David Dreier

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. I do not at this juncture know exactly where we stand on that.

Mr. DREIER. I cannot tell you exactly when next week they will be considered, because obviously, we anticipate their filing. I can tell you that from my role on the Rules Committee, that we often wait for appropriations conference reports to be filed, and we do not know exactly when they will be considered. But I will tell you the bills that we do anticipate are, of course, the energy and water appropriations bill and the foreign operations appropriations bill. And we also anticipate next week having motions to go to conference on additional appropriations measures that would include the Science- State-Justice-Commerce bill and the military quality of life bill. So those are things that we do anticipate, although I cannot say exactly at what point next week they will be considered.

Mr. DREIER. If the gentleman will further yield, I will just say at this juncture that we are going, again as the gentleman from Maryland has just said, this is obviously in somewhat of a state of flux, but we are going to do everything that we possibly can to accommodate the concerns of those Members who are hoping to attend the funeral of Mrs. Parks. I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. DREIER. I will just say, Mr. Speaker, that we obviously, in looking at the chance the Members will clearly have here in the Capitol to recognize the extraordinary life, we are going to have this resolution on the floor, but we still do want to do whatever we can, and the Speaker is committed to that, to address the concern of her funeral taking place on Wednesday. I thank again the gentleman from Michigan for his thoughtful remarks.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, let me just say that obviously we are working very hard on the appropriations work. Chairman Lewis is moving through that agenda very well, and it is our hope that we will be able to complete work. But just as we found today we had the opportunity to consider the Agriculture appropriations conference report, we may, next Friday, have a conference report that would come forward. Obviously, we will try to get our work completed as expeditiously as possible, and if we can complete it by Thursday, we would like to. But I do think that Members should look at the prospect of being here at least part of the day on Friday of next week, if we do have another conference report from the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. DREIER. I know, Mr. Speaker, that the gentleman controls the time.

Mr. DREIER. If the gentleman would yield, that was a $98.5 billion tax increase in 1982. I remember it very, very well.

Mr. DREIER. If the gentleman would yield.

Mr. DREIER. I will close the debate by quoting Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Declaration of Independence.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I will say that any time is a good time to talk about fiscal responsibility whether we are engaged in a colloquy or at any point. I am happy to do that right now. I will state that the reason that no Republican in 1993 cast that vote was that it was the largest tax increase in history. And if the gentleman will recall, we within a very short period of time repealed large parts of that tax increase that was put in place in 1993, in 1995, 1996, and 1997 and we did so with the support of President Clinton and a number of Democrats here. We can continue to debate what took place in the early 1990s. As far as an amendment to the budget resolution that was passed, 1977 is the last time that we actually passed an amendment to the budget resolution which did bring about, called for these kinds of cuts, and we may or may not consider that. But whether we consider it or not, we will be doing everything that we can to work in a bipartisan way to ensure that we proceed with this reconciliation process and bring about the kind of fiscal responsibility that I believe Democrats and Republicans alike have talked about.

Mr. DREIER. Thomas Jefferson said, ``Two thinking men can be given the exact same set of facts and draw different conclusions.'' Obviously, that is something that rages on as we debate these issues and we look forward to continuing that. I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, let me say that obviously we are continuing to work on our quest to put into place for the first time since 1977 an amendment to the budget which would call for substantial reductions in spending, particularly in the mandatory area and possibly in other areas. We are continuing to work on that, and we would like to do it, but while we are not absolutely certain that that vote, an amendment to the budget, would take place, we are, as the gentleman correctly said, continuing to work on the reconciliation process. Now, it is my understanding that we have had eight committees that have already reported out their measures, and we are going to continue to do everything that we possibly can to ensure that we bring about a kind of fiscal responsibility that the budget resolution calls for, and as the gentleman said correctly, Mr. Speaker, exceed that if we possibly can. Because trying to rein in the reach of the Federal Government is a high property for us, and we are working, we hope in a bipartisan way, because I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are regularly talking about the problems of deficit spending and all, and we share that concern. We hope that as we proceed with this reconciliation process that we can move a package that will get here to the floor to do the work. So whether or not we have a vote that amends the budget resolution, we are focused on the reconciliation process itself. To the gentleman's last question on the tax aspect of reconciliation, that continues to be an item that we are working on. I know that the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) of the Committee on Ways and Means and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel) are working on that, the ranking member. We at this juncture do not know exactly what shape that will take, but it is something that we do anticipate completing.

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding, and I will tell the gentleman that my title is just that of a humble servant to try and make sure that this institution works as well as possible in a bipartisan way.

Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding. And let me thank Mr. Conyers for outlining the schedule for the Nation to remember an extraordinary life. I, of course, remember very well when we honored Rosa Parks here, and, having learned so many things about her that I frankly did not know just within the last few days, her level of political activism in the 1940s and the kinds of things that she had done, it is very appropriate, and I know the Speaker has done everything that he possibly can to ensure that we do recognize this great life and, of course, by having Rosa Parks' body lie in state here in the Capitol. I think that is a great testament to an extraordinary life. As we look at our legislative schedule, Mr. Speaker, let me say that we have the very important goal of dealing with legislation that is emerging from the committee chaired by Mr. Sensenbrenner, and Mr. Conyers is the ranking minority member. And that legislation which I mentioned earlier, dealing with the issue of eminent domain, is a high priority. So I can assure my friends on both sides of the aisle that we will do everything that we possibly can in looking at the exigencies of the schedule as it relates to Mrs. Parks' funeral in Detroit to accommodate Members when it comes to management of the bill on the floor and votes themselves as they take place. So we will do all that we can to address as well as we possibly can those very understandable issues.

Mr. DREIER. Well, humble is the one I put there, and I am proud to have it there. Mr. Speaker, let me say that the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. As you know, we are going to be proceeding today with the resolution on Rosa Parks, which is a very important item for us. But when we adjourn and complete our business today, we will adjourn to meet on Tuesday at 12:30 for morning hour and at 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those measures to be considered under suspension will be sent to Members' offices by the end of today. Any votes called on those measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. For Wednesday and the balance of the week, the House will consider additional legislation under suspension of the rules, as well as H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005, which I just mentioned and asked for submission of amendments on that. We will be making a rule in order for that. We also anticipate that the House will consider additional appropriations conference reports as they become available.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to take just a few minutes to talk about the economy. We have all kinds of news rushing around here, but I think it is very important for us to talk about the economy and what we as Republicans have done on this pro-growth issue. It is unfortunate that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, when it comes to the economy, seem to offer nothing more than a coordinated chorus of contrarian criticism. I mean, they have offered no positives, just complaints. So I want to take a moment to shine some light on the recent good news concerning the economy. Because of Republican pro-growth, pro- trade, pro-innovation policies, our economy is strong by virtually every single measure. Just today, just a few hours ago, the Commerce Department announced that the economy grew at a 3.8 percent rate in the fourth quarter. Now, that is ahead of expectations; well, well ahead of the second quarter rate of growth and, Mr. Speaker, it marks the 16th consecutive quarter of growth that we have seen. This is especially remarkable to see this 3.8 percent growth figure, given the hurricanes that decimated cities and towns, crippled trade, and devastated energy production along the gulf coast. So even having gone through these horrible natural disasters, we have been able to see this amazingly strong 3.8 percent GDP growth rate. We have found that our economy has been able to weather these storms. Overall, as we know, Mr. Speaker, we have a 5.1 percent unemployment rate, which is lower than the average in the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. There are 142 million Americans working, the greatest number in our Nation's history; and over the past 28 months, the economy has added more than 4 million new jobs. In every single quarter since Congress passed the President's tax cut package in 2003, economic growth has been very vigorous. In 2004, real GDP growth was 4.4 percent, the strongest annual performance in 5 years and one of the strongest growth performances of the past 2 decades. Our housing market also remains very, very strong. A record 74 million Americans own their own homes; and for the first time, Mr. Speaker, minority Americans own their own homes at the highest level that we have ever seen. Now, what does all this mean for the American people? It means job opportunities and entrepreneurship, it means achieving the dream of homeownership, and it means a better quality of life. Now, as the people affected by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma rebuild their lives, the best thing we can do here in the Congress is to make sure the economy stays strong and continues growing. Now, Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues know very well, Republicans have taken action to keep the economy on the right track to keep it growing. We are following our pro-growth agenda of tax relief, tort reform, energy solutions, and fiscal restraint. The tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 have allowed hard-working Americans to keep more of what they earn. Now, this has led, as we all know, to increased investment, increased economic opportunity, and more Federal revenue coming into the Treasury. Recent history has shown that when government takes less money from the people, the people invest and spend more and Federal revenues go up. In 2004, following the 2003 tax cut package, Federal receipts grew by 14 percent. We cut taxes, and Federal receipts grew. Because of this tax cut that has fueled our economic growth, the Federal budget deficit for the fiscal year 2005 fell $94 billion, a 22 percent reduction in the deficit over the past year. Now, Mr. Speaker, that is outstanding progress in just 1 year; and contrary to what critics have said, it proves that low taxes and lowering the deficit do, in fact, go hand in hand. We are also putting a stop to frivolous litigation that clogs our courts and drains the profits from small business owners. In the last 2 weeks, Congress has passed three bills that honor the purpose of our legal system and make it harder for lawyers to file junk lawsuits. We have taken action to address high energy costs. Just a few weeks ago, the House took an important step to boost our gasoline refinery capacity to help stabilize the price of gasoline in the long run. Now, I have noted that the GAS Act was passed unfortunately without a single vote from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. To me, that is absolutely astounding. It is astounding to me that not a single Member of the minority would vote in favor of this effort to increase refinery capacity and deal with the issue of price-gouging. In the face of high energy prices that are making it hard for the American people to make ends meet, Democrats unfortunately feel constrained to continue to build this great wall of obstruction. Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely essential that we do everything that we can to keep the economy growing, to focus on reduced energy prices; and we have the policies to do just that. We must continue them.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, the Rules Committee may meet next week to grant a rule which could limit the amendment process for floor consideration of H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2005. Any Member wishing to offer an amendment should submit 55 copies of the amendment and one copy of a brief explanation of the amendment to the Rules Committee in room H-312 of the Capitol by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2005. Members should draft their amendments to the bill as reported by the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, October 27, which is expected to be filed with the House early next week. Members are also advised that the text should be available for their review on the Web sites of the Judiciary and Rules Committees by today, October 28. Members should use the Office of Legislative Counsel to ensure that their amendments are drafted in the most appropriate format and should check with the Office of the Parliamentarian to be certain that their amendments comply with the rules of the House.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H. Res. 523, a resolution to condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent threats against Israel. We were all extremely disturbed to hear that President Ahmadinejad called for ``wiping Israel off the map,'' an incendiary and inexcusable attack against one of America's closest allies and friends. This threat may prove more serious than any other, as we all know that Iran insists on developing nuclear capabilities. We have already seen harsh condemnations of this hateful speech around the world, from British Prime Minister Tony Blair to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Now it is our turn, as the elected Representatives of the American people, to stand with our Israeli friends and against the hatred that is all-too-often pointed in their direction. I read a recent Associated Press report that thousands of Iranians gathered in the streets today, some seen holding signs that said ``Death to Israel, Death to America.'' However unfortunate, the signs serve as a reminder that America and Israel are closely connected, and that we will always stand together for democracy and freedom, and against hatred.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, a dear friend, a great man and the father of one of our colleagues, former Congressman Ed Roybal, passed away. Ed was a man of tremendous passion and compassion. He saw no limits, only possibilities. He was a trailblazer for the Hispanic community who aimed high without fear of failure. Ed moved to Los Angeles when he was a child, and he became as much a part of the city as it became part of him. Upon returning from service in World War Two, Ed became director of health education for the Los Angeles County Tuberculosis and Health Association. Healthcare and the well-being of his fellow citizens would be a hallmark of Ed's long career of public service. When Ed was elected to the first of his nearly 30 years in Congress in 1962, he was only the second Hispanic-American to represent California. While Ed was at the center of issues facing Los Angeles, he was a strong advocate for the region and all of California. Ed's sincerity and heartfelt speeches on the floor of this body are legendary, and so was his decency. The attention and care he devoted to his constituents, he also paid to his colleagues. Through Ed's example, we learned patience, kindness and generosity. He was unfailingly gracious, determined and effective, all at once. His legacy is found in the successes of his constituents who were inspired by his example. His legacy is found in community programs in Los Angeles. And his legacy is found right here in the Capitol. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ed's daughter, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, as she carries on his example of public service, and also with the entire Roybal family.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record as it relates to the passing of our friend Bob Badham.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform our colleagues of the passing of two of our very distinguished former colleagues. Last Friday former Congressman Bob Badham who served with great distinction on the Committee on Armed Services passed away suddenly, and then we just received the news today of the passing of the father of our very distinguished colleague, Lucille Roybal-Allard. Her father, Ed Roybal, served for many, many years in this institution and was a great friend to many of us. I think it important that our colleagues know of this great loss that has come for the State of California, for this institution, and for the country. I yield to my very good friend from California (Mr. Stark). (Mr. STARK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the passing of Congressman Ed Roybal.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember our friend and former colleague Bob Badham who passed away suddenly last Friday. While Bob was a private man, he dedicated his life to public service. He was a veteran of the Korean War and served with great distinction as a member of the California State legislature. He represented Newport Beach, California here in the United States Congress from 1977 to 1989, and he served on the civil service board in his hometown of Newport Beach until his passing last Friday. Bob was a longtime friend and great supporter of President Reagan. They knew each other in Sacramento when Ronald Reagan was Governor of California and Bob was a member of the State assembly. Like the President, Bob was an optimist, a true American patriot, and a strong voice for freedom and democracy. As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Bob was an advocate for America's veterans, and he pushed for a more muscular and modern U.S. fighting force. He supported the defense buildup of the 1980s because he knew our country's strengths could not be sustained with weak Armed Forces. He firmly believed that communism was no match for a strong United States military defending free people and our democratic system. Bob had vision and conviction and, Mr. Speaker, as we all know from looking at history, Bob Badham was right. His work in Congress involved serious national security and international policy efforts, but all of us who worked with Bob remember that his sense of humor and sense of self never deserted him. He was a gracious colleague with a strong backbone and a big heart. I feel honored to have worked with Bob Badham and I am grateful for his friendship and his stellar service to this body and to the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, the thoughts and prayers I know of all of us here in the Congress are with his wife Anne; his daughters Phyllis, Sharon and Jennifer; his sons Robert, Jr. and William; their 11 grandchildren; and his brother.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues have said, the people of Iraq have chosen ballots over bullets. I want to congratulate the United States forces, the coalition forces, and of course the Iraqi security forces which did a phenomenal job over this past weekend. I would like to share, Mr. Speaker, with my colleagues a letter that came from the family of Byron Norwood, who, you recall, was killed in the battle of Fallujah last November. His parents were in the gallery when President Bush delivered his State of the Union message. They wrote to the Marines who are getting ready to be redeployed: ``As you prepare to deploy once again, we as Gold Star parents of a sergeant from your own battalion want you to know the depth of gratitude and support felt by Americans everywhere. We live in a time of conflicting messages, as free speech rights are exercised by a vocal few. ``Since the battle of Fallujah last November, we have received countless letters expressing heartfelt thanks to not only Byron but also to you as his fellow Marines. Had we not lost our son, we would not have been aware of the overwhelming appreciation and respect for those of you who wear the uniform. ``Byron loved being a Marine and welcomed the duty and honor of protecting the United States. He also loved his brother Marines and said there was nowhere he would rather be than with them until the mission was complete. He believed strongly in the need to fight terrorism at its source in order to lessen the risk of having to face it in our own neighborhoods. We are grateful for all of you who are willing to fight for something greater than yourselves. ``We are grateful for the freedoms that we are afforded by living in America, and we are aware that those freedoms exist only because we have men and women in the military who, for generations, have fought to protect them. Thank you for taking your place in the ranks of great warriors who understand the value of honor, courage, and commitment.''

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, I rise this afternoon to talk about a very important issue which, frankly, has not gotten a great deal of attention and that is the growth of the U.S. economy and what it is we have been able to see over the past several weeks and months. Virtually everyone has acknowledged the fact that Hurricane Katrina was, if not the worst, one of the worst natural disasters to hit the United States of America, and we all know that in the wake of that disaster where we saw the tragic loss of life and, of course, the devastation of property along the gulf coast, we assumed that there would be a very, very deleterious effect on the U.S. economy. Today, we received what is news that is not what you would call overwhelmingly positive, but certainly not news that was anything like what had been anticipated. Today, we received the news that following the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina there has been a net job loss based on the payroll survey, which is the old survey structure that has been put into place to determine the jobless rate in the country, a payroll jobs rate reduction of 35,000 nationwide. Madam Speaker, I think it is important to note that many economists had predicted that that job loss number was going to be in excess of 200,000 in the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. I think it is important to also recognize that as we focus attention from the United States Congress and the State and local officials, the President of the United States, focus on reconstruction, dealing with the tragic circumstances in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most important things we can do is to make sure that the entire U.S. economy continues to grow as boldly and as dynamically as possible. Let us look at the policies that we have seen put into place that have led to tremendous economic growth. We saw throughout the year of 2004 gross domestic product growth of 4.4 percent, a very positive sign of growth. This year, the number has not been quite as high, about 3.3 percent on average of GDP growth. So we have gone through the 15th quarter of positive economic growth, a very, very good indicator of what we can do as a Nation to help address the needs of those who have been victimized by this natural disaster. One of the things that has happened is we have seen many people from that region obviously find job opportunities in other parts of the Nation. I was in my original hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, just a few weeks ago, and I met a man who said he had worked at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, and he is now working in a food service capacity in Kansas City. Obviously, economic growth in other parts of the country played a role in creating opportunities for people who were subjected to that horrible natural disaster. So, Madam Speaker, one of the things that we have got to do is make sure that we continue to keep in place our very positive, pro-growth, pro-trade, pro-economic opportunity policies. Now, what are those policies? Those policies obviously consist of tax reduction. Tax reduction has stimulated the economy and, in fact, as we all know, generated a level of revenues to the Federal Treasury that exceeded expectations. In fact, it exceeded expectations to the point where we have now received $94 billion in unanticipated revenues to the Federal Treasury, reducing the deficit projection from the February projection by, as I said, $94 billion. Madam Speaker, that is a very positive sign. It is not a Republican number that I am offering. That is a number that has come from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Again, it is tax cuts that have brought about this positive, positive economic growth. Unfortunately, many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle during 2001, 2002, 2003, said if we cut taxes we are going to send the U.S. economy right into the dumpster and we will send the deficit sky- high. Time and time again, many of my friends and I would appear on different programs, and that was what I heard, over and over and over again: Any kind of tax cut is going to exacerbate the deficit and ruin the U.S. economy. Madam Speaker, we have found the exact opposite to be the case. Similarly, as we look at the trade issue, 94 percent of the world's consumers are outside of our U.S. borders. We need to do everything that we can to continue to open up new markets for U.S. goods and services. We have put into place positive trade and growth policies, and those policies are, I am very happy to say, helping the United States of America and creating opportunity for even those victims of the tragedies on the gulf coast.