Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, the reason that President Bush implemented these regs, the reason we have an embargo is because we want the political prisoners freed, because we want political parties legalized, labor unions legalized, the press legalized, and elections scheduled, and we want to retain the leverage of those billions of dollars in travel until the dictatorship releases political prisoners. And you know something, yes, there is pain involved in the Cuban tragedy. But the pain comes from the tragedy of the dictatorship and not because of our policies.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order that section 945 of H.R. 3058 is in violation of clause 2 of rule XXI. That rule precludes changes in existing law from being report in a general appropriation bill. The section directly amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, an Act within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Financial Services regarding the use of credit reports. The section beginning on page 222, line 23, through 223, line 20, clearly constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill. I would note further that House Resolution 342, the rule providing for consideration of the bill, did not waive points of order under clause 2 rule XXI against this section. I would urge the Chair to sustain the point of order.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez). (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, it is interesting how amendments make themselves to the floor, find their way to the floor with regard to the Cuban terrorist dictatorship, with language of freedom, talking about education, talking about reunification, talking about students. Over 100 pro-democracy activists, leaders in Cuba met last month at great risk to their lives and to their families' lives, and they met publicly for the first time in 46 years. They held a convention. Many of them were not permitted to arrive. State security kept them in their homes, threw them in prison, but over 100 did arrive at the convention. They met there and for the first time in 46 years they had elections and they elected leaders of the prodemocracy movement. They issued positions calling for the release of political prisoners and democracy, free elections. And they sent us a letter, Mr. Chairman, signed June 24, the three leaders of the Assembly to Promotes Civil Society. They asked us in this letter with great respect for the decisions of a sovereign Congress, to reject each and every amendment that was going to be presented this week, either completely or partially eliminating sanctions against the dictatorship. And the dictator, Mr. Chairman, has gone on his state television, obviously, the only channel that belongs to him, and has said, ``A severe response'' awaits those mercenaries. The omnipotent, totalitarian dictator, Mr. Chairman, until one day, omnipotent, goes on television and says ``a severe response'' awaits. The Cuban people know what that means. At any moment these leaders or their families will be thrown in dungeons and subjected to the torture that thousands of political prisoners are subjected to in Cuba each day and hundreds of thousands have been subjected to for 46 years. Now, this letter, should we give it the credence and authority and respect that its courage, its heroism demands? I believe we should. This is a very serious issue. We have a policy to help the Cuban people and not the jailers of the Cuban people, not the oppressors of the Cuban people. Mr. Chairman, how much time is remaining?

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, the previous speaker asked as to the relevance of the fact that the dictator had summarily executed three young black Cubans 2 years ago. It is quite relevant and it is quite consistent with the fact that the dictator has consistently embarked on policies of hatred against the Cuban people, especially the black people of Cuba, which should not surprise anyone, because at the end of the 19th century, his father was sent to Cuba as a member of the Spanish Army that was fighting against Cuba. He is, in effect, the historical revenge of Spanish colonialism. And, yes, the prisons are full of young men and women, especially young black men, that he summarily rounds up and puts under preventive detention. This is a very relevant issue, Mr. Chairman. It is very relevant. The oppression of the Cuban people and the hatred of the dictator against the Cuban people, especially the black people, it is very relevant. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, again, I was not aware of which of the multiple amendments that the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) has filed he was going to bring up at this time. My understanding is that this particular amendment, of the many that he has filed, is in order. So I look forward to the debate.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on Mr. Flake's amendments. He has got, I believe, eight of them, and I am not sure if all of them are consistent with the rules of the House. So what I would like to do because I do know that some at least or at least another one is not, I reserve a point of order on Mr. Flake's amendments.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), the distinguished leader and Member from the International Relations Committee.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I withdraw the reservation of the point of order.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My understanding of this, of the many amendments that Mr. Flake has filed with regard to matters that would increase currency to the regime, this amendment states that he wants to tie the President's hands from issuing any further regulations that could have the effect of changing the current regulation that does permit religious travel to Cuba. So I want it to be clear, there is currently a category in U.S. law that permits travel for religious purposes to Cuba. What the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) is saying is, well, I do not know if in the future the President could do something that I disagree with, and so I want to prohibit something the President may do in the future with this amendment. For example, the regime, colleagues, I am sure are aware of the fact, has had about 15 spies arrested in the United States in the last 3 or 4 years. If the administration should find that the religious travel category were being utilized to either train spies or intensify the efforts of Cuban state security against the United States, this amendment would prohibit the President from issuing, in effect, further regulations on that. Religious travel is legal. That is not being debated at this time. What the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) is saying is that he wants to tie the hands of the President in the future with regard to one of the six remaining terrorist states in the world. It is wrong. We should not tie the President's hands, and so I oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, some may ask why the Cuban American community overwhelmingly not only supports these measures to limit resources to the terrorist regime, but elects Members, each and every Member, Cuban American Member whether they are Republicans or Democrats, who also agree with the overwhelming majority of the Cuban American community on measures to limit resources to the terrorist regime. Among the reasons for that, obviously, it is because it is a terrorist regime, an anti-American terrorist regime, that oppresses the Cuban people and has done so for 46 years; but also because Cuban Americans know that freedom never comes free. The only country in the world that has the benefit of a law here in the United States that says one reaches soil in the United States and they are treated like a political asylee are Cubans. And with those great privileges, the great privilege of the Cuban Adjustment Act, come responsibilities. If one is from any other country in the world, as the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez) said, and they are a political asylee, they cannot go back once every 3 years. They cannot go back, period, until the political situation changes in the country they have left. But Cubans not only are treated, and rightfully so, because they are fleeing a Communist tyranny in this hemisphere, as though they were jumping over the Berlin Wall, they are treated as political asylees, but they can go back and visit family every 3 years; whereas from any other country in the world, political asylees cannot. So, at this point, I would say this is a very serious issue, but suffice it to say that it is not by chance that all the Cuban American Members of this House and the overwhelming majority of the community support all of these measures to limit resources from the terrorist regime. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, this issue has been debated at length by the House. There was a similar amendment that was debated at length. It was rejected by the membership of this House by a significant vote. In this case today on an appropriations bill, legislating this issue, that has been debated and rejected in an appropriate forum, this is not clearly an appropriate forum. I reiterate my point of order.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Is debate supposed to be on the point of order?

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Point of order, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment at hand requires a new determination. And so I make the point of order against this amendment. We will have discussion today, Mr. Chairman, on the right of all the people of Cuba to be free and the right for them not to have families divided. They pray every day for freedom, and they work for it. We will have that debate. But not on amendments that violate the rules of this House. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez). (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), the chairman of the subcommittee, who, along with the chairman of the full committee, have done tremendous work in bringing forth these pieces of legislation, including the one on the floor today.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Maybe the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) could answer. Have 3 million jobs been created in the last 18 months, yes or no?

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I think this is a very important piece of legislation that deserves our support. And, obviously, the rule bringing forth the underlying legislation in an extremely fair manner, with an open rule, deserves our support, but also the underlying bill, the underlying appropriations bill. It grows, it increases over last year by approximately 6 percent. It provides over $66 billion for the Departments of Transportation and Treasury and HUD, the Judiciary, and Independent Agencies. That is an increase of six percent, Mr. Speaker. Now, we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle more requests for spending, more and more and more and more. But I think it is important to keep in mind that what we are bringing forth, the bill that we are bringing forth to the floor increases spending, this bill increases spending by 6 percent over the current fiscal year. I think sometimes perspective is proper. So I wanted to mention that as I reiterate my support for the rule bringing forth this legislation as well as the underlying legislation and asking colleagues to support them both. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), 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. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the rule provides 1 hour of general debate, evenly divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations. It provides for one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. I would like to take a moment to reiterate that we bring this rule forward under an open rule. Obviously, historically, appropriations bills have come to the House floor with open rules; and we continue to do so in order to allow every Member in this House the opportunity to submit amendments for consideration, obviously as long as they are germane. This is the last rule bringing forth an appropriations bill for the fiscal year 2006, Mr. Speaker; and I think that it speaks very highly of the Committee on Appropriations. Obviously, the chairman and the ranking member have had much to do with that, as well as all of the members of the Committee on Appropriations who have worked very hard in bringing forth all of these appropriations bills in such a timely fashion. The bill that we are bringing forward today appropriates over $66 billion for the Departments of Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia, and independent agencies, an increase of 6 percent over last year. The bill is fiscally sound. It represents our commitment to provide necessary resources for programs and projects throughout the Nation, ranging from transportation, to housing, the Judiciary, the Executive Office of the President, the District of Columbia. As all Members of this House know, the transportation infrastructure of the country is really the backbone of the economy, and its continued strength is essential to foster economic growth. The underlying legislation brought forth today goes far in ensuring that we have a reliable and stable transportation infrastructure to continue to help the economy grow. The bill includes $37 billion in funds for the highway system, representing an increase of almost $2 billion. H.R. 3058 includes $14.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, an increase of $887 million. Included in that amount is $25 million to hire and train 595 new air traffic controllers. I think it is vitally important as air traffic controllers retire and air traffic continues to grow. This is really essential to so many of our districts. In my district, home to Miami International Airport, the third largest international airport in the country, without an increase in the number of air traffic controllers, MIA would not be able to continue its projected growth and continue to serve really as the hub of the Americas. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is funded at $37.5 billion, an increase of $1.5 billion. These funds will permit the Department to administer programs that assist the public with housing needs, economic and community development, and fair housing opportunities. These funds will also empower low- and moderate-income residents towards self-sufficiency. Under HUD, the bill includes funding for such important programs as Tenant Based Rental Assistance, also known as section 8; and Project Based Rental Assistance. These two programs serve almost 3.5 million households with vouchers and project-based housing. The bill includes $20.63 billion in funds for the program, an increase of almost $1 billion. In Miami-Dade County alone, which I am honored to represent, the housing authority uses the funds provided through these programs to house over 30,000 residents and for payment vouchers for 16,000 units. H.R. 3058 provides $5.8 billion for the judiciary, an increase of 6 percent over the current fiscal year. This will fully fund the courts' revised requests for security improvements at Federal judicial facilities and enable the courts to effectively process the priority criminal, civil, and bankruptcy cases. This legislation was introduced by the chairman of the subcommittee, who has done a tremendous job, the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Knollenberg), and reported out of the Committee on Appropriations on June 21 by voice vote. It is good legislation. It is essential to our continued commitment to the security and safety of all in the United States, and we bring it forth under a fair and open rule. Again, I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Knollenberg) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Olver), for their leadership on this important piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and underlying legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.