of the gentleman's amendment. I probably represent as many, if not more, refineries and chemical plants as any Member of Congress. I agree. It is imperative that we have security at these institutions, at these plants. I do believe, however, that the citizen suit problem exposes two specific issues, one of which is that it's too broad. It allows anybody to file a lawsuit, and it leaves the discretion as to what is sensitive material up to the Federal judges, and the Federal judges have broad discretion as to what material they will release and will make public. The second problem I see--and it's specifically under (b)(2)--is that ``the district court will have jurisdiction without regard of the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties.'' I am not clear why that would be added, but it allows standing to anyone, regardless of citizenship of the parties, to file a lawsuit. Specifically, it gives that permission. Under the environmental suits that have been filed, standing has always been regarded--in most cases it's very broad, giving many people that standing. I think it's unwise. What it will do is bring unnecessary litigation. I think that's the purpose and duty of the Federal agencies, to bring this litigation against these chemical plants and not citizens because, of course, it will promote litigation; it will promote discovery of sensitive information; and it will allow anyone, anywhere, to file these lawsuits.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, how much time remains?

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the gentleman for yielding time. Fort Hood, Texas, has a long, long history. It is right in the center of the State of Texas, and many of us from the State of Texas have connections with that institution. It is named after a Confederate general, John Bell Hood, who was in charge of the 4th Texas during the War Between the States. After the war was over with, it became a military installation for the United States Army, the biggest Army installation in the world. Those from every State, every territory, from all over the U.S., come and serve at Fort Hood, Texas; and it has been that way for a great number of years. My father, who served in the great World War II when he was an 18- year-old did basic training in Texas and came back home in 1945, was sent to Fort Hood, Texas, to be re-equipped for the invasion of Japan. That, fortunately, never took place. But he met my mom there in Temple, Texas. They got married, and that is why I was born in Temple, Texas, and have a great affection for that institution and all those that have served with the United States Army at that location. It is now the deployment post for individuals who go overseas to represent the rest of us. They go to Iraq. They go to Afghanistan. They go to Kosovo. They go all over the world. They are being deployed at this time to represent our country and the values that we have. Many of them have served multiple tours of duty, some of them up to four tours of duty in Iraq. But yet they are all volunteers, they continue to serve, and they continue proudly to wear the United States uniform. Approximately 40,000 people are associated with the base at Fort Hood, Texas. And not only the soldiers, but their families are there. We must remember as Americans, when troops go to war, their families go to war, too; only they stay home. Those Blue Star Moms and those Gold Star Moms, they stay here and they support our troops. This event that occurred yesterday at Fort Hood, is an attack that was done by one of their own, someone who had been apparently radicalized, who was opposed to the war. He will be held accountable to the law for his actions. Hopefully, he will be tried by the State of Texas for his actions. But what makes this a tragedy, are the 13 that were killed, and the 30 that were wounded. Yet, as my friend Mr. Wilson has pointed out, the people at the base, civilians and military, came to the rescue to help others, even though it endangered their own lives. And, today, this morning, not far from Fort Hood, Texas, in Temple, Texas, at Scott and White, many of those 30 are still there, receiving treatment because of their injuries; and the whole community and the whole Nation needs to understand the importance of taking care of the survivors and the families who have lost those loved ones. We owe a great deal to our military. Next week is Veterans Day, where we celebrate the end of the great World War I and honor the veterans that have served since that time. While we celebrate our veterans and honor them next week, we should continue to honor those who continue to serve and are in the military today, including those who have given their lives and those that have been injured because by some act of criminal activity against them. So our hearts, our prayers, and our thoughts are for them, those brave few, those noble few, that rare breed, that unique breed, the American breed, who volunteer to represent the United States wherever they are assigned, somewhere in the world. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, the bugle sounds Taps. The flags of Texas and the U.S. are at half staff this crisp morning. In the hill country of central Texas, at the largest military base, a place called Fort Hood, soldiers and families mourn. They mourn for 13 of their own who have been murdered. They weep for 30 others who fill hospitals because of bullet wounds. The soldiers were going about the business of making ready to deploy and defend this country overseas against tyranny and terrorism, only to face a terrorist here at home. A radicalized soldier named Nidal Hasan rejected his order to go abroad and took out his anger on those he knew. We come upon Veterans Day next week where we honor our veterans, but let us here today in Congress on this solemn occasion give thought, prayer, and thanks to the men and women of the military who have volunteered to defend the rest of us against those forces of evil. We mourn with their families. These of our military are a rare breed, a unique breed, the American breed. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Professor Richard Harrel of Lamar University. Professor Harrel is the recent recipient of the Maxine Johnston Distinguished Service Award. The biology professor received this award for more than four decades of research, field studies and publications that benefited the Big Thicket region. Harrel is also one of the founding members of Clean Air and Water Inc., a Beaumont-based environmental organization. For all of his hard work, Harrel was rightfully awarded at the 35th anniversary of the Big Thicket National Preserve in October. The Second District of Texas commends Professor Harrel for his dedication to improving and preserving this dense wilderness area.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, there are brand new ways to tax people in this Federal health care bill. According to the Americans for Tax Reform, these new health care taxes will affect everyone. There are at least $700 billion in taxes in this takeover. It taxes small businesses; it taxes individuals. For the first time in history, Congress is going to require individuals to buy something. If this health care bill passes, citizens will be required to buy government-approved health insurance. If they don't buy that government-approved health insurance, they are going to have to pay a criminal fine. That violates the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, the due process clause. If someone owns a small business, they will be required to pay about three-quarters of the cost of health insurance for their employees, whether they can afford it or not. Employees would be required to pay the rest of the government-approved health insurance, whether they can afford it or not. The government decides what a person can and cannot afford. Employers and employees who don't buy the government-approved insurance then have to pay this fine. This is a criminal penalty on citizens. There is also a new tax hike on flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts. Right now people can put as much pretax money as they want into one of these accounts to help pay for insurance. These accounts will get a $1.3 billion new tax. The new government-run health care bill won't let anyone buy over-the-counter drugs out of these accounts. All of the medicines that have been made easier to buy without a prescription are now going to be taxed. Now why, Madam Speaker, would the government discourage people from taking care of themselves and having these health savings accounts? The new health care bill also makes other legal tax deductions now illegal. This new tax is called the economic substance doctrine. Under this new health care bill, the IRS would be able to decide what a person was thinking when they bought something and they deducted it from their income tax as a business expense. What that means is my friend Sammy Mahan in Baytown, Texas, buys a new wrecker truck for his tow truck business, and he writes it off on his income tax as a business expense. The IRS would be able to decide what he was really thinking when he bought that wrecker truck. If the IRS decides he bought that new wrecker just to go fishing in it, they won't allow the tax write-off. And the IRS decides what he was thinking, not what he says. In fact, the IRS is presumed to know what he was thinking when he lawfully wrote off that truck as a business expense. These thought police may not approve his lawful tax deduction. This new rule not only penalizes Sammy for his thoughts, it penalizes him for what the government thinks his thoughts were; what Sammy was really thinking when he bought that wrecker truck anyway and claimed that lawful tax. Having tax thought police is strange enough, but what this is doing in a health care bill in the first place makes no sense. This ought to be in a separate piece of legislation to begin with. Do the taxacrats really think people will go out and have a heart valve replacement just to write it off their income tax? But there's also more. There is a new tax on medical devices, a 2.5 percent tax on things like pacemakers and wheelchairs and hip replacement devices and new heart valves, lawful tax deductions for medical expenses that will be outlawed under this bill. So the tax thought police could not only deny a tax deduction for that heart valve replacement, but they could turn around and tax that new heart valve as well. Madam Speaker, people are hurting out there in their pocketbooks and we can't afford a government-run health insurance policy at this time because it costs too much. The people can't afford all these new taxes and seniors can't afford to have a half trillion dollars cut out of their Medicare. This government takeover of health care is just in time for Thanksgiving. Hopefully the American people won't be the turkey served up on the plate of government-run health care reform. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 859, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the $1 trillion government will take care of us all health care bill will allow illegals to get benefits. Every year, 10 million illegals use fake or stolen Social Security cards to work here. The Government Accountability Office reports over a 15-year period, 9 million people even used the same Social Security number. It was 000-00-0000. How is that for policing the system? This is the same inept, goofy program that will be used to monitor citizenship under the health care bill. No one has to even show a valid photo ID to sign up. Can't do that, it might hurt someone's feelings. There is no real enforcement to prevent illegals from receiving health care that citizens and legal immigrants must pay for; all they need is a name and fake Social Security number. Isn't that lovely. Once again, Americans will continue to pay for illegals who disrespect the law. So now Americans and illegals will stand in line side by side together for that expensive rationed health care. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the government-run universal health care bill forces businesses and citizens to buy the government-approved insurance whether they want to or not, and whether they can afford it or not. This is a totalitarian concept. The Constitution does not give this oppressive power to the Federal Government. Nowhere in this document does government have the power to force citizens to buy anything. And further, if a citizen or business doesn't purchase the insurance, a criminal fine masquerading as a tax is imposed without benefit of a jury trial or legal representation. If the citizen cannot afford the fine, do they go to jail without constitutional protections? This bill is an affront to individual liberty. It denies the citizen of life, liberty and property, and violates due process of law under the fifth amendment. The false analogy that citizens must buy car insurance is not applicable. Driving is a privilege and an option regulated by the States. No one is forced to own or drive a car. Here everyone is forced to buy insurance or face a criminal penalty. Somewhere in this debate we ought to be concerned with the Federal Government bruising the Constitution. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, it is imperative that the USA PATRIOT Act be reauthorized fully and not weakened, as I believe H.R. 3845 will do. In the years following 9/11, there have been a number of major terrorist attacks around the world that have caused mass casualties on civilians. I think it is important to remember some of these events:- 12 Oct 2002. Car bombing outside nightclub in Kuta, Indonesia. 202 dead. 26 Oct 2002. Hostage taking and attempted rescue in theater in Moscow, Russia. 170 dead. 16 May 2003. Suicide bombers attacked Western tourist areas in Casablanca, Morocco. 45 dead. 11 Mar 2004. Bombings of four trains in Madrid, Spain. 191 dead. 1-3 Sep 2004. Hostage taking at school in Beslan, Russia. 372 dead. 7 July 2005. Bombings of three subway trains and one bus in London, UK. 54 dead. 11 Jul 2006. Multiple bombings on commuter trains in Mumbai, India. 200 dead. 26-29 Nov 2008. Multiple shooting and grenade attacks in Mumbai, India. 174 dead. Madam Speaker, thankfully, none of these horrific attacks occurred in the United States. I believe that part of the reason we have not suffered another terrorist attack is that our brave men and women in law enforcement have done a tremendous job of preventing further attacks. I do not believe Al Qaeda simply decided not to bother us anymore. We must not forget that many analysts warned after 9/11 that we needed to ``learn to live'' with terrorism. Well, thankfully, that reality never happened. I believe that our law enforcement, armed with tools such as the PATRIOT Act, have prevented attacks and saved us from this type of suffering within the United States. We as Congress need to do all we can to give our men and women in law enforcement the tools they need to do their job, not weaken these tools.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today and join my colleagues in congratulating the Inter- American Foundation, the IAF, on its 40th anniversary. I would like to thank Congressman Engel and his staff for working to put this resolution together. The foundation began as part of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 as an alternative to the larger USAID. The foundation presented a new model for funding grass-roots development with an emphasis on improving lives at the community level, not just on the national level. The foundation receives its funds through annual allocations by Congress and from the Social Progress Trust Fund. Since beginning its operations in 1972, the IAF has made 4,578 grants for more than $586 million. For 40 years now, the IAF has used small-dollar, targeted grants to make significant, long-lasting changes in the lives of people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. By focusing on self-help development projects, the IAF encourages partnerships directed at improving the quality of life for poor people and strengthening democratic practices. While the economic benefits of these efforts cannot be dismissed, it is the sense of ownership at the grass-roots level and the pride these grants help to cultivate that has made the real difference in hundreds of thousands of lives. Empowering people to take control of their own future, allowing parents to provide for their families, supporting communities to strengthen stability and prosperity, these are the keystones for strengthening democracy in the region. As country after country in our hemisphere faces new and increasing challenges to their democracies, their institutions and the rule of law, our shared goal must be to advance U.S. interests and, in so doing, help to preserve and protect democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms around the world. We must listen to the people of these nations and remain committed to our founding values and democratic principles. It is through the efforts of organizations like the Inter-American Foundation, the IAF, that we are able to do this. I would like to commend and thank the Inter-American Foundation for its hard work and commitment and congratulate them on their 40th anniversary. I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

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

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of this resolution. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that pneumonia kills approximately 1.8 million children every year under the age of 5. Most of those deaths occur in impoverished areas of countries in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where infants are particularly vulnerable. Ironically, despite its tremendous negative impact on child survival, pneumonia is actually a preventable and treatable illness. It is a tragedy that a treatable disease still causes so much pain and suffering around the world. It also is an illness that does not receive enough attention, despite the fact that among children, it can be addressed quite impressibly through prevention and low-cost medical approaches. In developing countries, for example, only one in five caregivers know how to recognize the key symptoms of the onset of pneumonia. As a result, half the children who are infected with pneumonia quite simply do not receive timely or adequate medical treatment and care. It is, therefore, possible to increase the rates of child survival by educating caregivers on the key symptoms of pneumonia and by broadening children's access to inexpensive antibiotics, among other things. The World Health Organization reports that the number of lives saved could be more than doubled if such prevention and treatment interventions were universally delivered. Mr. Speaker, reducing the occurrence of pneumonia is a critical step towards reducing child mortality. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to child survival through prevention and treatment of childhood pneumonia. Finally, this resolution also commends those health care professionals who are serving on the front lines of this illness and recognizes November 2 as World Pneumonia Day. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

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

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of House Resolution 711, as amended, a measure calling attention to the plight of internally displaced Tamil civilians in northern Sri Lanka. Mr. Speaker, the United States and Sri Lanka share a long history of cordial relations, based in large part on common democratic traditions. The United States has been a friend to Sri Lanka, and there should be no doubt that we have stood with the people of Sri Lanka in the fight against terrorism. As Members are aware, Sri Lanka waged a long and bitter conflict against the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam, called the LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers, a separatist group that has been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization ever since 1997. For nearly 30 years, the LTTE claimed to represent the aspirations of all Sri Lankan Tamils for a separate homeland and became notorious in the process for pioneering the suicide bomb jacket. They are responsible for at least a dozen high-level assassinations, including former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as well as over 200 suicide attacks. During that struggle, the United States was a steadfast supporter of Sri Lanka's efforts to stop the flow of arms and financing to the LTTE by providing law enforcement assistance and providing training and equipment to help the Sri Lankan military defend itself against the terrorist actions of the LTTE. After fierce fighting in late May, the world witnessed the cessation of fighting in Sri Lanka and the apparent conclusion of its long- running insurgency. This brutal conflict cost tens of thousands of Sinhalese and Tamil lives, uprooted countless Sri Lankans from their homes, left thousands maimed or wounded, and badly divided this nation. In this regard, the United States remains deeply concerned for the welfare of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons uprooted by the current fighting. Congress joins with the executive branch in recognizing the tremendous loss of life and hardships endured by the civilians in northern Sri Lanka. To help address their many urgent needs, the United States has provided some $56 million in humanitarian assistance in 2009. Mr. Speaker, the Department of State has emphasized that while the Government of Sri Lanka has made some progress in easing camp congestion, registering internally displaced persons, called IDPs, and expanding access by humanitarian organizations, much more work remains to be done to meet its commitment to the return of the majority of displaced persons by the end of the year. This is particularly the case with monsoon season approaching. We urge the government to allow robust humanitarian access to the displaced person camps and to work hand-in-hand with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the nongovernment organizations to ensure that civilian IDPs are accorded the rights and care meeting the highest international standards. The United States stands ready to help the government in these efforts. Mr. Speaker, the defeat of the LTTE offers a chance for Sri Lanka to forge a new beginning and to ensure a lasting end of terrorism. To seize this opportunity, bold actions are needed to share power and assure all of Sri Lanka's communities a future of hope, respect, and dignity. As a former U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka has noted, ``Through such actions, a truly united Sri Lanka can emerge--a Sri Lanka that is rooted in democracy and tolerance, where human rights are respected, where media can operate freely and independently, and where all Sri Lankans can participate freely in an open dialogue on the way forward for your country.'' Mr. Speaker, I hope a successful reconciliation and healing process will emerge to help ensure a lasting end to terrorism in Sri Lanka and open a way for a brighter future for these people. The United States looks forward to working with Sri Lanka in that important endeavor. I support the adoption of this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. POE of Texas

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. 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.