John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, if the committee refuses to release the report, the American people can only assume a coverup of massive proportions. Release this report. Release it now, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Committee has a responsibility and a moral obligation to release the outside counsel's report. point of order

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in an editorial yesterday, the New York Times said, theHouse Ethics Committee, quote, ``seems determined to sacrifice whatever little is left of its credibility by letting Congress adjourn without resolving any of the pending ethics complaints against Speaker Newt Gingrich.'' point of order

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, let me just say, enough is enough. Mr. Speaker, if the Ethics Committee will not act, the American people have a right to judge for themselves. point of order

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this morning the Associated Press reported that the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Bill Archer, has sent an intimidating letter to the Internal Revenue Service concerning an investigation the IRS has launched into a partisan political course Newt Gingrich taught at two Georgia colleges. The IRS has good reason to investigate Speaker Gingrich. Allegations regarding the Speaker's abuse of tax exempt organizations have swirled for more than 2 years. Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and appropriate for the IRS to investigate the serious allegations of misuse of nonprofit organizations by Speaker Gingrich. Mr. Archer ought to keep his hands off and let the IRS do its job. Not even the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee can protect the Speaker from the justice he is due.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call to the attention of my colleagues a very constructive public education campaign that has been undertaken by the American Jewish Committee [AJC], an organization with which I have had the pleasure to work with for many years. As part of its mandate to promote tolerance and safeguard the essential ideal of pluralism, the AJC has run full-page advertisements in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other publications enunciating the theme, ``It Takes All Kinds.'' The AJC statement proudly commends our country for having achieved, to an extent nowhere else on Earth, a common dream of freedom. But, at the same time, the statement acknowledges that this dream has been subject to challenge. From the recent series of church burnings, to the increasingly loud voices that promote division along racial, ethnic, and religious lines, and with the threat of domestic and international terrorism within our borders, America's common dream is threatened by the haters and the dividers. I applaud the American Jewish Committee for the service it has performed in raising public consciousness of the danger posed to all of us by those few who espouse words--and carry out actions--of hate and divisiveness, and in inviting us to partake in the daily enterprise of ensuring that America fulfills its promise of freedom, justice, and mutual respect for all. I ask that the text of the American Jewish Committee's ad ``It Takes All Kinds'' be included in the Congressional Record. It Takes All Kinds The tired. The poor. The huddled masses yearning to breathe free. From every corner of the world, from every race, faith, culture and creed, we have come or been brought to America. Separately and together, we have dreamed of freedom. And in America, as nowhere else on earth, we have made the dream of freedom real. But today, that common dream of freedom, that common pursuit by a diverse people of a stronger and fairer America, is challenged. In communities across the land, suspicious fires lay waste to African-American and other churches, sowing fear and outrage. In the media, in the halls of Congress, on the campaign trail and in the streets, angry voices echo distressingly familiar calls to divide America into ``us'' and ``them'' along ethnic, racial, religious and other lines. The well-being of American democratic pluralism--in which each of us holds an equal stake in our nation's future--is in question. At the American Jewish Committee, we have worked for 90 years to safeguard that essential ideal of pluralism. The task is critical. Too easily and too often, the delicate cords of law and civility that bind society have frayed, setting group against group. When those cords snap, all are threatened, indeed, the essence of America is imperiled. Join us in the cause of keeping America safe from the haters and dividers. Join us in the vital, daily enterprise of ensuring America fulfills its promise of freedom, justice and mutual respect for all.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the bill we are considering today is a bad bill. I will vote against it and I urge all people of conscience to vote against it. It is a bad bill because it penalizes children for the actions of their parents. This bill, Mr. Speaker, will put 1 million more children into poverty. How, how can any person of faith, of conscience vote for a bill that puts a million more kids into poverty. Where is the compassion, where is the sense of decency, where is the heart of this Congress. This bill is mean, it is base, it is downright low down. We are a great nation. We put a man on the Moon. We have learned to fly through the air like a bird and swim like a fish in the sea. We are the world's only superpower. We did not do this by running away--by giving up. As a nation, as a people--as a government--we met our challenges--we won. This bill gives up--it throws in the towel. We cannot run away from our challenges--our responsibilities--and leave them to the States. That is not the character of a great nation. I ask you, Mr. Speaker, What does it profit a great nation to conquer the world, only to lose it's soul? Mr. Speaker, this bill is an abdication of our responsibility and an abandonment of our morality. It is wrong, just plain wrong. It was Hubert Humphrey, who said: We can judge a society by how it treats those in the dawn of life, our children, those in the twilight of life, our elderly and those in the shadow of life, the sick and the disabled. I agree with Hubert Humphrey, my colleagues. What we are doing here today is wrong. I say to you, all of my colleagues, you have the ability, you have the capacity, you have the power to stop this assault, to prevent this injustice. Your vote is your voice. Raise your voice for the children, for the poor, for the disabled. Do what you know in your heart is right. Vote ``no.''

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I attended the reopening of the Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta. Tens of thousands of people, from all over the country and the world, turned out for a memorial service in honor of those killed and injured in the bomb blast that exploded early Saturday morning, shattering the tranquility of the Olympic games. They also turned out to demonstrate that they will not bow to the fear and intimidation of terrorism. Mr. Speaker, the Olympic games represent the best of the human spirit, and in many ways the response of the people in Atlanta to this vicious act truly represented the Olympic spirit. Yesterday, the people of Atlanta, of Georgia, of our Nation, and the world came together in prayer and solidarity. It was a beautiful and moving experience to be in a crowd representing the true brotherhood of nations. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to commend the many people who acted heroically in the wake of this terrorist attack: the medical personnel, the law enforcement officials and the thousands of volunteers who averted an even greater disaster. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, the person who carried out this hideous crime will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In the meantime, we in the Congress should do everything in our power to pass legislation that will protect our citizens from such attacks in the future.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my Republican colleagues to stop blocking action on the minimum wage. I have said it before and I will say it again here today: Raising the minimum wage is not just an economic issue, it is a moral issue. It is the right thing to do. The time is always right to do right. The Republicans in Congress will do anything to deny hard-working people a small raise. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, I know you vowed to fight an increase in the minimum wage with every fiber in your being but you cannot fight the will of the American people forever. Now is the time to act. Now is the time, not tomorrow, not next week, but today. One thing is for sure. Come November, working people will remember.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge my colleagues to oppose this so-called Thomas campaign finance reform bill. The Thomas bill is a shame, a sham, a scam. It is a farce, it is a joke, because it is not reform at all. This is a special interest bill designed to allow the superwealthy to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Republican campaign coffers. The American people are in agreement. Our political process is sick. It is corrupt. There is too much money, too much special interest influence on our elections. But that is Dr. Gingrich's prescription for this problem? Well, testifying before the Committee on House Oversight, Gingrich said there was not too much money in our political process, there was too little. Far more money is needed, he contended. Well, this bill is Dr. Gingrich's solution. It would increase the ability of superwealthy people to influence our election. In fact, in its original form this bill would have allowed an individual to donate more than $3 million to Republican coffers. Only when the Democrats in the House exposed this scandal did the Republicans change this bill overnight. Mr. Chairman, Newt Gingrich has succeeded in funneling between $10 and $20 million into campaigns through his personal political slush fund, GOPAC, without ever reporting a single dime. It is alleged that he used nonprofit groups to further channel funds to his pet political projects. Mr. Chairman, this bill will open the floodgates of special interest funds. This bill is the Republican way to do under the law what must now be done by going around the law. This bill, not Medicare, Mr. Chairman, deserves to wither on the vine. Let me say it again, Mr. Chairman: This bill, not Medicare, deserves to wither on the vine.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my Republican colleagues to stop blocking action on the minimum wage. I have said it before and I will say it again here today: Raising the minimum wage is not just an economic issue, it is a moral issue; it is the right thing to do. The Republicans in this House tried to block an increase in the minimum wage and failed. The Republicans in the Senate tried to block it and failed. Having lost on the floor, Republicans now are holding the minimum wage hostage. The Republicans in Congress will do anything to deny hard-working people a small raise. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, I know you vowed to fight an increase in the minimum wage with every fiber in your being, but you cannot fight the will of the American people forever. One thing is for sure, come November, working people will remember.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, during the 1960's, I was honored to be a part of the civil rights movement--a movement that changed the face of our Nation. People from throughout our Nation--old and young, black and white, rich and poor--joined the nonviolent revolution that made our country a better, fairer, more just Nation. I was fortunate to get to know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his partner in the movement--Dr. Abernathy. Dr. Abernathy was an inspiring and committed leader from the earliest days of the movement. When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to stand in the back of the bus while there were empty seats in the ``white'' section of the bus, she inspired the Montgomery bus boycott. As ministers of the two leading black churches in Montgomery, AL, Dr. King and Dr. Abernathy worked together to organize and sustain that boycott. Thus began the strong bonds of friendship and commitment that would last as long as the two men lived. Dr. Abernathy had a lifelong commitment to securing and protecting basic civil rights for all Americans. I marched with him many times throughout the South, including Selma and Montgomery. After the assassination of Dr. King in 1968, Dr. Abernathy assumed leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and worked to carry on the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After Dr. King's death, Dr. Abernathy continued to organize and lead marches and other events, included the Poor People's Campaign, a massive demonstration to protest rising unemployment, held in Washington, DC. The Reverend Dr. Abernathy passed away, too young, 6 years ago. Today, I am introducing a resolution authorizing the construction of a memorial to the Reverend Dr. Abernathy and the Poor People's Campaign on the National Mall. I invite my colleagues to join me in supporting this effort. The monument will celebrate the achievements of the past, commemorate those who marched alongside us many years ago, and pay special tribute to the sacrifices and the contributions of Dr. Abernathy and others who participated in the Poor People's Campaign. Thousands of people participated. Some has small roles, others large roles. The Reverend Ralph David Abernathy had many roles, often at the same time. He was a teacher, a leader, an organizer, a soldier, and a friend. Many were inspired by his good humor, and his guidance. Today, I Invite my colleagues to join me in celebrating his legacy and his life.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend and colleague for yielding me the time. Let me say to the gentleman that when I was growing up in the south during the 1940s and the 1950s, the great majority of the people in that region believed that black people should not be able to enter places of public accommodation, and they felt that black people should not be able to register to vote, and many people felt that was right but that was wrong. I think as politicians, as elected officials, we should not only follow but we must lead, lead our districts, not put our fingers into the wind to see which way the air is blowing but be leaders. Mr. Chairman, this is a mean bill. It is cruel. This bill seeks to divide our nation, turn Americans against Americans, sew the seeds of fear, hatred and intolerance. Let us remember the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths self-evident that all people are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This bill is a slap in the face of the Declaration of Independence. It denies gay men and women the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Marriage is a basic human right. You cannot tell people they cannot fall in love. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to say when people talked about interracial marriage and I quote, ``Races do not fall in love and get married. Individuals fall in love and get married.'' Why do you not want your fellow men and women, your fellow Americans to be happy? Why do you attack them? Why do you want to destroy the love they hold in their hearts? Why do you want to crush their hopes, their dreams, their longings, their aspirations? We are talking about human beings, people like you, people who want to get married, buy a house, and spend their lives with the one they love. They have done no wrong. I will not turn my back on another American. I will not oppress my fellow human being. I have fought too hard and too long against discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Mr. Chairman, I have know racism. I have known bigotry. This bill stinks of the same fear, hatred and intolerance. It should not be called the Defense of Marriage Act. It should be called the defense of mean-spirited bigots act. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, to have the courage to do what is right. This bill appeals to our worst fears and emotions. It encourages hatred of our fellow Americans for political advantage. Every word, every purpose, every message is wrong. It is not the right thing to do, to divide Americans. We are moving toward the 21st century. Let us come together and create one nation, one people, one family, one house, the American house, the American family, the American nation.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, if a Member of this House was involved in a $6 million tax fraud scheme and the Ethics Committee knew and did nothing, what would that be? If a Member of this House set up and used tax exempt organizations for partisan political purposes and the Ethics Committee knew and did nothing, what would that be? Well, Mr. Speaker, these are exactly the charges hanging over Speaker Newt Gingrich. The Ethics Committee has been sitting on these charges for 6 months and doing nothing. They even refuse to send them to the outside counsel investigating the Speaker. To answer the question, Mr. Speaker, What would it be? It would be, it is, a scandal. Newtgate is truly the biggest scandal and coverup in this town.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute and honor to the memory of a good man, a special man, Congressman Bill Emerson. Bill was a good Congressman, a good friend and more than anything else a good human being. He was a man who truly cared about his fellow man, here at home and across the world. Bill Emerson was a gentle man. In 1992 I had the great privilege of cochairing a congressional delegation to Somalia with Bill. It was a dangerous trip. Somalia was still filled with gangs of armed warlords and we had to wear flak jackets as we drove through the streets. But Bill Emerson was committed to the starving people of Somalia. He put their health and their welfare above his own personal security. that was the kind of man Bill Emerson was. Bill had a warm, caring and sharing spirit. His sense of humor was able to overcome any situation, to break down any barrier. I will miss Bill Emerson. I will miss his wit and his wisdom. I will miss his caring and his compassion. More than anything else I will miss his companionship. Bill Emerson was my friend and I will miss him, as we all will, greatly. My condolences and my love go out to Bill's family and friends.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina and the gentleman from Oklahoma for bringing this resolution before us. The church has long been the heartbeat, they very soul of the black community. In the 1960's, those who opposed the civil rights movement recognized that strength. Our churches were burned. looted and burned. Our holy places were no longer a place of sanctuary but a target of those who preached hate, division and intolerance. Today, despite the progress we made as a Nation and as a people, history is repeating itself. In the ashes, of these churches are the hopes and dreams of the African-American community, justice, equality and simple acceptance. The fires that destroyed these churches are fueled not only by gasoline and matches but also by hated and intolerance and bigotry. There is a conspiracy, a conspiracy of intolerance. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues tonight to vote for this resolution and send a strong message to this Nation that we will build a sense of community. Let us use this occasion, let us use this resolution not to divide but to bring together. Bring us all together, not to tear down but to uplift. Let us speak tonight with one mighty voice. We must use our outrage to rededicate ourselves to building Dr. King's beloved community, a Nation in which we all are judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I read with disbelief an article in the Washington Post this morning. It reported that the Speaker of this House has made baseless, unsubstantiated allegations about our late Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown. Ron Brown died in service to his country just 2 short months ago when his plane crashed during a trade mission to Bosnia. The Brown family is still in mourning, but for the Speaker of the House the death of this great man is something to be exploited for political gain. Mr. Speaker, how low will you go? Is there a shred of decency left in your body? Is there anything you would not say for partisan political gain. You bring disrespect to yourself and to this institution by making such outrageous and baseless charges. You owe us all an apology. You owe the Brown family an apology. You owe this Congress an apology and you owe this Nation an apology. Mr. Speaker, you might not be the most unpopular public figure in history if you started showing a little common decency and respect.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this debate today was supposed to be about raising the minimum wage--about raising the minimum wage-- about giving hardworking people at the bottom of the economic ladder a little bit more in their paycheck each week. But it is not. The Republican majority has turned this into a bill repealing the minimum wage. The Goodling amendment would do away with the minimum wage for as many as 10 million working people. If your employer wants to pay you $2 an hour, that is okay with the Republicans. My colleagues, what the Republicans are doing on this floor today is a shame and a disgrace. It is obscene. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Where is your sense of common decency? What you are doing today is not only unfair and unjust--it is un-American. We should be here to raise the minimum wage, not repeal it. If ever there was an issue that defined Democrats and Republicans, this is it. Democrats believe that if you work hard 40 hours a week, you should not have to live in poverty. Republicans, extreme Republicans, believe in repealing the minimum wage. If people live in poverty--so be it. Today the extremist Republican majority has shown its true colors. What you are doing today is wrong. I know it is wrong. You know it is wrong. And the American people know it is wrong.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole oppose an increase in the minimum wage. The Republican leader has said he will fight the minimum wage with every fiber in his being and the Republican whip has said in regard to families living on the minimum wage, they do not exist. Today, the Republicans in this House are pulling one of the dirtiest and most despicable deceptions I have seen in my 10 years in this House. They say they support an increase in the minimum wage, but today they will vote to repeal the minimum wage for nearly two-thirds of the people earning that wage. That is right, repeal the minimum wage. Unbelievable, Mr. Speaker. Extreme in the extreme. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, Mr. Speaker, you ought to be ashamed.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, how can these mean-spirited Republicans, too cheap to pay a worker $5.15 an hour, claim they care about American workers? This is not a Third World country. We do not tolerate sweatshops in America. We do not have slave labor, starvation wages. This is 1996. It is the dawn of the 21st century. Radical Republicans would take us back to the 19th century, no minimum wage, no support for working families, for those who work hard, play by the rules, and strive to improve the lives of their families, their children. Republicans give tax breaks to corporate bigwigs who make millions of dollars each year, but they think that 9-to-5 workers are overpaid. They think $8,000 a year is too much. This is not just extreme, it is nuts, it is downright crazy. Extreme, mean-spirited Republicans offer the American people a simple choice: Do we live in the 21st century or the 19th century; do we pay livable wages or starvation wages? I say, my colleagues, it is time to stand up to these right-wing extremists, to stand up for hard-working American families. It is time to raise the minimum wage, not repeal it. We cannot go back. We must not go back. We will not go back. Defeat this rule.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise against this election-year gimmick; 4.3 cents has nothing to do with the price of gasoline and everything to do with trying to buy an election, but the American people will not be fooled. Not one voter, but not one voter from the Fifth Congressional District of Georgia has contacted me in support of this ill-conceived idea. Every letter, every phone call I have received has a simple message: Vote ``no''. Do not play games. Do not sacrifice common sense for nonsense. The Concord Coalition, economists and deficit hawks all agree this is a bad bill. It is a silly bill. It is downright silly. We must stand for something, my colleagues, or we will fall for anything. We cannot just pay lipservice to deficit reduction, we must vote for it. I urge my colleagues, all of us, to vote no.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, let me just thank my friend from Utah for yielding time. Mr. Chairman, could the gentlewoman from Washington tell us what she means about the liberals, the so-called liberals having a distorted sense of compassion? Maybe being from Georgia, I do not quite really understand what ``distortion'' means.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this morning the Democrats in the House will once again attempt to bring a minimum wage bill to the floor for a vote. I urge my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to support bringing this bill to the floor. Raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do. It is more than just an economic issue, it is a moral issue. Hard-working people deserve the right to earn a livable wage. No one, but no one, can support a family on $4.25 an hour, $170 per week or less than $9,000 a year. I know some of my Republican colleagues say they support raising the minimum wage. Well, now is the time to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Vote ``no'' on the previous question. Support an increase in the minimum wage.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, let me just say that I am pleased and delighted to stand here today as this bill is voted on. I want to thank the Chairman Young and Chairman Hansen for their support of this bill. I also want to thank the ranking members of the committee, Mr. Miller and Mr. Richardson. I also want to recognize Mr. Hilliard who represents Selma and Montgomery. I also want to recognize Mr. Vento for all of his help since we began this process. I want to thank all of you for your help and support. This bill is very important to me and to many others. I believe that designating the route from Selma to Montgomery as a National Historic Trail is very fitting and appropriate. The march from Selma to Montgomery was a turning point in the journey to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was a long and difficult journey. Before the civil rights movement, most blacks in the South could not vote. There were certain political subdivisions in the South--from Virginia to Texas--where 50 to 80 percent of the population was black, but there was not a single black registered voter. The few who were allowed to register were harassed, intimidated, and even beaten when they tried to exercise their precious right to vote. In Lowndes County, AL, between Selma and Montgomery, the county was more than 80 percent black, and there was not a single registered black voter. In Selma, the county seat of majority black Dallas County, only 2.1 percent of voting age blacks were registered to vote. So, to dramatize the need for voting rights legislation, a peaceful, nonviolent march from Selma to Montgomery was planned. On Sunday, March 7, 1965, in the afternoon, a group of people left the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, walking in two's. It was a silent, nonviolent, peaceful protest, walking through the streets of Selma. When we reached the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, we saw a sea of blue--Alabama State troopers. The Governor of Alabama, at that time, George Wallace, had issued a statement the day before saying the march would not be allowed. The sheriff of Dallas County, a man by the name of Jim Clark, on the night before the march, had requested that all white men over the age of 21 come down to the Dallas County Courthouse to be deputized to become part of his posse to stop the march. As we cross over the bridge on that Sunday afternoon, we faced the State troopers and a man identified himself and said: I am Major John Cloud of the Alabama State Troopers. I give you 3 minutes to disperse and go back to your church. This is an unlawful march, and it will not be allowed to continue. In less than 1\1/2\ minutes, Major John Cloud said, ``Troopers advance,'' and we saw the troopers put on their gas masks. They came toward us, beating us with nightsticks, bullwhips, trampling us with horses, and using tear gas. That day became known as Bloody Sunday. There was a sense of righteous indignation all across the country. People could not understand what they saw on television and read in the paper. Two days later, the marchers, joined by religious leaders from around the country, made a second attempt but turned back to avoid more bloodshed. After that march, a young white minister from Boston, James Reed, was beaten by the Klan and later died. One week later, President Lyndon Johnson addressed the Nation and called for passage of the Voting Rights Act. He said: I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. At times, history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago in Appomattox. And so it was last week in Selma, Alabama. It was one of the most moving speeches I ever heard an American President make. Finally, on March 21, 1965, the marchers were allowed to proceed. However, during that week of marching, Viola Liuzzo, a housewife from Detroit, was shot and killed. As a direct result of these events, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965. The history along this route is precious. It is imperative that we preserve and interpret this history. Even more than 30 years later, standing at the apex of the Edmund Pettus Bridge is a powerful experience. The trail reminds us of where we were in 1965 and how far we have come as a Nation and as a people. Today, too few people cherish the right to vote. In the 1992 Presidential election, only 56 percent of the voting age population voted. In 1994, in the congressional elections, only 38 percent voted. This trail will remind people that Americans--black and white, young and old, from the North and South--shedded blood. Some even gave their lives--to win the right for every American to vote. It is my hope and belief that the history told along this trail will inspire more people to become involved in the democratic process. By designating the route from Selma to Montgomery as a national historic trail, we will help educate and remind people of the right and responsibility to vote. We will also give well-deserved recognition to the men and women who sacrificed so much for voting rights for all Americans. So I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill to designate the trail and help preserve the important sites along the trail for future generations.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Mother's Day is almost here, and I have some bad news for my mother and many others. The Republicans have a new budget, and they still cut Medicare. They still want Medicare to wither on the vine. There they go again, Mr. Speaker. In the Republican Medicare budget, they divide the elderly. They give Federal dollars over to insurance companies for the healthy and the wealthy. Then they want the Federal Government to pay for the sick and the poor. They offer medical savings accounts to healthy seniors. So, they can use money from the Federal Government--to buy a car or take a vacation. That does not made sense. That will not help the budget or our seniors. I call on my Republican colleagues to give us a better budget. We should not cut Medicare to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy. We should not destroy Medicare in the name of saving it. Don't cut Medicare.