Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes), a gentleman who has been very much involved in issues relating to this bill.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up, I look about and think of this institution. It sometimes can be quite impersonal. I think for all of us today, this is a very personal moment, and I think all of us join in saluting Gabby and Mark. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. I want to join my colleagues in remembering Ed Jenkins-- and Mr. Rangel, who served with him for all of Ed's service, as chairman, I will yield time to him after I say just a few words on behalf of Ed Jenkins. The Ways and Means Committee is indeed a key committee, and Ed Jenkins was a key person. I was reading some of the tributes, and one of them noted what was said in the Almanac of American Politics about Ed Jenkins: ``He was a man who must be consulted on many key legislative issues.'' How true that was. Ed Jenkins showed you could be both gentle and strong. He did not seek the limelight, but he shed light on so many issues. One example is the textile industry. He comes from an area that once reined close to supremely in terms of textile. Ed never gave up. He introduced legislation. It passed, but because of a veto, it did not become law. But talking about shining light, he did expose the importance of the textile industry as part of the manufacturing base of this country, and in that sense, he was very successful. He also showed his grit when it came to the Iran-contra dispute, and he took on Oliver North in his strong though gentle way. I close my remarks with memories of Ed Jenkins when he would come right up to where I now stand, and almost invariably he would say, well, I'm just a poor country lawyer. Well, that's about the only thing that he said about himself that wasn't true. He was more than a poor country lawyer. He had been an Assistant U.S. Attorney. But he had a lot of quiet dynamism. And so, as we talk about Ed, we remember the many times he came forth to speak in his soft but often strong way. He was an important part of this institution. He served his district, he served his State, and he served the Nation with dignity, with pride, and with civility that is too short available today in this Hall. So I join all of you from Georgia who represent that State and everyone who has spoken in sending our warmest regards to Ed's family, and say to all of you, you should remember your husband and dad not only as a wonderful family member, but someone who came here, often at sacrifice, and he did so in a way that indeed served this country. I would now like to yield the balance of my time to someone who knew Ed so well who has served as chairman of our committee and who remembers Ed Jenkins with such affection, the senior member for the State of New York, Charles Rangel.

Mr. LEVIN

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

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. You know, there's a very basic fact--I've listened to the rhetoric-- if House Republicans prevailed on this bill, what would be the result? Chaos. Chaos. The House Republicans have become the ``party of chaos.'' Six months ago, they took us to the brink of default. No one in this country liked what they saw--or maybe a very few--not the American public at large, surely not the markets, surely not the markets. But apparently House Republicans did, and you're at it again. Here we are in the first full day in the House when we're in session this year debating a measure that would take us immediately back to the brink of default. House Republicans are once again relying on the votes of others to save them from themselves and to save this country from them. This is posturing, not legislating. This is rhetoric, not reelection. And we've seen this movie before. 174 House Republicans voted for the Budget Control Act that set out the structure to keep the government functioning and address our long-term debt, but many decided to turn tail. And on September 14, 228 House Republicans voted in favor of the disapproval resolution to end the President's authority to pay our bills. That is what's fiscally responsible, paying bills. Basically, they were for it before they were against it. It's a rerun of a bad movie when the American people clearly want us to move forward. And unfortunately, House Republicans have turned to Washington with the same confrontational tone they left when they nearly allowed the payroll tax and the unemployment insurance to expire. And I want to emphasize that, the same confrontation; instead of a spirit of seeking common ground, essentially confrontation. And I think the American people have said to you, enough is more than enough. House Republicans act as if they don't already have a deadline looming, one with vast implications for millions of American families. That's what we should be talking about. In 6 weeks, the payroll tax cut expires for 160 million Americans, Federal unemployment insurance begins to end for more than 3 million people searching for work, and access to health care becomes endangered for 46 million seniors and the disabled. Well, last month's jobs numbers were encouraging. The private sector created more than 200,000 jobs in December and nearly 3 million since the recovery began. But with 13 million Americans still looking for work, we need to do more. We should be doing everything possible, everything possible to ensure that our recovery doesn't falter. And you are here supporting something, if it prevailed, that would deeply impact our economy and economic growth. So here we are in the third week of January. And now we have a conference committee on these issues, charged with the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance. But that hasn't yet happened, not for a lack of wanting on our part. We've been ready and eager to begin. Businesses and families that are trying to plan and budget for the year should not have to wait until the 11th hour, once again, for certainty. For Republicans, brinkmanship has, I'm afraid, as demonstrated today, become the rule. So I urge we should reject this cynical, this rigidly ideological attempt to take us back to the brink of default. If you prevail, it wouldn't take us back to the brink; it would throw us over. The resolution, fortunately, is going nowhere. Its only impact will serve to divide and distract from addressing the real needs of the American people. So I assume--it's happened once before--a majority, and maybe a vast majority, of the House Republicans will come down here and essentially contradict what they helped to pass. That contradiction isn't even good politics, and it's terrible policy. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. It's now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. LEVIN. It's now my privilege to yield 3 minutes to the very distinguished senior member of our committee, Mr. Charles Rangel of New York. (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 3 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from the State of New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. LEVIN. You know, I was looking over the vote from the 1st of August, and it's interesting to see and hear people coming forth who voted ``aye'' on August 1 and now essentially want to repudiate that. I now yield 3 minutes to another very distinguished active member of our committee, James McDermott, Dr. McDermott, from the snowy State of Washington.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself 15 seconds. Mr. Flake, the problem is, if you prevailed, you'd create an abyss. Madam Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from Georgia, another active member of our committee, Mr. Lewis.

Mr. LEVIN. It is now my privilege to yield 3 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 3 minutes to another distinguished member of our committee, the gentleman from the great State of Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 3 minutes to a former active member of our committee, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield 5 minutes to our distinguished whip, Mr. Hoyer from the great State of Maryland.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional 3 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. Mr. Reed, Mr. Hoyer mentioned this. You know, on Ways and Means for years, once the Republicans gained the majority, we protested they weren't paying for anything. So this isn't a new issue. It isn't a new issue. I now yield 5 minutes to the ranking member of the Budget Committee and a distinguished former member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman from Maryland an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN. I now yield 3 minutes to the very active gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Mr. LEVIN. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. How many more speakers do you have, Mr. Reed?

Mr. LEVIN. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Let me reserve so I don't have to do this each time until, Mr. Reed, you finish, and then I'll close and then you'll close.

Mr. LEVIN. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield myself such time as I shall consume. It will take me just I think 30 seconds, maybe a minute. You know, in a few words what the Republicans in the House are doing, they're playing with fire. And that's reckless. They know that others will put out the fire. And we'll vote, many of us, to do that today. And if we don't succeed, the Senate will do so. This, I think, is worse than a charade because it really assumes that the agenda of this Congress should essentially be a kind of a plaything. A number of the people who came to speak for this resolution voted in August for the resolution that brings us here today, including, I think, Mr. Reed. So I think what's changed is not our responsibility, but the ability of some to kind of have it both ways, to vote ``yes'' on the resolution knowing that as it goes to the Senate, this potential damage to the economy will be saved. I yield back the balance of my time.