Mark Foley

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, to respond for a moment to the prior speaker, it is not about ruining the holidays for Federal Government employees, it is about restoring faith in America. It is about people coming to Washington and honoring their commitment to balance the budget. It is interesting when we have votes on the board whether Democrats and Republicans will seek to balance the budget. Overwhelmingly, both parties join in saying, yes, we want a balanced budget. The President wants a balanced budget. He said it many times. In reviewing the document that the President submitted to this Congress, the only difference is that it incurs hundreds of billions of dollars of budget deficits for the next 7 years. That is not balancing a budget. Maybe in Washington spending $115 billion more than we have next year is balancing a budget, but in real America, in the real business community that is bankruptcy. That is out of business. So as we approach the season of Christmas, the Speaker and Members of Congress have committed to staying here as long as it takes. That is not good news for families. It is not good news for anyone that Congress would work in session through Christmas. But I think we must honor the tradition of this House. When we run for elections we tell voters if they will send us to Congress, that we will do the heavy lifting; that we will bring back a balanced budget and restore fiscal unity and dignity to this Nation. So we cannot just say, oh, well, it is almost Christmas. We have to be home. We have to leave Washington. We cannot be here. We cannot be away from the house, our districts, because certainly the balanced budget can come later. This is a milestone in our Nation. This is a unique opportunity. As Mr. Gingrich says, this is gut-check time, whether we have the fortitude to bring down overspending or do we want to just keep playing games. We have heard the Medicare scam, and many people have talked about it, but we have seen the tapes, we have seen the visuals of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton saying we should bring it down to 6 or 7 percent a year. Well, we are doing 7-plus percent a year in Medicare spending per recipient. So it is not a cut. We know that. We have proven that. We will go on to the next issues. Wasting taxpayers' dollars, though, is legendary around this process. We have appropriators, authorizers, the Committee on the Budget, all working somewhat together and then, at times, apart. Mr. Speaker, I had an interesting opportunity to kill the gas turbine this year, which was an exciting year for me and an exciting project for me, because it had spent hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Always killed in the Senate, denounced by three Presidents, but here in the House it survived year after year. We killed it here in the House, went over to the Senate and killed it there, and, finally, the gas turbine no longer finds its way into our budget. The same Government that had the Department of Defense procurement system paying $450 for a hammer. We just heard from one of my colleagues, the gentleman from Kansas [Mr. Tiahrt], talking about Secretary O'Leary's trips. As I recall, we started the Department of Energy during the Carter administration because we had a gas shortage, a crisis, and they wanted to make certain that the thermostats would stay at 78 degrees. Now we are traveling the globe trying to seek out whatever we are trying to look for and spending hundreds of millions of dollars to do it. I think the Cabinet Secretary needs to reexamine her priorities, reexamine why the Department was created and show some leadership and some frugality and not spend the taxpayers' money as if she is, in fact, a corporate executive on the shareholders' nickel. Yes, Congress has failed to act. Many people look back at the Reagan years and say, oh, it is Reagan's fault for running up massive deficits. Hey, the buck stops here in Congress, folks. The buck stops here in Congress. The Congress are the appropriators. They are the authorizers. They are the check writers. They are the fiscal clearinghouse for this Nation. So Congress has to accept the responsibilities. The President submits a budget, and we have sure seen his. It does not look like it is going to reduce the debt, but, no, he gets a chance to submit it and he gets a chance to veto, which he has done. I was proud today, Mr. Speaker, when we came to the securities legislation, that a number of our colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, overrode his veto. We are sending him a message that it is time to start working and stop vetoing messages and then sending hollow bills back to this floor suggesting he is committed to deficit reduction. We have a lot of problems in America and we have a lot of problems we can solve together, and I think there has been a great bipartisan spirit on a number of issues. But I do think it is time for all of us to end the charade, end the political games, end the characterizations and assaults against the Speaker, and on both sides of the aisle. The Republicans do not need to fire missiles over to the Democrats, and I think the Democrats need to cease and desist. Mr. Speaker, I listened to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Frank] talk about the exonerations of the Clintons. The same thing is happening to the Speaker on the numerous charges being filed by the other side of the aisle, in order to tie up the process, in order to try to impugn his reputation and trying to do a number of things. So I think if this Congress is serious about Christmas, about the holidays, and about the future of this Nation, that we will put aside personalities and get down to balancing the budget initiative, and we will work on it successfully, like we should. We have all voted for it, we have all supported it, and now let us do the heavy lifting and provide the leadership necessary in order to pass it.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I think there has been far too much caffeine consumed here this morning. Mr. Speaker, in 1927 Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly across the Atlantic. In the late 1940's Chuck Yeager was the first to break the speed of sound. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first to orbit the Earth, and in 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon. In 1995 Bill Clinton became the first man to veto a balanced budget since Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. In vetoing last week's balanced budget bill, Bill Clinton said ``no'' to serious Medicare reform, he said ``no'' to serious tax relief for working families, and a brighter future for our children. Most important, he said ``no'' to doing the right thing, being responsible and balancing the budget, something that has not been done in a generation. Mr. Speaker, it is time for the President to end the charades, end the Washington style excuses, do the right thing for our grandparents, our parents, our families and our children. Balance the budget of the United States of America.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker I rise today to pay tribute to the founder and lifetime Chairman of Save a Pet, Mrs. Gertrude Maxwell. Dedicated to protecting the rights of animals, Mrs. Maxwell and Save a Pet have saved over 50,000 pets. And on the upcoming commemoration of Save a Pet Day this weekend, I want to share with my colleagues in the House of Representatives and Senate, and the entire Nation, the remarkable work of Mrs. Maxwell and Save a Pet. Founded in 1972 in Illinois, Save a Pet provides funds for surgery, transport, therapy, placement of pets in responsible homes to provide people with companionship. The organization promotes the idea that relationships between people and animals benefit both parties. It has a 100% adoption rate, does not support euthanasia, and promotes the widespread use of spaying or neutering to end overpopulation and neglect. Save a Pet is strongly committed to educating us to treat animals humanely with love and respect. When a 1-year old nameless mutt was found paralyzed on South Dixie Highway, in South Florida, Nancy Mizelle found it difficult to fund treatment. She contacted Mrs. Maxwell who immediately funded the treatment. ``I wasn't going to let an animal die because of money,'' she said. Mrs. Maxwell has connected her organization with various other volunteer agencies to enhance service to pets. In 1994, a 5-year-old Labrador was shot by a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy, the dog needed to be transported to the University of Florida veterinary facility. Mrs. Maxwell arranged for the dog's surgery and transportation. Maxwell's philanthropies began long before she founded Save a Pet. As a teacher and social worker, she served her community and was able to form interrelationships between people and pets. Every week for 25 years, between 1949 and 1974 she would drive 60 miles to teach underprivileged children. She taught them about the love and responsibility involved in owning a pet and the proper way to treat animals. As a social worker she set up programs to bring the love of pets into the homes of inmates and retirees. Mrs. Maxwell provided loving companionship for people everywhere she went. Her interest in solving community problems including prison reform, therapeutic policies for troubled children and adolescents, and for improving senior citizen lifestyles earned her the appointment of honorary State's Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit of Florida in September, 1981. Gertrude Maxwell's philosophy can be a lesson to us all. In her words, We do not live alone on Planet Earth. There are other living things here, too. The other living things are the animals whose useful service shares our homes and hearts, the pets and the wild creatures who are part of our daily lives. This compassion for animals including promoting their freedom from want, from suffering, and from pain is commendable and will not be forgotten. Mrs. Maxwell has been a true servant to my community and I thank her for a lifetime of dedication to such a noble cause. On this year's Save a Pet Day, and during this holiday season, let us all take time to thank valuable members of our local communities like Mrs. Maxwell, and give them the credit they deserve.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, this is about public responsibility. This is about Congress' responsibility to manage our debt. This card, my voting card that I insert in the machine as other Members do, runs up the national debt each time we do it. It borrows from our children, it borrows from our trust funds in order to make this government work, and we have done it year-in and year-out, excessively. Our job as elected Members of Congress serving in this House is to bring fiscal sanity to this Nation, fiscal sanity to the operations of this government, much like every homeowner does, much like every businessperson does. Balancing a checkbook is something we all learn at a very early age. Maintaining adequate balances in our accounts is something we learn at a very early age. Only when you come to Congress do you forget that lesson and suggest it is okay to insert this card and plunge this Nation deeper and deeper into debt. Mr. Speaker, $5 trillion deep we are now. H.R. 2621 provides a mechanism to bring us to reality, to focus on our Nation's problems, to bring fiscal restraint to this House, to protect the trust funds, and let me emphasize that word: Trust funds. In God we trust. Trust funds. What we are establishing is a mechanism to once again restore trust to the people's money. Every Member of Congress has to realize that this card and the dollars we spend with this card are not our funds. We are entrusted to protect the funds of the American public. So I disagree with my colleagues and I urge passage and adoption.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I am directing this to those Americans who are watching. I want to clear up what this debate is about. Is it about America's leadership? Absolutely not. Our leadership brought the warring factions of this evil war to Dayton in an attempt to resolve their differences, but diplomacy does not include sending American troops. announcement by the speaker pro tempore

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, diplomacy does not include sending American troops--our finest men and women--into danger. Deployment of troops relates to national security and I don't believe a national security risk exists in the Balkans. To be the leader of the free world does not require our troops to face a brutal winter in a war zone that is littered with as many as 6 million land mines. Is it about supporting our troops--NO. I will not, nor should one Member of this Congress, allow our troops to be left to hang out to dry. I will fight to ensure that we have no more tragedies like Somalia. This deployment is a 2-year-old promise that the administration made, and I believe it has made our troops a bargaining chip in the negotiations. I oppose sending Americans to Bosnia and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I wanted to thank the President of the United States. We had the great fortune of going to the White House the other evening for the Congressional Ball, and my mother, Frances Foley, was in town. I was able to take her to that great honor, and it was an evening of celebration, it was an evening of sharing the great bounty of this Nation in the people's home, the White House, and, yes, as a Republican, it was a great honor to be in the company of President Clinton and his wife. The spirit that was alive in the house, the White House, that evening, was one that should be evident on this floor, one that should be evident in the debate about our budget for the Nation's future. He signed the veto message the other day, and the pen failed to write, and while many are making a joke about it, it does symbolize one thing: Our well is dry here in the Nation's Treasury. We are running on empty financially. It is time to step up to the plate and face the very important responsibility of Congress with the help of the President in balancing the budget with legitimate numbers, with legitimate dialog, with legitimate protections for our Nation's resources, but doing it in an honest and honorable and peaceful fashion, so that all Americans, regardless of party, can be proud of the actions of this Congress, that they have, in fact, done the people's work and they have done it professionally and respectfully. I want to discuss another issue because from time to time Members of the House talk about public education as if it is a disaster, and they make unkind statements to public education. The teaching profession, teaching our children, is one of the most noble professions in our Nation. There are problems in schools. There are problems on campuses. But they are not all related to schools and public education. They are related to a lot of external factors in our Nation. I think about one of my counties, Palm Beach County, and I think of all the great things our school systems are doing. My father is a principal of an alternative school, a school of last resort for children with behavioral problems, drug addictions, truancy problems. He tells us often about the successful graduations of children that were otherwise thought of as not having a potential for passing anything, never mind high school, but they graduate; stories about young girls who become naval officers, who are the top of the naval class, who a few years earlier were counted out as derelicts, druggies, incompetent youth. The School of the Arts in Palm Beach County, allowing kids to express God-given talents in arts, and music, and dance, and theater, things that are not traditional, but they are learning something that they have a skill and an expertise in. Junior ROTC programs teaching children military leadership. They are enrolling dozens of people in my school community, and they are succeeding in educating our young people. The science, the math, the police academies that spring up around our communities that are successfully graduating children with an educational opportunity that allows them to go out, and get a job and become meaningful, taxpaying, productive citizens. Palm Beach Garden High School; I visited the film school. We did interviews. They had tremendous technological equipment, learning to be little broadcasters. Someday they may be on the evening news. These are things that are working in our school system that we need to magnify, talk about in a positive way, show that public education is working, show that teachers who are sacrificing in a job dealing with difficult students are doing so because they love this country, they love children, and they want to see the future of those children succeed. Future Farmers of America programs, 4-H Clubs, all things that are working in public education that we all too often in Congress just say things are bad in public education, but it is time to stand up for the programs that work. It is time to talk about the one thing that we can make certain when we talk about the future direction of America is that children have a positive education, that they learn, that they are inspired, that they are told different things, learn to work on computers, learn to talk about children who may not go to college, but in fact may work at McDonald's, may in fact become a store manager and a store owner, may work at Publix as a bag boy and rise to be a manager of that store; that it is within each of us that we can excel, that we can excel and be supportive of this great country of ours. We have got to focus in this Congress about the very good things in our Nation and not always be talking about negativity, and disastrous consequences and evil, mean-spirited politics, because this Nation is the greatest Nation on Earth. God's gift to us has been one of being able to enunciate those positive things on this floor. So let us respect teachers, let us respect public education, let us respect private schools, but education is everybody's future, it is our Nation's salvation, it is the elimination in the future of crime and dependency in our Nation. So, I urge my colleagues to focus in the next year ahead, as we enter 1996, on positive education, positive future for our Nation, positive leadership for our children.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very much for this clarification.

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct a question to the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. Rogers]. Mr. Speaker, I first congratulate the chairman of the subcommittee in bringing a balanced spending bill back from conference that includes and funds a number of essential governmental functions. Included in this bill is $12 billion for NOAA's National Undersea Research Program, otherwise known as NURP. To clarify the priority of this funding, I would like to ask if the $12 million is intended for the existing six NURP research centers.

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also further clarify. One of these six centers, the Caribbean Marine Research Center, has long been recognized for the information it provides on a number of environmental concerns. I would ask the chairman of the committee, does the language on this conference report assure $1.56 billion for the Caribbean Marine Research Center?

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Kentucky on this issue. My father is 73 and a principal of a school in Palm Beach County, FL, very active. For those between the age of 66 and 69, they should have the same opportunities. Mr. Speaker, we have commended people for work in America. Many of our bills talk about work being an honorable occupation. Go out and work. Get a job. But somehow when we hit 66, we are told, ``Sorry, unless you are going to be penalized, you do not need to pursue gainful employment.'' So, I think this Congress is on the right track. Restoring dignity. Instead of telling people just because they hit a magic number, this age, that they are no longer wanted, now we are saying they continue to be wanted. They will be productive. They will continue to pay taxes and they will have a benefit to society. Public supermarkets in my district employ many seniors in assisting in grocery checkouts and other items. People are proud to have that opportunity to continue to remain active in their communities and the job market. Mr. Speaker, I commend the chairman for his leadership on this and urge passage.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 797, adoption of the conference report on Treasury-Postal appropriations, I was unavoidably delayed in reaching the House floor in order to record my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I bring to the floor today some of the mail I have received, and I want to share it, both pro and con, for what we are doing here in Washington. Gloria Chamberlain from Stuart, FL: Dear Representative Foley: Please do not give in to the Democrats in Washington concerning the budget or Medicare. The polls are wrong and the people are with the Republicans. Stay firm and tell the White House that big government days are over. Thank you for all you are doing and please stand firm. Mike Salyers, Fort Pierce: ``Support what you are doing. Hang in there. Need a balanced budget.'' Diane Crisco, Port St. Lucie, FL. Balance the budget. She does not care if Government shuts down. Solve immigration problems. Lisa Carroll, Stuart, FL. Do not back down. We must balance the budget. Mr. Gus Heck from Stuart. Mr. Heck wants Congress to drop the riders in the continuing resolution and debt resolutions. Richard James of Stuart. ``Get rid of add-ons. You are holding the President back from signing CR because of extra stuff on bill. Stop holding America hostage. Very angry. Voting Democrat next time.'' On Medicare we got a lot of responses from seniors. We sent out 117,000 requests for information. We have received over 6,000 back. Many people support us but would like to stay on the regular Medicare plan. Would consider an HMO. Ms. Presensky from Fort Pierce somewhat opposes, wants to know more. Stresses take away fraud not benefits. She cannot get an HMO where she lives. We are hoping to change that. But she wants decreases in food stamps, decreases in foreign aid, decreases in welfare, and increases in veterans benefits. We have Ms. Sutter from Port St. Lucie. Strongly supports the Republican plan. Would stay with regular Medicare, and she can do that. Supports Medicare, decreasing food stamps, decrease in the National Endowment for the Arts, decrease in the B-2 bomber, decrease in foreign aid, and a decrease in welfare. Supports [[Page H 12315]] veterans benefits. Please see that Congress puts some teeth in the new Medicare Preservation Act. Since its inception, the Medicare program has been riddled with fraud. Mr. Speaker, I want to spend a moment on that. I think it is significant that we in Congress face the fact that there is tremendous amount of fraud in our system of Medicare. We read and see the reports on TV, we see the special reports that many of the news stations have done, and it is appalling. It is appalling that in this Nation there are entrepreneurs in the health care industry that are ripping off our society for hundreds of millions of dollars. We have to focus on these problems. We have to find ways to find those perpetrators of the crime and take their licenses away, take their opportunities to do business away, lock them in jail like the criminals that they are. It is amazing to me that people can rip off our system for the hundreds of millions of dollars and walk away and say, well, we are going to get fined $10,000, so my theft of $100,000 certainly works out as a better fiscal advantage for me. Mr. Speaker, I get that in letters constantly from my constituents saying to me, Mark, we have a lot of problems. Let me read this letter from Maria Rooney in Jensen Beach. She opposes the plan but would like to stay on regular Medicare. Just a few lines to support my choices. I am 75 years of age and I work at a stand-up job every day. It also includes lifting cartons of merchandise. I continue to contribute to Social Security and to Federal income tax. I feel that Medicare can remain the same if controls be placed on it. Too many are taking advantage of food stamps and welfare making it an impossible situation for the poor elderly who must depend on it. The veterans fought for our country. Many in impossible situations, locations and living conditions. Many were away from home for years. Immigration is out of control. At one point in time people were sent back to their countries because of very strict health rules. Now we take them in knowing they are not in the best of health. Is this in the best interest of our country, which is bent on taking help and aid from our own poor and elderly? Well, Marie, we are very concerned about that. There is not a person on my side of the aisle that is trying to take benefits away from people who have worked their entire life serving in the military or seniors that are entitled to benefits. We are increasing the benefit ratio. We are spending more money. We are going from $4,800 to $6,700. We are increasing 40 percent on our Medicare spending but we are targeting illegal immigration. Mr. Speaker, it is amazing to me how our immigration law have become so lax; how people have been able to take advantage of the system of government, those that have served. I spoke at a veterans day ceremony this weekend, and it is sad to me that people, men and women, have lost their lives in pursuit of freedom in this country and we are telling them, in some cases, that their service maybe was important but not as important as other things. Priorities must be established in this budget. Priorities must be established for those who have served our country and served our people, but there are so many things that are wrong with our system. If we close our eyes and say everything is fine and go back to spending, and spend, and spend, and spend, this Nation will not clean up its fiscal house. I urge my colleagues as we continue the debate on Medicare to stress for more scrutiny on those that would rip off our elderly, those that would rip off our society and waste our tax dollars through fraud and abuse.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to read an editorial from the Port St. Lucie News. The editorial says ``Quit Stalling on Budget.'' [From the Port St. Lucie News, Nov. 13, 1995] Quit Stalling on Budget The budget debate now underway is messy and inefficient and may ultimately prove very expensive. It is also irresponsible government and reflects no credit on the White House or the Republican-led Congress. Enacting an annual budget is Congress' principal job, one in which this Congress is embarrassingly behind schedule with only two of 13 appropriations bills enacted. The fiscal year the lawmakers are arguing over is already more than one month gone and will likely be a fourth over with by the time a package is passed. Congress dug itself into that hole, largely because of deep and continuing disagreements among Republicans newly in the majority. That led to the latest obstacle to passing a budget, the provocation of an unnecessary veto fight with Clinton by attempting to use stopgap bills to pass measures--elimination of the Commerce Department, restrictions on lobbying by tax- exempt groups, higher Medicare premiums--that should be dealt with elsewhere in the legislative process. Despite his belated discovery of presidential veto powers, Clinton has given Congress little sense of where he will stand and fight. He absented himself from the budget [[Page H 12159]] process the first eight months of the year and hasn't been much of a participant since. Clinton may find it personally satisfying--and his campaign advisers politically profitable--to let Congress battle itself bloody over the federal budget. But it is not good government, and it certainly isn't leadership. Thanks to this impasse, the government may partially shut down Tuesday, an unnecessary bit of budget brinkmanship that wastes time and money, not to mention the damaging impact on the morale of the 800,000 or so government workers whose livelihoods are being treated so cavalierly. Thanks to this same impasse, the government may bump up against the debt limit late next week and go into technical default. While domestic bond-buyers may not mind, seeing this as a promising sign of fiscal austerity to come, foreign bond-buyers may simply see us as deadbeats and drive up the cost of borrowing for years to come. To the president and to Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Americans should say what generations of poker players have said when the pot was tied up with pointless bickering: ``Gentlemen, shut up and deal.'' Ladies and gentlemen, we need to resolve the issue before the Congress. We would not run a business like this in America, telling our customers that we may or may not be open tomorrow, that we may or may not be there to serve their needs. But at the same time, we have heard bickering from both sides of the aisle, heated rhetoric, about destroying Medicare, about hurting senior citizens. I have told this story many times. My grandmother came from Poland. She came with a sponsor, a job waiting, a clean bill of health. She worked as a maid in a Travel Lodge motel, all to be part of this democracy. She depended on Medicare and she depended on Social Security. So I am one Member of Congress here to protect that. But let us make no mistake about it: The balanced budget is necessary to restore fiscal sanity to this Nation. We are borrowing and borrowing and borrowing moneys that we simply do not have. Why are Members of Congress retiring in droves? Why is everybody saying they want out of this job? Because it is no longer fun to go around your community and say ``no'' to people. For years you have been able to say I will give you a new Post Office, I will build you a new bridge, I will fix something in your community, I will build a new center for you, all with the taxpayers' nickel, all borrowed dollars. They went back year after year and said look at me, I am the hero, I have done all of these things for you, you must reelect me. Now we go to Congress and get elected and say ``no'' to people and spending money and ``yes'' to balancing the budget, and people are mad at us. But by God, that is fiscal responsibility. It is happening in our families. It is required of our businesses. A balanced budget is no different than being an American consumer, an American business owner. But I do think it is wrong we are holding this Government hostage and not meeting at the White House this very hour to solve this problem. I do think it is wrong on both sides of the aisle that we are not seriously debating the issue as we sit here today. I do not think I deserve my paycheck after tomorrow if we are not going to be working. Congress should not get paid either. If the employees of the Federal Government are going to be told they do not need to be here, I think there are maybe 435 nonessential employees right here in this body. I think it is time we faced the convictions we have. I think it is necessary we balance the budget. I think it is necessary to bring our fiscal house in order. But I think it is also necessary that both sides, Democrats and Republicans, stop the haranguing, stop the finger pointing, stop the name calling, and start debating the very issues that will save our fiscal sanity for the years to come. I think it is that important. I think it is important for ourselves, for the seniors that live in our communities, for our children, and for America's future.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Chairman, I am anxious to hear the speeches when people stop buying treasury bills because our debt has grown so large that people are no longer interested in taking the risk. This bill brings us to reality. It will reduce the cost of real interest payments. On the farm bill, they say it was done in the dark of night. We had 10,000 farmers at 19 field hearings from California to New York to Florida, talking about reforming agriculture. Now, one group says we have done too much to agriculture and we are hurting rural America. My God, I live in rural America. I respect rural America. They asked me, Mark Foley, to make changes in the agriculture policy of this Nation. So I stand here proudly to support the Freedom To Farm Act. We will unshackle agriculture. We will allow them to become productive. We will feed America's families. We will save us tremendous interest costs around this Nation and make our farmers proud to be Americans once again, which they are today. Let us not hear the rhetoric that this bill is bad for America, because when the final numbers are in, when we save our children's future, when we save the bankruptcy of this Nation, when we make our people proud of this country once again, the numbers and the votes and the sentiment of America will be with us.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to commend our deputy whip, Mr. Hastert, for his efforts today. I cannot believe the folderol. President Clinton in his campaign document wanted to repeal this. The Senate, controlled by the majority, could not do it. Today, Willard Scott honored five Americans who had reached the age of 100 years old. Let us reward these workers of America, those between 65 and 69, and repeal this discriminatory, punitive, and unfair penalty against those who want to work and help rebuild America.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I have just concluded a number of town hall meetings in my district. I must say the response from my constituents was very favorable. My district is the sixth oldest district in America of Medicare recipients. Of the freshmen who came to the 104th Congress, I am No. 1 in seniors in my district. [[Page H 10638]] Let me read to you an editorial from the Port Saint Lucie News, published by Scripps Howard, a prominent news gathering source around our Nation. The editorial says, ``Slowing down not stopping.'' If a car was going down the highway at 70 miles per hour, and the driver let up enough on the accelerator for the speed to be reduced to 65 miles per hour, would you then say the car had stopped? Well, if you are a Democrat Member of Congress, you probably would. Of course, if the Democrats conceded that this was just an instance of going slower, they may also have to concede that the Republicans are not planning to deprive the elderly whose savings have run out, and other poor people, of health care. The Democrats are making that case all over the land. It is preposterous and shameful. The real issue is that the budget cannot be balanced without reducing the growth rate of entitlement programs or increasing taxes astronomically. If the budget is not balanced, interest payments on the debt will eventually consume all of the Federal budget and leave no room for anything else. What do the Democrats plan to do then? I have received commentary from my districts through a newsletter we submitted to our constituents. Do you support the Medicare Preservation Act? They had four choices: strongly support, to strongly oppose. A gentleman, Oto Fredro, from West Palm Beach, FL, somewhat support. Would like to stay with the current Medicare plan. Oto, you can do that under the Republican's plan. Doug Weaver, strongly support, would consider a new plan like an HMO. Also urges us to decrease funding for the B-2 bomber. Decrease money for food stamps. Increase money for Medicare. Decrease money for foreign aid. Decrease money for welfare. Glenn Shaffer, Lake Placid, FL, strongly supports Medicare Preservation Act. But wants to stay in the current Medicare plan. Glenn, you get to stay in the current Medicare plan as you choose. Leonard Keal from Palm City, FL, strongly support. Again, wants to stay in the Medicare plan. Miriam Dunst, somewhat opposed, very skeptical about the plan, wants to stay with Medicare. She wants to have that choice. You can stay there and we appreciate your response. Joseph Cerzosie from West Palm Beach, FL, strongly opposes our plan, but would like to consider an HMO. Under the current plan, he cannot select an HMO. Under our plan, you can. Now, there has been a lot of talk about tax cuts. There has been a lot of talk about balancing Medicare in order to provide for the tax cuts. They are not related. The Post Times the other day did take on the President of the United States because, they said, he spent too much on the explanation of taxes, too little on principle. In one typically self-pitying moment, Bill Clinton demonstrated again last week why he is a President with many enemies and also few friends. He spent Tuesday night explaining that he had raised taxes too much. Folks in this Congress, the 104th Congress, the freshmen have come here to make a difference. We have problems in our system. Do I think the Republicans have solved all the problems in Medicare? Absolutely not. Do I think we have a silver bullet to erase years of wasteful spending in our system? Absolutely not. I want to target fraud, waste, and abuse in our bill. I want to strengthen the provisions that we brought to this floor, strengthen the provisions for fraud and abuse. Anyone who rips off our taxpayers should do jail time. Anyone who rips off our taxpayers in Medicare should have their licenses removed, be it a hospital, be it an insurance company, be it a provider. But, ladies and gentlemen, make no bones about it; when I come from the sixth oldest district in America and I had over 700 people attend my town hall meetings saying to me, help save Medicare, nobody is screaming at me. Nobody yelling at me. One of two people threatened to throw me out of office, which is the risk of this business. Nobody is saying that this was the horrible plan. They want explanations. One person got up in one meeting and said I had done a terrible thing and I was voting against him. The New York Times was with us, following that meeting. One person gets up to speak negatively about our plan, their headlines, tough Medicaid meeting. It was not a tough meeting. The public supports us, and I am proud to represent the 16th District of Florida.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, today it is very prophetic that I rise to discuss the St. Lucie River Initiative that is occurring in one of our counties in Florida. We are being inundated by water due to many recent rainfalls. I would like Members, particularly those in the Florida delegation, to welcome the members of the St. Lucie River Initiative. Mr. Speaker, we have one of the most beautiful, pristine waterways in Florida. The Army Corps of Engineers started in 1915, and completed in 1963, a series of canals that have changed the water flow patterns in our State. We have to save the Everglades and Florida Bay, but we must save the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon for future generations. There is a solution. It involves acquiring land, storing fresh valuable water on that land, and preventing the water from running to the tide and polluting these estuaries and the St. Lucie River. So I ask Members from Florida again to welcome the St. Lucie River Initiative group into their office. Listen to the facts they present, because I think we have a solution before us that can save our valuable resource, the Florida waterways.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to St. Lucie County, FL, for becoming the State's largest producer of citrus products. I am exceptionally proud to represent the fine people of St. Lucie County and today, they are deserving of national recognition. Besides being the home of the State's most fertile citrus land, St. Lucie County is also the home of some of the best fishing on the eastern seaboard, a center of marine research, an excellent example of intermodal transportation, and a diverse group of people representing all areas of the country who are proud to call St. Lucie County, ``home.'' Mr. Speaker, many in Florida are unaware that agriculture is an extremely important component of the economy of the State of Florida. Florida is the largest agricultural State in the Southeast and the eighth largest in the Nation boasting annual farm cash receipts of $6.1 billion. In so doing it provides direct employment for more than 100,000 people and is an economic generator for an additional $18 billion in economic activity. At the backbone of this economic activity is Florida's world famous citrus industry. Florida is the overwhelming producer of all citrus in the United States, accounting for more than 81 percent of the national total annually. In fact, Florida is the world leader in the production of grapefruit, accounting for 32.3 percent of the world's supply annually. The quality of Florida's fresh citrus products like grapefruit are world renown, especially those of the Indian River Region of which St. Lucie County is a part. In 1994-95, St. Lucie County became the State leader in citrus production by producing 32.4 million boxes of oranges, grapefruit and tangerines. This is a real tribute to the 500 growers of the 108,488 acres of citrus and the hard working people in their groves, and the owners and employees of all the citrus related businesses. In St. Lucie County alone, citrus accounts for about $1 billion in economic activity for the county, while employing 20 percent of the county's work force. Previously, St. Lucie County had already ranked as the number one county in grapefruit production in the entire Nation. Because of the soil conditions that prevail on the eastern seaboard of Florida, grapefruit from the Indian River Region is the finest available in the world today. And now, this high quality high value crop is finding its niche world wide with millions of cartons of fruit exported annually. Mr. Speaker, the investment in citrus in Florida is a long-term investment, and the growth of the St. Lucie County crop is a credit to the perseverance of those who make the citrus industry the basis for their livelihood. Florida's citrus growers, producers, and workers persevere elements unique to south Florida that range from hurricanes to frosts. Their work is not a part of an overnight operation but rather a commitment to the entire community, economy, and industry. This is evidenced by a new processing plant and packing facility currently in the works, therefore, by the year 2000 the crop is expected to expand another 25 percent. I would like to extend my congratulations to everybody in St. Lucie County, this is an achievement that the entire county can take pride in. On behalf of the entire county I encourage everyone to drink more grapefruit and orange juice as it has been scientifically proven to better your health and state of mind, and that is something we all could use.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to insert into the Record a speech by Ms. Marion P. Hammer. Ms. Hammer addressed the American Legion at their National Education Award Program. This speech discusses the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program for Children. The program was recognized by the American Legion for educating our Nation's youth about right and wrong when it comes to firearms. I applaud Ms. Hammer for this program and for her excellent presentation. Speech by Ms. Marion P. Hammer to the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program for Children The American Legion and the National Rifle Association of America are perhaps the two most dedicated, patriotic, country-flag-Constitution-and-freedom loving organizations in America. And I am deeply honored to have an opportunity to stand before one of those organizations to represent the other. Both organizations, founded in the bedrock of Liberty by military officers and enlisted men, dedicated themselves to principles of FREEDOM, PATRIOTISM and JUSTICE. Both organizations have become a part of the fiber and fabric of our nation's history. The National Rifle Association of America, founded in November, 1871, has a distinguished history of education and training. Established to teach the skills of marksmanship and training to defend and protect our great nation and the Freedom provided by our Constitution, the NRA in the nation's leader in firearms safety and training. And, the NRA is the sentry that stands watch over the Second Amendment--the amendment that guarantees our right to keep and bear arms and assures our ability to defend our nation and ourselves. The American Legion, was conceived in March, 1919, at the Caucus in Paris, France by battle weary patriots waiting to return home from the physical battle to preserve Freedom in World War I. These brave men and women who had given so much of themselves to our nation, were destined to continue their sacrifice as they organized to preserve our nation's future in peace time as well as in battle. The spirit and love of America beats strong in the hearts of our two great organizations that are committed to the future through the programs we provide for the youth of America. In 1918, the words of William Tyler Page were adopted by the United States House of Representatives as the ``AMERICAN CREED.'' And within that creed are some very moving words. William Tyler Page wrote that this Nation was: ``[E]stablished upon the principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.'' Defend it against all enemies. Strong words with deep meaning. Since our forefathers carved America out of the wilderness, our nation has faced many enemies. American patriots for generations, have made many sacrifices for freedom. In 1945, in enemy action at Okinawa, my father added his name to the long role call of American patriots who have paid the ultimate price--who have given their lives to the cause of freedom. The role call is long, the sacrifices are many, and those of us who breathe freedom's air today, owe them. And we owe the men and women who came home bearing the scars of battle. We have a duty to continue in their footsteps. We owe it to them to carry America's flag against our enemies until we can hand it over to the next generation. Today, America has new enemies. Enemies that are tearing at the fabric of our heritage and our society. Those enemies are moral decay, disrespect, parental neglect, dependence on government, and phony quick fix government solutions to complex social problems. America's children are the victims of those enemies. Because we love our country, our flag, our Constitution and our Freedom, we have a duty to America's youngsters. They are the future of America. We must love and nurture them. We must teach them values and strengths. Teach them discipline, self- reliance, respect and honor. Teach them to love America and what it stand for. Through your youth programs and our youth programs, we are making a difference. And working together with other community groups we can make an even bigger difference. The NRA's Eddie Eagle Gun Safety program for young children is about much more than just teaching safety. Youngsters learn safety but they also learn respect for guns and at the same time they learn respect for themselves when they gain knowledge. They learn to resist temptation and not to touch a gun left carelessly unattended--that's discipline. They learn to leave the area and make their friends and playmates leave the area--that's leadership. They learn to quickly find and inform an adult of an unsafe situation--that's responsibility. And when an adult has removed the gun and the area safe again, they learn pride and [[Page E 1865]] a sense of accomplishment and self-worth for having used their knowledge and skills. In our youth marksmanship programs and youth hunting programs they learn values other than how to shoot safely and accurately. They learn concentration, commitment, sportsmanship, self-reliance, teamwork, citizenship, and conservation of our natural resources--values that are just as important as skills. I am a mother and a grandmother and I know that when NRA reaches out and takes the hand of a child we are touching America's future. I know that when you love a child and give your time and patience to teaching values, patriotism, and skills, you are investing in the future. I know that when you win the heart of a child and enrich his or her life with knowledge, you are building a solid foundation for the next generation. I know that within the body of this nation, the hearts of many children long for someone to reach out to them with kindness, knowledge and guidance. The NRA is committed to expanding our programs, to reaching out to more children and to investing in the future by helping to instill values and to build character in the youngsters we touch throughout America. Today, you have honored the National Rifle Association of America for its Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program and I am privileged to be here to accept your award. And I am proud to tell you that this program has now been taught to over 7 million youngsters--7 million youngsters whom we hope will be the safest generation our nation has ever seen. On behalf of the NRA, I thank you sincerely for this honor, and I promise you that I am committed to doing everything that I can to help the NRA continue its mission of teaching America's youth the fundamentals of what made our nation great. If we all work together to fulfill our duty to our country and to the dedicated men and women who have given so much to keep us free, our children and our grandchildren and generations to follow them will learn to love their freedom, their country, their flag, their Constitution and themselves. Thank you--each and every one of you--for the sacrifices you have made for our country. God bless you all, and God bless America.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, read all about it. The Washington Post, Thursday, September 28. Democratic former Member of Congress, Tim Penny, ``Medicare Mistake.'' ``My party is making a big mistake. The Democratic Party is closely identified with Medicare, and rightfully so. Democrats first conceived of Medicare, put it into law. As architects of Medicare, we have a responsibility to shore up the program before it collapses.'' Democratic Congressman Tim Penny says: We cannot afford to ignore Medicare's shaky financial situation or put it off until after the next election. It is just too important. Medicare trustees have given us a 7-year warning. Those 7 years shouldn't be squandered in indecision, stall tactics and politicking. We should view this time as an opportunity to devise and employ creative solutions. Democrats should be the leaders in this debate, not the obstructionists. Mr. Speaker, my parents are on Medicare. I love my parents. As Republicans, we are promoting protecting and preserving Medicare for this generation and future generations. Democrats, take Mr. Penny's comments seriously. Join us in the fight to protect it and stop the demagoguery.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 684, a motion to instruct conferees, I was detained in a meeting and unable to reach the floor before the voting machine was locked. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding and for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Ryan White Care Act amendments of 1995. I stress that the Ryan White Care Act as been passed by the Senate 97 to 3. Since its enactment in 1990, the CARE Act has been a vital lifeline of comprehensive medical and support services for Americans living with HIV and AIDS. While progress has been made in educating citizens about this deadly disease, the statistics are grim: AIDS has become the leading killer of young men and women between the ages of 25 and 44. Regrettably, one American becomes infected with HIV every 15 minutes and is spreading most rapidly among women, adolescents and within minority communities. My home district of Florida has been severely devastated by this deadly disease, with the city of West Palm Beach having the second highest case rate of HIV infections in females. AIDS also hits the minority communities especially hard, with African-Americans in Palm Beach County being 10 times more likely to be infected with HIV than whites. Mr. Speaker, it is important we continue the educational process. It is important that we stress to our youth in America that abstinence is the only way to preserve and protect yourself. Mr. Speaker, it is critical we preserve the partnership we have carved between the Federal, State, and local governments in the fight against AIDS. Through the cooperation of private and public efforts on all levels, the CARE Act has been instrumental in helping meet the emergency medical and support needs of communities impacted by the AIDS epidemic. These funds all provide needed assistance to help keep thousands of men, women, and children affected by AIDS healthy and living longer. Since the CARE Act is set to expire on September 30, 1995, reauthorization is urgent to ensure there is no disruption in services for those suffering with AIDS across the country. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in support of the Ryan White CARE Act--it is a vital national investment for all Americans.

Mr. FOLEY

Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Chairman, we came to Congress, and the freshman class has been mentioned many times on the floor. Much to my chagrin, one of the programs that I cut out of the budget, a wasteful program, $25 million, I excitedly ran out of the room and I said, ``I have had a victory. I saved the taxpayers $25 million,'' only to find out the next day that an amendment was offered to take the entire savings and move it to another governmental program. Lo and behold, the gentleman from Idaho [Mr. Crapo] came up to me and said, Mark, I have just the fix for this dilemma that we are facing in the U.S. Congress. It is a savings account. It is like a Christmas Club account that the families save toward to provide for funds for much-needed projects. Mr. Chairman, the lockbox account is a historic effort to make Government accountable for its spending and to put money aside and bring down the deficit. Some suggested today that we are unnecessarily focusing on the deficit of this Nation. It is our No. 1 problem. Mr. Chairman, we are spending more than we have. We are charging money to a charge account that the banks have canceled. We are in debt up to our ears and that debt is costing us 15 percent of our national budget just to pay interest alone on the debt. Let me put it in plain, simple terms. The lockbox will reduce the deficit. It will reduce the cost of interest to the consumer. One example: A 1-percent reduction in the interest rate on a $75,000 loan on a single family home, a 1-percent reduction will provide $750 a year in saving, $65 a month. The Deficit Reduction Lock-box Act will allow us, over time, to reduce the Federal Government's appetite for debt and bring about fiscal sanity in this Nation. Mr. Chairman, I conclude and thank the Democratic side of the aisle for their help on this issue, and particularly the gentleman from Idaho [Mr. Crapo], the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss], and the Committee on Rules, for their leadership in bringing this to the floor. Mr. Chairman, this is a historic day and I urge every colleague to support this viable initiative.