Michael Arcuri

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I thank my friend for his cooperation in this. As I indicated earlier, we are considering offering this amendment. With that, I would again just like to talk a little bit more about the underlying bill. The bill that we are considering today, the THUD bill, is, again, important at this time. With our economy in the state that it is in, clearly, many people believe that the best thing that we can do for the economy is to spend on and to develop our infrastructure. It is that which we are supposed to do and that which we are asked to do. One of the things in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on which we debate on a very regular basis is the surface transportation reauthorization bill, which will come up this year. We clearly believe that it is critically important, that it is important not only for our infrastructure but as a way of creating jobs. It is what we were sent to Congress to do, which is to ensure that our roads are safe, to ensure that our airports run and function the way they are supposed to and to ensure that our rail transportation infrastructure is what it should be. Madam Speaker, I would say, at this time, we have decided that we will not be offering the amendment. Therefore, I would reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. ARCURI. I have no additional speakers.

Mr. ARCURI. Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank my good friend from Miami for his cooperation in management of this rule and for his courtesy in that regard. I appreciate it very much. Madam Speaker, the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act funds some of the most important initiatives that pay for everything from roads, bridges and railroads to housing for veterans and low-income families. In my opening remarks, I discussed the critical investments that this bill would make in our transportation system. This bill also invests in housing programs for vulnerable populations, including retirees, people with disabilities, veterans, and even children. The funding is even more essential during these tough economic times. This bill includes funding to address the problem of homelessness among our veterans. All too often the men and women who sacrifice the most for our freedom are hit the hardest during times of economic crisis. We owe our veterans the utmost respect and gratitude for their service, and we must honor the commitment made to them. They should not have to return home to be confronted by the possibility of poverty or homelessness. To address this, H.R. 3288 includes $75 million for veterans affairs housing vouchers to provide 10,000 of these vouchers for our homeless veterans. It provides $8.7 billion to provide affordable housing to 1.3 million low-income families and individuals, two-thirds of whom are elderly or disabled. It includes another $1 billion to rehabilitate and build new housing for low-income seniors. Currently there are 10 eligible seniors on the waiting list for each unit of available housing. In America, it is unacceptable that our Greatest Generation is faced with this shortage. H.R. 3288 also contains important investments to revitalize our local communities, including $4.6 billion for community development block grants, $25 million for brownfields redevelopment, and $250 million to fund the Hope VI competitive grants program to transform neighborhoods of extreme poverty into sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods through the demolition of severely distressed public housing. Madam Speaker, housing and transportation are two areas that must be priorities, especially when the economy slows. The funding that H.R. 3288 provides for these programs will ensure that jobs continue to be created and that our Nation's economy continues to recover. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the previous question and on the rule. The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. Lincoln Diaz- Balart of Florida is as follows: Amendment to H. Res. 669 Offered by Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida Strike the resolved clause and all that follows and insert the following: Resolved, That immediately upon the adoption of this resolution the Speaker shall, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3288) making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes. The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed shall be considered as read. When the committee rises and reports the bill back to the House with a recommendation that the bill do pass, the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Mr. ARCURI. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 665 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Mr. ARCURI. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record.

Mr. ARCURI. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a member of the Rules Committee and of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and as a proud supporter of this rule and H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go bill. When the 110th Congress convened in 2007, I strongly supported the reinstatement of the pay-as-you-go principles in the rules of the House. Today, we will take up the next step toward reinstating the statutory pay-as-you-go rule. These statutory requirements helped turn deficits into surpluses in the 1990s under the Clinton administration. When the previous statute expired, Mr. Speaker, the result was a return to unchecked deficit spending, which doubled the national debt in less than a decade. This is not a Democratic problem. This is not a Republican problem. Rather, this is a problem for all of us. The American people deserve better. We in Congress must be forced to balance our spending the same way that every American family does. We should not spend what we cannot afford. In order to spend a dollar, we must find a dollar either in savings or in new revenue. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle may try to argue semantics and say that this is an imperfect bill. If this is the case, I would simply remind my colleagues that every journey is completed one step at a time. This bill is just a first step. It is part of a clearly delineated path toward fiscal responsibility. To date, this Congress has passed critical pieces of legislation, like the expansion of the SCHIP, which provides health insurance to 11 million children, and we did so in a way that was completely paid for, showing our commitment to fiscal responsibility. Earlier this year, we adopted a budget resolution that placed the full cost of war spending on the books for the first time. These are steps in the right direction. This bill continues these important steps in the direction of fiscal responsibility. This legislation will require that all new policies of reducing revenues or of expanding spending enacted during a session of Congress be offset over 5 and 10 years. It will require any future extension of upper-income tax cuts to be offset, and it will force a serious examination of wasteful subsidies in the budget and of tax loopholes that can be eliminated to offset more worthwhile programs. Finally, the statute would not be complete without an enforcement mechanism. The Congressional Budget Office will continue to score legislation passed by Congress. The Office of Management and Budget will keep a running scorecard for all of the revenue generated in new spending enacted during a year. If we have not fully offset the legislation enacted during the session, it will trigger an automatic sequester of funds from mandatory spending programs. Mr. Speaker, the American people have spoken, and they want a return to a fiscally responsible Congress that abides by pay-as-you-go principles. This is the legislation that will make that a reality. As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, I have worked, since being elected to Congress, to reenact statutory PAYGO, and I strongly urge my fellow colleagues to vote for this rule on H.R. 2920. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts, a member of the Rules Committee (Mr. McGovern).

Mr. ARCURI. Methinks thou doth protest too much. I listened to my friend from Louisiana, and all I hear are complaints about PAYGO. And then I see a sign that says, PAYGO equals tax increase, which actually means nothing at all, but it is a very nice sign. But, in fact, that's not at all what PAYGO is about. In fact, if PAYGO did nothing more than put a check on spending, I would say it's worth voting for. But my friend on the other side of the aisle says he doesn't support it. You know, we see a lot of finger-pointing going on in Congress, everybody blames the other side, but the fact of the matter is, when they talk about spending, we are spending now because we are in the throes of a recession. When the Republicans were in control of the House of Representatives, we see that they didn't reinstate PAYGO and they continued to spend. We have put the war on the books for the first time, which is a step in the right direction towards fiscal responsibility.

Mr. ARCURI. When I finish, I will be happy to yield. When we hear my friend from Louisiana talk about PAYGO and talk about all of the problems with PAYGO, he doesn't acknowledge the fact that PAYGO does require that we spend only what we have. And if it did nothing else, he should support it. Yet he doesn't support it because it's more of the finger-pointing that we see in Congress. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. ARCURI. Reclaiming my time, I never said PAYGO was great. I said PAYGO is a step in the right direction. PAYGO is a step that we need to take, and that is what I said. I would be happy to yield.

Mr. ARCURI. My friend knows full well what the purpose of PAYGO is. And the purpose of PAYGO is to ensure that whatever money we spend in the future, we have a way of providing for, either by creating cuts or by raising revenues in other ways. That's what PAYGO is all about, and it's about doing it over a 5-year and a 10-year period. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ARCURI. Half of the nondiscretionary spending is on the military. Do you think that we should be cutting the amount of spending that we do for the military?

Mr. ARCURI. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ARCURI. Do you think that any increases in military spending that we have made should have been cut as well?

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from California for his comments. And I would just point out that we are in unprecedented times. We are in a time when we are conducting two wars overseas, one ending in Iraq and one continuing in Afghanistan. And that requires increases in military spending. It continues to require increases in veteran spending, which we have done. We have seen unprecedented natural disasters, which we have had to spend upon. We have seen an economy in a downturn. As a result of those things, it is necessary for spending to take place. I think my friend knows that. With that, I will yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, Ms. Herseth Sandlin.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Mrs. Dahlkemper).

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, before I yield, I would just like to say to my colleague from Tennessee that if Katrina was not an emergency and did not merit emergency spending, then I cannot, in my wildest imagination, imagine what would. That is the reason why we have an emergency spending exception to any PAYGO requirement, to allow government to do that which the voters sent us here to do, and that is to ensure that when a catastrophe and when an emergency strikes, that we are there to do everything that we possibly can to help the people who have been injured by it. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee, a proud member of the Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Tanner.

Mr. ARCURI. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from California for his management of this rule. Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of 2007, the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has shown a strong commitment to the pay-as-you-go rules, first, by reinstating the PAYGO rule in the rules of the House on the opening of the 110th Congress, and now, in working to bring this important legislation before the House. I applaud the Blue Dog Coalition, my colleagues there, for their outspoken leadership on PAYGO. When I explain to folks back home what PAYGO is, I ask them the question, if they have to balance their own books each month, if they have to ensure that they have enough income coming in to cover their expenses; and of course they respond that they do. And I then ask, shouldn't the Federal Government operate in the same way when it involves spending your tax dollars? My constituents get it. The American people get it. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, there are still some Members of Congress who are steadfastly against the idea of being fiscally responsible and balancing the Federal books, the same way that our constituents balance their checkbooks each and every week. The legislation we will consider later today will require Congress to balance the books or face the harsh consequence of automatic cuts to offset the shortfall in our spending. Now I certainly appreciate the born-again Republican commitment to fiscal responsibility. But the real question is why the Republicans allowed PAYGO to expire in the first place under the last administration. Not only did they not advance the cap discretionary spending, which they are criticizing us for not coupling with the PAYGO statute, but they wouldn't even renew the PAYGO provision, which we are now doing. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle criticize the majority for the increase in the deficit since the beginning of 2007. One of the reasons for this is that we have put the full cost of the war on the books for the first time. That is a hard thing to do, but it is the responsible thing to do. The Republicans kept this off their budget balance sheet, but the Democratic majority has taken the fiscally responsible approach and placed the entire cost of the war on the books, which adds nearly $1 trillion to the deficit. So to say that we have single-handedly raised the deficit over $1 trillion since 2007 is disingenuous at best. Furthermore, the budget adopted by Congress this year cuts the deficit by nearly two-thirds in 4 years and contains even deeper cuts in the deficit than were proposed by the President. Under the concurrent budget resolution adopted by the House and the Senate, the deficit will be cut by $1.7 trillion, or 12.3 percent of GDP, in 2009 to 3 percent of GDP in 2014. I strongly believe that we in Congress must balance our own books and maintain fiscal responsibility similar to what is asked of all taxpayers in dealing with their own personal finances. I urge all members to vote ``yes'' on the previous question, ``yes'' on the rule, and to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2920.

Mr. ARCURI. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. ARCURI

Mr. ARCURI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from California, for the courtesy of yielding to me and for her strong leadership on the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and H.R. 3183, the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. The bill provides much-needed funding to continue our Federal commitment to meeting the infrastructure needs for our Nation. This bill will create jobs and invest in new technologies, scientific research, and conservation efforts. I also would like to take a moment to lend my strong support to Mr. Pastor's amendment to H.R. 3183, the manager's amendment. The amendment provides a critical increase in funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission. The 2008 farm bill first authorized the Northern Border Regional Commission as an independent agency to address the shared economic needs and harness the unique assets of the counties along the Nation's northern border from Maine and New England through New York. In this region, 13.1 percent of the population lives in poverty. The median household income is $6,500 below the national average. Unemployment is significantly higher than the national average; and the region actually lost population between 1990 and 2000, while the overall population of the United States rose by 13.2 percent. The region shares many common economic challenges stemming from relative geographic isolation, aging infrastructure, and a loss of natural resource-based industry that has historically been an economic engine. However, at the same time, the region also has a common set of assets, not the least of which is expansive natural beauty and resources, as well as historic and geographic ties. The commission utilizes the same model that has successfully enabled the Appalachian Regional Commission to facilitate a ``bottom-up'' approach where local development districts, not-for-profit organizations and others bring project ideas and priorities to the commission from the local level. The regional commission model helps foster improved collaboration and coordination within the region and among Federal and State agencies, while also serving as a vehicle to leverage additional public and private sector investments. By taking a regional view, the commission can promote projects that confer a broader benefit without States having to compete among themselves for scarce funds for the region. I thank the committee for their hard work to see that the Northern Border Regional Commission receives the funding necessary to make the commission a reality for this region. I thank my colleagues from the region, Representatives Michaud, Pingree, Hodes, Shea-Porter, Welch and my New York colleague, John McHugh, for their continued efforts to establish and secure funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission. I urge my colleagues to support the manager's amendment and vote for the rule and for H.R. 3183.