Lynn Woolsey

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the American people are opposed to the occupation of Iraq. And when I say ``the American people,'' I am not referring to members of one party or one political persuasion. I am referring to members of both parties who live in every part of our country, in cities and towns big and small. According to the organization Cities For Progress, approximately 300 States, cities and towns have passed resolutions or referenda opposing the occupation of Iraq. They include places like Kalamazoo, Michigan; Carrboro, North Carolina; Ladysmith, Wisconsin; Butte, Montana; Chicago, Illinois; Guilford, Vermont; Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio; South Charleston, West Virginia; and Sacramento, California. They also include 17 States that have either passed a State House or State Senate resolution opposing the occupation or sent letters to Congress signed by large numbers of the State legislature's members. These include the red States of Colorado, North Dakota, and Arizona and the blue States of Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon. In addition, the United States Conference of Mayors has passed a Bring Home the Troops resolution. In their resolutions the cities and towns decry the terrible loss of life in Iraq. And they describe how the soaring costs of the occupation consume resources that would be much better spent on the needs of local communities. I want to read portions of a few of these resolutions so that Members of the House can get a sense of the anguish that's out there in the heartland. The resolution passed by South Charleston, West Virginia, declares that the conflict has ``mired American Armed Forces in an internecine, centuries-old conflict of ethnic, cultural, and religious rivalries.'' The resolution of the U.S. Conference of Mayors declared that ``the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is reducing Federal funds available for needed domestic investments in education, health care, public safety, homeland security, and more.'' The Cincinnati city council echoed that sentiment and said that spending on the occupation ``severely lessens the ability of the city of Cincinnati to rebuild its urban core, promote homeownership opportunities in Cincinnati, and provide critical housing services for the poor.'' The Chicago city council warned that the occupation has ``inflamed anti-American passions in the Muslim world and increased the terrorist threat to United States citizens.'' The resolution of Cambridge, Massachusetts, laments the ``grievous impact of the loss of lives in the Iraq war on families and communities on both sides of the conflict and the destructive social and economic effects of the war.'' The city of Bellingham, Washington, said that ``the killing of civilians is an unspeakable crime against humanity.'' The Cleveland city council declared that ``the costs to the States of the call-up of National Guard members for deployment in Iraq have been significant, as reckoned in lost lives, combat injuries and physical trauma, disruption of family life and damage to the fabric of civic life in our communities.'' The New Hampshire House of Representatives urged ``the President to commence talks with the neighbors in the Middle East and begin the orderly withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq.'' And the Vermont Senate declared that the escalation of the conflict ``is exactly the wrong foreign policy direction and the presence of American troops in Iraq has not and will not contribute to the stability of that nation, the region, or the security of Americans.'' More information about these resolutions, Mr. Speaker, can be found on the Web site of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and I urge my colleagues to read these resolutions in their entirety. They represent the true voice of America, the America that has compassion for the people of the world, believes in international cooperation, and knows that restoring our moral leadership is the best way to guarantee our own security and freedom. Mr. Speaker, the people have spoken. It is time to end the occupation of Iraq.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Chairman, American contractors in Iraq have lived by their own rules for far too long. While American taxpayers fund the equipping and training of these private military contractors, companies like Blackwater continue to escape accountability to international, Iraqi or even American laws. Today, the Democratic Congress will put an end to the question of whether we are training mercenaries and murderers in place of our Nation's warriors. By passing H.R. 2740, we can ensure that contractors in Iraq are held accountable under American criminal law. There is no excuse to allow private contractors and subcontractors to exist without legal accountability. Madam Chairman, we must never forget that the way to end the abuses by contractors in Iraq is to bring our troops and our military contractors, 180,000 of them, home from Iraq as soon as practicable.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the military announced yesterday that the number of monthly U.S. combat deaths fell to the lowest point in a year. Military and administration officials touted this as a success. Is this the way we're measuring success in Iraq these days? Sixty- four brave members of our military forces were killed in September. And that is a success? That is something to brag about? Tell that to the 64 families who will have to celebrate the holidays without their loved ones this year. Tell that to the children who lost a parent. Tell that to the mother who prayed every single day for the safe return of her child. That is not a success, Mr. Speaker. That is a tragic loss of life. We have lost over 3,800 brave men and women in uniform in the occupation of Iraq. At least 28,000 have been wounded. How many is too many before the administration sees the errors of its ways? I can't begin to guess. And what about the Iraqi families? Press reports indicate that nearly 1,000 Iraqis were killed during the month of September. Tens of thousands were displaced from their homes in September. Is this another success of the administration? Tell that to the children who can't go to school, to the hospitals trying to treat patients without a consistent supply of electricity, to the families who just want to live a normal life. The international community, the so-called coalition of the willing, sees the writing on the wall. In fact, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown just announced that 1,000 British troops will leave by the end of the year. And speaking of milestones, Mr. Speaker, the number of coalition partner deaths recently reached 4,000. Enough is enough. This Congress must, we must take bold steps to bring our troops home and to help the Iraqi people return to their lives. Only when the United States military presence, troops and contractors leave Iraq will the real healing and national rebuilding begin. We don't need any more reports. What we need is action. We need the Commander in Chief to support the troops. We need him to bring our troops home, not in a year, not in 10, now. And we have seen that this administration will not redeploy the troops unless Congress forces its hand. Eighty-four Members of the House have sent a letter to the President saying that we will only support spending bills that fully fund the safe, orderly and responsible redeployment of our troops and our military contractors. No more, no less. Join us in our resolve. Support our troops. Bring them home.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, the American people have been opposed to the occupation of Iraq and they have been demanding the redeployment of our troops for a very long time now, but the word obviously hasn't reached our Nation's leaders. Last Wednesday, the Secretary of Defense asked Congress to appropriate billions of dollars more to continue the occupation of Iraq. He said that American troops will remain in Iraq for years to come with no end in sight. The occupation has already cost nearly half a trillion dollars, and what have we gotten for that investment? Even General Petraeus couldn't say for sure that our involvement in Iraq has made us any safer when he testified before Congress last month. And the National Intelligence Estimate warned us in July that al Qaeda is using the occupation to energize extremists, raise money, and to recruit and indoctrinate operatives for attacks on the U.S. homeland. Madam Speaker, the way to make America truly safer is to end the occupation, restore our moral leadership in the world, and use diplomacy to strengthen the structure and institutions of international cooperation and peace. That's why it is time to tell our leaders in the White House that Congress isn't going to be their friendly neighborhood ATM machine any more. Congress has the power of the purse. We can use it to force the administration to change course. We must refuse to appropriate one more dime for the occupation. Instead, we must fully fund the safe, orderly and responsible redeployment of American troops and military contractors out of Iraq. Redeployment of our troops is the necessary first step on the road to peace. It is clear that Iraq will never stabilize while American troops and the vast unaccountable army of 180,000 American military contractors are there. Our occupation of Iraq prevents Iraqis from finding solutions to their own problems, and it delays the regional and international diplomatic efforts needed to jump-start a true peace process. The administration has said that it plans to redeploy some troops, but this is just a tactic, I believe, to win political favor. The arithmetic proves it. We began this year with 130,000 troops in Iraq. The escalation brought the level to 160,000. Now the administration says it will bring out 30,000 troops so by next summer we will again have 130,000 troops. So, Madam Speaker, we end up with the same number of troops, but the administration calls it a reduction. I call it fuzzy math. President Bush has created a national mathematics panel to study ways to improve math education in America. That is a really good thing, because the President himself needs help with addition and subtraction. Actually, Madam Speaker, the only way to make sure that our troops are out of harm's way is to proceed right now with a full redeployment and end the fantasy that there is a military solution to this quagmire. If we fail to use our power of the purse, if we continue to spend our taxpayer dollars on this occupation instead of ending it, we will have failed politically, we will have failed economically, and we will have failed morally. And we will have failed our brave troops along with all of the American people. It is time to bring our troops home.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on September 24, 2007 and as a result I was not present to vote on rollcall No. 893. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Representative Mike Thompson of California in honor of John McCue, who is retiring as CEO of the non- profit organization Becoming Independent, after 21 years of work on its behalf. Mr. McCue has been hugely influential in establishing and expanding the programs that Becoming Independent offers, and this hard work has been reflected by the remarkable success of participants in the program. Mr. McCue was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and received his Bachelor's degree from California State University, Fullerton in 1971. He has 36 years of experience in disability services, and has a credential in adult education. Mr. McCue joined Becoming Independent in 1981 as a program director before becoming CEO in 1986. In 1991 he received his Master of Public Administration degree from Sonoma State University. During Mr. McCue's tenure as CEO, Becoming Independent has dramatically expanded the range of services available to persons with disabilities in Sonoma County, while retaining a high quality of service and satisfaction among program participants. Becoming Independent focuses on helping provide individuals with the skills they need to live fulfilling lives through community living support services, which enable individuals with disabilities to live on their own with dignity and responsibility. Vocational education is also a major emphasis in the organization, and with the assistance of Becoming Independent's employment services, hundreds of participants have found rewarding jobs all over Sonoma County. This success has been reflected in the annual gains they have charted in participant employment and earned wages. In addition to his leadership at Becoming Independent, Mr. McCue has been active in local and state organizations, focusing on benefiting individuals with disabilities. He has been a longtime member of the California Rehabilitation Association, and served as Chair of the Board of Directors from 2004-2005. He is also a board member of the Nonprofits Insurance Alliance of California. He is active in Sonoma County and beyond as a member of the North Bay Housing Coalition, North Bay Developmental Disabilities Services, and Leadership Santa Rosa, among many others. Madam Speaker, at this time it is appropriate that we thank John McCue for his many years of service to the people of Sonoma County and his work with Becoming Independent. His leadership has been instrumental in providing superb services to individuals with disabilities to help them gain their independence.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you to share with me in saluting the Novato Human Needs Center on its 35th anniversary of serving the low-income people of Novato and helping them move towards self-sufficiency. The Novato Human Needs Center began in 1972 when three people--Gene Quinones, a Catholic priest, Bob Stockwell, a Protestant businessman, and Mary Banks, a black welfare mom--came together that Thanksgiving season with the desire to help those in need. With $50 and a heart full of good intentions, they gave birth to the Holiday Share program, allowing those who have to give what they can to those in need. Since then, the nonprofit has helped thousands of residents, has increased its services to provide year-round assistance, and has grown to operate on a budget of more than $1.4 million. Such is the power of the organization's philosophy that those who come for help--seniors, immigrants, the disabled, those in unexpected crisis--are often those who years later become the helpers. One anonymous donor, once a poor immigrant and now a wealthy resident, subsidizes the center's rental assistance program which allows someone experiencing a temporary and unexpected crisis, such as a medical emergency or job loss, to get one-time help with rent or mortgage payments. Among those whom this program saved was an elderly woman left without an income when her husband died. Because of the donor's generosity, Novato Human Needs Center was able to cover the widow's rent until social security checks arrived in her name. ``It really is neighbor helping neighbor,'' notes Susan Markavage, a Novato resident who works at the center. In addition to rental assistance, the center has instituted programs for such wide-ranging services as providing emergency food, job training and financial, as well as continuing the traditional Holiday Share. In fact, the center--which operates out of facilities underwritten by the City of Novato--even provides showers for the homeless, many of whom work but simply can't afford housing in Marin County, one of the Nation's most expensive places to live. ``One of them,'' Markavage explains, ``cleans our parking lot thoroughly every morning before coming in.'' Although Novato Human Needs Center is unique in that it provides comprehensive services to those in need, it also is ``a wonderful place for the community to come together and connect,'' says executive director Deanna Euritt. Novato has a very strong sense of community, she explains, and it is because of the community's support that the center exists and continues to operate. ``We're very grateful to the City of Novato and all the residents who live here who have been very generous not only with their financial contributions, but with their time.'' As one donor said, ``God's been really good to me and I feel this need to be good to someone else who might be in dire circumstances.'' And that, Madam Speaker, is what makes the center a valuable member of the Novato community--neighbors helping neighbors. Congratulations to the Novato Human Needs Center on its 35th anniversary, and to the people of Novato for supporting such a worthy organization.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor John Joseph ``Jack'' Healy, former Santa Rosa mayor and city councilmember, who died recently as a result of a traffic accident. Jack, who was 81, was known for helping others and promoting education. Because of his delightful personality, Jack was a top vote-getter in elections. He served the city for a dozen years before retiring because of heart problems. In civic affairs, Jack did his homework on the issues and was known for treating people--even those who disagreed with him--with respect. Friends say that because of this, he had no enemies. ``He was one of the kinder, more thoughtful City Council persons, who didn't just look at the technicality of the issue, but how it impacted people,'' longtime friend and former council colleague Schuyler Jeffries told reporters upon hearing the news of Jack's death. Before becoming involved in politics, Jack joined the business faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College. Perhaps because of his own struggles to get a college education, Jack worked to help others achieve this accomplishment, and eventually he became dean of the campus evening program. ``I always was impressed by his desire to give people a hand up who needed it,'' his son, Mike Healy, says. ``He went out of his way to help people better themselves in life.'' The son of Irish immigrants--his father was a copper miner who died when Jack was young--Jack dreamed of going to college. Thanks to the GI Bill, that dream was realized after World War II, when he attended San Francisco State University. There, he met his wife, Sharon, to whom he was married for 54 years until her death in May. The couple had two sons, Mike and Matt, who survive them, along with two grandchildren, Megan and Tom. Jack was a well-liked member of the ``old gray mayors,'' an informal group of former city leaders, and continued to remain active in local affairs even after his retirement, serving for eight years on the Sonoma County Library Commission. Madam Speaker, I would like to honor a man who served his community not only wisely but also well. Jack will long be missed.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the World Health Organization released a report that can only be called shocking and appalling. Cholera is on the rise in Iraq and spreading to urban areas like Baghdad and Basrah, and some of the northern provinces as well. As most of you know, cholera is a diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine. People get cholera from drinking water or food contaminated with the cholera bacteria, and it spreads rapidly in areas with inadequate treatment of sewage and drinking water. This sounds like a disease of the Third World, not one of a developed and wealthy country, certainly not a country where the United States is propping up the health care system, right? Then why have the confirmed number of cases of cholera risen to more than 2,000? In one week alone, 616 new cases were discovered. The WHO estimates that more than 30,000 people have fallen ill with similar symptoms which may later be confirmed as cholera. This is a shocking epidemic. As a result, the Iraqi Government is considering travel restrictions to limit the spread of this often deadly disease, particularly for children. In a country already crippled by refugees and internally displaced people, the situation grows more severe every single day. Why, as we are spending more than $13 million an hour for the occupation of Iraq, $13 million an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, can we not join with the international community to provide for the most basic human needs? We are talking clean drinking water and proper sanitation. This is not reinventing the wheel or putting a man on the Moon. Clean water and sanitary conditions, is that too much to ask? I guess it might be for our leader at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, because the administration spews a lot of rhetoric about liberating the Iraqi people. Does that mean crumbling infrastructure, sectarian fighting, a massive refugee crisis, and on top of that, a possible epidemic of cholera? Iraqi families need to start their lives over again. They need their kids to be able to go to school. And they need to start their businesses and reopen them. They want real sovereignty over their own nation. They want U.S. troops out. Real leadership in Iraq means bringing our troops home and offering humanitarian assistance to the people of Iraq. We must join with the international community to provide relief, reconstruction, and reconciliation. This is the only way forward for Iraq. Force and occupation will not rebuild Iraq. It will not provide healthier communities. And most importantly, it will not provide a peaceful future for the people of Iraq. Bring our troops home. Bring hope to our military families at home and the Iraq families yearning for peace.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today on a motion pursuant to this order, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next for morning-hour debate.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to engage in a colloquy with the chairwoman. I thank her for agreeing to do this with me. Madam Chairman, there has been a concern expressed from some voices in the small business community that title V of this bill will open up small business Federal contracts to be taken advantage of by large corporations and venture capital firms. If this is true, it's obviously a concern, because it would directly cut against the intent of this bill. Can the chairwoman please explain to me the protections in this bill that she believes will prevent large corporations and venture capital firm from abusing the intent of the bill?

Ms. WOOLSEY. I thank the gentlewoman. There seem to be adequate protections in this bill to ensure small businesses are the ones getting these contracts and that they aren't unfairly influenced by large capital firms. Again, I thank the Chair for engaging in this colloquy with me.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Thank you, Chairman Miller, for this bill and for the work you do for all working Americans. Mr. Chairman, I am truly sorry that Mr. McKeon can't support it. But I am proud to be the sponsor of H.R. 2693, the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Protection Act, which requires OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard to regulate workers' exposure to diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavoring for microwave popcorn and other food products. It is a travesty that OSHA has done nothing to regulate this chemical while workers have fallen seriously ill and have actually died. In 1977, Congress passed OSHA to provide every working man and woman in the Nation a safe and healthful workplace. We gave the new agency charged with the administration the full name of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. We also gave them important tools to enforce the provisions of the law. One of the most important functions that OSHA is charged with is to develop health and safety standards. When it was exercised, this function actually saved the lives and health of many, many workers. For example, in 1978, when OSHA's cotton dust standard was adopted, there were 40,000 cases of brown lung disease annually, affecting 12 percent of all textile workers. Because of OSHA, brown lung was virtually eliminated. OSHA's 1978 standard on lead dramatically reduced lead poisoning. Sadly, Mr. Chairman, there are still millions of workers who suffer from injuries and illnesses while working. One of the most grievous examples of this are workers who are contracting popcorn lung disease from exposure to a chemical called diacetyl used in the manufacture of microwave popcorn and other foods. The Workforce Protections Subcommittee held a hearing on OSHA standards in April. We heard from Eric Peoples, a former microwave popcorn worker, who has popcorn lung. Eric is in his thirties. He has a young family. He worked in a microwave popcorn facility in Missouri for less than 2 years. After that, he had to stop work because he had contracted popcorn lung disease. Popcorn lung is an irreversible and life-threatening respiratory disease. Eric has lost 80 percent of his lung capacity, is awaiting a double lung transplant, and faces an early death, all because he was exposed to diacetyl. A standard regulating exposure of diacetyl is currently needed. While OSHA has known about the dangers of the chemical for years, it has failed. It has failed day after day, year after year to act to make this standard an actual reality. In fact, OSHA has done virtually nothing to protect workers against diacetyl. Now there has been at least one or two other reported cases of popcorn lung in consumers. Wayne Watson, a 53-year-old man from Colorado, has been diagnosed with popcorn lung due to his daily consumption of microwave popcorn over a 10-year period. In addition, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that a 6-year- old child, the son of a popcorn plant employee who has popcorn lung, was showing signs of the disease himself. In that case, when the popcorn plant closed, the company told the employees they could help themselves to any of the company's products. The father took home some butter-flavored oil containing diacetyl and used it for frying food. As a result, this 6-year-old child was exposed to the chemical, and it made him sick. These are unintended and unfortunate consequences when OSHA refuses to act to protect workers. This is true, Mr. Chairman, even though the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers' Association, the industry that represents the food flavoring manufacturers, issued a report warning of the dangers to workers from exposure of diacetyl and recommended measures controlling that chemical. OSHA does not seem moved to meaningful action, even though four of the Nation's biggest popcorn makers have recently announced that they are working to remove diacetyl from their products. In my own State of California, CalOSHA is currently working on a standard to regulate diacetyl. There is a whole list of agencies that I will enter into the Record that are supporting the regulation of diacetyl. So, Mr. Chairman, now is the time for this Congress to stand up for the Nation's workers and vote to pass H.R. 2693. The American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American College of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, the AFL-CIO, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Teamsters, the Bakery and Confectionary Workers, the American Public Health Association and the American Society of Safety Engineers also support H.R. 2693.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, this amendment ensures that OSHA can continue to slow-walk a final rulemaking on diacetyl exposure for all workers. Hundreds of workers are exposed to diacetyl, and they've fallen ill with this debilitating lung disease that, as the chairman told you, was equivalent to inhaling acid. Can you imagine what their lungs look like and why at the age of 30 a young father has to have a double lung transplant, and maybe that won't even save his life? The amendment removes the requirement that OSHA complete final rulemaking within 2 years of enactment of this legislation. Under this amendment, the final rule would not be required to be completed until 2 years after NIOSH makes a finding that there's sufficient data to support a recommended exposure limit. NIOSH has already told us that they know this is something that they support and diacetyl should be and must be controlled. If NIOSH is delayed, more workers, including the workers we're talking about today, will be unprotected. While workers in popcorn and flavoring facilities would be protected under the emergency standard, workers in other parts of the food industry where diacetyl is being used would be left unprotected for an indeterminate number of years. Not days, not months, but years. One food manufacturer, for example, recently announced a new line of artificial butter containing diacetyl despite its hazards to workers. Those workers would lose protections because of the Wilson amendment. This interim rule, Mr. Chairman, covers a narrow band of workers, popcorn workers and flavoring facilities. By slow-walking this final rulemaking, as Mr. Wilson's amendment would allow, other workers exposed to diacetyl will continue to get sick. They will continue to die. Vote ``no'' on any further delay to workplace safety rules.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, we have learned in the last few days and weeks about terrible new threats to our national security and the safety of the American people. On August 29, a B-52 bomber accidentally flew six nuclear warheads across the country with a combined power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs. Imagine the horror, the destructive power of 60 Hiroshima A-bombs flying over the American heartland on a course that took them near Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and Little Rock. Then, on September 16, we learned that American military contractors in Iraq were involved in the shooting deaths of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square. Was it a case of American military contractors gone wild? We don't know for sure yet. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the vast army of 180,000 military contractors in Iraq are not being held accountable for their actions and often make things more difficult for our troops in Iraq. A senior U.S. military official told the Washington Post that the incident in Baghdad was ``a nightmare. This is going to hurt us badly. It may be worse than Abu Ghraib.'' And then on September 22, the press reported that Federal prosecutors are investigating charges that the military contractors involved in the Baghdad incident, Blackwater U.S.A., smuggled weapons into Iraq that may have been sold on the black market and ended up in the hands of terrorists. Mr. Speaker, we must take immediate action to improve our security. The accidental flight of A-bombs over our homeland should remind us that America must return to a policy of nuclear nonproliferation. This administration has abandoned our decades-old commitment to nonproliferation, and that has been a terrible mistake. We must also end the occupation of Iraq. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced today that he will try to strengthen the Pentagon's oversight of the contractors. This is a welcome step, but it doesn't solve the real problem. The real problem is that we need military contractors, because our forces are stretched to the limit in Iraq and beyond. The only solution is to end the occupation. In testimony prepared for delivery before Congress today, Secretary Gates asked for additional funds for the occupation. We must tell him no. The occupation is hurting America politically, economically and morally. The American people deserve better. Congress has the power of the purse, and it is the only real tool we have to force the administration to change course. We should not spend another dime to continue the occupation. Instead, we must fully fund the safe, orderly and responsible withdrawal of all of our troops and all of our military contractors by a date certain. That is the best way, Mr. Speaker, for our country to change course and restore the moral leadership that is the true source of our national security.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, 9 days ago, 11 innocent Iraqi civilian were killed in an incident involving American military contractors. The circumstances surrounding the tragedy are not clear, but what is clear is that not enough attention has been paid to civilian deaths in Iraq. By the most conservative count, over 73,000 innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed since the occupation began. Just about everyone agrees that the real figure is much higher, since many deaths aren't even reported. But even if you accept the low 73,000 figure, you can see how catastrophic the occupation has been to Iraqi society. The population of the United States is about 12 times greater than that of Iraq, so 73,000 Iraqi deaths are comparable to over 875,000 American deaths. That is more than the population of Cleveland and Kansas City combined, or Atlanta and Omaha combined. This 875,000 is more than the population of an entire congressional district. I would also like to call my colleagues' attention to the article in The Washington Post this morning concerning civilian casualties in Iraq. The article points out that the Pentagon's official count of civilian casualties in Iraq shows an increase over the course of this year. This is in stark contrast to the charts that General Petraeus showed us in his testimony earlier this month, which only showed the narrower category of civilian deaths. This is further evidence, Mr. Speaker, that General Petraeus' testimony was part of an overall administration spin campaign to convince this Congress and the American people to keep their support for ``stay the course'' in Iraq. Iraqi civilians are also suffering, because the violence has forced over 4 million of them to become refugees. The U.N. referred 11,000 refugee applicants to the United States for processing by the end of this fiscal year. In February, the United States promised to admit 7,000. Then that number was downgraded to 2,000. But, so far, only 1,035 refugees have been admitted, and the fiscal year expires in 5 days. This situation is like so many others we have seen during the occupation of Iraq. The administration makes big promises about what it can achieve, then retreats from its promises, and then fails to deliver altogether. To make our refugee record even worse, the Government Accountability Office has reported that the number of condolence payments the United States Government pays to families of dead or injured Iraqi civilians plunged by 66 percent from the year 2005 to 2006. The condolence payments are, at most, $2,500, $2,500 per incident. Would any one of us consider $2,500 to be a condolence payment for the death of a beloved child or spouse? No, Mr. Speaker, we wouldn't. This Congress will have failed America, both morally and politically, if we allow the occupation to continue and ignore the suffering of the innocent. We have only one real tool that we can use to end the occupation, the power of the purse. We must not appropriate another dime for the continuation of the occupation. Instead, we must fully fund the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal of our troops and the estimated 180,000 military contractors who constitute an even larger army than our 160,000 troops. This is what the American people sent us here to do, and we have a moral obligation to do it. We have an obligation to bring our troops home.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 976, the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act. While the bill is not as strong as the House passed version, it has several good provisions that deserve our support. This bill invests $35 billion in our children, providing health insurance for an additional four million children and bringing the total number of children covered by SCHIP to ten million. This bill will also help states provide millions of children with the dental and mental health services they so desperately need. While this is a very good bill, it is not perfect and I hope it will serve as a starting point in a larger conversation about how we find a way to ensure coverage for everyone, but particularly for children and low income seniors, the most vulnerable amongst us. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to come to an agreement on how to increase coverage to the level the House bill provided. Additionally, I would like to join my colleagues in covering legal immigrant children and pregnant women, which the House bill ensured. Finally, I hope that the House and Senate will agree upon a strong Medicare bill that rolls back payment cuts and addresses payments based solely upon where a physician practices. This has made it incredibly difficult for physicians in Sonoma County to continue to see Medicare patients. The House bill addressed the geographic inequity and is a great starting point for a conversation about how to address this serious issue. Additionally, as the Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, I am proud to support the language in this bill that will provide military families with the protections they need in the workplace. For the first time since Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) fourteen years ago, this bill will amend FMLA to provide the spouse, child, parent, and closest blood relative of an injured service member with six months of unpaid, job protected leave to care for their injured loved ones. Congressman George Miller and I worked closely with Senators Christopher Dodd and Hillary Rodham Clinton to ensure that the provisions of H.R. 3481, the Support for Injured Servicemembers Act, were included as part of the final compromise reached between the House and Senate, and I commend the Democratic Leadership for their strong support for our Nation's wounded warriors and their families. Military families should never have to risk losing their jobs in order to meet the needs of their loved ones, and with this bill, we are one step closer to fulfilling our promise to them. Passing this bill will mean a real investment for our children and I hope that we consider it a starting point for a conversation about covering every child.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to draw attention to the surge, or escalation, of the occupation of Iraq. This time it is not an escalation of troops; it is the escalation in spending to continue this senseless, apparently endless occupation. Recent estimates put the cost of the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan at $808 billion by the end of this year. That's just knocking on the door of $1 trillion, Mr. Speaker. Let me say that again: we are closing in on $1 trillion, and we haven't even begun to put together a plan to bring our troops home. This administration has talked about a Korean- or Vietnam-like presence in Iraq. This could mean as much as 50 more years of U.S. boots on the ground. Conservative estimates put just one more decade of military spending at $1.5 trillion. Who knows what it will be after 20 or 30 or 50 years. The United States has an obligation, both moral and political, to help the people of Iraq to rebuild their nation. Whether through reconciliation or reconstruction, our commitment must be ongoing. But we can't start either of these while we are funding this administration's occupation. Despite the bravery of our men and women in uniform, we all know that we can't bring peace and stability to another country down the barrel of a gun. A recent report by the Congressional Progressive Caucus found that this misdirection of funds may actually be endangering our own homeland. Each of my colleagues can go to my Web site, www.Woolsey.house.gov, and find out what it is costing their congressional district. My district of Marin and Sonoma counties in California have already paid $1.3 billion for the occupation of Iraq. That could have paid for nearly 25,000 public safety officers or nearly 18,000 port container inspectors to provide real security for our homeland. Instead of passing on a war deficit to our children and grandchildren, we could have been investing in their future and, Mr. Speaker, we must. So far in paying for the occupation, we could have paid for 20,000 more elementary school teachers, or we could have provided almost 500,000 more children with health care, or 200,000 college scholarships to worthy students. America's working families have demanded, they went to the polls in November, they want us to end this occupation. They want real investment in their own communities. They want this Congress to stand up to the White House and demand that our troops and military contractors be brought home, not in 10 years, not in 50 years. They want our troops home in a safe and orderly responsible manner by the holidays. Enough of the endless occupation. Enough of the misspent billions. Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. Let's bring the troops home. Let's provide for a secure future for American and Iraqi families.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to recognize the passing of one of our notable journalists, cartoonist Phil Frank. Phil died of brain cancer this month, but not before leaving an enduring legacy to the people of Marin County, where he lived, and to those of the San Francisco Bay Area and across North America. Admired by other cartoonists, loved by his family and fans, and appreciated by local historians, Phil was the creator of a host of cartoon characters, the most famous being Farley, a San Francisco reporter on a newspaper named The Daily Requirement. Farley's world was peopled by an assortment of politicians and animals, including Bruce, the raven; Orwell T. Catt, feral feline; a collection of bears that ran the Fog City Dumpster and avidly supported the San Francisco Giants; and of course, the high-class band of feral pigs in dark glasses, who traveled Marin County in BMWs, led by their guru, De Pork Chopra. With these characters and others, Phil targeted daily events in the Bay Area, including the actions of every San Francisco mayor from Dianne Feinstein to Gavin Newson. Phil's co-worker Carl Nolte, a staff writer at the Chronicle, where the Farley comic ran almost every day for 32 years, remembers a good example. When Mayor Frank Jordan once appointed a lowly politician to a high office in his administration, Phil's comic strip showed the cartoon mayor appointing one of the feral cats to run the municipal aquarium. ``But he was never mean-spirited,'' said Nolte. ``He was humorous in the best sense of political humor.'' Fellow cartoonist Kathryn Lemieux of Tomales agreed. ``He could poke fun at someone without being cruel,'' she said. According to Lemieux, Phil was also a generous mentor to other artists, always willing to share his support. He also shared his talent with innumerable organizations all over the Bay Area, drawing a t-shirt design, adding a cartoon to a city mailing, or illustrating a California park system notice. Suzanne Dunwell, who lived for a while on a Sausalito houseboat not far from Phil's floating studio in the pilot house of the ferry City of Seattle, recalls the first annual Humming Toadfish Festival, which she started. Phil designed the t-shirt, and after the first ones were printed, Dunwell gifted one to Phil. He graciously thanked her, then placed the shirt in a drawer brimming with Phil Frank-designed t-shirts from other charitable groups. Phil was generous not only with his talent, but with his time. A self-educated historian, he was an important figure in the Sausalito Historical Society, and acted as exhibitions coordinator for the Bolinas Museums' History Collection. ``He knew the history of places from the human side,'' explained Nolte. One of his most popular cartoons, published in Sausalito's weekly newspaper, exposes the persona of his hometown with well-intended humor. It shows the Sausalito Fire and Rescue squad being called to the downtown park to assist a 90-year-old resident who had fallen off her platform shoes and couldn't get up by herself because her jeans were too tight. Phil could make us laugh at ourselves. He was one of those genuinely nice guys. He lived with enthusiasm. He made us smile. He is already missed.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, this week, we heard reports that private military contractor Blackwater has been ordered out of Iraq and had its license revoked after a shootout that took the lives of at least eight Iraqi civilians. This didn't happen in the ``wild west'' of Iraq, not even in the so-called ``triangle of death.'' Mr. Speaker, it happened within the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad. That's the area where the so-called surge was supposed to bring peace and stability. One account of the scene goes like this: a witness, Muhammad Hussein, saw his brother killed in the gunfight. Muhammad said, I was driving behind my brother's car and suddenly there was an explosion and firing. I tried to figure out what was happening when I saw a black convoy ahead of us, he told an international news agency, and went on to say, Soon after, I saw my brother slumped in the car. I dragged him out of the car and tried to hide to avoid the firing, but realized that he had been shot in the chest and he was already dead. That's what he said. So, Mr. Speaker, one week after General Petraeus came up to the Hill to brief Members of Congress, we are seeing private military contractors killing civil civilians in the streets of Baghdad. Is this the measure of success of the escalation? I should hope not. I should think not. To this date, the administration has either been unwilling or unable to account for all the private military contractors in Iraq. Contractors have their own rules. No one knows to whom they are accountable. Reports of these contractors, however, have been anything but promising. The Center for American Progress estimates the total number of private contractors in Iraq to be 126,000 to 180,000; 20,000 to 50,000 of those are private security guards. They zip through Iraq, through Iraqi towns and neighborhoods in their convoys of armored SUVs. Are they accountable to an international law of war? Are they accountable to U.S. law? Can the Iraqis hold them accountable for acts of violence within Iraq? Nobody knows. Are these contractors receiving any mental health assistance? Are we ensuring that no one being paid by the United States is hitting the streets of Baghdad with PTSD? What is the screening process? We have no idea who's out there in the name of the United States of America. Every single day we open the paper to find report after report that the occupation of Iraq is a failure. Despite all of the heroic acts of our men and women in uniform, we cannot bring peace and stability to a nation at the point of a gun. We cannot win an occupation. This administration needs to get real about the situation on the ground. It is time, it is past time to fully fund a safe and orderly redeployment of our troops and of our military contractors from Iraq. That is all the Congress can accept. We support our troops. We support Iraqi sovereignty. We support a surge in diplomatic efforts. What we cannot, what we will not accept is another year, another decade or another flag-draped coffin. Let's bring our troops home. Let's bring our contractors home. And let's allow the people of Iraq to reclaim their country.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr, a Presbyterian minister committed to justice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A self-described lesbian and feminist, Janie is retiring after 33 years. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, with her twin sister Joanie to Chet and Susanna Adams, Janie was ordained a Presbyterian minister in December 1974, to the Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. From 1975 to 1979 she served as assistant pastor of First Presbyterian in San Rafael, CA, and in 1979-1980 was the executive director of Oakland Council of Presbyterian Churches where she was encouraged to resign after coming out as a lesbian. Janie began her ``out'' liberation work with and for LGBT people as the minister of pastoral care in the Castro area of Metropolitan Community Church in San Francisco from 1980 to 1982. In 1982, this ``lesbyterian'' founded the Ministry of Light, which later became the Spectrum Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns. She served for 10 years as the executive director of Spectrum. In 1991, Rev. Spahr was called to serve as a copastor at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY, marking the first time a Presbyterian Church had chosen an ``out'' pastor. The call, however, was challenged, and the Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church refused to allow Rev. Spahr to assume the coposition. In response to the ruling Janie was hired by the Downtown United Presbyterian Church and the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon, CA, who formed the ``That All May Freely Serve'' project. She was employed to work within the denomination to end discrimination and increase inclusiveness for all people. In 2006, Rev. Spahr made national headlines when the Commission of the Presbytery of the Redwoods ruled she acted within her ``right of conscience'' as a Christian when she performed commitment ceremonies for two lesbian couples. The Presbyterian Church's highest court ruled in 2000 that ministers could ``bless'' same-sex unions but not preside over them or call them marriages. Janie challenged the church's constitution and won a victory for justice and inclusion, but the battle is not yet over as the Prosecuting Committee has filed an appeal. During her undergraduate years at Penn State, Jane met Jim Spahr whom she later married and had two sons, Jim and Chet. Jim now fondly refers to Janie as his ``wife emerita'' and the ``sister-in-love'' of Jackie Spahr, Jim's partner, and Bill Fenton, her sister Joanie's partner. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr whose courageous passion for justice and inclusion for LGBT people has left a legacy that is paving the way to a better future. Rev. Spahr has touched so many lives as a minister, and though she is retiring she will remain a mentor and role model to all.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise with pride today to invite you to join me in congratulating the Town of San Anselmo, California, on its official centennial. This charming town in one of the most beautiful counties in California derived its name from the Mexican designation of the area as La Laguna y Canada de Anselm, or the Waters and Valley of Anselm--after a Miwok Indian who was buried there. His tribe, the Coastal Miwoks, inhabited the land for thousands of years before Mexicans and Europeans arrived, surviving on the bounty of its creeks and forests. Since the early 19th century when it was formally established as a land grant under the Mexican government, the town has served as a transportation hub for the area and an intersection between rural West Marin and the county's municipal centers to the east. To this day, in fact, downtown San Anselmo is still referred to as The Hub. After California became the 31st of the United States of America, in 1850, the southern part of town including The Hub, was purchased from its Mexican owners by James Ross, whose descendents still live and work there. Since then, San Anselmo has grown to become everything that epitomizes small-town America--welcoming to strangers, benevolent to neighbors, supportive to businesses and education, and environmentally friendly to the habitat. For example, when the Transcendental poet Ralph Waldo Emerson visited his niece in San Anselmo in 1871, he noticed of her husband's acreage that ``Three or four wild deer still feed on his land, and now and then come near the house. The trees of his wood were almost all new to us-- live-oak, madrona, redwood, and other pines than ours; and our garden flowers wild in all the fields.'' Even now, the wild deer still come to San Anselmo to feed in the gardens under the diverse arbors, verdant and prolific in what is one of Marin County's largest watersheds. Indeed, San Anselmo retained its pastoral quality even after the North Pacific Coast Railroad laid rails through the town beginning in 1874. Already a transportation hub, the town went on the map as Junction, California. The coming of the industrial age did not, however, despoil the area's beauty. But San Anselmo is not just another idyllic town. Since 1892, it has been the home of the San Francisco Theological Seminary, which is known because of its architecture as San Anselmo's ``castle in the sky.'' With the establishment of this key Presbyterian institution, the town began to grow, and grew even more after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, when refugees from the City's North Beach transplanted their homes to the hills around San Anselmo, planted grapevines and gave the neighborhood the nickname ``Little Italy.'' The next year, the town incorporated under the name Junction. Another institution that establishes San Anselmo as more than just a pretty place is the Carnegie Library, built in 1915. A gift of Andrew Carnegie, the ``patron saint of libraries,'' it is one of only 1,940 such libraries in the nation. Its Spanish revival style building still serves this town where more than 96 percent of the adult population have earned a high school diploma, and 60 percent have one or more college degrees. With the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, many of those who had previously come to San Anselmo only to escape the cold San Francisco summers decided to make the town their permanent home. Schools and churches replaced ranch and farm land, and by 1974, when it officially became the Town of San Anselmo, thousands of families called it home. But San Anselmo is not just a propitious town for its residents. It welcomes visitors with equal neighborliness. In fact, Marin County newspaper readers recently chose San Anselmo as the ``Best town other than your own.'' A town without a single shopping mall, San Anselmo has also been voted ``Best in the West'' by Sunset magazine for antiques, offered for sale in 130 boutiques that line the two main streets of this small town. Despite the routine flooding of San Anselmo Creek, the weather in San Anselmo is ``nearly perfect,'' says Connie Rodgers, president of the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce. She adds that ``You can't find a better place to live in the whole United States.'' Indeed, where else can you find less than three square miles containing a castle, a creek, a series of world-class antique shops and five of the top 100 Bay Area restaurants? Madam Speaker, I offer my congratulations to San Anselmo on its first 100 years and a wish for many happy returns of the occasion.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, on June 11 of this year, the Supreme Court decided the case of Long Island Care at Home Ltd. v. Coke. It held that home health care workers employed by third-party agencies are not eligible for the overtime and minimum wage protections provided under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). At issue in the Coke case was a narrow exemption to the FLSA created in 1974 for ``companionship services'' for babysitters and caretakers for seniors and the disabled. In 1974, when the exemption was enacted, homecare, like babysitting, was largely provided by family and friends. Today we live in a different world, and caregiving is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Today about 2.4 million workers are employed by nursing homes, home health care agencies, assisted living, and other residential facilities. Low wages and high turnover contribute to the shortage of workers in this fast-growing field. In 2003, direct-care workers earned an average of $9.20 per hour, significantly less than the average U.S. wage of $13.53 for all workers. Nearly 20 percent of all direct-care workers earn annual incomes below the poverty level, and they are twice as likely as other workers to receive food stamps and to lack health insurance. In addition, most home health care workers are minority women, likely to be single heads of households. When Congress created this exemption, it never intended to exclude those workers who were ``regular breadwinners,'' and there is substantial evidence that the exemption was directed to only ``casual basis'' workers. The ``Fair Home Health Care Act is a narrow bill clarifying that home health care workers are entitled to labor protections under the FLSA so long as they are not employed on a ``casual basis.'' These workers provide valuable services to our Nation's older Americans and people with disabilities and help them maintain their independence. Currently, 1.3 million Americans require long-term assistance in their home, and this need is expected to double as baby boomers age. Providing workers with FLSA wage protections will not only provide them with a living wage but will help attract workers to this rapidly growing occupation.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of this bill, which will help hundreds of thousands of families realize the American Dream of homeownership. This bill helps protect those vulnerable to unscrupulous subprime lending, and helps those who are currently struggling to make their payments by refinancing their loans at a more affordable rate. It is not right for anyone to be struggling to meet his or her mortgage payments due to the unfair lending practices of predatory lenders. Putting lower-income families on the path to homeownership helps them become more financially solvent, and helps them have more of a stake in the health of their community. Homeownership leads to healthy families, healthy communities, and rosier financial situations for all. I also applaud the passage of an amendment introduced by Chairman Frank that will help more families, in my district specifically, afford homes. This amendment raises the Federal Housing Administration's single-family loan limits so that lower-income families are not barred from buying homes in the higher-cost markets where they may work. Why should a firefighter who works in my district be forced to commute a long way to her or his home instead of buying an affordable home near the fire station? This amendment will allow potential residents of high-price home markets to afford homes. This is a good bill that will help America's families in numerous ways. I thank my colleague Maxine Waters for introducing it and look forward to benefits it will bring to the hard-working families in my district.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus sponsored a very important meeting this morning to review the dire situation in Iraq and to explore ways to end the occupation. At this event, we heard from Dr. William Polk, one of America's leading experts on the Middle East. Dr. Polk taught Middle Eastern history, politics, and Arabic at Harvard before joining the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Council responsible for the Middle East and responsible for North Africa. Later, he became professor of history and founding director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. Dr. Polk is the author of many books, including the recently published book entitled, ``Violent Politics, a History of Insurgency, Terrorism, and Guerilla Warfare from the American Revolution to Iraq.'' To write the book, Dr. Polk studied insurgent movements throughout world history. He found that they were motivated by many different causes, including race, religion, culture, economics, and language, but he found that they all had one thing in common, an opposition to foreign occupation. Dr. Polk's research has clear implications for our policy in Iraq. It tells us that the American occupation of Iraq can never solve the country's problems. Only the Iraqis can solve Iraqi problems. And it tells us that the only policy that now makes sense is to withdraw our troops in an orderly but rapid way, and couple that action with a carefully constructed program that will help the Iraqis to pick up the pieces and to rebuild their country with the help of the regional international community. The lesson of history is clear, Mr. Speaker; yet, our leaders in the White House continue to follow a disastrous course of foreign occupation. Their blindness has put our Nation on a very dangerous course. The administration has called for an enduring relationship with Iraq, meaning many years, perhaps even decades, of American military involvement. If the administration has its way, babies now in diapers will grow up and march off to Baghdad while the neo-cons who crafted our Iraq policy play golf in their retirement communities. The administration's policy of endless occupation will cost us trillions of dollars and countless casualties. It will lead to the deaths of countless Iraqi civilians and surely force millions more to become refugees. Meanwhile, al Qaeda will continue to hatch its plots against the United States in their safe havens far from Iraq. It is clear that Iraq will never stabilize and find peace while we are present. Our occupation of Iraq prevents Iraqis from finding solutions to their own problems, and it prevents the regional and international diplomacy that is absolutely needed to help them reconcile and to rebuild. The timely withdrawal of American troops is the essential first step in solving the Iraqi problem. So long as our troops and military contractors are there, the situation can only and will only get worse. In the days ahead, I and others will urge Congress to move to end the occupation. Congress has the power of the purse. We must pass a bill requiring that all spending related to Iraq be used for only one purpose, and that is to fully fund the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal of all American troops and military contractors. If we fail to do this, we will have failed the American people, who sent us to Congress last November with a clear message: End the occupation of Iraq. And we will have failed our country morally, we will have failed our country politically, and certainly we will have failed it economically. It is time, Mr. Speaker, to do what we know is right and what is best for our country: bring our troops home.