Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Since there has been oil, since the dinosaurs went down and made oil. Okay, this is just where it is. These guys, they are making more money than ever before, but guess what, the American people are paying for it, and the rubber-stamp Congress, on top of them making profits, are giving the taxpayers' money away and telling the minimum-wage workers to suck it up. You want a minimum wage? We have got leaders in Republican conference that are saying minimum wage, please. But meanwhile, back at the ranch, they have been getting a raise. We have all been getting a raise, year after year after year after year after year after year after year. Minimum-wage workers punch in and punch out every day. We ask individuals to go to work. They have gone to work. They are trying to raise their families. No one is coming to them and saying, hey, we are going to give you a $3,100 raise, we are going to give you a $4,700 raise, we are going to give you a $4,100 raise, we are going to give you a $3,900 raise, we are going to give you a $3,100 raise, and we are going to give you a $3,600 raise, and next year you are going to get another raise and the year after that you are going to get another raise. These folks are making $5.15 an hour and we are saying suck it up. Well, on this side of the aisle, we have said we are not going to vote for an increase in the Members of Congress pay until the American people get a raise; and in our new direction for America, Mr. Speaker, we are calling for $7.25 an hour. If we have the opportunity, this will not be a Special Order floor speech talking about what we are going to do, like this is some prize fight and someone says once the fight happens, I am going to win. We are making it a promise that one of the first actions that we take if we are in the majority when it comes after the November elections, and we get here in January, the minimum wage as it relates to this House will be raised to $7.25 to help everyday American workers and not just help ourselves.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. In Iraq missing? We are missing money here.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, it was a pleasure being on the floor with you this evening. As you know, we want to thank the Democratic leader for allowing us to have this time. We also would say that it was a pleasure addressing the House

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, you know, Mr. Ryan, I think the point needs to be made in such a way and I think the point needs to be made, and I asked for another chart to be made, so that you can have a chart and I can have a chart. We can talk about what is happening here. In all seriousness, I think it is important that when you look at the interest, you can almost, as it relates to the blue, invest in education three times what we are paying on the debt. When you look at homeland security, you got folks as well up here on the other side of the aisle talking about we have got to protect America. You have another chart. I wish you could pull that other chart out, because folks need to understand what we are talking about, because that is what we do here in the 30-something Working Group. We have third-party validators. That is the chart right there. I don't have one of those.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I have a chart just like your chart. We have two of them.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. But you look at that, and then when you look at veterans, and this second chart is so that we can take it. We can leave that chart on the floor. Because when we start talking about a Republican majority making history in all the wrong ways, this chart needs to go with us throughout this Capitol. Do you know what we need to do? We need to put this chart and that chart, just like this one, outside of our office. That is what we are going to do. All next week, this chart and your chart that looks just like it, we will get an easel and put it outside of our office.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to address the House here on this Thursday evening. As you know, the 30-something Working Group comes to the floor daily to not only share with Members of the House, but also with the American people, issues that are facing our Nation and things and ideas that we have on this side of the aisle that can assist us in moving this country to a new direction. Here in the House, as you know, we have been sharing, not only with the Members, but also with the American people a plan for a new direction for America, and a new direction that will be helping a number of Americans in their everyday lives, making sure that we have affordable health care, as it relates to fixing the issue on prescription drugs and as it relates to costs, also dealing with issues such as the minimum wage, making sure that American workers are able to receive an increase, just like we have received an increase here in the House of Representatives over a period of a number of years, year after year. We will talk about that a little further. As you know, we have a plan here in the House, where we have been not only calling for a vote, but asking the Republicans to join us here and increase the minimum wage. We want to increase it to $7.25 an hour. It is now $5.15. There are millions of Americans that are still, since 1977, not able to see an increase in minimum wage. Also cracking down on price gouging, we have talked about that, we have tried to pass legislation on that. The Republican majority has blocked us from being able to do that. The simple fact is, Mr. Speaker, the majority actually wins here in this House. Right now, that is the Republican majority, and it is important that folks understand that that is the case, and that we have the will and the desire to lead in that area and making sure that American people are able to receive an increase in the minimum wage. Another issue, in putting America in a new direction, is making sure that we cut costs as it relates to student loans, cut interest rates in half and make sure that it is affordable for families. So many families are going to be sending their children off to college this fall. Some will not, because they can't afford it. Student loans have gone up. Student aid has gone down. It is important that we look at that as it relates to building the next generation of leaders and making sure that we have an educated America, to make sure that parents and grandparents are able to see their children or grandchildren do better than what we have done academically, because of affordability, and also access. Also making sure, ensuring that retirees can retire in dignity, protecting Social Security, making sure that it is not privatized, making sure that it is here for future generations is our goal. We want to make sure we are able to do that and being able to place America in a new direction. Also, something that the Republican majority has failed to do is pay as we go, making sure that whatever we invest in that we show how we are going to pay for it. I think it is very, very important. Mr. Ryan and I here this evening will point out a number of these issues that are not being addressed. But we have already made a commitment to the American people in housedemocrats.gov, in our commitment of putting America in a new direction, making sure that we meet the needs of everyday working Americans. So with that, Mr. Ryan, if I can, I would be more than happy to yield to you, sir. It is once again a pleasure to be on the floor with you, to be able to hold a flag with the 30-something Working Group, to make sure that we share with the American people things that we are working on, will try to work on and will, if given the opportunity to, do so.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. There is another chart behind that chart further that goes into what is happening as it relates to middle-class families.

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, we come to floor if not every other day, every day, to not only share with the Members but also the American people about many of the issues that we fight for for them here in this U.S. House of Representatives. I must say that there are a number of things that we can talk about this evening. But I just want to start off, because I know that not only the Democratic leader, but also the entire Democratic Caucus is looking to hopefully put America in a new direction. We want to make sure that we provide the leadership on behalf of all Americans. As you know, I want to start off tonight, but as you know, we have been sharing it with the Members so that hopefully it will have some sort of lift here in the House. It has not had thus far, but we are willing to provide the leadership, even in the minority, even though the majority is not willing to pick up the philosophy that we are pushing here on behalf of the American people, making sure that we have more affordable health care. Madam Speaker, this is on housedemocrats.gov. Also lower gas prices to achieve energy independence, which we have our energy plan on housedemocrats.gov. And, Madam Speaker, our innovation plan that has been there for some time, and filed legislation here in the House that has not been heard. We want to talk about homeland security. We have a Real Security Plan also on that website that is there for the Members. They have to have the will and the desire, Madam Speaker, to be able to take up these plans and these initiatives. And if we were able to work in a bipartisan way, these plans would already be passed, not only in the Appropriations Act, but also here on the floor. The two other things that I want to mention, as it relates to cutting the cost of college cost. As you know, the cost to go to college has gone up. This Republican-led Congress last not helped in that area. They have not helped the every-day average American to be able to meet the increases that they have been asked to pay. And also, Madam Speaker, in a new direction for America is making sure that we follow through with fiscal responsibility, pay as we go, not just on a credit card, not just saying because we can give tax cuts to millionaires, and we will just put it off on future generations, or we will go to foreign nations and borrow a record number of dollars. These nations, Madam Speaker, that I am holding up here, they own a part of the American apple pie, not because of what the American people have done, it is what the Republican Congress has done, and allow these countries to buy our debt because we are not fiscally responsible. I think it is also important to make sure that we encourage working families, people that are making minimum wage. Madam Speaker, I just want to make this point, then I am going to give it to my friend, Mr. Ryan from Youngstown, Ohio. As you know, Madam Speaker, we have had, time after time again, three or four occasions in the 109th Congress that we have asked the Republican majority to join us in raising the minimum wage, to make sure that the American workers are able to keep up with the costs of not only living but inflation. But it has been well said, and Mr. Ryan will point it out with his chart that he has there in a moment, that the Republican Congress is in no way and in no shape ready to give minimum wage workers an increase. Since 1997 they have not had an increase. But here in the 30-Something Working Group, Madam Speaker, we actually take time to find out the facts, because we want to make sure that we are not telling the American people nor Members of this House something that is inaccurate. I must say that in 1998, Madam Speaker, Members of Congress received $3,100 in a pay increase. And we are not minimum-wage workers. In 1998, minimum wage workers zero, Mr. Ryan. In 2000, Members of Congress received a pay increase of $4,600. Guess what? Same year, minimum-wage workers, zero. 2001, Members of Congress received $3,800. Minimum-wage workers, zero. In 2002, Members of Congress received another pay increase, $4,900, almost $5,000 pay increase. Remember we just got one in 2002, I was not a Member yet but it happened. Minimum-wage workers, zero. 2003. Members of Congress, $4,700 pay increase. Just got one last year, getting another one in 2003. Of course, minimum-wage workers, zero. Punch in and punch out every day. They work a 40-hour work week, catch the early bus, trying to raise their children. Members of Congress, 2004, $3,400 pay increase. Same year, minimum- wage workers, zero, Mr. Ryan, thanks to the Republican majority. 2005, it is great to be in Congress. Too bad every American cannot be and minimum-wage workers cannot be. 2005 Members of Congress, $4,000. Tell you, the Republican majority takes care of their own, and us too. 2005, zero for minimum-wage workers. Proposed increase for Members of Congress, $3,100, Madam Speaker. And, of course, this year again, 2006, zero for minimum-wage workers. Mr. Ryan, I think it is important for us to share that, not only with the Members so they will not go home and say, well, you know, I do not quite know what was going on. If you have a family member, which I know many Americans, because there are 7 million Americans that are working in minimum wage, we have middle class workers that are working that are not working for minimum wage, but as long as minimum-wage workers are making $5 and change, the American worker will got get what they deserve. Madam Speaker, I guess it is okay, and I do not know if I have my chart here, the Republican Congress, Mr. Ryan, and quickly closing on this, I guess it is okay for big oil executives to have a $398 million retirement package and a $2 million tax break. I think that is where the priorities are. I think also the priorities are making sure that oil companies are able to price-gouge Americans at the same time. We are talking about energy innovation, E-85, for them to not only to sell the old stuff that is keeping it alive and well in the Middle East instead of investing in the midwest, Madam Speaker, and E-85, saying that you cannot use a credit card, a Mobil card, to be able to buy gas, but better yet you can go into the store and buy a carton of cigarettes or 10 gallons of milk, but you cannot get this E-85, because we want to keep you there, and we are not encouraging them to do anything else. Madam Speaker, I think it is important also to outline, if you are an oil company, you are in good, or if you are a Member of Congress you are in good shape, because you are going to get a pay raise, and we are going to make sure that you are able to make record profits. As you know, Madam Speaker, and also, Mr. Ryan, almost nightly I read the Washington Post article that talked about the special meeting that took place in the west wing of the White House, in the complex, where oil executives met with Cheney's aides. Guess what? They got a pay raise and also a profit raise. Look what happened after their 2001 meeting, that Washington Post article, I believe it is on our website, housedemocrats.gov/ 30something. $34 billion increase for 2002. 2003, $59 billion increase. Mr. Ryan, I think that was a good meeting. In 2004, $84 billion. And in 2005, $113 billion. You want to know who is on your side, the bottom line is on this side of the aisle, we say we want to take this country in a new direction. We want to make sure that they receive the leadership that they deserve.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Exactly. This is not bottom line that relates to the Republican Party, Democrats, this and that. This has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with this Republican majority not saying no to the President even once, even if he was on the right track. Look at the numbers. This was from the U.S. Department of Treasury, this was a Secretary confirmed out of the Republican Senate and appointed by the President of the United States. These numbers are from the Republican Treasury, not the DNC, from the Republican Treasury, the United States Treasury, $1.01 trillion borrowed over 24 years from 1976 to 2000. President Bush gets elected. Rubber-stamp Republican Congress. This is what happens: $1.05 trillion borrowed in 4 years from foreign nations. They have dethroned, I say they, we have to get the Gingrich chart out, because I don't want someone saying I am out of line here, I am only saying what the Republican past Speaker of the House is now saying, because the American spirit will rise above partisan politics at any time. That is why I feel that the American people are going to relook at their vote when it comes down to sending Members back here to the House that is willing to rubber-stamp this administration. I can tell you right now, it is sending us down a road that no one knows, down a tunnel that no one knows if it is sunlight or train. $1.05 trillion borrowed from foreign Nations. The Republican Congress helped the President do this in 4 years alone. 224-years, Great Depression, World War I, World War II, other conflicts, Korea, you name it, Iraq, I can go on and on and on. There are too many names, hard times in America, challenges in America. They only borrowed $1.01 trillion. This President in 4-years and the Republican Congress has borrowed more than that. Mr. Ryan, I am going to yield to you in just one second. This is what Newt Gingrich says. This is the Speaker, Madam Speaker, that brought on this Republican revolution; we are going to turn the country around with the contract for America. This is what he says in Knight Ridder newspapers, Friday, March 31, 2006. They, not my colleagues, my Republican colleagues in the House, my good friends in the House, they.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. My old friends in the House. He is saying, ``they,'' so they means, Madam Speaker, that I guess he no longer associates himself and he has not said, oh, I was misquoted. He is standing by this. He continues, ``They are seen by the country as being in charge of a government that can't function.'' Now, I am going the tell you something. If I was in my office now or I picked up the paper and I read that from a former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in my party referring to me as ``they,'' that is why it it is important, Madam Speaker, that we come to the floor in the 30 Something Working Group, and speak with confidence and the facts and with great passion, because we love this country. The bottom line is, if we were working in a bipartisan way, we could not come to this floor with a straight face saying, well, the Republican majority is working with us and we have shared ideas and issues that we are in right now and the trouble that we are in right now, we are in it because we are in it together. The Republican majority cannot say that. Bipartisanship is only allowed when the majority does so. What have we said as Democrats? We are going to raise the minimum wage. We are going to implement all of the 9/11 recommendations, and you have a chart that is very revealing here, all of the 9/11 recommendations. We are going to make sure veterans are treated with dignity and respect and they have the health care they deserve. We also said that we are going to look at these tax cuts to billionaires and make sure the middle class get their fair share. We are going to make sure there is dignity in health care and affordable, and if kids want to go to college, it is not about college kids, it is about those parents who have worked their entire lives to make sure their children and grandchildren have a better opportunity than what we have had. That is a new direction for America, and we have the will and the desire, Madam Speaker, to stand up to the President and to those that are willing to take us back to the days of deficits as far as the eye can see, and we are working to work and pay as you go to balance the budget. That is the reason why this rubber stamp, I want to retire this rubber stamp come this January if the American people see fit to say I am not going to vote for the individuals that have got us in this situation; I am going to vote for the folks that are going to adhere to the U.S. Constitution, stand up to the President of the United States and govern on behalf of this country and not just be a rubber stamp. This rubber stamp is, as far as I am concerned, we are going to have a session out in front of the Capitol, and we are going to drop it in the garbage can and burn it because this is not what this country is about. Democracy is about discourse and balance and accountability to the American people, and it should not be a rubber stamp Congress, and this is exactly what it is because that is what the Republican Congress has brought about.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Let me say, I almost feel like a preacher of a Baptist church. I just wish I had time to preach this sermon. I wish I had time. The reason why I am saying that is by the House rules we have to end at 12:00. I am going to I say this to my good friend Mr. Manatos, we need a chart that talks about what Congress has received since 1998 in pay increases and what the American people have received in the minimum wage. We need a chart that talks about that every year, so Mr. Ryan, when you talk about when folks come to the floor, the majority side talk about how great the economy is, you doggone they come and say it because they have gotten a pay increase every year. Let me tell you, a lot of us here in Congress, including myself, are financially challenged. We have got to have a house here and a house there and kids and all of the things that goes with it. But do not vote for an increase for yourself and then turn around to someone that is making $5.15 an hour to say that you do not deserve it. Over my dead body. That is what the Republican majority is saying. So I think it is important. If I had time tonight to carry this point further, I would, but with that, Madam Speaker, we want to thank the Democratic leader for allowing us to have this time. It was an honor to come before the House to address the American people.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Exactly what you are talking about, you say we are not going to talk about international affairs tonight, but you said a couple of words. And I need to say something.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I am not trying to one-up you. I am trying to provide information to the Members of the House and the American people. You know we come in that vein every evening. I think it is very important that Members of Congress that have the July 17 edition of Time magazine, it says, ``The end of cowboy democracy: What North Korea, Iran, Iraq, teaches us about limits on going it alone,'' okay? That is what it says, ``going it alone.'' The real issue here, when you open the page, looks like a very worried Commander in Chief. He doesn't look like he is jumping up and down about everything that is great in the world. Because the bottom line is, we have done a lot on our own. It goes on in further detail to talk about how the administration now is trying to reach out to these countries. But meanwhile, as it relates to this majority rubber-stamp Congress, has allowed the President the ability to do anything and everything that he wants to do. I am so glad my rubber stamp has made it to the floor. I want to put it here. Because, as you know, we like to make things visible, so that people can understand what is going on here. The reason why we are in the situation that we are in now is the fact that the Republican Congress has rubber-stamped everything that the administration has handed down. This is not about the Commander in Chief. He is not going to run for election again. But you know what? In this Congress we run every 2 years for election. It doesn't matter if you are a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent, you are an American first. You have to have a problem in what is going on. How many more indications do we need that the plan that has been set forth from the White House, has been handed to the Congress, and a Republican rubber-stamp Congress on partisan votes have voted for everything that this administration wants. The American people want this Congress to play the rule constitutionally that it is supposed to play and the checks and balances in making sure that we have adequate oversight and action. I can tell you no other President in the history, I think, of the Republic, has celebrated such a rubber-stamp Congress. Case in point: You want to talk about money? Let us talk about money for a second. Let us talk about commitment. Here is a chart. I pull it out almost every night, because I think it is just so revealing. I think in this time and this place and this moment, tonight, Eastern standard time, a little bit before midnight, 42 Presidents, 224 years. You saw the chart earlier. I said, foreign nations have bought our debt. Not because of what the American people have done, not because they have misspent. It is because the Republican majority has rubber-stamped everything.

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. Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my strong opposition to H.J. Res. 88, a proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit same sex marriages. This proposed amendment is not directed at any real problem, other than the apparent need of the Republican leadership to gin up political support for their candidates. It is sad that the Republican leadership is not as interested as they say they are in protecting the institution of marriage as they are in waging a campaign to divide and distract the American people from the real issues that need to be addressed. The Nation is at war in Iraq; we face crises in Iran, North Korea and Lebanon; the federal deficit is soaring out of control as more and more U.S. debt is controlled by countries like China; energy costs continue to rise and Americans wait for Congress to act to increase the minimum wage. The Republican response: wasting hours of debate on an unnecessary Constitutional amendment that had already been defeated in the Senate. Studies have consistently shown that financial hardship is the biggest obstacle to heterosexual marriage, yet the Republican leadership has done precious little to help address the financial hardship faced by American families. American families need job security; better child care options; national flextime policies that allow more young parents to work from home and to be with their families; better public schools; federal policies to make sure college is affordable; housing policies that promote the construction of homes that working families can afford; and health care so that no child has to go without the medical and dental treatment he or she needs. Instead, today, we vote on an effort to single out one group of Americans, in a pointless, partisan move that does nothing to address the major challenges facing our Nation--education, the economy, energy, homeland security and the war in Iraq. For over 200 years, our Constitution has defined our Nation and protected individual rights. It is a document of empowerment, not limitation. While the Constitution has been amended, it has been done so only to protect and expand individual liberty, not to deny it. Americans see this amendment for what it is: a partisan waste of time, and that is why we need a new direction in Washington that would prioritize the needs of every-day working people. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this resolution, and I call on my colleagues to join me in defeating it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much. I would like to thank Mr. Delahunt also and all the Members of the 30 Something Working Group for coming together with an outstanding presentation tonight for the Members of the House.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I do not know. We need to see what happened to Mr. Ryan tonight, but I am pretty sure there is a good excuse for him not being here. Ms. Wasserman Schultz talked about a new direction for America. We want to make sure that health care is more affordable for all Americans, and we also want to make sure that we have lower gas prices, helping our working families, also cutting college costs and ensuring dignity in retirement and also requiring fiscal responsibility, pay-as- we-go. With that, Mr. Speaker, we would like to thank the Democratic leadership for allowing us to have the time, and it was an honor to address the House tonight

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Delahunt, I can't help but grab this rubber stamp and help the Members realize that they are making history in all the wrong ways. This rubber-stamp Republican majority has allowed this President to have free rein, not only on everyday American workers, retirees, veterans and the American taxpayer dollars, this President rubber stamped, okayed by this Republican majority, has borrowed $1.05 trillion from foreign nations. At no other time in the history of this Republic, in 4 years or in 224 years, has that amount of money been borrowed. The Republican rubber-stamp Congress has allowed that to happen. Now we have OPEC countries, Japan, China, Korea, Caribbean, Germany, you name it. They are borrowing. Canada, they are buying our debt. We are borrowing from them. The Republican majority allowed the Bush White House to get what they want as it relates to a rubber stamp. Like I said, it is not even fair. I mean, Time magazine, freshly minted, the 17th edition, folks can either get it in the mail or buy it, I don't have any stock in Time Warner or anything. This is where we are because this time right now, when the President and the 109th Congress is history making, not history making being the Congress that did so much for the American people but the Congress that allows the President of the United States to get this country in a position that it is in because the checks and balances that are in the Constitution and how we are supposed to govern and carry out oversight was not adhered to. Here it is, Time magazine, The End of Cowboy Democracy, what Korea, Iraq and Iran teaches us about the limits of going it alone. And then you go on to page 20, and it talks about how the White House has just now realized that they have a problem. Now, it would be okay if it was just the White House, and this is not about the President. The President is the President of the United States. He is not running again for reelection, but Members of the House have to run every 2 years, every 6 years in the Senate. It goes on and it outlines quotes from people that were formerly in the administration, folks that are in the administration now, and they are saying now they realize that they have a problem. Well, it is not them. It is the United States of America. You heard Mr. Delahunt talking about the people in the U.K. Guess what, the people in the U.K. have bought $223.2 billion of our debt. This is what they think about us. Leave alone that. Ms. Wasserman Schultz talked about what the American people think about us. So the alternative, in my opinion, is that we have plans on this side that is being not only demagogued by the Republican majority but not even allowed to come to the floor. HouseDemocrats.gov, okay, energizing America, farmers fueling our energy independence. Here is a little short piece on it, bigger plan. Real Security, on the Web site once again, ready to go, will not be heard here on the House. Republican majority does not want to hear it because they feel they have the master plan and that everything is in line. You heard Ms. Wasserman Schultz talk about enforcement of illegal workers under the Bush administration, the funding of border agents. The facts are the facts. The Innovation Agenda, CEOs of American companies are saying we are ready to have math and science teachers; we are ready to work on real innovation in turning out the next workforce that we need. Republican majority talks about it but has not acted on it. So I think it is important that we continue to share this with the American people. It may be repetitive. We may have to use Mr. Gingrich quotes. We may have to use Time magazine and other national publications and periodicals to drive the point home. It does not matter what your party affiliation is. It should not matter who you voted for in the last election. What should matter is that you are a citizen of the United States of America and you care about this country. So when your children and grandchildren ask the question, Mama, Granddaddy, Aunt, Uncle, what were you doing when all this was going on; were you just saying I am a Republican and I am voting Republican because I am a Republican? Were you saying I am a Democrat, I was voting for the person that ran the most commercials and sent me stuff through the mail and saying that I am the best? Oh, or I am an Independent, and you know, I just thought it was probably politically correct and cool for me to vote for the people that were in the majority so I can hopefully be on the prevailing side? One thing I can say is now the American people are saying they would much rather have a Democratic Congress, probably not because that they feel now I am so-called a Democrat. No, they see what is going on. They see the minimum wage not going up. They see the prices going up at the pump. They see what other countries are saying about us, and they see the lack of oversight and enforcement by this Congress. This Congress, the Republican majority would much rather get an invitation to the White House and have dinner and tea and cookies to be at a party of 200 people than to provide representation on behalf of the American people.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. The energy plan. Yes, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Which one?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to address the House. And we would like to also thank the Democratic leadership for allowing us to have the time. As you know, the 30-something Working Group, we come to the floor daily to share not only with the Members of the House, but also the American people, about plans we have that is in holding or in waiting, not because of the fact that we are not willing to move forth on behalf of the American people, it is because the Republican majority has decided not to govern on the side of the American people. Mr. Speaker, I feel that this is very, very hard core for everyday Americans, because they are in waiting, not only in the area of minimum wage, but also affordable fuel prices and real solutions as relates to protecting our country and also making sure that our veterans who have allowed us to serve, who have allowed us to salute one flag, will be honored in the area of health care and other areas that we have promised them. Mr. Speaker, I am going to start off my comments, and I am glad Mr. Delahunt is here, and I know others are on their way to the floor, to at least talk about this minimum wage conversation that we are having here on the floor of the House of Representatives. I feel that we should take action. We want to take action on this side of the aisle, Democrats united in making sure that some 6 million-plus Americans are able to get a pay increase, something that Members of Congress have enjoyed over a number of years, but everyday working Americans are not able to receive more minimum wage than what they are receiving right now. They are, right now, making $5 and some change. And I mean, it is unconscionable, Mr. Speaker, for Members of the House to be able to walk away with an increase, cost-of-living increase; meanwhile, those individuals that are punching in and punching out every day, are still making the same rate that they were making in 1997. It would be an uproar here in this House if Members of Congress had not received a pay raise since 1997. One thing that I can say here on this side of the aisle, the Democratic leadership and the Democratic Caucus has said we will not stand for an increase for Members of Congress to make more money if we are not going to raise the level of minimum wage for everyday Americans. And so, again, Mr. Speaker, we come with third-party validators. We come with the facts to share with the American people, and we come to let the American people know, and Members on the majority side, that we have the will and the desire to lead, and we will if we have the opportunity after November. I just wanted to share a few things because there are a lot of folks that are out there saying that they are fighting on behalf of the everyday American. So I thought I would just bring a couple of visual aids, and also some information. This is the source of the College Board 2005 as it relates to the census and what Americans are dealing with. I want to start with this next chart here. I want to start with this chart. Minimum wage. And this is real economic change under Bush. Here you have the minimum wage, Mr. Speaker, that is at zero starting in 1997 to now. Since 1997 to now, whole milk has gone up 24 percent. Bread has gone up 25 percent. A 4-year public college education has gone up 77 percent. Health care insurance has gone up 97 percent. Meanwhile, Americans are still making $5 and change. Regular gas has gone up 136 percent, Mr. Speaker. Still no message from the Republican majority for everyday working Americans that punch in and punch out every day. Here are some other statistics: still from 1997, no increase in the minimum wage for everyday working Americans. College tuition has gone up in private institutions 40 percent. Gas prices, again, as it relates to the middle class, has gone up 47 percent and 55 percent for prescription drugs. I think it is important that we look at those. To go further, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we share this. The facts are hard, but they are true. In 1998 a Member of Congress received a raise of $3,100. That was in 1998. In 1998 the minimum wage was zero. Again, in 2000 Members of Congress received a $4,600 raise. That is more money. Everyday working Americans in 2000, minimum wage, zero, thanks to the Republican majority. I just said in 2000, Mr. Delahunt, Members received a pretty substantial raise. In 2001 Members of Congress received a $3,800 raise. Of course, we are not minimum-wage workers. The American people in 2001, zero. Nothing. The Republican majority said they are not going to have it. In 2002, again a $4,900, that is a lot of money, increase for Members of Congress. The American people in 2002, zero. It pays to have a voting card in Congress. You can give yourself a raise, but the folks that elect you just have to suck it up. Now, this is like on a roll here in Congress. In 2003, a $4,700 increase in Members of Congress' pay. The American people, guess what, zero. Nothing at all, thanks to the Republican majority. In 2004, a $3,400 raise for Members of Congress. Guess what, Members, American people, minimum wage raises, zero. These are the facts. I challenge any Member on the Republican side, the majority, to come down and challenge me on these facts. In 2005 it continues, a $4,000 raise. Once again, you are a Member of Congress that comes up here, who say they are representing you, it is a wonderful thing. Get a raise in 2005, $4,000. The American people, zero, Mr. Speaker. In 2006 Members of Congress' proposed raise, $3,100, Mr. Delahunt. My 9-year-old son and my 11-year-old daughter can guess, the American people to this date, Mr. Speaker, zero. Now, I want to go back to this chart because I think it is very revealing and very accurate: ``I have been in this business for 25 years, and I never voted for an increase in the minimum wage and I am opposed to it, and I think that a vast majority of our conference is opposed to it.'' That is the leader of the Republican Congress. That is the majority leader. Now, Mr. Delahunt, there are Members that come to this floor and say the Democrats are just demagoguing. There are people who come to this floor and say we are for you; they are not for leading. I think it is important, Mr. Delahunt, that we come to the floor and share with the American people and the Members of Congress that we will not rest even though we are in the minority, that we are still willing to fight for them. Now, the difference between the Republican majority and the Democratic minority, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that the majority has the power to be able to make things happen here in this House on behalf of the American people as it relates to the minimum wage, and it is fair play. I went through this list. Pay increases year after year, $4,000 here, $4,700 there, $3,100 here, and zero since 1997 on behalf of the American people who punch in and punch out every day. Meanwhile, health care cost is up. Meanwhile, the cost of bread and milk is up. Meanwhile, gas prices are up by 136 percent. But back at the ranch and here in this House, the Members of Congress are being taken care of. The special interests are being taken care of. But guess what, the individuals who woke up early on a Tuesday morning for representation are being left behind since 1997, and there are Members on the majority side saying over their dead bodies, literally, will they receive an increase because they are so indebted, Mr. Delahunt, to their special interests. So all we can fight with, Mr. Speaker, here is the fact, not fiction but fact, that we have a Republican majority that is willing to govern for the few, for those individuals who have the opportunity to come to Washington and to be able to gain access through the K Street Project and other programs that allow them to give politically and have gangs here in the House. A former Member of this House used to boast about the fact that if they were not on the list of contributors, they couldn't come in and see them. That is a former Member of the House, and if anybody wants to challenge me on it from the majority side, I will be happy to reveal that former Member's name. I think we all know, and it was an active program in the House, and I believe there are still some elements of that program now. The fact that special interests do not want an individual making $5 and some change to receive a couple dollars' increase is very unfortunate. And, Mr. Delahunt, I am very concerned about that. Let me just take 3 more minutes, Mr. Delahunt, and then I am going to yield to you because you have some very interesting charts over there. Let us talk about who is getting what. In the past you have heard me read this, and I want to read it again because, when it comes down to when their constituents want to know whose side they are on, I want the Members to be armed with the facts. I am proud that I am trying to do everything I can do on behalf of my constituents back in the 17th Congressional District in Dade and Broward County. But by their sending me to Congress and Mr. Delahunt to Congress, they federalized us to represent the people of the United States of America, and I think it is our obligation, Mr. Speaker, to share the facts. Members can follow me. They can go on Washingtonpost.com. This was an article November 16, 2005, on the front page: ``A White House document shows that executives from big oil companies met with Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force in 2001, something long suspected by environmentalists but denied as recently as'' a week ago ``by industry officials testifying before Congress. The document, obtained this week by The Washington Post, shows that officials from the ExxonMobil Corporation, Phillips, Shell Oil Company, and BP America Inc. met in the White House complex with the Cheney aids who were developing national energy policy, parts of which became law and parts of which are still being debated'' here in the House. This is an article. It is not from the Democratic Caucus. It is not from my office or Mr. Delahunt's office. Let us see what happened. That meeting, Mr. Delahunt and Members, was in 2001. Here are the profit margins of big oil companies since that meeting: in 2002 I think that was a pretty good meeting to go to, $34 billion in profits, thanks to the Republican majority's passing policy that would allow oil companies to spend the taxpayers' dollars and to be able to have subsidies and make these profits. In 2003 $59 billion in profits. I think that meeting was worth going to and whoever recommended and got them into the White House complex to meet with the Cheney aides, I think they got a promotion and possibly a bonus. In 2004, $84 billion oil profits up. Guess who is paying for it? The American people. In 2005, $113 billion in profits. And the numbers are not even in from 2006. Mr. Speaker, I know that these facts have to have some Members who may be in their offices right now or sitting up in their beds feel uncomfortable. But, unfortunately, that is not happening, because it continues. Why is this man smiling here? It is nothing against him. I don't have anything personally against oil companies. They are getting what the majority Republican Conference here in this House has allowed them to have. It is one thing for someone to say ``I will support you and your political endeavors.'' It is another thing for you to say ``I am with you all the way, even if it costs my constituents more at the pump.'' Here is a man that a lot of workers wish they had such a deal. A $398 million retirement package and a $2 million tax break ala the Republican majority. An Exxon former executive. It is almost, Mr. Speaker, unfair. Someone may say that. If I didn't have the third-party validators, the Congressional Record and votes by the majority to back up what I am saying, some folks would say that is unfair. I wouldn't even be able to walk the halls of Congress or talk to my colleagues on the Republican side if I wasn't telling the truth. I think it is important that everyone understands, if you are a Republican, you have to have a problem with what I just presented. You have to. If you are a Democrat, you have to have a problem, the information I am sharing with you that the Republican majority is allowing to happen. We on this side have called for an increase in the minimum wage. We on this side have called for tough legislation on price gouging. We on this side have talked about making ourselves energy independent; not investing in the Middle East, but investing in the Midwest as it relates to E-85. So I think it is important that everyone understands when we are in the majority, if the American people see fit, we will put forth policy that will benefit all Americans. I think it is important. If you are an independent, you have to have a problem with the fact that Members of Congress have received thousands upon thousands of dollars of raises since 1997, and still no response from the Republican majority as it relates to the minimum wage. Mr. Delahunt, those are the facts for now. This book is full of facts. These books are full of action; balancing the budget, real homeland security, where local communities don't have to tax themselves because we have done away with the COPS Program. We made it difficult for local communities to be able to apply for homeland security, home front security, because, guess what, when something goes down in a city, be it small or big, it won't be the Department of Homeland Security showing up, it will be a local police department. This is my last one here, and it is a real plan, ready to go, Mr. Speaker, on energy. Anyone can go on House Democrats.gov and get all of these plans. They just didn't come up tonight. We have been coming to this floor, and now the American people are going to have an opportunity to be not Democrats, not Republicans, not independents, but voting on behalf of this country, and to make sure that we have representation here in this House. Mr. Delahunt?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. It is tomorrow, Mr. Delahunt.

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. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment by Representative King of Iowa to repeal the language in the Voting Rights Act that requires certain jurisdictions with concentrations of citizens who don't speak English very well to provide language assistance to voters who need it and the American citizens who request it. My district is one such jurisdiction. Over 34 percent of my district is made up of foreign-born American citizens. Besides that, nearly 45,000 U.S.-born citizens in my district speak some language other than English in their homes. These are Americans. They live here, work here, raise families and pay taxes here. They vote here. This amendment is an attack on the fundamental right to vote for millions of citizens across the country. It's crucial that everyone in our democracy has the right to vote. Yet, having that right legally is meaningless if certain groups of people are unable to accurately cast their ballot at the polls. Voters may be well informed about the issues and candidates, but to make sure their vote is accurately cast, language assistance is necessary and reasonable in jurisdictions with concentrated populations of limited English proficient voters. Some try to tie this to immigration, but this is not about immigration. According to the most recent information from the Census, more than 70 percent of citizens who use language assistance are native born, including Native Americans, Alaska natives and Puerto Ricans. Even though most new citizens are required to speak English, they still may not be sufficiently fluent to participate fully in the voting process without this much-needed assistance. Ballots are often too complicated even for native English speakers. To deny needed assistance to American citizens goes against who we are as a democracy. Before the language assistance provisions were added to the Voting Rights Act in 1975, many Spanish-speaking United States citizens did not register to vote because they could not read the election material and could not communicate with poll workers. Language assistance has encouraged these and other citizens of different language minority groups to register and vote and participate more fully in the political process, which is healthy for our democracy. Some try to say that language assistance costs millions of dollars. Language assistance is not costly. According to two separate Government Accounting Office studies, as well as independent research conducted by academic scholars, when implemented properly language assistance accounts only for a small fraction of total election costs. The most recent studies show that compliance with Section 203 accounts for approximately 5% of total election costs. Let's examine what is at stake here: In 2003 in Harris County, Texas, officials did not provide language assistance for Vietnamese citizens. This prompted the Department of Justice to intervene and, as a result, voter turnout doubled and a local Vietnamese citizen was elected to a local legislative position. The implementation of language assistance in New York City had enabled more than 100,000 Asian-Americans not fluent in English to vote. In 2001, John Liu was elected to the New York City Council, becoming the first Asian-American elected to a major legislative position in the city with the nation's largest Asian-American population. In San Diego County, California, voter registration among Hispanics and Filipinos rose by over 20 percent after the Department of Justice brought suit against the county to enforce the language minority provisions of Section 203. During that same period, Vietnamese registrations increased by 40 percent. Those who have tried to master a second language know the near- paralysis that sometimes grips you. Confusion, embarrassment and frustration are constant companions for those trying to change the way their tongues work and their minds think in the important, pressure situation of voting. Such mundane tasks as ordering at a restaurant or going to the bank become challenges--every word a potential mistake in comprehension. The language in section 203 is not about coddling immigrants, and this amendment shouldn't be about punishing new citizens for having to learn a second language under fire. Section 203 is about making sure that a fundamental right, the right to vote, is without obstacle. I urgently ask that my colleagues join me in defeating the King amendment and standing for the rights of all Americans to cast the vote they intended.