David Dreier

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman's dramatically raising the level of a simple two-paragraph House resolution that is the first step in a process that will allow the Budget Committee to do its work, to allow the appropriators and, through the appropriators, the full House--Democrats and Republicans alike--to establish those priorities.

Mr. DREIER. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, what I would say is that amendments submitted to the Rules Committee we do not actually have. I mean my friend knows very well that when it comes to the Rules Committee, when we are getting ready to report out a rule, there are amendments that are submitted. There was one amendment that was proposed by Mr. McGovern. The Rules Committee chose not to make that amendment in order. There was an amendment that did, in fact, bring us to lower spending----

Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding. Let me just say that this resolution did not emerge from the Budget Committee. This is a resolution of the House Rules Committee. We are the committee of jurisdiction for H. Res. 38.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield the customary 30 minutes to my good friend from Worcester (Mr. McGovern). All time yielded will be for debate purposes only. Pending that, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on this rule that we are considering.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 43 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, runaway Federal spending is one of the most significant issues that this Congress is facing. Our national debt has implications for nearly every major challenge that we must confront. It's tied to our economic recovery, it's tied to our national security, it's tied to our ability to deliver on our constitutional mandate for transparent, limited and responsive government. The time to exercise our power of the purse with discipline and restraint is long overdue. Let me say that again: the time for us to exercise our power-of-the-purse restraint is long, long overdue. We must return to pre-bailout, pre-binge spending levels for funding the Federal Government. We know that a great deal of hard work and tough decisions lie ahead for every single Member of this institution. We know that a great deal of hard work is there; and we're going to face some very difficult, tough, tough decisions. They are going to be difficult decisions; but, Mr. Speaker, they are decisions that we're going to have to make. First and foremost, we must get our economy growing and our workforce expanding again. Strong growth and job creation will increase tax revenues and provide greater resources that are needed; but, Mr. Speaker, that's only half of the equation. Economic growth is critically important. We need to do it so that we can enhance the flow of revenues to the Federal Treasury to deal with those essential items that are there, but it is half the equation. We can't get back onto firm ground with sound fiscal standing unless we have a leaner Federal budget. Some of this can be accomplished by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Everybody is always in favor of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. And what is the best way to do that? Robust oversight. Robust oversight will allow us to streamline Federal spending and make better use of taxpayer dollars, but we have to acknowledge up front that hard work and painful cuts lie ahead. We all know that this is not going to be an easy task, but it is absolutely essential. Just as families and small businesses across this country have been forced to cut back during these difficult economic times, we here in this institution are going to have to do the same. That's the message that we got last November that brought people like my Rules Committee colleague, Mr. Scott, who is sitting next to me on the floor here, that's the message that has been carried here. Some Federal programs, Mr. Speaker, are wasteful and duplicative and deserve to be cut. There will be others that have merit, but which we simply cannot afford at the current levels. We have to be honest about that. We have to engage in a responsible debate about what our priorities must be. What we cannot do is allow this debate to degenerate into false accusations about the other side's intentions. And I'm going to repeat that, Mr. Speaker. We cannot let the kind of free-flowing, rigorous debate that we need to have degenerate into these accusations that we so often seem to hear around here. There is no one in this body who wants to gut funding for key essential programs, like veterans' programs, or like education, child nutrition. No one wants to gut these programs. So I think it's important for us to state that. And there is no evidence that any proposal out there would undermine things like support for our Nation's veterans. We are all entering into this debate with good faith, good intentions, and a commitment to responsibly address the need to implement fiscal discipline. We will have to make hard choices, but that process will not be served by unfair or disingenuous accusations. We also recognize that this will be a lengthy process. We are just beginning what is going to be a 2-year process focused on this. Today's underlying resolution, the measure that we're going to be considering through this rule and then on the floor tomorrow, is merely the first step in this ongoing effort to bring our Federal budget back into the black. Our committees will have to conduct extensive oversight, as I mentioned earlier, of Federal programs. We will have to dispense with fiscal year 2011 spending, which the last Congress failed to do, before we can even begin to deal with the coming fiscal year. The underlying resolution that we have before us today lays down a marker for reducing spending and puts the House on record for its commitment to tackle this issue in a serious way. The hard work will follow. As this process proceeds, rank and file Members of both political parties, Democrats and Republicans alike, will have the opportunity to participate in our effort to address these very tough decisions. Through constructive debate, we can finally begin to impose real accountability and discipline in our Federal budget. In concert with pro-growth policies--and I said to me the most essential thing is implementing pro-growth economic policies--but going hand-in-hand with these pro-growth policies, Mr. Speaker, this effort will put us back onto the path of economic recovery and job creation. Today's rule sets the stage for the start of that effort. I'm going to urge my colleagues to support this rule and demonstrate their resolve to tackle runaway Federal spending in a serious way. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding. What I would say is that this is the beginning of a process which will allow us, with a free-flowing debate on appropriations, to do just that. The country survived at 2008 levels.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DREIER. I yield myself an additional 15 seconds, Mr. Speaker. We can do that without in any way jeopardizing the important priorities that we have. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DREIER. May I inquire of the Chair how much time is remaining.

Mr. DREIER. I would like to ask my friend what was the vote in the House on that budget that my friend was just talking about?

Mr. DREIER. It was deemed. There was never a vote in this institution on it, Mr. Speaker. I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. DREIER. I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. My friend has concluded that somehow he knows exactly what will be cut based on this resolution. My friend has concluded that he knows exactly what level is going to be cut when it comes to the National Institutes of Health and the FBI. There are, as we move ahead with this appropriations level debate, debate that is going to be coming in the next several months, we obviously will be in a position where we will be able to, Democrats and Republicans alike, establish our priorities.

Mr. DREIER. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. DREIER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DREIER. Of course I will. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to yield my friend 30 seconds.

Mr. DREIER. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, every Member of this institution, Democrat and Republican alike, knows full well that the American people are hurting. We have an unemployment rate that is at 9.4 percent. We have, in my State of California, a 12\1/2\ percent unemployment rate. I see my friend Mr. Lewis here on the floor. In the Inland Empire of California, the unemployment rate is 15\1/2\ percent. People are out there making very, very tough decisions, and the economic uncertainty that exists today is playing a big role in diminishing the kind of investments that we need to create jobs. This resolution is a very simple one. It says that we shouldn't spend money we don't have. We shouldn't spend money we don't have. That's what we're saying as we begin this process. Those are the decisions that families are making all across this country. They're not spending money they don't have. In fact, we've seen, because of this economic downturn, lots of families today saving more than they have in the past because they don't want to get themselves into this position that the Federal Government is. We're going to have to make some tough choices around here. It's not going to be easy. No one is saying that it's going to be easy. But this resolution that we're going to debate tomorrow, H. Res. 38, simply says that we are going to go to 2008 levels or less, because frankly 2008 levels, as far as I'm concerned, were too high. I believe that we need to cut back even more. Now we continue to hear this argument that we are going to decimate research into very important diseases out there. We began the debate, as I said in the opening, not going there, but we did go there. And, as I said, if you can't prioritize, you end up demonizing and creating this great deal of fear that is out there. Or the FBI is going to close down if we go to `08 spending levels. Well, Mr. Speaker, obviously that is not the case. This institution is not about to undermine the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But we do know that with adequate oversight-- which is our constitutional responsibility--and focusing, yes, on those three things that Democrats and Republicans alike say--waste, fraud and abuse--we will be able to rein in this behemoth. Again, it's going to be tough, but this resolution is just the first step in a 2-year process to get our economy growing, create jobs, and to rein in the size and scope and reach of the Federal Government so that we can encourage individual initiative and responsibility. So Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this rule. And tomorrow, when we bring the resolution, H. Res. 38, to the floor, I urge their support of this measure. I hope very much that we will have Democrats joining with Republicans for this very commonsense approach to do exactly what these 87 new Members on our side of the aisle--and I suspect even some of the nine new Members on the Democratic side of the aisle--have come here to do, and that is to rein in this wasteful government spending that we have seen.

Mr. DREIER. I will yield in just a second. So I would say to my friend that we do very much want, Mr. Speaker, to have a chance for this institution--and I hope Democrats will join in support of H. Res. 38 when it's voted on tomorrow--to go on record, demonstrating the institution's commitment to having heard the message from the American people.

Mr. DREIER. Out of respect for my friend, I yield myself 15 seconds and I am happy to yield to my friend.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to my very, very good friend and California colleague, the dean of our delegation, Mr. Lewis.

Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to one of the hardworking members of this brand-new class that has come in carrying this strong message, the gentleman from Columbus, Ohio (Mr. Stivers).