Scott McInnis

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Bono]. (Mr. BONO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, one of the benefits of this job is the excitement that we get when we have the opportunity to engage in general debate. But I am a little curious. The gentleman from Massachusetts of course has the opportunity to vote ``no'' on the conference report, and the gentleman from Massachusetts is going to have an opportunity certainly to engage in bringing his points forward in general debate. I would yield to the gentleman for an answer to the question: Do you have an objection to the rule passed on voice vote up in the Committee on Rules? This is the rules debate. Do you have an objection, and the same with the gentleman from Wisconsin, to the specific rule?

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to compliment the gentlewoman from Texas, because she has distinguished correctly the difference between this debate and the next debate. She did state that she was going to support the rule, and that is what this debate is about. As we are nearing the vote, I would urge Members to remember that this is on the rule. We are going to have the general debate in a few minutes. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the key here is we are being absolutely ignorant, and in fact we are being malfeasant in office, if we refuse to acknowledge the fact that we have to prepare for defense against missiles. We lucked out, frankly, in Iraq and the Persian Gulf situation. We were able to stop some of those missiles. We need to improve that technology. It is going to happen again. I might also add, the gentleman and I periodically see each other working out. I would add that the person working out who is in the best shape and who is the strongest person in the facility is the person who spends the most time on it. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I guess I need to make a couple points, particularly with some of the background that I have got with North Korea. I should advise the preceding speaker that if North Korea, for example, were to launch a nuclear weapon into Tokyo, or, as science progresses and they gain the ability, which they will gain within a very short period of time, to launch a nuclear weapon into the center of San Francisco, it will not take a ``whole platoon'' of missiles to be effective. The preceding speaker ought to be advised just one of those type of missiles anywhere could be very effective. I would also like to advise the preceding speaker that when he talks about the working class, first of all, most people I know are in the working class. When I talk to them, they want a strong defense. I agree with the preceding speaker that we need some balance, but I think that some of the remarks are somewhat exaggerated by the speaker, especially in regards to the missile. I am very curious, hearing the strong comments about this budget, to see just exactly where the preceding speaker thinks the money is going to come from for the deployment by the Democratic President for troops in Bosnia, putting ground troops into Bosnia? I would be interested to see how his vote comes down on the deployment by our President to put those troops in Bosnia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 seconds to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Kennedy].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think that is somewhat of an exaggeration by the preceding speaker, that every time the aircraft take off, they fall out of the sky. I think that deserves a correction. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maine [Mr. Longley].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would suggest to the gentleman that just preceded me that to reduce the defense budget in the proportions that he is talking about means we are going to have to have fairly dramatic cuts in personnel. Obviously the largest expenditure in the defense budget is personnel. It is a little ironic to hear the gentleman on one night speaking about how the deficit is making Federal employees be furloughed and the next day suggesting huge cuts in personnel in the military budget. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Frost], pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During the consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. House Resolution 271 is a straightforward resolution. The proposed rule merely waives all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration. This resolution was reported out of the Committee on Rules by voice vote. Mr. Speaker, members of this House often stand on the floor and debate whether various programs should be conducted by Federal, State, or even local government. However, Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing that the State governments cannot do, or one thing the local governments cannot do, that is to provide for the national defense, the national security, and the intelligence requirements of the United States of America. The Congress and the President, as Commander in Chief, alone have this obligation. I urge my colleagues to support this rule. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, the rule was passed by voice vote. We have just heard the comments from the gentleman, and of course, the ranking member on the Committee on Rules. I would urge my colleagues to vote for the rule. We can move right in, get past that, and get into a very healthy general debate. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, [[Page H 13050]] simply to say that I agree with the gentleman from Florida, that if one is going to vote one way and talk another way the next day, that is not very consistent.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am amazed by this testimony. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young], and ask the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Woolsey] to stay on the floor.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Solomon], the chairman of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would just add that the previous speaker on my side of the aisle is absolutely correct. This debate right now is not the general debate on the military expenditures, and that is probably where the rest of this would be more appropriate. This debate is about the rule. I would remind all of my colleagues in the House Chamber this rule was passed by voice vote in the Committee on Rules when we had a recorded vote on it. It is a conference report, but when the bill came up, it was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. I think it is appropriate to move this on, get to a vote, and go into general debate.

Mr. McINNIS. If the gentleman will yield, may I ask the gentleman's position on the bill?

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all, I think that the previous speaker points out that the President's budget that this conference report comes out above that, I think he should kind of paint the entire picture. No. 1, this conference report is $746 million less than the House report. No. 2, nearly $400 million less than the bill that we passed a year ago. Paint the entire picture. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dornan].

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Young], the chairman of the subcommittee.

Mr. McINNIS. Reclaiming my time, the gentleman still has not answered the question: When the final tally comes, do you object to the rule? I yield for a response to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I reclaim my time and yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. McINNIS. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. McINNIS. Why is the gentleman using the chart?

Mr. McINNIS. I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding. If the gentleman is going to get any kind of cuts proportionate to the comparisons on those charts that he is making with Russia, tell me how you are going to get those kinds of cuts by just cutting out the B- 2 bomber. You cannot do it.

Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 271 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McINNIS

Mr. McINNIS. Madam Speaker, I think that it is very important that we put today's events and the events over the last several years in its proper perspective. A lot of people in our Chambers think that the crisis started at midnight last night. That crisis did not start at midnight last night. This crisis has been going on for years and years and years. The old bad habits in Washington, DC, have forced this country into a position of fiscal insanity. We heard some of the previous speakers talk about extremes. You want to hear about extremes? Compare this: Right now your Government in this country is spending $30 million an hour more than it brings in, $30 million an hour. I ask the American people, how many of you out there in America can overspend your budget in the same proportion that the Federal Government has been allowed for year after year after year after year to overspend its budget? When are we finally going to stand up to this fiscal insanity, when are we going to finally get the courage to stand up and say you cannot continue to run a government like you are running this Government in Washington, DC? If you think the people out there in America are confident about Washington, ask them if they think for their taxpayer dollar they are getting a bang for their dollar, a bang for their buck? I think you are going to find the answer is no. Ask the American people what it is like to spend the first 2 hours and 45 minutes of every workday of their working career just to pay taxes? In other words, when they go into work at 8 o'clock in the morning, it is not until a quarter to 11 or so before they finally get to put some money in their own pocket. Ask the American person what it is like to owe more money to the Federal Government as a result of this Federal deficit than most families owe on their home mortgage. Ask the American family what it is like to pay more in taxes than they pay for transportation, for housing, for clothing, and for recreation combined. Madam Speaker, we have got to do something about this fiscal insanity. Now, sure, everybody said my gosh, the sun is not going to come up today after the Government shuts down. I venture to say in comparison to the fiscal crisis we have got, it is going to be classified as an inconvenience. I hear some of my colleagues up here telling you about Medicare. It is the Democrats' position to drop the premiums. Folks, this is a fund that is in fiscal trouble. It is going bankrupt. Even Clinton's advisors, even the President's advisors, said this fund will be bankrupt if we do not do some fiscal management on it. You cannot lower the premiums right now. By the way, if you lower the premiums, it does not lower the cost. The cost stays the same. Who makes up the difference? All the rest of the taxpayers in this country. Folks, we have to stand up to the line and accept the responsibility, just like every constituent we have got out there accepts their personal responsibility with their personal checkbook, with their personal family, every month. That is what this is about. It is not about the Medicare issue. That is a diversion. It is not about whether or not to use the trust funds out of Social Security. That is a diversion. The question is, will this country get to a balanced budget? Will this country operate fiscally like every family in America is expected to operate? Most of the people on this side of the aisle say no, business as usual. Let us continue to run this deficit. But those of us, some of us who have been labeled as extremists, say wait a minute, it is not asking the impossible. It is not unusual to expect the representatives of this Government in Washington, DC, not to accept business as usual, but to demand from the American Government that we operate our budget like the American people operate theirs.