Jerry Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to yield 1 minute to the Republican leader of the House, John Boehner of Ohio.

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

Mr. LEWIS of California. A fabulous job has been done on this. I am very proud of the people over here. I know you feel the same, and presuming that you would like to have me yield, I would be happy to.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, could I inquire about the amount of time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter of California, now the ranking member.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I believe that both of us are coming very close to the end of our time.

Mr. LEWIS of California. As we do that, why don't we just join together, as we approach our closing speaker, and express our appreciation, is that all right with you, to the staff of both sides?

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

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the Republican whip.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, only because we are rambling on time, could I have a check of time, please.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the ranking member on the Rules Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentlelady who spoke just before me, our respected Speaker, is a person I have worked with for most of my life in public affairs. Our Speaker suggested that the President was wrong, and, Mr. Speaker, I humbly suggest that in this instance, our esteemed Speaker is wrong. Madam Speaker, it was no secret that this conference report was going to be vetoed. Early on, the President made very clear his intention to veto this legislation because of the Iraq withdrawal language and the many unrelated and costly spending items that have absolutely nothing to do with the global war on terror and recovery efforts on the gulf coast. It is no secret that many Members of the House and Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, had strong reservations about the manner in which this legislation undermined the authority of the President, our Commander in Chief. From the beginning of this process, Members have expressed their concern about how this legislation placed military decisions in the hands of politicians rather than military commanders in the field. The last thing our country or our troops need is to have 535 Members and Senators micromanaging the war in Iraq. That simply is not our job, Madam Speaker. Recent history reminds us that the enemy we face in Iraq, Afghanistan and in other countries that harbor terrorists will stop at nothing to attack the United States and our allies. My colleagues, now is not the time for the United States to back down from its commitment to the war on terror. Now is not the time for America to signal retreat and surrender. Indeed, now is not the time for the House of Representatives to throw in the towel, wave the white flag or signal retreat and surrender in Iraq. How could this Congress walk away from our men and women in uniform? How could we walk away from them now? We must not let that happen. We must support our troops. Our failure to learn the lessons of history, our failure to lead, will result in devastating consequences, including an even greater loss of life and even more resources needed to fight tomorrow. It is absolutely essential that America, the last remaining superpower on Earth, continue to be a voice for peace and a beacon of freedom in our shrinking world. Walking away would further signal to Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, and others that the United States is no longer committed to a successful outcome in Iraq. Before closing my remarks, I want to express my disappointment and dismay at yesterday's political and theatrical display by Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid. The delivery of this conference report to the White House was intentionally delayed so the President's veto would coincide with the fourth anniversary of the President declaring ``Mission Accomplished.'' This display in sending the supplemental to the President was a deliberate and shameful attempt at scoring political points solely at the expense of our troops. Mr. Speaker, this veto has been anticipated for some time. The majority party has had ample time to plan and prepare for the next step. Passing a clean supplemental free of arbitrary deadlines and excessive spending is obviously the path we should be following. There is $20 billion, $20 billion, in this package unrelated to the war effort and the gulf coast recovery. That money is designated as emergency spending. Every nickel of this unrelated spending should be removed from the emergency supplemental. All this spending should be debated in regular order through the fiscal year 2008 appropriations process. In closing, I say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: You've made your point. You've had your dog-and-pony show. You have posed for political holy pictures on TV. Now what is your plan to support the troops? It is time to put the posturing and political stunts aside and do what is in the best interest of our troops. It is time to do the right thing and pass a clean emergency supplemental free of arbitrary deadlines and arbitrary spending. It is time to support our Commander in Chief and sustain the President's veto. I strongly urge a ``no'' vote. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the former chairman of the Defense Subcommittee and former chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Speaker, we know that this conference report before us will be vetoed by the President because of the Iraqi withdrawal language and the many unrelated and costly spending items that have absolutely nothing to do with the global war on terror or recovery efforts in the gulf coast. It is no secret that many Members of the House and Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, have strong reservations about the manner in which this legislation undermines the authority of the President, our Commander in Chief. Members are also rightly concerned about how this legislation places military decisions in the hands of politicians rather than the military commanders in the field. As I have said many times before, this legislation ought to focus on our troops. It ought to focus on providing those in harm's way with the resources they need to complete their mission successfully. It ought to respect, not micromanage, our combatant commanders in whom we place the ultimate responsibility for prosecuting military actions. My colleagues know that I have great respect for my friend, Mr. Murtha, but I strongly disagree with his assertion that we ought to have 535 Members and Senators micromanaging the war in Iraq. With all due respect, that is not our job. Let me again remind my colleagues, we are not generals, we are not the Secretary of State, and we most certainly are not the Commander in Chief. It is tragically ironic that the House is considering this conference report the same day that General David Petraeus met with Members in closed session on the current situation in Iraq. It was on January 26 of this year, just 3 months ago, that the Senate voted 81-0 to confirm General Petraeus to be the top military commander in Iraq. One would have thought that Members and Senators would trust his judgment following such an extraordinary vote of confidence over 3 months ago. Senator Reid, who supported the General's confirmation, now says, and I quote, ``I don't believe him.'' Recent history reminds us that the enemy we face in Iraq, in Afghanistan and other countries that harbor terrorists will stop at nothing to seek opportunities to attack the United States and our allies. Have we not learned anything from the original World Trade Center bombing in 1993, the Khobar Towers bombing, the attack on USS Cole or 9/11 itself? Al Qaeda will view this legislation as the first sign of the United States backing down from its commitment to the war on terror. It will view the withdrawal provisions contained in this conference report as America signaling retreat and surrender. Indeed, al Qaeda will view this as a day that the House of Representatives threw in the towel, waved the white flag and signaled retreat and surrender in Iraq. Our failure to learn the lessons of history, our failure to lead today, will result in devastating consequences, including an even greater loss of lives, and even more resources needed to fight tomorrow. Just as we have only one top General in Iraq, one Secretary of State and one Commander in Chief, we only have one Speaker of the House at a time. Speaker Pelosi and I have been friends and have served as colleagues on the Appropriations Committee for many years. The Speaker played an important role in supporting the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, a critical and successful military capability that is a key element to the war on terror. She and I worked on that in the Intelligence Committee together years ago. It is puzzling to me that the Speaker would not only openly question the judgment of General Petraeus, Secretary Rice, and our Commander in Chief, but that she would also willingly work to undermine their efforts to secure a successful outcome in Iraq. My colleagues, it is absolutely essential that America, the last remaining superpower on Earth, continue to be the voice for peace and freedom in our shrinking world. Our success is critical. Walking away will further signal to Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and others that the United States is no longer committed to a successful outcome in Iraq. In closing, I ask Speaker Pelosi and my friends in the majority to weigh the implications of supporting this conference report. Even as I hold hope that the Speaker might have a road-to-Damascus conversion, I ask her to weigh the enormous consequences of putting our troops in peril. I strongly urge a ``no'' vote on this emergency supplemental. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to our Republican whip, Mr. Blunt.

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

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the ranking member on Homeland Security, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the ranking member on Military Construction of Appropriations, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Mr. Kingston of Georgia, a member of the committee.

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the ranking member on the Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. LEWIS of California

Mr. LEWIS of California. 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.