Maxine Waters

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter), and I would like to thank him for the work that he has put into this legislation.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney).

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to also support this legislation. This bipartisan legislation is another example of how we can work together on the Financial Services Committee on behalf of small businesses in this country. Both Democrats and Republicans have said over and over again that we must do everything that we can to support our small businesses. That is from capital formation to making sure that we get rid of bureaucratic rules and regulations. Again, this is another great example of that, and I am pleased to be a part of that. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green), the ranking member of the Subcommittee for Oversight and Investigations of the Financial Services Committee.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of H.R. 2722, introduced by my distinguished colleague on the Financial Services Committee, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, the ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises. I commend the gentlewoman for introducing the bill before us today, the Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act, which provides a chance for all of us to come together to raise awareness about this critical health issue that impacts the lives of so many women and families. Mr. Speaker, the statistics are startling. Approximately one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime; and many of these women, approximately 1 in 36, will lose their lives from this horrible disease. This means that every 13 minutes, a woman in this country will die from breast cancer. That is 40,290 women in the United States are expected to die from breast cancer in 2015 alone. While this disease affects women in every community across this country for a variety of reasons, such as the lack of adequate care, the likelihood of dying from the disease is particularly high for African American women. In fact, African American women had a 44 percent higher rate of breast cancer mortality than White women. That is why the conversation we are having here today is so important. With increased awareness, early detection, new research, and better medicine, we can save lives, thousands of them each year. If consideration of the bill before us today causes at least one woman to get screened for breast cancer, we will be better off for it. I urge my colleagues to support the bill before us today, which will help raise awareness and modest sums for the fight against breast cancer. Again, I urge adoption of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I submit the biography of Mary Broom-Thomas, a wife, mother and woman of faith who lived to the ripe age of 101 years and who will be missed by many who loved her. Mrs. Mary Broom-Thomas was born on January 22, 1914 in Lexington, Mississippi to Alberta Garnett-Broom and Cleveland Broom. She graduated from Saints Industrial High School in Lexington, Mississippi and taught there for 2 years. Mary married Leroy Thomas, Sr. in 1937 and the couple moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where they built a home. They had four children, McKinley, Abraham, Earnestine, and Leroy, Jr. After Leroy finished military duty in the South Pacific, Mary and Leroy moved the family to Compton, California in 1955. Mary practiced her vocation as a seamstress, making her own patterns and designing clothes, including garments for her children and some specialty sales for friends and family. After the children graduated from Centennial and Locke High Schools and were off to college and building careers, Mary took a job at Newberry's Department Store in downtown Los Angeles. She continued sewing clothing, but later added making handbags and light upholstery to her sewing skills portfolio. Mrs. Thomas was a member of First A.M.E. Church where Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray was Pastor. They continued to visit at family gatherings after his retirement and by then she became less mobile. Up until seven years ago, Mrs. Thomas always had an organic garden. She grew an array of vegetables and fruits. She and her family were healthier for it . . . she lived a great 101 years. She raised her children to embrace the Golden Rule, ``Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'' She lived the example. She taught the core values of honesty, respect, humility, courage and the necessity of sometimes standing alone as long as you stand for the right thing. She championed education. Some of her most favorite people: The Honorable Maxine Waters, Congresswoman; the Honorable Barack Obama--she was glad to see the first African-American become President of the United States; the late former Mayor Tom Bradley; Malcom X; Dr. Martin Luther King; Mrs. Rosa Parks; Reverend Dr. Cecil L. Chip Murray; Kobe Bryant; and Shaquille O'Neil as she was an avid Laker fan. She attended a personal reception with the team along with her grandson, Demetrius Wilson. She has been honored with a published song entitled ``Mary,'' composed, scored and written by her grandson, Endele (Sky) Wilson; and she has been given a tribute by her grandson, Demetrius (Red) Wilson, via a personalized brick on the residential mall at Xavier University, his alma mater, in Cincinnati, Ohio. One would often hear her quoting from an old spiritual, ``needless pain we bear . . . all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.'' Just a little about a Queen, who never had to declare herself a queen . . . she just was.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I submit the biography of Jerry Dunfey, who is celebrating his 80th birthday. Global Citizens Circle Jerry Dunfey, co-founder with his brothers of Dunfey Hotels, which now is Omni Hotels International, also is the co-founder and president of Global Citizens Circle. Since 1974, hundreds of Circles globally featured prominent leaders engaging in dialogue with 20,000 citizens from all sectors. Circles have been held in Belfast, Soweto, Jerusalem, Havana, and in cities throughout the U.S. Dunfey and his wife Nadine Hack have a deep history of involvement in the U.S. civil rights movement. Friends of the entire King family, they served on the board of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Dunfey starting alongside of ``Daddy'' King. They maintained close relationships with many of the movement's leaders, including actively campaigning in Georgia during Andy Young's political career. They read a Psalm at Coretta Scott King's family funeral and were honorary pall bearers at her much larger public funeral. They also have profound ties with the leaders of South Africa's liberation movement. He's been in South Africa on countless occasions including as a member of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's 1985 fact-finding mission. With his wife, they were guests of state at President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela's 1994 inauguration they led a 1998 delegation of 61 democracy activists from seven countries on an eight-day visit; he was honored with the 2008 National Order, Grand Companion of OR Tambo, which is that nation's equivalent of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom; and in 2013 he attended Mandela's funeral in Qunu as a VIP family guest. He is on the boards of the Joslin Diabetes Center, the South Africa Development Fund, and with his brothers is a founder of The American Ireland Fund. While it was in existence, he was on the board of the International Defense and Aid Fund for South Africa. He is the recipient of numerous awards from myriad organizations ranging from the 2003 Northern Ireland Cross-Community Honor to the 2008 Hoteliers of the Year, just among several of the countless times he's been honored. He is the 11th of the 12 children of Leroy and Catherine Dunfey, who met in the textile mills of Lowell, MA, and he worked with his siblings from a very early age in his parents' luncheonette in that city. In the 1940s and 1950s he and his brothers operated a number of restaurants, later acquiring several small New England inns and by the 1960s founding Dunfey Hotels. The Parker House, the oldest continuously operating hotel in America, was among its flagship hotels. Shortly after acquiring that hotel in Boston is when the family launched their inaugural Circle. During those same decades, he and his family were extremely active in Democratic politics. John F. Kennedy announced his presidential campaign from a Dunfey Hotel. Jerry's brother Bud served as the Northeast Coordinator of that campaign for which the entire Dunfey family campaigned actively. They were all invited to the President's 1963 Inauguration. A six- decade close relationship among the two families, including comparable activism with Bobby Kennedy, culminated in having the great honor to sit with his wife in the final hour of vigil over Ted Kennedy's casket at the JFK Library before the family brought the Senator to the church for his funeral service. A 1956 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Dunfey has five children--one who died in 1978 with four surviving, all happily married--and six grandchildren. He and his wife Nadine were extremely proud that all three generations of their family actively campaigned for President Barack Obama. Their two oldest grandchildren, for whom this was the first time in their lives to vote, participated in the Maine caucuses. Dunfey continues as an activist with Friends of Barack Obama.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Colorado, as well as Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer, for continuing to fight for the survival of the Export-Import Bank. Mr. Speaker, with just 1 day left for Congress to act before the Ex- Im Bank shuts down, I am shocked that my Republican colleagues are planning to leave town without even considering legislation to review its charter. Democrats will not sit idly by. That is why I rise today to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question in order to force a vote on legislation sponsored by myself, Mr. Heck, Ms. Moore, Mr. Hoyer, and nearly every other Democrat in this House to renew and reform the Export-Import Bank's charter for the long term. Over the past 5 years, the Export-Import Bank has created or sustained an estimated 1.3 million jobs, and it has returned $6.9 billion to the American people over the past two decades. But next Tuesday, that record of success will be stopped in its tracks. The Export-Import Bank will stop creating jobs and supporting our small businesses. It will stop returning profits to the Treasury, and it will stop helping to make our businesses more competitive. Failure to act hands countries like China, Russia, and countless others that have their own version of the bank a significant victory-- at the hands of American workers' products and businesses. But we haven't given up yet. Today we are giving the broad base of Democrats and Republicans who support the Bank an opportunity to cast a vote in favor of keeping this engine of job creation and economic growth alive. Last week my Republican colleagues who support the Bank failed to stand up for its survival. But with just 1 more day for Congress to save the Bank from shutting down, I am afraid that those who claim to support the Export-Import Bank but refuse to stand up and do so do not truly support the Bank or the jobs it creates. Mr. Speaker, businesses need to know that our government will stand up for them, not work to undermine them.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to heed the advice of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, all of whom supported the Export-Import Bank. I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 1031--a bill to protect thousands of American jobs by preventing the Export-Import Bank from shutting down.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado, as well as Leader Pelosi and Whip Hoyer, for their unyielding support for thousands of American jobs and businesses. I rise to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question in order to force a vote on legislation sponsored by myself, Mr. Heck, Ms. Moore, Mr. Hoyer, and 186 other Democrats that will renew and reform the Export-Import Bank's charter for the long term. Mr. Speaker, Congress has just 5 days to act before the Export-Import Bank shuts down. We are in the eleventh hour, and despite a recent bipartisan vote in the Senate and broad support across the aisle in this House, we are still fighting to keep this engine of job creation and economic growth alive. It is interesting to note that, contrary to most of the disagreements that take place in this Chamber, in the debate over the Export-Import Bank, the facts remain undisputed. Over the past 5 years, it is estimated that the Bank has created or sustained more than 1.3 million private sector jobs, 164,000 in the past year alone. In 2014, the Bank returned more than $674 million back to the American taxpayers, an amount totaling $6.9 billion over the past two decades. Democrats, Republicans, business, and labor all understand the important role that the Export-Import Bank plays in our economy. Presidents, ranging from Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to Bill Clinton, have been outspoken in their support for the Bank's ability to create and sustain American jobs and keep our businesses competitive. Ex-Im levels the playing field with countries like China, Russia, and countless others, all of which have their own version of the Bank supporting American competitors. Mr. Speaker, Democrats are coming to the floor today to implore our numerous Republican colleagues who support the Export-Import Bank, starting with Speaker Boehner, to stand up for jobs, businesses, and American competitiveness by standing up to the extremists who want to close the Bank. Let's send a strong message to America's manufacturers, businesses, and workers, that we are committed to preserving an institution that, for decades, has helped this Nation create jobs and grow the economy. I would urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Thank you so very much. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and colleague from California, Congressman John Garamendi, for yielding, and I commend him for organizing this Special Order on Alzheimer's disease in honor of the month of June, which is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. As the co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease, I know how devastating this disease can be for our patients, families, and caregivers. I am proud to lead the task force along with my co-chairs, Congressman Chris Smith, Congressman Michael Burgess, and Congressman Chaka Fattah. Alzheimer's is a tragic disease which has no effective treatment, no means of prevention, and no method for slowing progression of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 million Americans were living with Alzheimer's disease in 2013. This number is expected to almost triple to 14 million by the year 2050. The bipartisan supported National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease calls for a cure or an effective treatment for Alzheimer's by the year 2025. Reaching this goal will require a significant increase in Federal funding for Alzheimer's research. I, therefore, introduced H.R. 237, a bipartisan resolution which calls for a significant increase in Alzheimer's research funding and declares that achieving the primary goal of the national plan--to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's by 2025--is an urgent national priority. A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate by Senator Susan Collins of Maine. I also circulated a letter to the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee requesting robust funding for Alzheimer's research at the National Institutes of Health in the coming fiscal year. The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of 63 Members of Congress. I was pleased to learn that the subcommittee recently proposed a $300 million increase for Alzheimer's research. As we pursue the goals of a cure for Alzheimer's, we must also do everything we can to assist the patients, families, and caregivers who are living with Alzheimer's every day. That is why I am introducing Alzheimer's Action Now, a set of bills that together will help Alzheimer's patients and their families; promote public awareness; and encourage voluntary contributions to research efforts. The various bills in the Alzheimer's Action Now address different challenges presented by Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act authorizes grants to public and nonprofit organizations to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. With the majority of Alzheimer's patients living at home, under the care of family and friends, it is important that we ensure these caregivers have access to the training and resources they need to provide effective, compassionate care. The Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Alert Program Reauthorization Act reauthorizes a Department of Justice program. It helps local communities and law enforcement officials quickly identify persons with Alzheimer's disease who wander away from their homes and reunite them with their families. This program saves law enforcement officials valuable time and allows them to focus on other security concerns. It also reduces injuries and deaths among Alzheimer's patients, and it brings peace of mind to their families. Finally, the Alzheimer's Disease Semipostal Stamp Act requires the U.S. Postal Service to issue and sell a semipostal stamp, with the proceeds helping to fund Alzheimer's research at NIH. This bill will raise public awareness and encourage concerned individuals to get involved and to make voluntary contributions to Alzheimer's research efforts. The bill is modeled on the popular and successful Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp. Our Nation is at a crucial and critical crossroads. The situation requires decisive action to search for a cure and protect the millions of Americans currently living with Alzheimer's disease. Together, we must take every possible action to improve treatments for Alzheimer's patients, support caregivers, raise public awareness, and invest in research to find a cure for this dreadful disease. Once again, I can't say enough to thank John Garamendi, my colleague from California, with whom I have worked for many, many years, for, again, organizing yet another night's Special Order to bring attention to Alzheimer's disease.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise this morning to sound the alarm, and I want my colleagues to understand that there are just 10 legislative days remaining for Congress to act before the Export-Import Bank shuts down. It is outrageous that we are here today, in this countdown, as the hands of the clock have become a knife-edge pressed against the future of American businesses and the jobs they create. The Ex-Im Bank has a proven track record of supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in every single congressional district across this country, and the fact that anyone would even consider shutting it down is shortsighted, and it is harmful to our economy. Ex-Im supports our businesses and our workers, all while not costing taxpayers a dime. In fact, over the past two decades, the Bank has generated a profit of close to $7 billion--a true win-win for our taxpayers. Yet, for the ideologues who are committed to chopping away government programs that support our Nation's students and seniors, exporters, and others, the facts don't really matter. They just see ending the Bank as a conservative litmus test. Mr. Speaker, it is simply shameful that the extremist, antigovernment wing of the Republican Party has, once again, pushed us to the brink of actively damaging our Nation's businesses and our competitiveness with this standoff. It doesn't have to be this way. A majority of the House of Representatives is already on record in its support of a long-term reauthorization of the Bank. It is time for Speaker Boehner to intervene by immediately putting a measure up to keep its doors open for a vote on the House floor. For 2 years, despite the calls from Democrats and Republicans, Chairman Hensarling has made it clear that this manufactured crisis is exactly what he has wanted all along. This is not a fight between Democrats and Republicans. It is a fight between ideology and reason in the Republican Party. While the ideologically driven crusade to eliminate the Bank may be a game here in Washington, it certainly isn't a game for the hundreds of thousands of our businesses all over this country. For example, let's take Michael Boyle, a Republican and a veteran, who recently testified that, thanks to the Bank, he has been able to quadruple his company's revenue and expand his business from just 8 employees to 60 currently. Mr. Boyle's story is the American story of thousands of businesses, large and small, across this country that rely on the Bank to compete on the global stage. Nevertheless, in the United States Congress, we are talking about shutting down one of the best resources our businesses have--just to make a political statement. As the deadline for reauthorizing the Bank nears, I have been encouraged to increasingly hear from some of my Republican colleagues who have come out and said, ``Enough is enough.'' As a matter of fact, as I sat in committee, I was very pleased to hear Mr. Fincher, a Republican, say that his wife told him: You don't represent and you don't work for the chairman of the committee, Mr. Hensarling. You don't work for the Speaker, Mr. Boehner. You work for the people who elected you to come to Congress. Mr. Fincher basically said to his chairman that it is time to stop playing the game, that we have got to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. I want you to know that Mr. Hensarling and those rightwing conservatives who want to use this as a political point will have you believe, ``Oh, this Bank is only for Big Business,'' but that is absolutely not true. Not only does the Bank support thousands of small businesses, but the suppliers to the big businesses are small businesses all over this country who rely on the Export-Import Bank for their ability to create jobs and have businesses in their districts. All of the Members on the Democratic side of the aisle support the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, and many of the Members on the opposite side of the aisle support the Bank. So I don't know why the Members on the opposite side of the aisle can't rein in their chairman. I don't know why they are afraid of him. I don't know why they don't speak up. We have 10 more days. Let's get busy and get this bill reauthorized and this Bank. I am asking Speaker Boehner to exercise his leadership and get it done.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I rise to offer an amendment regarding HUD's multifamily transformation plan. I will ultimately withdraw this amendment because I know that there will be Republican opposition, but I think it is important for me to speak out against the ill-advised plan. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is currently in the process of a major consolidation of its multifamily offices, which it has dubbed the multifamily transformation plan. I have been vocal in my skepticism of HUD's assurances that this plan will bring about significant savings without impacting program delivery. In fact, last year this House approved an amendment to the fiscal year 2015 appropriations bill that required HUD to follow a transformation plan that maintains asset management staff in its field offices. I fought for this amendment because I believe strongly that HUD's plan to consolidate the important function of asset management from 17 hubs overseeing 50 field offices into just 5 hub locations and 7 satellite offices would significantly impair program delivery without resulting in significant cost savings. Asset management is a hands-on job which calls for an intimate knowledge of the local housing market and frequently requires staff to make on-site visits to troubled properties. That is why it is so important to have asset management staff in local field offices to respond to local needs. Unfortunately, I have been hearing from advocates that HUD has been failing to replace vacancies in asset management positions in field offices and is only hiring new asset management staff in hub locations. This is unacceptable. There are already two field offices that have completely shuttered because they have no working staff. In Los Angeles, we have already lost 15 asset management staff who have not been replaced. My amendment would ensure that HUD prioritizes the hiring of asset management staff in local field offices for vacancies that occur in the next fiscal year instead of continuing to consolidate this important function to a select few hub and satellite locations. It would help ensure that our multifamily field offices remain open and operating at current staffing levels. Without this amendment, local multifamily offices will continue to have more vacancies that go unfilled. I regretfully ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. I am very surprised that this amendment is being brought by my friend, Mr. Garrett. Mr. Garrett's amendment seeks to empower HUD's efforts in enforcing the Fair Housing Act in such a way that relies on the disparate impact doctrine. It weakens our ability to protect Americans from discriminatory policies that deny them access to quality housing, quality neighborhood schools, and other resources. The disparate impact doctrine is a very effective legal tool that has been used for decades to address seemingly neutral policies that have the effect of discriminating against protected classes. The disparate impact doctrine provides legal redress for victims of hidden discrimination. It ensures that women cannot be evicted from their apartments solely because they were victims of domestic violence, and it ensures that veterans with disabilities are not barred from living in certain places solely because of the lack of accommodations for their disability. This amendment ignores the realities of harmful discrimination in our Nation today, and it would eliminate well- established, decades-old protections for American families. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2289. The bill would obstruct our cop on the Wall Street beat, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, from doing its job. The CFTC is charged with fostering open, transparent, competitive, and financially sound markets, mitigates systemic risk, and protects market participants, consumers, and the public from fraud, manipulation, and abusive practices related to derivatives. In sum, the CFTC protects farmers, manufacturers, municipalities, pension funds and retirees but would be thwarted from doing so if H.R. 2289 is enacted. In the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Congress passed Wall Street Reform--and gave our derivatives regulator the authority necessary to oversee previously unregulated transactions in which parties agree to exchange--or ``swap''--the risks of one financial instrument with another. The most notorious of these are credit-default swaps, made famous by AIG and which fueled the 2008 crisis, bankrupted millions of homeowners and cost taxpayers trillions of dollars. Nevertheless, under the guise of reauthorizing the CFTC, Republicans are proposing a bill that undermines its regulatory authority, imposes new procedural requirements on an overburdened and underfunded agency, and ultimately hamstrings the Commission's ability to protect the American people. This bill imposes heavy administrative hurdles and new litigation risks on the CFTC by requiring the agency to conduct a cost-benefit analysis slanted towards industry--a tactic that has been pushed in the past by opponents of financial reform to prevent, delay or weaken any rules implementing the Dodd-Frank Act. The bill also makes it much more difficult for the CFTC to regulate and oversee derivatives transactions involving the foreign operations of megabanks like Citigroup, JP Morgan, and Bank of America. Earlier this Congress, Republicans overreached when they tried to pass a provision weakening the Volcker Rule's ban on banks taking bets with taxpayer dollars. H.R. 2289 is cut from the same cloth--instead allowing these same institutions to avoid U.S. law by setting up shop in a foreign jurisdiction, even though the risk may still be borne by U.S. taxpayers. There is even a provision in this bill that absurdly directs the CFTC to ignore the physical location of a bank's swap trader when determining whether the derivative was conducted inside the United States for purposes of applying U.S. law. And all of this is done without providing one red cent to pay for these new burdens. CBO estimates that this bill costs at least $45 million, but the Republicans wouldn't even let the House consider an amendment to pay for it, offered by Representative DeLauro. The result is that H.R. 2289 will deplete the CFTC's modest resources currently spent enforcing against fraud. But don't take my word for it. The Commission's own Chairman says the bill makes it harder for the CFTC to fulfill its mission and creates ``unintended loopholes and uncertainties.'' The White House says the bill ``[threatens] the financial security of the middle class.'' And public interest groups, such as the Consumer Federation of America, and some industry groups, have weighed in as well, voicing their strong opposition to the bill. While not necessarily surprising, Republicans on the Agricultural Committee refused to work with Ranking Member Peterson to improve this bill--despite his deep commitment to making the Commission work better for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers. Even though several of the megabanks that directly benefit from H.R. 2289 pled guilty to manipulating our foreign exchange markets, Republicans also rejected my amendment, which sought to ensure that these banks' admissions of violating our laws have real collateral consequences and are not merely symbolic. Ultimately, this legislation is part of an ongoing, multifaceted Republican effort to undercut financial reform laws and regulations that protect consumers, investors and the economy. That's why it should come as no surprise that Koch Industries, for instance, spent $2.8 million lobbying to ensure the passage of this bill alone. The playbook is well-known: create huge loopholes and carve-outs for special interests, while simultaneously underfunding the cop with the authority to ensure compliance with the law. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``No'' on this bill.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment that removes the exemption that the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles currently has from the requirement to have a resident of public housing or Section 8 on its governing board. I am offering this amendment because I have learned that HACoLA is not in compliance with requirements outlined in this exemption, which has directly resulted in a lack of meaningful engagement by residents of the housing authority on important policy issues affecting the effectiveness of the programs that it administers. In 1998, Congress passed a law requiring that the governing body of a public housing authority must include at least one member who is directly assisted by the housing authority. This provision was an important recognition of the need for the perspective and participation of tenants in the governance of public housing authorities. It is as simple as that. Mr. Chairman, I ask for an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Well, you have accurately and appropriately identified the need for the program, based on those applications. Not only is it a very popular program, it is a program that creates jobs, and our local communities need this very much, and they are strong advocates for it. I would hope that my colleagues here in the Congress, on both sides of the aisle, who have benefitted from the TIGER program, would see the need and remove all obstacles, support this program, and let us move forward with getting the infrastructure repairs and the building that we need to do.

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I rise to offer an amendment to invest in transportation infrastructure for the 21st century. The transportation funding in this bill is woefully insufficient to meet our country's infrastructure needs. The cuts to the TIGER program are particularly egregious. TIGER, formally known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, is a competitive grant program that creates jobs by funding investments in transportation infrastructure. This bill cuts TIGER from the 2015 level of $500 million down to a mere $100 million in 2016. America needs new infrastructure for the 21st century. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the public infrastructure of the United States a grade of D-plus in 2013 and estimated that we will need to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 in order to improve the conditions of our infrastructure. Indeed, TIGER needs to be expanded, not cut. The President requested $1.25 billion for TIGER in the coming fiscal year, as part of an expanded TIGER program that will create jobs, encourage innovation, and modernize transportation infrastructure for the 21st century. Earlier this year, I sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee urging support for the President's request, and 144 Members of Congress signed my letter. Our economy is still struggling to recover from the recession. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our Nation's unemployment rate stands at 5.4 percent. Furthermore, unemployment among Hispanics is 6.9 percent. Among African Americans, it is 9.6 percent, and among teenagers, it is 17.1 percent. An expanded TIGER program will create meaningful employment building safe roads, bridges, and public transit systems in communities throughout the United States. My amendment increases TIGER funding to $1.25 billion in order to fully fund the President's request for this critical program. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.