Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I have only one speaker, but I am very happy to yield all the time he might consume to Hal Rogers, the chairman-elect of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEWIS of California. I, too, will be brief. Madam Speaker, Christmas is almost here, and we are no closer to having a budget for this fiscal year--that began in October--we are no closer than we were last Christmas regarding that work. As Mr. Obey would say, I have minimum high regard for the process that has led us to this moment. The House managed to pass just two appropriations bills this year. I understand the Senate passed none, I heard earlier. The remaining 10 bills never even received full committee consideration. The House has dithered away the year on insignificant suspension bills. We have named hundreds of post offices and praised every sports team in America. But the House has failed in completing its essential work, the work we were elected to do, that is, passing a budget for the new fiscal year. This isn't exactly how any of us envisioned we would be wrapping up our legislative business this year; but with the hour growing late, it appears that we are limping into the new year with another short-term CR. And that is the best that we can do under these circumstances. I do want to commend our colleagues in the Senate for making the right decision and resisting the temptation to vote for a legislative Christmas tree, widely known as the 12-bill omnibus. This holiday turkey which had grown to nearly 2,000 pages, with a price tag of $1.1 trillion, simply collapsed under its own weight. The last thing the American people wanted for Christmas was yet another trillion dollars of government spending. So today we are passing a CR that allows the essential operations of government to continue into the new year when the real work of writing fiscally prudent spending bills can begin. That work will be guided by our new committee chairman, the gentleman from Kentucky, Hal Rogers, who will be my only speaker this evening, besides myself, and Hal's full committee ranking member, the gentleman from Washington, Norman Dicks. I want to wish them both well as they take on their new responsibilities. While David Obey and I have not agreed on very much this year, let me also pause for a second to express my appreciation to David and wish him and his wife, Joan, good health and happiness as they pursue new opportunities outside of the Congress. And in the most direct and sincere way, let me say that David Obey is passionate about the things that he's passionate about. I don't agree with him on many policy issues, but I do want you to know this, David, the country and both of our great parties need an awful lot more people with the kind of passion display. And if we had that we'd get our work done in an entirely different fashion. Before closing, let me make two other brief comments. As frustrating as this year has been for me, I know it's been an even more frustrating year for the highly professional House Appropriations Committee. Our committee is blessed with hardworking, dedicated people who receive very little credit for the fine work they do. They are asked to sacrifice time away from family and friends, and do so willingly, working day and night and weekends and even holidays. For that, and for so much more, I want to express my personal thanks to both the majority and the minority staff of our committee. They are deserving of the appreciation of the entire House. And I wish the entire House was here to express that to them by way of their applause. But let me also take just a moment to thank my own staff director sitting beside me, Jeff Shockey, who will be leaving the committee to pursue other opportunities after assisting Chairman Rogers and his staff with transition. Jeff is well known and highly respected by every member of the Appropriations Committee, our leadership, and the Members of the House. The committee's loss is indeed a loss for the entire House. Jeff is one of the finest individuals with whom I've worked for over 15 years, and I ask the House to join me in wishing him well. Many don't realize that some 15 years ago Jeff actually began with us as an intern and has worked his way pretty close to the top, and he hasn't broken too many bones on the way. Madam Speaker, let me close by wishing our colleagues and staff on both sides of the aisle a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I had indicated I had no additional speakers, but with this display of love and affection this evening, my colleague, Tom Cole from Oklahoma, just had to come down for a couple of minutes. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I am more than happy to express my deep appreciation for the service of David Obey. I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I would like to join today with my friend and colleague Congressman Buck McKeon in a memoriam to Anna Sugi, a community leader and pioneering advocate for women's health issues in her hometown of Apple Valley, California. Ms. Sugi passed away Dec. 16, but will be long-remembered by her friends and supporters. A native of Brindisi, Italy, Anna Sugi came to Apple Valley in 1982, when her husband Ron Sugi was stationed at the former George Air Force Base in California's High Desert region. After an education in health care, Anna Sugi took a job as an office clerk in a local medical office. Over 20 years, she worked her way up to become the chief administrative officer of Choice Medical Group, a High Desert medical provider that has specialized in women's health. Under her leadership, the group established a Health and Wellness Center in 2008, focusing on helping women through the process of aging. Working to expand health outreach efforts to the all members of the community, Anna Sugi in 2000 founded the Today's Woman Expo. The first events drew a few hundred people for information on preventive health care and providing tools to help women improve their lives and physical well-being. The event has grown tremendously, serving more than 2,000 women annually in the past few years. They are provided free breast exams, career counseling and an expanding range of services. Today's Woman is now a non-profit foundation that provides health screenings throughout the year and raises funds for scholarships and grants to High Desert women. Beyond her pioneering work with the Expo, Anna Sugi has served on the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee and is a 13-year member of Rotary International Victorville Chapter. She has worked with High Desert Resources Network on programs to fight childhood obesity. She was honored in 2009 by the Victorville Daily Press as one of the area's Most Inspiring Women. Even as she became a leader in bringing women's health care to the entire community, Anna Sugi waged her own quiet battle against breast cancer. Yet she continued working hard on expanding women's health services until dying peacefully at age 50. In addition to her legacy of service, Ms. Sugi leaves a personal legacy in her children, Mark and Michelle, who will both graduate from UCLA Medical School in June and plan to continue her work in community health. Madam Speaker, Anna Sugi was respected and loved throughout the High Desert region. A group of physicians have already raised $35,000 for the Anna Sugi Endowment Fund to provide scholarships for needy students. I ask my colleagues to join Congressman McKeon and me in offering condolences to her family, and in praising the life and legacy of this community leader.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I do not intend to use any of my time to speak, except to express my appreciation for the sentiments of the gentleman from Washington about our mailing our votes across the country. In the meantime, I do not intend to call for a vote on the CR. We are going to have to vote on a couple of suspensions, I gather. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, it's rare, indeed, that I have the opportunity to watch my chairman speaking from the well, and it almost diverted me a bit. The minor adjustments in this package that cause him to be so unhappy only amount to some, like, $33 billion. Actually, if both of us dislike it so much, Mr. Obey, and if we both voted ``no,'' maybe we could bring the turkey down and start all over again. But in the meantime, let's not dwell too long, Mr. Speaker. We are now 9 weeks past the beginning of the new fiscal year, and Congress has yet to enact a single appropriations bill. Out of 12 total for 2011, two have passed the House while 10 bills have never even been considered by the full committee. As a result of this historic breakdown of regular order, the House will soon be considering what many people are describing as a full year continuing resolution, to keep the government operating through the end of the current fiscal year. Truth be told, it's more of a CR rolled into an omnibus spending bill because of the adjusted spending levels, the $33 billion that I was talking about, and the many extraneous policy provisions that are being added to the package as well. It's worth noting that none of these spending adjustments or changes in policy were ever debated or considered by the Appropriations Committee or the House this year. Like so many other items added to bills in the Democrats' era of closed rules, new program funding levels and legislative riders just somehow magically appear in bill after bill, and particularly in this bill. For the record, I remain adamantly opposed to extending this CR for the balance of the fiscal year at Democrats' current levels, which are too high, or at the inflated levels proposed in this package. Rather than simply keeping the government running, this bill picks winners and losers among agencies and programs across the government by moving some, I suggested, $30-plus billion for all kinds of programs. None of it, by the way, for defense. Not surprisingly, Labor and Health and Human Service programs are among the biggest winners in this package, receiving an almost $7 billion net increase over fiscal year 2010. The State-Foreign Operations bill also receives a $2 billion increase over the current year's levels. By comparison, this CR omnibus provides $513 billion in base defense spending, which is over $18 billion below the department's request. It is also over $11 billion below the level the Defense Subcommittee reported out back in July. While I freely admit that all spending, including defense, must be on the table as we look to rein in this historic set of deficits, we must proceed smartly and wisely, especially when our troops are engaged in the battlefield. Ultimately, this approach is neither. It shortchanges our troops at a time when we should be supporting them. At a time when we should be supporting our troops, this bill uses defense funding as a piggy bank for the majority's domestic priorities. Additionally, this legislation triples the time for which the Department of Interior has to approve exploration plans for offshore operators, extending the timeline from some 30 days to 90 days and essentially codifying the de facto moratorium offshore operators have been operating under for months. This significant policy change, done without debate or a single committee or House vote, has far-reaching implications relating to both existing and future oil and gas leases. Simply put, this is a Christmas tree bill that provides more spending for the majority's many domestic priorities before their time in the majority comes to an end in early January. I am encouraging our colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are concerned about excessive spending to oppose any effort to extend the CR beyond February. That would allow the new Republican majority to complete the unfinished FY 2011 appropriations bills at the FY 2008 levels and save taxpayers some $100 billion. This would be the clearest signal the House could send to the American people that we got the message in November and are deadly serious about cutting spending. Even as the House prepares to consider the CR/omnibus, the House and Senate majority are finalizing the details of a 12 bill, $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. The Senate faces a 60-vote hurdle to pass that omnibus bill; but if they succeed, it will fall on the House Democrats to pass it, and they will have to do it without a single Republican vote, I can assure you. Mr. Speaker, none of us believe we should shut down the government, but I cannot and will not support the CR/omnibus because it simply spends too much and contains unnecessary and extraneous legislative riders. If we pass a CR, we should pass a clean CR funded at the FY 2008 levels and demonstrate our commitment to cutting spending. Mr. Speaker, just perchance the Senate is not able to get those 60 votes, this could be the last time that my chairman, Mr. Obey, and I are on the floor together, and as we do that, I wanted to recognize especially my staff director, Jeff Shockey, for the fabulous job he has done working for us over these years. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, if the House did what I suggested, that is to do a CR to the end of February, I would be introducing the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) as the new Appropriations chairman of the House. In the meantime, I am privileged to yield the gentleman 4 minutes.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I have three or four more speakers.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 3 minutes to my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wolf).

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining?

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a member of the committee.

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

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I would like to join today with my friend and colleague Congressman Buck McKeon in paying tribute to Mary Scarpa, the former mayor of Adelanto, California, who helped that small desert city grow and prosper over two decades of public service. Mary Scarpa arrived in California's Mojave Desert in 1968 with her husband John, joining their lifelong friends from the U.S. Air Force, Patricia and Herbert Chamberlaine. They moved to Adelanto, a then tiny city in the shadow of George Air Force Base, where Herbert Chamberlaine was stationed. Within two years, Mary Scarpa and Patricia Chamberlaine began their community involvement by helping organize the incorporation of the city of Adelanto. They founded the Adelanto Independent newspaper to watch over civic affairs. Mary Scarpa joined the city's planning commission in 1971, and was elected to the City Council in 1981. She served on the council for the next 16 years, including four years as Mayor. For many of those years, she was joined on the civic body by her friend Pat Chamberlaine. The city of Adelanto had just 2,100 residents when Mary Scarpa was elected to the council. It had few amenities and almost no business base other than the Air Force Base. Today, the city has industrial parks, housing tracts and its own minor league baseball stadium--and a population approaching 30,000. Mary Scarpa is credited for much of the progress. At 83, Mary Scarpa is still involved in community activities through her work with the Community Food Closet charitable pantry and through organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Read Across America program in the local schools. She has attended nearly every game of the minor league High Desert Mavericks at the baseball stadium she helped bring to the city. Madam Speaker, the city of Adelanto and the Adelanto Chamber of Commerce are honoring Mary Scarpa as one of the founders and civic leaders of the city. Please join Congressman McKeon and me in congratulating Mary on her long years of public service, and wishing her well in her future endeavors.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, by any definition, this year's appropriations process has been a complete and utter failure. We are now 5 weeks past the beginning of the new fiscal year and Congress has yet to enact a single appropriations bill. Out of 12 total bills, two have passed the House, while 10 bills were never even considered by the full committee. Even more astonishing, Mr. Speaker, is this fact: During all of 2010, the full appropriations committee met just once--in July--and that meeting occurred almost a full year since the last time the committee met--in July of 2009. This record is all the more striking when you consider the fact that the House has spent week after week, month after month considering hundreds of insignificant bills, while ignoring the substantive work required of the Congress to pass a Federal budget. Today, the House is considering a 2-week extension of the current continuing resolution. Chairman Obey and the Democrat leadership are hoping that 2 weeks will be enough time to muster enough Democratic votes to pass a massive 12-bill package, loaded with earmarks, with a price tag exceeding $1.1 trillion. If they succeed, House Democrats will pass an omnibus without a single Republican vote. Democratic staff in the House and the Senate began negotiations on the omnibus spending bill after Members of Congress left Washington in October. Realizing that these negotiations excluded input from the elected Members of Congress, and recognizing the likelihood that these negotiations would lead to yet another massive trillion-dollar government spending bill, I directed my staff not to engage in these negotiations. While Democratic staff was focused on additional ways to spend money, Republican staffers on the committee were working to identify spending cuts. As I have made clear time and time again, I am strongly, unequivocally opposed to any potential omnibus spending bill the Democratic leadership may be planning to bring to the House floor before the end of the year. Likewise, I remain adamantly opposed to extending the CR for the balance of the fiscal year to current spending levels, which are, frankly, too darn high. I am encouraging my leadership and each of my colleagues who are concerned about excessive spending to oppose any effort to pass an omnibus or extend the CR beyond February. Voters have made it abundantly clear that they want Congress to cut spending, starting today. There is no better place to begin this process than by returning to the U.S. Treasury unobligated funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, one of the most costly and ineffective bills in modern history. For this very reason, I introduced legislation on November 15 to immediately rescind billions of dollars of unspent stimulus funding and immediately applying those dollars to the deficit. I am hopeful that rescinding this funding will be among the first orders of business in the 112th Congress. This commitment to cut spending will also consist of rescinding previously appropriated dollars passed under the current Democratic majority as well as dramatically scaling back funding proposed by the President in his final 2 years in office. I believe we ought to extend the CR until February, allowing the House Republicans the opportunity to begin putting our Nation's fiscal house in order by completing the FY 11 appropriations bills at an FY 2008 level or below, and saving taxpayers at least $100 billion. It would be the clearest signal the House could send to the American people that we got the message and take seriously their commitment to cutting spending. Should the Democratic leadership muster the votes to pass an omnibus in its last-gasp effort to spend yet another trillion-plus dollars, every penny above and beyond the 2008 levels will be on the chopping block come January. Or put another way, if House Democrats use their last 4 weeks in power to spend another $1.1 trillion, House Republicans will rescind every penny above and beyond the 2008 levels when the new Congress convenes. Mr. Speaker, I believe we should have shut down the government, but I cannot and will not support this CR because it continues unsustainable levels of spending established last year. At a time of historic deficits, record debt, and 10 percent unemployment, I believe we owe our constituents more than the status quo. Let's start cutting spending, Mr. Speaker, today. I urge a ``no'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my colleague from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. I yield myself such time as I might consume. (Mr. LEWIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)