Sam Johnson

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have heard the argument that our military forces are fighting. Do my colleagues know what they are fighting for? They are fighting to uphold the Constitution and the oath that we took and they took. As my colleagues know, when the President stands before God, puts his hand on the Bible and takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and lawfully carry out the duties of his office, he is promising to put the people and the Nation before his own interests. I believe the President violated the laws and beliefs he swore to uphold instead of following the law, respecting American people's values and honoring his office. He chose to lie, cover up and evade the truth. His actions have made a mockery of the people who fought for this country and are fighting for this Nation today, the Constitution and the laws we live under, and because of the President's actions Congress must act as dictated by the Constitution.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Yes, sir, and the Korean one, if we want to call it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on several remarks that have been made here. But before I do, let me just say that our fighting men are fighting for our constitutional privilege to do just exactly what we are doing here today. It is the Constitution that we are following. That is why we are doing it. The remark was made that we did not remove any generals during a war. I kind of recall MacArthur was removed by a Democrat administration during Korea, which I fought in. It did not bother the war effort at all. I also remember when I was a POW in Vietnam that there were people on the Democrat side that called for our President's impeachment. That process may have started. I am not sure how that happened, but some of those people may even be here today. When our president, George Bush, attempted to get involved in Desert Storm, every single Democrat leader voted against it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield further, let me just make another point. I think the President has just said that this military action that is currently going on could be open-ended, so we do not know when it is going to end. Furthermore, most of the veterans' organizations around this country support us continuing. I have not seen a war in the past of any sort, whether it is a limited conflict or a total out war, that has stopped the Congress of the United States from doing its business. We can look back in almost any case, even the Civil War, where they were on the doorsteps of this building. I would suggest that it is important that we carry out the responsibilities of this Congress under the Constitution of the United States and get on with it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the Congress' attention the work of 17 young men who served the people of Russia from March 3-April 14, 1998, by remodeling an orphanage in Moscow to improve the living conditions. These young men paid their own way and learned the lessons sacrifice, hard work and commitment to their fellow man. You know the Bible says, ``Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'' These young men should be commended for their willingness to serve others: Daniel Falkenstine, Texas; David Franzen, Wisconsin; Peter Franzen, Wisconsin; Rob Gray, Indiana; Nathan Hoggatt Texas; David Kress, Alabama; John Munsell, Ohio; Robert Nicolato, Ohio; John Nix, Michigan; Steve Nix, Michigan; Timothy Petersen, Georgia; Todd Teepell, Louisiana; Joshua Thomas, Oregon; Neil Waters, Texas; Jared Wickam, Illinois; and Amadi Williams, California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of this Congress, 56 men who gave of themselves to help the people of Omaha, Nebraska in the wake of the snow disaster which hit this city in the late fall of 1997. These men traveled many miles at their own expense to assist the citizens in removing debris and fallen trees. These men are to be commended for their sacrifice, dedication and commitment to those in need: Jonathan Bendickson, British Columbia; Brian Biddle, Ohio; William Bradford, Arizona; Jacory Brady, Colorado; Jesse Brown, Venezuela; Trevor Cangelosi, Louisiana; Jonathan Carlisle, Missouri; Daniel Chapman, Michigan; Patrick Chapman, Michigan; Thomas Chapman, Michigan; James Connelly, California; Stephen Copu, Illinois; Jason Dandurand, Washington; Steve Dankers, Wisconsin; Brendon Dees, Missouri; Richard Dizney, Washington; Daniel Falkenstine, Texas; Stever Farrand, Colorado; Bret Fogel, Ohio; Ronald Fuhrman, Michigan; Robert Gray, Indiana; David Hansen, Oregon; Ben Hardbuck, Texas; David Hens, Nebraska; Daniel Hess, Nebraska; Nathan Hoggatt, Texas; Joshua Horvath, Texas; and Geary Howell, Mississippi. Joshua Irving, Texas; Aaron Jongsma, Ontario; Nathan Jongsma, Ontario; Caleb Kaspar, Oregon; Justin King, Michigan; Jason Kingston, Texas; Robert Matlack III, Mississippi; Jay Miller, Nebraska; Samuel Mills, Texas; Bill Moore, Texas; Benjamin Moore, Iowa; Marc Moore, Iowa; Nathanael Nazario, Puerto Rico; Robert Nicolato, Ohio; Aaron Pennington, Nebraska; Nathan Pennington, Nebraska; Jason Raymond, Mississippi; Vladimir Robles, Dominican Republic; Eric Rozeboom, Michigan; Jason Ruggles, Michigan; Jeremy Savage, Washington; Jonathan Schultz, Mississippi; Chad Sikora, Michigan; Daniel Storm, Nebraska; John Tanner, Michigan; Todd Teepell, Louisiana; Neil Waters, Texas; and Patrick Walsh, Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize 15 men who gave their time and talent from January 14-March 7, 1998, to assist the citizens of La Luz, Oaxaca, Mexico in cleaning up debris and repairing roads washed out in the wake of a hurricane that thrashed this city in the early months of 1998. The Mayor of San Pedro Tututepec, Oaxaca invited these men to promote hope, good will and charity between the United States and Mexico. They should be commended for their sacrifice and commitment to serve their fellow man in a time of great need: Samuel Dandurand, Washington; Daniel Davis, California; Paul Elliott, Wyoming; Caleb Kaspar, Oregon; Matthew Lindquist, Michigan; Jason Luksa, Texas; Ben Mirecki, Ontario; Keon Pendergast, California; Matthew Pierce, Mississippi; Isaac Reichardt, Michigan; Greg Rozeboom, Michigan; David Thomas, Texas; Patrick Walsh, Florida; Daniel Weed, New York; and Jesse Young, Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend 147 men who spend nearly a month in the city of Birmingham, Alabama last spring to help clear debris and remove trees uprooted by a tornado. Working under the direction of the Rock Creek County Emergency Management Agency, these men gave their time and talent, from April 10-May 13, 1998, to help those in need. I believe that at a time when so many in our society put themselves first, these men sacrificed for others and in the process learned valuable lessons about hard work and dedication: Jeffrey Achenbach, Tennessee; Samuel Alexander, California; Joseph Amis, Indiana; Chad Anderson, California; Aaron Berg, Ontario; Nathan Beskow, Oregon; Daniel Boyd, Texas; Caleb Boyette, Florida; Jacob Braddy, Arizona; Jacory Brady, Colorado; Ryan Breese, Illinois; Daniel Buhler, California; Jason Butler, Alabama; Rodian Cabeza, New York; Daniel Chiew, Singapore; Aaron Childress, Arkansas; Frederick Cohrs, Washington; Abram Daher, Washington; Jason Dandurand, Washington; Samuel Dandurand, Washington; Daniel Davies, Indiana; Jeremy Davis, New Jersey; Brendon Dees, Missouri; Jonathan De Haan, Kentucky; Brady Dougan, Arkansas; Benjamin Downey, Colorado; Nathan Downey, Colorado; Randolph Doyer, Texas; Reuben Dozeman, Michigan; Olof Ekstrom, Oregon; Jonathan Elam, Indiana; Paul Elliott, Wyoming; Paul Ellis, Mississippi; and Micah Emmons, Montana. Andrew Farley, California; Gilbert Fernandez, California; David Fishback, Ontario; Scott Forrester, Tennessee; James Frasure, Ohio; Jeremy Fugleberg, North Dakota; Ronald Fuhrman, Michigan; Jhareme Fuller, Michigan; Joel George, Colorado; Elvio Gross, New York; Michael Hadden, Georgia; James Harry, Michigan; Matthew Harry, Michigan; Zechariah Hamilton, Florida; Adam Hawkins, Arizona; Scott Hayes, New York; David Hens, Ohio; William Hicks, California; Mario Huber, Pennsylvania; Jordan Jaeger, Iowa; Jeremy Jansen, Kansas; Andres Johansson, Washington; Joshua Johnson, Washington; Michael Jones, Texas; Aaron Jongsma, Ontario; Nathan Jordan, Louisiana; Kevin Kelleher, Alabama; Clayton Kelleher, Alabama; Michael Kelleher, Alabama; Lindsay Kimbrough, Illinois; Jason Kingston, Texas; Joshua Knaak, Alberta; Richard Knight, Michigan; James Kimball, North Carolina; Luke Kujacznski, Michigan; Jeremy Kuvik, New York; Joshua Lachmann, Indiana; Aaron Larid, Texas; Daniel Lamb, California; Dustin Ledden, New York; Jesse Long, Washington; Lucas Long, Washington; and Brandon Loverde, New York. James Lovett, Washington; Jason Luksa, Texas; Joshua McDonald, Florida; James Marsh, North Carolina; Paul Matthewson, Washington; Kirk McCutcheon, California; Charles Mead, Arizona; Christopher Millard, New York; Timothy Mirecki, Ontario; Jason Monnin, Florida; Timothy Moye, Georgia; Nathan Nazario, Washington; Barry Newsom, Alabama; Jonathan Newsom, Alabama; Patrick O'Brien, California; Jonah Offtermatt, Texas; Jeffrey Ogren, Alabama; Jason Orcutt, Alabama; Stephen Parrish, Tennessee; Sean Pelletier, Virginia; James Penner, Ohio; Jason Raymond, Mississippi; Daniel Reynolds, Minnesota; Elisha Robinson, Pennsylvania; Joshua Robinson, Arizona; Vladimir Robles, Dominican Republic; Eric Rozeboom, Michigan; Benjamin Rupport, Oregon; Jonathan Russell, California; Joshua Rutledge, California; Jeremy Sandlin, Alabama; Sean Sangree, Pennsylvania; Daniel Schroeder, Arkansas; Jonathan Schultz, Mississippi; Jonathan Scott, California; Matthew Sellers, Phillipines; Brock Shinkle, Kansas; Keith Showalter, Ohio; Paul Southall, Ohio; Scott Stephens, Texas; Kevin Stickler, North Carolina; Benjamin Stixrud, Washington; and Jesse Scroggins, Alabama. Will Scroggins, Alabama; Christopher Sullivan, Minnesota; Joshua Svenhard, California; Nathanael Swanson, New Brunswick; Justin Swartz, California; John Tanner, Michigan; Ryan Thomas, Alabama; John Thornton, Tennessee; William Tucker, Alabama; David Tucker, Alabama; Jefferson Turner, Georgia; Andrew Van Essen, Ontario; James Volling, Ontario; Jeffrey Wall, California; Daniel Weathers, Washington; Jonathan Wharton, Texas; Shane White, Kentucky; Nathan Williams, Kentucky; David Wilson, Alabama; Samuel Wilson, Alabama; Thomas Wood, Washington; John Worden, California; John Yarger, Colorado; Jesse Young, Arkansas; Joshua Young, California; and Tesley Zehner, Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I want to pay recognition to 39 young men who traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to clear fallen trees and debris in the wake of a tornado which hit the city in May, 1998. These men gave their time and talent, from May 14-22, 1998, to provide relief for families and the community. One area hit hard by the tornado included President Andrew Jackson's historical Heritage home. These men made the sacrifice to serve others: Jeff Achenbach, Tennessee; Chad Anderson, California; Jacob Braddy, Arizona; Jacory Brady, Colorado; Daniel Buhler, California; Rodian Cabeza, New York; Aaron Childress, Arkansas; Abram Daher, California; Daniel Davies, Indiana; Jonathan De Haan, Kentucky; Randolph Doyer, Texas; Andrew Farley, California; Joseph Farley, California; Gilbert Fernandez, California; Elvio Gross, New York; Zehariah Hamilton, Florida; Adam Hawkins, Arizona; Joshua Johnson, Washington; Michael Jones, Texas; Nathan Jordan, Louisiana; Lindsay Kimbrough, Illinois; Joshua Knaak, Alberta; Jeremy Kuvik, New York; Aaron Laird, Texas; James Marsh, North Carolina; Paul Mathewson, Washington; Charles Mead, Arizona; Jason Monnin, Florida; Jonah Offtermatt, Texas; Vladimir Robles, Dominican Republic; Eric Rozeboom, Michigan; Daniel Schroeder, Mississippi; Brock Shinkle, Kansas; Paul Southall, California; John Tanner, Michigan; John Thornton, Tennessee; Andrew Van Essen, Swaziland; John Yarger, Colorado; and Tesley Zehner, Wyoming.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, do you remember the quote? The President said, I am not against tax cuts, but I am against using the surplus for tax cuts or spending programs until we save Social Security. That is the President's quote. Well, the President cannot have it both ways. How do my colleagues think he plans to pay for the $25 billion in new spending that he is demanding from us? He is holding this Congress hostage for $25 billion of our hard-earned dollars. Right out of the surplus and Social Security, of course. This is the same surplus he claims he wants to protect and save for Social Security. Do not be fooled, America. The President is misleading us. He is spending the surplus. He is not saving every penny for Social Security. He is using it to grow the government instead of growing our family's bank account where the surplus ought to be.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Americans are tired of being overtaxed just for being married, for staying healthy, for saving, for starting their own business or for producing food at our tables. I agree, the government has no right to take so much from hard-working people. That is why this bill is so important. It returns $80 billion to the rightful owners, the American people. This bill gives 48 million taxpayers relief from the marriage penalty. Millions of families will not be taxed on their savings. Farmers and the self-employed will be able to deduct 100 percent of their health insurance costs. Seniors can continue to lead productive lives without being penalized and, guess what, several tax forms are going to be eliminated. The Democrats are wrong in this instance. They say these very people that do not deserve any of the surplus that you, the American people, created. Democrats say government should keep it and spend it to create new government programs. It is time to reward the American taxpayers. The truth must be told and scare tactics need to end. Social Security will be protected. Americans want, need and deserve tax relief. After all, it is their own money. Let us give some of it back to them.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I would like to respectfully point out that the gentleman from Massachusetts who just spoke ahead of me voted on the floor of the House to spend part of the surplus on agricultural disaster. If it is okay to spend the surplus that way, why is the gentleman proposing to punish farmers and ranchers by denying them tax relief now? I want everyone to listen to the Democrats' rhetoric. They are forgetting one simple fact, that for 40 years the Democrats never set aside one penny to protect social security. Instead, they spent taxpayer and social security dollars on government programs. They are talking about 40 days from election, and suddenly they are concerned about saving social security. In this bill today we are protecting social security, and the Democrats are going to have a chance to put their money where their mouths are. In 1960, the Democrats said that we could not win the Cold War. We did. In 1996, the Democrats said we could not reform welfare. We did. In 1997, the Democrats said we could not give tax relief and balance the budget, and we did. They also said we could not and should not reform the IRS. Well, we did that, too. Now the Democrats say we cannot provide tax relief to families, farmers, small business, seniors, and protect social security. Once again, they are wrong. We will. This bill does set aside 90 percent of the $1.6 trillion surplus for social security. That is a lot of money. In return, we want to give the families, farmers, small businesses, seniors a break from high taxes. They deserve a break. Taxes are just too high. Let me say it one more time. I think people deserve a strong social security system and tax relief. What they do not need is for the surplus to stay here in Washington, D.C., where Democrats and the President will steal it to create a bigger government. The choice is simple, taxpayers over bureaucrats. How can anybody argue with that?

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think some of us have forgotten that Social Security under our plan is paid for totally. Within the next 10 years, all our debt can be retired. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow this body is going to debate a tax relief bill that will ease the penalty married couples must pay under the current Tax Code. Right now in America, married couples pay more in taxes than two single people living together. That is just plain wrong. Why should we penalize the cornerstone of our society, the American family? We ought to encourage marriage, not penalize it. We also set aside $1.4 trillion to protect Social Security. That is 90 percent of the surplus. President Clinton calls this, and I quote, ``a gimmick to please people.'' I urge my colleagues, do not believe him. The President has already proposed spending billions from the surplus on bigger government. He is the one with the gimmick. We can protect Social Security and provide relief for our families. Let us just do it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, right now, senior citizens are losing their Social Security benefits because they just want to work and earn a living. Right now, seniors can earn only up to $14,500 before they lose some of their benefits. This is an earnings limit that discriminates against senior citizens. Is it not outrageous to penalize seniors for working? The Taxpayer Relief Act would raise the limits and give essential tax relief to working seniors. It also sets aside $1.4 trillion, which our colleagues fail to understand, to protect Social Security. That is 90 percent of the total surplus. President Clinton does not want to help working citizens. He calls our plan ``a gimmick to please people.'' I urge my colleagues, do not believe him. The President has proposed to spend billions from the surplus on bigger government. He is the one with the gimmicks. We can protect Social Security and give tax relief. Let us just do it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on rollcall No. 458. I ask that the Record reflect, that had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think a lot of people forget who is paying the taxes. It is the American citizens. For too long, the Federal Government has increased taxes on our families, our seniors, our farmers and our businesses. The Taxpayer Relief Act returns $80 billion to its rightful owners, the American people, and sets aside $1.4 trillion to protect Social Security. That is 90 percent of the total surplus. President Clinton calls this, ``a gimmick to please people.'' Mr. Speaker, I urge Americans, do not believe him. The President has already proposed spending billions from the surplus on bigger government. He is the one with the gimmicks. President Clinton keeps forgetting the surplus belongs to the taxpayers of America. We can protect Social Security and give tax relief. Let us do it.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Chairman, whether we are talking about education savings accounts, opportunity scholarships, or block grants, what this is all about is who should benefit more, bureaucrats or children. Unfortunately, there are those who would prefer to see a bureaucrat get a paycheck rather than see a child get an education. This act provides more money and greater flexibility to the States so that local officials can decide how to spend these funds on their schoolchildren. Opponents say States cannot be trusted with such a responsibility. Apparently they have forgotten that the Founders of this Nation placed the responsibility of education with the States, not the Federal Government. The Founding Fathers trusted their States, and I trust the Founding Fathers. Opponents also say this bill cuts the amount of money that will go to public schools. That is simply untrue. Millions of dollars extra, additional dollars, go to public school classrooms. The reality is that this bill reduces bureaucratic meddling, increases flexibility, increases funding, and ensures that more resources are spent on our children.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is not about Vietnam. It is about honoring and respecting the over 58,000 American soldiers who gave their lives battling communism so we could remain free. It is about our soldiers who still remain missing in action. It is about keeping the hope alive for the families who still wake up every morning asking the same question: What happened to my child, my husband, my brother, my father? I have seen how this Communist government conducts business. I have personally experienced their threats, their lies, and their so-called promises. My distrust lies with the Vietnamese Government. To those Members of Congress and to the administration who believe that opening up the Vietnam markets will bring closure to this chapter in history, they are wrong. I listened to their propaganda that America had betrayed us, left us to die. I knew they were wrong. As a member of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs, we have been negotiating for the last 5 years to get a full accounting of our missing. I can tell my colleagues that the Government of Vietnam continually refuses to cooperate. My only request is let us stop the suffering of the parents, the children, the relatives, those who do not know the fate of their brave loved ones. Let us stand up to the Vietnam Government today and say: Give us information on our missing who died. America demands to know what happened to our servicemen and women, the soldiers who died for this Nation to keep it free.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleagues harangue here about some of the things that are going on. They were in the legislature and voted on that in Texas, and so did I. I was there at the time. I hear people bad-mouth Ann Richards, our Governor at the time. She was of the other party, but I want to tell the Members, I thought Ann Richards handled the waste company issue well, and she and George Bush support this compact. To say that it is not the right thing to do is crazy. I do not know where these Members are coming from. If they voted for it, they ought to be for it. It is a State matter, not a Federal matter. For the gentleman to sit there and say that we have to determine our own destiny, and then turn around and say it is up to the Federal Government to put our destiny at risk, it is not, it is up to the States. The States made a compact. Three States made a compact, Vermont, Maine and Texas. To not approve that compact, which is in a conference report now, and it has been passed through both Houses, it is time for Congress to pass this compact so that those three States can get on down the road, and so that, in spite of what my colleagues are saying, Texas, Maine, and Vermont can store their low-level radioactive material. Because if we do not do it, Texas can be forced to take waste from other States in the Union, I am told. I think that is correct. Also, to sit there and talk about Mexico, when they are one of the worst violators of the environment I have ever seen, that they are going to oppose us putting clean, well-packaged waste into the ground, is crazy. And then for somebody to bring up the idea that we are attacking a low-wage earning community is also ridiculous. I cannot believe it. That area was picked because of the soil, because of the ground around it, because it is a safe storage place. The way we package these low-level radioactive items today, it is not dangerous. Members ought to go out to Nevada where they tested nuclear weapons. That is real hazard. I happened to be out there when they were testing them, and flew through some of those things as part of a test. I am not dead. I think that anything that Members try to say about this compact as far as earthquakes, floods, water contamination, et cetera, is just crazy. It is time we voted for this report, the way it should be. It is up to the Congress to confirm what the States have asked. I urge consideration and passage.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to follow up on that. Our VA hospitals are important. In spite of a few of them maybe being bad, I believe that they are doing better, doing a better job and being more responsible. I can cite the Dallas VA as an example of that. So I do not think that we need to wait to increase funding for our veterans. Our veterans are probably our most important product here in this country, and it is time we supported them fully. I think it is important that not only all the veterans organizations support this amendment but our Conservative Action Team also on this side supports it. I think $304 million that we have been discussing back and forth here is kind of one of those nebulous things that nobody has really put their finger on to say it is really needed. If it was not there last year, why do we need it this year, and they can waive the rules so that it can operate under mandatory funding. Apparently that is what our Senate did. I would encourage us to help our veterans. It is an aging population, as has been stated before. Our age is going to peak in the year 2000. We need to have more money in that system. The Committee on Veterans' Affairs recommended about $452 million above the House level. This $300 million will start to make our veterans well. I encourage all Members to vote for the Coburn amendment.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last year Republicans passed the first tax relief bill in 16 years. Did Members know that even after that, the tax burden on American workers is still nearly 40 percent? Americans ought to be enraged over that, and I am. Just yesterday we find out, after a fourth revision, that we now have a surplus of $580 billion over 5 years. It is only right we return some of that money back to hardworking Americans. After all, it came right out of their back pocket. Mr. Speaker, the President and some of the Senate are balking at returning this money to its rightful owners, American citizens. As part of our balanced budget and protection of Social Security, the House voted to give $100 billion in tax relief, which equals only one penny on the dollar. Americans want, need, and deserve tax relief, and I think surely we can find one penny on the dollar to give back to hardworking citizens in this country.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to join in this colloquy with the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government, as well as my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). The 13 that died from heroin that the gentleman discussed came from Plano, which is the area that I represent, and the drug seizure at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport which was $11.7 million in heroin, amounts to only 2 percent of what goes through there in their estimation. They do not have the resources to address the problem, and that is why we are requesting the gentleman's help in securing the necessary funds to designate north Texas as a high-intensity drug area. Providing funds will give local law enforcement the necessary resources to fight the war on drugs. The gentleman knows what our position in Texas is relevant to the country of Mexico, and therefore, I think that the gentleman understands that our Dallas-north Texas area has become a funnel for that process, and Barry McCaffrey, as he indicated, does agree and informs us that he supports our efforts. The Senate has already earmarked $5 million for the creation of HIDTA in northeast Texas, and we hope that the gentleman will continue to work with us and support the Senate language in conference. I know that the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) and I have had a discussion previously, and the gentleman indicated that perhaps the dollars were not there, but in conference, perhaps the gentleman and the Senate can find them. Parents and children of north Texas need this help, and we are really fighting a war there, and we need the essential weapon of the HIDTA in the Dallas area. I know for the people of our area that the gentleman will help us. We just cannot afford to lose one more child to the ravages of drugs. I thank the gentleman for allowing us to discuss it with the gentleman this evening.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last year the President signed with great fanfare the Taxpayer Relief Act, which allowed parents to invest up to $500 of their own money in education savings accounts to help send their kids to the college of their choice. Now we are asking the President to give these same parents the ability to use that same money for elementary and high school expenses as well. And this bill gives parents, grandparents and friends the ability to invest up to $2,000 to send their children to the best schools available, from kindergarten through college. I do not know about the President, but we should want every child to succeed. We ought to give him that chance. It is the American way. With this additional flexibility, parents can send their children to the safest, most academically challenging schools in America. But the President says he is going to veto this pro-family, pro-education bill because he cares more about the teachers' unions than the children stuck in bad schools. This bill has strong bipartisan support and it is time for our President to give every child in America the same chance to succeed that his daughter was given. We must pass this conference report.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, according to this administration, the President's trip to China next week marks a new high in U.S.-China relations. I am not sure that is true. The national security of this Nation is at serious risk today due to actions taken by this President and his administration regarding missile technology transfers. It is not a reason for celebration. It is not a high point. The transfer of U.S. missile technology to China, with the direct approval of the Clinton administration, raises some rather significant questions: One, why the authority over the waiver program was shifted from State to Commerce; two, why an American company was granted a second launch waiver when it was already being investigated by the Justice Department; three, why the Clinton administration tried to shield China from sanctions; and finally, what military benefit did China gain as a result of that technology transfer? Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to set up a committee that will search for the honest answers, and I think the honest answers are going to be forthcoming. We have a minority leader and our own majority chairman that are going to get the answers, for our national security is not a partisan issue. I urge my colleagues to demand the truth and support this resolution today.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have had hearings, and 2\1/ 2\ years ought to be long enough for the people of the United States to speak and determine what tax they want. The current Tax Code is complex, confusing, corrupt, costly, coercive, and a lot of other Cs that I cannot think of. But so far there is a lot of talk and no action. When it comes to tax reform, a sunset date will force us to take action and relieve the American taxpayer. We ought to also repeal the 16th Amendment of the Constitution, and I have introduced a bill to do such a thing, the Tax Freedom Act. It outlaws Congress' ability to collect taxes on income except in time of war. Both these bills accomplish one common goal. No matter whether you support a flat tax, consumption tax, value-added tax, national sales tax, blue, black, brown, whatever, the common goal is replacing the current complicated Tax Code. Fundamental and comprehensive tax reform will be one of the most profound changes this Nation experiences this century. The Tax Code Termination Act brings us one step closer to achieving that change and restoring freedom to the American taxpayer. Americans want, need, and deserve to get rid of IRS oppression. We have been talking about tax reform for years. Mr. Speaker, it is time to quit talking and start action, and this bill does just that.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, if my colleagues believe their constituents are overtaxed, then they ought to vote for this budget. This budget is the only one that we will debate that puts taxpayers first and stops wasting their money in Washington. Each year the average American works until May of each year just to pay their taxes. If we add State, local and Federal taxes together, and the average family of four pays almost 40 percent of their income in taxes, that is more than we pay for food, clothing and housing combined. The American people deserve to have that corrected, and this budget does that. This conservative action team budget will return to the American people more than $150 billion in their tax money providing across-the- board tax relief, eliminating the marriage penalty, eliminating the estate or death tax and restoring a 12-month holding period on capital gains. The American people need real reform from the crushing burden of taxes, and this budget provides it. Now we have been talking about defense. This is the only budget that increases our Nation's defense spending by $56 billion in order to just keep up with inflation. No other budget does it. Recent events in India and Pakistan remind us what history has taught us. Americans cannot ensure economic security for our families unless we have real security in our defense of the Nation. In order to provide security we have got to invest in our Nation's defense. A strong defense is the only way America can remain the No. 1 leader in the world, and this budget is the only one that just barely maintains the defense at just inflation level. It is our duty, in fact it is our primary function, I believe, in this Congress to ensure the security of these United States. Let us do it. It is imperative to our survival. This budget plan returns the most money to hard-working American families, helps preserve the Social Security and shores up our national defense. As my colleagues know, Americans want, need and deserve tax relief. This is an all American budget and deserves my colleagues' votes.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, you know, it is funny that we pass welfare reform and then turn around the next year and destroy it. It is also kind of funny that we have a provision in here that does not address just crop insurance and agricultural research, which is what we should be addressing. Instead, we add to it a bunch of unfunded mandates, which has been admitted by the Committee on Agriculture chairman, and those same unfunded mandates that are coming out of our hide are going to be asked of the Committee on Ways and Means again, we just learned today, to take another $16 billion out of this very same program. Somewhere, the well runs dry. We have to pay the piper. It is time to stand on the laws that we passed. It is time to stand with our welfare reform and not suck the States into more spending.

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas

Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I include the ``Remarks of Dr. Leonard Zwelling from May 14, 1998'' for the Congressional Record. Remarks of Dr. Leonard Zwelling, Associate Vice President for Research Administration, the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center From May 14, 1998 Congressman Johnson, Congressman Doggett and staff, I thank you for the opportunity to speak today about the importance of the Medical Innovation Tax Credit legislation (H.R. 3815 and S. 1885). I am Dr. Leonard Zwelling, Associate Vice President for Research Administration at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. If you will excuse this transplanted New Yorker, I would like to tell you a Texas story about medical innovation. This is a story of persistence that illustrates the importance of medical innovation and the potential impact of this tax credit on the critical partnership between industry and academic medical centers like M.D. Anderson. This is a story about a woman who wanted to be a physician-investigator since she was three. She would accompany her father, who was a physician-investigator, to his laboratory and look into his microscope. She succeeded in her goal. She went to medical school and at graduation won all of the awards for research. She followed her husband to the National Institutes of Health where she began to investigate how white cells functioned, eventually becoming interested in how they killed cancer cells. She was attending the American Association for Cancer Research meeting here in Washington in 1981 when she heard Dr. Josh Fidler describe a mouse model of cancer and how he was able to eradicate the cancer in the mice with a novel agent he had developed. She looked at the model and immediately saw that it resembled a form of bone cancer that occurs in children called osteosarcoma. As she was a Pediatrician, she saw the possibility that this new therapy could benefit these children if it could be demonstrated to be effective in people. She began to work with Dr. Fidler, moving from the NIH in Bethesda to the new government facility in Frederick. Despite having had a new baby and despite the longer commute, the work was gratifying. She was able to reproduce Dr. Fidler's mouse findings using human cells. Then, a problem arose. When it was time to do the human testing, the leadership of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda would not let this experienced physician, a board-certified Pediatrician, do the trials because she was not a trained cancer doctor. Then fate smiled on the woman. Dr. Fidler was asked to lead a new department of Cell Biology at M.D. Anderson in Houston. He asked her to join his department and start the trials in Texas with help from a pharmaceutical sponsor. This time her husband followed her. With a tremendous amount of effort, but strong encouragement from the faculty and staff at M.D. Anderson, this research physician began to test the new drug in Texas in patients with osteosarcoma who had not responded to chemotherapy. It worked! The drug activated normal white cells to kill tumor cells. Today, the final stages of testing have been completed in a nation-wide trial. The effectiveness of the drug will be known shortly. However, the drug was always in short supply. The company who made it barely gave the doctor enough to treat these patients. This was because osteosarcoma is a relatively rare form of cancer. Only 2000 new diagnoses were made each year in the United States. This is small when compared with the tens of thousands of patients with breast or lung cancer. A tax credit, such as that proposed by Congressman Johnson, might have provided the incentive to continue the work in this rarer malignancy and stimulated new investigations in patients with other forms of cancer. Pediatric cancers are, thank goodness, rare. But that makes them an unattractive target for large-scale drug development. A tax credit such as this one, might be the very incentive needed to produce more investment in the treatment and eventual cure of patients with uncommon diseases. This would undoubtedly lead to treatments for the more common cancers as well. This is a story I know well, for the woman I describe is Dr. Eugenie Kleinerman of M.D. Anderson who happens to be my wife. We are both very grateful for the wonderful opportunity of working these fourteen years at M.D. Anderson in the great state of Texas. But it shouldn't take 14 years to develop a new treatment for cancer. Perhaps, if this bill is passed, more people can be helped and helped faster by doctors like Dr. Kleinerman with the help of corporate sponsors. Thank you Congressmen, and I will be happy to answer any of your questions.