Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Murphy, I am just so happy that you had an opportunity to share some of your wisdom with us here tonight and also a perspective, especially someone who has been in harm's way and has been in the field with our men and women, and at the same time talking about education. We just had a major education summit right before the break that the Speaker put forth, and Mr. Miller and Ms. DeLauro were a part of that effort, and we were just so pleased to do that. In the 30-Something Working Group, we kind of like to have a conversation. We know that everyone has to make an opening remark or statement, but, Mr. Altmire, I am looking forward to hearing what you want to share with the members. And, also, one of my constituents once called me. Serving in public service, you have an opportunity to hear some interesting things. He called me up. And you know these cable talk shows, where you go down to public television and you sign up and it's like a nonprofit organization. He called me, and I was a State representative at that time, and he said, Kendrick, I want you to come on my show. And I said, well, what are we going to talk about? And he said, we're going to talk about the consequences of the consequences. So I had to kind of, I was on the phone and I said, ``consequences of the consequences?'' And he said, ``Yes, the consequences of the consequences could be consequential.'' But in this case, as we look at the consequences of the consequences, using his description of what was going on at that particular time, I couldn't help, as I yield to you, but look at the Newsweek cover. I went home tonight before I came over here. My wife joined me at the celebration for the Speaker. And this Newsweek cover that many of us will be reading this week says, ``After Bush. How to Restore America's Place in the World.'' I mean, this is not a Democratic publication, Mr. Speaker. I think it's important for us to understand that we are living in serious times. And here at the 30-Something Working Group, we try to break things down so that everyone can understand, where Members won't say, well, I didn't know exactly my role at that particular time. There are very historic votes that are taking place here. We just had an emergency supplemental. I think that every vote that every Member took was a heroic vote and a sheroic vote, in my opinion, need it be in the positive or the affirmative. But I think it's important for all of us to realize that we have a role to play. And many of us, I know I do, share getting our men and women back home and bringing an end to this conflict, especially as it relates to U.S. troops serving in combat posture on the streets of Baghdad in the middle of a civil war. Mr. Altmire.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You know, Mr. Murphy, it is very hard to move in a bipartisan fashion. One speaks constantly about the bipartisan spirit, about bipartisan action. Spirit and action are two different interpretations of actually getting something done. The action part means that Members are able to vote with their voting cards or walk up to that desk and sign a card that says yea or nay and work in a bipartisan spirit on the yea. Many amendments from our Republican colleagues, some of them are passed and some of them are not passed. But the bottom line is they have at least the opportunity to come to the floor and to bring their ideas to the floor. Definitely in the area of financial services. We have spent a very long time, Mr. Speaker, on this floor hearing Republican amendments that were offered in committee, offered in subcommittee. Some came to the floor and we were able to work those amendments out to become a part of the work product. Others just wanted to file an amendment, for whatever reason, but had their opportunity in this democracy to do so. Many of the Members in this House, of course we have a lot to do, and Members when they come to the floor, they said, I thought this amendment was already voted down in committee? But many of the Members on the minority side, the Republican side, had an opportunity to offer it, Mr. Murphy. I think this really makes a difference between Democratic leadership and Republican leadership. Even though we may not agree, giving the opportunity to others to be able to take part in this democracy, something that was suppressed in the two previous Congresses that I can speak to. And I can tell you that it should be well-noted here that this House has provided the kind of leadership to allow the minority party here in this House, which are the Republicans, to have a voice in the process of making laws. That is so very, very important. I will say this and then yield back to you. Some are saying, why aren't you treating the Republicans as the Republicans treated you or treated Democrats. Well, guess what? Forty-two new Members of the House, especially when you are on the Democratic side, all of you in this Chamber who are part of the majority makers, they voted for change. They didn't vote for the same. They voted for a government that can work in a bipartisan way. They voted for the kind of leadership to allow minority Members, who have constituents just like I have, to vote for veterans assistance, to be able to vote to make sure we put forth dollars to come up with alternative fuels and other ways that we can supply America so that we can invest in the Midwest versus the Middle East. They voted for all of that. And guess what? That takes time and tolerance, Mr. Speaker, and that is something that the Republican majority in the previous Congress did not have. I am glad we have the tolerance. I am glad we are taking the time. I am glad we are working the way we are working, even though it is very painful for many of us and our constituents and many that have our families back in the district. In this time and this place in history, when you have cover after cover, how do we restore America's place in the world, it is not how the world thinks about us. It is about what kind of leadership are we providing, not only for our constituents, but for the United States of America. And just at a time we are trying to dig ourselves out of out- of-control borrowing from foreign nations, we are seeing differently. I am a Member of the NATO parliamentary group, and I can tell you, when you are talking to some countries, and it is kind of like you have to be quiet for a moment, have some level of contrition and listen to what other people are saying, because they feel we have been dictating to them what they should do and what they should think, and they are saying, by the way, you owe us money. You owe me money. You owe my country money. So we have domestic issues that we have to cover. I know we are going to talk about stem cell research and I think that is very, very important. That is part of the new direction. It is leadership. Sometimes leadership is lonely. But we have to do it. Mr. Murphy, I just want to thank you for bringing some of these issues to light and talking about what it takes to bring about bipartisan action versus Members coming to the floor and saying we should have a bipartisan spirit. Well, spirit is a good thing, if you use it religiously. One of my friends, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, I have read a couple of his books, he says spirit makes religion act right. The real issue is that it is good to have spirit. We all feel good about it. But action is even better.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker; and it is an honor to come to the floor once again. My good colleagues that have, we come to the floor working on behalf of the 30-Something Working Group; and I can just attest that it's just great to be an American and have an opportunity to share our thoughts and ideas and concerns. As you know, the 30-Something Working Group, we come to the floor to shed light on the action of the House and to talk about this new direction that we fought so hard for last November, especially on the Democratic side of the aisle, to move this country in a new direction and exactly what the American people have called for. So we're excited. I'm glad to have Mr. Altmire and also Mr. Murphy here with me tonight. And I know that Mr. Murphy has been pulling almost a double duty here. I understand he was Acting Speaker a little earlier tonight. And I had the opportunity, while you were in the Chair, to join Speaker Pelosi celebrating her 20th year of public service, 20 years here in the House. There were a number of great Speakers that were there, honored her family for allowing her to serve this great country of ours, and also recognizing the fact that she's history as being the first female Speaker. But also there were people like Patti LaBelle there, and just a really star-studded event. She deserves that honor and that appreciation; and constituents also, I'm pretty sure, are pretty happy and proud. All Americans are. With that, I, of course, we, Mr. Speaker, we and mainly as of late, talking about Iraq, and as we speak here on the floor, there's a major debate going on just across the hall in the Senate dealing with comprehensive immigration reform. Just in the last 6 months, we have done so much and we've talked about so much and we've taken action on so many different issues; and I know that Mr. Murphy and Mr. Altmire and I will be addressing many of those issues tonight. This is our first time since the Memorial Day break, and I had a wonderful opportunity to attend a NATO conference, parliamentary, that the Speaker appointed me and I think 12 other Members of the House, bipartisan, spent some time over in Portugal meeting with some of our European Union partners there, and had the opportunity to go to Tunisia to honor those World War II veterans that are, or honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. It's the only U.S. cemetery on the continent of Africa; and it was so very, very special and touching, just as an American and as a Member of Congress, to go there and lay a wreath on behalf of those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. And then having, and still having, Mr. Speaker, the opportunity to come back here and join with my family, who's here in Washington, go down to the World War II Memorial, which had Tunisia and all of the different countries where World War II, we had fighting and men and women lost their lives, to make that connection, all in a 5-day span, is something great as an American. I just want to share that with the Members of the House. And we know that one of our soldiers just today, one of the soldiers who was found in Iraq was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery, and we know that there are two that are still missing of the recent ones that were missing from the IED that exploded recently in Iraq. So we paid honor to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice and their families and also to those veterans that served beside them. And it was such a great week, and I know that many of the Members had an opportunity to go back to their districts to celebrate the life of those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. With that, Mr. Murphy, I would like to yield to you, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Murphy, you are 110 percent right, and that is what folks voted for. They didn't vote for you to go be the strongest Democrat you can be, or I want you to go and be Republican- like. The bottom line is they voted for us to be Members of Congress, constitutional officers having a part in this process, one of the three branches of Government, and making sure that every Member is able to fulfill their constitutional duty and come here and participate. I feel so good about it, it is like almost I have chill bumps. To be able to come to this floor, to be a part of the whole begging, if you get us an opportunity to train the thought it could. All of those things we talked about, you think about where we were and where we are now, and that we still have the kind of spirit that we had then, we still want to fight and we still have battles ahead of us. We have a President that is saying you do anything over the budget that I set forth, no matter how good it may be, children's healthcare, veterans affairs, the issues dealing with the environment, I am going to veto it. Well, you know something? We are here saying fine, if you want to veto it, then consider yourself challenged, versus, well, if you say you are going to veto it, then I guess we can't do it. Even though we have our challenges in the Senate, I think that it is very, very important as it relates to getting a number of these agenda items through, because of the close numbers there, I think the American people are going to continue to follow in the spirit of a new direction and help us carry out the agenda that they wanted originally, and hopefully some of our Republican colleagues in the Senate will be able to come together and have bipartisan action and move it forward.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I just want to say that Mr. Murphy presented himself so well tonight. Mr. Ryan is in Ohio tonight, and he BlackBerryed me and said he wished he could be here with us. As you know, Mr. Ryan is an outstanding Member of Congress. He had a death in his family and had to return to his district. We appreciate and recognize his absence. I am going to e-mail him back and say, Mr. Ryan, I think one of the reasons why things are moving so smoothly, you guessed, is because you're not here; but that is another issue. Mr. Altmire, one thing that we need to talk about as relates to stem cell research, there are so many diseases that could be cured, and 72 percent of Americans are supporting this research. We have kids with juvenile diabetes. There are a number of issues that we want to try to move on. This is a leadership issue. The thing about leadership is it is lonely sometimes. I get e-mails and calls from my constituents, I support this; or, Kendrick, I wasn't quite with you on that decision. But the good thing is something is happening, action versus inaction.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That is a very good point.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You couldn't ask for a better feeling being a Member of Congress. I always share out that. Out on the steps of the Capitol at least once or twice a week we have young people from our districts, and they want to hear from Members of Congress. The difference between us and the average American out there, and there are only 500-plus Members of Congress, we read something in the paper, something that could have been avoided, we hear a story from our constituents, something that could have been avoided, and to have an opportunity to vote on a piece of legislation like we are going to vote on tomorrow, no matter how many times we have to vote on it, we are a part of the solution to many of the health problems that are facing Americans throughout this country. We are the leader in the world as it relates to research and being responsible and being respectful. To have 200 organizations supporting the bill is very, very important. It is supported by the American Medical Association, the AARP, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Parkinson's Action Network, the American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Paralyzed Veterans of America, all of these groups. That is just to name a few. And also, 72 percent of Americans support this bill that we are looking to pass. You also have a number of corporations that are out there calling for it. Think about the money that could be saved, not only the money, but the lives. This is what it is all about. People ask: How do you feel being a Member of Congress? I feel good because I feel we can bring to the floor and bring to this government what is needed to help Americans, and I am glad we are a part of that. Mr. Murphy, it is good having an authority on the floor. I was a member of the Florida State legislature, and a State legislature is an interesting organization to be a part of. I think the first line of public service is being a county commissioner or city commissioner. That is when somebody can leave their house and let you know what is on their mind. I am glad to have an opportunity to vote on this, and I look forward to releasing information to my constituents about what we have done, and hopefully put some pressure on the White House to do what so many Americans want us to do, and that is get at some of the issues that are facing our country right now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so very much, Mr. Altmire. Also, we want the Members, if they want any information we talked about tonight or want to speak to us, we have the www.speaker.gov Web site. With that, Mr. Speaker, it was an honor to address the House, the 30 Something Working Group, tonight, the two Murphies and also Mr. Altmire and myself.

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. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Thirlee Smith, Sr., one of the preeminent role models of our community. A man of great repute and high standing who enriched the lives of so many community members throughout Miami, Thirlee Smith, Sr. lived a meaningful and fulfilling life dedicated to the betterment of our society through acts of good will. We have lost an outstanding leader, but we are blessed to have been touched by his greatness. It is our collective responsibility to carry forward and continue the good works and deeds that Thirlee Smith, Sr. practiced on a daily basis. Thirlee Smith, Sr. led voter registration drives throughout the community, because he understood that voting is a civil right. Thirlee Smith, Sr. stood at the forefront of this civil rights voter registration fight. Our democracy is more vibrant, our community is better represented, and our voices are now heard thanks to his tireless efforts. Thirlee Smith, Sr. was born in Timpson, Texas on June 2, 1912, the second oldest of six children born to his loving parents. In the late 1930s, Thirlee Smith, Sr. married Beulah Finley, and built a three bedroom home in Liberty City which still stands to this day. Together Thirlee, Sr. and Beulah raised three outstanding children, who contributed to our community in their own right: Odessa S. Felder Cook, a retired Miami-Dade County Public School teacher; Thirlee Smith, Jr., a former Miami-Dade County Public School administrator and the first Black reporter for The Miami Herald; and the Honorable Frederica Wilson, my Florida State Senator. Thirlee, Sr. was a 20-year member of the Revival Tabernacle Assembly of God under the leadership of retired Rev. Selwyn Scott, and served there as a deacon for many years, mentoring children and young adults. Thirlee, Sr. left this world a better place, and now, he returns home to a greater place in God's heavenly kingdom alongside his beloved Beulah Finley Smith. It is only appropriate that on Friday, March 2, 2007, the city of Opa-Locka held a street naming ceremony in honor of Thirlee Smith, Sr. across the street from the billiard parlor where he registered members of the Black community to vote, led a community drive that resulted in the sanitation workers of Opa-Locka being issued uniforms and pay raises, and dispensed sage-like political and personal advice to friends who were also his patrons. A husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncie and friend, Thirlee, Sr. was a family man who leaves behind his devoted daughters; Odessa Felder Cook (Carliss), and Frederica S. Wilson; five loving grandchildren, Chandra Stephens (Clyde), Kimberly Emmanuel (Nicholas), Lakesha Wilson-Rochelle (Shelly) and Paul Wilson, Jr. (Farrah); five great-grand children, Cailey and Clifford Stephens, Najee and Chelsey Emmanuel, and Triston Paul Wilson; and nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends in Miami, Milwaukee, California, Texas and the Bahamas. A man of great faith and spirituality who was the patriarch of a family that continues to serve our community with the highest levels of distinction, Thirlee Smith, Sr. left our world a better place than the world in which he entered.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart as I mourn the passing of a friend and fellow member of the law enforcement community, Marvin Jerome Scarlett of Henry County, Georgia. Sheriff's Deputy Scarlett was a patriot dedicated to upholding and defending the rule of law. He was a man of great courage, conviction and passion who lived a wonderfully fulfilling life surrounded by a loving family, close friends and admiring colleagues. Sheriff's Deputy Scarlett was a college friend and a teammate; together we played beside each other on the football field at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida. Marvin reflected the very best qualities I would hope for in a teammate--he always put the team first and this dedication to his peers and community was a hallmark of Marvin's personality. I mourn alongside the loving family of Marvin Jerome Scarlett, and honor his wife Latosha, and children Johnnie, Lottrenise, Lottriana, and Shi-Mon. During this difficult time, we will comfort the Scarlett family and pray for their wellbeing. Like the God he faithfully served, this gentleman came and lived among us that we may have hope more abundantly. True to his faith, Sheriff's Deputy Scarlett would urge us to believe that his death does not represent an irrevocable finality, and he would assure us that he will live on in the good deeds he left behind. Indeed, no life could be more revered for having fulfilled his vocation as God's faithful steward. I will cherish the wonderful memories I have of Marvin Jerome Scarlett, a true friend and defender of our community.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I have a question for Mr. Ryan.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Ryan. Mr. Ryan, you gave one great floor speech when you came down and said these are the same people who told us we will be greeted as liberators. These are the same people who told us oil revenues will be used to pay for the war. These are the same people who told us this will be a sweeping mission. These are the same people that told us there were weapons of mass destruction. These are the same people that told us there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. These are the same people that went on and on and on. You can go on YouTube and watch it. I remembered and watched it, and I thought it was one of your better speeches on the floor. I will reserve comment on how many you have made, but that is one of the better ones. Mr. Ryan, it is very unfortunate that right now we are breeding terrorists, people that will dislike the United States of America for the rest of their lives. That wasn't our mission in Iraq, and that is the reason why, before the election, a majority of Democrats were saying, and some Republicans were saying, that we should redeploy our troops to the peripheral and not do the street patrols in Iraq. How are we losing our troops? Going door to door, kicking in doors, riding down the streets. IEDs are blowing up and killing many of our men and women. They are not being killed in the training missions. I haven't heard one casualty, maybe there has been one, but I haven't heard of one casualty of any of our men and women training Iraqi troops in how to protect their country and how to protect their own streets. Case in point, let me paint this picture because I think it is important as we debate this emergency supplemental. When you look at the fact that the U.S. troops with the flag on their shoulder kicking the door searching for the three that were missing, going door to door, those children, that son, that grandfather, that mother will say that the United States kicked my door in. How do we get to this point, I am innocent and we are laying on the floor at 2 a.m. with semiautomatic weapons pointed at my family? Those individuals end up listening to the rhetoric of radical terrorist groups that are saying, they are not here for you, they are here to terrorize your family. That is why we have to get out of the position of this door-to-door and street-to-street combat in Iraq when the Iraqis themselves should be carrying out that mission. It is so very, very important. Like I said, six emergency supplementals, half a trillion dollars of blank checks to this administration; no more. That is the reason why we are having benchmarks. That is why the White House has to come here and report to Congress. I heard one of the Republican Members say we are supposed to receive reports. Well, that is a revelation. Here we are in charge of the Federal purse. We are responsible. We are the board members, if you want to put it that way, over the U.S. Treasury, and all of a sudden now many of our Republican Members are saying, yes, we are supposed to receive reports. That should have been happening from the beginning. Maybe then the death toll wouldn't be what it is, and maybe we may have more coalition partners in this effort if it was run right from the beginning versus send us a blank check and don't ask any questions. So the President can say what he wants to say. Memorial Day is coming up. We have men and women who have laid down and sacrificed. Many of them have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Many of the men and women that fought with them remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and still we are here playing games with the democracy that they allow us to celebrate today, under what we may call kingdom politics of the President feeling that you shouldn't ask any questions; I trust my advisors, and I trust the generals in the field. Well, I trust the generals in the field, too. And I have a level of trust for the administration, but the track record doesn't support don't ask any questions; we don't need any strings attached; you are trying to take my power away. We are not trying to take power away, we are just trying to make sure that the Federal tax dollar is spent in an appropriate way and we save as many American lives as possible. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, no one, Democrat or Republican, should apologize for what is going on right now in Washington, DC. I think many of our friends who believe we should be out of Iraq tomorrow, we should send every plane we can possibly send, take our troops out, redeploy our troops and just leave it as is, there is a process in doing that. We are going through that process right now. A lot of it is very painful. Some say, why are you giving the President another opportunity to continue this war and continue to fight this war? Haven't you learned over the last 5 years that the strategy they are using is a combat strategy, not a diplomatic strategy, not making sure there are benchmarks on the Iraqi Government, and they had that opportunity. I encourage, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, when we do get a bill on the floor, we do have a number of Republicans voting on behalf of this next supplemental, and a number of Democrats voting on behalf of the supplemental. And those that feel the war should end tomorrow should understand that this is a major accomplishment in the effort in taking away what the President has had for the last 5 years: a blank check, do as you want to do, Donald Rumsfeld and all of them. As Mr. Ryan says, as I close on this point, the real issue here is the truth will surface. Some of it has already surfaced, and a lot of it will continue to surface as we learn more about what the Congress was not told and as we learn more about what we were told incorrectly. And as Americans reflect back on this time, they will see some of the worst misinformation and secrecy at a time of war and a time of economic strain on this country. We have borrowed more from foreign nations than we have ever borrowed in the history of the Republic; and still, we have Members standing here asking what is wrong. Well, the reason we are in the majority on this side of the aisle, we are very busy leading on behalf of the American people, is a perfect example of what is wrong. The American people know what is going on. I am not talking about a bunch of proud Democrats. I am talking about Independents and Republicans and those who have never voted before in their life, they decided to get involved and vote. If this was just about politics, we would just go home or be in our offices doing the things we need to do for tomorrow, and let the Democratic majority get bigger and bigger because we would lead the Republicans to doing and saying what they have been doing all along. But this is bigger than politics. This is about our democracy. This is about our finances here in the country, and this is about saving U.S. lives that are in harm's way right now when we can work out a better plan and force the Iraqi Government to take the responsibility of their streets, take the responsibility of their patrols, and make sure that they meet benchmarks just like every U.S. mayor has to meet with Federal dollars, just like every U.S. Governor has to meet when they are spending Federal dollars. Just like every U.S. agency should be accountable to the taxpayer dollars, the Iraqi Government and those in the Iraqi Government should be just as accountable and greater with the U.S. taxpayer dollars. I don't want to get all emotional, like Mr. Ryan said, but I can't help but do it when I think about Memorial Day coming up and when I think about the veterans' benefits that we have in the emergency supplemental. We have some folks saying we shouldn't have any domestic spending in here, and we have troops coming back and still waiting a long time to get their service. It was the Democrats that put forth the dollars to make sure that Walter Reed was repaired. That is also in this emergency supplemental. We will talk a little more about that as we move along. I know we are going to talk about gas prices in the time left. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I think we should commend every American for being focused on this issue of Iraq and encourage a discourse. I was out behind the Chamber today on the balcony, and I noticed a person out there on a bullhorn saying, ``Stop the war.'' I wasn't bothered by that because the men and women that we are going to celebrate on Monday fought for that lady to be out there saying what she was saying.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That is right. That is what it is all about. And this is not a kingdom, this is a democracy, we have to tolerate one another now and then, but we have to make sure that we make sound decisions on behalf of the Republic. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I yield to you.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here on the floor tonight. It is like old times, Mr. Ryan and Ms. Wasserman Schultz. And we have the gas pump there, and it is just, you, know a wonderful feeling. Mr. Speaker, just to see you in the Chair there inspired me as an American to continue to be a part of this great democracy of ours. Our good friends from the Clerk's office and the Capitol Police and all the folks that make it possible for us to be here tonight, we are just forever appreciative. As you know, in the 109th and 108th Congress, this was the trio here. Ms. Wasserman Schultz brought quite a bit of class to our operation. She came in the 109th Congress, and, Mr. Ryan, we started to wear better ties and study more so that we could keep up with an educated policymaker.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. We will.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Very good. As we close, I know that we have our Web site that we need to give out. Well, we don't have time, but let me just do this. Mr. Murphy talked about this. These are another record year for oil company profits, in 2007, record profits, $30.2 billion they have been able to achieve, and $6.5 billion in 2002; and 2007, $30.2 billion. I think those are pretty good years for oil companies. It seems to happen, and I am not a Member of Congress with a conspiracy theory, but, with the Bush administration and the White House, looked like oil companies have done better than many Americans have done. As I talk to my friends and those that have F-10 pickup trucks, what have you, it's costing upwards of $80 just for a small business to run that truck, which is going to end up costing the U.S. taxpayers even more when they go for goods and services. We do have our Web site, and we will give that real quick, and we will close.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You know what they say. They have Democrats and Republicans and members of the Appropriations Committee, and I happen to be on the floor with two of them. One is a cardinal and one thinks that he's actually running the country, but I would say that as we continue to talk about this, especially in Armed Services, and Chairman Ike Skelton has done an excellent job in the defense authorization bill, getting us to a readiness stage where we can deal with the issues, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, that you outlined. These are very important issues, especially the Gulf Coast States or any State that has a, Kansas for instance, it has a natural disaster or have a disaster where they need the National Guard to have the equipment that they need, it's in that authorization bill, and I want to thank not only my colleagues on the committee but also Mr. Skelton for all of his hard work on the authorization end. But I think it's also important for us to note that our mission, we talk about redeployment. We're talking about redeployment and deploying a diplomatic corps to work with the Iraqi Government and have a surge in diplomacy or an escalation in diplomacy. Why can't we get other countries to join us? Well, why would they want to join something that is going to create more terrorism or terrorists in their country? That's what we're doing, and so I think it's important for everyone to understand that. And I share that with my constituents when I go out to speak to them. We're in here having this meeting here, we're sitting in this living room, and someone kicks in the door and come in and do a security search; how would you feel? Who would be responsible for that? You would be outraged. Iraq is not the United States, by far, but I want to share with you that many of our men and women are following the duty that we've asked them to carry out, and they trust us that we will ask the questions that we should ask here in Washington, DC and carry it out. I just want you to respond to that because I know that you have some words of wisdom, especially on that end, in all seriousness, because it's just simple common sense to do the things we should be doing. It does not take a rocket scientist, and you don't have to be a four-star general to understand that what we're doing is not working. And to say let's keep doing it and declassifying information and saying this is the reason why I did this, this is the reason why I did that, it still does not equate to why we're still doing the same thing and expecting different results. I will use this analogy before I yield to you. It's almost like going to the refrigerator and taking out a carton of milk, taking a smell of the milk and saying, wow, it's sour, I will put it back in and maybe it'll be fresh tomorrow. It works against logic. And what's happening now is that the strategy that the White House has works against logic, but unfortunately, it would be okay if it was just an individual, but it's dealing with U.S. lives. I know all of us want to save lives, but we have to make sure that we do everything we can to send a message to the White House, and also man up and woman up here in Congress, and be leaders in that direction towards safety and accountability and moving the Iraqi issue in a new direction.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan started wearing his pink ties, which my daughter always says, real men wear pink. That is actually salmon, but we won't talk about it. Mr. Speaker, in all seriousness, we have an awful lot of business that will be taking place in the next 24 hours. We are approaching Memorial Day, and there have been a lot of reports about the Iraq emergency supplemental. There has been a lot of discussion about lobbying reform. There has been a lot of discussion about the reauthorization of the agriculture bill. But I can tell you one thing, Mr. Speaker: Unlike previous Congresses, the work is being done here by those of us that are under the dome, doing what the people of America sent us up here to do. As we talk about the war, I think it is important to know that the issues in Iraq and Afghanistan are very, very serious to all of us here, to all of us in Washington, D.C., and Americans throughout the country, and especially the family members of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We always give this report. As of 10 a.m. this morning, the death toll in Iraq as it relates to the men and women in uniform is 3,424; wounded in action and returning to duty is 14,073; and wounded in action and not returning to duty is 11,476. I think it is very important that we pay very close attention to those numbers. The days of six supplementals passing off of this floor, half a trillion dollars spent and no strings attached to any of those appropriation dollars, those days are over. I am very proud of the leadership in the House and the Senate in fighting with the White House and bringing about the kind of accountability that the American people have called for. You heard me say here on this floor in the past, Mr. Speaker, that there have been bills that in the spirit of the bill, I voted for those bills, but as it relates to the substance of those bills, I have had a few problems with the lack of accountability. That is paramount now in this bill that hopefully will pass the House floor tomorrow. There are benchmarks. There are reporting periods that the President has to report back to the Congress. In September, we will be coming in for a landing and making some real decisions. The Iraqi Parliament, as you know, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, they have been holding quite a few conversations, as a matter of fact, talking about going on vacation for 60 days. The Defense Minister called his Ministers together to plan for an immediate U.S. withdrawal of troops, because I believe they know with this new Congress in place, the days of the Iraqi Government drawing down on the taxpayer dollars, the U.S. taxpayer dollars, without accountability, are over; and if they are not willing to reform themselves, then we should not be willing to have our men and women on the streets of Iraq fighting on behalf of safety and patrolling the streets, when the Iraqis are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. With that, I will yield to one of my good friends. I will yield to Ms. Wasserman Schultz, who is a very good friend, and then Mr. Ryan comes in after her in my friendship.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you very much. I want to thank you and Mr. Ryan. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for your time here on floor. It's always an honor for us to address the House of Representatives.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, I don't remember the last story of a state that continued to receive money, have not been accountable to Federal dollars, I mean, haven't been accountable in spending those Federal dollars. News report comes out that it actually took place, and then we turn around and say, oh, well, we know you didn't spend the last billions of dollars we gave you. We're going to give you some more. As a matter of fact, we're going to come down and help you spend this money, and we're going to come down and be a part of this lack of accountability by your government. And then we're going to reward you with another emergency supplemental that has no strings attached. You can't reward bad behavior or lack thereof. You cannot say, well, it's okay, Governor. It's okay, mayor. It's okay, county commission or city commission. If you're not accountable with the dollars, we're going to continue to send it to you. I don't know a police department that received Federal assistance from FEMA, okay, who did not do, did not follow the plan of hiring and training and making sure that they can patrol their own streets, and we sent Federal law enforcement individuals down there to do the everyday calls for service. That doesn't happen in America. It should not happen in Iraq as long as our taxpayer dollars are being spent, and dollars that we've borrowed, Mr. Ryan, I must add, from foreign nations. This country is in a financial situation as it relates to borrowing from foreign nations unlike any other time in the history of the Republic. So as we move in this majority body here to correct those issues, this is a wonderful opportunity for this government to correct itself on the legislative branch and the executive branch, to do the right thing, to be accountable for the taxpayer dollars, and, Mr. Ryan, the dollars that we've borrowed from other countries, that we have to figure out how we're going to pay them back, and at the same time continue to maintain some sort of financial standing within the world. Mr. Ryan, it's always a pleasure, sir, coming to the floor and working with you and other members of the 30-something Working Group. I know we'll be back a couple of other times this week before we finish on Friday. But we have to stay the course. I'm going to use one of the administration's words; stay the course on behalf of those who stood for us to be able to talk here in this air conditioned Chamber, saluting one flag. We have to stand up for those who have sent us here to represent them. And there are people who can vote. There are people who cannot vote. They're Republican. They're Democrats. They're independents. The individuals that are watching what happens now, because as we look back 20 years from now, folks are going to ask, who stood up? Who stood up for them? Who stood up for their children? Who stood up for their grandchildren? It's not about my family. It's about all of our families. If you want to talk about family values, then let's start doing things on behalf of the American people, and let's make sure that future generations have a better opportunity than we have. When that kid asked me on the steps of the Capitol, Mr. Congressman, I want to join the Army; I want to be a soldier. Am I going to war? That answer shouldn't have been diplomacy and all that. It should have been, we're doing our job and working with the international community and keeping America safe and, yes, if you want to go into the Army, you should go into the Army and serve our country like so many others have done. But it's a sad commentary when we're here debating the obvious of what we have to do. Accountability with the taxpayer dollars and accountability to those who woke up hearing mortar, hearing improvised explosive devices going off, looking at these vehicles towed in from the streets of Baghdad because we're doing the job that the Iraqi Government should be doing. And we have to stay the course, and making sure that we stand up for those that don't have the opportunity to walk through this door and put their voting card in these machines and vote on behalf of their future and their families.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, it's always good to be on the floor with you. It's like old times, like the 108th Congress, Tim Ryan from Niles, Ohio, and Kendrick Meek from Miami/Liberty City, Florida. The good thing I like about doing the work, we are working not only with new Members that appeared in the last Congress, but we have a level of consistency, even in the majority. Mr. Ryan serves on the very powerful Appropriations Committee. I serve on a committee called the Ways and Means Committee and Armed Services. These are just committees that have an awful lot of work, and there is a lot to do. But we are here tonight because it's very, very important to the country. I don't have a family member in Iraq. I don't have a family member on their way to Iraq, but I do have constituents that fall within that circle of individuals. As we move this conference report, hopefully, it will go through the conference session that's going on to the President, and that the President doesn't veto this bill. Now, I am going to say this, because one may say politically, you probably wanted the President to do it, because he will go down further in the polls. It's not about polls, as far as I am concerned. It's about accountability to the men and women in harm's way. One may think, well, this has nothing really to do with me. We have a volunteer Armed Forces, and they have signed up and they knew full well, some of them knew full well they would be deployed. We have Reservists signed up. Some of them knew this threat would come one day that they would have to be deployed on a third and fourth tour. You have National Guard men and women that signed up, they were going to be federalized. They had to know they would be federalized at some point to go out and fight on behalf of the country. I just would like to make this point that if one may feel that this has nothing to do with your immediate family, you have to think about what the war in Iraq is doing to our country right now, our financial standing, our financial security. We have an administration in the last Congress, which was the rubber stamp Republican Congress, that passed everything that the Bush White House called for and asked for. Billionaires received tax cuts that they didn't even see coming, but it was a gift to them from the Bush administration. Now, we have borrowed more from foreign nations than we ever borrowed in the history of the Republic. I am from Florida. For those of you who are Members from Gulf States and along the eastern seaboard, this is your issue. Even those from the Midwest or even from the west coast, this is your issue, making sure that we have the benchmarks in place, making sure that we have the accountability in place, when you look at the dollars we are spending, how about the billions of dollars, trillions of dollars we are spending on this war. It's your issue. To the small-town mayor, to the big-city mayor, to the county commissioner, or parish or State legislature, this is your issue. Some folks said, well, in Washington, you all talk about Iraq, Iraq and Iraq again, and then that other issue, Iraq. The reason why on this floor Iraq is uttered every day, almost once an hour, two or three times an hour, is how can we deal with a national health care plan for children? How can we deal with an issue as it relates to helping small businesses? How can we prepare ourselves to take on the wave of veteran affairs that we have to take responsibility for, because we promise our veterans that we will stand with them because they stood with us? How can we do all of those things when we are carrying on the back an Iraqi Government that I must add is looking at going on a 2-month vacation, and the majority members of the Iraqi Parliament have already said they want a timeline on when U.S. troops are going to be out of Iraq. When you hear things about building a wall in Iraq, when you hear the reports over the weekend, Mother's Day weekend, as we were celebrating Mother's Day weekend, including myself, on honoring our mothers, my mother and my wife and all, we have to hear the report about our men and women on patrol in Iraq hit by an improvised explosive device as they patrolled at 4-something in the morning, and an Iraqi response team from our military showed up, 40 minutes after that event, and come to find a burning Humvee, burning, and those that died in that explosion, and three of our men that we are still combing the streets of Iraq for right now, along with coalition forces. These are the very things that we talk about in this bill. We talk about not only the human loss, and, since when I always come to the floor, I just want to say that as of May 15 at 10 a.m., which is the latest, 10 a.m. report, death toll is up 3,393; wounded in action and returned to duty is 13,975; wounded in action and not returned to duty is 11,270. That number continues to go up. It's very, very important. We pay very close attention to this. So when we have the legislation to make sure the troops have what they need, make sure that our veterans have what they need, making sure we respond to the work that was not done in the last two Congresses, we deal with what happened in the Gulf States in Katrina, doing right by them, doing right by their children, that their health insurance is about to expire, the very children of our country. Just today I was on the steps talking to an elementary school, Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School, in my district. I was talking to over 100 kids that are elementary kids and some of their teachers. They were asking about Iraq, and they were asking about the war. They were concerned, and one of the young men asked, well, Congressman, do you believe when I get of the age that, you know, I would love to be a member, I would love to be a soldier, a member of the Army, do you think I will be deployed to Iraq? I had to have a discussion with him about how we are trying to work in a diplomatic way. We want a surge in diplomacy. We want a surge as it relates to an escalation and other countries taking part in what we are doing. If it's about, you know, dropping bombs and all of that, we can do that better than anyone else on the face of the Earth. But when you start putting our men and women into responsibilities when a country should take responsibilities for themselves, then we are talking about another thing. I think it's also important for us to note that the bouncing ball as it relates to what the President says and what he means are two different things. One minute we listen to the commanders in the field. The next minute we know what's good for the commanders. One minute we say that if the Iraqi Government, and I just happened, I asked staff to pull this up, when the President was asked, and he said, But asked if, as a matter of principle, the United States would pull out of Iraq at the request of a new (Iraqi) Government,'' he said, this is a question that was posed to him, `` Absolutely. This is a sovereign government.'' The elected Parliament, a majority of the elected Parliament have said they want a timeline. Now, in Congress we are saying we want a timeline, and we want benchmarks. The President is saying, I am not going to allow you to do it. We have a Republican minority saying we are standing next to the President. Then we had 11 Members of the Republican side go talk to the President and say, hey, you know something, we can only stand in for so long. Now, if I was thinking in political terms and thinking about serving on the committees I am serving on and staying in the majority and being a part of leadership meetings and so on and so on, I would say, fine. Let the Republican minority stick with the President. Let the President, let's just sit back, let's be quiet. Let's just let the President talk because as far as I am concerned politically, the gain is going to be to Democrats in Washington, D.C. But if it wasn't war, if it wasn't the future of our children and our children's children, if it wasn't the amount of debt that has been accumulated with two wars going on and tax cuts that no one asked for, and the super, super wealthy are getting tax cuts, subsidies, the oil companies that Mr. Ryan tried to address in the first wave of alternative energy and alternative fuel. I am a little glad to see the President talk about an energy plan yesterday, and take our dependency off of foreign oil or energy and focus on America. I am so glad that the President has caught up with the American people and the Democratic Congress and moving in that direction. We have already done that. So the real issue here is if we just pay attention to what people are saying, I think that we can figure out why they are doing what they are doing. The President, yes, he is going to be President, his term will be up in 2008. We want to support the Commander in Chief as far as we can. But as a democracy, as a Congress, we owe it to the people of the United States of America to continue to get good and accurate information out to them and to make sure that every Member of Congress knows exactly what he or she is voting on or not voting on. You heard me say before, it's important that Members of the Congress on both sides of the aisle, that we go see the wizard, that we get a little leadership, get a little courage, okay? Go to the President and say, hey, listen, this is the way it's going to be. This is not going away. The American people are on the side of what's good for America. They are not necessarily saying, you know, we love Democrats or we love Republicans. They just want good government, and good government is making sure we have responsibilities. Mayors come and speak with me. I had a city commissioner come talk with me today. She was sharing with me about, you know, all of the things that she has to go through to get a Federal grant. Well, I don't hear the Iraqi Government talking about all the things and the loopholes and accountability measures they have to go through to get the taxpayer dollar. And I think it's important that we pay very, very close attention to that as we move through. Let me just speak one more second, Mr. Ryan, not one more second, but several seconds.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, sir. I mentioned earlier, I'm from Florida. June 1 is a very important date to those of us that are in Hurricane Alley. June 1 is the beginning of hurricane season. Hurricane season will be, this hurricane season has been predicted, Mr. Speaker, to be one of the most active seasons in recent time. And Florida is probably the most prepared State as it relates to response because we've gone through it so much. And the reason why we're able to respond to a number of natural disasters and hurricanes, which we have a number of wild fires that are going on right now in Florida, is that we have one of the best National Guard units on the face of the Earth, period. But 53 percent of the diesel or used equipment that they had to respond to storms, because they're the first responders, they're already staging outside of the hurricane zone to respond as first responders. They don't even have the equipment that they need to respond. In Kansas, Mr. Ryan, the Governor of Kansas said, you know, our emergency management plan called for a response from the National Guard. Those that are still left in the State of Kansas, but, they're having to use their personal vehicles. They're having to do other things to make up for the equipment that's jammed with sand over in Iraq. We must have accountability now. We must have benchmarks now. It's almost saying to school age children that it's okay, you can go to school, we won't grade you on anything. There'll never be a test. You just, you know, do your time and everything will work out. Everything that we strive for to be successful in, even in business or in government, you have to have benchmarks. You have to have accountability. And what the President and some of the Members of the minority side of the aisle, some of them, not all of them, I must add because I know that there are a number of my Republican colleagues that are saying we're headed down the right track and they have voted in the affirmative, in a bipartisan vote to send that message to the White House. And what the President hasn't come to grips with, including some members of his Cabinet, that this is a democracy, and guess what, the whole cake and ice cream thing, you write it, we just follow you kind of thing is over. It's over. The people of America voted for accountability. They voted for standards. They voted for transparency, and they're going to get it as long as we have the majority here in this Congress to give the American people what they ask for. That's what their vote is all about. I think it's also important for us to realize that when you look at these States, and this is just Florida, the National Guard was down 500 Humvees, 600 trucks, short 4,000 pair of night vision goggles, and needed 30 more wreckers. This is from Colonel Ron Title, who is brass in our Florida National Guard. He's not talking on behalf of the Democratic Party or Republican Party. Here's a man that said, I'm going to serve in the Florida National Guard, and I'm just talking about preparedness. I'm talking about our ability to be able to respond to a natural disaster. What are we going to do, turn around and call Georgia? I'm pretty sure Georgia has some of the same issues. Turn around and call Alabama? Alabama, last I checked, there are a lot of National Guard men and women there, and I guarantee you their equipment, if not more in Iraq, they don't have the ability to come to Florida. And so when you look at these other States and the response of the National Guard, then you have to get active duty troops involved and you have to fly things in and carry on. If we had accountability in place, and we had proper planning in place, that's what this bill calls for. Mr. Ryan, this is the last money for Iraq and Afghanistan that will not go through the regular budget process because, Mr. Speaker, when that happens, accountability is paramount. Transparency hearings, everything is accounted for. Not just giving a checkbook to someone in Iraq and say, well, in the early days, giving them cash and just say go to work. That's not good accounting practices and should not be encouraged. And so the old saying, if we know better, we'll do better, well, you know, by now, 5 years in the war, we should all know better. And we're trying to do better. We have a majority in place right now, Mr. Ryan and Members, that are willing to do better, have the will and the desire to do it. The good thing that I like about, I was listening to what you were saying before I was recognized. Mr. Ryan, I remember the days that we were on the floor and we used to talk about if we had the opportunity, this is what we'll do. We'll make sure that veterans have what they need to have when they return back, and those that have served in past wars, that we honor their commitment by honoring them, making sure that they have a VA health care system they can be proud of. We said that we would work to make sure that children have health care in this country, and we've already taken action on that. We said that we would implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations. We have already done that. Waiting on the President's signature. We said that we would put rules in place within the House rules to bring about ethics and have an active ethics committee, which has already happened, Mr. Speaker. It's not something that we said, well, if we get around to it. It's already happened. So when we talk about the functions of good government, those principles are already in place. And so now we just need the help of the President of the United States to work with the Congress and not dictate to the Congress about what we should be doing, how we should be doing it. He's had 5 years. He's had 5 years to say, this is the way it's going to be. So shall it be written, so shall it be done. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, and being a Member of the past two Congresses, serving, Mr. Ryan and I served on the Armed Services Committee. We don't want to leave our men and women without equipment and the things that they need. And supplementals in the past, I didn't like a lot of the language in it, but I voted for it for the greater good, for the greater good. And we counted on the Defense Department to be accountable with the money. We counted on all of the things that we're being told about the equipment being on the ground when the men and women get there. Now we find out that some of that was not true, a lot of that was not true. And there's been so many things that have been told and so many apologies that have been sent out in press releases. Those days are over. We must have accountability in place. So when the President, if the President follows through on his threat, Mr. Ryan, to veto it, I'm glad that you talked about the things that he will veto; that he's going to deny the men and women in harm's way. He's going to deny children to have health care. He's going to deny veterans from getting the veterans services that they deserve, and he's going to deny us being able to hold our head up. But I'm going to hold my head up because I'm doing my part and I'm doing my part right now on Memorial Day when we commemorate those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. And vetoing the largest increase in the VA history. I'm just talking about a few things, leave alone the accountability measures at the Department of Defense. They already had the rules in place. They just weren't honoring those rules. We put it in the supplemental, this emergency supplemental. So now, within this law and within the dollars that will be flowing into the field and throughout America, they're going to have accountability measures in it. So I'm not talking about what the Republican Congress did not do or what they call themselves doing, or what the President did not do or called himself doing. I'm just talking about what we're doing now and the opportunity that's presented before us. And I'm so happy, Mr. Ryan, that we are moving in that direction. I yield back to you, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Ryan, I thought you made some very good points when you read the comments from the general, when you talked about the Jefferson backdrop and all today. General Petraeus, whom I know and I have seen in theater, which I have been to Iraq twice, yes, he is a man that we all feel very good about. We know that he is carrying out a mission on behalf of his country. But we should not ride on the back of his accomplishments as a general and a commander in the field to justify the policy that is being carried out by this administration. I tell you this, Mr. Ryan, that historians, in the very near future, are going to look back at this time and are going to wonder where the leaders were when this war and this moment right now that we are speaking in was taking place. When I used to play football, we used to have a saying, ``The blind leading the blind and the two shall fall in the ditch.'' The bottom line is if you know that the policy has been wrong, the intelligence has been inaccurate, and that everyone that has left the administration has just about written a book about when the lie was told and how they heard it first and when it was said, I think it is important that people understand and that the Members of this House understand how history will reflect on your vote and your lack of leadership or your leadership. One of the two. If you want to listen to someone else, and I talked to my friends on the minority side, the Republican side. There are some of their former colleagues right now watching us in this debate here on the floor and wishing that they could take their vote back and stand up to the administration. Maybe, just maybe, they would still be in Congress. Mr. Speaker, I will close on this point: The bottom line is that it is time for leadership. It is time for Members on both sides of the aisle and especially on the minority side of the aisle, the Republican side of the aisle, to go see the wizard, get some courage, and come back to this floor and back the will of the American people for accountability for our men and women in harm's way and making sure that we hold to the integrity of what the President said he would do and making sure that we hold the Iraqi government's feet to the fire as though we would hold the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio's, feet to the fire or Sioux City, Iowa. We are going to hold their feet to the fire for Federal dollars. Why can't we hold Iraqi government's feet for Federal dollars? And the President is saying don't hold their feet to the fire and don't hold my words, whatever I have said in the past, as though I meant what I said. And the bottom line is that we have a responsibility. So as we carry out that responsibility tomorrow morning at the White House, I hope that we are at the table of compromise but also holding to the integrity of what we originally sent to the President. There has already been compromise. The language changed from when we passed it here on the floor and it went to the conference committee. Some language was changed then because the President didn't like it, and then it came to the floor and we voted for that. And now it is to the White House, and the President says he still doesn't like it. Now we are about to sit down again with the President to talk about these issues. And then maybe, just maybe, there may be another vote here on the floor and the President may say he still doesn't like it. So when it comes down to the speech of who is letting the troops down, I think it is going to become more and more evident to the American people and to the Congress that we have a problem on the executive branch end of not being at the table of compromise for real on behalf of our men and women in uniform. We are doing our job. Let's continue to do it. With that, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the leadership for allowing us to come here to address the American people in the U.S. House once again. It was a great honor.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You know, a mayor of a U.S. city has to carry out accountability for Federal money; State governments have to account for the dollars and the progress of programs, block grant dollars, that we send to the States. Here on U.S. soil, they have to be accountable to the Federal Government. If they are not accountable, they may very well lose, what? Federal funding.