Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Kilroy. It is so wonderful to serve in the House of Representatives with you, and as someone who has recently shared her personal health care battle and highlighted the need for health care reform as a reflection of your own personal story, I really just admire your courage. And it's been an incredible privilege to work with you. Thank you so much. It's now my privilege to introduce not only my friend but my next- door neighbor in Washington, D.C., a woman who has been a passionate advocate, a fighter--really you look in the dictionary and look up the word ``fighter'' and ``passion'' and Shelley Berkley is right there. She served prior to her election to Congress in the Nevada State Assembly. And I would like some credit for pronouncing ``Nevada'' correctly. So I want to pat myself on the back for that. Ms. Berkley served on the Nevada State Community College Board of Regents as well. She is the mom of two wonderful sons, both of whom I've met and who have done her proud. And it's my privilege to yield time to her tonight for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you, Congresswoman Berkley for your leadership and for your friendship and for your neighborliness. At this time I would like to yield to the gentlelady from North Carolina who will yield to some colleagues who have joined us on her side of the aisle.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you very much, Mr. Cao, for joining us this evening. Again, this has been a bipartisan Special Order, as well as male, female, a combination of devotion to making sure that the women in our lives and the 1 percent of men that are diagnosed with breast cancer every year are more aware of the importance of focusing on their breast health. It is now my privilege to yield time to the gentleman from Illinois who is celebrating a birthday today. That is particularly exciting, and we appreciate him coming down to help raise awareness about the importance of breast cancer on his birthday. He is a father of two. Prior to his election to Congress last year to fill an unexpired term of the former Speaker, he was a scientist, a very successful and learned scientist, and has added incredible expertise to the discussion and debate we have here in the House of Representatives, Mr. Foster from Illinois.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much. As Ms. Woolsey steps away from the podium, I really want to acknowledge her leadership, particularly on young women breast cancer issues because prior to my introduction of the EARLY Act, she was one of the leading voices on breast cancer in young women, and we can't thank her enough. Mr. Speaker, as our hour comes to a close, I want to thank Congresswoman Myrick for her leadership and her friendship. I think the point we want to make tonight is that although Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrated throughout the entire month of October, it is important for us to focus on breast cancer awareness and for women to focus on their breast health throughout the year.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much. Again, the gentlelady from California, Lois Capps, has been just one of the most outstanding health care advocates in the Congress. I knew about her advocacy and her leadership in health care even before I arrived in Congress in 2004, and it is a privilege to serve with you. It truly is. It's now my privilege to yield 2 minutes to a woman who has recently joined the Congress, was elected in the class of 2008, worked hard to get here and has been doing a fantastic job, served in the Nevada State Senate as the State Senate minority leader and is a good friend of mine, Congresswoman Dina Titus from the great State of Nevada.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Titus. Your leadership and the fact that you've joined the Congress added another woman to our ranks. Women's health and making sure that we can focus the attention and the agenda on women's health here in the United States House of Representatives is so incredibly important. We already have a sort of head cheerleader, so to speak, although I don't mean to trivialize her position. But the first woman, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has been a passionate advocate for women's health and has always encouraged making sure that we have more women join our ranks. You've done an incredible job since you've been here. I'm so pleased that you've joined us in the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I want to spend a couple of minutes just highlighting some unique facts that, really, most people are unaware of when it comes to breast cancer. What I've learned since my own diagnosis and since getting involved in a more personal way in trying to pass the EARLY Act is--we all hear the expression, Everyone knows someone who has breast cancer. Well, today we really can say that everyone had someone close to them that had breast cancer. It's just amazing after I shared my own story how many--I was standing there in the well the day that I shared my story with folks, and I can't tell you how many Members came up to me and touched my arm and said, Debbie, my daughter had breast cancer, my mother, my sister, my wife. People stopping me on the street, on the airplane, on the ball field with my kids. It's amazing. The outpouring of people reaching out to connect with me has just been absolutely incredible, because breast cancer touches so many people and touches women in a very personal way. But what's really frustrating about breast cancer is how it strikes certain populations in a more deadly way. Another thing that I realized is that there are higher risk populations that too often are unaware of their risk. Like me, as an Ashkenazi Jewish woman, I was not really aware of my risk of having a greater likelihood of carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. Subsequently when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I did a genetic blood test and found out that I am a carrier of the BRCA2 gene. But in doing research for the EARLY Act, the statistics that I learned about African American women and breast cancer were really startling. African American women have the highest breast cancer death rate among minority women. It's 34 per 100,000 people in the population, African American women from ages 35 to 44. So younger African American women have a breast cancer death rate more than twice the rate of white women in the same age group, and they are 34 percent more likely to die of cancer than are whites, and more than twice as likely to die of cancer as are Asians or Pacific Islanders, American Indians or Hispanics. We have got to raise awareness in higher-risk populations and minority populations, and we have to change the disparity, the disparity in the survival rate and the disparity in terms of access to health care for their populations, because we know that early detection is the key. At this time, to talk some more about that, is a very good friend of mine, another newly elected Member from the great State of Pennsylvania, professionally a dietitian before she was elected to Congress, a small business owner, and most importantly, a mother of five. I now yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Pennsylvania, Kathy Dahlkemper.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) has been such a passionate advocate on behalf of all cancer patients. As the co-Chair of the Congressional Cancer Caucus, she has done an absolutely incredible job at raising awareness not just about breast cancer but about all types of cancer. I think, given how much cancer has touched Americans' lives in a very personal way, it's important that we have local advocates like Sue Myrick, and it's my privilege to be side by side with you as cosponsors of the EARLY Act. Thank you so much. It's now my privilege to yield 4 minutes to the gentlelady from California, Lois Capps, who has a health care professional background as an RN, prior to her election to Congress, and has been one of the leading voices in women's health in the House of Representatives.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Dahlkemper. Again, it was a thrill to see you come to the House of Representatives and add your expertise, particularly as a dietician, and thank you for sharing those personal stories from your district in Pennsylvania. The important thing about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and when we talk about breast cancer it is putting a face on it, helping people to understand, because so often statistics are really easy to just kind of glaze over and stop paying attention to. Here tonight to help us continue to raise awareness is the gentlewoman from southern California, Susan Davis, who has made health care a signature issue during her time in both the California Assembly as well as the United States House of Representatives, a member of the Education and Labor Committee, one of the three committees in the House of Representatives that passed part of the health care reform legislation, and she has also been a leader by pushing for billions of dollars in funding for NIH. I yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this bipartisan Special Order on the subject of breast cancer awareness.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, tonight, like so many times before, I stand with my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address an issue that is both personal and universal. As you may know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a privilege to be with fellow survivors and advocates celebrating 25 years of breast health awareness education and empowerment. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women ages 15 to 54 according to the National Cancer Institute. In 2009 alone, the American National Cancer Society estimates that there will be 194,280 new cases of breast cancer across the nation, and 40,610 of these Americans will die from the disease. Although these statistics may seem discouraging, we have made significant progress. Steady declines in breast cancer mortality among women since 1990 have been attributed to a combination of early detection and improvements in treatment. When breast cancer is detected at early stages, the survival rate for women is 98 percent. Simply stated, many of these improvements would not have happened without Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its focus on research, education and awareness which increase early diagnoses and save lives. On a personal level, I know the importance of early detection. Nearly 2 years ago, after I found a lump in my breast while doing a self exam in the shower, my doctor diagnosed me with breast cancer. I had just turned 41. Having been a legislator for more than 17 years and having passed breast cancer legislation, I knew a lot about breast cancer. I knew the importance of early detection, clinical exams every 3 years after age 20, every year after 40, mammograms every year after 40, and yet for all that I knew, I soon realized how much I didn't know. I knew about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, the so-called breast cancer genes, but I didn't know that some women were more likely to have the mutation. I didn't know that even with no immediate family history of breast cancer, as an Ashkenazi Jew I was five times more likely to have the mutation or that I would have up to an 85 percent lifetime chance of getting breast cancer and up to a 60 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer. I knew that young women can and do get breast cancer. But like a lot of young women, I didn't know just how many of us it touches. And after talking with health care providers, survivors and advocates, it became clear that many other young women did not know these things either. Despite our seeming wealth of knowledge on breast cancer, an astounding 40 percent of young women with breast cancer said that prior to their diagnosis, they did not know that a young woman could get breast cancer. That's why on March 26, cancer-free and determined to be among the last young women who did not know enough about breast cancer, I introduced H.R. 1740, the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or the EARLY Act. And just this morning, the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health subcommittee held a hearing on this critical legislation as well as several other important breast cancer legislation. The EARLY Act is designed to educate young women and their physicians about breast health and provide support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Young women must learn to be their own voices, to speak up for themselves and know when they need to go to their doctor, because at the end of the day the old saying rings true, ``knowledge is power.'' And when the EARLY Act becomes law, we will fulfill the vital goals of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, increasing education, research and awareness all year long. However, research, education and awareness are not all that we focus on when it comes to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We must also take this opportunity to honor and recognize the people close to us who have won their fight against breast cancer, those still fighting, those we have lost, and those who are working hard every day to make sure no one else dies from breast cancer. We honor the determination of those women and the hope that their courage gives us all. It is an honor to be here tonight, standing together in solidarity as we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month, wholly committed to increasing early diagnoses, saving more lives and ultimately finding a cure to wipe out this deadly disease. Together, we will save more of our moms, our sisters, our grandmas, our daughters and our loved ones. We can and will empower women to learn the facts, know their bodies, speak up for their health and embrace support. Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased tonight in an environment in which sometimes, in fact too recently, we struggle to do almost anything in a bipartisan fashion, and the intensity and the fervor in which we engage in debate here often prevents us from coming together. The Members of the House of Representatives truly came together today in support and in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They came together in honor of women who have passed away from breast cancer, in honor of survivors, in honor of women still fighting the disease. It is my privilege to yield to and introduce my very good friend, fellow breast cancer survivor, someone who has been there for me even before I shared my own story publicly, Congresswoman Sue Myrick, the gentlelady from North Carolina.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you very much. It's now my privilege to introduce and yield to a gentleman who is, again, another recent addition to the House of Representatives, elected in November of 2008, someone who I have really seen exercise incredible leadership since his election to the United States Congress, and apparently the token man here tonight. So it's really especially wonderful that he has joined us. Steve Driehaus hails from Ohio and is the former minority whip in the Ohio House of Representatives. He is also a former Peace Corps volunteer, which, to me, that kind of altruism and volunteerism is so incredibly admirable. He is the father of three young children, whom I know he is most proud of. It's my pleasure to yield to him on behalf of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you so much, Mr. Driehaus. Again, it has absolutely been a privilege to work with you since you joined us in the House of Representatives. You've been really doing an incredible job, and I appreciate especially your taking time out of your evening, especially late in the evening, 9 o'clock at night, to help raise awareness about the importance for women to focus on their breast health and to help women and men be focused on breast cancer awareness in this month of October and all throughout the year. It's now my privilege to introduce someone whom I have come to know over the last number of years and whose district I have traveled to on a number of occasions and whose leadership I've seen demonstrated both in her hometown of Columbus as well as here on the floor of the House. She served as a former school board member in Franklin County, a former county commissioner in Franklin County, and now serves in the United States House of Representatives with distinction. I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio, Mary Jo Kilroy.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference report for the Energy and Water appropriations bill. This bill commits $180 million in Federal funding for critical Everglades restoration projects. While it is less than the administration request and the House-funded level, it represents a firm commitment from this Congress. To be clear, we must move boldly forward in saving this unique national treasure. Time is our enemy, and we have delayed too long. In 2000, Congress authorized the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan as a State-Federal partnership to restore the ailing River of Grass. However, to date, the State has outspent the Federal Government by more than 2 to 1. Finally, after 8 years of inaction, we are beginning to meet our commitment--and I can't thank Chairman Pastor and Chairman Obey enough for their steadfast support of funding to restore the Florida Everglades to its once pristine state--with significant funding in the FY09 bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as well, and now in the FY10 legislation. Chairman Obey, Chairman Visclosky and Chairman Pastor, your leadership on this effort will not be forgotten. It will preserve a national treasure for years and years to come so that my children and my children's children can enjoy the Florida Everglades. Today's bill is a positive step forward for the Everglades, and I hope it will spur further action in the next fiscal year.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because it has been more than 100 days since my friend and colleague, Representative Roy Blunt, the point man for the rumored Republican alternative health reform plan, said, I guarantee you we will provide you with a bill. Even Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal urged his party Tuesday to work with Democrats to offer health care solutions. The time to act on health insurance reform is now. We must act to offer the choice of affordable quality health care to all Americans putting you and your doctor, not the insurance companies, in charge of your health care while we reduce the problem of ballooning health care costs on American families, businesses, and our fiscal future. ``No'' is not a solution. Saying you support reform with no evidence of that support and no plan just doesn't cut it. Continuing to say ``no'' to reform leaves tens of millions of Americans without health insurance, and 45,000 Americans die every year because of this. Our friends on the other side of the aisle can't run away from the fact that they have no plan. The time to act on health insurance reform is now.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, at this time, I will continue to reserve.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I want to again thank the gentleman from Alabama and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, as well as the members of our subcommittee, for the good work that they have done on developing this Legislative Branch appropriations bill. We have a good solid product to make sure that we can move the legislative branch institutions forward and to preserve the legacy of the Capitol complex and its institutions for future generations. We also are going to make sure that we keep the government running. I am hopeful that my colleagues, both on the other side of the aisle as well as on my side of the aisle, will vote for this bill. A vote against this bill would jeopardize the security and safety of our citizens. Shutting the government down is not a responsible action.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the conference agreement which we present to the House today for the fiscal year 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill authorizes a total of $4.6 billion for the operations of the House and the Senate and for the operating budgets of the legislative branch support agencies. The overall amount is $254 million above the 2009 enacted level and $500 million below the request. The net increase over the enacted level is 3.5 percent. This is the first freestanding conference agreement for the Legislative Branch bill since 2005, and the first since I became Chair of the subcommittee. I am pleased to report that the agreement preserves all of the priorities of the House, and that the Legislative Branch bill is on time and under budget. Madam Speaker, this package was developed in full cooperation with the minority and represents a fully bipartisan agreement. The principal responsibility of our subcommittee is to serve as stewards of the legislative branch, its institutions, and its employees. In fulfilling these goals, the 2010 Legislative Branch bill provides funding for the routine and recurring costs of paying our hardworking staff, maintaining and repairing the buildings in which we work here in Washington and in our districts, securing the Capitol complex from threats, and for the technologies which we depend on to communicate among ourselves and with our constituents. Key investments in this category include $1.369 billion for the operations of the House. This includes basic pay and benefits for employees as well as a number of technology improvements, including funds to replace the aging electronic voting system in the House Chamber. It includes $328 million for the Capitol Police to protect the Capitol, the Members, and our visitors; $602 million for the Architect of the Capitol to support ongoing operational costs to the Capitol complex and to fund key initiatives to repair and upgrade these facilities; $643 million for the Library of Congress, which is an increase of $36 million over 2009, or 6 percent. This includes $15 million, as requested, to accelerate improvements in the Library's IT infrastructure, the Librarian's top priority for 2010. Madam Speaker, this bill is about more than just maintaining the status quo; it includes a number of new investments intended to provide for the long-term health of the Congress, and especially for the House of Representatives. It includes important security funding to protect the employees, visitors, and the institution itself. Let's not forget that one of the planes piloted by terrorists on September 11, 2001, was purported to be headed for the Capitol. A few weeks ago, a brave Capitol Police Officer engaged in a shoot-out with an individual brandishing a gun. Last year, a bomb was found in a car confiscated by the Capitol Police in the underground garage of the Government Printing Office. The legislative branch budget may seem trivial and unimportant, but it funds the greatest democratic institutions in the world. Madam Speaker, the Legislative Branch bill also funds our most important assets: the dedicated employees who staff our offices, committees, and support teams. We have endeavored to provide adequate funds for their compensation and benefits, but must do more if we are to continue to be able to recruit and retain the high-quality workforce which each Member depends upon. I am pleased that this conference agreement retains a House priority--funding for new childcare and tuition assistance programs which are currently being considered by the Committee on House Administration. We also must take care of and preserve for future generations the grand buildings of the Capitol complex, many of which are aging and badly in need of repair. I am pleased that the conference agreement retains $50 million of the $60 million approved by the House in June to initiate a long-term effort to provide for the revitalization of the iconic buildings of the Capitol complex. The new House Historic Buildings Revitalization Trust Fund will allow us to spread the cost of very expensive renewal projects, such as the 100-year-old Cannon House Office Building rehabilitation, evenly over the next decade. It allows the Congress to deal with these requirements in a more thoughtful and deliberate way. I am very proud that this bill steps up Congress' effort to deal with its aging infrastructure in a more forward-thinking manner. Madam Speaker, this conference agreement also includes the fiscal year 2010 continuing resolution. I fully support this action. There are just 5 days until the start of the new fiscal year, and a continuing resolution is necessary to continue basic government services. It is a clean continuing resolution which follows the same pattern used in previous years, in particular, the fiscal year 2007 continuing resolution which was added to the Defense Appropriations bill by our friends on the other side of the aisle when they were in the majority. The only differences that have been added above the current rate are important increased investments in veterans' health care and funding in preparation for the 2010 census. Before concluding, Madam Speaker, I want to take a minute to thank the minority, particularly my friend and ranking member, Mr. Aderholt from Alabama, for their very strong contributions to this conference agreement. I also want to thank my colleagues on the subcommittee, Vice Chairman Mike Honda, Representative Betty McCollum, Representative Tim Ryan, Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, Representative Ciro Rodriguez, Representative Steven LaTourette, and Representative Tom Cole. They all made important contributions to this product, and I truly appreciate their friendship and their effort. I also want to thank our staff for the work that they have done throughout the year. They have put in long hours and have been very helpful to the Members. This includes Mike Stephens, our subcommittee clerk; Liz Dawson, the minority clerk; Shalanda Young, who has just joined the subcommittee staff; Jenny Kisiah, from the minority; Dave Marroni; and Matt Glassman, from the Congressional Research Service. And I want to thank my own associate staff, Ian Rayder, and the associate staff of all the Members on the subcommittee. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present this conference agreement to the House and urge the support of all Members. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 772, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2918) making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute just to point out that with the greatest respect to the gentleman from Kentucky, the Legislative Branch appropriations bill before us being used as a vehicle for the continuing resolution was the most ready to go. There were no outstanding issues at all. The gentleman from Wisconsin has just indicated a number of issues remaining on the Homeland Security bill. We are 5 days from the end of the fiscal year with an intervening weekend included in those 5 days. It is simply a matter of making sure that we are not shutting the government down. I appreciate the good work of my colleague, Mr. Aderholt, and the members of the minority on getting this bill, the Legislative Branch appropriations bill, in the best possible position to serve as a vehicle to keep the government open. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include tabular and extraneous material on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2918.