Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. 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.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McGOVERN

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our distinguished minority whip.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I have a list here from the NFL of the top punters in the NFL. The top 3 punters are Shane Lechler from Oakland, Brian Moorman from Buffalo, and Scott Player from Arizona. And as talented and experienced and skilled as these punters are, they have nowhere near the ability that the Republican leadership in this House has when it comes to punting, because that is what we are doing today. We are punting once again, because the Republicans in this House cannot get along with the Republicans in the other body, and they cannot get their work done. The main job that the leadership of this House has is to pass 13 appropriations bills, work with the other body to get them passed and get them on the President's desk by September 30. This leadership has failed in doing that. They cannot do their job. The Republicans cannot get along with Republicans. They cannot blame a Democratic Senate because they have a Republican Senate. They cannot blame a Democrat in the White House because they have a Republican in the White House. They control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, they even control the courts, and they still cannot get their job done. So it is important for all of my colleagues to understand at this critical moment that we are here because the leadership in this House cannot get their work done. They cannot coordinate with Members of their own party. They cannot do the work that they are supposed to do. I would just hope, and I say this especially to those who are watching this, that they understand, that these are the people who said give us the power and we will impress you with our ability and our skill and our efficiency. Well, they have the power. Again, they have the power because they control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, and they cannot get their work done. So we are going to punt until November 7, but I want to make a prediction right now, we are going to punt again. And it is kind of sad, because they are not doing the work they are supposed to do. They are not getting the job done.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his long leadership on tax fairness and support for our men and women in uniform. I also want to publicly express my appreciation for the leadership and the service of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3365. I had the opportunity last night to speak about the need to change the current military death gratuity, so I simply want to thank my colleague from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) for making sure that the House delays no longer in acting on this urgent issue. I also want to commend the tireless work of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones), who were pioneers on this issue and so many others that benefit our military and their families. I want to thank my good friend and colleague, and the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skeleton), for ensuring that language to increase the death gratuity and to make it retroactive to September 11, 2001, will be included in the defense authorization conference report. Mr. Speaker, I heard from many military veterans in my district about this issue. In April, Mr. Philip Kurdulis of Worcester, Massachusetts, in particular, motivated me to fix the problems with the death gratuity. He wrote: ``Dear Representative McGovern: I was shocked to find out that the death benefit for our servicemen and women is only $6,000, and that $3,000 of that is taxed. We need to do the right thing as a country for the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The Congress had no problem coming up with $1.6 million each for the families and survivors of the World Trade Tower victims. I do not begrudge this money; however we should do much more for the brave men and women we sent to avenge them. Deaths in our current war in Iraq and the conflict in Afghanistan have been relatively few in number. I believe it should be affordable, therefore, to increase the death benefit. I propose legislation to correct this grossly inadequate compensation. As a 10-year veteran of the Army Reserve, I ask you to `Achieve the Honorable' in this matter.'' Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Mr. Gary Brown, who is the director of the VA office in Marlborough, Massachusetts, who encouraged me to introduce legislation to remedy the problems with the current death gratuity, which I did on September 5 when I introduced H.R. 3019, a bill that is basically identical to the one we are considering today. Mr. Speaker, as of this morning, 352 American military personnel have lost their lives in Iraq. At least 67 others have perished in Operation Enduring Freedom, mainly in Afghanistan. Among the fallen, nine are from Massachusetts. In the face of such loss, Members of Congress stand united in our need to express our condolences and respect to the families who have lost a loved one and to ensure that their most immediate needs are provided for. Today, the House will do the right thing by our military families and pass H.R. 3365; but, Mr. Speaker, we cannot stop there. We must make sure that this bill reaches the President's desk before we adjourn. Only then can we be sure that grieving military families will not be burdened with an unexpected tax bill. We must also move now to complete our work on the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act, which provides additional assistance to our uniformed men and women, especially our overstressed Guard and Reserves. It is more than a bit ironic, Mr. Speaker, that yesterday the majority in the Committee on Ways and Means approved legislation to provide $140 billion in corporate tax breaks but cannot seem to find the time to send this very modest bill of tax relief for our military to the President of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3365, and I call upon the House leadership to send the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act to the President. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record the names of the servicemen from Massachusetts who have been killed in combat. Members of U.S. Armed Forces From Massachusetts Killed in Action or Died While on Active Duty September 11, 2001-Curent Date (Information may be partial or incomplete; sources: CNN ``Forces: U.S. and Coalition Casualities'' and Central Command Public Affairs Office/ U.S. Department of Defense) Staff Sergeant Joseph P. Bellavia; Age: 28; Unit: 716th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army; Hometown: Wakefield, MA; Date and Place of Death: October 16, 2003 in Karbala, Iraq. Specialist Matthew G. Boule; Age: 22; Unit: 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army; Hometown: Dracut, MA; Date and Place of Death: April 2, 2003 in central Iraq. Staff Sergeant Joseph Camara; Age: 40; Unit: 115th Military Police Company, Army National Guard; Hometown: New Bedford, MA; Date and Place of Death: May 21, 2003 in an area south of Baghdad, Iraq. Sergeant Justin W. Garvey; Age: 21; Unit: 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army; Hometown: Townsend, MA; Date and Place of Death: July 20, 2003 in Tallifar, Iraq. Private First Class John D. Hart; Age: 20; Unit: 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; Hometown: Bedford, MA; Date and Place of Death: October 18, 2003 in Taza, Iraq. 1st Lieutenant Brian M. McPhillips; Age: 25; Unit: 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, U.S. Marines; Hometown: Pembroke, MA; Date and Place of Death: July 27, 2003 in central Iraq. Captain Benjamin W. Sammis; Age: 29; Unit: Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, U.S. Marines; Hometown: Rehobeth, MA; Date and Place of Death: April 4, 2003 in Ali Aziziyal, Iraq. Sergeant First Class Daniel H. Petithory; Age: 32; Unit: U.S. Army; Hometown: Cheshire, MA; Date and Place of Death: December 5, 2001 in Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Bruce A. Rushforth, Jr.; Age: 35; Unit: U.S. Army; Hometown: Middleboro, MA; Date and Place of Death: February 21, 2002 in the Philippines.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that the quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 7 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Lincoln Diaz- Balart) for yielding me the customary time. Mr. Speaker, the conference report for H.R. 2115, the FAA Reauthorization Act, is not quite ready for prime time. The good news is that the conference report is complete. The bad news is that there is no way it can pass the House in its current form. That is why we are here today. By voting for this rule, the House will send this conference report back to the conference committee for further consideration, an action that is sorely needed. Mr. Speaker, the reason we need to recommit this conference report back to the conference committee is simple: There are three major provisions in this bill that will undermine efforts to protect the American public, while weakening our country's competitive position in the international air cargo markets. The first and most obvious problem with the conference report is the provision that would allow for the immediate privatization of 69 air traffic control towers, with the authority to privatize all other air traffic control towers after 4 years. If this provision becomes law, it will begin the dismantling of the air traffic control system as we know it. We cannot allow our air traffic control system to be farmed out to the lowest bidder. Safety must come first, and we cannot do it on the cheap. Members on both sides of the aisle feel so strongly about this provision that they have pledged to vote against the conference report. Mr. Speaker, FAA controllers responded magnificently during the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11. They successfully landed 4,482 aircraft within 2 hours without a single operational error. Their performance on that fateful day earned them the U.S. Department of Transportation's highest award for achievement. But the fact of the matter is they did an outstanding job before 9/11, and they have continued to do so every day since. The FAA controllers and technicians are a highly-skilled group of dedicated professionals who deserve better than to be discarded just 2 short years after the world became so familiar with the challenges that they face. This conference report does not accord them the respect and the gratitude that they have earned and so rightly deserve. Contrary to the various claims that have been made, this provision would not just affect airports that exclusively serve general aviation aircraft. Eighteen of the airports included in the list of 69 airports that could be privatized are served by commercial carriers. This includes Hanscom Airfield in my home State of Massachusetts, which is served by several commercial carriers, including Continental, Delta and Northwest. But even more alarming is the fact that 11 of these 69 air towers are among the 50 busiest in the country. Now, as misguided as this provision is, the way it magically appeared in the conference report is just as galling. Not only was the provision not included in either bill passed by the House or the Senate, it runs completely counter to language in both the House and Senate bills that expressly prohibited the privatization of air traffic control. Yet, the conference committee, acting on orders from the White House, defied the wishes of the Members who serve in both Chambers and snuck this unwise, special-interest provision into the conference report. This tactic, Mr. Speaker, is a new favorite of the Republican leadership. They ignore what the full House and full Senate have done, and secretly rewrite important bills in some back room. It is a terrible way to do the people's business. It makes a mockery of the legislative process and confirms the most cynical suspicions people have about how this Congress operates. And it gets worse. A last minute one-word change in the conference report has changed antiterrorism training for flight crews from mandatory to discretionary. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 directed the Transportation Security Administration to issue security training guidelines for flight crews. Section 603 of the FAA conference report guts this directive in order to give air carriers the authority to establish such training requirements. The TSA has developed the training for Federal flight deck officers and the Federal air marshals. It only makes sense that the TSA should be responsible for developing the antiterrorism training for flight attendants so that there is a coordinated response from the entire flight crew in the event of a terrorist attack. To do anything less, Mr. Speaker, is to place special interests above passenger and crew safety, and that is absolutely unacceptable. The third and final provision of this conference report that must be fixed is the giveaway exemption that will allow foreign airlines to carry air cargo between two U.S. domestic points, provided one of those domestic points is in Alaska and only in Alaska. There is no similar exemption for international air cargo going through Hawaii, Florida or California; just Alaska. This provision represents an unprecedented change in U.S. transportation policy that for 200 years has protected domestic point- to-point service from foreign competition. No other country in the world grants U.S. carriers the kind of open access to its domestic transportation network that this provision would grant to foreign carriers operating in the United States. It is unfathomable that we would make such a dramatic change to long-standing transportation policy without a single hearing or a minute of debate. Now, make no mistake, the Alaska cargo provision will add the U.S. aviation industry to manufacturing, textiles and other sectors of our economy that are hemorrhaging jobs to other countries. The U.S. airline industry has seen losses of $7 billion per year since September 11, resulting in the layoffs of 150,000 American workers. This provision will do nothing but harm our efforts to help the U.S. aviation industry recover, while widening the gaping holes that already exist in our homeland security with respect to screening air cargo. So, Mr. Speaker, it is important that the conference committee not just meet to strip the privatization provision, an action that will not fully fix the problem, but that the conference actually reconvene and address all of the flaws now contained in this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this rule and send this conference report back to the conference committee, where, hopefully this time, the will of the House will be respected. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me just close by saying we are here today because the Republican leadership in the White House have forgotten that the House of Representatives is a deliberative body where Members of both parties insist that when they express their will, it will be respected and in conference committees. They do not like secret deals in back rooms. The question that I ask the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, was not a question of whether or not he could guarantee that certain provisions would be in the bill or provisions would be removed from the bill, what I asked him was very simply a guarantee that this would be an open conference, unlike what happened before, that this would be an open conference, an open process, a fair process, where Members of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, would have the opportunity to not only discuss issues, but to be able to offer their amendments. That was the question that the gentleman did not answer. And I would hope, and I would urge all my colleagues to vote for this rule, to send this flawed conference report back to the conference committee and let us hope this time they get it right. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, given the fact that I see the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation seated over there, perhaps he could give us some assurance that as we vote for this rule to send this flawed conference report back to the conference committee, that maybe he can give us an assurance that the conference committee will be open and Members will be allowed to offer amendments in the committee. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield to him if he would be willing to answer that question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's response. We are all anxiously awaiting the answer to that question. At this juncture I yield 9 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was the bloodiest day in Iraq since our forces took control of the country. These latest deaths of humanitarian relief workers, Iraqi police and another American serviceman illustrate the extreme dangers that continue to confront our military and the civilian population in Iraq. When the President commands and Congress authorizes to send our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers into harm's way, then we have a special duty to take care of the families and the survivors of those servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives. This is why, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support increasing the military death gratuity to $12,000, restoring its tax exempt status and providing these funds to the families and the survivors of those Armed Forces personnel who have perished on or following September 11, 2001. I am very pleased that the House will vote on this urgent matter tomorrow. As of this morning, 350 American military personnel have lost their lives in Iraq. At least 67 others have perished in Operation Enduring Freedom, mainly in Afghanistan. Among those who have fallen are nine men from Massachusetts, including Marine Captain Benjamin W. Sammis, age 29, from the town of Rehobeth in my own Congressional District. They range in age from 20 to 40. They served in the Army, the Marines and in the Army National Guard. They were privates, specialists, sergeants, lieutenants and captains, and they lost their lives in Afghanistan, the Philippines and Iraq. Every day we awake to news of yet another American who has paid the ultimate sacrifice for service to our country. At such times, it matters not at all whether you are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat. In the face of such loss, we are united in sorrow and in our common need to express our respect and condolences to the families and loved ones of that soldier, sailor, airman or marine. We are also united in wanting to ensure that the surviving family's most pressing needs are provided for. Currently these families receive only $6,000 as a death benefit, and half of that is subject to tax. Mr. Speaker, that is simply wrong. On September 5, I introduced H.R. 3019, to increase the military death gratuity to $12,000, exempt it from taxes and make it retroactive to September 11, 2001. My colleague the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) recently introduced nearly identical legislation, H.R. 3566, and it is his bill that the Republican leadership will move to the floor tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be a cosponsor of his bill, and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and others will be speaking about it later this evening. I am pleased that the House leadership has turned its attention to this matter, and I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of H.R. 3566 tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, it is no secret to the Members of this House that the current military death gratuity needs to be fixed. Historically, the death gratuity has been tax exempt. But when Congress last increased the death benefit to $6,000, half of this amount became subject to taxation. On several occasions Congress has attempted to rectify this mistake by passing the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act. Unfortunately, that bill remains stalled at the Speaker's desk. While efforts are underway in the defense authorizations conference to double the death benefit and make it retroactive to September 11, 2001, only passage of H.R. 3566 can remedy the unfair tax burden on our military families. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House will do the right thing by our military families and pass H.R. 3566. I would urge the House majority leadership to ensure that the other body also approves the bill and sends it to the President before Congress adjourns. Only if this bill becomes law can we guarantee that grieving families are not burdened with an unexpected tax bill. But, Mr. Speaker, that is not enough. I also call on the House Republican leadership to act now to ensure the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act be sent to the President so that other tax incentives that benefit our uniformed men and women, especially our Guard and Reserves, may go into effect. It is astonishing to me that this Congress can provide billions of dollars in tax relief to the wealthiest in our society, but it fails to move this modest set of tax incentives for the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day in defense of freedom. So while I am glad that tomorrow we will do something positive, we still have much more to do before the actions of this Congress match its rhetoric. Mr. Speaker, I include for the record the names of the Massachusetts military personnel who have fallen in combat since September 11, 2001. Members of U.S. Armed Forces From Massachusetts Killed in Action or Died While on Active Duty, September 11, 2001 to Current Date (Information may be partial or incomplete.) (Sources: CNN ``Forces: U.S. and Coalition Casualties'' and Central Command Public Affairs Office/U.S. Department of Defense) (1) Staff Sergeant Joseph P. Bellavia, Age: 28, Unit: 716th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army, Hometown: Wakefield, MA, Date and Place of Death: October 16, 2003 in Karbala, Iraq. (2) Specialist Mathew G. Boule, Age: 22, Unit: 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, U.S. Army, Hometown: Dracut, MA, Date and Place of Death: April 2, 2003 in central Iraq. (3) Staff Sergeant Joseph Camara, Age: 40, Unit: 115th Military Police Company, Army National Guard, Hometown: New Bedford, MA, Date and Place of Death: May 21, 2003 in an area south of Baghdad, Iraq. (4) Sergeant Justin W. Garvey, Age: 21, Unit: 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army, Hometown: Townsend, MA, Date and Place of Death: July 20, 2003 in Tallifar, Iraq. (5) Private First Class John D. Hart, Age: 20, Unit: 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army, Hometown: Bedford, MA, Date and Place of Death: October 18, 2003 in Taza, Iraq. (6) 1st Lieutenant Brian M. McPhillips, Age: 25, Unit: 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, U.S. Marines, Hometown: Pembroke, MA, Date and Place of Death: July 27, 2003 in central Iraq. (7) Captain Benjamin W. Sammis, Age: 29, Unit: Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, U.S. Marines, Hometown: Rehobeth, MA, Date and Place of Death: April 4, 2003 in Ali Aziziyal, Iraq. (8) Sergeant First Class Daniel H. Petithory, Age: 32, Unit: U.S. Army, Hometown: Cheshire, MA, Date and Place of Death: December 5, 2001 in Afghanistan. (9) Staff Sergeant Bruce A. Rushforth, Jr., Age: 35, Unit: U.S. Army, Hometown: Middleboro, MA, Date and Place of Death: February 21, 2002 in the Philippines.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, every year this House has a responsibility to pass the 13 appropriations bills that fund the activities of the Federal Government. Once the House passes those bills, the United States Senate is supposed to pass them. After that, the House and the Senate get together on a conference committee to resolve the differences between the two versions. Those final bills are passed and then sent to the President for his signature. This is all supposed to happen before the fiscal year ends on September 30. I think it is important to review this material from the perspective of a ninth grade civics class because the Republican leadership seems to have forgotten it. Despite the fact that they control the House, they control the Senate, they control the White House, they even control the courts, they cannot seem to get their act together and do the people's work. So we are forced once again to pass a continuing resolution. It used to be that the Republicans blamed President Clinton for all the delays in legislation. They really got good at blaming him for everything. In fact, I think they kind of miss him. I know I do because the economy was so good and the budget was in surplus. Now, the economy under their leadership is lousy, and we have record deficits. In fact, we have the largest deficit in the history of the United States of America. Then the Republicans used to blame the Democratic Senate for everything. That excuse is gone now, too. We are here for one simple reason. The majority of this House has failed. They did not do their job. They do not want to do their job. And the American people deserve to know that. And what is really amazing is that the House is in session for a day and a half this week. It is Tuesday and this is the last day of business scheduled for the week. I am not sure about other parts of the country, Mr. Speaker, but in Massachusetts, a workweek is generally 5 days and sometimes it is longer, given that in this economy, people have to work sometimes two or three jobs. I doubt that firefighters or steelworkers or teachers or accountants in my district could skip work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and expect to get a full paycheck. The American people deserve a Congress that functions, that does the job given to it by the Constitution and they are not getting it. We all know what is going to happen in the next few weeks. We are going to see some huge, omnibus bill that a few people in a back room have worked out over pizza and cigars and be told that it is a fait accompli, take it or leave it, all because the leadership cannot or will not do their jobs. They did not do their job on the Iraq supplemental because we were not allowed to debate and vote on amendments, amendments that would have paid for the package, as opposed to adding $87 billion to the national credit card burdening our children and our grandchildren with debt. This continuing resolution represents failure and not progress. But failure, Mr. Speaker, has become business as usual around here. Mr. Speaker, we are supposed to be a deliberative body. We are supposed to debate issues. We are supposed to amend bills to make them better to represent the concerns of our constituents. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have a leadership in this House that does not believe in democracy, that does not believe in open debate, that does not believe in the deliberative process. We have a Committee on Rules that kind of acts like the State of California. It does not believe in debate. The fact of the matter is under the Constitution, this is supposed to be a deliberative body. We should debate issues regarding education, regarding unemployment, regarding the economy, regarding health care, regarding things that matter to our constituents each and every day. Yet under this process, we are just kind of kicking the ball down the field and we are told we are going to put this off for another day. And when we put it off, it is going to come back to us in a huge package and no one is going to know what is in the bill. This process is broken. The American people need to understand that the Republican leadership in this House is not doing its job. The Republicans wanted power. It appears they wanted power just for the sake of power. The fact of the matter is they cannot even get along with each other. This is a disgrace that we are at this moment. I would urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the rule.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this rule. Once again, the Republican leadership that runs this House is attempting to stifle debate. Once again, they are trying to rush important legislation through without adequate deliberation. And, once again, they are wrong. And I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reject their tactics. It saddens me to say this, but the United States House of Representatives has become a place where trivial issues are debated passionately and important ones barely at all. And this is an important issue. We are talking about the war in Iraq. We are talking about an enormous, complicated $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill. We are talking about providing the resources our soldiers need to do their jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. And we are talking about the financial health of our Nation and about the priorities of this Congress. Now, at least we were talking about those things until the Republican leadership decided just after midnight last night that they did not want to listen anymore. The Committee on Rules is intended to be a place where debate is structured. It can, and it should be, a tool to manage the House. But under this leadership, the Committee on Rules has become a weapon, a weapon that does not manage debate but smothers it. Now, here is the situation: Yesterday, we passed what the chairman of the Committee on Rules, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), and other Republican leaders described as an open rule. In reality, the rule was not all that open since it did not allow us to offer very thoughtful and important amendments. Amendments to pay for the $87 billion without passing the debt on to our kids, amendments to require the administration to actually come up with a plan for winning the peace in Iraq. Those amendments and so many others, Republican and Democrat, were not made in order. But they said even though we could not vote on our amendments, we could at least talk about them. They called it an open rule. So let us go with that. Now, we are told by the Republican leadership that the Republican leadership is tired. They do not want to debate. They do not want to vote past 2 or 3 today. They are tired or they have trips to take or planes to catch or somewhere else to be. With all due respect, Mr. Speaker, too bad. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation we will consider this year, and we need to get it right. Is this the new standard for appropriations bills? You use an open rule that really is not open until you get sleepy, and then you shut off debate and go home? You muzzle Members of Congress and the people they represent? There has been a lot of rhetoric in this Chamber this week about establishing democracy in Iraq. I want to say to the Republican leadership that you are setting a lousy example for the Iraqi people to follow. We spent one day authorizing this war, one day as legislatures of parliaments from London to Berlin, to Ankara to Santiago spent significant and meaningful time discussing the issue of war and peace. The United States House of Representatives rushed to a war resolution in a single day. We did not ask the tough questions, we did not get the straight answers. I do not think there is a Member in this House who really believes that we met our responsibilities, and here we go again. Now, the leadership tells us you have had 3 days. Well, I do not care if it takes 3 weeks. Let us stay here all weekend for the soldiers in Iraq, for their families, for the people we represent, we cannot afford to get this wrong. Let me say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, many of you had important amendments and thoughtful things to say. If this rule passes, you will be silenced. You know this is wrong. Please take a stand. Do not be a cheap date. Vote no. Because if you do not, this is going to happen again and again and again. Reject this rule and let us get back to work.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the city of Worcester in celebrating the University Commons Nursing Care Center's 10 years of service. During the week of October 20-25, 2003, the Center will celebrate its anniversary with events honoring residents, staff, and families. Affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Health Care, The University Commons Nursing Care Center is a 164-bed facility that provides skilled, sub-acute, and long-term care services. Residents benefit from an environment that provides expert rehabilitation and medical services. Residents also benefit from social and cultural activities that are designed to maximize opportunities for stimulation and growth. Moreover, the University Commons Child Care Service offers educational day care services to children of employees as well as the community at large. This provides residents with an on-going intergenerational program. Mr. Speaker, I am sure that my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives join me in congratulating the University Commons Nursing Care Center for its 10 years of service to the community.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding individual, Roberta R. Goldman who will be receiving the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award from the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee. Mrs. Goldman has worked for years to improve her community in many different ways. In 1982, she joined the Shrewsbury Democratic Town Committee, which she has served on ever since, and currently serves as chairperson of the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Awards program and vice-chairperson of the town committee itself. In 1998 Mrs. Goldman was elected to the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, of which she is now an elected representative from the Second Worcester Senatorial District and a member of the State Committee's Rules Committee. During Michael Dukakis' term as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mrs. Goldman was Director of Education Reform in the Office of Educational Affairs. Her efforts helped to create the Education Reform Act of 1985, an act that she helped to pass when she was a representative of the Eleventh Worcester District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. As State Representative, she served on the committees on Education, Human Services and Elder Affairs. Although Mrs. Goldman generally concentrates on helping Democratic candidates in Massachusetts, she has also ventured outside of the state frequently to campaign in New Hampshire as well as spending a summer in Texas, working for Ann Richards, who was running for Governor. Mrs. Goldman has also worked in Wisconsin partaking in the Dukakis presidential campaign and has given much time to aid former President William Clinton in New Jersey. In addition to Mrs. Goldman's many political endeavors, she is an enthusiastic teacher, working for the Shrewsbury school system since 1971. In 1987, Mrs. Goldman began working at Shrewsbury High School as a social studies teacher. In the early 1990's, Mrs. Goldman established the Political Action Group, a non-partisan organization at Shrewsbury High School, which has enhanced many students' interests in politics and current events. Finally, her contributions to improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities are significant. She is in her sixth term as President of the FOR Special Friends, Inc. Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in congratulating my friend, Roberta Goldman.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this rule, and I oppose the underlying bill. Our policy toward Iraq is one of the biggest issues facing this country today, and every Member of this House deserves an opportunity to have their voices heard. Shamefully, the rule before us does not meet that standard and should be rejected. I also believe that the underlying $87 billion supplemental appropriation bill fails in several key areas. The administration has not provided an adequate plan for success in Iraq. The United States invaded Iraq and now occupies that country. In my view, the war was a mistake based on inadequate and shifting rationales unsupported by the evidence and damaging to our security at home and our standing in the world. Having said that, I recognize that we now have a moral obligation both to support our troops in the field and to help rebuild Iraq. Our soldiers deserve the equipment, training, and supplies they need to continue their remarkable work; and the people of Iraq deserve help in rebuilding their infrastructure and establishing a democratic society. Those are the goals that all of us share, but I have seen nothing from this administration that leads me to believe that a plan exists to get us there. How long will our troops be stationed in Iraq? Why have we not successfully reached out to our allies for help? When can we expect the security situation to improve on the ground? What is the strategy for dealing with increasing ethnic tensions? What is the total price tag of our policy? How many more emergency supplemental bills? Has the war made us safer? Has it reduced terrorism? These are not trivial matters, Mr. Speaker. They are serious and fundamental questions, the answers to which will help determine our success or failure in building a more stable, more secure world. In addition, I am deeply concerned that this bill shortchanges important priorities here at home. Yes, we should build schools and hospitals and roads and bridges in Iraq, but we should build them in this country too. To make matters worse, this bill has no offsets. It is not paid for. It will add $87 billion to our national deficit, and it passes the cost on to our children and our grandchildren, and that is wrong. It has been nearly 6 weeks since President Bush made a speech to the country requesting the money. I simply cannot believe that in those 6 weeks given all the smart people we have in this Congress that the leadership could not come up with a single offset, a single deferred tax break for millionaires, a single corporate loophole to pay for this. But, no. Instead, we are going to charge this money on the national credit card and send the bill to our kids. We are constantly being told that we are at war and that wars demand sacrifices. The young men and women who are serving, being attacked and in some cases dying in Iraq, are certainly sacrificing. The people in the middle class and those trying to get in the middle who rely on adequate funding for education, health care, and housing, veterans benefits, they are sacrificing. But heaven forbid that we ask the Nation's millionaires to defer a small portion of their tax cuts. Mr. Speaker, our policy in Iraq is not working. I simply cannot support a bill that merely endorses the status quo. We are being asked to close our eyes and spend $87 billion on top of the $79 billion that we have already spent and that nobody can seem to account for. Right now there is a kid from Massachusetts on some corner in Baghdad wondering what he is doing there, wondering when he is coming home, wondering if he will have a job or health care when he comes back. He deserves a voice in this Congress. This House spent a grand total of 1 day, 1 day, debating the resolution authorizing war. We did not ask the tough questions. We did not get straight answers. We abdicated our responsibilities, and we must not make the same mistake again. Congress should do its job. We need to get this right, to spend this money wisely, not just for the future of Iraq but for the future of that young man from Massachusetts, his family, the thousands like him serving in Iraq, and the millions of Americans here at home. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and to oppose the underlying bill.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of Mildred A. O'Neill, the widow of our late Speaker, colleague, and friend Tip O'Neill. Millie O'Neill, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89, was a remarkable woman. She was a loving wife and mother, a tireless activist, and a dear friend. She was also a true daughter of Massachusetts. According to her son Tom, Millie had taken a nap so that she could watch last night's Red Sox playoff game, and passed away in her sleep. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Red Sox won their game. I am sure that Millie is smiling. All of us who admired and loved Tip O'Neill felt the say way about Millie. As Father Donald Monan, the former president of Boston College so beautifully said at the late Speaker's funeral mass, ``The pride of the Speaker's life was not the Medal of Freedom or the Legion of Honor, it was the love of his beloved Millie, who gave courage to his struggles and gave measure to his successes and loving understanding through all his illness.'' Mr. Speaker, I know that all of my colleagues join me in keeping the O'Neill family in our thoughts and prayers. And I will include the obituaries of Millie O'Neill from the Boston Globe and Boston Herald in the Record. [From the Boston Globe, Oct. 7, 2003] Mildred O'Neill, 89; Wife, ``Partner'' of Political Icon (By Ron DePasquale) Mildred A. ``Millie'' O'Neill, widow and celebrated sweetheart of Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill Jr., former speaker of the US House of Representatives, died in her sleep yesterday in her Bethesda, Md., home, her family said. Her son, former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III of Boston, said Mrs. O'Neill had taken a nap, so she could catch last night's Red Sox playoff game, when she died. She was 89. Her son called her a ``lovely, perfect lady'' who enjoyed taking care of her family and working for charity. His parents' love was inspiring, he said. ``They were inseparable at a very early age and right through to the end of their lives,'' he said. On the dedication page of his 1987 autobiography, ``Man of the House,'' Tip O'Neill referred to his wife as ``The Speaker of My House. A loving wife, mother and my partner through so many triumphs and trials.'' Anyone involved in Massachusetts politics from the 1940s to the 1980s could remember Tip O'Neill singing the 1930s' tune ``Apple Blossom Time'' to his wife, said US Representative Barney Frank of Newton. ``Whenever you were with the two of them, everybody was happy,'' Frank said last night. ``They were like some couple out of the movies. The sense of warmth that existed between the two of them was just extraordinary.'' Born Mildred Miller in Somerville in 1914, she met her future husband at St. John's High School in North Cambridge, where she graduated in 1932. At a 1999 Boston College ceremony honoring her husband with a permanent library exhibit, Mrs. O'Neill said, ``Life with Tom was a wonderful experience, and I am proud to have shared those 50 years and see parts of it displayed at this library.'' Tip O'Neill died in 1994, ending a storied life as one of the country's premier politicians. He retired from the House in 1986 after 50 years in politics. His wife was a constant presence in his social and political circles. In his autobiography, O'Neill wrote that when he became speaker and Millie learned that other wives never knew when their husbands were coming home at night, she told him, ``I don't want you keeping them in the House until 8 or 9 at night. And that, more or less, marked the end of evening sessions in the House.'' Mrs. O'Neill was chair or a member of the boards of the March of Dimes, the Congressional Wives Club, and the International Club. As chairwoman of the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, she was one of the first to receive the Lincoln Award, in recognition in 1984 for spearheading a $4 million fund-raising drive. ``Now, Mildred, you may have suspected now and then that from time to time your husband and I find something about which we disagree,'' President Ronald Reagan quipped at the awards ceremony. ``But there is one thing that we sure agree on--he's lucky, mighty lucky, to be the man in your life. On behalf of everybody with whom you work, your work for this grand, old theater has meant so much, Millie, that we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'' The O'Neills lived in Cambridge until 1976, when Tip was named speaker and the family moved to Washington. The city of Cambridge dedicated the north branch of its library as the Mildred A. O'Neill Library in 1995. Raymond L. Flynn, former mayor of Boston, said, ``She was a great friend. She was just a remarkable mother and led a wonderful life and was a great representative for America.'' In addition to her son, Mrs. O'Neill leaves two daughters, Rosemary of Washington and Susan of Bethesda; a son, Christopher, also of Bethesda; a sister, Dorothy Ryan, of Marstons Mills; and eight grandchildren. A son, Michael, died in 1997. A funeral Mass will be said Friday at 10 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church in Cambridge. Burial will be at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Harwichport, where Mrs. O'Neill had long summered.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Reverend Paul D. Kennedy, pastor at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester, Massachusetts and to recognize his achievement as the first ever recipient of the Children's Friends Inc. Ambassadors Award. I am proud of Rev. Kennedy's services. The Children's Friend Inc. was established in 1849 by a group of concerned Worcester citizens to provide a ``safe home'' for the city's most vulnerable children: the orphaned, the abandoned, and the neglected children. The central mission of Children's Friend's is ``to promote the emotional, social and physical health of a needy and diverse population of children and to advocate of their rights.'' The Children's Friend Inc. Ambassadors Award was established to honor a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited to represent an organization's permanent mission to the community. Rev. Kennedy first became involved with the Children's Friend Inc. in 1993 and served on the organization's Board of Directors from 1994 to 2002. He was presented with this award because of his tireless and continued effort to advocate for the well being and welfare of children. This is a testimony to the power that one individual can utilize to benefit the lives of many. In addition to this achievement, Rev. Kennedy has served the Massachusetts Lutheran and Episcopalian community in a distinguished manner for well over 20 years. After graduating from Harvard Divinity school and the Hamma School of Theology at Wittenberg College, Rev. Kennedy began his career as a pastor at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Since then, he has actively and impressively represented his own congregations and the greater church community through the numerous positions. Some of his many outstanding contributions include serving as delegate to the Lutheran Church in America Convention four times and holding a variety of positions for the Lutheran Service Association, and the Lutheran Social Service of New England. Rev. Kennedy's commitment to social service and human welfare is extensive. He sat on the American Red Cross Board of Directors, and served as President of the Worcester Chapter of the American Cancer Society. He was a member of the Board of Trustees at Upsula College and currently sits on the Board of Trustees at Endicott College. Mr. Speaker, I am certain that the entire U.S. House of Representatives joins me in congratulating Rev. Kennedy for this high honor.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I yield back my time, I again want to thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), and the gentleman from Minnesota (Ranking Member Oberstar), and the gentleman from Tennessee (Chairman Duncan), and the gentleman from Illinois (Ranking Member Costello), and the staff of the full Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for all their work on this bill. This is a good bill, and it deserves to be passed. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.