Martin Frost

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this rule and in support of the conference report. Every Member understands that it is necessary that the House consider this conference report because the first DOD conference report was vetoed by the President and the Congress was unable to override. I commend the Committee on National Security for coming forward with this new conference agreement which addresses several of the President's strongest objections. While there are still provisions of the agreement which are objectionable to the administration, I believe the removal of three provisions, language relating to the establishment of a national missile defense system, the President's ability to deploy U.S. troops in peacekeeping operations and the requirement that the President submit supplemental funding requests for contingency operations will allow the President to sign this bill into law. I congratulate the conferees for their spirit of compromise and their willingness to do what is necessary to ensure that the other critical programs and projects in this bill become law. Mr. Speaker, I support this conference agreement because it like its predecessor makes available funding for the B-2 stealth bomber. The B-2 is an important component of our overall defense system and I commend the conferees for their continued steadfast support of this program. In addition, I am especially gratified that the conference agreement contains initiatives to accelerate high priority quality-of-life projects for the men and women of our armed forces and their families. These projects are every bit as important to our defense system as are the many weapons systems found in the bill. And the conference report also ensures that readiness remains a top funding priority. Again the conferees have provided us with an excellent bill, and I urge every Member to support it. This rule, Mr. Speaker, is a noncontroversial rule. It provides for the expedited consideration of this conference report in a manner that is accepted practice and custom in the House of Representatives. However, I am very concerned that my Republican colleagues have begun a new practice that is contrary to the accepted practice and custom of the House. That new practice, which we have seen in other rules brought to the floor in recent weeks, has the effect of denying the minority the rights they are assured by the rules of this body. My Democratic colleagues on the Committee on Rules protested this new practice earlier this month when we met to consider three continuing appropriations, and the Republican majority reported rules which not only closed the continuing resolutions to amendment but also denied the minority their guaranteed right to offer a motion to recommit. Mr. Speaker, I include a letter signed by the four Democrats on the Committee on Rules to Chairman Solomon at this point in the Record: House of Representatives, Committee on Rules, Washington, DC, January 23, 1996. Hon. Gerald B.H. Solomon, Chairman, Committee on Rules, Capitol Building, Washington,

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, in this letter my colleagues and I protest what we consider to be outrageous and arrogant stifling of debate and express our hope that these actions will not be repeated. I believe our position is meritorious and supports the best interests of the House of Representatives as a constitutional institution. Consequently, Mr. Speaker, this letter should be made a part of the permanent record. Mr. Speaker, I found it quite interesting that no Republican Member defended the minority's right to offer the motion to recommit earlier this month. I found it very sad that a party that has so strongly and so correctly defended the rights of the minority now practices a brand of political gamesmanship that stifles all debate and dissent. I bring this subject to the attention of the House because the Committee on Rules is scheduled to meet today to consider another continuing resolution. I hope that my Republican colleagues will not perpetuate this practice and will allow the House an opportunity to debate the issues of the day. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this rule. I support this rule because it is fair and because it provide for the consideration of important programs of the Department of Defense. But I hope that when we meet in the future to consider rules reported by the Republican majority of the Committee on Rules that the rights of the minority are protected and assured. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia [Ms. Norton].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Montgomery].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Studds]. (Mr. STUDDS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Arkansas [Mrs. Lincoln]. (Mrs. LINCOLN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Watt].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of the time remaining of each side.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Bentsen].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota [Mr. Pomeroy].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question. If the previous question is defeated, I will offer an amendment. My amendment adds to the provisions of the bill to provide funding through the fiscal year for programs and activities not otherwise funded. All activities would be funded at the lower of House-passed, Senate-passed or last year's level, though nothing would be funded at less than 90 percent of last year's level. Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the same rate as in the first continuing resolution this Congress passed. Mr. Speaker, this is the last opportunity to avoid the folly. Mr. Speaker, only by defeating the previous question can we let Federal workers actually work-under the Republican plan, we pay these people to show up but insist they do not work. That is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Mr. Speaker, I am inserting in the Record at this point the amendment I will offer if the previous question is defeated: Amendment to the Resolution Strike the period in the last line and add the following: ``, as modified by the amendment printed in section 2 of this resolution.'' At the end of the resolution, add the following new section: ``Sec. 2. At the end of the bill, add the following: ``TITLE III Such amounts as may be necessary to continue through September 30, 1996 any other program, project, or activity carried out in fiscal year 1995 not provided for in Title I of this Act or any other appropriations Act for fiscal year 1996, at a rate for operations and under the terms and conditions provided for in Public Law 104-31.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

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

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman may know, he is my friend, we happen to differ on this issue. I am pro-choice. However, I agree with the gentleman. This is a pro-choice bill. The gentleman has correctly analyzed the legislation. It is pro-choice.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Nadler].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Hefner]. (Mr. HEFNER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Coleman].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Taylor].

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, January 10, the Speaker will go to Boise, ID, to the convention center at $1,000 a couple, and they get a picture, $100 general admission. Also, January 10, the Speaker will go to Seattle, WA, 7 p.m. reception, 8 p.m. dinner, Weston Hotel, $1,000 includes dinner and reception, $250, just dinner. January 11, the Speaker will go to Napa, CA, 11 a.m., luncheon at the Silverado Country Club, $200 per person; January 11, Bakersfield, CA, 8 p.m. dinner, Civic Auditorium, sponsor, $1,000, host, $500, table seat at dinner, $25, seat with buffet dinner, $15; January 12, Walnut Creek, CA, 7:30 a.m., breakfast at the Civic Arts Center, $250; January 15, Dallas, TX, the city I represent, Prestonwood Country Club reception, 5 to 6:30, dinner for $10,000 for a sponsor; January 16, Dearborn, MI, $10,000 a person, private fireside reception and a picture with the Speaker, $1,000 per person just for the reception; January 17, Evansville, IN, Convention Center Gold Room, 7:30 a.m., breakfast $125, $1,000 for a picture with the Speaker; January 17, Fort Wayne, IN, $100 event; January 19, Memphis, TN, luncheon, $1,000 for a picture with the Speaker, $500 to attend. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Obey], the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. FROST. It has everything to do with the need for a continuing resolution. The Speaker is not going to be here to negotiate.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, earlier today when the House considered H.R. 1634, I commented that the proposal presented to the House by the Republican leadership resembled nothing more than an elaborate Goldberg contraption. The Republicans found all sorts of bells and whistles and levers and gears and created some sort of machinery that was intended to send some Federal workers back to work. Yet, here we are again, Mr. Speaker. This new Rube Goldberg contraption adds enough news gears and levers to this morning's contraption so that all the bells and whistles will sound a little louder and when they ring and chime, it will appear to the American people that the Republican majority is indeed acting responsibly and really opening the Government. The Republican gizmo passed by the House earlier today funded those programs which, while they remained unfunded, have caused the Republican majority no end of public criticism. This new gimmick just adds to the list--a reelection wish list no doubt for many. The new gimmick does not, however, solve the problem. Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that it does not sit well with the public that in order to ensure protection of a tax cut aimed primarily at the wealthiest of all Americans, that the Republican majority in Congress might be willing to let the Meals on Wheels program run out of money and let perhaps thousands of elderly Americans go hungry. It is obvious that it does not sit well with the American public to see the real crown jewels of this country--our national parks and not the tax cuts of the contract--remain closed to visitors all in the name of a plan to balance the budget which would salvage environmental protection in this country. It does not sit well with American businessmen and American tourists who need or want to travel abroad that they are unable to obtain passports in order for the Republican majority to hold the foreign aid program of this country hostage. So, in the face of the drubbing they have been taking from the public what have my Republican friends done? They first drew up a continuing appropriation which they termed a ``targeted appropriation''. But, now it seems that the target was not large enough to satisfy even their own Members. And so, Mr. Speaker, now we must consider yet another targeted appropriation. Yet, Mr. Speaker the House has had plenty of opportunities in the past 4 days to clean continuing resolution which would not only allow all Federal workers to go back to their desks, but allow them to do their jobs. Mr. Speaker, adding a new gear here, or another funnel there, is no way to run our Government. What we need to do is pass a real clean CR, not the sham resolution we passed just a short while ago. Consequently, I will oppose ordering the previous question so that the House may have the opportunity to pass appropriations for those Government agencies, departments, and programs which were not considered vital enough to be included in this new Republican gimmick. Mr. Speaker, we are not here to play games, yet this is all the Republicans seem to want to do. We are here to do the Nation's business, not play a giant game of Monopoly. If we are really serious about the Nation's business, why is it necessary for us to consider ``targeted appropriations'' ad infinitum? Frankly, Mr. Speaker, the old business as usual is starting to look pretty good to the American people. At least when we had business as usual around here, the American people were taken seriously, not treated like game pieces to be brought and sold in order to fulfill an ideological agenda. Mr. Speaker, it would be so sensible to just pass a clean continuing resolution. I do not believe there is a Member of this body who does not understand that the balanced budget argument is not about when, but about how. And, while the Speaker raises money around this great country of ours in the next 3 weeks, instead of staying here in Washington to negotiate the how of a balanced budget, let's let the Government do its job for the taxpayers of this country. This new resolution doesn't finish our job, Mr. Speaker. But, the real outrage here, Mr. Speaker, is that there is no opportunity afforded the minority to amend this resolution--either by amendment or by a motion to recommit. Given the gravity of this situation, Mr. Speaker, it is unconscionable that the minority has been denied a voice on the floor of the House. It is an outrage that we are being treated in this manner. Never, and I mean never, Mr. Speaker, did I as a member of the majority ever purposely seek to deny the minority any role at all in the legislative process. Yet, that is what is happening here tonight. That we have been denied three times today the opportunity to offer alternatives to the Republican proposals is a disgrace to this institution and to the democratic ideals on which it is founded. Mr. Speaker, let us stop playing games. Let us stop building Republican gimmicks and start fixing the problem. I urge Members to oppose the previous question so that we can do our job and go home tonight. Mr. Speaker, I gave a short speech in which I recited the various places the Speaker was going in the next 2 weeks rather than staying here to negotiate with the President, and I have had a number of questions about that since I made those remarks, and I would like to provide some additional details, if I may, why the Speaker will not be here negotiating with the President and why we need a continuing resolution. On January 9, the Speaker will go to Colorado Springs, CO, for a 7 p.m. reception and dinner in the Colorado Hall, the Broadmoor Hotel, $150 to get in; January 9, Bloomington, MN, at 4 p.m., there will be a reception at the Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington. Sponsors are charged $50,000; if you pay $10,000, you get to go to the reception and have the opportunity to speak with the Speaker; if you pay $1,000, get general admission; if you pay $500, you get to sit in another room and watch the whole thing on television, and if you pay $100, you get to go to a rally afterwards.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, in response to the gentleman, I am not one of the designated negotiators. I have not been designated by the Democratic side to negotiate the budget. The Speaker is one of the designated negotiators. Therefore, I would expect him to be here.

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, it is curious that suddenly we are at the end of the day and we are going to be gone until the 23d. I had some questions about why are we going to be gone until the 23d. I think I have the answer. I would like to share with the House the Speaker's fundraising schedule for the next 2 weeks. On January 9 he will be in Colorado Springs, CO. On January 9, he will be in Bloomington, MN. On January 10, he will be in Boise, and then Indiana. On January 10 he will be in Seattle, WA. On January 11 he will be in Baskerfield, CA. On January 12 he will be in Napa, CA. On January 15 he will be in Detroit, where people are being charged $10,000 to have their picture taken with the Speaker. He will also be in Dallas, TX, on January 15. On January 17 he will be in Fort Wayne, IN. On January 17 he will be in Evanston, IN. On January 19 he will be in Knoxville, TN. On January 19 he will be in Memphis, TN. There have been some questions about good-faith negotiating and wanting to keep the President negotiating. It is going to be very difficult, I would think, for the Speaker to negotiate with the President while he is traveling around the country raising money for Republican Members of Congress and for the Republican National Campaign Committee. I know these are all tentative dates and something might change in the schedule, but these have appeared in the press and there have been discussions of these. The Speaker certainly has a very busy schedule raising money in the next 2 weeks.

Mr. FROST

Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, this proposition before us, which we will all support because it is the lesser of the evils, and it is because we have to do something. This proposition reminds everyone of a Rube Goldberg cartoon; you may have seen those where they have contraptions and they have levers and they have something down here. Let us be very clear what we are doing here, or what the Republican majority is doing here. Certain programs will run until September 30. Certain other programs will run until March 15, and then Federal workers will come in and be able to sit in their chairs on all programs until January 26, but they will not be able to do anything if they do not happen to work for one of those programs that runs until September 30 or one of those programs that runs until March 15. This is a monstrosity created by a Republican caucus in chaos. We should defeat the previous question and substitute a rational approach that puts everybody back to work and funds all programs in a clean CR.