Tom Lantos: “while I am pleased we are here to applaud our Nation's businesses and business owners for the support they have provided…”

“while I am pleased we are here to applaud our Nation's businesses and business owners for the support they have provided our troops and our military families, I am disappointed that in this resolution Congress is simply voicing thanks. We had an opportunity to do something truly meaningful when we considered the Defense authorization legislation 2 weeks ago. Rather than doing something to help our Reservists and National Guardsmen and -women, this resolution simply expresses empty thanks. According to a survey conducted by the Pentagon, four in ten members of the Reserves or National Guard suffer a loss of salary when they are activated. For instance, Russell Wright, a father of two and a sergeant in the Marine Reserves, was activated for a year and, as a result, will lose about 50 percent of his civilian salary. Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleagues will agree that this is a deplorable comment on how our country treats its Reserves and National Guardsmen. Instead of merely praising the Nation's businesses for their support of our troops, we should be helping our activated men and women.”