April 25, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2303 They didn’t tell me. speak Spanish. They were even told to the sequester and achieve the same Please tell me how many Federal employ- shave their mustaches until ‘‘they gave savings. It was rejected, not once, not ees from your agencies were involved in the proof of their manhood.’’ twice, not three times, but all four development and execution of the economic Despite this adversity, the em- times by the Republican majority. census. Do you not need to count Postal braced their Hispanic heritage, calling them- They wouldn’t even allow it to be made Service time while delivering or returning selves ‘‘Borinqueneers’’ after the Taino word in order to be put on this floor to have the forms? for . a debate on and a vote. This trans- No answer. The Regiment served with distinction during parent new leadership that we were Please provide me with the names of any the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December supposed to have wouldn’t even allow a Federal employees associated with the devel- 1950. Fighting alongside the 1st Marine Divi- vote on this issue. opment of the economic census that have sion, they covered one of the greatest stra- ever owned or operated any business whatso- b 1020 ever in the sector. tegic withdrawals in military history. Fighting in temperatures as low as Negative 37 degrees, Now the Senate has passed a budget They did not answer. the Borinqueneers were among the last de- which the Republicans have been cry- Please provide me with the identity of any fenders of Hungham harbor, and suffered tre- ing wolf about forever. The Senate Federal agency which has ever provided the passed a budget. It replaces sequester. kind of detailed financial information and mendous casualties during the evacuation. The Regiment later participated in numerous It achieves the savings that we need to operating information to citizens that achieve over time. The Ryan budget you’ve requested from the people you are battles, conducting the last recorded battalion- supposed to serve. size bayonet charge in Army history. Though was passed, which is tantamount to se- quester. So now we’re asking to go to No answer. they struggled with a grave shortage of trained non-commissioned officers and personnel poli- conference, but we haven’t gone to con- The cost of completing the questionnaire ference. will be costly for small business. How much cies that pushed it to the breaking point, they do you anticipate the cost of labor will be to overcame these challenges, fighting valiantly, This week has been a lost week. a business to comply with your request to and earning the respect and admiration of You’ve heard about a lost weekend. complete the questionnaire? their commanders. This week, this House has done prac- No answer. The Borinqueneers are part of a proud tradi- tically nothing. Now we’re going to Please advise how the information gleaned tion of service in the face of adversity that in- take 2 days, today and tomorrow, to from these questionnaires will be used. cludes the , Montford Point consider a bill about helium that could They gave me some generalizations. Marines, Navajo Code Talkers and the Japa- be passed in 10 minutes, which is non- nese-American 442nd Regimental Combat controversial and passed out of com- Please explain the benefit you anticipate mittee by a voice vote. the public will gain from the questionnaire. Team—all of whom have already received the Congressional Gold Medal. Will we deal with sequester, which is Well, sort of. They said it would help causing America such grief right now? them look at statistics. I therefore rise in support of the Borinqueneers—the Forgotten soldiers of a We will not. Please provide me with a one-page sum- Forgotten war—and urge all of my colleagues It is a shameful performance by the mary of major activities performed by your Congress of the United States. It is an agencies. Please cite the number of times to join us by cosponsoring this legislation to you perform each activity and the cost of ensure that the Borinqueneers receive their irresponsible performance by the ma- performing each activity on a unit cost long overdue recognition. jority leadership of this House that we basis. The aggregate cost of all performing f will not have the opportunity to re- activity should be equal to the exact amount place this irrational, stupid, non- of money that was passed through your agen- SEQUESTER commonsense policy we call ‘‘seques- cies during a 1-year period. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The ter.’’ Of course, they did not answer that. Chair recognizes the gentleman from Some Republicans say, well, this is They have no problem demanding Maryland (Mr. HOYER) for 5 minutes. the President’s policy. That’s baloney. that information from the private sec- Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, sequester It’s not true. It’s a fraud. The Presi- tor, but the government sector is com- starts with ‘‘S.’’ That stands for ‘‘stu- dent is against this policy. The Senate pletely unwilling to go through the pid.’’ It is an irrational policy with no Democrats are against this policy, and least little amount of trouble to pro- common sense attached to it, and it is House Democrats are against this pol- vide Congress with that same informa- a policy that we are headlong pursuing icy. If I were the majority leader, as I tion. as a result of the actions of the major- once was, this policy would not have We are often thought to believe that ity in this House. It is a policy that the gone into effect, and I want the Amer- what’s good for the goose is good for President of the United States opposes, ican people, Mr. Speaker, to know that. the gander, and so I will persist on try- it is a policy that the majority in the There were some who pretended, oh, ing to get answers to those questions opposes, and it is it will have no effect. Well, it’s having for the constituents in my district, and a policy that all of the Members of the an effect on the flying public right hopefully for those in your districts Democratic Party in this House op- now; and on the Food and Drug Admin- that have also been interested. pose. istration, in overseeing food safety, it’s AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO My friend on the floor here shakes going to have an effect. There are 70,000 PUERTO RICO’S his head, but he voted for a bill. It was children who qualify for Head Start Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I would called Cut, Cap, and Balance. And Cut, who are not going to have a seat in also like to say I am pleased to be here Cap, and Balance said we have a target, Head Start. today and joined by Resident Commis- but if we don’t meet it what happens? Ladies and gentlemen of this House, sioner PIERLUISI in support of a bill Sequester happens—sequester happens. we ought to be doing some real work awarding the Congressional Gold Medal The Republicans passed that through this week, not putting bills on the floor to Puerto Rico’s 65th Infantry Regi- this House long before any deal was and then taking them off the floor be- ment, also known as the made not to default on our national cause, very frankly, the majority party Borinqueneers. debt, which included a provision for se- can’t get its act together. We’re now When the erupted in 1950, quester so that we would achieve having a helium bill on the floor for 2 the soldiers of the regiment served in a Speaker BOEHNER’s objective articu- days. We’re not even going to vote on segregated unit, despite President Tru- lated March of 2011 on Wall Street that the helium bill today—we’re going to man’s order desegregating the military we would cut dollar for dollar the in- vote on the rule—and at about 2:30 2 years earlier. crease in the debt. That’s why we have today, we’re going to adjourn. Army commanders doubted the effec- a sequester. It starts with ‘‘S.’’ It is a My, my, my. What a hard workday. tiveness of these Puerto Rican troops, stupid policy. It is a negative policy. It We’re not dealing with the budget. calling them ‘‘rum and Coca-Cola sol- is a policy that is hurting America. We’re not dealing with the budget con- diers.’’ They were required to use sepa- CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, the ranking Dem- ference. We’re not dealing with getting rate showering facilities and ordered ocrat of the Budget Committee, offered this country on a fiscally sustainable under penalty of court-martial not to an amendment four times to replace path. We’re not dealing with getting

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I’m disgusted with us as obviously would believe that, so she ment is deserving of this award because of well. I don’t blame Mr. and Mrs. Amer- never cried out because she didn’t want its ‘‘pioneering military service, devotion to ica for saying that Congress is not anything bad to happen to her wonder- duty and many acts of valor in the face of di- versity.’’ doing its work. They’re right. We’re ful family. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad not. We were sent here to serve the and the brothers and the sisters every Between 1950 and 1953, the regiment American people and our country and day hoped—but no results in finding participated in some of the fiercest make it stronger, and we’re not doing her. battles of the Korean war; and its that. We’re failing to come together When she would go out with the evil- toughness, courage, and loyalty earned and reach compromise and consensus doer, forcibly, he would even put a wig the admiration of those who had pre- for positive action in our country. over her head and a veil. He would dis- viously harbored reservations about How sad, Mr. Speaker. How sad for guise her so that, if people in the Salt Puerto Rican soldiers based on stereo- our country. How sad for our people. Lake City area knew Elizabeth Smart, types. One individual whose misconceptions How sad for our families. There are they wouldn’t recognize her. were shattered was William Harris, good people on both sides of this aisle, Finally, after 9 months, Elizabeth who served as the regiment’s com- but we’re not coming together to do Smart was with the evildoer who sexu- mander during the early stages of the our duty for America. How sad. ally assaulted her—and with his wife— law. Harris recounts that he was reluc- and a police car stopped. The police of- f tant to take command of the unit be- ficer started questioning Elizabeth ELIZABETH SMART cause, like many U.S. military leaders, Smart. She didn’t say anything be- he assumed that Puerto Rican soldiers The SPEAKER pro tempore. The cause she remembered that the evil- were not as capable as other troops. Chair recognizes the gentleman from doer said he would kill her family. Un- Following the war, Harris recalled that Texas (Mr. POE) for 5 minutes. beknownst to Elizabeth, her sister had his skeptical attitude did not survive Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, sev- given the police a sketch of the person first contact with the enemy and that, eral years ago in Salt Lake City, Utah, who had kidnapped her. The police in fact, his experience ultimately led there was a happy family—a mom and took Elizabeth Smart to the police sta- him to regard the men of the 65th as a dad, six kids—happy as they could be. tion, and after a few minutes, in comes On the typical summer day of June 5, the best soldiers he had ever seen. her father. Another individual who came to hold 2002, the kids and the family had their She was rescued after 9 months—The prayers. Two of the girls went up to the 65th in high esteem was criminals went to prison. Douglas MacArthur. In March 1951, their room. The older girl read to the Elizabeth Smart is now 27 years of younger girl. They went to sleep. after months of heavy engagements age, and she has used this awful trag- with the enemy in which the 65th And then the nightmare began. edy of being kidnapped and sexually as- In the middle of the night, the older played a critical role, General Mac- saulted as a child in order to help other Arthur wrote the following: girl, who was a 14-year-old child, was sexual assault victims in this country. awakened. The man who woke her up The forming the ranks on She started the Elizabeth Smart Foun- the gallant 65th Infantry on the battlefields had a knife to her throat. The younger dation. A couple of weeks ago, she was girl woke up, too, but was in fear and of Korea by valor, determination and a reso- in Houston. She spoke very forcefully lute will to victory give daily testament to shock and terror and could not phys- to a group of women—several hun- their invincible loyalty to the United States. ically even move. So the kidnapper dred—about being abused. They are writing a brilliant record of took the 14-year-old girl, climbed out So, this Victims’ Rights Week, Mr. achievement in battle, and I’m proud, in- the window with her, and at Speaker, I want to honor Elizabeth deed, to have them in this command. I wish knifepoint, they left in the middle of Smart and all of those other sexual as- that we might have many more like them. the night. Finally, the younger girl sault victims—especially children— By the time fighting came to a close was able to get some type of composure who have been assaulted by evil people in Korea in July 1953, soldiers in the and tell her parents what had hap- in this country, and let us remember to 65th had earned 10 Distinguished Serv- pened. support them totally in their recovery. ice Crosses, about 250 Silver Stars, over The police get involved, and they And that’s just the way it is. 600 Bronze Stars, and nearly 3,000 Pur- start looking for Elizabeth Smart, but ple Hearts. As a collective, the regi- they didn’t find her that night, and f ment won numerous awards, including they didn’t find her the next day be- b 1030 two Presidential Unit Citations, the cause Elizabeth Smart had been kid- Nation’s highest unit-level recognition AWARDING THE CONGRESSIONAL napped by an individual who took her for extraordinary heroism. The unit’s GOLD MEDAL TO THE 65TH IN- to a secluded place. The first thing he disproportionately high casualty rate FANTRY REGIMENT wanted to do, of course, was to abuse underscored the fact that it had been her—and he did. He sexually assaulted The SPEAKER pro tempore. The serving on the front lines, face to face her, and he sexually assaulted her, and Chair recognizes the gentleman from with the enemy at the very tip of the he sexually assaulted her. He tied her Puerto Rico (Mr. PIERLUISI) for 5 min- spear. between two trees, Mr. Speaker, and utes. In a 2010 obituary that appeared in sexually assaulted her. He did every- Mr. PIERLUISI. Mr. Speaker, today for 87-year-old thing he wanted to do to her for 9 Congressman BILL POSEY of Florida Modesto Cartagena, one of the most months. and I will introduce bipartisan legisla- decorated soldiers from the regiment, That 14-year-old girl was gone, kid- tion to award a Congressional Gold it was observed that in Korea: napped—parents scared to death and Medal to the 65th Infantry Regiment, a Puerto Rican soldiers surmounted not only worried about one of their six children. famed U.S. Army unit know as the the Communist enemy, but also prejudicial The police were looking, but they Borinqueneers composed almost en- attitudes. never found her, not for 9 months. tirely of soldiers from the U.S. terri- This same point was made with par- This evil person who kidnapped Eliz- tory of Puerto Rico that overcame dis- ticular eloquence in 2000 by Secretary abeth arranged a fake marriage to try crimination and earned praise and re- Louis Caldera during a ceremony hon- to marry her even though he was mar- spect for its comeback performance in oring the regiment when he said that ried to another individual lawfully. So the Korean war. the soldiers of the 65th were fighting to the wife, the abuser, and Elizabeth The Congressional Gold Medal is con- protect the people of South Korea, even Smart stayed in hiding in the Salt sidered the most distinguished form of as they struggled against the injustice

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