David Dreier

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, the very important question pending out there, following along the lines of the speeches of the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder), is will the United States of America step up to the plate and play its very important global leadership role? I am convinced that, in a bipartisan way, this House will say yes. They will say yes, because we know that granting Trade Promotion Authority to the President so that he can pry open new markets around the world is not just about our important global leadership role, but it is also about creating jobs here in the United States. I have had a difficult time understanding how, over the years, people have argued that it is anti-union to be pro-free trade. The fact of the matter is, working men and women in this country will be the beneficiaries if we can break down those tariff barriers that exist in Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world. Mr. Speaker, it is very important for us to stand up, and when we do have this vote, we need to have Democrats and Republicans alike join with us saying that we are going to provide significant leadership globally, and we are going to create job opportunities for people right here in the United States of America.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan compromise on Trade Promotion Authority has not overcome every possible objection. But it is far closer to that goal than many of us thought possible. We have addressed Members' concerns in a bipartisan fashion, working in good faith to created consensus. Now it appears new objections have been raised. These objections are not constructive. They were meant to derail this legislation, not improve it. We can always find new reasons to maintain the status quo, but it is time to drop extraneous objections and acknowledge the fundamental benefits of trade. Trade Promotional Authority will allow us to finally make serious progress in the effort to forge new trade agreements that benefit our constituents. Without TPA we can give up any notion of leading the world in opening new markets, promoting worker protection, and setting international technological standards. And by refusing to entrust our negotiators with the authority to move ahead on trade agreements, we are crippling American industries. Mr. Speaker, it is time to consider this issue on its merits rather than politics. We must set aside our differences and recognize that the compromise embodied in H.R. 3005 will benefit the American people.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Charlotte for yielding me this time, and I want to congratulate her, as well as I see my friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) here, the ranking minority member of the Committee on International Relations, and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) is in the Chamber. I wanted to congratulate them. I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) for his statement. I see the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) is here. I tried to mention just about everybody in the Chamber. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss) is right behind him. I do not want to see any other Members, so I can make my points here. Mr. Speaker, this is a very important piece of legislation. Both the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Myrick) made it clear it is a fitting tribute to my predecessor, Jerry Solomon. We continue to mourn his passing and extend our condolences to Freda and his wonderful family. We know that Jerry Solomon was, as was stated so eloquently in the tributes that were given at his funeral last week, a real fighter, and I considered him to be a fighter with a heart, because he was one who stood firmly for principle, but had a great warmth and kindness to him as well. He fought as hard as anyone to expand the cause of freedom throughout the world. I should say parenthetically that I had the privilege of joining my colleagues, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), for a delegation that observed one of the freest and fairest elections that I have had the opportunity to observe in the many years that I have been able to serve here in the Congress and visit elections around the world; and this election took place in Nicaragua just this past weekend. We saw the people of Nicaragua overwhelmingly state their preference, and I should say that I am very gratified that they came out on the side of freedom and self-determination, and it is something that would have made Jerry Solomon very proud. That was in this hemisphere. The legislation that we are talking about today, Mr. Speaker, is focused on the very important North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance which, as we all know, has been critically important to many of the national security and foreign policy successes that we have had around the world. Mr. Solomon wrote a very thoughtful volume on the importance of NATO expansion, and I believe that that is one of the major reasons that his name is very appropriately tied to this legislation. As the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) said, the prospect of the expansion of these seven countries into the NATO alliance is something that I believe is on the horizon, and I believe that we need to encourage it. I should say that President Bush is a strong proponent of NATO expansion and has made that clear in more than a few addresses and in his policy proposals. So I think that we have done the right thing here in paying tribute to our dear friend, Jerry Solomon. I will continue to miss him every day. I am happy to say that there is a spectacular portrait of Mr. Solomon that is in the Committee on Rules and, I would invite any of our colleagues who would like to come by and take a look at that portrait if you have not testified before the Committee on Rules lately to come and visit us there and to know that when we overwhelmingly pass this rule and the legislation itself, it will be a great tribute that we can provide to this wonderful man.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I know that the debate has already begun on this issue, and I would like to take just a couple of moments to say what this bill is not. I have been following the media coverage and many people say that this measure, the package that the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) is going to be managing here, will block the federalization of those who are screeners at airports. It does not do that at all. Basically, what we are saying is rather than having the United States Congress micromanage the process of determining what the very best system is to ensure the safety and security of travelers is to allow some kind of flexibility. We know that under this bill there would be a new Secretary who would handle this, but frankly the Secretary of Transportation is the former chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in this place, one of the predecessors to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young). He was a Democratic Member of this House. He is still a Democrat as far as I know, and he is our former colleague, Norm Mineta; and he is the Secretary of Transportation. What we want to do, Mr. Speaker, is to ensure that they have the flexibility, the tools so that they can go forward and decide how to best implement a system that will ensure the safety of our travelers here in the United States. So I think that that needs to be understood as we proceed with this debate. The rule is very fair. It does provide, in fact, an opportunity for not only a manager's amendment, which the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) will be offering, addressing a wide range of concerns, and we worked very carefully to make modifications in his manager's amendment so we could address some of the concerns of Members who came forward over the last few days; and at the same time we do provide the Democratic substitute, which the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) will be offering. I think that at the end of the day we clearly should pass this rule, and I think there should be strong bipartisan support for that; but understand that we are not preempting any kind of decision that this administration might make. It is just that we entrust with them the power and the authority to make what we believe will be an appropriate decision to ensure the safety of all travelers.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I think most of my colleagues now are aware of the very sad news of the passing of our former colleague, Gerald Solomon, last Friday. Jerry Solomon was a wonderful individual. He was a beloved figure both in this House and in his district in New York and across the country. He was an inspiration to so many of us. I had the privilege of succeeding him as chairman of the House Committee on Rules, and he provided me with a lot of direction, a lot of encouragement, and he often gave me lots of orders, too, some of which I followed. He was an individual who was so proud of the United States of America. Today, people are regularly wearing American flags on their lapel. Jerry Solomon, when I first met him in 1978, wore a flag on his lapel and always did because he was a dedicated Marine. He was an individual who obviously loved his family, and he loved this institution and the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to, on behalf of all of our colleagues, extend condolences to his wonderful wife, Freda, and the Solomon family, and to say that we truly miss a very, very dear friend, and we are all proud of the wonderful service that he provided to the United States of America.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friends for yielding time to me. I appreciate the comments that they are making. I want to say that these measures we are going to be proceeding with tomorrow certainly tie in with the arguments the gentlemen are making.

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

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the previous question and the rule. The idea of claiming that somehow passing the previous question prevents consideration of legislation is preposterous. As I have been listening to the arguments coming from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I am reminded of the very famous statement of the late democratic Senator Paul Tsongas who said, ``The problem with my Democratic Party is that they love employees, but they hate employers.'' The fact of the matter is, we understand, and the American people understand full well, that half of us are members of the investment class. September 11 hit both Wall Street and Main Street, but we have learned in the past several years that Wall Street and Main Street are one and the same. We are in this together. This bill, in fact, addresses the concerns of both investors and consumers. By speeding up that 25 percent rate and providing rebates to people who did not qualify earlier, we are helping on the consumption side. By dealing with the alternative minimum tax and accelerated cost recovery systems, we are dealing with the issue of job creation. By dealing with capital gains, we are encouraging investment and, Mr. Speaker, we will generate an increase in the flow of revenues to the Federal Treasury, so that we will be able to have the wherewithal to meet the increased demands for security here and the increased demands that we have in the area of national defense. So we have a very balanced package which I believe deserves our support. Provide a ``yes'' vote for this rule, a ``yes'' vote for the previous question, and then an overwhelming, bipartisan ``yes'' vote for economic security and recovery.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, we have gone through some extraordinary challenges over the past several weeks and I think it is important for us when we have some good news to point to that. We all know that this is the greatest Nation the world has ever known, and further evidence of that came this morning when we saw that the Odyssey entered the orbit of Mars. I want to extend congratulations to the wonderful people at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory that my friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) and I have the privilege of representing. I see the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) here in the Chamber. I know she has many constituents who work up there. They have gone through some very tough times over the past 2 years in dealing with the Mars program. This sign of success is a further demonstration of the greatness of the United States of America and the people who are working on the very important space program.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation and want to congratulate the leadership of both the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Financial Services for bringing this forward. I support the provisions that have come from both committees. I think they have done a fine job. Obviously, everyone has said it, September 11 changed our lives. And in past wars when we have talked about men and women in uniform, we have talked about men and women who are in the military; and today, we have to refer to men and women in uniform right here in the United States who are in law enforcement, who are in the midst of this war. That is why I believe that the steps taken in this legislation will go a long way towards empowering them to deal with the very tragic situation that we face. We all know one of the provisions, I think, that is very, very important to note is that the technological changes that we have observed over the past couple of decades have clearly provided an impetus for the changes that are being made in this measure. And in the past, our own surveillance structure has been used against us whereby people could continue to move with the new technology, with cellular telephones, et al, and they could not be traced. Under this bill, an individual will be able to be targeted; and regardless of what mode of communication will be utilized by this individual, the ability to follow them will be there. It is important to note that the content of conversations will not be taken, but in fact, the numbers will. I think this is a very, very helpful and positive step forward. I also happen to be a proponent of the sunset provisions. I am concerned about civil liberties for everyone, and I believe that it is important to note that some of these provisions may, may be unnecessary at another time in our Nation's history. So I believe that the agreement for the 4-year sunset provision is an appropriate one, and I congratulate my colleagues for coming to this compromise on it. I believe that this measure should, as is evidenced here, enjoy strong bipartisan support; and I thank my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) for the time.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule; and I would like to begin by congratulating my friend from Georgia (Mr. Isakson), who, having talked about his work on the commission, has, I believe, done a superb job in realizing that we have the ability to take 21st-century technology and link that up with the very important opportunity for educational choice. It seems to me that as we look at the challenges of the new millennium, it is obvious that education is at the top of the list and we know very much that technology is changing our lives in so many, many ways. I believe that this legislation is a very important step in the direction of doing just that. We have got a very fair and balanced rule that will allow us to move ahead to enhance the quality of education in this country. I believe that we should enjoy strong bipartisan support. The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) has just informed me that we will see strong support from both sides of the aisle for this measure. And so I think it is important that we have the debate. It is important that we allow for these different options to be considered. But at the end of the day, I believe that this measure is deserving of all Members' votes because we do face a lot of challenges. And we obviously today are focused on the war against terrorism. We know that if we look at the campaign of last year, President Bush and Vice President Gore talked about the need to improve education. And so improving the quality of education in this country is not a partisan issue. And this measure which the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Isakson) and his colleagues on the Committee on Education and the Workforce have fashioned is one which I believe will go a long way toward improving that quality and then recognizing where we are. So I hope very much that we will pass this rule, and I hope that we will pass the bill; and I congratulate all of those involved in it.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding me this time. At the beginning of this Congress, the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), said that he believed it important that on most of the issues we face we proceed under what he calls regular order, and that is exactly what we are doing here. We have basically an open amendment process. We call this a modified open rule because it offers just the slightest restriction, but under the structure that we have, every germane amendment will be able to be made in order. I know there are some who have demonstrated some concern about that as we proceed with consideration of this farm bill. I believe that it is the most appropriate way for us to proceed. So I hope that my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, will join in strong support of this rule and allow us to move ahead with consideration of a wide range of issues. I know there are some issues that they would like to have brought up under this structure that we have, but that would have required a waiver. We chose not to provide that waiver, and there are other mechanisms that exist in the institution where they will be able to address those concerns. So I would simply like to say that I urge my colleagues to support this rule, and I thank the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) for their management of this effort. We are going to proceed in a bipartisan way with what will be a free and rigorous and interesting open debate on consideration of the farm bill.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, our Nation has gone through some of the most extraordinary days in our over 200-year history. A week ago Tuesday, we saw the harshest, most strident, barbaric attack on the civilian population of this country that we have ever seen. We have, over the last several days, been working together in a bipartisan way to deal with the challenge that lies ahead. Last night in this Chamber, the President of the United States stood right behind me and delivered an extraordinarily eloquent statement about the challenges that are ahead of us. As he did that, I was very pleased to see enthusiastic support from Democrats and Republicans, and the American people. Last Friday night, an attempt was made to deal with part of this challenge by addressing the concerns of an industry that is critically important to the economic survival of the United States. I am not one who is a proponent of having the Federal Government subsidize or in any way underwrite a private sector entity. I happen to have very libertarian leanings as a Republican. I want to get the government out as much as we possibly can, especially when it comes to the marketplace. But a week ago Tuesday, following the tragic incident at the World Trade Center, here at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania, all planes that were headed, incidentally, to my State of California, we tried our darndest to look at ways in which we could deal with this challenge. Obviously, a decision was made by the Federal Government that we had to, on Tuesday, close down our Nation's airports. In closing down those airports, we have seen figures of several hundred million dollars a day lost by the airline industry. That was a decision that the Federal Government made to close down those airports. A private sector entity was impacted by that. It happens to be the industry which allows for the flow of goods and services, and people, around this country and throughout the world. In the 21st century, it is obvious that air travel is going to be critical for our Nation's survival. We have to rely on that. We cannot go back to simply rail, truck, car or bus travel. We need to have a viable airline industry. Last Friday night, an attempt was made to put into place a package that would provide an immediate influx of cash so that the airline industry did not go under, and provide some loan guarantees that would help sustain the industry for a longer period of time. I do not support the idea of rewarding any entity for bad practices, unwise business practices of the past. But I will say that when Speaker Hastert and Minority Leader Gephardt and our team, with the other body, proceeded to work on this package late into last night, my friend the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) has been very involved in this, many Members have been involved again on both sides of the aisle, a decision was made that we would try to ensure that we did not see the airline industry in this country go under. That is exactly what we are trying to do right now, because a decision that was made by the Federal Government jeopardized the ability of this industry to have the flow of revenue that it needed to survive and continue to allow people and goods to move throughout this country. So that is why when the package, after having worked on it for a week, it was a week ago tonight that the first attempt was made to move this package through, and many Members, as I said, have been involved in this, we came together late last night. And I want to, as I often do here, thank both Democrats and Republicans on the Committee on Rules who worked late into the night in preparation for this and then reconvened early this morning to proceed again, and we have just now completed our work in the Committee on Rules, reporting out this bill which I believe is a very positive and important step. Now, as we held our hearing upstairs this afternoon, Mr. Speaker, I should say that there were a wide range of very important and understandable concerns that have been raised. There is a great deal of pain that these barbarians have inflicted on the American people and on the civilized world. We want to do everything that we possibly can to mitigate the level of that pain. But right now we are here dealing with a very important industry that needs to remain viable for the economic stability of the United States and the world. That is why this effort is focused on this industry. Again, there are loads of very important concerns that have been raised and will be continually raised from both sides of the aisle. But at this point, I recommend, Mr. Speaker, that we pass, first of all, the provision that allows us to proceed with the same-day consideration of this rule, then pass the rule, and move ahead and pass this bill so we can send that very important signal to the American people that we are going to ensure that we can see that very important flow of individuals and of goods and of services throughout this country. I urge an ``aye'' vote on this first rule that allows us to bring up consideration of the rule for the legislation.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Bakersfield, California (Mr. Thomas), for yielding me time; and I would like to congratulate the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), the ranking minority member. This concern was first raised to my attention by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) of the Committee on Rules late one night; and we have been trying since that time when he, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), and I discussed this, to move ahead. I would simply like to congratulate the leadership of the committee on Ways and Means for addressing this very important human rights issue, which I believe can see successful resolution, and will look forward to the progress that is made. I thank my friends for bringing this to our attention and for the work they have done on it.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order at any time for the Speaker, as though pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, to declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2586) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2002 for military activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2002, and for other purposes, and that consideration of the bill proceed according to the following order: The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services. After general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5-minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the 5-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Armed Services now printed in the bill. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. All points of order against the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. No amendment to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those that I have placed at the desk and amendments en bloc described in this request. Except as specified in this request, each such amendment shall be considered only in the order that I have placed at the desk and may be offered only by a Member designated on the amendment or a designee. Each such amendment shall be considered as read, shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole, shall be debatable for 10 minutes equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, and shall not be subject to amendment (except that the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services each may offer one pro forma amendment for the purpose of further debate on any pending amendment). All points of order against such amendments are waived. It shall be in order at any time for the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services or his designee to offer amendments en bloc consisting of amendments not earlier disposed of or germane modifications of any such amendment. Amendments en bloc offered pursuant to this request shall be considered as read (except that modifications shall be reported). Debate on each en bloc amendment shall be equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services or their designees. For the purpose of inclusion in such amendments en bloc, an amendment printed in the form of a motion to strike may be modified to the form of a germane perfecting amendment to the text originally proposed to be stricken. The original proponent of an amendment included in such amendments en bloc may insert a statement in the Congressional Record immediately before the disposition of the amendments en bloc. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may recognize for consideration of any amendment out of the order that I have placed at the desk, but not sooner than 1 hour after the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services or a designee announces from the floor a request to that effect. After disposition of such amendments, the Committee of the Whole shall rise without motion; and no further consideration of the bill shall be in order except pursuant to a subsequent order of the House. And further, that the amendments that I have placed at the desk be considered as read for purposes of this request.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Speaker be authorized to entertain a motion to suspend the rules relating to the following measures on the legislative day of Thursday, September 20, 2001: H.R. 1900, H.R. 2657, and H.R. 2061.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 231) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow it is our intent to proceed with consideration of the defense authorization bill. During that time we will be considering 21 amendments. It is our hope that we will be completed at around 5:30 because, as you know, the Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader extended an invitation to the President of the United States and he will be addressing us here at 9 o'clock tomorrow evening. I just wanted to take this time to explain exactly what it is we are doing.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few minutes to talk about a number of very important issues, building in many ways on the remarks of my friend from Huntington Beach, who, as he said very appropriately, was one of the key leaders in our effort to ensure that the Soviet Union was extricated from Afghanistan during the 1980s. It was a very troubling time; but, Mr. Speaker, as you recall, there was a tremendous victory, a victory because forcing the Soviets from Afghanistan was critically important to the demise of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. So that is why we should celebrate what it is that we were able to do during the 1980s; but at the same time, we need to look at where we are today and what we need to do as a Nation. It is very true that over the past several years we have seen a crumbling of our relationship with some countries that had been traditional allies of ours during the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, and specifically Pakistan, the country to which my friend, the gentleman from (Mr. Rohrabacher), referred. Today, however, I believe it is very important for us to recognize that General Pervaiz Musharraf, who in fact took the leadership of that country in a coup, has made a decision. He made a choice. And, obviously, we need to do everything that we can to ensure that he made the right choice and that he stands by that. He made a choice between the Taliban and those who were tolerant of what took place a week ago tomorrow, and not only the United States of America but the civilized world. So I am very pleased that that choice was made. We also have other so-called moderate Arab countries in the region; and those countries have, I believe, made a correct and appropriate choice. And there are nations with which we have not had any kind of friendly relationship over the past several years that I believe can in fact align with the civilized world in opposition to the heinous acts which took place last week. Mr. Speaker, today is a very important day in the history of the United States of America. September 17 is always known as Constitution Day; 214 years ago today the Constitution was ratified. I have the privilege later this afternoon of joining Supreme Court Justice Kennedy in a celebration of Constitution Day. He and I are going to be reciting, in unison, all across the country by a hookup, the preamble of our great Constitution. I thought I would take just a moment, since today is Constitution Day, to share that with our colleagues. The preamble of this inspired document begins: ``We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare . . . do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'' Now, Mr. Speaker, as we look at that brilliant preamble, I truly believe that those five words right in the middle of that preamble, and I have stood here many times and recited that as we have talked about our Nation's defense posture, those five words, which are so important, are ``provide for the common defense.'' So as we celebrate Constitution Day across the country, I believe it is important for us to underscore that the most important issue that the Federal Government here in Washington, D.C. deals with is to provide for the common defense and the safety and security of the American people and our interests around the world. On this important day, I think it is great to note that the heinous acts that were committed last Tuesday were not in vain. We will be a stronger Nation because of this. We will be a stronger Nation having gone through this, the worst week in our Nation's modern history, the largest attack on civilians in the United States in our 214-year history and, as has been pointed out by many, more lives, nearly twice the number of lives lost than were lost at Pearl Harbor. As we look at the challenges and as we look at where we go from here, it is important to note that this Nation had some incredible heroes last week. This morning I listened to the radio to my friend Hugh Hewitt who has a great morning program. It is based in Los Angeles. It is syndicated across the country. He shared an account which I would like to share with our colleagues, an Associated Press report that was carried yesterday. This has to do with the tragic crash of flight number 93 that took place near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. I was moved last week when our colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), when we were in the midst of debating the supplemental appropriation bill, let me say before I read this Associated Press article, Mr. Speaker, that to me it was very, very moving to see the extraordinary level of bipartisanship, not only patriotism across our country, but this extraordinary level of bipartisan that we saw right here in this institution. People who have been some of the most strident and harshest critics of the man I consider to be our great President, were as enthusiastic in their support of his actions and his demeanor as any of the rest of us who have been longtime friends and supporters of his. So, Congressman Murtha told about the accounts that he had received of what took place on flight 93 that was headed to San Francisco and that reportedly the hijackers were going to bring right into this city, possibly into this Capitol dome that is right above where I stand today. This account is a very moving one about one individual. It begins, quote, `` `Are you guys ready? Let's roll.' '' It is an expression Todd Beamer used whenever his wife and two young sons were leaving their home for a family outing. It was also the expression the 32-year-old businessman and Sunday school teacher used before he and other passengers apparently took action against hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, his wife was told by an operator who talked to Beamer just before the plane crashed in a western Pennsylvania field on Tuesday. ``The plane, which government officials suspect was headed for a high-profile target in Washington, was the fourth to crash in a coordinated terrorist attack that killed thousands, and the only one that did not take lives on the ground. Quote, `` `He was gentle by nature. He was also very competitive, and he would not stand for anyone being hurt,' said Lisa Beamer, whose account coincides with other crash victims' relatives who received calls from loved ones aboard the plane.'' Quote, `` `Knowing that he helped save lives by bringing that plane down, it brings joy to a situation where there is not much to be found.' '' ``Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the Boeing 757's on-board telephones and spoke for 13 minutes with GTE operator, Lisa D. Jefferson, Beamer's wife said. He provided detailed information about the hijacking, and after the operator told him about the morning's World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, said he and the others on the plane were planning to act against the terrorists aboard, Lisa Beamer said. `` `They may have realized that the hijackers were planning to do the same thing with their plane,' Beamer said Sunday in a telephone interview from her Hightstown, New Jersey home. `` `So they chose to do what they could to prevent other people from being hurt.' '' ``Before the call ended and with yelling heard in the background, Todd Beamer asked the operator to pray with him. Together they recited the 23rd Psalm which includes the passage, `The Lord leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.' '' ``Then he asked Jefferson to promise she would call his wife of 7 years and their two sons, David and Andrew. She is expecting a third child in January. After finally receiving clearance from investigators, Jefferson kept her promise Friday. Quote, `` `People asked me if I am upset that I did not speak with him. But I am glad he called Jefferson instead,' Lisa Beamer said. `I would have been helpless and I know what his last words would have been to me anyway. I think that is why he chose the method he did.' ``Beamer said her husband placed the call at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and told Jefferson that there were three knife-wielding hijackers on board and one had what appeared to be a bomb tied to his chest with a red belt. Two of the hijackers were in the cockpit with the door locked. The pilot and co-pilot were forced out and the man with the apparent bomb stayed in the rear of the aircraft. The jet was bobbing and changed course several times. The passengers knew that they would never land in San Francisco. Quote, `` `They realized they were going to die. Todd said he and some other passengers were going to jump on the guy with the bomb,' Lisa Beamer said. ``Several other passengers made phone calls from the jet just before it crashed southeast of Pittsburgh. Jeremy Glick, 31; Mark Bingham, 31; and Thomas Burnett, 38, all called loved ones. Glick and Burnett said they were going to do something. Quote, `Clearly we know the plane that crashed outside Pittsburgh was headed for Washington.' ``Vice President Dick Cheney said on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, 'Without question, the attack would have been much worse if it had not been for the courageous acts of those individuals on United 93.' ``After the prayer was finished and the promise was made to call his wife, Todd Beamer dropped the phone, leaving the line open. It was then that the operator heard Beamer's words, `Let's roll.' ``They were the last words she heard. The phone went silent and the plane crashed, killing all 44 people aboard. United issued a statement Sunday saying one of the 37 passengers had purchased two tickets, so the number of people had been incorrectly reported at 45. `` `Some people live their whole lives, long lives, without having left anything behind,' Lisa Beamer said. `My sons will be told their whole lives that their father was a hero, that he saved lives. It is a great legacy for a father to leave his children.'. ``Bobbi Hennessey, a spokeswoman for GTE parent company Verizon Communications, declined to comment Sunday and a telephone number for Jefferson could not be determined. However, a Verizon employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Jefferson is a supervisor for the company.'' This obviously is an example, Mr. Speaker, of the kind of heroism that we saw last Tuesday. When we think of the horrendous loss of life, the suffering that we as a Nation and a civilized world have encountered, it makes it even more important for us as a Nation to unite, which we have clearly done so well. I was thinking of the names of our two largest airlines, United and American. Clearly America is united, and there are so many things that have played a role in bringing us together, the likes of which I have never seen in my entire life. But the resilience of the American people is something that is so great and so wonderful. Last night, Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes said Tom Brokaw, who of course authored that wonderful book known as The Greatest Generation, may have to rename the book to One of the Greatest Generations. We have seen young men and women across this country say they are willing to stand up and fight for the United States of America and everything that we stand for. But it is not only these young people of this new wonderful generation who for the first time have realized how great and fortunate they are to be Americans, but it is those who have sacrificed before. About a year ago, I had an opportunity to present a Purple Heart to a very courageous prisoner of war from the Second World War, a man called Dominick Trapoti, who lives in Temple City, California. I found that to be one of the greatest rewards as a Member of Congress to be able to do. Mr. Trapoti shared his story about what he went through as a prisoner of war nearly 60 years ago. Dominick Trapoti came to my office in California last week, and he wanted to reenlist. He very much wanted to step forward and fight again on behalf of the greatest Nation the world has ever known. When I think of a man like this, Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but think about those leaders who 214 years ago today, as they ratified the United States Constitution, had so many wonderful, wonderful things that they said. Again, I truly believe that as our Nation is once again praying, that our Constitution was an inspired document. Thomas Jefferson, while it has never actually been determined whether he actually said this, I know that it has been attributed to him, at least the statement is Jeffersonian, when he said the condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance. That statement, I believe, Mr. Speaker, underscores once again the fact that we cannot take for granted the very precious liberty that we enjoy as a Nation; and that is why sacrifice has been made throughout this 214-year history, and obviously sacrifice is being made today. I mention, Mr. Speaker, that there have been prayers. There have been prayers since last Tuesday. Many of us have lost friends. We have participated in services all across the country. But as we look at the challenge of the weeks and months, and, as the President and Vice President have said, possibly years ahead as we seek to rid the civilized world of terrorism, I was very proud that early in the morning on Saturday just before we adjourned, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the minority whip, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Tom Davis), the majority whip, and others, were able to move through an important resolution. We know that war is a very difficult time for a country. Virtually every emotion is felt during this time: Pain, suffering, anger, a wide range of emotions are felt. One of the things that has come forward that is troubling has been the fact that some in this country would choose to generalize and determine that anyone who is Arab American might in some way be tied to or responsible for some of these actions. I was very proud that we were able to, as one of the last acts before we adjourned early Saturday morning, to move unanimously through this institution a resolution which condemned any kind of discrimination or acts which are turned against those who are Muslim. I was privileged yesterday to be able to, although the long distance, the hook-up never finally worked, but I had my representative there and I got a full report of it, to participate in a service at the Claremont Islamic Center at which there were over 700 people who on basically very short notice, one day's notice, came to have a multidenominational service. I was told by the director of my office in California, my field representative, Mark Harmsen, just before he got up to talk about the resolution that we had passed through the Congress condemning discrimination, that a young girl stood and talked about the fact that she had had someone tear off her veil. I think as we look at these challenges, Mr. Speaker, it is important for us to realize that we cannot allow this kind of discrimination and these kinds of acts against people to take place. So I am very proud that the United States House of Representatives stood unanimously in support of our resolution condemning those acts. Mr. Speaker, there is a lot of talk about the Muslim faith and whether or not there is widespread support for this kind of action. I know from, of course, knowing these people and having worked with leaders in the Muslim world across this continent, across the world, and here in the United States, many people who are of Arab American descent and love the United States of America as much as anyone. While the backers and supporters and allies of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists have tried to exude the image that their believers have got to recognize that everyone else is evil, that is just a gross mischaracterization of the faith of Islam. A friend of mine spoke with Muhammad Ali. He, as we all know, has a difficult time communicating; but he was able to write out, and it was read, what the belief in Islam is. It is one of love, of tolerance, of peace, and of kindness. That is why we have to realize that what we are dealing with here are not religious leaders, are not people of religion. They are fanatic barbarians who want to do everything they can to bring an end to our way of life. That is why I am so gratified, as we complete the last day of the worst week in our Nation's modern history, that we have a country that is stronger than ever. We all saw the stock market open this morning. I somewhat tongue-in- cheek never thought that I would be euphoric as I witnessed a 550-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The fact is the wonderful people in the New York Stock Exchange, in southern Manhattan, were able to come back to work and to get the greatest Nation the world has ever known back on track. We are going to be, as I said, stronger because of this. I am convinced, Mr. Speaker, that as the greatest Nation the world has ever known, the United States of America will be able to emerge as an even greater leader for the world than we have been before. I believe that President Bush was right on target when he, shortly after these tragic acts took place said, ``Nothing--nothing--will diminish the spirit of our great country.'' Mr. Speaker, I thank you very much for your forbearance. I appreciate the fact that so many of our colleagues have been uniting together for this extraordinarily important cause. I express appreciation to the heroes like the one whom I mentioned, Mr. Beamer, and the firefighters and law enforcement people here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, in Pennsylvania and, of course, in New York City. I hope very much that we are able in the not too distant future to bring about a successful resolution to this horrendous tragedy.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding under his reservation. I want to say that I strongly support this resolution. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior) for the leadership that they have shown on this very important issue. There are few things that outrage me more than the kind of discrimination that was just outlined by the gentleman from Virginia that has taken place. The graffiti that has come up in the wake of Tuesday's tragedy is just horrible, and we need to do everything that we can to ensure that that does not happen. I believe that this resolution should send a very strong signal about the leadership that the United States is going to take in ensuring that this kind of discrimination does not take place. Just a little more than 12 hours ago, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, the leader of the North American Islamic Society, gave the opening prayer at the very moving service that most of the Members of this body attended. I believe that his presence at that service that we attended was a very strong signal from President Bush and other leaders in this country that we are not going to tolerate that kind of discrimination which has been described already here and which, frankly, is of concern to me and to others. Attempts to bring about generalization is something that is very tempting for a lot of people, and I will simply say that we need to caution the American people against that. That is why I chose to stay here when the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) first mentioned to me the prospect of this resolution. I wanted to voice my very strong support for it.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I want to congratulate the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) and his entire team, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and, of course, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Goss), my friend and the great leader of the Committee on Intelligence, who also serves on the Committee on Rules. I would like to take just a moment to say that as we express appreciation to all of our colleagues, I would like to express my appreciation to my colleagues on the Committee on Rules who, every night, have been ready and prepared to put together this very important legislation in support of it in a bipartisan way. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Frost) and those members of the minority as well. I am very privileged to represent California; and we have all appropriately stood here to focus on New York, Pennsylvania, and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Mr. Speaker, every single one of those airplanes that took off from Boston, Newark, Dulles, were headed to my State of California. I would like to simply express for a moment my heartfelt condolences to the families and the loved ones of those people all the way on the other side of the country who have been horribly impacted by this tragedy. The sense of resolve that we have to deal with this is overwhelming, and our great President put it perfectly when he said, ``Nothing will diminish the spirit of our country.''

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it now appears that Tuesday's attacks will have taken over 5,000 of our friends, family, and neighbors. Five thousand innocents murdered because they were Americans. If this does not call for an American military action of some sort, then I do not know what does. We are talking about nearly double the number of people who were killed in Pearl Harbor and, clearly, the largest military attack on American civilians in our Nation's history. A well-funded international terrorist organization has declared war on us, and we can do no less than fight this enemy as we would any Nation that had committed the same atrocities. Whether it is tomorrow, next week, or next month, we know that the only message that these butchers will understand is a timely decisive show of American might. Our decision to take action will not be made in haste. We will pinpoint those responsible and make our judgment swift and effective. This is not about revenge, Mr. Speaker. It is a means of ensuring that those who would wreak acts of terror upon the United States know the price of their barbarity. America is the world's symbol of freedom, of prosperity. The idea that is America has been savagely attacked, and we have an obligation to the world to defend the values we embody. Nations across the world have offered their condolences, their prayers, and pledges of logistical support should we choose to take military action. They know that the next attack may not be New York or Washington, but Brussels or London. We have the responsibility and the power to bring these terrorists to justice. Mr. Speaker, the challenge has been issued and now it is up to us to decide whether we will rise to the occasion. Supporting the President is our duty to the victims and to the world.

Mr. DREIER

Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. At the height of the civil war, John Stewart Mills said, war is an ugly thing but it is not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing is worth a war is worse. It is very clear now that we have a very strong bipartisan consensus in support of the effort to bring about a successful resolution to this horrible tragedy. Many have talked appropriately about the fact this has been an attack on the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, this really transcends the United States of America. Let us look at the first two targets, the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center. This is an attack, Mr. Speaker, not only at the United States of America, but this is an attack at the entire international community. Virtually the entire world supports the core values on which the United States of America was founded. People may ask why is it that we are victims of this attack. Why? Because the United States of America, this Capitol under which we serve, is, in fact, the beacon of hope and opportunity for the entire world. We are paying the price for it, but I will tell my colleagues, it is still a very important struggle. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, he said the condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance. We are remaining vigilant, Mr. Speaker, and I want to say that my thoughts and prayers go to all of the victims. All four of those aircraft were headed to my State of California. My heart goes out to those who are suffering, and I hope very much that we will be able to see strong bipartisan support for this important resolution which demonstrates our concern not only for the United States of America, but for those who love freedom throughout the entire world.