Ed Perlmutter

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Monique Gallegos who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Monique Gallegos is a 12th grader at Jefferson High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Monique Gallegos is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Monique Gallegos for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Michael Moreno who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Michael Moreno is an 8th grader at Drake Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Michael Moreno is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Michael Moreno for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character to all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Nhicam Hannah Nguyen who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Nhicam Hannah Nguyen is a 12th grader at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Nhicam Hannah Nguyen is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Nhicam Hannah Nguyen for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Maleah Velarde who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Maleah Velarde is an 8th grader at Everitt Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Maleah Velarde is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Maleah Velarde for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Nadia Solano who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Nadia Solano is a 12th grader at Jefferson High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Nadia Solano is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Nadia Solano for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Nate Boeck who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Nate Boeck is a 9th grader at Arvada West High School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Nate Boeck is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Nate Boeck for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character in all his future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Milana Atencio who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Milana Atencio is a 12th grader at Arvada High School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities. The dedication demonstrated by Milana Atencio is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic which will guide them for the rest of their lives. I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Milana Atencio for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Let's talk about jobs. My friends on the Republican side of the aisle have completely forgotten what the subject of today's presentation is, and that's about mine safety, about protecting the people who are going deep underground to help fuel this country. They have completely forgotten about that. That's not of any interest to them, obviously, because they want to talk about other things. What they want to come in here and talk about is completely off topic. They would like America to continue to be afraid, to continue to be in doom and gloom. That's their whole argument. What is happening here--and they would like everybody to forget about it. Their prescription for this country is mass amnesia. They want to forget about the fact that under George Bush this country was dropping into the abyss in terms of jobs. The last month of George Bush, this country lost 780,000 jobs in that month alone. Last month, in April, 14 months later, we gained 290,000 jobs. That is a swing of over 1 million jobs a month. In 1 month, a million-job swing. But, no, they don't want to talk about that. They want to talk about, Hey, we've got too many problems. We don't want to put the 8 million people who lost their jobs back to work. We don't want to take care of them. Okay? Well, as this country gets back on its feet, its economy starts booming, it takes care of a lot of what they are talking about in terms of debt and deficit. But once we are back on our feet, then we can look at these numbers that they are talking about. But we have got to get this country back on its feet. It has got to be strong. So we should be here dealing with a serious subject like mine safety and all those men and women that were killed a couple months ago. That's a serious discussion, and we are not even having that discussion.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I thank the chairwoman of our Rules Committee. I think what is key here is this country needs to get back on its feet. We're moving in that direction. We had a bill up this week called the America COMPETES Act, which is about investing in this country's future through grants and funding of our National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, those kinds of investments which are jobs today and investment in the future so that this country is on the best footing to compete with every other country on the globe. My friends on the other side have now twice undercut that whole operation, that whole bill. But this Congress is going to keep this country moving forward so that we have jobs today and we invest in the future so that we don't have the kind of job loss that we saw at the end of the Bush administration. People in this country, as much as my friends would like it to be doom and gloom and blame, what they want is a can-do approach, because the spirit of America is that we can do this. We can make this better. We will make this better. We're not taking ``no'' for an answer. Failure is not an option. We are going to invest in this country today, help people get back to work, and we will be a stronger Nation for it.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I would like to speak to my friend from Michigan, and she probably knows as much as anybody the trauma that so many families have felt by the economy, by the recession, by the layoffs. And as we start moving forward, we have got to make sure that those people who lost their jobs find employment. Now, they say Washington is not listening about cuts. We know spending needs to be managed, but we need to be smart in how we spend. But I would say to my friends on the Republican side of the aisle, they should have been thinking about this back in 2001 when they cut the taxes for the wealthiest of Americans, prosecute two wars without paying for them, fail to police Wall Street, and leave this country in the worst financial shape it has been since 1929. George Bush left; Obama received a $1.3 trillion deficit. Now, they want to complain about it. Okay, go ahead and complain about it, but take a look at yourselves. That's what I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle. And I would say, on Tuesday, they made all of these arguments. The one race that was up between Democrats and Republicans, people were worried about jobs. The Democrat won. They worried about jobs. And that's what this country needs is to get people back to work.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. So let's talk about what actually happened. Under George Bush, this economy fell off the planet, dropped 6.4 percent the last quarter of 2008. We haven't seen anything like that since 1929. During the last 9 months, all of a sudden our GDP is going up so that this country is getting back on its feet and heading in the right direction. Job loss, as I said, was at a level unseen before. We are reversing that, but we have got a long way to go. And today, we should be worried about mine safety and getting this bill passed.

Mr. PERLMUTTER

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his courtesy in how he debates these bills, debates the rules; I just appreciate that. But he and I differ very much on the passage of this rule. This rule and this bill should be passed. In listening to some of my friends on the Republican side of the aisle who are wanting to draw back, wanting to draw down at a time when America must really move forward, must look to its long-term future and towards its prosperity and its ability to compete in the world, this is the rule and this is the bill that moves us forward, with its investments in science and technology and math and engineering. Those are very key things. It reminds me of those who would have asked Abraham Lincoln to stop building the dome and rebuilding this Capitol during the Civil War because of its costs and the country should look towards the Civil War and worry about that. Legitimate concerns, but President Lincoln said: No, this country is going to succeed. Its long-term prosperity is going to occur, and I am going to keep moving forward with the construction of the dome of the Capitol. I'm not going to back off. We in this country, Americans, look forward. We are a forward-looking people. We believe in our future, and there is no place like continuing to build our abilities in science, technology, math, and engineering. That is the place where we have to start putting our investments. It is jobs today, and it is long-term investment in the prosperity and success of this country. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would just reiterate what Mr. Klein from Florida was saying about the purpose and the need for this bill at this time in this legislation. The America COMPETES Act is about moving this country forward, making sure that for the next 20 years we continue to have a strong science and engineering and technological future for the country. The bill, as we said, provides all sorts of funding to the National Science Foundation, to NIST, to NOAA, and to the Department of Energy, so that we can do research in a whole variety of ways across this country through our universities and other kinds of facilities and institutions of higher learning. Now I guess I'd like to speak on behalf of Muftiah--or speak to Muftiah. Many people have presented a lot of accolades that I can't top. But what I can say is, as a new member to the Rules Committee, that we have had some very contentious, rough and tumble bills, to use a couple of the terms Mr. Dreier used, Ms. Matsui, but we can look to Muftiah--I can look to Muftiah--to give good advice and to bring a calming influence to the committee and certainly to me as we were going through the whole list of parliamentary procedures--what's in order, what's not in order, why is it in order. She has stood out as somebody who really knows the rules, understands the policy, and is willing to work with both sides of the aisle and with all the members certainly on the Democratic side of the Rules Committee to make sure we do the best job that we can do. I thought I brought a lot of experience from the practice of law, having served also in the legislature in Colorado. But the rules and the approach that's taken in the Congress, there are many more layers and many more things that have to be understood. I would say to you, Muftiah, you are a heck of an adviser. You are a great teacher. I just wish you the best, as I know all the other members of the Rules Committee and the Members of the House just wish you the best in whatever you do, whether it's practicing law or raising your family or just enjoying life, because we put in a lot of hours. Thank you very much. With that, I would like to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would yield 2 minutes to my friend from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would ask how much time each side has remaining.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1344 provides for consideration of H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act. It is a structured rule, making in order 54 amendments. It also provides 1 hour of general debate, equally divided between the chairman and ranking member from the Committee on Science. It considers the amendment in the nature of a substitute to be considered as an original bill. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the motion except clause 9 and 10 of rule XXI. Finally, the rule provides authority to the chairman of the Committee on Science or his designee to move amendments en bloc. Madam Speaker, our Nation's economy fell off a cliff in the fall of 2008. By the end of the Bush administration, we were losing at least 700,000 jobs a month. In the last month of the Bush administration, that number was up to 780,000 jobs in that month alone. Congress then, working in tandem with the Obama administration, passed various pieces of legislation to stabilize our economy in the short term and invest in various fields for the long-run growth of our country. Fifteen months since the passage of the Recovery Act, we are seeing its impact. We went from 780,000 jobs lost the last month of the Bush administration to 290,000 jobs created in April 2010, a pretty significant swing given the fact that the loss was so drastic and so quick in the fall of 2008 and the first month of 2009. But we are not out of the woods yet. We are turning the tide. This Congress recognizes no country on Earth can match the creativity, productivity, and hard work of the American entrepreneur. The America COMPETES Act builds upon this idea by investing in scientific research, industrial innovation, and hard science education. It gives our Nation's most creative scientists and engineers the resources they need to develop the breakthroughs which will change the world as we know it and make America even more competitive. The bill reauthorizes programs in the National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy to capture their full potential. This empowers our universities, which are undergoing tremendous strain as they weather the recent financial collapse. In my own district, the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Colorado Health Science Center will have access to more funding to develop green energy, medical communications, and other technologies. The bill improves science, technology, engineering, and math education to ensure that our Nation's workforce has the training and know-how to maximize the investments that we make. It gives our innovators the chance to compete for more resources so they can research, develop, commercialize, and eventually transform our economy. As we speak, there are scientists, inventors, and engineers in our Nation who are devising the next groundbreaking advances. We cannot afford to let those ideas wither on the vine. So I urge the passage of the rule and the underlying bill, which will create jobs and solidify the foundation for the long-term growth and prosperity of the United States. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would like to now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Klein).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from California for his remarks regarding Muftiah. I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz- Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. PERLMUTTER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1344.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1344 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I say to my good friend, Congressman Broun, that he has forgotten that this bill satisfies the PAYGO rules which CBO has scored at zero, so that there is not an increase, a rule that my friends on the Republican side of the aisle eliminated, which helped drive up the debt of this country. And I would just say to my friend, the investments that are being made in science and technology and in the education of scientists and engineers and mathematicians is the kind of investment for the long- term health of this country that has to be made right now. I yield to my friend from California (Ms. Matsui) 2 minutes.

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would say to the gentleman from California, it is common sense. The Rules Committee understands that Federal funds can only be used for legal purposes. That must be in the statutes 550 times. So he just wants to have a little more redundancy in the law. With that, I would like to yield 3 minutes to my friend from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I would like to respond to a couple of the things my friend from Florida said. First, I'd remind him that at the end of the Clinton administration there was a budget that was balanced. There was, in fact, a surplus going forward; but under the Bush administration with tax cuts for the wealthiest, the prosecution of two wars without paying for them, and a financial sector in total disarray at the end of the Bush administration, the Obama administration inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit. But in moving forward with the actions taken by this Congress to stabilize the financial system and put people back to work, there's been a swing now from the last month of the Bush administration, where almost 800,000 jobs were lost, to a gain last month of 260,000, well over a million-job swing towards putting this country back on track. That will assist with revenues as the economy gets better. That deals with budget deficits. My friend is right. We have to look at the spending that this country is engaging in, but we have got to put people back to work. This America COMPETES Act does that by building on our science foundation. We have, in this bill, endorsements and support from virtually every kind of company and association possible, from business associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, TechNet, et cetera, to various societies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, university associations as well, and a whole host of businesses, because they know how important this bill is towards the investment that we're going to make in the future for this country. But it's jobs today. With that, I would like to yield 2 minutes to my friend from Missouri (Mr. Carnahan).

Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).