Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Members, I think that this amendment is well in order. First of all, I want to thank the chairman of the committee, Mr. Frank, and also Mr. Sires, who has been a leader in this, my friend from New Jersey, and also Chairwoman Waters. Mr. Chairman, this amendment simply, on page 3, line 23, gives those individuals who find themselves in the middle of a dispute between the Department of Housing and Urban Development and a local housing authority, when that particular local housing authority falls into receivership, all agreements that have been agreed upon as it relates to tenants and that housing authority should be honored when that takes place. Case in point: In south Florida we were awarded a HOPE VI grant, and the housing authority failed the residents in being able to implement that grant, and then the residents and housing authority came together for the better good to make sure there weren't a number of homeless individuals, and those agreements ended up going south. And I think there are other communities that will be going through this in the very near future. I am offering this amendment, and hopefully the Members will accept this amendment in good faith and it will help us move forward as we look at these situations in the future. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I would like to recognize the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) for 1 minute.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Carol P.W. Weatherington on the occasion of her retirement from the Miami-Dade County Public School System (MDCPS) after over 30 years of service and dedication. Mrs. Weatherington's original ambition was to serve her community in the healthcare field as a nurse. Yet, after she interned as a teacher for the MDCPS she quickly realized that she had a gift in uplifting and building positive relationships with young people in an effort to prepare them for a bright future. A native Miamian, she grew up in Coconut Grove and attended George Washington Carver Senior High School. After graduating from high school, she decided to break her family's tradition of attending Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and matriculated to Bethune-Cookman College. She then obtained her master's degree in education from Nova Southeastern University. She complimented her educational achievements with her involvement in various organizations such as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Educational Excellence School Advisory Committee (EESAC), Language Arts Chairperson, Eighth Grade Team Leader/Eighth Grade Activities Advisor, and President of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Bethune-Cookman University Alumni Association. She began her career as a Language Arts teacher at Brownsville Middle School. During her 15 years at Brownsville Middle, she witnessed her students' reading level scores soar dramatically. Today, many of her students continue to thank her for teaching them their reading fundamental skills. Following her tenure at Brownsville Middle, she went on to continue teaching at Rockway Middle School where she received numerous accolades, including a nomination for ``Teacher of the Year''. Presently, she is teaching Language Arts and Reading at Charles R. Drew Middle School, and is successfully meeting the challenge of educating the needs of her community's young people. This public servant has shared over 20 years of marriage bliss with Major Arnie Weatherington, and has one daughter, Argatonia. She has been a diligent and dedicated steward at Greater New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church where she devotes countless hours to the Youth Ministry, as a Sunday school teacher and assisting with other church activities and projects. It is an honor to have the privilege of knowing this valued educator and leader of the Miami-Dade County community and beyond. I salute Mrs. Carol P.W. Weatherington on behalf of a grateful community that she truly loves and cares for. Now, in retirement, she embarks upon new challenges in life and I am certain her legacy of greatness will only grow and develop as she enters this new phase of life. I wish her every happiness and success.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, let me just say, I think it's important that you talk about our stimulus package, talk about the realities of the stimulus package, this bipartisan package. And I think it's important that everyone pay very close attention to not only what we are saying but what we must do. This is a perfect example of how we worked in a bipartisan way. And I have always said bipartisanship is only allowed when the majority allows it to happen. And how we came off of the recess, came back here to Washington, DC, to respond to the crisis that's facing the country. It is not over. It is a temporary fix. You have a Band-Aid box. This is one of the medium-size Band-Aids in the box. It is not one of the big Band-Aids that's there. I think it's important, and you gave the numbers out, on what happens in New York. But we have 8.3 million households on average that will receive $819 for those that are eligible for this stimulus package. And, Mr. Speaker, it was targeted towards the working families and seniors and those that fall under certain thresholds that we will be talking about in further detail here on the floor when we can talk about the stimulus package and talk about some of the benefits, especially for some of the working Americans who are trying to figure things out. A lot of the folks, they like to sit down at their dining room table and kind of work this whole piece out on their taxes. Everyone doesn't go into what you may call an H&R Block or something like that to get their taxes done. Some folks sit right there at the dining room table and try to work it out themselves. So I think it's very important that it's really no secret when we provide tax incentives for rebates for small businesses so that they can grow, and also when we provide those rebates for those families that are eligible, especially the tax child credit, because a lot of folks miss out on that. They're not paying attention to what is going on. And even sometimes individuals that are preparing your taxes, you have to kind of know something when you sit down at that table. There are Americans in all parties and those that are nonaffiliated parties and those who have not even started voting yet, there are a number of people that you sit down with your tax person, you don't want to sit there with your mouth hung open not necessarily knowing what is going on. You need to know a little bit about what is happening. It is almost like walking into a car lot. You want to know something about the Blue Book value of the car. You want to know the sticker price. You want to know list. You want to know all of those things so that you will have at least some level of knowledge and edge on what is happening. So many Americans leave money on the table, and I think, Ms. Clarke, I have asked some of my staff members to get with the Ways and Means staff to talk about how much money is left on the table every year that Americans are eligible for, working Americans are eligible for, small businesses are eligible for that they're not aware of. So they sign that tax document, not the person that's preparing. I mean, they do, too, but ultimately, the taxpayer has to sign it. And you are responsible for what is on it and what comes back to you, if you have anything that's coming back.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy when the two of us, Ms. Clarke and I, are on the floor because I like that New York-Florida thing going on, and I tell a lot of folks, Mr. Speaker, whenever I'm in New York, I will always smile at New Yorkers because I think eventually they're going to be my constituents one day in Florida. But it's always good to work with Ms. Clarke who is a public servant and who has served in the local government and where the rubber meets the road as it relates to that. Mr. Speaker, as we start to talk about the budget, I want the Members to have the information that I am providing and Ms. Clarke is providing here on the floor. And all of this information can be found on-line on www.majorityleader.gov. It is a budget clearinghouse that's there. Everything that we show here on the floor will be eligible on www.majorityleader.gov. And they will be able to pull this information down. And I think it's important to share and have transparency as we look at this budget. I think the success of the 30-Something Working Group that we have had over the years is that we've shared the good, bad, and ugly as it relates to not only budgets, but also to initiatives that we are trying to push through Congress. But like I said, just 2 weeks ago we were talking about holding the line on bipartisanship and making sure the stimulus package passed, and I'm glad we were able to do it and we can all stand under one flag. I'm going to try to kind of zip through these charts real quick because I know Ms. Clarke and I have some back-and-forth to do in discussing this budget and what it means, but I just want to frame the debate here. As you look at this dramatic deterioration in the budget picture, you have to look at the deficit in the billions. These numbers you see are in the billions. The last Clinton administration, when you look at after President Clinton left office, there was a $1.28 billion surplus that's there. You can see that right after President Bush took office, we automatically started deficit spending. This chart is not a chart that was put together by me independently. This is what the Office of Management and Budget has put forth. These are the numbers from the Office of Management and Budget that is overseen by the President's administration, and so these are their numbers. When you're looking at $158 billion in 02 deficit; $378 billion in '03; $413 billion in '04; and in '05, $318 billion; '06, $248 billion, '07, $162 billion; and here we are in '08, for the FY09 budget, the President is looking to carry us to $110 billion. And then following in '09, $107 billion. This is his proposed budget. Now let's just talk about this one chart just for a second. I just wanted to shed some light, and then we will move to the next one very quickly. It's important that Americans understand what we're talking about. So when you hear folks on the floor start talking about tax cuts for the very wealthy and those who did not ask for tax cuts and saying that has to stay alive to be able to help our economy, I want you to reflect back to this chart here. This chart can be seen on majorityleader.gov. Ms. Clarke, I know you're familiar with this chart. This chart has been an ongoing chart in the 30-Something Working Group. We talk about President Bush more than doubles the foreign-held debt. It took 42 Presidents 224 years to build up $1 trillion of foreign-held debt. What do we mean by foreign- held debt? This means that foreign countries like China, OPEC, oil- producing countries, this means that Taiwan, this means that Japan, this means that India, this means that countries that we may have issues with, Argentina, a number of countries, they have bought our debt and we borrow money from them. What does this mean? Forty-two Presidents, $1.01 trillion, 224 years of history in the country, from 1776-2000; 7 years of George W. Bush, some of it is with a rubber-stamp Congress until recently, until the American people spoke in the last election, and we're looking at $1.33 trillion in foreign-owned debt. What does this mean for the country? I can tell you exactly what it means. It means that countries now look at America in a totally different light. It's almost like you having a friend, Ms. Clarke, and you borrowing some money. If I was to come to you and say, goodness, Ms. Clarke, Yvette, can I borrow $20? Okay. But you see me 3 weeks from now and on your mind, right here in the center of your forehead, you're thinking about that $20. You're thinking if I am ever going to pay you that money again. So, now my influence as it relates to being a ``Member of Congress'' has been altered a little bit because you're now judging my ability to handle my own finances. We make the same money and all that kind of stuff, and you're saying, why does he have to borrow $20, and, better yet, has no real will or desire to pay me back? So that's where we are right now as it relates to the country. I think that people need to pay very close attention to that chart. And that was just updated in December of last year. What's left out of Bush's budget? The cost of the war beyond 2009. I think that's very, very important because when you look at this cost of the war, it is not included, and budget analysts have said that it will be $489 billion over the next 5 years. But then again, the President says he is going to balance it very soon. The AMT, which is alternative minimum tax reform, beyond 2008 is not there. That means that those middle-class families that you're not even recognizing in the President's budget, the spending policy details and beyond of 09 as relates to discretionary is not there. So it's kind of like saying we're going to balance the budget, but we're going to leave major ingredients out to be able to balance it and show how we're going to do it. The President may only have one more year in office, but the responsibility as chief executive officer goes beyond that to be able to set the stage. What you want to do when you come into a job or you're leaving a job, just for anyone, if you're leaving a job, what do you do? You get everything in order for the next person to come in and to be able to have something to work with when he or she gets there. I think that it's important that the President does that. You're talking about the chief executive of the United States of America. So look at what he was left with, a $128 billion surplus. And look what he is proposing to leave for the next woman or man to take office. So he had a very ideal situation. And now I'm not blaming this on the President, I'm just saying the Republican majority that we're trying to work with to get out of it now proposing to leave for the next woman or man that deficit. So when we look at the President's proposed deep cuts and key priorities, I want to make sure that every law enforcement officer, which I used to be a State trooper, Ms. Clarke and Members, when you look at the COPS program, that's the Community Oriented Police, these are your bicycle patrol, these are your individuals that prevent crime, don't show up after it's done, but prevent it, and provide other alternatives to youth so that they don't get into trouble. The President cuts that 100 percent. And so when you look at that in the 08 budget, and what we fought for here, we started out with $587 million, I think it's important that everyone understands that that has been cut 100 percent. Weatherization, and this is important in Ms. Clarke's area especially. This is the home heating and all the things that our seniors and financially challenged folk need, 100 percent cut. When you look at Department of Homeland Security, State first responder grants, 78 percent cut. First responders, police officers, pay attention to what I'm saying because I want to make sure when folks around here are ho-humming and talking about, well, you know, I'm in support of the present situation as it relates to the White House, I want you to pay attention. This is not my budget. This is the President's budget that I'm talking about here that is not reflecting the priorities of the American people. The EPA clean-up for water grants, 21 percent cut. When we look at community development block grants, these grants build fire stations, they build community centers that allow local government to be able to do something with Federal dollars for the betterment of their community, a 20 percent cut. And the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which is again for those that are financially challenged in the country, they're receiving these deep cuts. I'm coming in for a landing here and I know, Ms. Clarke, you're going to take it home for me. What Bush inherited and what Bush is leaving behind. I started to tee that up, and that's a golf term, before I got to this chart. A record $1.6 trillion surplus. $400 billion annual deficits. You've got to look at it from this standpoint, and this is available from that Web site I gave you. On track to pay down all publicly held debt when he came in. Exploiting debt burden, short term, so that folks can understand what's going on. The strongest economy in three decades. Economic slowing down sharply, on comparisons. When you look at a robust job growth, and then also when you look at what Bush is leaving for the next person, the weakest job growth since the Hoover administration. I think when you look at this, I am teeing this thing up, and the way I'm trying to line it up, and Ms. Clarke is going to share with us, also, is the fact that the only way we can bring about change is in a bipartisan way that Democrats and Republicans work together and do what we did in the economic stimulus plan. Everyone didn't get what they wanted, but the American people are going to be the short-term winners of being able to receive those dollars and being able to make ends meet. And it was an emergency situation. But I think as it relates to our fiscal situation, that is an emergency. And I think it is something that so many folks should be able to pay attention to. The costs that weren't there, as I turn it over to Ms. Clarke, the $187 million that was left out of the President's budget. Also alternative minimum tax costs not included, some $408 billion over the next 5 years. The costs for the war not included, $489 billion over the next 5 years. Again, all of this information is on majorityleader.gov ``budget clearing house'' for you to see this information, Democrat, Republican, individuals that are concerned about what's going on here in Washington. Ms. Clarke.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Ms. Clarke, you are a proud member of the 30- Something Working Group. And, Mr. Speaker, as I mention a lot on the floor, we just don't come to the floor and say, hey, let's go to the floor and talk to our colleagues, let's give a floor speech. Actually, there are is number of meetings that take place in gathering this information to make sure that it is factual. And I think the reason why we are a solid tree in the forest, the 30-Something Working Group, on both sides of the aisle and dealing with the executive branch is that we do our homework. We don't just come to the floor to say things that we think sound good. It's actually something backed up by fact, not fiction. And I think it's important. If we were to play more in the fact versus fiction arena, I think we would get a lot more done here in Washington, DC. Some of the things that we talked about in the stimulus package, just to recap, are things that are not there. There were some unemployment issues that folks wanted in there. There were some infrastructure issues and putting Americans to work, need it be building bridges or building roads or what have, to put Americans to work. Also, there was a great discussion about green collar jobs. When you talk about green collar jobs, a lot of folks hear that out in the political world, but I don't think people really break it down to what it really means. And those jobs where we can reduce energy costs in many of our communities. For instance, if you have a flat or an angled roof, trying to put sod on the top, seal it off and put sod on the top to bring that heating and also cooling cost down, that will be a green collar job. That won't be an overseas job. That will be a job where someone could have dropped out of high school or graduated from high school, those that went on and received a 4-year education, those who went on to a master's, doctorate's, architect's, all of these folks will be employed through those kinds of efforts. We have had an economy, Mr. Speaker and Ms. Clarke, that has been really based on borrowing, when you think about it. The economy has been set towards your taking out that second mortgage to keep the economy going, cutting interest rates to encourage more borrowing. Back in the old school not too far along, I remember when folks wouldn't buy a car unless they could pay for it. Now it's just common to say what's that interest rate, or is this the rebate I get back from the company? And then now I'm all into this thing for 5 or 6 years, and in some instances for some Americans so they can have transportation to move their kids around and make it to their job, 9 years. I have some constituents that are out there for 9 years on a car loan. So it's a serious situation, and it is something that is an accepted practice now. When you have a home, of course, getting a loan, you know you will get some equity. Hopefully, that value will go up. But because of the economy, because of the slowdown in the housing market, values are not going up on homes. So some people are losing, and that's the reason why we have this whole mortgage piece. Folks got excited again with subprime mortgages, getting people into homes that they couldn't afford, and we are in this situation on a borrowed economy. So I think it's important to be able to break that, to be able to have an economy based on jobs, not borrowing. And that's the reason why it's important that folks pay very close attention on whom they elect to be the next President of the United States, that they pay very close attention to those they have already elected to be able to govern here in this House and in the Senate, because you shouldn't forestall this off to January of next year when the next President, he or she, raises their hand on the west side of the Capitol and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States. We know that the President sets forth the budget. We know we also have a say here in the House. The Senate has a say. We should exercise that. I think, Ms. Clarke, your presentation was right on target. And I'm glad you said that I was being kind, because I am glad that Brooklyn is represented once again, making sure that people know what they need to know. With that, Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue to work on this issue of the budget. We want to come back and get into further detail as it relates to incentives that are out there for small businesses and also for families that are eligible for rebates, working families, and also continue to shed light on the Bush tax cuts that are out there. I think it's important that people pay very close attention. How did we get to those recordbreaking deficits, giving people tax breaks that they didn't ask for. And that is not turning over into the economy, because if it was turning over into the economy, we would not have had to pass a stimulus package. We wouldn't be on the floor talking about some of the issues that we are facing right now. So we are about solutions. That's why we come to the floor this time of night, with the Democratic majority that's willing to work in a bipartisan way with the Republican minority to be able to do what's best on behalf of the American people. With that, Mr. Speaker, we would like to encourage the Members, if they have any comments or anyone has any comments based on the presentation tonight, to e-mail us at 30SomethingDems@mail.house.gov. With that, Mr. Speaker, it was an honor addressing the House once again.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it's so good to see my friends on the Republican side talking about making sure that we help people and help the economy. And today, you know, we had a bipartisan piece of legislation that the President signed, which is good, this stimulus package. Of course all of the pieces in that package did not turn out the way everyone wanted it to turn out, but we knew that we had to get it in the hands of American people. It puts hundreds of dollars into the hands of almost 130 million Americans, disabled veterans, also seniors, who will spend these dollars immediately. Mr. Speaker, I must also say, here in the 30-Something Working Group we talked a lot about the bipartisanship. And my good colleague, Yvette Clarke from the great State of New York represents Brooklyn, and was a part of that bipartisanship that we shared here on this floor. Here in the 30-Something Working Group, we talk about how we can work together on behalf of all Americans, not just Democrats, power Democrats or power Republicans, but also independents. And I think it's important when we work together we're able to achieve goals on behalf of the American people. That's what we're looking for. But, Ms. Clarke, one the things that I guess, or two of the things we're going to talk about tonight, not only the President's signing the stimulus package that the House and Senate worked on in a bipartisan way, but we also have to talk about the budget a little bit tonight. I was hoping, since it's one of these cold nights in Washington, DC, that maybe we can accomplish this in a record time of being able to allow folks who, the Federal Government was delayed 2 hours today in opening, but pretty much everyone showed up at my office, and we know that folks have to get home. But I think it's important, because so many Americans, when the tax rebate comes in, which will be a separate check, their stimulus check will come in and hopefully it will be able to help folks be able to make ends meet. This tax credit has also offered a one-time rebate of $300 per child. I think that's very, very important for those that are eligible to be able to get that one-time rebate per child. Also, it expands financial opportunities for Americans in danger of losing their homes because of the mortgage crisis. And as you know, Mr. Speaker and Ms. Clarke, we have to make sure that we bring about the comprehensive reform that we need. A number of Americans are losing their homes. A lot of us back in our districts, you know, I'm going to have not only a workshop, but an ongoing working group in helping the folks in my district be able to keep their homes. That's the number one investment tool that we use when we do need money. Having that home and owning that home and having equity in that home is very, very important. Also it promotes small business investment in plants and equipment, and it helps create 500,000 jobs by the end of this year. And I think that just looking at some of the points in this economic stimulus plan, this is a temporary fix. It's not what all of us here wanted. But on behalf of the American people and on behalf of our economy, we have to make sure that we make these ends meet. One other thing I just want to add, and this is an AP story, Ms. Clarke, that the President acknowledged today that the country is suffering a tough period of economic uncertainty. We're going to talk about that when we talk about the Federal budget a little later on, a couple of these charts. You know I love charts. But we're going to talk about that, this economic uncertainty and how we get there because I think it ties into what our colleagues were talking about on the other side of the aisle, talking about all and every last tax cut is a good tax cut. And some tax cuts, especially when you're borrowing the money, I mean, we've got to talk straight to the folks, Ms. Clarke, this economic stimulus package that's going to benefit 130 million Americans, is borrowed money. Let's just go ahead and put it out there now. It's borrowed. I think it's important that we, if we're going to stop borrowing so much money, then we have to be able to set the stage to allow Americans to see exactly what's going on, especially during the political scene. Folks have all these great proposals. Is it paid for? That's my question. When I got here, Mr. Speaker and Ms. Clarke, it was, we're selling the future generation. Now I can honestly say that we're selling today when we talk about some of these charts, especially with the President releasing this budget. But with those opening statements, I yield to you, Ms. Clarke, at this time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute and congratulate the Miami Northwestern Senior High School varsity football team on being crowned the 2007 National Champions voted by ESPN's High School Football Super 25 and winning the 2008 Florida Class 6A State title. The Bulls have concluded the 2007-2008 season with a 15-0 season record and a second consecutive Florida Class 6A State title. The Bulls won back-to-back State championships for the first time in the School's 50-year history. They are only the fourth team from Miami-Dade County to achieve the feat since 1963. Since opening in the fall of 1955, Miami Northwestern Senior High School students and faculty have had a sense of pride unlike any other school in South Florida. The School opened its doors as a learning institution, and nearly 1,050 Black students who attended the School during its opening year were bused daily from Black communities throughout Dade County. Indeed, during this time period segregated schools were still existent and subsisting; thus, Northwestern became the first new high school for Miami African-Americans in a generation. Despite the trials and tribulations the School often fought long and hard to get past, the School won its first State title before integration in 1963. After court ordered desegregation of 1970, Northwestern continued to strive within its football program. In 1995 and 1998 the School won two more State titles. Northwestern, which has the best record of any Dade team (68-13) since 2001, boasts at least seven major Division I recruits on its roster with several others who could go to mid-major programs. Five of those seven have committed to the University of Miami. Among those is senior quarterback Jacory Harris (6-4, 170). He led an offense that scored no fewer than 28 points during the team's winning streak. It is a known fact that the State of Florida produces one National Football League player for every three of its high schools. Northwestern has played a major part in this contribution with 20 notable graduates including: OT Vernon Carey (Miami Dolphins), DB Torrie Cox (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), WR Antonio Bryant (San Francisco 49ers), RB Vernand Morency (Green Bay Packers) and LB Nate Webster (Denver Broncos). William ``Billy'' Rolle, teacher and head football coach, graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School and later Florida A&M University. He began his teaching career in 1985 at Miami Edison Senior High School where he also began coaching football. Rolle guided Northwestern to its 1998 State title, and also led Miami Killian Senior High School to a State title in 2004. Rolle is the only coach in Miami-Dade County history to lead two schools to State championships. Coach Rolle returned to coach the Bulls in 2007 and achieved compiling two of the three State titles the School held. He has been recognized as the 2007 Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly. Rolle is committed to preparing his team for post-secondary educational opportunities, and the world of work. The 2006 State Championship team featured seven stars that could sign with the University of Miami in 2008, as well as infamous star running back Antwan Easterling (Southern Miss). To this day, there are still just as many devoted fans as there were when the School opened in 1955. Not only has the School's academic arena earned noteworthy and positive outcomes throughout the past 53 years, but the School's football program has demonstrated and become the highlight in Miami-Dade County that has continuously produced the best crop of talent in the Nation.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for the very kind words they have given about this great piece of legislation, this resolution. I think it is very, very important, Mr. Speaker, that we come together as a country and celebrate the contributions of other countries and the roles that they played in assisting us not only with our independence but making it concrete. Mr. Speaker, as we look at House Resolution 909, I want to give my sincere thanks to the Committee on Foreign Affairs for bringing this resolution to the floor, and especially shed light on Chairman Lantos for his forward-leaning and making sure that this resolution made it through the process. And he will be forever missed here in this body. And hopefully his memory will continue on, not only on the committee, but here in Congress. I think it is also important that we pause to not only thank staff but also thank Haitian Americans throughout this country that have fought very hard on behalf of this country, not only in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters, but have contributed in many other areas. And that is where this bill came about. The Haitian American Historical Society in Miami, Florida, moved forth with a monument in Savannah of the great battle, and I had an opportunity to go there recently. And there are a number of Haitians and those that care about the well-being of Haiti that wanted to make sure that the contributions of these soldiers were recognized in a way that will be able to allow not only this generation but future generations to understand Haiti's contributions. When you start talking about 500 freed Haitian slaves traveling to Savannah, Georgia, to be a part of a multinational force to fight on behalf of this country against the Brits at that particular time, and to be in the same city where you had people who look like me that were enslaved, and traveling to Savannah is a very moving experience for every American, because so many battles have taken place there and it is such a historical and beautiful city that you can't help but pause to think about the courage. So for us to be on the floor, Mr. Speaker and Members, to not only talk but to pass, hopefully, this resolution will be the first time in the history of the Republic that we have actually said thank you to Haiti, that we have said thank you to the families of the 300 to 500 troops that actually traveled to Savannah to fight on our behalf. I don't believe it is too late, but I think that it is very appropriate for us to be on the floor and allow the Members to show their appreciation for their contributions. As we celebrate not only the contributions of these soldiers but we also shed light with our Members and Americans about the contributions that Haitians have made, I think, as we look at this debate and we look at what we are doing for Haiti right now, we must bring Americans up to speed on the history. The fact that these freed slaves came to Savannah and fought, and the fact that Haiti was one of the first countries to denounce slavery and to fight for their own independence, to fight Napoleon that pushed him to carry out the Louisiana Purchase with the United States of America, these Haitian fighters traveled throughout the Western Hemisphere and played a very strong role in allowing the United States to be who we are. So when we start talking about assistance for Haiti, it is not like it is a one-way street; it is a two-way street. And I am proud to represent a constituency where we have more Haitians than anywhere else in the United States of America, but Haitians throughout the diaspora, this will be a very proud day for them; and I believe it will be a very proud day for them when we vote in the affirmative. When we look at the contributions of Mr. Henry Christopher who fought in the American Revolutionary War, to use his experience from the first free government in the Western Hemisphere, and when we look at what the Haitian Americans Historical Society has spent a number of years to be able to not only bring the Haitian American history to the Congress but to also bring to everyday Americans, I think it is very, very important, Mr. Speaker, that Members share with their constituency the contribution of these great men, and to be able to make sure that we share the history of all communities that have come to this country to make us strong. Once again, I want to thank the committee, and I want to also thank the staff that has worked very hard on it. I know that we have other Members that want to speak in affirming the passage of this legislation. But I am personally moved because I represent a number of individuals that, when we look at immigration policy, when we look at aid to Haiti, when we look at our interventions when coups have taken place in Haiti, as recent as the 82nd Airborne, when we look at those in the State Department that serve within the Foreign Service and the conditions that they have to work under, when we also look at the Peace Corps and other organizations like it, religious institutions, a number of NGOs, that we call nongovernmental organizations, and what they do and where they live in the rural parts of Haiti, providing not only education and food; when we look at their contributions and we look at the conditions they have to work under now as Haiti struggles with natural disasters and struggles with hard economic times, this legislation will help enshrine not only the contributions of Haitians towards the United States, but also Americans returning not only the favor but the goodwill back to the great country of Haiti. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge the Members to vote in the affirmative on House Resolution 909.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, days like this you just have to plow through it. With that, Madam Speaker, it has been an honor to address the House.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to come before the House once again. As you know, the 30-something Working Group comes to the floor to share issues that are before the Congress not only with many of our colleagues but also with the American people. But at this time, Madam Speaker, I am going to yield to Congresswoman Moore.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much, Ms. Moore. And I can tell you anytime we get a chance to come to the floor and honor our patriots is always a day that the Congress should yield and pay respect to not only that individual but also the family. Madam Speaker, I think it's important we start to look at what the Congress is facing right now and the American people are facing right now as it relates to the economy. The news has been for the last 5 to 10 days the economy, stimulating the economy, and it is very important that we do so. And as you know, many news accounts have shown the President, also the Speaker of the House, and the Democratic leader in the Senate meeting. You have also seen meetings with the Republican leadership and Democratic leadership here in the Congress. The American people are counting on us working in a bipartisan way, and I just want to make sure that all Members know that this is nothing new for the Democratic House of Representatives, especially the majority of Democrats that are here, because we came in saying we wanted to work in a bipartisan way. As a matter of fact, Madam Speaker, I went back and pulled out a chart because so many times here in the 30-something Working Group it's important that we share with the Members what we have already done and what we can do. And I will use this chart all the way up to today. Many of these acts took place in the first session of the 110th Congress, and it was the first time, with your help, Madam Speaker, we were able to take the majority of the House: Implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, H.R. 1, passed with 299 Democratic votes with 68 Republican votes. Raising the minimum wage, H.R. 2, passed 315 with 82 Republican votes. The funding for enhanced stem cell research passed 253 with 37 Republican votes. Making prescription drugs more affordable, H.R. 4, passed 255 with 24 Republican votes. And cutting student loan interest rates in half, H.R. 5, passed this House of course with Democratic votes, all the Democratic votes, 356 with 124 Republicans voting with Democrats on that bill in a bipartisan way. And also creating long-term energy initiatives, H.R. 6, which passed 264 votes with 36 of those votes being Republican votes. That's bipartisanship. Those are major pieces of legislation, Madam Speaker. This is nothing new to the Democratic majority. I think it's also important to point to just today here on this floor maybe about 2 hours ago, Democrats and Republicans voted to override the President's veto, and that vote was a bipartisan vote, not enough to stop the President from stopping us from doing what the American people wanted us to do. A bipartisan vote, 265, and that vote was a very important vote. We had 43 Republicans voting with us on that. I think it's important, Madam Speaker, as we start to move forth on this whole economic stimulus discussion that we continue to work in a bipartisan way, but we're going to need more bipartisanship. Democrats are there at the line ready to do it. And I have a document here that's very easy for any Member to get a copy of that was prepared by the office of the majority leader on June 5 of 2007: ``House Democrats' bipartisanship leads to progress.'' And I also would ask all of my Republican colleagues to grab a copy of it. But I think that it's important that we reflect back on this document to really pay attention to what we have already done and what we can do. But we don't want to end up getting ourselves in a situation where we start deal breaking. When I say ``deal breaking,'' we know that the President and we know that the majority leader has met and we know that the Speaker has met at the White House just recently, just yesterday, and they have been meeting and talking on the telephone. As you know, we try to break this down as much as we can. We also know that in the House, we have had a Democratic economic forum, which was December 7, closing out last year. This whole economic stimulus discussion and effort did not start when it started hitting headlines. We were already out there on these issues. Ongoing discussion between House leaders and Secretary Paulson, who is the Secretary of the Department of Treasury, that has been going on. So many dates, too many to note here on this chart. A Democratic leadership letter to the President dated the 11th of this month. Also the Speaker has met with the Federal Reserve Chairman on January 14 and also the Democratic leadership meeting with Republican leaders on January 16. And those discussions continue to go on, some that are documented, some that are undocumented. A Democratic leadership meeting with Republican leaders again the following day. We also had a Democratic and Republican leadership meeting with the Treasury Secretary that took place on January 22, just a day ago. Also a Democratic and Republican leadership meeting with the President that I mentioned a little earlier. We're going to continue to pay attention to this bipartisanship, and when I say ``we,'' I mean those of us in the 30-something Working Group, because I think it should be encouraged. We have always talk about it. I, being a creature of two previous Congresses, always said that bipartisanship can only be achieved when the majority allows it to happen. We have a Democratic majority now that is allowing it to happen. If we start talking and going back and forth on retail politics, the only people that are going to lose are the American people, and I'm not in the business of seeing that happen. I think it's important also to know that there will be statements made and we have to make sure that we clear those statements up so that we don't have misunderstandings and we start going off into another direction on this whole effort of bipartisanship. I'm saying that and I came to the floor with that theme here today because it's important. If folks want to prove the differences between the two parties, find another way to do it, not necessarily on this economic stimulus package because so many Americans, Democrat, Republican, independent, those that can't even vote yet, those individuals that are dealing with the muddiness of life, that don't have what they need to make ends meet, and our economy is not in the posture for us to play games for several months to come going back and forth. So as much as we can as Members of the House, we need to meet. We need to understand one another. When we misunderstand one another, we need to meet again to make sure that we can work together, something that everyone talks about during the election season that they want to go to Washington, D.C. and work in a bipartisan way. I don't care where you are, if your district is 89 percent Republican or 89 percent Democrat or what have you, independent, Green Party, you name it. You don't want to run on the platform that I'm going to Washington, D.C. to be a partisan. You don't run on that platform. You run on the platform that you're going to bring people together, that you're going to work across the aisle to get the job done for your constituents. So I think it is very, very important, Madam Speaker, to put those words into action. And what I am seeing here and what I have seen, Madam Speaker, of the last 4 to 5 days have been what one may see in a piece of campaign literature or what one may see when someone speaks on television about how they are going to do things better if they get an opportunity to do it. You have that opportunity. Don't let that opportunity slip through your fingers when others try to derail the process. Today, I can say that what took place was an effort, and we tried to override the President on the children's health insurance bill, we may say the State Children's Health Insurance program. I think it is important with the 42 Republicans that voted along with Democrats, 218 Democrats voted in affirmative, it wasn't enough to override the President, but it was a part of trying to take some of the burden off American families, because those families that are hurting right now, we know that health care cost is a huge issue when you start looking at how we are going to move this ball forward and how we are going to help American families. There are a number of organizations that are in support of the State insurance plan, what we call SCHIP, that are in support of this great piece of legislation. You have the AARP. You have the American Medical Association. You have Catholic Health Association, and Families U.S.A., along with a host of other organizations that I could spend 30 minutes on the floor reading every last one of them off. But that is not going to make a difference right now for this debate or the action that we were going to take, that hopefully we wanted to take place a couple of hours ago, to be able to allow children that are in need of health care insurance. We were denied that opportunity, and I can't say that the Republicans stopped us. I can say that 42 Republicans did what they had to do to be able to stimulate this, not only this economy, putting more dollars into the pockets, very few dollars into the pockets of Americans so that they don't have to spend those dollars in providing health care to kids that happen to be born into financially challenged families, and that would have been a way to assist them. But there were a number of Republicans that voted against the legislation that denied us from having that opportunity. But I have hope, Madam Speaker, that before this 110th Congress is out we will be able to provide that level of health care. We talked about universal health care. Starting with our children first is very, very imperative for us to be able to head in that direction. As we start dealing with the issues, when we move to the Senate, we have rule 22, that you have to have 60 Senators to be able to bring anything to the floor in an appropriate way or to be able to procedurally get it there. I think it is important because I am trying to look down the road because I have been down this road before. We get that warm and fuzzy feeling in our heart and start believing what we are reading and start saying, Wow, this is unbelievable. People are working together and we are actually going to move something through the process. Republicans are happy. Democrats are happy. And then we run into a handful of Senators, and the Senate may very well say, Well, we are not happy. And the reason why we are not happy is that I want to make sure that I can make some of the tax cuts that have been put out there now that are not right put into the moment, because that is what this is about. This stimulus package is not about stimulating the economy 8 months from now. It is about stimulating the economy right now. And it's important that we get it to the target audience that is going to help us do that. And so I think that any other great ideas that may come out of, independently of the bipartisan discussion that has been going on for almost double-digit days now will be counterproductive to us moving this piece of legislation forward. We know that when we come to final rest on this legislation, we know a lot of things are on the table that are going to create right-now jobs, that are going to create right-now investment, and it is going to be able to get into the hands of Americans that are going to spend those dollars to be able to jump- start our economy, to be able to bring it out of the, quote, unquote, I don't want to use the ``R'' word, but the recession that folks are talking about and that economic indicators some feel we are in, some feel we are not. We have some individuals saying technically we may be in one. The bottom line is the economy is not what it needs to be to be able to continue the United States of being in the position that we are in right now, well, in a better position, a position we have been in the past, of being not only the largest economy in the world as it relates to a nation but also being very strong and very vibrant. We know that we can get in these very high altitude conversations of saying that it is important for us to be able to have trade, it is important for us to see small business start-ups, it is important for American people to be able to buy things at an affordable cost. But it is also important for us to pass this economic stimulus package within days, not weeks, not months. So I want to make sure, speaking to all of my colleagues here in the House, that we move with the spirit of saying that we are going to deal with the target audience that we are trying to reach right now, and that we are going to do it in a way that is bipartisan and that we won't have any last-minute legislative Hail Marys or amendments or procedural maneuvers that will stop us from achieving the goal of carrying out at least one major act at a time of urgency on behalf of the American people. We have done it before with other major pieces of legislation, but this economic stimulus legislation is very, very, very important. Now, Madam Speaker, I think that as we start to look at this, because I want to make sure the Members are able to communicate not only with the 30-Something Working Group but also with me independently, or any staff or what have you that wish to do so, can be reached at 30somethingdems@mail.house.gov. The reason why I give that Web site out, Madam Speaker, we have to call it out when we see it. It is almost like we are in the football season right now, and there is a lot of replays, and some of the replays are called within the last 2 minutes from the officials' box in what you may call the sweet area in a football stadium. And I think it is important that if you see this kind of activity that will derail this bipartisan spirit that we have right now, we need to call it out. We need to be able to say that that is going to be counterproductive. We already know that the agenda in trying to continue the tax cuts that were brought about under President Bush, and I believe the President is in the position of saying we don't need that part of tax legislation to be a part of this stimulus package, that is for another date, that is for us to deal with, that is for us to hash through in the Ways and Means Committee, which I am proud to be a member of, that is another day's debate. It is not a debate on this economic stimulus package that we are going to hopefully bring to the floor within days. I want to be able to head that off so that we don't have to waste the American people's time to really get into this issue of another debate as it relates to the tax issue. So I think it is important as we continue to move through this process that Members communicate with Members because a lot of folks say, well, it is just a lack of communication of the reason why we are not able to be successful in pushing some of these issues forward. I can also shed light on another issue, Madam Speaker, and that issue is the fact that we have a number of different tracks that are taking place here in the House and also in this Congress. The campaign spirit that is out there right now amongst the Presidential candidates, Democrat and Republican, and what we do here, that spirit, the spirit that we have here in the House may very well be broken based on what someone may say, and many of those individuals are Members of Congress, may say as it relates to their plans. Making those political statements here on the floor through legislation or trying to push into an economic stimulus package because someone said it on the campaign trail and for them to be able to say, well, that was just introduced, you know, in the, in this discussion, may be counterproductive if it is not within the spirit of what we are trying to do here. I also would like to share a statement that was made a little earlier today as we start talking about that spirit, and the Republican leader said, I hope that Democrats are not looking to give nontaxpayers rebates or what have you or incentives. I want to just clear it up. I am assuming that he is not speaking of those individuals that are paying payroll taxes, because they are. So many individuals, they don't have to pay because they pay so much in payroll tax, and we do have that. And also when we talk about a targeted audience, that targeted audience is the audience that will put the money into the economy versus saying, Well, I have received this rebate check, or, I have received some sort of incentive that will change my economic attitude towards spending, so I am going to go put it over here and invest it to deal with it at another time and another day. That won't be the kind of investment that will help us move this economy forward. I think it is important for us to pay attention to that, and just because someone is what I define as financially challenged, means that they cannot participate in what we are trying to do in stimulating this economy because we need them and we need them to keep this economy moving. I am glad to see that the spirit of the majority, of Chairman Rangel, who put out a statement today, the economic stimulus package, must help lower and middle-income families, I don't think there is anything wrong with that statement, and I think that it is within the spirit of what we are talking about here. Mr. Rangel goes on to say that the intent of the economic stimulus package has not yet been written, but everything remains on the table; however, I would like to respond to suggestions that various Republican leaders have made to prevent the stimulus package from reaching hardworking families. I think that it is also important that as we look at that, as we look at that statement there, again, we are looking at responding, and we are looking at working within the spirit of this legislation that we are communicating. Many times things are said, like I mentioned here earlier, like the Republican leader mentioned that he was concerned about that it is important to put it in black and white so that everyone can understand. I know, I know my Republican colleagues want to make sure these tax cuts meet lower and middle-class families. I hope that I am not proven wrong as it relates to any vote that may happen in committee or any vote that may happen here on this floor. But it is important that we put these statements out there and for it to be able to reach these hardworking families who work from paycheck to paycheck and make contributions to Social Security and Medicare, as Mr. Rangel goes on to say, or who may have recently lost their jobs, any argument on this issue that will be equally met with vigorous discussion as it relates to tax incentives to businesses. Now, here is another piece as we start to look at this very issue, dealing with businesses and dealing with individuals. The backbone of our economy are small businesses, and I guarantee you that small businesses will be a part of this economic stimulus package. But at the same time, let's not leave back in the dust those Americans that we know that will pump dollars into the economy and we know that have been paying payroll taxes and we know that have been paying into Social Security. So when we look at that, let's make sure that we work in a bipartisan way and that we understand each other. Madam Speaker, I encourage rapid response. I encourage Members to say, Well, if this is the way I feel, I am going to say the way I feel, but at the same time, be able to receive that answer or, at the same time, continue to meet. This chart I pulled out earlier, Madam Speaker, twice on this chart, and we will have it every time we come to the floor in the 30-Something Working Group, Democratic leadership meeting with Republican leaders, 1/16 of this month, Democratic leaders meeting with Republican leaders, 1/17. If they met in the a.m. and p.m., I would like to even put that down because I think it is important that we have that. Goodness gracious, if we were able to pull together this package in a way that American people will see that folks are actually talking daily in a meaningful talk, not just shooting shots over the bow of the ship, meaningful talk, hopefully we will be able to resolve issues like the impasse that we have had on the issue of health care, the impasse that we have had on the issue of Iraq and other various important issues that have come before this Congress. This should be encouraged. I'm a Democrat. I enjoy being in the majority. And I hope that we are in the majority for as long as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. I hope that happens. But as long as we are in the majority, it doesn't mean that we can't also have that same spirit towards bipartisanship, and that's important. Because I have been in the minority before, and I know how it feels. I know how it feels when you can't get a bill agendaed in a certainty; you can't get a bill agendaed in the committee or you can't get your amendment heard on the floor. I know how that feels. But I think it's very, very important that as we look at these very important issues that are facing our Nation, that we use that bipartisanship in a way that we haven't used it in the past. And we have passed bills in a bipartisan way, as I said a little earlier in the hour, but do it in a way that it will be a jaw drop for the American people. They'll say, wow, this is interesting how they came together and made this happen without trying to make a political stand. I think that from what I'm reading and what I'm seeing, it seems like the President is on board. It seems like the Speaker is on board, seems like the majority leader is on board. It even seems like the minority leaders in both chambers are on board. So as we look at rule XXII over in the Senate and we look at the 60 vote, the procedural piece that has to happen before you get to bring in any bill before the Senate, that that spirit lives within those Republican Members that will help us get to that 60. When I say ``us,'' it's only 51 Democrats in the Senate, but let's continue to pay very close attention to it. Mr. Ryan, I'm so glad to see you all the way from Niles, Ohio. We know the Republicans will be going to a retreat this week. So we have an opportunity to work off line and do some work and get back to the district and do some great things. But this whole issue about economic stimulus, I tell my friends, when I come to the floor, even when you're not here, I make reference to what I have seen in your district, what is happening in your district and how important this bill is for Ohio just as important as it is for Florida. I yield.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. It's still good seeing an appropriator speak in tax language, talking about tax issues. So it's good to see it. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I thank you, even though I talk about appropriations all the time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And my constituents surely appreciate the help and assistance because they pay enough taxes, and we're up here making sure that if they pay their fair share, they get their fair share back.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That's correct.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. The bottom line is, you have your back up against the wall, you have to make a decision, you have to do it now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You can't wait. You can't throw it off to the side. You can't, say, sling-shot in the end for a win. You can't do any of that kind of stuff. You have to do it in a very responsible way. Again, if we keep saying it, if I look at the Congressional Record tomorrow and see bipartisanship, bipartisanship, and even more bipartisanship, that is fine with me, because it is almost like McDonald's. I mean, I feel like going and getting a number 3 after a football game because I have seen it eight times. I really think I actually like certain things at McDonald's, which I do. You can just look at me and tell. But I think it's important that we continue to talk about what's happening right now and what the President has to say when he comes and walks down this aisle next week, I believe, when he comes in here to come talk to us about what's going to happen in this economic stimulus package, what's going to happen as it relates to the two wars going on, what's going to happen as it relates to health care. This opportunity that we have now, 10 days of discussion, bipartisanship, he stepped off the plane from the Middle East and had bipartisanship stamped on his lapel saying we have got to get this going. We have to make it happen even though there was a letter that the Speaker and the majority leader wrote him on 1/11 of this month saying, What's the plan? This is what we want to do. We have to stimulate the economy. Let's do it. We had our economic summit on 12/7 of last year, having deep discussions as Democrats on this very issue. I think it is important, the President comes down. He has to almost give the speech of his life, but guess what? Action has to follow it. This reminds me, Mr. Ryan, I think we were both State senators at this time, when the planes hit the Twin Towers, the plane hit the Pentagon and one went down in Pennsylvania, that spirit that we had then when people were willing and looking for leadership on the issue of how we are going to come back together as Americans and how we are going to pick this country back up. We have this opportunity. The President has this opportunity to lead. This is his last year in office. We have Republicans and Democrats that have an opportunity to change the opinion of the American people on how we can work together. So in this last half of this 110th Congress where we are talking about bipartisanship, and I am just saying talking about it, let's show them some real action. We came together on economic stimulus. We came together on this issue of Iraq. This discussion that I am hearing the President, I want to go and have this kind of bilateral discussion and sign a piece of paper and lock our hands on Iraq for years to come, is not bipartisanship. There has to be some discussion in Congress on that. It is important that as we start looking at Afghanistan and what we are going to do there, I think it is very important that the President can use that in a bipartisan way. So if we are going to make a deal, let's make a deal on bipartisan agreements as we move from this point on. This is the talk of the year that a lot of folks have made New Year's resolutions. I don't know. Maybe the President said, I am willing to be bipartisan, and he talked about it during his original campaign. I am not a divider. I bring people together. I make sure that folks worked together, I mean, united. I mean, that was the word that he used. I think that if we want to do that, then we are going to have to do it in a way that does an even better job than we did in the first half of the session. We can't paint a clearer picture on how important this is. In closing, Mr. Ryan, I want to ask you if you would, we still have time, a few minutes, if you would, and our colleagues, you see these ideas, that is how they come, being drafted or being mentioned, or something outside of the bipartisan discussions that have been going on that is here on this chart, and you are not bubbling your great idea to your leadership, and your leadership is not putting it on the table, and I see your leadership, Democrat or Republican, then it is going to derail what the American people want. That is an opportunity to stimulate the economy and stimulate the family economy and to make sure that we can remain strong and prosperous.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You're right. You're right. I was talking earlier before you walked in on cloture. I believe it's called cloture in the Senate, and it's an old French word for closure. You hear it all the time, but you don't necessarily know the meaning of it. It sounds like it was something as it relates to clothes, but that's what it means in English pretty much. And I think that when we look at this issue and the fact that we always get to the point where even when we get our act together here in the House, it's either one or two Chambers. It's either the House or the Senate. Let's look at the SCHIP override. The Senate has a veto-proof vote in the Senate: 68 Senators voting in the affirmative for SCHIP. In the House, we fall short. I think here in the House that we may very well have the kind of bipartisanship we need to get this economic stimulus package passed. But in the Senate, I'm concerned. I'm very concerned because you have 51 Democrats and you are going to need 9 Republican Senators, and I'm hoping, just hoping, that we are able to get the nine for it to be true bipartisanship. So that means the Republican leader is just as important as the Democratic leader, and we are trying to move this process through. And I think that we need to pay very close attention, and also pay attention to what is being said in the Senate, what's being said here in the House because this piece of legislation is too important. I don't think that Democrats can hang their hat and say, ``We passed the legislation to stimulate the economy.'' I don't think the Republicans can say it without saying Democrats, vice versa. So I think that is important that we pay attention. And I keep saying that because I know that in this building, and we are talking about the 500-plus Members of Congress and all of our great ideas that we may have, coming to the table with an amendment or making a procedural move through any one of the said committees could very well derail this spirit that we have. We have a war that's going on in Iraq. As of today, we have 3,929 individuals that have lost their lives in Iraq, and we have had a number of them wounded in action, 15,996. And we have those families that are living in this economy.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That is correct. So we have a number of loss of life. The point I'm trying to make here is that we even have numbers for Afghanistan and what is happening there, and we just had an Armed Services meeting a little earlier today, and there is discussion. One of the witnesses, a lieutenant general, said, ``Well, the Afghans are saying what, Americans, will you leave us?'' Well, this is a big question when we talk about spending, we talk about the economy. Let me draw this picture here. You go to dinner with your friends and there's six of you, and the bill comes out to like, I don't know, 4- or $500. You have been there for a couple of hours, of course ordering several appetizers and ice tea and an entree, and it comes up to $600. Do you spend the time of divvying up the bill and collecting the money, or do you always have to get up and say, ``I have it. I'll take care of it?'' You know what I'm talking about? That's what America has been saying to every conflict we have ever had. Afghanistan, for what needs to happen there, do we always have to be the people there who say, ``I got it?'' The euro is doing a lot better than the dollar right now, and there's a separation between NATO and EU, and they have their own account and they're making investments. Afghanistan is the gateway to narcotics, illegal drugs into Europe. And so the fact that I know that they're playing a role already, but I'm saying that even a greater role, we are in it because of terrorism. We are in it. Madam Speaker knows exactly what I'm talking about. We are in it not only in the terrorist end, terrorism, trying to prevent terrorism not only in the world, but also domestically. But I think it is important that the EU plays a greater role. There is going to be three reports released, from what we were told in committee today, and the next 10 days dealing with that variation. I shared those two scenarios just to say that as we start looking at the bipartisanship spirit that we have, the bipartisanship spirit that we have and continue to build on, we have to do it in all economic issues, because we can talk about the war, and the two wars that are going on, it has a lot to do with economics that we are facing or the problems that we are having here in this country as it relates to our own economy because of the debt that we are spending, or that we are paying down on, and it is continuing to build. It is continuing to build, even though we have spent several hours here on this floor talking about if you are going to spend it, you have got to pay for it. Then we find ourselves in a situation where we are pushed up in a corner of the wall where the American people have to pay for the fact that we are unable to work in a bipartisan way to get the job done in the time we should get it done before it becomes a crisis situation. So this bipartisanship is just a lot bigger than just a word. You can just say I am bipartisan. It is bigger than that. It has a lot to do with how much we pay for something. It is almost like a plane ticket. I am breaking it down because I want to make sure, because here in Washington we have big, lofty terms and using acronyms. It is like a plane ticket. If you have to buy a plane ticket, and you buy it on the day of travel, you are going to pay more than you would have paid 30 days in advance or 2 weeks in advance or a 7-days-in-advance ticket. Without bipartisanship, we find ourselves buying the ticket hours before the flight when it is imperative that we get on the flight, when we could have gotten on it cheaper and even probably better seating with a 30-day-in-advance or a 60-day-in-advance. As we look at this, we have to not only clip, but we have to pay attention. I am asking all the Members to pay attention to it, because we pay more when we fight on these issues that must happen here in this country on behalf of the American people.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much, Mrs. Jones. Being a member of the Ways and Means Committee, we talk about the economy. I know that we will have a lot to do and say about that, and we talked about a bipartisan spirit. But we have, I think, like 2 more minutes left. But if you want to share anything as it relates to the economy that you would like to share with us, you can.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Mrs. Jones. We want to encourage the Members and also anyone who is watching us here on the floor, the 30-Something Democrats at 30somethingdems@mail.house.gov and www.speaker.gov/30something. You said something that I think is very, very important in this debate. We are not here drinking the tea. I mean, we are not here saying, Oh, let's just all link up together and flowers falling from the ceiling and all and that we are working in a bipartisan way. What we are doing is saying that we are working like the American people would like for us to work on this very important issue. We are hoping that the President continues to do what he is doing as it relates to talking to Democratic leaders and real-time, Democratic leaders speaking with the President, Republican and Democratic leaders in the Congress continuing to work together in real-time, meeting day after day, morning and evening, so that we can put together a work product so that we can all work for it and get it out to the American people.