E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 160 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 No. 32 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was line is this: ‘‘Obama to Karzai: Time afford to pay our own bills without called to order by the Speaker pro tem- running out for security deal.’’ going to foreign governments to bor- pore (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN). Madam Speaker, based on recent row money. f polls, this would be good news for the Madam Speaker, it is time for Con- American people if we would not con- gress to reach out and to say that we DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO tinue this relationship with Afghani- listen to the American people. When we TEMPORE stan. It is nothing but an absolute are talking about not even being able The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- waste of the taxpayers’ money, and the to take care of our veterans, and we fore the House the following commu- American people are sick and tired of are going to cut programs for children nication from the Speaker: it. A recent poll last week by Gallup and senior citizens, and even our vet- WASHINGTON, DC, showed that almost 50 percent of the erans are in jeopardy of getting the February 26, 2014. American people believe that the war benefits that they have earned, it is I hereby appoint the Honorable ILEANA in Afghanistan was a mistake to start time for the American people to put ROS-LEHTINEN to act as Speaker pro tempore with. pressure on Congress to have this de- on this day. I can honestly say this: If it was not bate that many of us in both parties JOHN A. BOEHNER, a mistake to start with, it is a mistake Speaker of the House of Representatives. would like to have, quite frankly. now that we continue to support and Madam Speaker, I have beside me a f spend money on a corrupt leader photograph of a young man named Eric MORNING-HOUR DEBATE named Karzai. Edmundson. Eric, in 2005, was in a Madam Speaker, as I listened to the Humvee that was hit by an IED that The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel yes- ant to the order of the House of Janu- terday talk about financial pressure on exploded. Eric has been in the national ary 7, 2014, the Chair will now recog- our military and the budget that he Wounded Warrior Project ads across nize Members from lists submitted by will be supporting that Mr. Obama has this Nation. the majority and minority leaders for proposed, I wonder why we in Congress Eric is like so many of the wounded. morning-hour debate. are not allowed to debate on the floor We just don’t really think about them The Chair will alternate recognition of this House—and I am not talking every day, but we should. Eric has a between the parties, with each party about the Senate now—whether we be- wonderful wife. His mom and dad were limited to 1 hour and each Member lieve that we should have a 10-year able to retire to New Bern, North Caro- other than the majority and minority agreement with Afghanistan. lina, which is in my district, and help leaders and the minority whip limited Again, we are talking about spending Eric have a quality of life. to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- anywhere from $3 billion to $4 billion a Madam Speaker, I can honestly tell bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. month. It is borrowed money from the you that we have got so many veterans f Chinese and Japanese, and we continue that we are going to need to take care to raise the debt ceiling because we of who earned the right for this govern- AFGHANISTAN cannot pay our own bills. It is time for ment to take care of them that we are The SPEAKER pro tempore. The the Congress to speak out on behalf of going to have a tsunami that is going Chair recognizes the gentleman from the American people and say enough is to hit this Congress in a few years, and North Carolina (Mr. JONES) for 5 min- enough. we are going to wonder how in the utes. To be clear, this agreement that world can we give these wounded and Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I am on President Karzai has adamantly re- their families what they have earned the floor again today to talk about Af- fused to sign, as The Washington Post and deserve. ghanistan—the absolute waste of life reported earlier this week, during a De- Madam Speaker, it is time for this and money. cember visit to Kabul, Hagel suggested Congress to put pressure on the leader- A lot of people don’t realize this, but that the late-February NATO meet- ship of the Republican Party and the if you go back to 2001, the war in Iraq ing—meaning this week—was a cutoff Democratic Party to force a discussion and Afghanistan, we have spent over point for Afghan President Karzai to and a debate on the future of our finan- $1.5 trillion, which averages out to sign the bilateral strategic agreement cial involvement in Afghanistan. about 11.2 million tax dollars paid that sets the terms for a post-2014 U.S. With that, Madam Speaker, I am every hour by the American people. presence. going to ask God to please bless our In today’s national paper, the USA Madam Speaker, we cannot any men and women in uniform. I ask God Today—and other headlines—the head- longer police the world. We can hardly to please bless the wounded, to bless b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1941 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:38 Oct 09, 2014 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD14\FEB 2014\H26FE4.REC H26FE4 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE H1942 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 26, 2014 the families who have given a child I met with the supervisor, Hannah El- VENEZUELA dying for freedom in Afghanistan and liott, and an incredible group of volun- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Iraq. And I ask God to please bless the teers, which included a chef and people Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from House and the Senate, that we will do from all walks of life, who prepared nu- Florida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) for 5 min- what is right in the eyes of God for tritious meals for those who are strug- utes. God’s people, and to please bless the gling. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speak- President of the United States, that he I talked to the people who came in to er, today I rise for those who cannot also would do what is right in the eyes have one of these nutritious meals. speak freely in Venezuela. Widespread of God for America. These people are our neighbors. These demonstrations have broken out f people have worked to make this coun- throughout Venezuela to protest an op- END HUNGER NOW try great. Some of them are veterans. pressive regime that seeks to silence the people and deny their fundamental The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. They have fallen on hard times and can’t afford to eat. And thank God for freedoms of expression and the right to LUMMIS). The Chair recognizes the gen- assembly. tleman from Massachusetts (Mr. a place like Not Bread Alone, where they can come in and be able to be in After years under Chavez and now MCGOVERN) for 5 minutes. Maduro, those brave men and women Mr. MCGOVERN. Madam Speaker, a warm place and get a decent meal and feel like people care about them. are expressing themselves in a united, there are close to 50 million people who clear voice that what they want is are hungry in the United States of At UMass Amherst, I met a student what should be rightfully theirs: re- America. We are the richest country in named Jacob Liverman. I met him and spect for human rights and a true de- the history of the world, and we have a group of young students who mocracy in Venezuela. In response, as close to 50 million people who are food launched this effort called the Food you can see here, Maduro and his thugs insecure or are hungry; 17 million of Recovery Network. What they do is treat them like criminals. these people are kids. work with the kitchen at the Univer- Over the past weeks, Madam Speak- We in Congress are not doing nearly sity of Massachusetts in Amherst so er, 14 people have been killed by enough to address this issue. In fact, that the leftovers of the food that is Maduro’s forces; over 100 have been un- this Congress has made things worse prepared on a given day don’t get justly detained. But because Maduro for many struggling families all across thrown away. controls the major media outlets, he this country. They take those leftovers and follow has silenced many of those who at- Last November there was an $11 bil- all those procedures that you have to tempt to draw attention to the plight lion cut that went into effect with re- follow to make sure that everything is of the Venezuelan people and instead gard to the SNAP program.