Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Cunningham].

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time. Mr. Speaker, we have before us a rule that will bring to the floor a bill that covers almost 200,000 Federal employees, and that is what we are talking about. We are talking about passing a bill today, sending it to the President, that will permit almost 200,000 Federal employees to go to work tomorrow. In addition to that, the bill maintains a glidepath, is on a glidepath to a balanced budget in 7 years. Now, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Walker], was, I think, very much correct in bringing out the fact that other econometric projections, whether they are called continuing resolutions, which would not be germane to this bill, if the previous question were to fail, it would not be germane today on this rule, an econometric projection or theory that continues to pile debt is not as clean as some maintain that it is. What we have before us in synthesis, Mr. Speaker, is a rule that will permit us to vote on a bill that is on a glidepath to a balanced budget in 7 years and that tomorrow will permit 200,000 Federal workers to go back to work. So I would hope that the spirit of compromise that was propounded and mentioned again today on the floor by such distinguished Members on the other side of the aisle as the gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Hoyer] and the gentleman from California [Mr. Beilenson] who say they will vote for the rule, will prevail, and that we will be able to pass this rule, obviously succeed on the motion for the previous question, pass the rule and then pass the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 265 waives clause 4(b) of rule XI--which requires a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee--against the same-day consideration of resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules on or before the legislative day of November 23, 1995, for the consideration or disposition of any measure making further continuing appropriations. In addition, the rule clarifies that the provisions of House Resolution 265 do not apply to any reconciliation measures. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 265 is an expedited procedure to facilitate the same-day consideration of urgent legislative matters. The Rules Committee does not waive the two-thirds requirement very often--10 times by the last Congress under a Democratic majority, and considered and adopted 5 of those times by the full House--and the committee has been very diligent in reserving this waiver for only the most urgent fiscal year matters this Congress--twice this year--and only considered this one time today on the floor by the full House. House Resolution 265 is necessary to expedite legislation to pay the Federal Government's bills and allow furloughed Federal employees to return to work as quickly as possible. The House has now passed all 13 requisite appropriations bills. While differences over the remaining 10 or so individual spending bills that have not been signed into law are being negotiated with both the Senate and the President, it is important that the House be able to act immediately on the floor to consider any rule that deals with providing funds for the urgent matter of expired appropriations. I urge adoption of House Resolution 265. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier], my distinguished colleague on the Committee on Rules. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, would the gentleman yield for filing a rule?

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. If the gentleman would yield just for 10 seconds, and the gentleman from Georgia, [Mr. Kingston] would be very happy to grant the gentleman----

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. It was with great sadness that I received the news of his tragic and untimely death on Saturday. Prime Minister Rabin had a vision of a free and democratic Israel living in peace with its neighbors when lesser men could not even imagine the existence of a Jewish State in the Middle East. Yitzhak Rabin fought heroically in the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. He continued to serve and to lead as Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces during the victorious war of 1967. And as Defense Minister, he continued to lead to contribute to Israel's security not only through preparations for war, but also through preparations for peace. I had the privilege of seeing firsthand the fruits of his leadership in Israel. Two years ago, as a freshman Congressman, I was able to travel to Israel and meet Yitzhak Rabin and see the country. Not only was I impressed with the man, I was impressed with the Israeli people and their desire for peace and security. The next time I saw Prime Minister Rabin as last year at the historic ceremony which took place at the White House in which he and Yasser Arafat signed a historic peace accord. Without his leadership, that ceremony would never have occurred. With his leadership, the almost inconceivable peace with former enemies of Israel came closer to fruition. The peace process and the democratic stability of Israel must serve as a living memorial to Yitzhak Rabin. The heinous act which robbed the world of his presence occurred at the end of a peace rally where he was exhorting others to carry on and support his peace efforts. Mr. Speaker, we must continue to support those efforts. Mr. Speaker, I would like to conclude my remarks by reading excerpts from Prime Minister Rabin's last public statement, read by him just minutes before he was brutally assassinated. I was a military man for 27 years. I waged war as long as there was no chance for peace. I believe there is now a chance for peace, a great chance, and we must take advantage of it for those who are standing here, and for those who are not here--and they are many. I have always believed that the majority of the people want peace and are ready to take a chance for peace. Violence erodes the basis of Israeli democracy. It should be condemned and wisely expunged and isolated. It is not the way of the State of Israel. There is democracy. There can be disputes but the outcome will be settled by democratic elections. Peace is not only in prayers--but it is the desire of the Jewish people. This rally must broadcast to the Israeli public, to the world Jewish public and to many in the western and outside worlds that the people of Israel want peace, support peace. Mr. Speaker, peace is the most wonderful of goals for which a man can give his life. Yitzhak Rabin gave his life for peace and for his people. He will never be forgotten.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. I thank the gentleman. I appreciate you very much yielding. I am very proud of the work that the Committee on Rules has been doing over not only these 10 months but very specifically these last two nights. We have been working, like tonight, until just before midnight in the Committee on Rules, bringing to the floor, first, the legislation we brought to the floor today to keep the Federal Government running, functioning, until December 1, and that is an important, important task while we work on trying to resolve that issue for the next fiscal year, and hopefully at some point getting, obtaining some collaboration, some cooperation from the White House down Pennsylvania Avenue, just a few blocks, and, of course, then the work that we did tonight where we fashioned the rule, the guideline, the framework with which we will bring to the floor tomorrow the legislation that you, Mr. Chairman, just referred to now, which is the legislation that will permit the Government of the United States to meet its fiscal responsibilities until December 12. I think it is important, and obviously we discussed this in the Committee on Rules, as we focus in on these important pieces of legislation, which are obviously not only important but extraordinarily so, that we not, while we focus in on the trees, to use that analogy, we not lose sight of the forest. And that is very much related to what, Mr. Chairman, you were referring to just a few minutes ago. I have to admit that I felt great uncertainty just months ago that we could actually in this Congress frame and pass a framework, a glide path toward balancing this budget in 7 years. Now, unfortunately, during those 7 years more debt will be accumulated, but at least what seemed very, very difficult and, in fact, is very, very difficult, is being done by this Congress, and that is we are in the process of passing a framework, a glide path that leads to an end of deficit spending by the year 2002. And that sounds sometimes, Mr. Chairman, technical. Sometimes it sounds that is an issue simply of numbers, but there is no country in the history of the world that has been able to accumulate without end public debt and has not ultimately gotten to a position where its economy falters because of it. It is true that we are the richest Nation in the world. We are, in fact, the most powerful Nation in the history of the world, but unless we would have done what the American people decided in the election of 1994 had to be done, and that is get the economic house in order and balance the budget in the Federal Government, I fear that we would have reached a situation in 7 or 10 or 15 or 20 years where we would have passed beyond the point of no return. So, Mr. Chairman, these tasks that involve our committee and that I am so proud to be able to be a part of under your leadership, day in and day out, where we work these long hours and sometimes, as the hours pass, we never forget, but it is always important for us to keep our eye on the big picture of why we are doing this work, and it is for our children and their children, and that this economy will remain an economy because of what we are doing now and because of the tough decisions that we are engaged in now. And it will remain an economy where a child that is being born today will not only be able, after he finishes school, to find a job, but also to create a job if he or she wants to, and that is what we are doing. I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your work along with the rest of the leadership in this Congress in permitting the situation to come about where that child who is born today will be in an economy that will be the most competitive and the wealthiest economy in 20 or 40 years. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I want to briefly touch upon two subjects this evening. One, there was a visit to the United States last week by the Cuban dictator, Castro. Unfortunately, he was received by many in New York as though he were something else than what he is. He was, unfortunately, received by some as though he were a democratically elected leader, or someone who was not a horrendous violator of human rights. That is more than unfortunate, because it is really degrading to those who receive someone like that, someone who is a murderer, someone who is responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of human beings, and for maintaining an oppressive system, denying all human rights and democratic possibilities for an entire Nation. He was received, for example, by Dan Rather at CBS News, given a gift by Dan Rather. Mr. Bernard Shaw of the CNN network interviewed him in an hour, and asked absolutely no followup questions. When Castro was asked by Mr. Shaw, for example, why he did not permit political parties, and Castro said they were divisive, there was no followup question. When he was asked by Mr. Shaw with regard to why Castro's daughter calls the tyrant a murderer and a drug trafficker, the Cuban dictator simply says, ``That is personal,'' and there was no followup question. I would assume that an appropriate follow-up question would be, ``I'm not asking you a personal question, I'm not asking you if you are a good father, I am asking you to react to the fact that your daughter says you are a drug trafficker and a murderer.'' Of course, there was no follow-up question. I was really sad to see a journalist of that reputation engage in an interview like that. I guess the key is that there are names, there are hundreds and really thousands of names that we could list, I have no time to list them, but I simply want to name a few, because they are right now in dungeons in Cuba because of the Cuban tyrant, and they were in those dungeons last week while some of our colleagues in this House were receiving the Cuban tyrant, and some of them giving him gifts: Francis Chaviano. Omar del Pozo, a former colonel in Castro's own security force, is receiving electroshocks in a mental institution for demonstrating for democracy. Enrique Labrada. There is a 30-year old young woman, Carmen Arias, in a dungeon right now because she wrote a letter supporting democracy. Jose Miranda, a political prisoner with 72 days on a hunger strike, and for more than 6 months has been refused visits by his family. That is at this very moment that is going on, and it was going on last week when Castro was being received in New York. Orson Vila, a Baptist preacher, is in a dungeon now for preaching the word of Christ in Cuba. These are things I wanted to mention. I will continue mentioning them in the following weeks, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to, very briefly, comment also on another subject, but very important as well, and commend my dear friend, the gentleman from Florida, Peter Deutsch, who in a few weeks will be holding a special order on the issue of kidnappings, and the fact that so many children in our country are abducted each year, and specifically remembering a constituent of his and child from our community who we do not forget, young Jimmy Ryce, who was kidnapped on September 11 of this year. He remembers, and we remember others in our community who were also kidnapped, like Shannon Melendi, a college student at Emory, who we will not forget. We will continue not only to recall, but ask for all, all due efforts to be engaged in by the authorities. I just want to bring out the fact, I have the figures from 1988, the last year I have: 3,200 to 4,600 children were abducted in our country, ages 4 through 11, and most of these attempts involved a car. What is happening in our society, Mr. Speaker? There can be no crime, obviously, that is more inhumane and simply unjustifiable than kidnapping children. I commend the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Diaz-Balart] for bringing this subject out. We will continue talking about it. There can be no more important subject.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, what I am trying to do, and obviously I am trying to remain as civil as I think the House deserves at this point on this issue and also as much as I can on the subject that we are debating, the fact is that we have a rule with a framework, providing a framework for debate for a conference committee report on the funding of the legislative branch. I am not getting into issues with regard to the fact that friends on the other side of the aisle had 40 years here to make these changes, and I am not going to get into that.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, after 40 years of status quo, we have passed more reforms in this House than they have proposed in 40 years; and now we have a commitment by the leadership of this House to bring forth this legislation on gift and lobbying reform before November 16 to this House. That is after balancing the Federal budget, after 40 years of lack of action by the other side, and after saving Medicare. I am proud of what this leadership has done. I am proud of the commitment to bring forth what they been posturing about, in reality and genuinely, before November 16. Mr. Speaker, I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of Congress who has never played golf and really has no intention of ever doing so, I yield 7\1/ 2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Utah [Mrs. Waldholtz], a distinguished member of this House who has worked tirelessly since arriving here for genuine reform, and not political posturing.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss], my distinguished colleague on the Committee on Rules. (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I know it is hard to get to the debate on the relevant issue, but I yield at this time such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon], the chairman of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. So, Mr. Speaker, instead of getting on, continuing on nonrelevant issues, I am trying to focus the attention of the House on what is before us, which is the rule setting the guideline for debate for a conference committee report to fund the legislative branch. That is what is before us, Mr. Speaker; and I would hope that after having seen the commitment of the leadership of this House to bring forth before us this issue that has been brought out this morning, before November 19 to the floor, that there is a limit to which this exercise that our friends on the other side of the aisle are engaging in can remain useful even for them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I have not yielded the gentleman time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are at this time facing before us the rule for the legislative branch appropriations bill. Last Friday, Mr. Speaker, the majority leader committed to having votes in the House on both the lobbying bill and the gift reform rule on or before November 16. Yesterday may colleague on the Committee on Rules, the gentlewoman from Utah [Mrs. Waldholtz], introduced House Resolution 250, which is identical to the Senate rule. Today, the chairman of the Committee on Rules announced the first hearing on this resolution at 10 a.m. this Thursday. We then intend to hold another hearing next week to report the resolution, Mr. Speaker, The Committee on the Judiciary is proceeding to report the lobby reform bill in time to meet the deadline set by the Majority Leader. Mr. Speaker, I see other distinguished colleagues here. For example, the gentleman from California [Mr. Fazio]. He was before us in the Committee on Rules. He pointed out that this product before us is the work of much bipartisan effort. The President, at the time he vetoed it, as I stated before, stated he vetoed it not for substantive reasons but for reasons of timing. And after that our friends on the other side of the aisle have reiterated that this precisely is a bipartisan product that has achieved consensus. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to point out that the amendment that my friend, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Frost] wishes to offer to this rule is nongermane to the rule and would be held out of order even it the previous question is defeated. So this, Mr. Speaker, is, in fact, a nongermane exercise that we are facing now on a nongermane amendment to the rule to make in order a nongermane amendment to the bill. It may be difficult for some of our friends on the other side of the aisle to realize that we are facing before us the rule on legislative appropriations, but that is what we are facing at this time and that is what the House should pass this morning, the rule and, subsequently, the bill on legislative branch appropriations.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California [Mr. Packard].

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 239 is a closed rule, which is entirely appropriate in this circumstance in order to provide for the timely consideration of the legislative branch appropriations bill. The President vetoed the conference report on this bill on October 3, after it had easily passed both the House and Senate, and in his veto message, claimed he had no problem with the bill's content, merely its timing. Therefore, we do not need to relive the amending process, and rather than going through the process of a veto override attempt, we should pass this bill quickly so that we can move on to the remaining spending bills. The rule provides for consideration of the bill in the House, with 1 hour of general debate, to be equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. Also, the rule provides one motion to recommit. House Resolution 239 brings to the floor H.R. 2492, which is identical to the conference report on H.R. 1854, which passed the House on September 6 by an overwhelming vote of 305 to 101. This bill has strong bipartisan support, and even the President described the bill in his veto message as ``A disciplined bill, one that I would sign under different circumstances.'' The House will have shortly completed action on all the spending bills, and the President has now signed both the military construction and agriculture appropriations measures. When H.R. 2492 reaches the President's desk, hopefully the President will also sign this bill, this time. One issue that arose at the Rules Committee has been debated in many settings, including during debate on the rule on the Transportation appropriations conference report last week--gift ban legislation. Many of us would like to see action on this issue as soon as possible, and in case any of you missed the announcement by the majority leader last week, our leadership is planning to have a lobbying reform bill and tough new gift restrictions on the House floor by November 16. According to the majority leader, the Senate language will serve as the starting point, and later this week, we will be holding a hearing at Rules on the issue. Many Members would like the opportunity to improve on the Senate language, and therefore merely attaching the Senate bill to an appropriations measure in the House is not the way to proceed now that we have a commitment to move gift reform as a separate piece of legislation. Although it was argued that the legislative branch appropriations bill was ``an appropriate vehicle,'' it is nonetheless not germane to attach the Senate gift ban to this bill. Let's give the topic of gift reform the opportunity to be fully debated in the context of its own legislation. As a Member of Congress who serves on both of the Speaker-appointed committees, and in my role on the Committee on House Oversight, I am very proud of the reforms achieved in the legislative branch appropriations bill, based on the recommendations by House Oversight. We had some tough choices to make, but getting our own House in order and cutting our own budget was a necessary and important first step in the long and difficult road toward achieving a balanced Federal budget. Mr. Speaker, as you will recall from the House's consideration of this bill in June, and again in September, H.R. 2492 incorporates House oversight plans to greatly reform the internal workings of the House of Representatives. This bill is below the subcommittee's 602(b) allocation and is over 8 percent below last year's spending level. Additionally, H.R. 2492 consolidates offices and paves the way for the privatization of some functions that may be less costly when performed by the private sector. I would like to commend Chairman Thomas, Chairman Packard, ranking member Fazio, and of course Chairman Livingston, for their excellent work in bringing this bill forward. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 239 is necessary to preserve the agreements reached in conference, and agreed to in the House and Senate, on legislative branch appropriations. I urge adoption of both the rule and the bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Frost], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. (Mr. DIAZ-BALART asked and was given permission to insert extraneous material into the Record.)

Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 239 and ask for its immediate consideration.