H2042 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE April 1, 2004 COMMEMORATING WOMEN’S find our rightful place in this body and Or let us take another signature HISTORY MONTH in our country. issue: the Violence Against Women The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under b 1845 Act. These programs are cut for next the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- year $22 million over what was in the We certainly do not suffer, as many budget for this year. uary 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from the of our sisters do around the world. For District of Columbia (Ms. NORTON) is Mr. Speaker, I can only hope that example, in Kuwait, one of our allies, these programs that I am going to go recognized for 60 minutes as the des- women cannot even stand for election ignee of the minority leader. through get the attention of the Con- to any office. gress and the appropriators and that Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, as March Mr. Speaker, I was a Member of the they come to their senses and put some slips away, a number of women in the House when the so-called ‘‘Year of the House did not want to let the year go of this money back. Woman’’ was informally proclaimed. Republicans have been grandstanding by without commemorating Women’s That was the year when the confirma- History Month. We recognize this is about an important issue that concerns tion of Justice Clarence Thomas all of us. I say ‘‘grandstanding’’ be- April 1. This is no April fool’s joke. brought women forward, given the con- cause the way to indicate that it mat- Women are a very serious concern of troversy surrounding his nomination, ters to you is, of course, to put just a the women who will come forward this that a man who had been accused of little money in it. I am talking about evening. sexual harassment was nevertheless trafficking in women and children, We note first the progress women put on the bench. It sent a whole bunch where women and children are essen- around the world, our sisters in soli- of women to the House and to the Sen- tially held virtually as slaves. Well, darity, are making; and then we com- ate, more than before and more than the Bush budget simply eliminates the pare that progress to the progress of since. Some of us, Mr. Speaker, I must program altogether. American women who serve in the leg- say, are inclined to call 2004 the ‘‘Year By now it is gospel that the best islatures of their countries. of the Forgotten Woman,’’ and we say straight line for reducing juvenile According to the data used inter- so because we look for concrete evi- crime is to give kids something to do nationally, women are considered to be dence of where women are going in our after school. Well, the President’s at an acceptable threshold when they country today. And for that, I think budget provides half of the promised are about 30 percent of their legisla- the best place to look is in the Presi- funding for after-school programs. tures. There are only 14 countries that dent’s budget. qualify. The United States of America The budget document is the best evi- What about Head Start? Here is a is not one of them. We are pleased at dence of the policy of the President in program that is surely not one of the the increase in women, especially in office. I think that the American peo- favorites of the President, even though the House and in the Senate; but we ple for whom women’s rights, the children and education has been a sig- are not where we should be, particu- progress of women and children means nature issue for him. He has begun the larly given the ideals that our country something would be absolutely aston- gutting of the Head Start program by professes. ished by what the President’s 2005 pro- eliminating the health and nutritional Interestingly, women made their posed budget tells us about his prior- aspects that is itself a signature of the greatest strides in Rwanda last year, ities when it comes to women’s con- program. We bring low-income chil- and that may well be because there is cerns. So I want to start where the dren, we combine the services they a fixed percentage of women required American people would start in evalu- need in preschool by the time they go in their legislature. But this should be ating where this President stands on to school, so that they are ready to said of Rwanda: This is one of the matters affecting women and their learn. world’s most tragic nations, which suf- children. They would start with where There will also be no educational fered from violence. Perhaps having he puts his money. They would start services in Head Start. Just a moment. women in the leadership will help send with his budget. I thought this was the education Presi- to that country the notion that vio- As I look at that budget, it seems as dent. I thought the whole point is to lence, most of it perpetrated by men in if the President went on a search-and- begin education and the most rigorous that country in one of the worst cases destroy mission, focused heavily on the education that a child can take accord- of genocide in the 20th century, is no programs that affect women most. I ing to age as soon as possible, so that longer acceptable. looked, because I saw many programs we meet this goal that by grade 4 every Mr. Speaker, just a couple nights ago that might tell us something about child can read. How are we going to do Women’s Policy, Incorporated, cele- where an elected official stands on a that if we do not begin educational brated its 10th anniversary. This is a given subject. I looked at signature services in Head Start, particularly for privately financed organization from issues for women, issues that are par- low-income children who, of course, are which many Members of the House and ticularly identified with women and and continue to be the furthest behind? Senate gather the information that their children, although I am sure my Speaking about behind, if the Presi- they need to keep track of women’s good friends and colleagues in this dent had put just a little more money issues and where women need to go as body who are men would be quick to in Head Start, he might have given the far as legislation and other progress is step forward and say that these issues best and biggest boost to his own Leave concerned. mean just as much to them. It is sim- No Child Behind bill. Only 60 percent of It was also the 27th anniversary of ply that women have been at the front the children who are eligible for Head the Congressional Women’s Caucus. It of the line advocating the issues that I Start are covered by Head Start. Put reminded us that it was in 1916 that the am speaking about at the moment. all of those children in there and we first woman came to serve in this Let us take the child care and devel- will begin to see some difference for House, the famed Jeannette Rankin. opment block grant: frozen for the low-income children in school, and No That was 4 years before women even third year in a row. Children are not Child Left Behind can begin to take got the right to vote. I believe that frozen. The numbers continue to come some of the credit for it, because it will says something, Mr. Speaker, about forward. They grow older. They need pick them up, ready to learn. the determination of women to exer- services. So that when we have a 3-year Speaking of No Child Left Behind, cise the vote, that before the Constitu- freeze, it means 3 years of cuts for Mr. Speaker, once again the President tion of their country even gave them child care and development. It, of has simply declined to fund the bill. the vote, as a matter of State law they course, means that we are leaving hun- This has been a huge disappointment sent a representative to this body. dreds of thousands of women in line for for Democrats, because this bill was Today, we have grown from one in child care, holding their kids’ hands passed in a bipartisan fashion on the 1916 to 76 in this House and 14 in the and wondering what in the world they promise that a very difficult issue Senate, well below the 30 percent are going to do, particularly if they are would have the prerequisite funding threshold that the world acknowledges on TANF where the bill this House has and, therefore, a chance to succeed. as a decent percentage. We are still passed says you have to work longer That issue is taking children who are struggling. We are still determined to and have less child care. not learning in school and somehow VerDate mar 24 2004 06:31 Apr 02, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K01AP7.176 H01PT2 April 1, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2043 making it possible for them to learn; well done, women. Let us cut $79 mil- meals to all of the children who are at and not only that, Mr.