[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 17, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ANIMAL WELFARE IS IMPORTANT FOR THE ENTIRE NATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it seems the issues that face Congress 
fall into two categories: the issues that are so great, so expensive, 
so contentious, so complex that they seem almost beyond our ability to 
influence--war and peace, the economy, climate change and, more 
recently, health care--too big and too controversial for effective, 
quick, meaningful congressional action. The other category seems to be 
the simple and the mundane, almost too routine--housekeeping, like 
renaming a post office.
  The truth is, we pursue both because they're an important part of our 
job and are important to the American public. We're not going to give 
up on the big issues of the day no matter how complex, controversial 
and frustrating because, after all, they are the big issues of the day. 
That's why we're here when even modest impact can have a huge ripple 
effect on lives around the world, the safety of Americans, protecting 
the public Treasury and our soldiers. A post office may seem mundane 
and trivial to some, but to the family of that fallen hero and 
community, it's very important indeed, as it is to all Americans who 
honor and respect that sacrifice. There is a reason for these items, 
low cost but high impact. Then there are vast numbers of issues that 
are sort of in between. Animal welfare is often put in that category, 
seemingly at times unimportant or trivial, tangential--except, of 
course, when it has a devastating impact on human health, safety and 
environmental balance.
  I was recently touring the Everglades with my colleague Debbie 
Wasserman Schultz. Part of the briefing materials dealt with the 
problem of up to 100,000 pythons that started out as pets or exotic 
curiosities and ended up in that environment. Pets, farm animals, even 
whole alligators have been attacked and ingested. Earlier this summer, 
an infant in its crib was strangled by a python. Too expensive? 
Secondary? What's the price of that baby's life? And how much are we 
going to try to spend to reclaim the Everglade habitat from tens of 
thousands of pythons that have been described as the most lethal 
killing machine ever?
  Earlier this year, I had legislation that overwhelmingly passed this 
House to ban the interstate transport of primates. It had been derided 
by one of my colleagues as a ``monkey bite bill,'' ironically at just 
the same time a woman in Connecticut had her face ripped off by a 
neighbor's pet chimpanzee. I don't use that term metaphorically. Her 
face was literally ripped off. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, the woman who was 
so horribly disfigured had the courage to take her story and her 
mangled face to the public on The Oprah Winfrey Show this week. I 
simply cannot bring myself to display the picture on the floor of the 
House, but millions of viewers saw the tragic evidence for themselves.
  It's too late for this woman and her family, but it's not too late 
for the other body to act so that we can make events like this less 
likely. It's a symbol of the dysfunctionality of the other body that 
one Member--ironically a doctor, of all people--has put a hold on this 
legislation, refusing to allow the Senate to even consider it, and 
inexplicably, the other body goes along. The reason, we're told, is 
cost. The Senator is concerned about cost. Well, what is the cost to a 
woman whose eyes were torn out of her head so she couldn't see her 
daughter on prom night? What is the cost of the unbelievable 
reconstructive surgery, taking flesh from her leg to try to replace 
part of the missing face?
  Mr. Speaker, animal welfare is about much more than concern for God's 
creatures. It's about human welfare. It's about environmental balance. 
And yes, to the good doctor from Oklahoma, it's about saving money.
  The millions of Americans who watched The Oprah Winfrey Show saw the 
tragic case and its consequences. They should ask themselves why their 
Senators are not speaking out, why the other body is not passing this 
simple bill that can have such significant consequences. It may not 
change the world, but if it prevents just a few cases like this, it 
will be another example of simple legislation that we cannot afford not 
to pass.

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