A Mission of Mercy

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaMalfa). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 2015, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I am on a mission of mercy; a mission of mercy, Mr. Speaker, because a U.S. military helicopter has gone down in Nepal on Tuesday, May 12. They were on a mission of mercy. The United States of America always responds to those who are in need, those who are in harm's way. This was no exception.

Our very finest volunteer to serve in our military. Many of them will go to distant places, and some of them will not always return home the same way they left. Some will not return at all. I am honored to say that we should be proud of those who serve. Regardless as to how we feel about conflicts around the world, we ought to appreciate the service of those who are in our military, and we ought to want every one of them to return home safely. So today I stand in the well of the House on a mission of mercy for our military persons who have lost their lives in distant places, but more specifically in Nepal.

We are there for a reason, Mr. Speaker. We are there because Ruth Smeltzer is right:

Some measure their lives by days and years,
Others by heartthrobs, passions, and tears,
But the surest measure under God's Sun.
Is what for others in your lifetime have you done.

We, in the United States of America, are doing things for others in the lifetime of people in this country currently, and we do it in the lifetime of our Nation. We want it said that we were there to help those in time of need.

So, Mr. Speaker, there is a time of need for those in Nepal. On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal; 7.8. Thereafter, on May 12, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. These earthquakes have devastated this country. Lives have been lost, more than 8,000 lives. People have been injured, more than 17,000. Millions have been displaced, nearly 3 million. Millions have been affected, more than 8 million. Four Americans lost their lives.

The United States moved quickly. We committed the sum of approximately $10 million initially, but that has now grown to more than $32 million. The relief efforts from the United States are growing. Not only are we placing dollars into the relief effort, we are also placing our military equipment into these efforts. That is why the helicopter was there in Nepal, to help in this time of need.

So I am proud to say that we are there to help. The need is estimated to be approximately $415 million. The number could go up. But if it is that amount, we can do as much as we can, and we should do as much as we can to help the people of Nepal. I want you to know that the people of Nepal and the Nepalese community in the United States of America across the length and breadth of our country are pitching in.

In my district, the Ninth Congressional District of Houston, Texas, on May 2, 2015, we held a meeting. That meeting was to discuss how we can be of service, the congressional office, and how the community can come together to provide assistance for those in need in Nepal. At that meeting, I am proud to say we had a good many persons in attendance. It was a community meeting. In the true spirit of community, which has the word ``unity'' in it, there was unity within this community meeting. I am proud to say that the members of the Nepalese Association of Houston were present. The president, Mr. Ghimirey was there, and he gave a report. The secretary, Mr. Nepal, was there. He gave a report. The building that we were in was at the International Center owned by Mr. Wei Li, and we are honored that he opened the doors of his facility for this purpose.

But it is important to know that the community was in unity on the effort to help those in Nepal. Some of the members of the community in attendance: the Bhutanese community was there. The Taiwanese community was there. The Latino community was in attendance. The Burmese community was in attendance. The Pakistani community, the Vietnamese community, all in attendance. Asian realtors were there. The Southwest Management District was there. There were Venerables there, those who are of the Buddhist faith. The Filipino community was represented. The community activists of all stripes, of different ethnicities were in attendance. The Jewish community was there, and a report was given in terms of how Israel has been involved. The Turkish community was there, the Indian community. The Lion's Club was represented. The Chinese community was in attendance. And the African American community was there, as well as a representative of the NAACP.

We had a cross-section of people all there for the purpose of becoming a part of the mission of mercy, for the purpose of making sure that we fulfill our obligation to help those in times of need, and I am proud to say that a goal of $100,000 was set for the purpose of aiding those in Nepal just from that meeting. There are many others who have other goals, some higher, some lower, but I believe this goal will be met because it was indicated at the meeting that approximately $60,000 had been committed. I am proud to know that the community, in the spirit of unity, has come together.

We announced at that meeting that our congressional office, working with other Members of Congress, we have filed a bill, H.R. 2033, to accord, to provide temporary protected status for the Nepalese community in Texas, in the United States of America, if you are a citizen of Nepal. If you are a citizen of Nepal, and you find yourself here on some sort of visa, if you are here lawfully in the country, temporary protected status would extend the stay for those who are lawfully in the country. It will not change the immigration status of a single person. It will simply extend the stay. This is the American way. It is not the first time we have done this. This is the American way.

When people are here and their visas expire, and they are subject to going back into harm's way or going back to their country, which would place them in harm's way, we have done the honorable thing, the right thing. We have on many occasions allowed them to stay here rather than send them into harm's way.

That is what this bill would do, H.R. 2033. It would permit them to stay in this country and not return to a country that has been devastated by not one, but two earthquakes, a 7.3 and a 7.8. These two earthquakes have left much damage across the length and breadth of the country. The country is recovering.

We need to make sure that we do all that we can to help the people of Nepal. This is why the bill was introduced, and I am proud to say that a good many persons have joined this mission of mercy. The Honorable Mike Honda is an original cosponsor, but there are others who are cosponsors, and in our tradition we like to thank people. It is a tradition of the House to thank people who are a part of a process that is helping someone.

When you have people of goodwill who have put their names on the line, you ought to acknowledge that they are doing it. So I am proud to acknowledge people of goodwill, members of the United States House of Representatives who are a part of this mission of mercy, who have signed on to H.R. 2033.

I want to mention each and every name. There are others who will sign on. This is not an all-inclusive list, but as of today: The Honorable Mike Honda, who was an original cosponsor; the Honorable Rrad Ashford--and by the way these are alphabetized--the Honorable Karen Bass; the Honorable Mike Capuano; the Honorable Tony Cárdenas; the Honorable Judy Chu; the Honorable Yvette Clarke; the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver; the Honorable James Clyburn; the Honorable Steve Cohen; the Honorable John Conyers.

For those of you who may just have joined us, these are the people who are on a mission of mercy. These are the people who are on H.R. 2033, a bill designed to help people stay in this country and not go back into harm's way to Nepal. By the way, this bill would impact about 10,000 to 25,000 people. It is very difficult to count, but this is a guesstimate at best, the number of people who might benefit by staying in this country.

I said the Honorable John Conyers is on this mission of mercy; the Honorable Joseph Crowley; the Honorable Henry Cuellar; the Honorable Danny Davis; the Honorable John Delaney; the Honorable Suzan DelBene; the Honorable Mark DeSaulnier; the Honorable Tammy Duckworth; the Honorable Keith Ellison; the Honorable Marcia Fudge; the Honorable Alan Grayson; the Honorable Gene Green; the Honorable Raúl Grijalva.

As I continue with this list, let me make mention of this: This is not the first time, as I have indicated, that we have had temporary status granted to other countries.

It was done under the Clinton administration, and it was granted to Montserrat. It was done under the Clinton administration as well for Nicaragua, following a hurricane, as well as for the Honduras. It was done with the Bush administration for El Salvador. It was done for the Obama administration for those who suffered from an earthquake in Haiti.

So these are some of the people: the Honorable Tammy Duckworth, the Honorable Keith Ellison, the Honorable Marcia Fudge, the Honorable Alan Grayson, the Honorable Gene Green, the Honorable Raúl Grijalva, the Honorable Luis Gutiérrez, the Honorable Denny Heck, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, the Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson, the Honorable Hank Johnson, the Honorable Daniel Kildee, the Honorable Barbara Lee, the Honorable John Lewis, the Honorable Zoe Lofgren, the Honorable Jim McDermott, the Honorable Grace Meng, the Honorable Gwen Moore, the Honorable Grace Napolitano, the Honorable Jared Polis, the Honorable Charles Rangel, the Honorable Cedric Richmond, the Honorable Bobby Rush, the Honorable Linda T. Sánchez, the Honorable Loretta Sanchez, the Honorable Bobby Scott, the Honorable José Serrano, the Honorable Brad Sherman, the Honorable Chris Smith, the Honorable Jackie Speier, the Honorable Bennie Thompson, the Honorable Chris Van Hollen, the Honorable Maxine Waters, and the Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman.

I might add that this is bipartisan. It is always a wonderful thing to have bipartisan legislation. This legislation is bipartisan in nature.

I want you to know that, in sponsoring this legislation, it is our hope that the United States House of Representatives will take it up and that it will come to the floor of the House for a vote, so that we can do more than say we support the people of Nepal.

This is a way for the Congress of the United States of America to go beyond endorsing aid. It is a way to provide aid because the people who are here will have an opportunity to continue to work. As they continue to work, they will be permitted to return funds to their home country.

This is a way for us to not only keep people out of harm's way, but to allow those who are here to send money to those who are in harm's way. They can send dollars back to Nepal to help their country in a time of need.

When we had the circumstance in Honduras that required temporary protective status, persons were allowed to stay. Since that occurred, approximately $31 billion has been sent back to Honduras from those who are in the diaspora.

With reference to Nicaragua, for those who are in the diaspora, I want to commend you because you have sent approximately $10 billion home. For those in El Salvador, I want to commend you because you have sent approximately $45 billion home. For those in Haiti, in the diaspora, you have sent approximately $6 billion home.

People in the diaspora from these various countries want to do what they can to be of assistance to their people at home. This is a way Prayerof providing them an opportunity to be of assistance to those that they love, those who find themselves in harm's way, those who are in their homelands.

Well, we hope that this piece of legislation will pass. If this piece of legislation passes, it will give those persons who are here the opportunity to continue to be a part of the mission of mercy by sending dollars to those who are in harm's way. It is nothing unique, but it is something very much needed for those who are in Nepal.

I am proud to tell you that, as we go forward with this effort, we will extend the reach to the United States Senate. We will ask that the Senators please become a part of this. This is an effort that we all, in my opinion, can embrace. We can do this, and we can do it without it costing us--meaning the government--any money.

The Government of the United States of America is already sending tens of millions of dollars by way of aid and equipment, and we are doing a lot, but this is another way for the government to be of assistance without spending additional money to be of assistance to the people who are here by not putting them back in harm's way, but at the same time, to allow them--those who are here--to be of benefit to their country by sending dollars back in the form of remittances.

I believe that the House of Representatives and the Senate of the United States of America can get this done. I am going to ask my colleagues to please give consideration to H.R. 2033.

Let us join hands together, those in the House and Senate, and be on this mission of mercy to see if we can do something to provide aid and comfort for those who are in Nepal by passing legislation to allow those who are in this country to stay in the United States of America.

We also are on this mission of mercy because Dr. King is right--I mentioned Ruth Smeltzer--when he reminded us that life is an ``inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.'' What impacts one directly impacts all indirectly, meaning what is happening to those in Nepal will have an impact on us.

It may not be a direct impact, but there will be an indirect impact. It will happen in ways that we may not be able to measure, but it will. It will impact because there are people who are going to try to migrate, people trying to get out of harm's way and try to get to other countries.

My hope is that we will do our share to help those who are trying to get out of harm's way and do our share to prevent those who are here from going back into harm's way.

Dr. King is right; life is an inescapable network of mutuality. We are bonded together. This is one island that we are all stranded on, the island that we know as Earth. If we are going to live together as brothers and sisters, we have to treat each other as such.

This is a time for us to be responsive to our brothers and sisters in Nepal because there is another comment I hear quite regularly when we hear of disasters like these. People will mention that: ``But for the grace of God, there go I.''

We have had our share of mishaps in the United States of America; and, when we have had our share of mishaps, people have always sent their best wishes and aid to us. People have been of assistance to us throughout the years, the decades, the century. People have been of assistance to us.

But for the grace of God, there go I.

I am so proud of the response that we had in this country after we suffered Ð9/11. There were people who showed us a great amount of sympathy and empathy, people who wanted to do all that they can to let us know that they cared and that they were concerned and that they did not, in fact, support--and, in fact, condemned--the dastardly deeds that were perpetrated.

It was a time for the world to come together. This is another such occasion, but not the same--no two unpleasant circumstances are the same--but this one in Nepal is one that we can embrace. This is a time for us to show the world that we understand that there are things that we can do and will do.

We are, by the way. We have sPrayerent millions of dollars. We have our aid in the form of the soft side of our military. Our heavy equipment and helicopters are there. As I mentioned earlier, we did lose a helicopter, and we lost some lives.

We are stepping up to the plate. The United States of America is doing its part. I want us to continue to do our part. I want us to do all that we can to make sure that every person knows where we stand.

In so doing, I want to mention that we in the United States have been blessed to have this melting pot of people who come from all over the world to be a part of this great American Dream, the great American ideal, and the people who have come here from the country of Nepal are no exception.

They are hard-working people. They have shown their desire to be a part of the fiber and fabric of the United States of America. They have been people of good will. I ask that we extend the hand of friendship to these people of good will, especially during this month, which is a month that we are to give honor and show respect to those of Asian heritage, if you will.

This is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a great time for us, during this month, to show our concern for the Asian population that is in Nepal. We have the opportunity to pass H.R. 2033 and make a difference in the lives of a good many people in this country.

I do want to mention again, for fear that some may not have heard, the community in Houston is well organized. Immediately after the first earthquake hit, we had a meeting, and we had scores of people in attendance. These were Nepalese persons. They were there to show their unity with each other.

They also had a plan of action. Their plan of action included raising money so that they could send it to their homeland to be of assistance, and they want to send this money directly there themselves. I admire them for their lofty goals and their efforts. They want to send the money themselves to their homeland. They want to make sure that there is no question that they have done their part.

The beautiful thing about this effort is that it became infectious and other members of the community decided: If not but for the grace of God, there go I. Here is my opportunity to be of assistance. Here is my opportunity to unify.

It was an amazing sight to see, on May 2, when we had all of these various organizations and groups coming together, all of them pledging their support, all of them pledging their desire to be of assistance to the Nepalese community in Houston, Texas, across the length and breadth of this country, but also to those who are actually in Nepal in a time of need.

I am so honored that they have lofty goals that they, I believe, will meet--I plan to do my part--but I am also honored that they decided that this was something that we could all embrace. They have reached out to the entire community, and the community has responded.

I beg my friends across all sides of the aisle, this is not a Republican or a Democratic resolution--or bill, if you will. This is a bill, H.R. 2033, that already has bipartisan support. It is not about what part of the country you are from. It is not about how many people you happen to represent from a certain community. It is about helping somebody in a country that is in need of help.

I beg that my colleagues would sign on to H.R. 2033--those who have not, many have indicated they will--so that we can bring this bill to the floor of the United States House of Representatives. It is not going to cost us any additional money to bring it to the House of Representatives.

It will not in any way grant any status to persons that they don't already have. It will simply extend the period of time that they will be allowed to stay in this country without having to return to harm's way.

I am grateful for the time today, Mr. Speaker. I do believe that this is time that has been well spent, and I do want to, as I close, let those families who have friends and relatives who are serving in our military or who are in Nepal, especially those who have family members that were associated with the military and the loss related to that helicopter crash, but also those who are with USAID and those there with various other organizations that are in service and doing what they do to make a difference, thank all of them for being there on the ground.

I also heard someone representing our military this morning. When speaking of those who are there as a part of that military effort and those who lost their lives, there was a request for prayers. There was a request that we would pray for those who are injured and those who have lost their lives.

I believe in prayer. I do believe that it has a positive impact. I believe it can make a difference. I believe that there are times when there are no answers available to people, when you cannot explain what has happened, when the inexplicable is confronting you. At those times, many people turn to prayer because prayer can provide what words cannot explain.

Prayer can give you the hope that you need to go forward. Prayer can give you the sense of I can, the belief that I will, the belief that I will go on and continue to make a difference, that it is expected that I go on sometimes. People think that there is no more hope, and they should just give up right here and right now.

Prayer can do marvelous things, so I am going to end with a prayer because I believe that the request should be honored from the military person who made the request. Without knowing the name, I want you to know that I appreciate that you indicated that we should pray for our people in harm's way.

I will give this prayer from my heart, not from my head. I have no paper that I will be reading when I present this prayer. It is a prayer that has been written across my heart for a time such as this, and I pray, as I give this prayer, that it will be received with the intentionality that I will send it.

It is a prayer for all. Those who would like to can join me in your tradition. However you pray is okay with me. I will lower my head to give this prayer, and I will close my eyes.

Most gracious Creator, we know You by many names, but we also know that, by any name, You are the creator of all that was, is, and ever shall be, and we know that we are Your children, and as Your children, You have given us the greatest gift that we could ever receive, the gift of life.

Regardless as to what we think of ourselves, we know, many of us in our hearts, that we are blessed beyond measure to simply have the gift of life.

We know that we are better than we deserve, simply because we have the gift of life, because we cannot earn the gift of life. There is nothing that we could have done to earn it or merit the gift of life. It is something that we get because of grace.

By Your grace, I stand here as Your servant, asking Your mercy for those who are in harm's way in the nation of Nepal. I ask Your mercy, I ask Your blessings for those who are reaching out and trying to do what they can to help someone in a time of need.

I ask that You please strengthen those who are there who, tonight, may find that they do not have shelter, but please give them some sense of belief that help is on the way.

Help them to believe that there are people in a distant place called the United States of America who are people of good will who are going to do what they can to make sure that they get the shelter they need.

Please help those who may be suffering the pains associated with having been a part of a tragic circumstance and having been hurt physically. Help those who are suffering to know that help is on the way, that we plan to make sure that they get the medical aid that they need and the treatment that they need because You have given us so much and those who have so much, as we, should do as much as we can to help people who have little.

I ask, gracious Creator, that You strengthen all of us in this House of Representatives so that we may continue to go forward to do Your will to make Your world a better place.

We were given the precious gift of the life for a reason. There are many reasons that may be cited, but I believe that we have been blessed with the gift of life so that we may be a blessing to others.

This is our opportunity to be a blessing to others, and I beg and I pray that we, who have received the precious gift of life, when we finally, 1 day, have the opportunity to look back upon all that our lives stand for, perhaps we will, at some point in time, have an opportunity to see the omniscient, the omnipresent, and the omnipotent, and we will have an opportunity to tell and go over the record of our lives.

On that day, I hope that we will be able to say that we did all that we could to help the people of Nepal.

We thank You for the gift of life, and we pray that we will use it wisely and well and make a difference in the lives of others.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. God bless you, Mr. Speaker, and God bless the United States of America.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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