Paul Simon Water for the World Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, by unanimous consent motion
offered by my friend, and the bill's Republican lead, Ted Poe, the
House passed H.R. 2901, our Paul Simon Water for the World Act. It was
almost anticlimactic, considering all the ins and outs it has taken for
years to be able to hammer out the details necessary to take the next
step in reform.

The hard work was all worth it, enhancing our efforts to have the
United States embrace its responsibility to help the world deal with
our water and sanitation crisis. Make no mistake about it; it is a
crisis.

Today 152 million hours will be spent by women and girls to get
water--often dirty, polluted water--to meet the basic needs of their
families. Almost three-quarter billion people still lack access to this
fundamental necessity of life.

There is an even greater crisis with inadequate sanitation. There are
approximately 2.5 billion people who suffer from this lack of what most
of us take for granted. It results in horrific disease, stunted growth,
and malnutrition. In fact, the children under 5 who are malnourished in
India are suffering less from a lack of food and more from the diseases
produced by poor sanitation. The children who do survive are left with
mental and physical burdens for their entire life.

In a world where there are more cell phones than toilets, this is
something that we can do something about. It is seriously out of
kilter. The world knows what to do, and we can afford a solution. The
enactment of the Water for the World legislation moves us in that
direction by focusing the United States' efforts on things that will
work, areas of the world most in need, and making sure our solutions
are sustainable.

I deeply appreciate the leadership of my friend, colleague, and
principle cosponsor of the bill, Ted Poe, who has been tireless in his
efforts; the work of Chairman Royce and the Foreign Affairs Committee;
our partners in the other body, Senators Dick Durbin and Bob Corker;
and, of course, dozens of nongovernmental organizations that have been
at work around the globe making progress while they have been
unrelenting advocates here at home.

I must also acknowledge the tireless efforts of my legislative
director, Michael Harold, who has done as much as any human alive to
get this across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, this is an amazing and important accomplishment, but it
makes me pause. What else could we do in the spirit of bipartisan
cooperation and doing what is right?

Might it be possible to take a small step, show a little courage, and
embrace what Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill could do over 30 years ago?
President Reagan used his radio address on Thanksgiving 1982 to provide
leadership to more than double the gas tax, which he correctly pointed
out was really a user fee and which had not increased in 23 years while
roads were falling apart.

Well, the current gas tax has not been increased in almost 22 years,
and America is falling apart and falling behind. The highway trust fund
is going bankrupt. Everyone acknowledges an increase is long overdue.
With gasoline prices falling dramatically, seemingly every week, and
expected to continue doing so well into the foreseeable future, a
nickel a gallon per year is hardly going to be noticed.

But as President Reagan pointed out, people will directly benefit.
Today poor road maintenance costs the typical family $377 per year in
damage to their cars, far more than they would pay in a small increase
in the gas tax. Millions of hours and billions of dollars are wasted
due to highway congestion.

So let's square our shoulders. Let's show some backbone and vision
and take another step forward. Let's raise the user fee we call the gas
tax, put hundreds of thousands of people to work all across America at
family wage jobs, and renew and rebuild this great country. This would
be a nice Christmas present that Americans will enjoy for years to come.

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