Corrine Brown

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, here I have hundreds of questionnaires that my constituents signed opposing drastic Medicare cuts. Oh, did I say cut? I meant gut. The Republican plan will actually gut the Medicare Program. And now, to make matters worse, Republicans are trying to gag America's seniors. When a small group of senior citizens protested the Commerce Committee voting on a Medicare bill without having one hearing on it, they were arrested. I do not believe that these seniors should be gagged. Shame on my Republican colleagues for shutting out seniors from Congress--the People's House. As a Democrat who believes in the Democratic process, I believe those seniors deserve to be heard from, and not arrested. Thousands of my constituents have told me that they are outraged at the Republicans' reverse Robin Hood tactics, stealing from the working people and giving tax breaks to the wealthy.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. During the August recess I conducted 14 town meetings where I talked to over 3,000 of my constituents, and we in Florida understand that the $270 billion that the Republicans are cutting out of the Medicare budget to save it, we understand just what kind of savings that is, and in fact the 10 years I served in the Florida House we had a saying for it: That dog don't hunt. Now I have a contract that I signed yesterday in Orlando, and I signed it with the people of the Third Congressional District, but let me be clear. I signed it with the people of Florida and the seniors of the United States, and my commitment is to them. We do not like that reverse Robin Hood that has been going on since the 104th have taken over. You know what I mean, robbing from the poor and working people to give a tax break to the rich, and I know that you all do not like that word ``cut.'' Well, I have got a better word for you. Try ``gut.'' You are gutting the program.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, would I get an opportunity, maybe 30 seconds, to respond, since the gentleman called my name during his presentation?

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Webster's Dictionary defines the verb to cut as to hit sharply, to constrict, to reduce, to lessen, to hurt. I understand that the Republican leadership is unhappy about us using the word ``cut'' to describe the Republican's revolting and offensive Medicare plan. OK, fine. Maybe ``cut'' is not quite the right word. Well how about gut? According to Webster's, to gut is to demolish, to destroy. How do you like the word gut? The fact is that Republicans want to destroy Medicare's security and leave our seniors stranded to fend for themselves. Perhaps gut is a more appropriate word. Mr. Speaker, during the August recess, I held 13 town meetings and met with 3,000 of my constituents. My constituents told me that they are outraged about the Republican's reverse Robin Hood tactics--taking Medicare benefits from seniors in order to pay for a tax break for the wealthy. Republicans call it a cut in the growth of spending. They call it progress. I call it the good old-fashioned bait and switch.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I rise in opposition to the Teamwork for Employers and Managers [TEAM] Act. The so-called TEAM Act is anything but a team act. This one-sided bill would dramatically tip the scales in management's favor by allowing them to create, mold and terminate employee organizations at will. The result would be devastating for workers in existing unions. The TEAM Act would, by allowing company unions, deny fundamental democratic rights that employees currently enjoy, both union and nonunion workers. The employee organizations created by management under TEAM Act would be under the total control of management, allowing them complete control over the workers in the employee organization. Under TEAM Act, any understanding between employers and employees would not be legally binding, so the employer could rescind any agreement at their discretion. Mr. Chairman, this is a bad bill. I urge my colleagues to vote against the TEAM Act.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the 104th Congress came here with a mission: to balance the budget. I don't think there are many who would disagree that balancing the budget is a top priority. But I cannot, in good faith, balance the budget on the backs of the poor women, children, the elderly, and the disabled--people who need help the most. It is wrong for this Congress to abandon Americans in need. Mr. Speaker, Webster's Dictionary defines the verb to ``cut'' as to hit sharply, to constrict, to reduce, to lessen, to hurt. I understand that the Republican leadership is unhappy about us using the word ``cut'' to describe the Republicans' revolting and offensive Medicare plan. OK, fine, Maybe cut is not quite the right word. Well how about g-u-t? According to Webster's, to gut is to demolish, to destroy. How do you like the word gut? The fact is that Republicans want to destroy Medicare's security and leave our seniors stranded to fend for themselves. Perhaps gut is a more appropriate word! Mr. Speaker, during the August recess, I held 13 town meetings and met with 3,000 of my constituents. My constituents told me that they are outraged about the Republicans' reverse Robin Hood tactics--taking Medicare benefits from seniors in order to pay for a tax break for the wealthy. The Republicans are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of 37 million of our Nation's seniors. Many of these folks will be forced to give up their doctors, premiums will rise, as will deductibles and copayments. For many of our Nation's low-income seniors, these cuts will be devastating. A thousand dollars extra per year is not small change. Republican call it a cut in the growth of spending. I call a sneaky attempt to fool seniors. They say they are offering seniors choices. The truth is that seniors will pay more and get less. They call it progress. I call it a good old-fashioned bait and switch. You know, the Republican Medicare plan reminds me of an old saying: you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. The American people will not be fooled by this game being played with the health care of the elderly. Mr. Speaker, we are sent here to Congress to be a protector of the people. Thirty years ago, when President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law, Congress made a social contract with the seniors of our Nation. Well, guess who opposed Medicare in 1965? The Republicans. Even before that, during the Eisenhower and Truman administrations, the Republicans opposed passing Medicare. That's why it's no surprise [[Page H 9572]] to me that the Republicans are trying to gut Medicare now. Now, when the program serves as a security blanket for 37 million Americans. Now, when Medicare serves as a lifeline to our seniors. Well, let me say this to my Republican colleagues: we cannot balance the budget on the backs of our seniors. We should be celebrating and embracing our seniors, not stabbing them in the back by taking away their health care.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Congressman Rahall's amendment to retain our current speed limits. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the national speed limit law saves 2,000 to 4,000 lives each year. Repeal of the national maximum speed limit is part of a larger effort by the majority to roll back the power and reach of the Federal Government in matters where States rights and individual choice are at issue. However, I don't believe the American people want their lawmakers to decrease public safety in the name of regulatory reform or under the banner of States rights. That is too high a price to pay. Repeal of the national speed limit law endangers the safety of all Americans. Some State officials have already indicated their intent to immediately move to repeal safety laws if the Federal programs are eliminated. In several States, speed limits automatically go above 65 mph if the national maximum speed limit is repealed. If the national speed limit is repealed and we return to pre-1974 conditions, the Federal Transportation Department estimates we will be faced with an additional 4,750 highway deaths each year, at a cost of $15 billion. Who pays the price, if the speed limit is repealed? Taxpayers ultimately bear the cost for emergency medical and police response, medical treatment, days or years of lost productivity, disability compensation for the motor vehicle crashes that will result from higher speed limits. We know that speed is a factor in nearly one-third of all traffic fatalities and that motor vehicle crashes already cost society more than $137 billion every year. The health care portion is approximately $14 billion--of which Medicare and Medicaid pay $3.7 billion or almost 30 percent. I strongly believe that a Federal role encouraging safety is very necessary. If you share my concerns and want to save lives as well as taxpayer dollars, vote for the Rahall amendment.

Ms. BROWN of Florida

Ms. BROWN of Florida. We stand on very tall shoulders. If we think about people that have died to give us the opportunity to stand here on this floor and have this conversation, then I am committed that we will never go back to an institution of all white men.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. As I said before, this is the first time, these past 3 years, or 2\1/2\, that we have had a diverse Congress. It has been the most diverse. Look who championed the issues of the people. I am very proud to stand with the Women's Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Democratic Caucus for the people of this country. If we look at the attacks on affirmative action, and I recognize that is another talk, but we have 98 percent of all of the jobs in all of the categories held by white males and they are only 42 percent of the population. It is like my grandmamma's sweet potato pie. All we have is a thin slice, and they do not want us to have that slice.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I thank the gentlewoman.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I am very proud of the service that my office rendered to the people of the Third congressional district. I have gone into little counties and the next day the headlines in the paper reads the first time in anybody's memory they had even seen a Member of Congress.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Losing by large numbers.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Well, the organizer of the Third Congressional District, who, by the way, does not live in the Third Congressional District, you know, but wants to dictate what happens in the third, I beat him close to 70 percent in the last election, well, in 1992.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Keep in mind now, the plaintiff, I beat him close to 70 percent.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. That is exactly what they are saying, but more than that, the people of the Third Congressional District have had opportunities to decide who they want to represent them, and we are not talking about some of these Members of Congress that just did win. This Member won close to 60 percent.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. The main reason is that they felt that the person from the Third Congressional District voted with the Black Caucus, not voted for the people of the Third Congressional District. I had 13 town meetings during the break. I saw over 3,000 people, and we are altogether on our other issues. We all do not support any of the Medicaid cuts; you see, this is what we have in common: We do not support the cuts in education, the cuts to the senior citizens; putting children first with the cuts. If we are supposed to balance the budget, the people from the Third Congressional District feel that women and children should go first. It should not be on the backs of the poor people and the working people in this country.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. But women won the right to vote by the slimmest of margins. In the House of Representatives, suffrage passed by exactly the number of votes needed, with one supporter carried in from the hospital and the other leaving his wife's deathbed to vote. In the Senate, suffrage passed with just two votes to spare. When the 19th amendment was sent to the States for ratification, Tennessee, the last State, passed it by a single vote during a recount. So it just amazes me that people cannot understand how important their vote is. Redistricting, since the 1990 census, has marked tremendous gains for women and minorities. In 1992, the year we were elected to Congress, was a historical year for Florida. For the first time in over 120 years, an African-American was elected to Congress from Florida. I do not understand why people do not feel history is important. I want to repeat that. For the first time in over 120 years, an African- American was elected to the U.S. Congress from Florida. At the same time, I was elected to represent the Third Congressional District, my colleagues, Representative Carrie Meeks and Representative Alcee Hastings were also elected to represent Florida. Sixteen new African-American Members, mostly from the South, were seated in the House of Representatives, and one African-American Senator, Carol Moseley-Braun, was seated, expanding the Congressional Black Caucus members to 40, the largest ever. Now there are 57 women, 19 Hispanic, 8 Asians and 1 American Indian. This is the highest number of minorities to ever serve in the history of the U.S. Congress. Despite these gains, Less than 2 percent of the elected officials in this country are black. We still need the Voting Rights Act, and we still have a long way to go. I want to repeat that: Less than 2 percent of the elected officials in this country are black. I and others would not have the honor to serve in Washington if it were not for the courage and sacrifice of great leaders who led the way before us. Let me tell you about the person from Florida, the first black, and only, elected was Josiah Wells, was elected from the area that I now have the honor of serving, Gainesville, Fl., and he was elected in the year 1879. He was elected from the Third Congressional District, just like me. Josiah Wells' election was challenged, and he lost his seat after only less than 2 months in office. However, by the time he had already been elected to a new term, believe it or not, his next election he won, the courthouse burned down, the election [[Page H 8948]] was challenged and he was thrown out. So it is not much different between 1879 and 1995, thus ended Florida's first congressional career for a black Representative. I went on and did some research on him. He left the Congress. He went to my school, Florida A&M University, and he headed up the Department of Education there. Once Reconstruction began, 21 black Congressman were elected from the South between 1870 and 1901. However, after 1901, when Jim Crow tightened his grip, no black was elected to Congress from the South in over 70 years. It is more timely than ever to study what happened to black representation during the Reconstruction. This period may seem like ancient history, but what happened then seems to be happening over again. When the redistricting process began in Florida in 1992, leaders of the Florida Legislature, where I served as a representative for 10 years, proposed that we have one African-American congressperson from Miami, at 52 percent, even though the census shows that minorities in Florida represent close to 40 percent. The proposed new African-American district would be located in Miami, although Orlando, Jacksonville, Daytona, Tallahassee would still be unrepresented. The legislative leaders made it clear they would not compromise, and, in fact, I want you to know what happened in Florida. The legislature could not draw districts in Florida. The courts took over, and the reason why the courts took over is because everybody that was in charge of the redistricting was running for Congress. So it did not have anything to do with whether you were African-American, but everybody in charge was running, from the President of the Senate to the people in the House, that headed up redistricting to the people in the Senate. So we could not pass a plan in Florida. So you cannot disregard the role that politics plays in drawing districts.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, that is one of the things that I can also attest to, that what we are experiencing now is not the first time it was experienced in the Congress of the United States. In fact, in the 1800's, the same kind of challenges to African-Americans took place. This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, and the 75th anniversary of women's right to vote. In 1962, only 5.3 percent of the voting age black population was registered to vote in Mississippi. There were only 500 black elected officials in the entire country. Today there are over 5,000 black elected officials. The 75th anniversary of women's right to vote represents a long struggle and great sacrifices. Women had to fight against entrenched opposition with almost no financial, legal, or political powers of their own. For the first 150 years of our Nation's history, American Government did not include women. Does the gentlewoman from Georgia want to respond to that? Can you imagine this Congress without any women?

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to say before I begin, in this Congress it has been pretty hot for me in these last 6 months and it has not been a lot of fun, but one of the joys has been serving with the gentlewoman from Georgia [Ms. McKinney] in the 103d and the 104th; a Member that is committed to all of the people in this country. We stand together and I will fight for all of the people.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. The first time they had ever seen a Member of the United States Congress.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Excuse me, I did not hear you. You must be mistaken.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mine is 50-50.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. Let me say, in Florida, until 1982, we elected two members to the Florida Senate for the first time in 100 years. I just want you to know we have not come that far. The history of representation in this country is not great. If you look down in Florida, we did not elect a woman until, I think, 1986, not in the history of the State of Florida.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. I guess so, and you have friends in the courts.

Ms. BROWN of Florida. You know one of the things that I find outstanding by every black Congressperson that I know is that we vote for people issues, and it does not have anything to do with color. When I vote for lunch programs, I want all of the children to be able to go to school and have school lunch. While fighting against Medicare and Medicaid and the cuts, I am representing all of the people of Florida. I do not see how a Congressperson from Florida can go along with the proposals that they have to cut Medicaid and Medicare. Reverse Robin Hood: Robbing from the poor and working people to give to the rich. There are not other Members in Congress more democratic than the black Members of the caucus.