[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 35 (Thursday, March 18, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E404-E405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IRAQ INVASION ANNIVERSARY, BRAC, AND HAITI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 18, 2004

  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, first of all I want to 
commend our brave troops who proudly serve our great Nation and risk 
their lives to preserve our freedom. I praise their courageous efforts 
to protect our country, and I am with them 100 percent. They are the 
best of the best. And I can truly say every Member of this House, this 
body, supports them 100 percent. What I do not support is this 
misleading Bush administration and this House that follows them like 
sheep. Let me repeat that. What I do not support is this misleading 
Bush administration and this House, the people's House, that follows 
them like sheep.
  A new report has been released that shows that George Bush, Dick 
Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleezza Rice made 237 misleading 
statements about the threat posed by Iraq in 125 public appearances. 
Eighty-four of those statements misled the American people about Iraq's 
chemical and biological weapons.
  Mr. Speaker, I was horrified last year to learn that 44,000 of our 
troops were sent out to battle without proper armor. Forty-four 
thousand. How can we ask young men and women to trust us when we make 
decisions that involve life and death and then not outfit them with the 
best that they need to save their lives. We deployed our young men and 
women to Iraq with Humvees that lacked armored protection and 
bulletproof windows.
  I personally went to Walter Reed where six troops had lost their legs 
while riding in Humvees. If they had been riding in the right type of 
vehicles, this may not have happened. This use of Humvees in Iraq was 
not what they were made for. We need to get our troops the equipment 
they need now.
  And, Mr. President, you need to spend more time planning for the 
safety of our troops and their families in your war efforts and less 
time fundraising and cutting taxes for the rich country club friends of 
yours.
  There are two or three other points that I want to make. One, many of 
my constituents approach me about BRACC and the base closing amendment 
that we will be doing in 2005. They are telling me we are looking 
forward to your fighting to make sure our bases are not closed in our 
area. And my question to them is, why do you think that this Bush 
administration insisted, insisted, after the House and Senate both 
voted down and said we should not have a base closure, or BRACC 
scenario, during this time of war, why do you think this administration 
insisted that we go through this? It is destabilizing the families and 
the communities during a time of war.
  I have heard that someone from the other body indicated that if they 
were elected that is one of the first things they would scrap.
  I also want to comment on the 2000 election, which I cannot get past 
because the election determined who is in charge, and certainly

[[Page E405]]

I do not think we are headed in the right direction. I am going to 
submit for the Record an article that was in The New York Times last 
week indicating that Florida could be Florida again. In other words, 
the problems that we experienced in the 2000 election have not been 
corrected. It is a disservice to the people that we serve that we do 
not straighten out the problems with the elections, not just in Florida 
but all over this country; and we have not properly funded the program.
  Also, let me mention the coup d'etat that took place a couple of 
weeks ago in Haiti. It is very unfortunate that this Bush 
administration has chosen to go in and take out a duly elected 
president. Just take him out. Just take him out. The poorest country in 
the western hemisphere. We have to make sure that the Haitian people 
get the assistance that they need from the super Bush administration, 
after going in and taking out the duly elected president.
  And I would also like to comment on the recently announced bank 
merger that the Federal Reserve approved of the Bank of America 
Corporation and FleetBoston Financial Corporation merger.
  I am concerned about the recent Bank of America-FleetBoston bank 
merger announced today, particularly since it went through with very 
little public input. What concerns me even more is that although Bank 
of America has made significant Community Reinvestment commitments to 
other states, I am disappointed that Bank of America did not ensure the 
state I represent, Florida, that it too will receive its fair share of 
resources for minority communities.
  On February 16, in the City Hall of Orlando, Florida, I hosted a 
Public Hearing so that Bank of America could better understand its 
responsibility to make a difference in Florida's African-American, 
Asian and Hispanic communities. Many minority groups and activists from 
across Florida attended this hearing, along with local elected 
officials of Florida, and Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York. The 
groups testified that significant Community Reinvestment dollars were 
necessary for home loans for minorities, the development of affordable 
housing, small business loans for minorities, procurement opportunities 
for minority businesses, community lending for minorities, and 
community investment for industrial, commercial and social facilities 
in minority communities. The Bank of America sent representatives to 
this hearing, but the pleas from the minority communities in Florida 
fell on deaf ears, and Florida was never promised a specific dollar 
amount for Community Reinvestment. Bank of America has shown the 
minority communities of New England and California great respect, but 
refuses to do the same for our Florida minority communities. It is 
imperative that the leadership of Bank of America meet immediately with 
minority leaders at a general forum to discuss the specifies of a Bank 
of America commitment for Florida.
  I am concerned about what occurred in 1994, when Bank of America 
publicly announced its plans to initiate certain lending programs in 
the state of Hawaii for Native Hawaiians on Hawaiian Home Lands. The 
Bank of America publicly called these programs ``commitments'' but did 
not pledge these commitments to the Federal Reserve Board, nor did Bank 
of America fulfill its public commitments to Hawaii. The Federal 
Reserve has stated that the enforceability of this third-party pledge 
is a matter outside of the Community Reinvestment Act, and to this day, 
Hawaii has been left without redress. How are we to trust that Florida 
will receive its share of Community Reinvestment Act money when Bank of 
America could not keep its word to Hawaii?
  The Federal Reserve noted in its Order Approving the Merger of Bank 
Holding Companies, that there were requests for state-specific goals 
for certain loan products and programs, but that it viewed such third-
party agreements as outside of the Community Reinvestment Act. I 
wholeheartedly disagree. The Board focuses on existing Community 
Reinvestment Act performance rather than promises of future activities, 
and anyhow, what type of organization does not have a plan for the 
future? My office was told that Bank of America has no plan for future 
Community Reinvestment activity in Florida or how much money would be 
spent in Florida--but not to worry. I think that this is a poor way to 
do business. Noting the experience that Hawaii had with Bank of 
America, I am wary of trusting that Bank of America has the needs of 
minority communities in Florida at heart.

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