January 17, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H337 in America for his courage and dedica- ers. In the days and weeks ahead, my cared for in 59 camps run by the United tion to democracy. office will be working to provide what- Nations Relief and Works Agency, or I believe that if Turkey wants to fur- ever assistance is necessary to help the U-N-R-W-A, sometimes referred to ther explore the opportunities that she these workers get back to work. But as UNRWA. wishes to do within the present Euro- they want their jobs. Nearly 60 years after the first of pean Union, she must address the issue Mainers have rallied for each other these camps were established, virtually of article 301. I hope my colleagues will during difficult times in the past and nothing has been done to return this join me in honoring the memory of will do so again. I’ll continue to be in- population to a settled existence. The Hrant Dink and continue to urge the volved in meeting the needs of our 1.3 million Palestinians living in these repeal of article 301. workers affected by this announce- camps live in a world of poverty, their f ment, and I’ll stay in close contact day-to-day existence solely reliant on with plant officials and workers in the international handouts. b 1500 days ahead. The history of Palestinian refugee ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE But this Congress has to look at the problems clarifies why the Elon peace fundamental problem with our flawed plan is so needed at this time: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a trade models and trade deals that Following the Israeli War of Inde- previous order of the House, the gen- we’ve been passing in this Congress. pendence in 1948, hundreds of thou- tleman from Maine (Mr. MICHAUD) is And this Congress is no different than sands of Palestinians were displaced. recognized for 5 minutes. the previous Congress. We continue to At the time, hundreds of thousands of Mr. MICHAUD. Madam Speaker, I use the same flawed trade model, and Jews fled also or were ousted from rise today on behalf of the workers at that’s going to continue to hurt work- their homes in Arab lands. The U.N. es- NewPage Corporation in Rumford, ers and manufacturing businesses here tablished the U.N. Relief and Works Maine, and Fraser Timber Limited in in this country. Agency in 1949 to care for the Arab/Pal- Ashland, Maine. These workers re- This Congress has to wake up to estinian refugees. The U.N. has never ceived some devastating news this what’s actually happening out there. created an agency solely to serve the week about job losses and layoffs. Fra- We will not need any economic stim- interests of one displaced group of peo- ser Timber Limited will lay off 70 ulus package if we make sure that we ple. workers on February 8, 2008 to June 1, pass fair trade deals that are good for Many of the refugees do not even 2008. NewPage Corporation announced our workers here, that are good for our have historical roots in the territory a shutdown of a paper machine in businesses here in this country. now known as Palestine. Many of those Rumford as of February 25, 2008. This f residing in the West Bank are descend- decision could impact approximately 60 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a ants of those who came from Syria and to 70 jobs in Maine. previous order of the House, the gen- the Trans-Jordan area. In Maine, we are all too familiar with tleman from North Carolina (Mr. While the displaced Jews of the re- an economic and trade policy that has JONES) is recognized for 5 minutes. gion settled in Israel and were inte- devastated our manufacturing sector. (Mr. JONES of North Carolina ad- grated into the Israeli society, the Pal- As a mill worker for nearly 30 years at dressed the House. His remarks will ap- estinians remain sequestered in these Great Northern Paper Company, I pear hereafter in the Extensions of Re- refugee camps. Why the Arab commu- know how devastating this news is for marks.) nity that perpetually talks about the these workers and their families. When welfare of the Palestinians does noth- f this happens in small rural commu- ing to relocate these people out of nities in Maine, it ripples through the THE ELON PEACE PLAN these camps is strange and, for many, economy and throughout the region. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a it’s considered no mystery. Many of When the House considers a potential previous order of the House, the gen- these regimes fought against Israel in economic stimulus package in the next tleman from Florida (Mr. WELDON) is 1948, seeking to destroy Israel, and few weeks, I’ll keep the workers of recognized for 5 minutes. their desire is to perpetuate the camps NewPage and Fraser at the forefront of Mr. WELDON of Florida. Madam and to perpetuate the terrorism the my mind. Any economic stimulus Speaker, today I rise to bring to the at- camps breed. package the House considers must con- tention of the House an important new This, in my opinion, is unfortunate, sider what’s good for our workers and plan that seeks to bridge the long- and UNWRA is a U.N. agency estab- their industry. We must get back to standing divide between the Israelis lished purportedly for the benefit of fiscal discipline, yet provide the relief and the Palestinians. The plan is titled the refugees. However, in my opinion, so many people in Maine need. ‘‘The Right Road to Peace,’’ and it is a it serves to perpetuate the terrorism But if we are truly trying to reform comprehensive proposal for finding an problem. our economy, we must also address the avenue to peace, as well as addressing While UNWRA lets camp residents serious trade imbalance that’s creating the humanitarian needs of the Pales- run their own activities, under its own this job loss. It’s no secret that trade tinian people. oversight, the camps have become cen- has gotten the better of Maine’s manu- As we know, the Palestinian people ters of terrorism, lawlessness, and facturing industry. Since passage of have, for nearly three generations, lan- crime. This further victimizes the Pal- NAFTA, Maine has lost 23 percent of guished in U.N.-run refugee camps in estinians in the refugee camps who our manufacturing base. Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and the West have no involvement in these criminal Today the USTR Trade Representa- Bank. The author of the proposal, Mr. activities. Palestinian terrorists oper- tive Susan Schwab said that moving Binyamin Elon, a highly respected ate freely in many of these camps, co- forward on these trade agreements will member of Israel’s Knesset, he, at the ordinating attacks against innocent actually help our economy. Well, I can heart of this plan, has offered an inno- Israeli civilians and Palestinians who tell you this, she obviously hasn’t vative approach for providing oppor- oppose their terror agenda. talked to the men and women of tunity, housing and education to a pop- In 2004, the UNWRA commissioner, NewPage and Fraser. She hasn’t talked ulation which, for a long time, has Peter Hansen, admitted in an interview to other workers in Maine and across lived as a ward of the international with the Canadian Broadcasting Cor- this country that have been devastated community. Mr. Elon’s proposal would poration that the agency employs indi- by these NAFTA-style trade deals. end the cycle of dependence that long viduals who are members of groups like These workers don’t want more TAA. has shackled Palestinian development. Hamas, a group the U.S. Government They want their jobs back. Madam Speaker, I will include a considers to be a terrorist organiza- I’ve been in touch with the Maine De- summary of the document entitled tion. partment of Labor Rapid Response ‘‘The Right Road to Peace’’ into the Madam Speaker, it is high time that Team, the workers at the mills, to dis- RECORD after my remarks. the truth be told and that the UNWRA cuss the implication of this, the paper Today, there are approximately 1.3 mandate come to an end. In its place, a machine shutting down on these work- million registered Palestinians being proposal should be adopted that would VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:38 Mar 27, 2008 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 4636 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD08\RECFILES\H17JA8.REC H17JA8 mmaher on PROD1PC76 with CONG-REC-ONLINE H338 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 17, 2008 truly resolve the Palestinian refugee TV news like it used to. As an example the House to use its power of the purse question, regardless of whether there is of that, a recent story on CNN began to end it. ever a formal resolution of the Arab- with the words, ‘‘Whatever Happened Iraq is not a television show that got Israeli conflict. to the War?’’ canceled because of the writers’ strike. There is no reason why generations Well, I hate to spoil everyone’s day, Iraq is a real place where real people of Palestinians must continue to sub- but I have to report, with great regret, continue to die. We must redeploy our sist in squalor and deprivation just so that the occupation is still going. As troops. We must give the Iraqi people regimes in the Arab world have a diplo- proof of that, nearly 300 American and back their sovereignty, and we must matic foil with which to attack Israel.