Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I guess you all know that we didn't have to be here today debating yet another extension of a continuing resolution and we certainly didn't have to wait until the fiscal year was almost half over to complete a package of spending bills addressing funding for 2009. And yet here we are, 157 days into the new fiscal year, passing another short-term CR while our work on 2009 bills remains unfinished. Unfinished. What a shame. Madam Speaker, what a shame. Had the Appropriations Committee been allowed by the Democrat leadership to do its work this year, we could have easily passed each of the 12 spending bills. Each of the bills would have benefited from Members offering ideas, debate. We actually do have talented Members on both sides of the aisle at the subcommittee level, not allowed to participate in the process. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, liberal or conservative, your rights as a duly elected Member of this body have been belittled by a majority leadership that believes absolute power flows from the top. Members should have had the opportunity to do what they were elected to do, shape legislation and make sure that their own voices and the voices of their people are heard. Instead, virtually every Member of the House has been shut out of the process of writing this massive $410 billion spending bill that will govern how taxpayer dollars are spent for the remainder of this year. The sad irony is that while the House passes another CR that keeps the government running, the Senate is doing what the House could only dream of doing, offering and debating amendments to the omnibus bill. It is no wonder so many Members of the House aspire to serve in the Senate. The Senate is the only place left in the U.S. Congress where legislation is still considered under a reasonably open process. The Senate has wisely observed what the House has failed to recognize: Not one of the nine bills in the omnibus spending package was ever debated or considered in the House or the Senate. Six of the nine bills in the omnibus were never debated or considered by the full House Appropriations Committee. Senators are doing the right thing by attempting to improve this legislation, which is busting at the seams with too much spending. The Senate's action last night sends an unmistakable signal that spending fatigue has finally set in. Certainly not in the House, but in the Senate spending fatigue has finally set in. Senators from both parties recognize what the House leadership failed to observe, that the spending in the omnibus is excessive and goes far beyond what our public believes is reasonable and responsible. Omnibus funding represents a $32 billion or 8 percent increase over last year for the very same agencies and programs. This represents the largest annual Federal Government spending increase since President Carter served in 1978. There is a storm brewing out there in the hinterlands, fueled by the public's disdain over the free-for-all spending of the Congress. Hundreds of billions of dollars directed to the stimulus package, Wall Street, auto makers, and the line of folks with their hands out continue to grow. Where does the spending end, Madam Speaker? It has been said completing the omnibus is merely completing last year's unfinished business. But what a wasted opportunity it is to demonstrate to the American people that this Congress and this administration ``gets it,'' and that we are ready to roll up our sleeves and address government spending going forward. Again, where does the spending end? The Members of the House have had enough of the ``my way or the highway'' legislative process that has governed the formulation of the omnibus, the stimulus package and every supplemental bill passed over the last couple of years, and I believe the majority of our Members have had it with the proliferation of spending that will come to define the 111th Congress under this majority. Madam Speaker, each of us recognizes that extending a CR one more time is an admission of our failure to complete our work on time. It will surely pass, but let's not lose sight that this is simply doing our work in the worst possible way. Again, it didn't have to be this way. In closing, Madam Speaker, let me say that I don't believe this is Chairman Obey's fault. While we may disagree over policy and funding levels, we both believe that it is time to get our appropriations process back on track. I look forward to working with the chairman this year and I am hopeful that together we can embrace an open process that allows for the full participation of the Members on both sides of the aisle. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to the Republican leader, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana, my classmate, Dan Burton.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I certainly am, Madam Speaker.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield to the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself so much time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, it's a very unusual circumstance for me to do this, but addressing my colleague, the chairman of the full committee, personally, let me say that you've heard a lot from me about the fact that I am disconcerted about the way we got here, but nonetheless, this omnibus process has been a long and difficult one in development. And you are to be congratulated for the effort you put into this not only recently, but much of last year, and I have every respect for that effort. But having said that, I was joined by all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who were in attendance at the President's address last evening. President Obama demonstrated to all of us, as well as the public, his immense capability as a public communicator. In many, many ways he said exactly the kinds of things we need to be discussing with each other if we're going to get America back on track. President Obama urged all of us to reach out in as much bipartisanship, nonpartisanship as possible to make sure that we stimulate our economy, create jobs, leading America to a new opportunity in the years ahead. Following that, I would have hoped that the work of the House would reflect that very spirit; but, indeed, I mentioned earlier the omnibus package of some $800 billion that was just passed a couple of weeks ago, a bill that went forward with very, very little Member input, virtually no subcommittee work within the Appropriations Committee, a single hearing within the full committee, coming to the floor with no significant possibility of amendment, and yet we were literally one more time throwing the people's money in suggestion that we would solve problems that way. That was just 2 weeks ago. And then we came to the President's address just last night. And here we are, the day after that, spending another $410 billion by way of this omnibus package that absolutely is a reflection of the worst of the way the House ought to be working. When we take nine bills from last year, put it in a single package, having no serious Member input, no subcommittee work, almost no Member of the House having an opportunity to provide amendments, et cetera, it is the worst reflection of the way this House ought to be working. Indeed, if we continue on this pathway, we won't just in the first couple of months of this session be spending $1\1/2\ trillion of the public's money; we will be setting the stage for undermining our economy for the years to come. I'm afraid unless the public gets the message clearly enough that they send a clear voice by way of their communication with their membership, we won't change this pattern. And, indeed, the destiny of the country will be dramatically affected by such misdirection. I urge the Members to express their view regarding this by way of voting ``no'' on the package before us. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LEWIS of California. The point that the chairman is making is a very, very important point. We do have a constitutional responsibility to spend the people's money by way of appropriations. Over the years there has been a tendency to concede all of that authority to an administration, Democrat or Republican, and people get up here and harangue about our exercising that constitutional charge that we have. The chairman is making a very important point. Years and years ago, literally every subcommittee chairman, as the chairman said earlier, pretty much dictated what went on in the whole budget. There was very little individual Member input. And the administration had an exchange over time. We ceded so much of our authority, it is very much a time for us to begin to reconsider this recent history, and I appreciate the point the chairman is making.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lee).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining on each side?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen). (Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield to the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I don't remember a time in the years that I've been in Congress that I've used a chart. I hope you can see this, but I can't see it very well. Charts are interesting things. The most interesting part of them is that the numbers change all the time. But I thought it would be very appropriate to follow on to the comments that Mr. Kingston had made. This package before us is a reflection of what has to be the worst possible year for the Congress in terms of their willingness to just throw the people's money at almost any problem around as though that is the solution. I've described this as the first--hopefully the only--trillion dollar-plus discretionary budget in the history of the Congress. Indeed, in every category of spending--the 08 year, the 09 year, adding on to it the omnibus package, the $800 billion package that just passed--we have radically increased and adjusted that which will be going on in government not just in the fiscal year ahead of us, but setting a new stage for spending that I believe could lead to destroying the dollar as we know it. If you just look at these categories. Here's in the area that has to do with energy and water. In that package, we have approximately--if I can read this thing properly--$30.9 billion in 08. In the 09 year, combined with the omnibus, that package goes up to $77.6 billion. That is a 151-percent increase in spending in this category of national funding, 08 to 09. Most outrageous is the subcommittee that is chaired by the chairman of our full committee, my colleague and friend from beautiful downtown Wisconsin. In the 08 fiscal year, the Labor, Health and Human Services bill spent $144.8 billion. That's not trillion or million. It's billion dollars. When you combine both the 09 spending year with the omnibus, the total in these categories of spending runs to $276.6 billion; a 91 percent increase over the 08 year. Think about that. A 91 percent increase in the largest discretionary package in all of our spending outside of national defense. Absolutely, it's clear to anybody who could think about it. We're raising the bar, the foundation point for spending across the board in the Federal Government; and as we do so, we put pressure on spending across the board every year subsequent to the 09 year. So year in, year out, we're going to be breaking the bank by way of additional spending. If the public is concerned about its Federal Government--especially the tax-paying public who are legitimately working for a living--if they're worried about it, they will take a look at this chart. We'll be glad to make it available. It's time that we got a handle on just throwing money or mud at the wall--taxpayers' money, if you will. This trillion-dollar package is a reflection of the Congress not doing its work. I come to the well with this chart simply to urge everybody who is listening to recognize that it's time that we send a message to the people's House: Enough is enough. We've got to get a handle on this or we're going to destroy our economy. Indeed, the Appropriations Committee has stopped doing its work by way of regular order, that is, having hearings in the subcommittee, hearings in the full committee, coming here and having open rules. Instead, we're passing trillion-dollar packages with no input from the Members of the people's House, thereby no input for the citizens out there who pay our bill in the first place. With that, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I strongly urge a ``no'' vote on this package and urge you to help us make sense out of the way the system is working. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time there is on both sides.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I'm embarrassed by this omnibus spending bill and the process that created it. Even as the President talks about the need to put our economic house in order, this House continues to spend and spend and spend and spend. Clearly, the Congress has lost its way. Not one of the nine spending bills in this omnibus was ever considered by the full committee. Six of the nine bills in this package were never considered by the full Appropriations Committee. One more time we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars with no debate, no amendments, no Member input. Yes, clearly, this Congress has lost its way. It's now standard operating procedure that only a handful of Members in leadership are actually involved in writing significant legislation. This has been true with every supplemental spending package the House has considered over the last 2 years. This was true in the development of the $789 billion stimulus package passed by the House just 2 weeks ago. And, that is true once again today. Under this rule just adopted, Members have 1 hour to debate $410 billion in spending, with no opportunity for amendments. That equates to nearly $7 billion for every minute of debate. Sadly, the vast majority of our Members will have no voice whatsoever in crafting this measure. The fiscal year 2009 omnibus bill contains funding for nine of the 12 regular appropriations bills, a total of $410 billion. The new fiscal year began on October 1 and today, nearly 5 months later, we're jamming the work that should have been done last year into one massive, last- minute, ``take-it-or-leave-it'' spending bill. The spending in this legislation represents a $32 billion, or 8 percent increase over last year for the very same agencies and programs. With the exception of the spending boost after the September 11 attacks, this represents the largest annual Federal Government spending increase since 1978. At the very time when our economy is forcing families to make do with less, Congress has embarked on the largest spending spree in our country's history. When combined with the three appropriations bills that were signed into law in September, this enacted fiscal year 2009 budget will become our country's very first trillion dollar discretionary budget. It comes as no surprise that the $410 billion omnibus spending bill contains funding for many of the same government programs that received funding in the $789 billion stimulus package. Stimulus funding for these nine spending bills totals $270 billion. When added together, the combined fiscal year 2009 funding for government programs in both bills is $680 billion--an increase of $301 billion, or an 80 percent increase over just last year. The real surprise is not the unfettered spending but the complete and utter failure of Congress to encourage any fiscal discipline whatsoever. At a time when American families are cutting unnecessary spending to weather the economic downturn, Congress should be doing the same thing. Instead, the premise of Pay-Go, or ``pay as we go'' is being replaced by the promise Go-Spend under this majority. This delirious pace of government spending goes well beyond what most people would consider reasonable, let alone responsible. An 8 percent-- or a $32 billion--increase in 1 year on top of the stimulus package is simply unnecessary and unsustainable. Balance is what we should strive for, providing enough money to allow the agencies to carry out their primary missions and to achieve real results. Our public has grown weary of Congress' simply throwing money at every problem in this country. Spending fatigue has set in. Mr. Speaker, as I commit to working constructively with David Obey this year, I encourage the majority leadership to pursue regular order that is inclusive of all Members so our work can once again reflect the bipartisan voices of this House. I reserve the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).