[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16992-16999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 847, JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH AND 
  COMPENSATION ACT OF 2010; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2378, 
CURRENCY REFORM FOR FAIR TRADE ACT; AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
   SENATE AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2701, INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2010

  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I 
call up House Resolution 1674 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 1674

       Resolved, That upon the adoption of this resolution it 
     shall be in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 
     847) to amend the Public Health Service Act to extend and 
     improve protections and services to individuals directly 
     impacted by the terrorist attack in New York City on 
     September 11, 2001, and for other purposes. All points of 
     order against consideration of the bill are waived except 
     those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. In lieu of 
     the amendments recommended by the Committees on Energy and 
     Commerce and the Judiciary now printed in the bill, the 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute printed in the report 
     of the Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution shall 
     be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be 
     considered as read. All points of order against provisions in 
     the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall 
     be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate, with 30 minutes equally divided and controlled by the 
     chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Energy 
     and Commerce, 20 minutes equally divided and controlled by 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on the 
     Judiciary, and 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on 
     Ways and Means; and (2) one motion to recommit with or 
     without instructions.
       Sec. 2. Upon the adoption of this resolution it shall be in 
     order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 2378) to amend 
     title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930 to clarify that 
     fundamental exchange-rate misalignment by any foreign nation 
     is actionable under United States countervailing and 
     antidumping duty laws, and for other purposes. All points of 
     order against consideration of the bill are waived except 
     those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. The amendment 
     in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on 
     Ways and Means now printed in the bill shall be considered as 
     adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. 
     All points of order against provisions in the bill, as 
     amended, are waived. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, to final 
     passage without intervening motion except: (1) one hour of 
     debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means; 
     and (2) one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
       Sec. 3. Upon adoption of this resolution, it shall be in 
     order to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2701) 
     to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2010 for 
     intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the 
     United States Government, the Community Management Account, 
     and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability 
     System, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment 
     thereto, and to consider in the House, without intervention 
     of any point of order except those arising under clause 10 of 
     rule XXI, a motion offered by the chair of the Permanent 
     Select Committee on Intelligence or his designee that the 
     House concur in the Senate amendment. The Senate amendment 
     and the motion shall be considered as read. The motion shall 
     be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by 
     the chair and ranking minority member of the Permanent Select 
     Committee on Intelligence. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the motion to final adoption without 
     intervening motion.

                              {time}  1040

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pastor of Arizona). The gentleman from 
New York is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the 
customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz-
Balart). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for 
debate only.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ARCURI. I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on 
House Resolution 1674.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ARCURI. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1674 provides for the consideration of 
three bills in one rule:
  H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. 
The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, with 30 minutes controlled 
by the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 20 minutes controlled by the 
Committee on the Judiciary, and 10 minutes controlled by the Committee 
on Ways and Means. The rule considers as adopted the substitute 
amendment printed in the report of the Committee on Rules. Finally, the 
rule provides one motion to recommit H.R. 847, with or without 
instructions;
  H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act. The rule provides 
1 hour for general debate controlled by the Committee on Ways and 
Means. The rule makes in order the substitute that was adopted by voice 
vote in the Ways and Means Committee last week. And, finally, the rule 
provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions; and, 
three,
  The Senate amendment to H.R. 2701, the Intelligence Authorization Act 
of 2010. The rule makes in order a motion offered by the chair of the 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that the House concur in the 
Senate amendment. The motion is debatable for 1 hour, controlled by the 
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
  Mr. Speaker, all three bills that this rule provides for 
consideration of are important and very pressing matters. I will speak 
to the merits of each this morning, but let me take this opportunity to 
begin by discussing H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and 
Compensation Act.
  I want to start by thanking Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Speaker 
Pelosi, and Leader Hoyer for their dedication to the heroes and 
heroines and survivors of 9/11. I would like to thank all my colleagues 
in the New York delegation. With their support, we will finally do, 
after 9 years, what

[[Page 16993]]

has been so long overdue--guarantee help for the survivors who served 
their country in the time of a national emergency.
  The 9/11 attacks were attacks on the United States. The response was 
a national response, and providing for those heroes who served our 
Nation is our responsibility because many of them are sick and dying 
today as a result of their service to our country. This is not a New 
York bill, no. This is a bill for America.
  As has been repeated many times, there are more than 71,000 people 
enrolled in the Federal World Trade Health Registry from--and I cannot 
stress this enough--every single State in the country. Thousands of 
firefighters, rescue workers, first responders, medical personnel, and 
construction workers traveled to Ground Zero to help search for 
survivors, to help clean up, and to help New York City recover. Many 
spent days, weeks, or months doing this hard work on behalf of our 
Nation. These heroes are now sick. We owe them more than we are 
currently providing. We are indebted to their service, and we must 
repay that debt if we hope to be able to count on others to act with 
similar valor if, God forbid, we were ever to face another national 
emergency of that nature again.
  I strongly urge my colleagues, whether they be Democrat or 
Republican, liberal or conservative, northern or southern, eastern or 
western, to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and to vote ``yes'' 
on the rule and vote ``yes'' on the bill. Those who stood up for our 
country in the wake of 9/11 are now counting on each of us to stand up 
for them.
  Another important measure of this rule allows for the consideration 
of H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, which is 
necessary to level the international playing field so that United 
States manufacturers can fairly compete with our trading partners.
  China is, without a doubt, undercutting our Nation's industrial base 
by devaluing its currency and dumping products into our markets, and we 
must do something about it.
  There is no way our domestic manufacturers can compete globally when 
our trading partners don't play by the same rules. Without action, we 
face the possibility of losing thousands of fair wage manufacturing 
jobs in upstate New York as well as across the Nation.
  I have dealt with this countless times with the steel industry and 
have testified before the House Ways and Means Committee and the 
International Trade Commission to express my views. It is one of the 
reasons I became a cosponsor of the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act, 
along with 159 of my House colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, 
because we feel that countries like China that devalue their currency 
should be held accountable, and, as a Nation, we should have the 
ability to defend our domestic business.
  This rule provides for consideration of H.R. 2378, the Currency 
Reform for Fair Trade Act, which will require the Department of 
Commerce to assess whether a Nation's currency rules grant a benefit in 
terms of the additional currency the country's exporters receive as a 
result of the undervaluation and to use widely accepted IMF methods for 
determining the level of undervaluation.
  As amended, H.R. 2378 is WTO consistent, because countervailing 
duties may only be imposed when commerce finds, based on an assessment 
of all the facts, the WTO criteria for an export subsidy have been met.
  Again, I urge all Members to support this rule so that we can have a 
debate here today on this legislation which is so important to the 
businesses and employees that each of us represent.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to 
thank my friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Arcuri), for the 
time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today, the majority brings to the floor another closed rule denying 
the minority, denying all Members, the right to offer amendments, in 
this case, to three very important bills. Despite debating over 130 
rules bringing legislation to the floor of this Congress, we have yet 
to see one open rule. We have before us a closed rule, as I said 
before, Mr. Speaker, bringing three important pieces of legislation to 
the floor:
  The 9/11 Health and Compensation legislation. It is important that we 
honor the police and firefighters, the first responders and volunteers 
also, that served New York and, really, our entire country in the 
aftermath of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks.

                              {time}  1050

  Those brave men and women deserve to be treated fairly, and their 
families as well. Unfortunately, as noble as this bill is, it is paid 
for by increased taxes on companies located in the United States that 
are employing American workers. Many of us believe that at a time of 
high unemployment and really evident economic stagnation, our country 
should not allow the majority to raise taxes.
  With regard to the currency legislation, it is meant, Mr. Speaker, to 
provide leverage to the administration, to the President, in what is 
America's ongoing work to achieve a proper valuation of the Chinese 
regime's currency. Despite the best efforts of the Secretary of the 
Treasury, Mr. Geithner, and others, the PRC regime has given no 
indication that they are willing to advance efforts to create a level 
playing field, and that is not acceptable.
  The distinguished ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. 
Camp, has included changes in the legislation meant to make the bill 
compliant with WTO regulations. But, Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, the 
bill is about sending a message to the PRC regime, a message of 
American unity, and it is important, it is very important at this time. 
I think the legislation will move us closer to correcting an obvious 
unacceptable situation which the PRC regime insists on maintaining, but 
they need to be clearly informed that they are wrong.
  With regard to the intelligence authorization, this is the third time 
in this Congress that legislation has been brought to the House floor. 
The most recent delay was the result of a disagreement between the 
Speaker and the administration, and that has caused a significant 
delay, about an 8 month delay.
  But the third time doesn't seem to be the charm for the majority to 
allow an open process to consider this legislation that is very 
important to our national security. One Republican amendment was 
allowed during the first consideration of the legislation; four 
Republican amendments the second time, while 26 majority amendments 
were made in order; and now we are facing a closed rule, no amendments.
  The underlying bill contains changes that were negotiated with no 
House Republican input. The collaboration of one Republican Senator led 
the majority to declare that this is a bipartisan bill. That is not 
serious.
  Despite the Speaker's insistence on delaying the legislation, the 
delay has resulted in little tangible change to the requirement to 
notify leaders of this body in the Intelligence committees. Instead, 
the administration under the bill retains authority to decide on its 
own which Members of Congress receive those vital briefings.
  The legislation also removes the prohibition on using intelligence 
funding to bring prisoners from Guantanamo to the United States, and it 
excludes a bipartisan amendment that would prohibit the granting of 
Miranda rights to foreign terrorists captured overseas.
  I know, Mr. Speaker, the majority wishes to rush to the exit to be 
back in their districts campaigning, but we should not pass a bill that 
hurts the intelligence community in the process.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel).
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank my colleague from New York for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule on H.R. 847, the 
James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
  We all know on September 11, 2001, what happened, and I said it on 
the House floor shortly thereafter and I repeat it again today that I 
was never

[[Page 16994]]

more proud to be an American and a New Yorker than on that day. Many of 
my constituents rushed in to help. Tearfully, many of them perished.
  But within days of the attack, over 40,000 responders from across the 
Nation, let me repeat, across the United States, 431 congressional 
districts out of 435, these heroes descended upon Ground Zero to do 
anything possible to help with the rescue, recovery, and cleanup.
  The people that rushed in didn't put themselves first. They 
selflessly helped others. They rushed in to help their fellow human 
beings. And the question is, why should we now penalize these people 
who risked their lives?
  They thought it was safe to work at the site and the air was safe to 
breathe. They were told this by Federal officials, that the air is 
fine, come down and help. They never questioned their own safety when 
they ran in to help others, because they put others in need ahead of 
themselves. And do you know what? The statements that were given about 
the air being safe to breathe were false. Many became sick, and the 
illnesses from exposure to the toxins have developed to become severe 
and debilitating, and for some deadly, and these heroes deserve more.
  The past 9 years have not been kind to so many of the first 
responders who put themselves in harm's way and the residents of the 
surrounding neighborhoods. It is estimated that up to 400,000 people in 
the World Trade Center area on 9/11 were exposed to extreme toxic 
environmental hazards, including asbestos, particulate matter, and 
smoke, and the illnesses that those exposed to the toxins developed are 
severe, debilitating, and, for many families, simply devastating.
  Many people think that H.R. 847 is a special benefit for New York. 
No, it isn't. The benefit is, with these people, you get sick, you get 
sicker, and you die. That is not a benefit. Every single congressional 
district, save three or four, has constituents who were exposed to the 
fateful day.
  So I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes on 
this rule so we can proceed with an honest debate on H.R. 847. The 
American public is fed up with the bickering and the fighting. This is 
something we can and should all come together for.
  So I urge my colleagues, please, don't vote against this rule and 
don't vote down the bill because of any kind of politics. Let's honor 
the sacrifice that so many of our constituents made on that fateful 
day.
  The pay-fors are fine for me. If others feel the pay-fors are not 
proper and want to change them, I am not particularly bothered by that. 
I think we need to all put our heads together and pass this bill, 
whatever the pay-fors are. The important thing is to pass this bill and 
help these people.
  New York was attacked because it is a symbol of this country. It 
wasn't attacked because it is New York. It is New York, but New York is 
a symbol of the United States.
  So let's work together in a show of unity. I have talked to a number 
of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. We all want to get this 
done with. Let's get it done with. Vote ``yes'' on the previous 
question, vote ``yes'' on the rule, and vote ``yes'' on the bill.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
my friend, the great leader from New York (Mr. King).
  Mr. KING of New York. I thank my friend from Florida for yielding.
  Let me at the outset thank the leadership in both parties for 
allowing this bill to come to the House floor. Whatever differences we 
have, I am sure today they will be resolved in a way that is fitting 
the Congress of the United States.
  This is a real issue. Those of us who live in New York--and, as my 
friend Congressman Engel said, this is not a New York issue per se 
because it affects 431 districts across the country, but those of us 
who live in New York, we see the reality of this every day when we see 
our neighbors, we see our constituents who are so severely afflicted by 
their work at Ground Zero.
  Many of these illnesses did not occur until several years later. But 
of the glass that is in their lungs, the toxins that are in their 
blood, all of that is now coming forward, and you see people in the 
prime of life, 40, 50 years old, people who would run marathons, people 
who were in the peak of shape, dying slowly in front of us. So this is 
a real issue.
  I understand the points the gentleman made as far as procedure, as 
far as funding. Quite frankly, I would agree with him on that. But when 
we look at the overall bill, when we look at the good that would come 
from this, we really shouldn't allow the firefighters, the police 
officers, the construction workers, the EMS workers to have to wait 
longer to get the treatment and the care that they deserve while we try 
to resolve our internal differences.
  We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. And this is 
a good bill. On balance it is a very good bill, but for those who are 
suffering, it is absolutely essential that this bill pass.
  So, I want to again thank the Democratic leadership and the 
Republican leadership. It is being brought up today. Again, we can have 
differences about how it is being brought up, or when it should have 
been brought up, or how it should have been paid for, but the bottom 
line is we are talking about life and death.
  We are talking about the life and death of men and women who put 
their lives on the line without asking any questions at all. They just 
went to Ground Zero, and they worked from September 11 for the next 6, 
7, 8 months, day in and day out, and they put their lives at risk. And 
many of them, because of that, are now suffering the horrible, 
unspeakable consequences of the illnesses they incurred from that day.
  With that, I just ask for the passage of the underlying bill.

                              {time}  1100

  Mr. ARCURI. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
Lowey).
  Mrs. LOWEY. More than 70,000 Americans from every State, including 
more than 1,100 from my district, descended upon Ground Zero to recover 
and rebuild after 9/11. They ran into burning buildings. They rescued 
trapped workers. They sorted through destruction. I know. We were 
there.
  Just as we provide medical care for our troops, we must care for the 
13,000 who are now sick as a result of their heroic actions in a toxic 
environment. They disregarded their personal safety for our country. We 
must pass the bipartisan bill before us today. Nearly all of us 
represent a responder, no matter where in the United States we're from, 
and 9 years later we have a responsibility to do what is right.
  Vote for the rule and vote for the bipartisan bill.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 
my friend from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen).
  Mr. PAULSEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this week's YouCut winner.
  Mr. Speaker, how long are the American people supposed to wait before 
this Congress will take action that will positively change the economic 
prosperity for our citizens? Our country cannot simply continue down 
its current path of fiscal recklessness.
  The most recent Congressional Oversight Panel report found that the 
Troubled Asset Relief Program, the TARP bailout program, has not been 
effective in meeting its statutory obligations. Last year, I offered 
legislation that would have repealed the Secretary of the Treasury's 
ability to extend the TARP bailout program. It would have saved 
taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars at that time. I thought, as 
did many of my colleagues, that there was no reason to continue 
throwing good many after bad in a program that wasn't working. 
Unfortunately, and nonetheless, Congress failed to act and the 
administration extended the TARP program for another 10 months.
  As of this month, $80 billion in funds have yet to be dispersed. By 
voting against the previous question today and for this week's YouCut 
winner, tens of billions of dollars that are now

[[Page 16995]]

going to programs that do not work, including more taxpayer money for 
AIG, can be stopped. People are absolutely tired of Washington's 
bailouts.
  Mr. Speaker, some will say that the TARP program will end in just a 
few days. But what you will not hear is that the Congressional Budget 
Office will certainly say and has said that they now estimate that the 
Federal Government will spend between $4 billion and $7 billion next 
year and the year after that and the year after that and the year after 
that. So, sadly, taxpayers will be stuck with that tab. So when will 
the bailout stop? We can and we must do better. Americans deserve 
better.
  I urge Members to end the TARP program once and for all.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. It is my pleasure, Mr. Speaker, 
to yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Lance).
  Mr. LANCE. I rise to express my strong support for today's YouCut 
proposal offered by my friend and colleague from Minnesota, Congressman 
Erik Paulsen.
  As freshmen members of the Financial Services Committee, Mr. Paulsen 
and I have been vigorous in our efforts to bring the TARP program to a 
close and to ensure that any remaining funds be used for deficit 
reduction and not for new government spending.
  The TARP law was meant to provide a one-time infusion of funds to 
help stabilize a financial system on the brink of failure. Yet some in 
Washington see TARP as a slush fund for more spending. Acting to 
terminate TARP and TARP-related programs once and for all will protect 
taxpayers from future losses and provide certainty that the remaining 
funds will not be used for further Washington bailouts.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in support of Mr. Paulsen's fiscally 
responsible proposal.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Reyes).
  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and good friend from New 
York for yielding me time on this very important rule, and I rise in 
support of this rule. As I have many times in my tenure as chairman, I 
note that I owe a great deal to my vice chairman and good friend, the 
gentleman from Florida, as well, Mr. Hastings, who unfortunately has 
another commitment and was unable to be here. But H.R. 2701 contains a 
lot that is the product of his work. And I'm thankful for his long-term 
support on this important aspect to our national security.
  The authorities and institutions that govern the intelligence 
community are set by statute, but the threats that are posed by our 
adversaries continuously change. Regular updates to the law are 
necessary to ensure that the intelligence community has the tools that 
it needs to keep us safe. This bill includes nearly 6 years' worth of 
these statutory improvements. The bill reasserts Congress' role in 
conducting oversight of intelligence activities. And, most importantly, 
the bill fundamentally reforms the process for briefing Congress on 
certain sensitive covert operations.
  The bill also includes a compromise on GAO, which directs that the 
DNI come up with directives governing GAO access to the intelligence 
community. The bill also creates a new Inspector General for the 
intelligence community with the authority to root out waste, fraud, and 
abuse across the community and also assess the information sharing in 
that community. The bill includes language to bring intelligence 
community acquisition procedures closer in line with those of DOD 
acquisition reforms, including a provision that was modeled on the 
Nunn-McCurdy Act.
  I would also like to make an additional point about process. This is 
admittedly an unusual time to consider an authorization bill. The 
fiscal year is almost over and all relevant appropriations bills have 
already been enacted.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. REYES. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  To avoid significant complications regarding the use of appropriated 
funds, the bill does not include a classified annex or schedule of 
authorizations. But the legislative provisions in the bill, including 
those that I have just delineated, would make changes to permanent law 
and live well beyond this fiscal year. Moreover, I would like to 
emphasize that we sought a negotiation process that was as open as 
possible. The staffs of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees 
had dozens of meetings and countless hours in which both parties from 
both Chambers were represented.
  Like any important piece of legislation, H.R. 2701 includes some 
difficult compromises. Not every Republican provision or Democratic 
provision was included in the final version. Then, again, that's the 
process of compromise in the legislative process. The final bill 
incorporates a number of Republican ideas, including a floor amendment 
by Mr. Hoekstra requiring disclosure of a report regarding the shoot-
down of a plane in Peru; an amendment by Mr. Rogers dealing with FBI 
jurisdiction overseas; and a provision by Mr. Conaway to ensure 
auditability of elements of the intelligence community.
  At the end of the day, this is a bipartisan product, and I urge 
adoption of the rule.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favor of today's YouCut 
proposal to fulfill a promise made to the American people. TARP must 
end. Since January 2009, many of us in this body have voted to end TARP 
and the continued abuse of taxpayer dollars. Congress created the 
emergency Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, as a temporary 
stopgap against an imminent financial collapse. Ronald Reagan once said 
that ``no government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. 
Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a 
government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see 
on this Earth.''
  The emergency has ended. It is time to terminate TARP and return the 
money to taxpayers, as promised. Instead, the administration has 
continued to hand out billions of dollars to irresponsible actors on 
Wall Street. It has used the money as a slush fund, created new Federal 
programs, and paid for $19 million in new spending in the Dodd-Frank 
bill.

                              {time}  1110

  In August, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that TARP will 
cost taxpayers an additional $4 billion to $7 billion per year over the 
next 3 years, and let's not forget that the Dodd-Frank Act makes 
taxpayer-backed bailouts permanent.
  Our country can't afford this kind of excessive spending and 
permanent government intrusion into the private marketplace. American 
taxpayers--our constituents, families and small businesses--are 
demanding tax relief, not more spending and bailouts. Congress must 
listen to the American people.
  This week, Americans voted overwhelmingly through the YouCut 
initiative for this House to end TARP bailouts. We need to stop the 
hemorrhaging, end the bailouts and return the TARP funds to the 
American taxpayers.
  I urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question. In doing 
so, support today's YouCut initiative, and protect taxpayers from more 
bailouts that we cannot afford in this economy.
  Mr. ARCURI. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished manager of this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, people are in need in America, and I support the rule 
and the underlying bills in intelligence, currency and, certainly, the 
legislation of H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 health bill.
  How long do those first responders have to wait?

[[Page 16996]]

  We have been on this floor before where we have embarrassed 
ourselves. These individuals who have lived--and some who have died--
were the first on line during the tragedy of 9/11. However, they were 
not captured in the relief and recovery. Many of them have suffered 
with respiratory diseases, and their families have suffered. Some have 
already lost their lives. It is crucial that we pass this bill.
  Similarly, I am hoping that we will have come to the floor 
legislation that will help my constituents in Houston, Texas, and Texas 
in the relief of Hurricane Ike, where we are trying to extend the 
Health and Human Services block grant dollars for the thousands of 
Hurricane Ike victims who have not been helped. Here, too, we need to 
help those individuals who are now trying to be processed because 
Federal Government dollars came late and came late to Catholic 
Charities and to other nonprofits which are trying to work. We are 
waiting on the legislation in the Senate. We hope that we will be able 
to move this. Otherwise, we hope that there will be some action by the 
administration.
  We can't act on H.R. 847 by any other means than to pass this 
legislation today. So my message is that we must pass this rule because 
people are in need. They ask this Congress: When are you going to stand 
for the people, stand for the victims of Hurricane Ike and stand for 
the first responders of 
9/11?
  I ask my colleagues to support the rule.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to 
my friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers).
  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a little bit 
of hope that we may have a great awakening in this body of what has 
been an assault on the manufacturing community of this great country.
  We have lost over 2 million manufacturing jobs in the last 2 years. 
Chinese currency manipulation is directly responsible for a quarter of 
those job losses. According to the Economic Policy Institute, China's 
currency policy has destroyed almost 5,000 jobs just in my district 
alone. Part of the 68,000 jobs, China has destroyed in Michigan.
  It is part of a larger pattern.
  There are 25,000 auto manufacturing jobs which have been lost in 
Detroit because of Chinese theft of intellectual property. The currency 
manipulation bill before you has been a long effort, an effort to 
understand that, when they cheat in the market, they steal American 
jobs. We welcome their rise in the economy. We hope that we can sell 
them cars and goods, but we can no longer stand by and let the Chinese 
Government and other governments manipulate their currencies and do 
other things that give them unfair competitive advantages against 
American workers. Given the chance to compete, we will absolutely win 
that fight. They know it. That's why they cheat to steal our jobs.
  You know, around this body, unfortunately, we have spent a lot of 
time trying to figure out how to hate success--with taxation to our 
companies and heavy regulation, which will add huge, unknown quantities 
into this economy, and with a health care bill that absolutely destroys 
innovation and that absolutely raises the costs of a small business 
owner in this country.
  The cap-and-trade bill that will add so much uncertainty, one of the 
highest energy tax increases in the history of this country, looms over 
the business community--with tax increases set to take effect December 
31 of this year. If you hire somebody in December of this year at about 
$40,000, the employer has to generate about $55,000 of income just to 
pay for that one employee. You know what? In January of next year, we 
have no idea what those costs are going to be. That's why businesses 
aren't hiring.
  So this step, this recognition, is to say that we have got to stop 
borrowing money from the Chinese so that we can impact our ability to 
help stop this currency manipulation that we know creates an unfair 
competitive advantage for U.S. manufacturers.
  I hope, again, that this is this first small step in the recognition 
that it is not about big programs here and about lots more spending and 
lots more borrowing and lots more regulation that is going to make 
America prosperous. It is about getting the playing field equal, and it 
is about getting out of the way of our businesses and manufacturers 
around this great country, and it is about letting them do what they do 
best--innovate, hire people, create wealth, create prosperity. We have 
to stop hating success in this country because, if we continue it, you 
will start to hate America.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the amount of time I 
have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 16 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Serrano).
  Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman for the time.
  I congratulate the leadership of the House and the members of the New 
York delegation for bringing the 9/11 bill to the floor. I especially 
want to thank Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Nadler and Mr. King, who in a 
bipartisan fashion have put together this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill is long overdue. This bill simply says that we 
recognize the health needs of the people who volunteered on that day, 
who volunteered to go for a long period of time and who were told by 
the Federal Government that the air and the conditions in that area 
were safe. These folks are now suffering from very difficult and 
complex illnesses that very few doctors and hospitals understand. Only 
certain specialized care facilities can manage their health problems.
  As I said before, the bill has a bipartisan approach, and that's 
something we don't always see around here, but we see it on this bill 
because of the importance and of the need to do something and to do it 
now.
  It has been a long time since 9/11. Yet we have spent a lot of money, 
as we perhaps should have, on the war on terrorism--that is correct--
but there is another war. It is a war to bring good health care to 
those who volunteered and to those who were contracted to do this work.
  So, today, I join the New York delegation, and I join all Members of 
Congress in a bipartisan fashion to say that this bill was long overdue 
and that we should approve this bill today without any stumbling 
blocks. We should just simply come together as Members of Congress, 
come together as two parties, come together as Americans to say thank 
you and to say the least we can do is to provide this health care for 
you in a very thankful way.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to 
yield 2 minutes to the distinguished Republican whip, the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).
  Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the way this bill has come 
forward and to the rule upon which we are voting.
  As our surging debt rises to unsustainable levels, the majority's 
desire to spend and spend shows no signs of abating, but now the 
American people are speaking up and are saying that enough is enough.
  Through the YouCut program, the American people have found a vehicle 
to actively shape how their government spends public dollars. YouCut 
voters have helped House Republicans offer more than $120 billion in 
spending cuts--money that would go straight back to the taxpayers if 
not for the majority's refusal to bring even one single reduction of 
spending before the House for a vote.
  This week's winning item is a proposal by the gentleman from 
Minnesota, Representative Erik Paulsen, to finally bring closure to the 
TARP program and to put those moneys towards retiring the national 
debt. The plan would wall off TARP as a source of funding for any 
further bailouts, saving the taxpayers several billions of dollars. It 
would reduce moral hazard across numerous industries and government 
programs while signaling that the days of bailing out irresponsible 
decisionmakers are over.

[[Page 16997]]



                              {time}  1120

  Under Speaker Pelosi and President Obama, the size and scope of 
government have ballooned while the private sector workforce has 
shrunk. Mr. Speaker, the answer to our economy's ills does not rest in 
more spending, taxation, and government regulation. It rests in private 
sector growth, entrepreneurship, and innovation, spurred by lower taxes 
and economic freedom. That's why, Mr. Speaker, we must move forcefully 
to trim spending and focus like a laser on fostering an economic 
atmosphere conducive to investment, innovation, and job creation.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), the sponsor of the 9/11 bill.
  Mrs. MALONEY. I thank my colleague from the great State of New York 
for his leadership on this bill and his outstanding leadership in so 
many other ways and in so many other areas to help our great State.
  I strongly support and rise in support of the rule. The time is now 
to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, legislation 
that is overwhelmingly supported by Americans across our country.
  This is not a New York issue. Our Nation was attacked, and those who 
are suffering come from all 50 States. In 428 of the 435 congressional 
districts nationwide, nearly every Member of Congress has constituents 
who lost their health because of the attacks. For these Americans, the 
9/11 attacks are not history but are an ongoing nightmare that is 
slowly robbing them of their health, their strength, their livelihood, 
and, in worst cases, their lives.
  The attacks caused all kinds of terrible health problems that are 
unique to 9/11. 9/11 responders have received a lot of awards and 
praise, but what they tell me is what they really need is their health 
care. And this bill provides health care to all who need it--monitoring 
for those who were exposed to the deadly toxins, and assistance for the 
survivors of the attacks.
  It will also open the Federal Victims Compensation Fund. It is fully 
paid for. After Pearl Harbor, Congress passed health care and financial 
relief for civilians and the responders who helped salvage our Pacific 
Fleet. It is time for Congress to do the same for 9/11 responders and 
survivors.
  I thank the entire New York delegation, especially Congressmen King 
and Nadler and their staffs who have worked almost every day for years 
with my staff, Ben Chevat and others, to bring this bill to the floor.
  Our responders and our survivors were there for us. We need to be 
there for them. And in today's debate, I hope that all Members will put 
politics aside.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mrs. MALONEY. I thank the gentleman.
  I am urging all Members in a bipartisan way on both sides of the 
aisle to put politics aside and to honor and respect the sacrifice made 
by so many Americans on 9/11.
  I thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle, particularly 
Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to 
my friend from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo).
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I speak in favor of the Currency Reform 
for Fair Trade Act, H.R. 2378.
  This day has been long in coming. In 2003, I was one of the first 
Members of Congress to introduce legislation to stop currency 
undervaluation, especially by China. There has been some modest 
progress taking place over the years, but the overall practice 
continues to the detriment of our manufacturers.
  Counties in northern Illinois have a real unemployment rate of 
somewhere between 18 and 25 percent. We can't wait any longer for more 
promises to solve this problem in the future.
  Just listen to one of my constituents, Jerry Busse from Rockford 
Toolcraft, who was quoted in the Rockford Register Star on August 30 of 
this year.
  Mr. Busse: ```We have done work for a big manufacturer in Chicago for 
20 years. All of a sudden, we lost a lot of their business because they 
decided to move the work to China,' Busse said. He asked the Chicago 
company what he had to do to get the work back.
  ```The prices they were getting from China were close to what we had 
been getting. I said, I think I can do the work for that amount,' Busse 
said. But the company refused.
  ```Their management said anyone in America has to be 30 percent under 
the Chinese price. And I can't do that.'''
  Well, that's about the extent of the valuation of the Chinese RMB.
  I support the new version of the legislation to combat exchange rate 
undervaluation by China and other countries. We have to take a stand to 
stop China from making their imports cheaper in the U.S. and our 
exports more expensive going to China.
  One study estimates that correction of all the Asian currency 
undervaluations would cut the global U.S. trade deficit by about $100 
billion and generate at least 700,000 American jobs.
  This legislation provides another weapon in our trade arsenal to 
empower trade enforcement officials to confront unfair trade practices 
by China and others. If you want to stop Chinese imports coming in at 
predatory prices and give our manufacturers and farmers the chance to 
fairly compete, then support the currency reform bill.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague and friend 
from New York, Representative Weiner.
  Mr. WEINER. Within the next 30 minutes or so, about four, perhaps 
five, buses of people are going to arrive on the West front of the 
Capitol and walk in here and fill up these Chambers. These are people 
who, almost every single one of them, are to some degree a victim of 
September 11. They are people who aren't going to run very fast; 
although, they were, not so long ago, very healthy. These are people 
who, after September 11, not because it was their job, although some of 
them are professional firefighters and first responders, but because 
they are patriotic Americans, they went down to Ground Zero and, with 
their hands, literally, helped dig out our city and our country.
  It was not just from New York. We all remember iconically that the 
days after September 11, if you stood on the West Side Highway of 
Manhattan and looked at the license plates of the fire trucks, of the 
cars, of the ambulances, they were from all around the country. Every 
single district--434, in fact, of the 435 districts have someone who 
has that 9/11 cough.
  Nine years later, 900 Americans have died from 9/11-related 
illnesses. Now, they're going to come here and they're going to fill up 
these galleries, and they don't know a motion to recommit from a 
suspension. They don't know what the rule is. They don't know what the 
number is. All that they know is that, by degrees, every single day 
they're dying. They're dying from diseases they didn't have. These are 
some of the most vigorous people you can imagine. The fact that they're 
coming here--you are going to see people in wheelchairs who, on that 
day, were healthy and vigorous. James Zadroga, for whom the bill is 
named, one of the fittest guys you can imagine, dead today because of 
9/11-related illnesses.
  My colleagues on both sides of the aisle, this is a fierce political 
time of year. No one's more political than I, and no one's more 
partisan than I. I am proud to be a Democrat. I'm going to fight very 
hard to win my election. I'm going to fight very hard to make sure you 
guys lose yours. But if there's one day of the year, if there's one 
item on the calendar where people like me and Peter King are working 
shoulder to shoulder where we're trying to figure out a way to do the 
right thing and put aside politics, this should be the day.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. WEINER. This is the day that we can stand up and say, You know 
what? If you really believe philosophically we shouldn't take care of 
these people, vote ``no.'' But let's try not to make

[[Page 16998]]

mischief. Let's try to talk about this in a serious, adult way. And I'm 
convinced that we're going to do the right thing. If this is the last 
thing we do in this Congress, let's, in a bipartisan way, go home to 
our constituents to say to those people in the galleries, We 
understand, and we get it.
  They are the first casualties of the war in Afghanistan, and the 
amount of money that we're going to spend would not support the war in 
Afghanistan more than 11 days. These people have been waiting 9 years. 
Let's not have any more people die because of the attacks of September 
11.
  Let's pass the September 11 Act that was sponsored by Peter King and 
Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler. This is something that affects 
every single district in this country. Let us do the right thing. And 
if you believe the right thing is to take care of these people, please 
vote ``yes'' on the rule. Please vote ``yes'' on the bill. Please vote 
``no'' on any troublesome amendments to the bill that come up later.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to 
the great young leader from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, today I am here to support the YouCut proposal on the 
floor that would end the bailouts permanently, the Troubled Asset 
Relief Program, the so-called TARP program which we all know and 
dislike, and the bailouts. This is our opportunity to vote to cut 
billions of dollars worth of spending that Washington has propagated in 
the last few years. Namely, within this bill, within this vote is the 
Home Affordability Mortgage Program. It is a great idea. It is a 
fantastic idea to give mortgage relief to those who are trying to make 
ends meet and make their payments. Unfortunately, this program has been 
an abject failure. It has modified 230,000 mortgages but cost billions 
of dollars, far from its goal of 3 million mortgage modifications. So 
many of the folks who participate in this program are later rejected 
for permanent modifications. They end up 3 months behind in their 
mortgage or more, hit with penalties and late fees, show delinquency on 
their credit report, and, at the same time, end up worse off than if 
the program had never existed. President Obama's proposal here is 
absolutely the wrong approach, and moreover, it's just another symptom 
of the bailout culture of Washington, D.C. So vote to cut spending.
  Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Hastings), my colleague from the Rules Committee.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank my colleague on the Rules Committee, 
my good friend Mr. Arcuri.
  Mr. Speaker, as vice chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee 
on Intelligence, I know that the intelligence community is the first 
line of defense against terrorists, proliferators of weapons of mass 
destruction, and other rogue elements who wish to do us harm here at 
home and across the globe. This legislation, for the first time since 
2004, is an opportunity for the Congress to guide the 16 agencies of 
the intelligence community while making significant strides in 
improving oversight of the intelligence community.
  I have had the honor and privilege of meeting many of our 
intelligence professionals during my oversight travel as a member of 
the Intelligence Committee. I cannot overstate how much I appreciate 
and am humbled by their service.
  The past year has been a busy one for the intelligence community. 
There have been some very low points, including the loss of seven brave 
Americans in an attack on the CIA in Afghanistan and the attack on 
Northwest Airlines flight 253. At the same time, there have been some 
high points, like the roll-up of the Russian illegal intelligence 
operation and the significant intelligence gained by the FBI and DOJ in 
several counterterrorism cases. But the danger is as high as it ever 
was. Our enemies are motivated to strike us, as they always have been. 
The constant threat from violent extremists reinforces that now more 
than ever. We must give the intelligence community the resources and 
flexibility it needs to thwart the continuing and emerging threats to 
U.S. national security.
  Since 2004, this country has gone without an intelligence 
authorization bill. Each year the House Intelligence Committee has 
passed a bill, but we have not seen one signed into law in recent 
years. The intelligence community needs strong and independent 
oversight. This bill would make great strides in that direction. First, 
it would create a statutory Inspector General for the entire 
intelligence community. This bill also contains a new provision that I 
believe the chairman talked about in reforming the ``Gang of Eight'' 
process. I believe that the administration has a statutory and 
constitutional duty to keep members of the entire intelligence 
community fully informed, and this bill, for the first time, requires 
all members of the intelligence community to get information about all 
covert actions.
  The bill also traces the challenges of GAO access to the intelligence 
community, a priority subject for many of my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle. It directs the DNI, in conjunction with the Comptroller 
General, to issue a written directive governing GAO access to 
information in possession of the intelligence community.
  In my tenure, Mr. Speaker, on the committee, I have consistently 
pushed for greater diversity in the intelligence community. I have 
stated time and again that the intelligence community is not diverse 
enough to do its job of stealing and analyzing foreign countries' 
secrets.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. We need people who blend in, people who look 
like America. And that includes every aspect, from Arab to Asian to 
Latin to African American, women, the whole nine yards.
  Mr. Speaker, I plead that after several years, we finally stand on 
the verge of enactment of an intelligence authorization act. I believe 
it's good for the Congress and for the intelligence community and for 
the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to take this moment to personally thank Chairman 
Silvestre Reyes and the HPSCI staff for their hard work and dedication 
in helping to see this excellent bill to fruition. And this will be my 
last time speaking on a rule in the Intelligence Committee for the 
reason that now, after 10 years, I will no longer serve on that 
committee. It has been a humbling experience, and I am delighted and 
privileged that I have been given that opportunity in this great 
country of ours.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it's my privilege to 
yield 3 minutes to my friend from Indiana (Mr. Pence).
  Mr. PENCE. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule, not just for what's in 
it but for what's not in it. This rule will allow a vote on three 
separate pieces of legislation, none of which will allow the 
Republicans and Democrats in Congress, who support extending all 
current tax relief, to have an up-or-down vote before we adjourn for 
this campaign season.
  The truth is, what's happening in Washington, D.C., this week is just 
unconscionable. Democrats are putting their politics over your 
prosperity. The economic policies of this administration have failed. 
Fifteen million Americans are unemployed, millions more have given up 
even looking for work. But now Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat majority 
want to impose one of the largest tax increases in our country's 
history on job creators in less than 100 days, and they won't even 
allow a vote on the floor to extend all tax relief.
  Mr. Speaker, raising taxes on job creators won't create jobs. The 
Democrats are poised to embrace one of the largest tax increases in 
history in one of the worst economies in my lifetime, and it must not 
stand. The American people deserve to know. Washington

[[Page 16999]]

Democrats are putting saving their jobs ahead of saving yours. Mr. 
Speaker, higher taxes won't get anybody hired. Congress must not vote 
to adjourn. We must not leave this Chamber before we permit a fair and 
open up-or-down vote to prevent higher taxes on any American in January 
of next year. House Republicans say, No extension of all tax relief for 
every American? No adjournment.
  Mr. ARCURI. I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on the heels of consideration of legislation last week 
that I referred to as ``Junior TARP,'' where the majority added another 
$30 billion to the Nation's debt, I think it seems fitting that we, 
Republicans, are bringing forward another YouCut proposal, voted on and 
recommended to this House by the American people. The people really are 
sounding an alarm, and we have to change course. We must focus on 
reducing the size of government and not continuing programs that dig 
our fiscal hole deeper and deeper, and this process is going to require 
bipartisanship. Certainly I hope that the Nation can witness 
bipartisanship soon, but we're not seeing it yet, and that's worrisome.

                              {time}  1140

  Over the last week, participants in Republican Whip Cantor's YouCut 
initiative voted on programs for us to bring to this floor for cutting 
spending. To date, participants in that program have voted to cut over 
$150 billion in spending. This week, the participants in that program 
voted to end the TARP program.
  I was surprised to learn that TARP is still scheduled to spend 
billions of dollars in the next years. We must take action to end TARP 
now.
  I will be asking Members to vote ``no'' on the previous question so 
that we can have a vote on Congressman Paulsen's bill on ending TARP. I 
would like to remind the membership that a ``no'' vote on the previous 
question will not preclude consideration on the underlying legislation 
before us today.
  Let me take a minute, at this point, if I may, Mr. Speaker, to a 
point of personal privilege. This may be the last rule that I come to 
the floor to debate because, in January, as you know, I will be leaving 
Congress. And it has been an extraordinary honor to be a Member of the 
United States Congress for 18 years, to represent an honorable and 
hardworking constituency.
  I will leave Congress in January with a sense of duty fulfilled, Mr. 
Speaker, with infinite love and admiration for the most generous and 
noble Nation in history, the United States of America, and with 
profound gratitude to my wonderful staff for their hard work and their 
loyalty in representing our constituents and the Nation, and of 
gratitude to all of my colleagues for the honor of having been able to 
serve with them.
  At this point, I reserve the balance of my time, as I ask my friend 
Mr. Arcuri if he has any other speakers.
  Mr. ARCURI. I have no additional speakers, and I am ready to close.

                          ____________________