Lynn Woolsey

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, since the United States went to war in Iraq over 2 years ago, Congress has approved spending bill after spending bill to pay for military operations in Iraq. But one thing Congress has never done is provide any meaningful oversight over the war and the spending on the war. Think about it. Congress will spend money on Iraq to the point of busting our already fragile budget, but when it comes to truly managing the war, Congress is nowhere to be found. Every single Member of Congress and the people that elected them should be utterly ashamed of this absence of Congress on this crucial issue. With nearly 2,000 United States troops killed, another 15,000 wounded, and countless thousands of Iraqis killed, the U.S. Congress must, must exercise its oversight responsibilities to determine why things are going so drastically wrong in Iraq. I have repeatedly asked the House Armed Services Committee and the House International Relations Committee to hold hearings on Iraq. Unfortunately, no committee has undertaken a serious and thoughtful examination of the war. Since Congress has continually failed in that duty, I have decided to take matters into my own hands. Last Thursday I held a hearing to assess how to end the war in Iraq and start bringing our troops home. Such luminaries as former Senator Max Cleland, four-star Marine Corps General Joseph Hoar, and former U.S. Ambassador David Mack testified at this hearing. Thirty Members of Congress, bipartisan Members at that, all of whom are frustrated by the same tired policies when it comes to Iraq, joined me at this hearing. The purpose of this hearing was to address not the when of ending the war, but how to end the war. After all, we should all be able to agree that the United States cannot continue to fight in Iraq indefinitely. Given that fact, we need to start thinking about how the United States can responsibly leave Iraq without making a bad situation worse. As Senator Cleland so eloquently stated, ``When we talk about an exit strategy, we need to put the focus on strategy.'' If the hearing demonstrated anything, it is that we need to start bringing our troops home because it is our very presence in Iraq that is encouraging and uniting Iraq's insurgency. But the sad truth is that the Bush administration is doing nothing to help end the war. They have no plan for how to conduct the war, they had no plan for securing the country once Saddam Hussein was deposed, and now they have no plan for ending the war. Well, if they do not, we will. That is what our hearing was about last week. We are trying to jump-start a debate in Congress that should have begun long ago. The hearing was not about endorsing any one exit strategy, it was about putting all of them on the table and getting the discussions started. It was about encouraging the rest of the Congress to take a strong stand against permanent U.S. military bases on Iraq's soil and Iraqi control of Iraqi oil. The American people have known for many months that the rationale for going to war in Iraq was based on fraud and lies. They have known that the war will continue to drain our resources and kill our young men and women in the military. Now, two-thirds of Americans support a partial or complete military withdrawal from Iraq. It is time for Congress to start getting that message. And it is time for Congress to catch up with the American people and to catch up with the witnesses at Thursday's hearing.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule. The Committee on Education and the Workforce voted for this Head Start bill unanimously, 48 to 0. But many of our Republican colleagues today would destroy this bill, making it partisan by allowing religious discrimination in hiring while using Federal funds, using taxpayer dollars. Most Democrats were not allowed to bring their amendments here to the floor for debate, although a bill was allowed that would add religious discrimination to this Head Start bill. It is a poison pill. I offered an amendment with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) to fully fund Head Start and to increase funding for early Head Start. Even though we are serving fewer than half of eligible children, the first 4 years of the George W. Bush administration included four of the five smallest Head Start funding increases since 1991. And the number of children served by Head Start has increased by less than one-tenth of 1 percent since the end of the Clinton administration. In a country as wealthy as ours, this is not acceptable. It is also not acceptable that while denying Democrats a debate on expanding access for children, we will debate an amendment from the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave) to allow some providers to divert public funds to private profit. Opponents of my amendment will say that they would like to increase funding for Head Start, but that they just cannot because budget constraints make it impossible. But this is authorizing legislation, Mr. Speaker, and authorizing legislation should tell appropriators what we need to accomplish our goals. If appropriators do not have the resources to do this, it is only because the administration and this Congress choose more tax cuts for the wealthiest among us over help for our children.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), a member of the Subcommittee on Education Reform.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume to respond to the chairman of the committee. The rights for faith-based organizations are already protected when they use their own funds. We are talking about using Federal funds, taxpayers' dollars, or they are talking about it, in order to enhance religious discrimination. That is what we oppose. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Chair of the Democratic Caucus. (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind), a member of our subcommittee.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, in response to the chairman, we are talking about taxpayers' money to support religious discrimination. That is what we cannot forget. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), a member of the committee.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, kill Head Start? Supporting religious discrimination which was added by the majority to this otherwise very good bill is exactly what would kill Head Start. Shame on the gentleman for thinking that it is any other way. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the minority whip.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), who is a member of the Education Reform Subcommittee.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), a member of the subcommittee.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle), for his hard work on this bill. This language has been negotiated, and we have no objections to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) for offering this amendment, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner) for supporting it. Mr. Chairman, helping Head Start centers develop with college students, students who will then help young children when they are learning to read, certainly will help those children. But also it is going to encourage more students at the college level to become and remain Head Start teachers. Anything that accomplishes both of these goals is worth doing. And I support the amendment.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), for offering this amendment and the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for his support. Approximately two-thirds of Head Start children are African American or Hispanic, but not nearly so many of their teachers are. The more diverse our teachers are, the better they will be able to understand the experiences of children in our evermore diverse society, and the better they will be able to help those children learn. And the children will also learn better because they will have models that they are missing in their lives right now. I want to caution, however, any Member that cares about teacher diversity not to vote for the Boustany amendment because religious discrimination bears a direct relationship to race and ethnicity. It goes hand in hand. Think about that if you want diversity with your teachers. This is an excellent amendment that is provided by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and I support it.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) for offering this amendment and the chairman, the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Castle) for supporting it. We know the base bill increases teacher quality requirements, and we also know that we are not doing nearly enough to help Head Start programs hire and keep these more qualified teachers. So I support my colleague's interests and understanding on making this happen.

Ms. WOOLSEY

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend and colleague from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for offering this amendment and our chairman for accepting it. Head Start is a program to give a helping hand to vulnerable children, and no child is more vulnerable than a homeless or foster child. This amendment will improve outreach and coordination of services for these very children, and this will help ensure that they receive the services they need to succeed in school and in life. Mr. Chairman, this is a worthy amendment and I support it.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Musgrave amendment. The underlying bill requires that Head Start grantees keep their administrative expenses to 15 percent or less of the grant. The grantee that keeps expenses lower than 15 percent would have the remaining funds available for teacher salaries or more books or other improvements that benefit the children. That is, unless this amendment passes and the grantee is a for-profit organization, in which case under my colleague's amendment, the difference between the 15 percent and lower expenses simply would be in the pocket of the for-profit organization. So my colleague's amendment comes down to this, very simply: whether we want the benefits of more efficient administration of grantees to go to the children or whether we want to give the businesses an incentive to cut corners for profits. I hope Members all remember HMOs; those profits do not go directly back into the program to benefit the children. I think the answer is obvious, particularly when we are serving fewer than half the eligible children. I only hope that the majority will be as willing to spend Federal dollars on serving the children as they would be in giving those dollars to for-profit companies. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), our ranking member.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am offering this amendment on behalf of the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) who is unable to be here this afternoon. Mr. Chairman, this amendment will help some of the most vulnerable victims of Hurricane Katrina, the children. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, many families have been displaced from their homes and their schools. This amendment allows displaced families to enroll their children under the age of 5 in Head Start. In Mississippi, 44 Head Start centers were impacted by Hurricane Katrina, 18 centers will be closed indefinitely, and 26 more are in need of repair. Approximately 26,743 children within the State of the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) are eligible for Head Start services prior to Hurricane Katrina. In the aftermath, the number is expected to double. In the neighboring State of Louisiana, 117 centers were impacted, 83 remain closed, and 34 centers are providing partial services. In Alabama, 9 centers were impacted, 3 centers will be closed indefinitely, and 6 are in need of repair. This amendment provides a waiver for 6 months for those families that do not have proof of immunizations and income levels to participate in the Head Start program. This 6-month waiver authority also permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive the 20 percent local Head Start match requirement. This amendment directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance, guidance, and resources which permits agencies to provide Head Start services to children who have been affected by the hurricane. The total number of Head Start children affected by Hurricane Katrina is approximately 18,000. Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, more families are now Head Start eligible. If you want families to come back and restore their communities, their children need to be safe and healthy in environments where they can learn and play. I understand and appreciate that the majority will accept this amendment and I think that is wonderful. I hope that the majority will also join us in the coming days to appropriate supplemental funds for these same children. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.