January 9, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H95 

lost wages. We can easily imagine the 

impact on a woman’s life, as well as 

her children’s. 

I am proud to support these important measures which make the American promise of opportunity more accessible to women and to their families. 

f 

b 0915 

THE STATE AND LOCAL SALES 

TAX DEDUCTION EXPANSION ACT 

(Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was 

given permission to address the House 

for 1 minute and to revise and extend 

her remarks.) 

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, on 

the day following the President-elect’s 

call for a new $1 trillion spending package free from earmarks, House Democrats are bringing to the floor two bills 

that represent little more than an earmark for the trial bar. 

Given the current state of the economy, it is inconceivable that Congress 

move forward with more ways to restrict the ability of honest employers 

to run their businesses. Instead, we 

need to focus our attention on stimulating the economy without earmarks 

for special interest groups. Congress 

can do this by providing tax cuts to 

spur investment on alternative energy—or how about first-time home 

purchases?—and implement commonsense tax changes like the State and 

Local Sales Tax Deduction Expansion 

Act, which I am introducing today. 

These ideas will stimulate the economy immediately without hurting 

small businesses. It will be helping 

small businesses. Let’s reject earmarks 

for the trial bar. Let’s pass tax relief 

for working Americans and spur job 

growth. 

f 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER 

PRO TEMPORE 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. 

TSONGAS). Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 

XX, the Chair will postpone further 

proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote 

or the yeas and nays are ordered, or on 

which the vote is objected to under 

clause 6 of rule XX. 

Record votes on postponed questions 

will be taken later today. 

f 

RECOGNIZING ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO 

DEFEND ITSELF AGAINST ATTACKS FROM GAZA 

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I 

move to suspend the rules and agree to 

the resolution (H. Res. 34) recognizing 

Israel’s right to defend itself against 

attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the 

United States’ strong support for 

Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 

The Clerk read the title of the resolution. 

The text of the resolution is as follows: 

H. RES. 34 

Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel; 

Whereas Hamas has been designated by the 

United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization; 

Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with 

the Quartet’s (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) 

requirements that Hamas recognize Israel’s 

right to exist, renounce violence, and agree 

to accept previous agreements between 

Israel and the Palestinians; 

Whereas in June 2006, Hamas illegally 

crossed into Israel, attacked Israeli forces, 

and kidnaped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom 

they continue to hold today; 

Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of 

rockets and mortars against Israeli population centers since 2001, and has launched 

more than 6,000 such rockets and mortars 

since Israel withdrew its civilian population 

and its military from Gaza in 2005; 

Whereas Hamas has increased the range 

and payload of its rockets, reportedly with 

support from Iran and others, putting hundreds of thousands of Israelis in danger of 

rocket attacks from Gaza; 

Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population 

centers, thus using innocent civilians as 

human shields; 

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza 

Rice said in a statement on December 27, 

2008, that ‘‘We strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against 

Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the cease-fire and for the renewal of violence there’’; 

Whereas on December 27, 2008, Israeli 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, ‘‘For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have 

been suffering from missiles being fired at 

them . . . In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice 

in battle but neither will we be deterred 

from it. . . . The operation in the Gaza Strip 

is designed, first and foremost, to bring 

about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the 

country’’; 

Whereas the humanitarian situation in 

Gaza, including shortages of food, water, 

electricity, and adequate medical care, is becoming more acute; 

Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with hundreds of trucks 

carrying humanitarian assistance and numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip 

since the current round of fighting began on 

December 27, 2008; 

Whereas on January 6, 2009, before the 

United Nations Security Council, Secretary 

Rice stated that: ‘‘The situation before the 

current events in Gaza was clearly not sustainable. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis 

lived under the daily threat of rocket attack, 

and frankly, no country, none of our countries, would have been willing to tolerate 

such a circumstance. Moreover, the people of 

Gaza watched as insecurity and lawlessness 

increased and as their living conditions grew 

more dire because of Hamas’s actions which 

began with the illegal coup against the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. . . . A ceasefire 

that returns to those circumstances is unacceptable and it will not last’’; and 

Whereas the ultimate goal of the United 

States is a sustainable resolution of the 

Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will ensure 

the welfare, security, and survival of the 

State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic 

state with secure borders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state 

living side by side in peace and security with 

the State of Israel: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, 

and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in selfdefense to protect its citizens against 

Hamas’s unceasing aggression, as enshrined 

in the United Nations Charter; 

(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the 

rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, 

recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, agree to accept previous agreements 

between Israel and the Palestinians, and 

verifiably dismantle its terrorist infrastructure; 

(3) encourages the Administration to work 

actively to support a durable and sustainable 

cease-fire in Gaza, as soon as possible, that 

prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding 

its terrorist infrastructure, including the capability to launch rockets and mortars 

against Israel, and thereby allowing for the 

long-term improvement of daily living conditions for the people of Gaza; 

(4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected to the maximum extent possible, expresses condolences 

to innocent Palestinian and Israeli victims 

and their families, and reiterates that humanitarian needs in Gaza should be addressed promptly and responsibly; 

(5) calls on all nations— 

(A) to condemn Hamas for deliberately embedding its fighters, leaders, and weapons in 

private homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, 

and otherwise using Palestinian civilians as 

human shields, while simultaneously targeting Israeli civilians; and 

(B) to lay blame both for the breaking of 

the ‘‘calm’’ and for subsequent civilian casualties in Gaza precisely where blame belongs, that is, on Hamas; 

(6) supports and encourages efforts to diminish the appeal and influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories, and 

strengthen moderate Palestinians who are 

committed to a secure and lasting peace 

with Israel; 

(7) calls on Egypt to intensify its efforts to 

halt smuggling between Gaza and Egypt and 

affirms the willingness of the United States 

to continue to assist Egypt in these efforts; 

(8) calls for the immediate release of the 

kidnaped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who 

has been illegally held in Gaza since June 

2006; and 

(9) reiterates its strong support for a just 

and sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict achieved through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in order to ensure the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a 

Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state living side by side in 

peace and security with the State of Israel. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 

California (Mr. BERMAN) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. ROSLEHTINEN) each will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from California. 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. BERMAN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 

remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from California? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I 

yield myself 2 minutes. 


rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HOUSE