Tom DeLay

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. The campaign finance committees are still working on those issues. It is quite possible that we could address those issues in September. The way that I am watching the schedule of the other body, we will probably be here at least a week or two after October 1, and we would be working on those issues. I have every expectation that the Committee on Ways and Means will put out a retirement security bill for us to consider in September or the first of October. And, I am sure the gentleman remembers, we have a reconciliation process that is ongoing. We could have a reconciliation bill in that time period. So those are some of the major issues that we will be facing in September and October.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Monday at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to Members' offices by the end of the day. Any votes called on these measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the House will consider additional legislation under suspension of the rules, as well as several measures under a rule: H.R. 525, the Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2005; H.R. 5, the HEALTH Act of 2005; and H.R. 22, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. In addition, we expect to consider H.R. 3045, the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement sometime later in the week. Finally, I would like to note that we are expecting a very busy week heading into the August recess. Members should expect to work some late nights as we resolve these important pieces of legislation.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding. There is no way that we can tell what hour of the day on Friday that we might be finished with our work. As the gentleman knows, next week is going to be a typical pre-district work period week. We have several bills to consider, as well as multiple potential conference reports. Because of the unpredictability of conference reports, I would hesitate to even make firm commitments for any of the week. For now, I would note that our plan is to consider both postal reform and small business health plans on Tuesday, and after that we will have to see where various components are and how they come together.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As I said earlier, it is very difficult. Certainly we will consult with the minority as to timing. For instance, right now we think we will have a highway conference report. There may be an energy conference report. There could be one to three appropriations conference reports. It is very difficult today to fashion a schedule that we could give to the Members. I feel very confident by Monday we will have a better feel for what the week should look like and, in consultation with the minority, we would have a better idea when the Central American Free Trade Agreement can be considered. But I say to the gentleman that it will be fully discussed with an ample amount of time for debate, and we will just do it when we can get to it.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support, strong support of the NASA reauthorization as it continues the agency's vital work, implementing and filling in the details of the President's bold Vision for Space Exploration. Almost 36 years to the day since Neil Armstrong took his ``small step for man,'' today the House will help NASA make its next ``giant leap for mankind.'' The Committee on Science has brought forth a comprehensive bill that fully funds the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station, both vital components of the President's vision, aeronautics, servicing the Hubble telescope and the James Webb telescope project. I am particularly gratified that the committee has seen fit to fully fund NASA's exploration systems, which, of course, is not only the heart and soul of the agency, but the very essence of America's mission in space. The bill dovetails seamlessly with President Bush's vision by calling for a timely return to shuttle flight, the completion of the ISS, and the development of a new Crew Exploration Vehicle. The manager's amendment to the bill contains many improvements over the original bill, including a provision to restore $1.26 billion in funding to exploration systems, while also crafting important language to better monitor potential cost overruns. It also acknowledges the critical role the shuttle has in achieving the first step of the President's vision. I just want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the gentleman from Tennessee (Ranking Member Gordon), and the gentleman from Colorado (Ranking Member Udall) and the rest of their committee for their hard work on these provisions. This is an excellently crafted bill. It is a bipartisan bill; in fact, one could probably say it is a nonpartisan bill, and one that has shown how Members can come together, work together, and have an excellent outcome. But, ultimately, Mr. Chairman, this bill does one thing: it gives the men and women of NASA, many of whom I am fortunate enough to represent, the resources they need to make that next giant leap, and I encourage all Members to support the manager's amendment and the bill.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Monday next for morning hour debates.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the reauthorization and extension of the USA PATRIOT Act, the provisions of which have protected the American people and our soil from terrorism since their enactment 4 years ago. The PATRIOT Act has been instrumental to our prosecution of the war on terror since 9/11, and, specifically, instrumental to the prosecution of terrorists who have threatened our homeland. Our law enforcement and intelligence communities have vigorously and appropriately used the PATRIOT Act to investigate, charge, and prosecute terrorists. Five terrorist cells in Buffalo, Detroit, Seattle, Portland, and northern Virginia have been disbanded. Terrorists around the world have been brought to justice. The notorious wall between law enforcement and intelligence gathering organizations has been broken down. Prosecutors and investigators have been given more tools to go after terrorists without the outdated redtape that, prior to 9/11, always hamstrung such efforts. Loopholes have been closed, safe- havens have been shut, and the war in being won. Meanwhile, civil liberties are being protected. Opponents of the PATRIOT Act suggest that we have an either/or choice when it comes to safety and civil liberties, but the PATRIOT Act--the ultimate legislative boogey-man for conspiracy theorists--has worked exactly as the American people were told it would be. To date, 4 years after Big Brother supposedly imposed this draconian usurpation of liberty on the American people, no one has suggested a single instance of a single person's civil liberties being violated. This point bears repeating: on one, not the Justice Department, not the ACLU, not even moveon.org has produced evidence of a single, verifiable PATRIOT Act civil liberties abuse. It just hasn't happened. Neither has the government's abuse of the PATRIOT Act's ``delayed notification search warrants,'' which since the Act's passage have comprised fewer than 2 of every 1,000 search warrants sought by the Justice Department. The USA PATRIOT Act, then, Mr. Speaker, has been a boon to the law enforcement and intelligence community, a crushing blow to our terrorist enemies--212 more of whom, I repeat, are now behind bars--and a protector of security and freedom to the American people. Of course, this law should be re-examined. That's why we've subjected it to such vigorous scrutiny: Six Inspector General reports; 12 Committee hearings, just since this April; 41 witnesses, 15 of whom were called by the Democrats; 43 proposed amendments in Committee, 8 of which were approved. The American people have had ample opportunity to witness the PATRIOT Act in action, and in the 4 years since its passage, our Nation has been safer, our civil liberties more secure than ever, and our enemies have been hunted, caught, and prosecuted. We are winning the war on terror, and the PATRIOT Act is a big reason why. I urge all members to protect the American people, protect civil liberties, and extend the PATRIOT Act.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time. I really appreciate her bringing this very, very important amendment to the floor. As has been said earlier, this is a very important debate that we are having in the United States House of Representatives. Mr. Chairman, the establishment of a firm deadline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq simply will put them in greater danger. It will embolden our terrorist enemies and all but assure the failure of that nation's fledgling democracy. Under such a deadline, the best we could hope for is that our enemies would simply go into hiding, wait for us to leave, then unleash bloody terror on their countrymen until Iraq's government fell, Iraq's people were subdued, and Iraq's hope was destroyed. In short, such a deadline would do nothing less than help our enemies win the war. After so many have fought, and fought and sacrificed and died, ending decades of Saddam Hussein's murderous tyranny, now with freedom secured and stability in sight, with hope abounding in Iraq and across the Middle East, to establish such a deadline, all but ensuring disaster, would be morally and strategically indefensible. It would be an insult, an insult to every soldier who wears on their uniform the flag of the United States, a body blow to the cause of freedom and justice around the world, and a signal to evil men everywhere in the world that America's spine had gone brittle. A deadline for withdrawal would not amount to mere appeasement, but it would amount to surrender, betrayal, and it would amount to an invitation for more bloodshed on our own soil. It cannot, cannot, cannot be done. Failure in Iraq, which a premature withdrawal date would assure, would be a crucial and possibly a decisive defeat in the global war on terror. Rhetorical attempts to divorce Operation Iraqi Freedom from the broader war on terror have failed in no small part because our enemies make no small distinction. Bin Laden, al-Sadr, Zarqawi, Fedayeen foot-soldiers, Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian imports, al Qaeda exports, Taliban holdovers, Ba'athist henchmen, shoe bombers, dirty bombers, hijackers in Boston, roadside bombers in Baghdad, homicide bombers in Madrid, suicide bombers in London, and, yes, inmates in Guantanamo. They are all the same. They are all the same, Mr. Chairman. They are one enemy, terrorism, serving one cause, tyranny, against one target, freedom. Mr. Chairman, our soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world are not fighting for a grotesque mistake. They are fighting for a noble cause. They are not Nazis or Soviets. They are heroes. The war in Iraq is not over. It is just not being fought on television. And our decision to join the war on terror, which waged for years before 9/11, has not made the war more dangerous but more hopeful for future peace. Our enemies brook no confusion about their goal, it is to kill every last one of us. The only thing standing between us and that fate is the courage and determination and commitment of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Members and political leaders from both parties would do well to remember that in times like these words have consequences. Consider the soldiers now under enemy threat in Iraq. Consider the victims of 9/11 and their families. Consider the Iraqi people on January 30 raising their ink-dyed fingers, voting after holding their polling lines against the threat of terrorist attack. Consider the Iraqi women who no longer fear the rape rooms, the Afghan men who can speak their minds freely, and the children who can learn math and literature and history outside the control of their Orwellian regimes. We are at war whether we like it or not, whether we fight it or not. Our enemies will keep coming. We cannot defeat them solely with our weapons, Mr. Chairman. We must defeat them with our will. Words and deeds here at home and in particular here in Washington that embolden any of our enemies embolden all of them, and by doing so undermine our cause, weaken our resolve and threaten our troops. Iraq is the war on terror. Victory in Iraq is a victory for hope. Defeat in Iraq is a victory for chaos and violence and evil. The terrorists know it, the Iraqis know it, and deep down even the most partisan critics of our Commander in Chief know it, too. That is why we must stand and we must fight as we have for almost 4 years here at home, in Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere terrorism threatens the survival and success of liberty until the fight is won. We know not the day nor the hour, Mr. Chairman, when the scourge of terrorism will be repelled once and for all from Iraq, from the Middle East, from our world, when citizens of all nations will breathe air cleared of the cries of wounded heroes and the report of hostile gunfire, when men will be free, when women will be honored, and when children will be safe. As long as war is our policy and victory is our aim, Mr. Chairman, neither can our enemies. I urge all of our colleagues to bring that day a bit closer by truly supporting our troops in word as well as in deed by supporting the Ros- Lehtinen amendment.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, the United States Congress will welcome His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. His visit to the United States, and to this House in particular, is a symbol of the strong and vibrant relations between our two nations, the oldest and largest democracies on earth. But the relationship between the United States and India is more than symbolic. It is the natural alliance between democratic nations who value freedom, and will defend their people from tyranny and terror. Since the Indian people achieved their independence from the British crown in 1947, their nation has become an example of political freedom and stability in a region that desperately needs it. India's economy has become a global leader in trade, science, and health, and its education system annually produces some of the brightest and most innovative minds in the world. India has become a valued trading partner with the United States, and a trusted ally in the global war on terror. Internationally, the Indian people--together with Pakistan--in recent years have sought peaceful solutions to their differences, setting aside decades of open hostility. And here at home, Indian-Americans have enriched our national culture by introducing generations of Americans to the philosophical, religious, and social traditions of their homeland. My own district in the Houston region is home to tens of thousands of Indian-Americans, who have become an indelible part of our community in recent decades, a fact for which I and my fellow Texans are most grateful. I am proud to sponsor this resolution commending Prime Minister Singh and his nation, and welcoming him to address the House and Senate tomorrow.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, this week on the floor the House will consider the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act and all Members from both sides of the aisle will, 4 years after 9/11, have an opportunity to show the American people how seriously they take the ongoing threat of terrorism and how they would attempt to combat it. The PATRIOT Act, as we all know, has been a political punching bag for many ever since its passage. Wild, fear-mongering accusations have abounded about the suppression of dissent and abuse of power, yet in the PATRIOT Act's 4-year history no such abuses have been documented. It has not infringed on anyone, except our terrorist enemies. Unfortunately, too often, too many seem more critical of the actions of our own troops than those of the terrorists. And comical as it sounds, such reckless, irresponsible, partisan rhetoric is invariably prefaced with, ``I support the troops, but.'' But you cannot, Mr. Speaker, you cannot support the troops, but compare them to Nazis. You cannot support the troops, but call their heroic work in Iraq a ``grotesque mistake.'' You cannot support the troops, but say Saddam Hussein's torture chambers are still open, but under new ``U.S. management.'' You cannot support the troops, but say, to score partisan points, that the war in Afghanistan is over, when those very troops are still in harm's way there. Policy differences are healthy, Mr. Speaker, but words have consequences. National security is more than just another political issue. Undermining the war on terror undermines the troops, emboldens the enemy, and endangers our young men and women in uniform. As much as some would like to, we cannot pretend it is September 10 again. We cannot pretend the world is safe. Mr. Speaker, 9/11, Madrid, and London have proven that. Our only choice is to fight or surrender and, for 4 years, the American people have rallied behind our Commander in Chief, committed to fight this war until the last terrorist on earth is either in a cell or a cemetery. The Democrat Party of FDR and JFK, like the Republican Party under Ronald Reagan and George Bush, understood the necessity of strong, decisive, and bipartisan foreign policy in a dangerous world. This week's agenda will provide all Members from both sides of the aisle the opportunity to affirm whether such bipartisan unity is still possible.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Monday at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour debates and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several matters under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to the Members' offices by the end of the day. Any votes called on these measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and the balance of the week, the House may consider additional legislation under suspension of the rules, as well as several measures under a rule: H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007; H.R. 3070, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005; and H.R. 3199, the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2005.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, our current plan is to consider the State Department authorization during the early part of the week, followed by NASA authorization and concluding the week with the PATRIOT Act. I would expect debate on both the PATRIOT Act and the State Department authorization bill to take a considerable amount of time. I would imagine that both of those bills will have a number of amendments. Because of that, Members need to be prepared to be here voting next Friday.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman would continue to yield, that is correct, more likely than not.

Mr. DeLAY. We would expect to take up that bill on Tuesday or at least start it on Tuesday.

Mr. DeLAY. That is correct, Wednesday or Thursday.

Mr. DeLAY. That is correct.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is correct. The highway bill is, as we all know, an incredibly important bill. It is an important jobs bill. It is important for the infrastructure of this country. Maybe that is why it is taking so long to do this. But the conference on the highway bill is slowly rolling along. Compromises are being made in some key areas. I am optimistic that a conference report can be ready maybe even next week, but certainly be ready in the next 2 weeks.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I would refer to the chairman on that. I do not want to preclude what position the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure would be in to make that decision. If we had to do an extension, certainly we would fit it in in between debates on the major bills we will be doing next week.

Mr. DeLAY. As the gentleman knows, the Senate has passed CAFTA. The Committee on Ways and Means has marked it up. I expect that the House will vote on it before we adjourn for the August recess. I just do not know when that will be.

Mr. DeLAY. I am pretty confident it will not be next week; that is correct.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman continuing to yield, and I assume the gentleman will ask another question about Social Security, so I will take campaign finance first. There is a lot of negotiations that need to be held on both the Shays-Meehan bill and the Pence-Wynn bill. In my opinion, they are not ripe yet. I do not see that they will get any riper between now and the August break.

Mr. DeLAY. As the gentleman knows, the Committee on Ways and Means has had a number of hearings on Social Security and retirement security in general. In addition, the Committee on Education and the Workforce passed a bill relating to a number of issues related to defined benefit pension plans before the July 4th district work period. There are additional ideas related to retirement savings building support within this House. I expect that the House will focus on these issues in the fall.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman for taking this Special Order and particularly for his incredible hard work in pulling together the 21st Century Careers Initiative that he has been working on for a couple of years and certainly has brought it now to where we are actually making things happen starting this week and the following weeks to deal with these kinds of issues. It is incredibly important. Last Friday, news came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that American businesses, mostly small businesses, produced 146,000 new jobs; and that unemployment for June 2005 fell to just 5 percent, the lowest since 9/11, and many economists call that full employment. Tuesday, the Office of Management and Budget reported that a surge in tax revenue due almost entirely to the economic growth created by recent Republican tax relief had cut the Republican deficit by almost $100 billion. The Congressional Budget Office for the same reasons believes that the 2005 deficit will now be even lower. And now just this morning we have received news that the consumer price index, the lead indicator of inflation, has unchanged in June, meaning that the robust economic growth that we are experiencing is occurring without any sign of inflation. All of this good news is on the heels of the Bureau of Economic Analysis report late last month that first quarter economic growth was at a 3.8 percent annual rate, revised up from a 3.5 percent. Manufacturing industrial production is up 3.4 percent this year and 9.5 percent since 2003. Business equipment investment has increased 13.5 percent over the last 2 years. New home sales are at record highs. And the homeownership rate, now 69 percent, is at an all-time high. Retail sales are better than expected in June and new jobless claims for the week indicate yet again an expanding job market. Put simply, Madam Speaker, the economy is growing, the deficit is shrinking, jobs and opportunities are being created, and unemployment and inflation are under control. Rather than resting on the laurels of these successes, the House Republican Conference this week under the leadership of the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Tiahrt) announced the 21st Century Careers Initiative, which is a far-reaching, far-sighted agenda for the economic reform that will remove eight barriers between the American people and the American Dream; and he has gone over them already. Removing this friction from our economy while holding the line on Federal spending is not only how we can reduce the deficit; it is how we can transform the role of government in our national economy and the role of the United States in the global economy. This is a noble and necessary goal of the 109th Congress. So this week, as the gentleman has mentioned, we took up a resolution declaring the House's acknowledgement ``that improving the competitiveness of the United States economy depends on congressional action to remove barriers'' to prosperity, and all but 17 Democrats voted against it. One hundred, seventy-seven Democrats voted against a resolution announcing this initiative promoting economic growth, security and prosperity, against opening new markets to our small business owners, against easing $850 billion in regulatory burdens annually foisted on American small businesses, against ``innovation and investment,'' against ``health care security,'' against ``lifelong learning,'' against simplifying a Tax Code that takes the American people 6\1/2\ billion hours every year to comply with, against liberating our legal system from abusive predatory lawsuits, and against energy self-sufficiency. Now, how can anyone anywhere be against these things? This is what has become of the once-great Democratic Party. The idea- driven policy colossus of FDR and JFK that gave us Social Security, the New Deal, the Marshall Plan, the space program, and civil rights is now led by a peanut gallery that has surrendered the field of public discourse and taken up residence as the backseat drivers of American politics. On every issue now facing our Nation, from the war on terror to Social Security to economic reform, the Republicans have forged into that arena with bold and innovative proposals while Democrat leaders have sat back and heckled, offering nothing constructive to the debate, more pundit than party. No idea. No agenda. No cooperation. Nothing. Well, faced with this partisan obstruction, House Republicans have no choice but to move forward with our positive agenda for reform, an agenda that has been affirmed by the American people in six straight elections. They can gripe. We will govern. Democrats can keep making noise, and with the new 21st Century Careers Initiative and the rest of our agenda, Republicans will keep making history. I appreciate the gentleman for all the work that he has done and particularly for this Special Order so that we can talk about this in very real terms.