Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And what the President is saying, and this blank check; you know, Mr. Ryan, I really think that the President thinks that he has a rubber stamp Congress. I think that is what he is thinks, because that is what he is used to. It is almost like having a situation if you are a small business owner and you come in and you have a shop in one county and you spend most of your time over in the other county, you come over to your other shop and you notice the way they are doing business and there aren't any accountability measures on productivity, there are no accountability measures on spending. And you are wondering why this shop, the shop in the opposite county that you are very seldom at is running on time or being cost effective, and then you come in and you say that there should be change; but then, better yet, the manager of that shop says, well, why should we change? I know we are not doing things the way you want us to do it and we know that we are spending a lot of money over here. Why should we change? Well, that is what we have right now. The President is saying that the Iraqi elected officials and the Iraqi government don't have to be accountable and their feet should not be held to the fire. But, better yet, we have mayors, governors, State legislators, county commissioner, parish, what have you, they have to be accountable or they lose their funding or don't get their funding when you are in a war that is costing $500 billion and counting. When you look at these issues, Members, you can't help but say something is not right here. These are the people that are here in the United States of America, States, cities, counties that have to be accountable through Federal law and Federal appropriations. And over here, we have the Iraqi government. 3,351 of our men and women that have died, over 26-plus thousand that have been injured. And wasted money. And 100 soldiers that died last month alone. And we don't want accountable measures over here. We want to trust the administration on it, and we just want to say don't put any benchmarks there, don't even put any real goals there, don't do anything, don't ask any questions, just send us the money; you don't know what you are doing. Well, I tell you this much. As long as this majority is here in this House of Representatives that passed a bipartisan bill, sent it to the White House, that had accountability measures in it, my prayer tonight is going to be for those that will be there at the negotiating table there in the White House come tomorrow morning that, on both sides, that they hold the interests of the American people before you hold the interests of someone that made a promise in Iraq, in a foreign land, to say that we are going to have as much flexibility that we are going to have, and accountability measures don't need to be in place. It couldn't come at a worse time, Mr. Ryan. The newspaper is full and the media is full of how the American people have not been told the truth. It is sickening. I feel that it is something that I didn't do in the minority. Maybe I didn't understand something in the last two Congresses that I was a part of, of watching all of this lack of information that has been given to Congress and how the administration has gotten away with this, and they have gotten away with saying, ``I am sorry, that is all. What do you want from us?'' We lost e-mails, CIA agents have been outed, clandestine operations abroad have been jeopardized. Men and women, there have been cover-ups. I am talking about testimony before Congress just weeks ago, things have been covered up with friendly fire of certain individuals that signed up to defend this country. Meanwhile, we are sitting here being nice guys and nice ladies and not standing and hold their feet to the fire. This is the reason why we have a U.S. House of Representatives, the reason we have a U.S. Senate, the reason why there are three branches of government, where we don't have kingdom politics where one just says this is the way it is going to be, like it or not. Well, I have got a message for the White House and I have also got a message from the American people. The bottom line is we live in a democracy. We would love to sit down at the table of compromise so that we can come out with a work product. But don't sit there saying what you are not going to do and what you are going to do before you sit down at the table. At least the leadership here is saying that we are going to make sure that there is accountability and that there are benchmarks there for progress, and make sure the U.S. taxpayer dollars are being sent, not just some sort of slogan of saying, well, you know, I am trying to command from over here. I mean, it didn't make sense, Mr. Ryan. But the bottom line is, the thing that is good about this whole thing is that if this was a year ago, it wouldn't even be a debate. It wouldn't even be discussed. Accountability? Oh, no. The majority would say, we wouldn't do that. And now we have the accountability, we have the strength of the majority in the Senate and the strength of the majority here in the House. But if there was a political question, like I said before, and one would sit back and just let it play out and say, well, one day we will get to that point. We cannot afford to get to that one day. We have to do this now. Not several months from now, now. The American people demand it, the U.S. troops deserve it, our veterans deserve it. There are dollars in this emergency supplemental that fix Walter Reed and start to fix the veterans services in this country. There are dollars in here that help make sure that the men and women have the proper training and the equipment before they get to the field. Wow, Mr. Ryan, there is a revelation there, that we will have equipment and that we would make sure that striker forces have what they need of making sure they have a commander and a gunner and a driver, the essentials, that are trained in those categories before that striker vehicle pulls out of Camp Victory. Wow, there is something, that we are actually going to do what we said we are going to do, and we are going to take the Department of Defense's own regulations, Mr. Ryan, and put it into Federal law in this emergency supplemental; of saying that if you are going to spend these dollars, this $124-plus billion, that you are going to be accountable in these ways, Department of Defense. The reason why the President doesn't like this, Mr. Ryan, is the fact that it is actually doing what it said that he would do, and he doesn't want his words to actually come to fruition when it comes down to the way he described it. He came here at this podium, Mr. Ryan, we were sitting right out here. He came to that podium and said: We are going to hold the Iraqi government accountable. We are going to make sure that they train the troops. All of these things that he said, we took note as the Congress and put it into the emergency supplemental. And I think it is important that everyone understands what that is. One other thing, Mr. Ryan. The bill provides $21.1 billion for military health care, more than what the President requested; $900 million of that for posttraumatic stress disorder, $661 million to prevent health care fees increasing on our troops, $20 million to address the problem at Walter Reed. It provides $1.8 billion for more veterans health care, more than what the President has called for. I want to add again, $595 million to address the backlog maintaining the VA health care facilities, $250 million to hire additional personnel for the administration for VA health care, for the health care system, $229 million for treatment for the growing number of Iraqi and Afghanistan veterans, $100 million for mental health care in veterans assistance, $83 million to speed up the processing of claims for veterans returning back from Iraq and Afghanistan. It also provides other additional above what the President calls for as it relates to supporting of the troops. And I think it is important that people understand, $2 billion for more strategic reserve readiness funds, which $1 billion is for Army National Guard equipment shortfalls. This is very, very important. $1.1 billion for more military housing and $3 billion more for making sure that there is mine resistant ambush protection, what we call MRAPs, for troops in Iraq. Mr. Ryan, the reason why the President is talking about additional spending, I want to make sure that every veteran in the United States of America understands that he is talking about the money that I just described and then some. So, Mr. Speaker, I know that the President is used to having bills come to his desk that he can't even wait for it to get through the door before he signs it in tax cuts for the billionaires and those super wealthy. But this time he had legislation that's before him or he had legislation before him that he vetoed it that would have helped everyday Joe and Sue that signed up to serve this country in the way that this country asked them to serve. And, doggone it, if we can't stand behind them, then something is really wrong. And I am really glad, Mr. Ryan, that I am not just speaking on the behalf of the ``if we could, we would.'' But I can tell you this. What the majority leader is doing when he sits down in the Senate with the President tomorrow and the Speaker of this House what she is doing when she sits down with the President of the United States tomorrow, I want them to feel that they are wearing the breastplate of righteousness to be able to go to the President and say, these are average people, they are not sons and daughters of millionaires and billionaires. And, you know something? They are going to have rights, too. They have rights. And they have the right to be represented, and they will be represented. And I am so happy that we are going toe to toe with the President of the United States, not for politics, but for the country and for the folks that their mom and dad, they may only own one pickup truck, some of them wanted to go to college but couldn't afford to go to college, some might have gone to college and went into the Marines or to the Army or to the Navy or to the Air Force or into the Coast Guard. Those that are serving in theater as officers, we owe it to them. That is the bottom line. They deserve the representation. I know that the President is used to getting a blank check so Halliburton can spend all the money they want to spend and burn trucks and then get paid by the Federal Government. That will no longer happen, not under this watch, not as long as we have a Democratic majority in this House and a bipartisan spirit that is willing to send him the bill. I don't want to challenge the President to veto another bill. I want to challenge the President to come to the table and sit down, and let's have a sensible conversation and let's come up with a work product that we can all live with. It is not going to all be that he wants, it is not going to be all that we want. But doggone it, Mr. Speaker, when they rise from that table and we get the report, the rest of us, Members of Congress, the integrity of what we have sent to the White House when it comes down to accountability, when it comes down to performance, and when it comes down to holding the Iraqi government accountable and assisting our men and women that have served and those that are coming back from theater when they need veteran services, that must be there. That has to be there. And if the President doesn't allow it, then I would say our leadership should not allow him to have his way. As far as I am concerned, it is a no-brainer; and that is the reason why the American people overwhelmingly support our position, Mr. Ryan. When I say our position, I am not saying the Democratic majority's position, I am saying the position of the bipartisan legislation that we passed through House and Senate. I want to thank you for your patience, sir, because I thought it was very, very important that we talk a little bit about what the President did veto and what's in the legislation so that folks don't get the misrepresentation that has been given to them over the last hour or so from the White House.

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.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I hear what you are saying.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. What is so very important for everyone to understand here, that this is above and beyond politics right now. For the President to say, the President is making a political statement, he is making a political statement because he once said, as long as I am President, we are not going to pull back any troops from Iraq. Just because he made that statement doesn't necessarily mean that should be the case. We live in democracy, last I checked. No one stopped me walking down the street. No one kicked in my door, because I have rights. I think it's important that the President understands that we live in a democracy. So, really, in my opinion, it's hard to talk directly to the President about something when he has made a statement, and he has said, I am going to stick by it. This is not stick by your guns, you know, stick by whatever, however the song goes. It's not appropriate to use when you talk about the man, but it's stick by whatever statement you made. I think it's important that people understand that we are going to the table of compromise, which the President said we were going to compromise, he didn't sound like someone who really wanted to compromise in this statement at 6:10 today. He sounded like a person saying I am going to veto this, and they can come to the hill and the bottom line is the Congress is trying to do this, this and this. That is not looking at compromise, that is looking at keeping some sort of word that he has made. If you want to talk about word, I think it's important. The good thing I like about the 30-Something working group members is the fact that the Congressional Record and past statements are so very, very important to today's reality. The President said, in his comments, that he didn't believe the time lines, and he spoke out very forcefully against them. Yet in 1990, on June 5, then Governor Bush said about President Clinton, I think it's important for the President to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn, talking about another conflict. It's good enough for President Clinton. It's not good enough for him. It's one thing for you, it's an old saying, it's one thing for you to ask somebody, you tell someone to do something when you are not willing to do it. I think it's important, after all of this death, after all of the conflict that is going on in Iraq, in the middle of the winter, in the middle of the civil war, the American people are crying out. If it was political, and men and women weren't losing their lives, and Walter Reed didn't get a plane load of injured soldiers and Marines and airmen and the Coast Guard and sailors, then I would say, well, let's play the political role. As far as I am concerned, when I talked to my friends on the Republican side of the aisle, I share with them, because I think there is some good Members that are there that want to speak their mind. When they see me in the hall or see in the cafeteria, they say, Kendrick, you know, you were on the floor the other day, you made a lot of sense. I say, why don't you vote differently. Why don't you vote in the emergency supplemental to send the troops the money? Because the more bipartisan votes we have, the harder it will be for the President to do what they are doing. Listen, to the Republican minority, you guys are on your way to a permanent minority in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate following the President on this issue of don't ask any questions, just give me a blank check. The American people, unelected a number of Republican Members of the House and Senate last Congress. Why? Because they were rubber stamping everything that the President of the United States wanted. You have witnessed this. We have seen the difference. Now we have the opportunity to lead in a bipartisan way. We send a bill to the President, he says he is going to veto it because he doesn't like it, and he misrepresents what the bill does. I think it's important, as we go through this whole discourse of how we are going to carry out for the next, how we are going to carry out the mission in getting the men and women what they need, I think it's important that we have a little truth that rises up out of all of this misinformation.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to come before the House once again, especially this evening. As you know, the 30-Something Working Group, we come to the floor to bring forth the truth on behalf of the American people, not just Independents or not just Democrats, not just Republicans, but on behalf of the American people. I am so glad to be joined once again by my good friend from Niles, Ohio, Mr. Tim Ryan, and I am always excited about being on the floor with him. I am excited by the fact that, Mr. Speaker, today that there was a conference report signed to support our men and women that are in harm's way in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in areas where they are staging to move into theater, one that brings about the equipment and support, going above and beyond what the President called for, but it also had benchmarks to bring about the kind of standards that the American people are crying out for. It happened today at 3 p.m., and I am very proud of not only the Speaker but Majority Leader Harry Reid over in the Senate, Senator Reid. I think it is also important for us to realize that in both chambers it passed by a bipartisan vote. I think it is also important to note that as soon as we were able to get that conference report signed, that the President, one of his first actions was to announce officially his veto of that legislation, saying tomorrow that Democrats and Republicans will come together at the White House to discuss where we can compromise. Let me just say this before I yield to Mr. Ryan. I understand that there is a discussion that is going on about who is right and who is wrong, but I think it is very, very important to understand especially on the date that Mr. Ryan is going to address in a minute, some 4 years ago, where there was a great announcement of accomplishment and now to continue to move on under that light of saying trust me, that everything is going to be okay, I think that those days are over. I am not saying they are over. The American people are saying they are over. One time here on the floor, Mr. Ryan went down a litany of things, and actually I was checking out some of your work on YouTube recently, and it had the one when you came and you said, forgive me for questioning what the President says or what the Republican majority at that time had to say about the fact of liberators and paying for the war and on and on and on. It continues, but the American people are now saying, Mr. Speaker, that we understand this Commander in Chief but we need the Congress to stand up and be the Congress, asking for accountability. So, with that, I know that we have a number of things to talk about here this evening, and we also have some fresh quotes from former brass because, of course, if you are enlisted or you are inside, you cannot speak truth to power or speak your mind. This information has just been released not only publicly but to those of us here in Congress. We want to share that with the Members. Also, I want to add that the death toll in Iraq is 3,351; wounded in action, returned to duty is up 13,875; and wounded in action and not returning to duty is 11,215. That is the latest at 10:00 a.m. today. As you know, when we come to the floor, we give that report of that information because I think the Members need to understand that this is not a political issue. This is a serious issue that is facing the country and also facing the men and women in uniform and their families. So I do know that the American people are, and a super majority of them are, 100 percent behind accountability and also oversight. I think it is important that we have that, and the President is asking for a blank check. The thing that I am disappointed about is that the President had an opportunity to share something great with the country about a dialogue, but he decided to misrepresent what is in the legislation. I think that as we continue to talk about this tonight, that we continue to share with the Members, because every time we take a vote, the vote gets greater on behalf of accountability. I am hoping that we can meter up enough on both sides of the aisle to make sure that we hang in there with the men and women in harm's way and those that may be placed in harm's way and not wince to the President on some sort of floating politics that is going on right now. I hope they have a true dialogue. I am not about the political part of this. I am about the action part of this and making sure that our men and women have what they need. Mr. Speaker, we have done what we said we would do: make sure that they are funded; make sure that they have the equipment that they need; make sure that the men and women that went over into harm's way, that the Department of Defense regulation as it relates to the downtime that they are supposed to have with their families, that they will have it and that if the Department of Defense was going to exit from that, then there has to be a reason why they were going to exit, for not holding their end of the deal when these men and women signed up as volunteers. So it is very, very important that those of us here in Congress make sure that within this democracy that many of these individuals are fighting for and making sure and those before them, the veterans, making sure we can salute one flag, that we honor them through our courage and integrity when it comes down to this very issue. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Mr. Ryan.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Let me just add to what you just said. Members may be in their office watching, or walk here on the floor and say, what's Mr. Ryan and Mr. Meek talking about, like we are independent individuals that just come to the floor just to say that we are upset. I must say that a number of Americans live through the people they respect in government, be it Republican or Democrat. Sometimes they lead into this political process. People they get involved in government for different reasons. Some folks say I am going to latch on to this individual, or I am going to latch on to that individual. It might have been John F. Kennedy for someone else. It might have been Ronald Reagan for another lady, or whatever the case may be. It may be Speaker of the House, who knows. But they get involved in government for whatever reason. We got involved in government because we are the same folks that went and signed up at the supervisor of elections to run for office, because we wanted to do something about what was happening here in Washington D.C. and represent the people, not just Democrats, not just Republicans, not just independents, but the people, and those that are yet unborn. I think it's also important, when we start looking at these issues, we can just open today's Washington Post, May 1. This is May 1, and this is Tuesday. Front page, April, toll, is the highest of 2007 for U.S. troops, 100 U.S. troops in a month.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Haitian-American Nurses Association of Florida (HANA) for its successful Scholarship and Awards Gala held at Miami's JW Marriott Hotel last Saturday, April 14, 2007. This Annual Gala evoked yet another opportunity for HANA members to renew their sense of purpose and mission to this noble organization. Established in 1984 to pull together the aspirations and ideals of the many hardworking Haitian nurses, this Association's mission is to enhance its leadership and membership in a manner that represents the utmost commitment and integrity of the Haitian community. It has also reached out to students by offering scholarships to deserving individuals who will join their ranks in the near future. I want to commend the exemplary efforts of its officers in providing much-needed assistance and moral support to the constituents of the 17th Congressional District in a manner that evokes both the individual and collective nobility and compassion of its membership. The readiness with which they faithfully continue to extend both their expertise and encouragement to various communities genuinely attests to their immense love and commitment to the welfare of their fellow human beings. Under the aegis of their ongoing projects from Community Health Fairs to Emergency Response Teams, International Medical Missions, Immunization Drives, Continuing Education for Nurses, and interminable Nursing Research--to name but a few--I am confident that this Association will continue to serve and care for the people of my Congressional District, South Florida and beyond. It is with the utmost gratitude and appreciation that I congratulate all HANA members, and the scholarship and award recipients for their efforts and dedication to healing individuals in our midst requiring medical attention. The officers and members of HANA truly exemplify the undaunted symbol of strength and resilience in a way that genuinely combines professionalism on one hand, and genuine compassion on the other.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Change of Command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, and the achievements of its outgoing Commander, Captain James A. Morin. In a ceremony tomorrow at Ft. Myer, Virginia, Captain Morin will pass the company's guidon to its new Commander, Captain Michael J. Shouse. The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment is affectionately known as The Old Guard. It was created in 1784, and it is the Army's oldest active infantry regiment. It is also the lead Army unit for all ceremonial activities in and around the Nation's capital, and in many respects its members exemplify the best traditions of both the United States Army and of our Nation. Captain Morin was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served with distinction in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he earned several important awards and distinctions for his service. He joined the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment in 2004, and he has commanded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company since February, 2006. Captain Morin has said that, even as a young boy, he wanted to be a leader of men. He has certainly achieved that goal, with honor and distinction. We are fortunate to have men of his caliber serving our Nation. Madam Speaker, I know I speak for all my colleagues in congratulating Captain Michael J. Shouse on his new command, and in thanking Captain James A. Morin for a job well done.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to address the House. And it is always good to definitely come down to the floor and not only have a good discussion with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle but also all general Members of the Congress. And I must say that, as you know, those of us that are members of the 30-Something Working Group come to the floor with fact and not fiction about what is happening in this country. I had the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to join the Commandant of the Marine Corps tonight at his residence as we had a send-off dinner for the 15th Command Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, the highest enlisted Marine. And I know, sir, that you would have loved to have been there. It was a joyous occasion, and we definitely commend those men and women that are in harm's way, and that even those that are stateside are prepared to do what they need to do on behalf of this great country of ours. Mr. Speaker, there was some debate earlier today about the legislative action to put forth conferees on the emergency defense supplemental bill, the emergency bill, to make sure that we are able to meet the needs of our men and women in harm's way and also other emergencies in the country. And I think it is very important for the first time in the history of this war, as far as I am concerned, or in this whole war, that we have had an opportunity to have a discussion. There was great debate going back and forth from the Democratic side to the Republican side and arguments with some folks saying within this Chamber, well, why do we have to have language in the bill that may tie the President's hands? Well, I must say that in this bill, in this emergency supplemental defense bill, there is nothing tying the President's hands. The President is still commander in chief. The Congress still respects his authority. And I think it is important for everyone to understand that in this emergency supplemental bill, defense emergency supplemental bill, that it is important that Members understand that in this bill the requirements that are there are already requirements that are adopted by the Department of Defense as it relates to the time that National Guard and reservists and active duty Marines, sailors, airmen, seamen and -women, Coast Guard, you name it, are supposed to be in- state with their families or in-country with their families versus deployed. That is one thing. The second thing is to make sure that they have the necessary equipment and resources that they need. Mr. Murtha speaks constantly about being in a Stryker Brigade and what it takes in a Stryker. The driver, the commander, the gunner, others, you have to be trained in those positions, not just, hey, you come over here, we need you in that vehicle now. The kind of equipment that protects and saves lives is very, very important. And our work is not done; we are still having men and women in theater. When I say ``in theater,'' I just want to break it down and make sure everyone understands those that are in Iraq and Afghanistan still dying. Last week, there was a great debate about other news issues that were out there; one here in the United States, major news story, and one in the Bahamas, major news story. Meanwhile, back here at the ranch and in Iraq, we had four Marines die on that very day. It was just a blip, and then back to the stories of conversation of that day or of that week. And being inoculated to the fact that we are losing those that volunteer to protect this country and serve this country is something that we cannot get used to and something that we cannot tolerate. And so having conferees to even have a good discussion, a bipartisan discussion on what we should send to the President representing both sides of this Chamber, and the Senate doing the same thing that we have taken action today to do I think is good for the country. It is not good for Democrats, it is not in place for Republicans, it is good for the country and those that we are sending these dollars towards. In the middle of that dinner, I left to come back to vote, to make sure that we are able to give the conferees instructions that the majority of the House wish to have given them. And not only the commandant, but Command Sergeant Major Estrada said, Sir, we don't want to stop you from doing what you need to do because our men and women need it. And I was glad to be able to cast a vote in the affirmative. I think as we begin to look at the politics of the funding of the war and the politics of the discussion, I think we have to remember first we are Americans. We are both members of the Armed Services Committee. There are Members who are not on the Armed Services Committee, but on other defense-related committees and Homeland Security committees. We know that bipartisanship has to be paramount in those committees. Mr. Speaker, I said in the last Congress, I will digress here for a moment, I said in the 109th Congress that bipartisanship can only be allowed when the majority allows it. And I think under the leadership that we have now and the votes that we have taken, Mr. Speaker, on major issues, it allows bipartisanship. That is not just what I am saying; that's what I know because the Congressional Record reflects that history or that track record, one may say, of how Republicans and Democrats have voted in a bipartisan way with the Democratic leadership allowing those bills to come to the floor, implementing all of the recommendations of 9/11 bill, raising the minimum wage, making sure that we deal with the issues of stem cell research, and also making sure that there are more affordable drugs for seniors, prescription drugs, and cutting student loans, bipartisan vote, creating long-term energy initiatives, bipartisan votes, Mr. Speaker. So I am not down here talking about what may happen. I heard some of my colleagues on the other side talking about tax increases and everything. You know, that is fiction. I mean, with all due respect, that's fiction. What I do know, Mr. Speaker, because the only thing that the American people, the only thing that really works in my House is the record. And this is before the break, and this is not even now. As a matter of fact, this was through 3/26/2007. Even talking about the votes that we have taken here in Congress, the kind of votes that we have put forth, Mr. Speaker, we had to pass and we had to finish the work of the Republicans in the 109th Congress. They didn't even pass all of the appropriations bills. We had to pass a continuing resolution to make sure that the government doesn't shut down, to say that we will put aside Member projects and priorities back home. And that is very important to all of us because why are we here? We are here to represent our individual districts, but we put America first. And we said we will pass a continuing resolution. As a matter of fact, while we're at it, we will put $3.2-plus billion in for veterans health care into the system. And guess what? The Walter Reed story broke 2 weeks after that. I am so happy that the leadership was taken not only by our Appropriations Committee chairman, but by the leadership of this House. And we did it, and it was natural. And it wasn't political; it wasn't a reaction to something. It was the fact that we knew there was a major void there and we needed to correct it after amendment and amendment and the minority and the Republican Congress in last Congress. So when I hear Members come to the floor and kind of say what sounds good to the American people, I just like to come with the facts, and the facts are this: as of 3/29 of this year, roll call votes, if you look at the 107th Congress. And Mr. Speaker, I want to break this down, when we say 107th Congress, that means 2 years of Congress; 108th Congress, 2 years of Congress. This is something that we call it the ``do-nothing Congress'' because many media outlets called it that because we spent more time doing nothing than here representing the American people. At that time, as of 3/29 of 2007, at that time 2 years ago, there were only 90 roll call votes. Under the ``new direction Congress,'' which is the 110th Congress, there has already been 189 roll call votes. This is when we are here to work, when we are here to have committee meetings, when we are here to hear from the experts, when we are here to hear exactly what America has to share with us. One last point, and then I want to address one more issue, Mr. Speaker. I think it is important, when we started talking about the budget, we need to take that very seriously because there has been a lot going on in the last 12 years and a lot going on since President Bush has taken the White House and had a ``rubber stamp Congress,'' and those that said, well, you write it, we will pass it, without any questions and very few hearings. And now, Mr. Speaker, here in Washington, DC, we are having a lot of hearings, and it is benefiting the American people. It is not benefiting the Republican minority or benefiting the Democratic majority. It is benefiting this institution which we call the U.S. House of Representatives. And I think it is very, very important that we allow Americans' dreams to come true. And many of their dreams are around good government, many of their dreams are around accountability, and many of their dreams are around making sure that the people they send to Washington, DC are watching out for their tax dollars and their investment. I had a constituent visit me today, as a matter of fact, they were young constituents, and I had them in the gallery. They weren't even of the age of 10 yet, but they were happy to see their Congressman. And I was happy to take time. I canceled a couple of meetings and I took the personal time to make sure that those young Americans understood what this institution was all about. And they really appreciated it. They asked a lot of great questions, some that I told them I had to get back to them on. But being a father myself of young children, I know that children have some of the best minds that we have and we have to protect them. But they were asking serious questions not only about the war in Iraq, but about education and about the environment. And I think that is the reason why we have to put in the best service possible. But let me just share something, since I am talking about children. I heard our colleague a few moments ago talking about the budget. And I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, if I could talk about the budget 23 hours of a 24-hour day, I would, because it needs to be talked about. And something needs to happen to it in the affirmative on behalf of the American people, and something has happened. It has happened in a way that I will assure you that those that run around and say, well, you know, your taxes are going up. Your taxes are not going up. I mean, I am going to tell you that right now. The bottom line is that we have accountability in this budget; we are going to work to take this deficit down. And let me just talk about what is happening here. The interest payments on the debt, and this is 2008 budget, when we look at what we pay down on the debt, now you have to remember, 12 years of Republican control here in this House, 12 years of borrow-as-we-go, Mr. Speaker. And I think it is important that the Members understand, borrow-as-we- go, not pay-as-we-go, what we passed here on this floor in the majority with some Members of the Republican side, because I do say some of my colleagues on the Republican side first do understand that they represent their constituents, that someone woke up early Tuesday morning at about 7 a.m. to go cast a vote for representation, not casting a vote to be loyal to the Republican conference, and on this side, Democratic conference or what have you. But let's just make sure that we represent the people that we were sent up here to represent. Let's just talk here for a minute what we pay on the interest rate on the debt. And this is in the billions. This is what we pay on the debt. That is a little bit over $200 billion. And I just want to point this out, Mr. Speaker, here in this light blue box here is education. You would assume this would be education. No, this is education. We actually have to pay down more on the debt because of the out-of- control debt. And we had surpluses as far as the eye can see after the Clinton administration, after the Democratic Congress, without one Republican vote, balanced the budget, and everyone made money and everyone had money just about. Welfare reform took place. States had dollars to be able to invest in areas, and some areas were able to give tax cuts to the American people in their State. But, no, after that we decided, well, the majority, the Republican majority, decided to borrow all they could. And now they are upset because they can't borrow anymore. But this is what we are investing, well under $100 billion. Veterans, right there, below education, that is in the green. That is what we are investing in veterans health care. Not only health care, but veterans period as it relates to their benefits. Homeland Security, down there in the purple, we are talking about protecting the homeland. That is what is invested in the homeland. So you really have to look at this for what it's worth. And all of this is verified with third-party validators when we look at these numbers. Mr. Speaker, where is the money coming from? Well, that is another good question. These are the dollars of what has happened under the amount of foreign-held debt, more than doubled under the Bush administration. Look at the numbers: here is 2001, 2002, 2003. Keep going. We are just borrowing money, foreign nations. We never owed this in the history of the Republic. I am not saying, well, this administration did it or that administration. In the history of the Republic since we have been a country, this has never happened. And these numbers are in the billions. Someone may look at this and say, well, 1, 849, that's not bad for foreign debt. No. Why don't you try in the billions. And in 2005, up again. In 2006, up again. Foreign nations giving this country money to pay down on irresponsible spending, not worrying about it, but putting it on a high interest credit card. This is my last chart on the debt. And I think, Mr. Speaker, this comes down to what I was talking about earlier when I said in the Democratic Congress without one Republican vote, and the Clinton administration, what took place. This surplus declined by $8.4 trillion under the President's policies. And we had a surplus of $5.6 trillion, and now we are under $2.8 trillion under the Republican policy. So when we have Members come, and I encourage Members to come to the floor. I always say, Mr. Speaker, on both sides of the aisle that it is important that we have accurate information when we come to the floor. Take the time out and reflect, take a look at the Congressional Record, ask staff to pull together numbers and give you third-party validators. I think that's so very, very important. This other chart makes it even clearer, Mr. Speaker. We love charts. I mean, the people that are in the chart business, I know they are happy because we love charts. But we had to break this down because we had to communicate with the Members. I don't want Members going back to their district saying, well, Ms. Johnson, if Ms. Johnson was to ask a Member of Congress, either he or she, well, why did you vote against such a thing that would decrease the debt that we have and no longer allow us to continue to borrow money? Why did you vote against something like that? Why would you vote against the emergency supplemental to send money to the troops? Why would you do these things? I just want to make sure Members understand. I always share with Members, don't worry about what someone in this Chamber may say about your vote. You need to worry about what the people in your district will say about your vote when it comes down to these very, very important issues. This even goes further, Mr. Speaker, and it really highlights the countries that we are borrowing this money from. Japan at the lead of the pack, this is in the billions. $644.3 billion. China. Think about it. China, $349.6 billion. China. Red China. Now, what is going to happen when we get off a plane in China and start talking to the Chinese government about what they are doing to their currency, how they are using their currency against U.S. companies to be able to devalue their products so that they can sell it for a cheaper price and take away American jobs. And we go there with a great case. Meanwhile, while we are talking, I am pretty sure the Chinese government will be looking at the U.S. Government, including the President of the United States, and say, wait a minute, you owe me money. You are going to get off the plane and start telling me what to do? We are lending money to you. We are giving you money. We are giving you money because you mismanaged. I am smiling while I am saying it, but is a sad testimony to the management of this country, and I think it is very, very important if we say we are patriots, we have to make sure those children, and I was walking around this Capitol today, can have their chest out even further out than I have my chest out being a Member of Congress and being in this country, without having other countries being able to say we own a piece of the American apple pie. We want to make sure that everyone feels good about what is happening here. But I can tell you right now, we must, not ``we should'' or ``we need to do,'' we must reverse this chart. We must no longer allow countries, and I am just talking about China, Taiwan, OPEC countries. Who are OPEC countries? They are countries that we have conflicts in right now. Iraq is an OPEC country. We have other countries that are of concern to this country that are OPEC countries. I filled up my truck just the other day, $3.07 here in Washington, DC, leave alone other parts of the country. I hate to start getting e- mails about, that was cheap, Congressman. So you have to think about these issues. We have only been here, we haven't even had 6 months to be able to manage this government, to be able to say let's have the discourse, to be able to say, well, it is important, Members, that we owe the American people the opportunity for a debate. This is the first time that the President has actually had to negotiate. And we live in a democracy. Some people forgot. Wait a minute. What do you mean they are sitting down at the White House to talk about the emergency supplemental? That just happened. What is the discussion? Then you have some Members coming down saying, how dare you disagree with the President? The last time I checked, I was emancipated long ago, and I think it is important when George Washington's face at the top of the Rotunda, as his image looks down to the bottom of the Rotunda where you have a white dot here which is the center of this democracy, Washington, DC, we have to remember there are individuals that died, individuals that are in wheelchairs, that have allowed us to have the kind of platform to be able to have the discussion with the President of the United States and other Members of Congress about emergency supplementals, especially when we are in the fifth year of a conflict with over $500 billion of U.S. taxpayer money invested. I have mayors coming to me and saying, Congressman, this is what I need in my district. Meanwhile, we are sitting here looking at discretionary spending, saying it is not there. We have two wars going on, and the President doesn't want us to ask any questions. Meanwhile, I have cities that have to have an office of accountability to respond to every Federal grant that they get. They have to check off more than the folks in Baghdad have to check off. Something is wrong. So when we look at these issues, that is the reason why we are on the floor at this time of night, not only sharing with the Members, but also sharing with the American people. Regardless of your party affiliation, you must be concerned and focus on what is happening here in Washington, DC. Yes, we are all tired, and, yes, we all have other things to do. But while we have this issue of accountability, making sure that we move in a new direction, like the American people have said, I think it is very, very important. So I came down to the floor, Mr. Speaker, just for a moment, just to share with the Members that you have to pay very, very close attention to the debate and what is taking place. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the leadership for allowing me to have the opportunity to come to the floor. As you know, we always come to the floor, week after week, to share good information with the Members and the American people. It was a pleasure addressing the House.

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 join my colleagues and my constituents in solemn recognition of Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day; a special day where we mourn the millions of Jews who perished at the hands of the Nazis. This day has special significance for Jews, the main target of Nazi atrocities. I represent many constituents who are Holocaust survivors and many more that lost friends, relatives and loved ones. We mourn their loss; honor their memory; and unite in opposition to acts of bigotry and intolerance. We also pause to remember the innocent people of Darfur. The mass killings, acts of rape, and displacement of innocent civilians occurring daily in Darfur is unconscionable and must end. This is a moment in human history when the poignant expression ``Never Again'' must be repeated over and over again, coupled with real action to end this tragic period of human suffering. This year, as we commemorate Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day on Capitol Hill, we pause to remember one Holocaust survivor, Professor Liviu Librescu, who was tragically killed on the campus of Virginia Tech protecting his students from a gunman who murdered 32 innocent people. His death occurred on Monday, April 16, the day Israelis commemorated Yom Hashoah. A native of Romania, Liviu Librescu survived the Holocaust, endured years of communist oppression in Eastern Europe, immigrated to Israel in 1978 and then relocated to the United States where he taught engineering science and mathematics. Before the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Professor Librescu was known as a passionate, world class educator who dedicated his life to teaching students. Now, he will also be remembered as the hero who saved lives by blocking a doorway from an oncoming killer, allowing students to escape to safety. Professor Librescu sacrificed his life, so that others may live. His selfless action in the face of such terrifying danger epitomizes the heroism and courage that defined Liviu Librescu's life. May the memory of Liviu Librescu, the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and the victims of genocide in Darfur be blessed for all eternity.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor one of Miami's great ladies, Mrs. Naomi A. Adams, who on April 19, 2007, will celebrate her 90th birthday. I know I speak for all of my colleagues in extending to her our congratulations and best wishes on this important occasion. In so many ways, Mrs. Adams exemplifies determination, strength and service. She grew up in a segregated Southern city and was educated in a segregated school system. However, she overcame adversity, and thrived in every facet of her life. Determined to develop her talents and make the most of her abilities, Mrs. Adams was admitted into the prestigious Tuskegee Institute, which was and still is one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the nation. She worked in campus jobs in the dining hall and in the registrar's office to help make ends meet. It was at Tuskegee that two very important events occurred: Mrs. Adams studied under the instruction of Dr. George Washington Carver, a distinguished American of genius, and she met Mr. Nelson L. Adams, Jr., the man who would later become her husband. Mrs. Adams graduated in 1940 with a degree in Home Economics, and when the couple moved to Miami, she put her knowledge to good use by teaching others. She taught home economics and science for more than twenty years at Miami's George Washington Carver High School. When the Dade County Public Schools were desegregated in 1966, she was transferred to Robert E. Lee. Jr. High School, where she worked until her retirement in 1977. Mr. Adams, also an educator, was principal of Dunbar Elementary School for nearly 25 years. Mrs. Adams and her late husband had an overwhelming commitment of faith to St. John Baptist Church in Overtown. She has served as a Girl Scout troop leader; as a volunteer with the American Red Cross; as a member of the board of directors of the Dade County Teachers Credit Union and on the board of directors of the Dade County Retired Teachers Association. Even today, she is an active member of the Optimist Club, AARP, the Tuskegee Alumni Association and the Tuskegee University's Presidential Associates Club. Mrs. Adams is the mother of two children, Sceiva and Nelson, III, the grandmother of five and the great-grandmother of two. Mrs. Adams is the embodiment of the ultimate matriarchal figure, and I wish her continued happiness as she celebrates her 90th birthday.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, I just want to say that the past will speak to the future, and I want to leave you with this closing comment: remember the field mouse is fast, but the owl can see at night. It is a pleasure being on the floor with you. Mr. Speaker, it is always an honor to address the House.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Did you say the Congress or did you say The Tonight Show?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Okay. I thought you were joking. I yield back.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, I am glad you are here to make that point, because we talked about it earlier. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for us to understand exactly, and I can see if it was a different President, Mr. Ryan. I can see if the administration has changed from the last Congress to this one. But it is the same President that celebrated a Congress that was willing to follow through his original thoughts. During our watch on the 109th Congress and the 108th Congress, the President signed bills with billions of dollars in special interest tax breaks and subsidies to big oil, to a number of other high-level, connected, plugged-in, I-know-them kind of folks, and direct access to the Capitol and direct access to the White House, signed a bill and didn't even blink an eye. And in this emergency supplemental which is a true emergency, our men and women need what they need now in the field, not in 2 or 3 weeks, now. The real issue is we are helping and correcting the lack of oversight, the lack of will and the desire to correct the issues at Walter Reed Hospital which, when our troops are injured in the field, some of them, and Mr. Ryan and I have been through the whole track of what happens to our men and women that are injured in the field. They are dealt with in the field hospital, then shipped over to Germany. They spend some time over there, and then they are medevaced over here to Walter Reed Hospital. The last thing they need to see is a broken- down, lights-out, insect-infested Walter Reed Hospital. We responded. As a matter of fact, it makes me feel so good with this new Democratic Congress that we have here now, prior to the Walter Reed story coming out, and I need to get my chart on Walter Reed, prior to the Walter Reed story coming out, this Congress, through the continuing resolution that we passed at the end of January, because the rubber stamp worked on some days, the 109th Congress did not finish the appropriations bills, we reprioritized their priorities and put $3.6 billion in into VA health care. Here is a specialist here. She lost her legs. She lost her legs because this country asked her to go and fight in a foreign land, in Iraq. This whole story here, the Newsweek cover, and Newsweek comes out every week, but I actually saved this. I save a number of Newsweek, Time and other periodicals and dailies so we can archive what has happened in the past so we can have a better future. Right now what we are doing in the emergency supplemental is a better future for the very people we are trying to help. For the President to say, well, I am concerned about other things that are in the bill. Well, he wasn't concerned when it was okay for big oil. He wasn't concerned about that. I am so glad we live in a democracy, and I am able to say this. I am very concerned. You know why I am concerned? Because there are some American people who woke up early one Tuesday and stood in line and voted for some representation. Mr. Speaker, as sure as my name is Kendrick Meek, they are going to get it from this Congress. They are going to get representation from this Congress. We are going to make sure that their values are turned into not only law but to action. Mr. Ryan, when you talk about this issue of what is in the bill, what is actually in the emergency supplemental, when we talk about the accountability measures, you can't help but get passionate about it. Mr. Speaker, if I was an intern working in a congressman's office and if he or she voted against the emergency supplemental, my American spirit would have to come out. I would say I love the congressman or congresswoman, but it is the right thing to do. So what is the problem? Maybe they need to send an e-mail. Maybe they need to send out an e-mail under the name John Doe or something saying, Mr. President, I love you and all of this, but please don't veto this bill. That is where we are now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to address the House. As you know, the working group, we come to the floor to share good information with the Members and make sure that we are all informed on what is happening in this new-direction Congress. Also, for us to understand our future, we have to go into our past. We try not to dwell on that too much, but when there are examples of leadership and courage, we want to identify and illuminate the leadership that many, that the majority of the Members of the House have already taken. Today's vote with passing this budget resolution by the House is a perfect example of our priorities as we move through the process. As you know, there will come a time when the Senate and the House will get together in conference and we will send our budget to the President, and hopefully we can all come to common ground on behalf of not only domestic priorities, but also international priorities and how we are seen in the world. This is a Friday for us here in Congress because this is now the close of legislative business, and we are going to be off for the next 2 weeks from Washington, DC. But we will be back in our districts working very hard, talking with our constituents. Many Members will take this opportunity to share with the members of their community and their district the accomplishments that they have been able to make in the last 2 weeks, and they have been quite historical. I think with the emergency supplemental, even going back to that, since that is a week old and something we have already voted in the affirmative in a bipartisan way, I think that is a testimonial to what this 110th Congress is going to be about and what we continue to work very hard in making sure that the American people have a chance to see exactly how hard we have been working. I think I am going to have to get my chart that talks about the days we have worked, the resolutions we have passed, the suspension bills we passed compared to previous Congresses. I think it is important when people look at their Members of Congress and they say, well, are you actually working on my behalf. I am hearing from the 109th Congress that there were times that you spent more time out of Washington than you spent in Washington. And many of our Members are hungry to see their constituents because we have been here the majority of the weeks working on a 5-day workweek. Out of that 5-day work week, there has been a lot that has been accomplished. So I am going to talk about not only the resolution, but I am going to also talk about the effort of bipartisan votes that have taken place here on the floor and on the accomplishments of being here in Washington, DC, and having hearings. I think that is important, and I think that the American people need to be fully aware. We talk about Iraq in the same light that we talk about the work. On the 29th, which is today, the total deaths in Iraq, 3,243. That's as of 10 a.m. That's 10 a.m. numbers. Wounded, returned back to duty, 13,473. That number continues to change, Mr. Speaker. And wounded not returning back to duty is 10,841. Why do I give those numbers out? I give those numbers out to make sure that all of the Members understand that this work is very, very serious. This number is changing because just today in the Armed Services Committee we had a hearing on Guantanamo that has a connection to the efforts against terrorism throughout the world. But oversight accountability hearings on Iraq are at 104. That is the last documented number I know. When we get back from the break, this calendar will be updated. Also, we had issues of cleaning up Washington, DC, and making sure that America is safer; hearings that we've had making sure the American dream is possible for everyone. We have had a number, Mr. Speaker, of bipartisan votes here on this floor that really meant a lot to Americans. When we started looking at the issue of minimum wage, when you have 82 Republicans voting under the ``New Direction Congress'', under a Democratic-controlled Congress voting for an increase in minimum wage, that means that there has been a will and a desire to do so over the years, but they haven't had the opportunity to do it, and it took leadership to move in that direction. Also, making college more affordable. When you look at votes that have taken place, 124 Republicans have joined Democrats in voting in the affirmative as a unit, and I think that is very, very important. When we start looking at the Iraq resolution, we have to look at the courage and the insight and the vision of this ``New Direction Congress'' in allowing Members of this Congress to vote on something that will be beneficial to their constituents but also meets emergency needs of the country and Iraq and Afghanistan. I think it is very, very important that we understand that when we go on break there is going to be a lot said because we won't be here in Washington, we won't have the opportunity to come to the floor. Of course, the administration will have 2 weeks of an opportunity to speak from a podium without a response, an official response, outside of Members sending press releases out. But when you look at this resolution, it makes sure that, in dealing with the veterans issues, we have in place making our commitment as it relates to defending the homeland. I used to be on the Homeland Security Committee, and we started talking about making sure that the levees are in place and that we never see another Katrina in our lifetime, not under our watch; and holding our commitment to the men and women in the gulf coast. I think that is very, very important, and something that we have to continue to work on. Another piece of legislation we passed within the last 2 weeks is the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act, a response not only to the scandal at Walter Reed but also to make sure we can ensure the troops and veterans that they will receive quality care. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation, something that we should be very proud of and the American people should be proud of. We will continue to move in that direction of being aggressive on these issues. When you deal with the issue of U.S. troop readiness, I met with the command sergeant major of the Army Reserves just today, Mr. Speaker, in my office. He talked about the number of issues that are still not being addressed on behalf of reservists. But I can tell you that the refreshing part of that conversation was that I could go to the Wounded Warriors Assistance Act of 2007 to say that help is on the way. I was able to point to the concurrent resolution that we passed, our first action in January, that we put $3.6 billion into veterans health care so that when he goes out in the field to speak to the soldiers, he can say a new day is coming. I talked about the budget resolution prior to this budget resolution passing here on the floor, the largest increase and investment in veterans assistance, health care assistance in the history of the VA. I was able to talk to him under those terms and under that flag of accountability, oversight and making sure that we are accountable to the men and women that serve our country. I can tell you that it was received with great appreciation from him. I think it is important that as we start looking at the action of growing the economy that is in this budget that it is going to be very, very helpful to us all, making sure that our economy is moving in the right direction and will be here for all levels of economic classes. We start looking at children that are being assisted through this budget. As we continue to march through this process, as you know, there will be a House and Senate conference, there will be Members pulling in different directions to make sure that the priorities are met, but when it is all said and done, children are being protected. I know the Speaker will be having a summit on children that is coming up pretty soon that will allow us to even further look into the needs of children in the United States of America. What does this mean to the economy, Mr. Speaker? It means an awful lot. It means if you have healthy children you have fewer days of parents having to take off work and take them to the doctor, or to stay home to try to, what I call, drugstore medication, going to see what they can buy over the counter to help their children rebound from whatever health ailment that they may have. With this budget that we passed, we are making sure that every child in the United States of America has an opportunity at universal health care, something that is very, very important. I come from a State where over 12 percent of the kids are without health care. I think it is very, very important that we focus and stand behind our commitment to America's children in making sure that we provide the funding to make sure they all have universal health care. It is going to be good for our economy, it is going to be more days that children will be in school. We will have healthier children, we will have healthier families, and we will have a healthier economy in our society. I think it is important that we move in that direction. When we look at the State Child Health Insurance Plan that we have here, we call SCHIP, you look at the investment of what we have just made on this vote here on the floor. In 2008 to 2012, you will see in the billions of dollars that the President's budget is a $2 billion increase up until 2012. But then, if you look over a little further, you look at the budget resolution we just passed, and that is with a $50 billion increase as we move into 2012. So we have already laid out that we have the will and the desire to do so and that we are ready to do it; and we will be finding the necessary resources to do it without going into deficit spending. That is something that we have passed in the pay-as-you-go. If you are going to propose it and you are going to pass it, you are going to definitely have to show how we are going to pay for it. I think it is also important, as we look at the agenda, and we have a number of third-party validators that have endorsed this budget. We even have committees outside of the budget. But we have a Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, a panel created to inform Congress and the public on energy independence, climate change as well as developing policies and initiatives to assure progress made to reduce dependency on foreign oil. This is so very, very important, Mr. Speaker. Not only do we have this select committee out there, in this budget it reflects our values in investing in the Midwest versus the Middle East. It is a lot cheaper, believe me. And those numbers that I read out at the beginning of how many men and women will never come home to their loved ones, how many of our men and women that won't be able to return back to battle, I think it's important for us to understand that we not only have to conserve but at the same time make sure that we put our money where our mouths are when it comes down to protecting our Earth, because we only have one. I think it is also important, Mr. Speaker, just for us to step back for a moment and just reflect on what not only happened just a few minutes ago but what happened last Friday. I continue to come back to that since the President is saying that he wants to veto the emergency supplemental. I think it's important that we just look at that just a moment. I was on the floor last night, and Mr. Ryan was here. We had an opportunity to talk about what the President really meant when he said that he wanted to veto the emergency supplemental for our men and women in uniform. I couldn't help but reflect on the President's history on vetoes, and I started looking. I would ask my staff, and then I started just kind of doing a personal evaluation. Have I ever heard the President say he is going to veto something? In 6 years of him being President, since I have been in Congress, now going on 5 years, I have never heard the President say I am going to veto something. I wonder why. Well, we just left the 109th and the 108th Congress, which was better known as the ``rubber stamp Congress.'' The President sends it to the Hill, it will be followed to the T, and that it will be ``so shall it be written, so shall it be done.'' Members will make other Members vote for the President's priorities. The majority was on the Republican side. And in November, the American people said, I no longer want that kind of democracy. I no longer want the President's original thoughts to be carried out by the Congress without review. We have another chart, and I want to make sure that we get that chart, the one that talks about how many bills we've passed. I had it here last night. It may be in the back or something, if staff can grab it for me. It was from the Clerk's office. It talked about the days that we've worked to this point and the bills that we've passed until this point, because I think it will be very, very revealing. The Congress last session did very little. And when I say very little, they had very few hearings on many of the issues that are before the Congress. We are taking a lot of time, not only Members of Congress but also the staff here in the House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle, because the days have been accelerated and the fact that we are actually having two or three committee meetings in a given day, leave alone subcommittees. And I think it is important, if we are going to have an active and functional and informed government, that we have to go through the steps and making sure that we are making sound decisions. That's okay when you are looking for others to tell you what you should be doing. This is my new favorite chart, Mr. Speaker, because, as you know, in the Working Group, we love third-party validators; and we love to give accurate information out. I personally love to give accurate information out. I don't ever come to the floor and share with staff or a friend, ``How can I go to the floor and give inaccurate information? Please help me do that.'' Some of the debate that took place here on the budget, I was really shocked by the fact that some Members would come to the floor and say something that we all know is not true. But this is true. This comes from the Clerk of the House. This is the Record. Bipartisan office, it's the Record. I love everyone in the office, and I appreciate the work that they do. But this is the 107th Congress, the 108th Congress, the 109th Congress, and this is the 110th Congress. This was known as the ``do- nothing Congress.'' That was what the media called it. And the ``New Direction Democratic Congress'', that's what we call it. It has nothing to do with the third-party validator. When you look at roll call votes to this date, March, 2005, during this month, as we close out this month, there were only 90 roll call votes that were taken. As we close out this month, there will be 189 roll call votes that were taken under this Congress, under this working, very functional, very informed Congress. Because the fact is, Mr. Speaker, that we have taken the time to go to a committee, to have staff research and to have witnesses come to us and share with us where we're going wrong and what we're doing right, and that is important. We look at suspension bills, another form of bills that we vote on, 26 in the 109th Republican-controlled Congress, 72 that we voted on Democratic-controlled Congress. And then it goes on and on and on. And I think it is important even days in session, 26 compared to last year under the Republican-controlled Congress, 48 under the Democratic- controlled Congress. Why is this important? We have two wars going on. We have children without health care. We have veterans that are waiting 6, 7 months to be able to see a specialist at a VA. We have VA clinics that are open only once or twice a month. Why is this important? This is important because we have small businessmen and women in America trying to find a Congress that is going to stand on their behalf as it relates to free trade. And I believe that trade is good, but not when it is at the cost of U.S. jobs and the outcome measures of building our economy are based on hypotheticals. It is important for us to be here, Members, to understand these issues. So as I speak on the importance of what we have done and what the President is talking about in vetoing the emergency supplemental bill and saying that, oh, well, it is those folks in Congress that are holding it up, no, we have done our work. You will have the bill on your desk, and I urge you not to veto it on behalf of the people that are counting on us to stand for them. It is not us and them; it is all of us. We are all Americans. And if there are some things in the emergency supplemental that the President disagrees with, then that is fine. State those disagreements, but don't hold up the necessary resources from the men and women that are in the forward area, especially in Afghanistan. If this was a political conversation, I would say, Mr. President, veto it. You have to lie in that bed; and those that voted against the emergency supplemental would have to lie in that bed, too. But I would be speaking as some sort of hard-core partisan, which I am not. I am a Member of the U.S. Congress, and I think it is important that we look at it, Americans look at it the same way. It is not an issue of if you are a Republican or an Independent saying, well, the Democrats. No, no. The people that will suffer the most by the President saying that he is going to veto are going to be the men and women in uniform, the veterans that have been waiting on accountability out of this Congress and it is at an emergency level. Those Americans that have been waiting because of natural disaster, they are an emergency state. They are ready for their economy to kick in so that they can start providing for their families. It is going to be those individuals that are going to suffer. So let's take the personalities out of it. You have to be for the emergencies that are facing this country. Emergency supplemental is very, very important to this country and should not be allowed to be used as a political football. So I would ask for the President to reconsider his original thoughts vetoing the emergency supplemental. I think soon that there is going to be a discussion, Mr. Speaker, as it relates to the budget resolution we just passed. There will be threats and rumors of threats about what the President won't stand for. But there has to be a paradigm shift, because the American people have made a paradigm shift in November. You had Republicans and Independents voting for Democrats because they wanted accountability, they wanted oversight, they wanted to move in a new direction, and they wanted to make sure that they had a government that was going to balance with the present administration. But apparently that message has not gotten to the White House yet. And I am so glad that the leader of the Senate and also the Speaker of the House sent the President a letter saying, you know, it is not personal, let's just calm down and let's work together in making sure that the men and women of our Armed Forces and the veterans, I have the letter right here. This letter is from Senator Reid and also Speaker Pelosi. And it talks about both House and Senate bills contain important provisions rejecting the present policy that has been pursued for more than 4 years. Now, let's just say this very quick. And this is the closing of this letter because we can go on from the beginning. But we entered this into the Record last night and there is no need to do it today, but I think it is important that everyone understand where we are headed and where we have been. We know the past 4 years that there has been, not one, two escalation levels of U.S. troops in Iraq, and we know a third one just took place recently, an escalation in troops. And every last escalation has shown the same, very little as it relates to making sure that Iraq is a safer place to be. And it is still a very dangerous place. The President is asking for more time. But usually when you have three strikes, you are usually out. But as we start looking at this, it is important that the Members pay very close attention to this and the American people. And it goes furthermore to say that the provisions are based on statements by General Petraeus and other senior military leaders that there is no military solution in Iraq. No military solution in Iraq. So to say that 140-plus thousand troops, 200,000 troops, we are going to get to the bottom of this; the more, the more the better, that is not necessarily what the military commanders have said. What did the Iraq Study Group say? They said that we have to find a diplomatic solution and that we have to find some sort of redeployment plan of U.S. troops. Great Britain has already said that they are pulling out. Others of the coalition of the willing, that I must add you would assume that Great Britain would be the second largest coalition in Iraq right now. No, it is actually U.S. contractors that is almost being led by Halliburton who said that they are going to move their headquarters overseas to Dubai. The U.S. taxpayer dollars are all intertwined in the Halliburton Corporation, and there are several investigations on Halliburton as it relates to their accountability of making sure that they billed the American taxpayers appropriately. This goes on to say that their collective judgment leads to the conclusion that U.S. forces should not try to contain a civil war, but rather a bipartisan majority in the House and Senate believe strongly that the U.S. mission should be transitioned to a counterterrorism force protection, and training and equipping the Iraqi security forces and phased redeployment of U.S. troops should commence. That is what this letter is saying, and that is what we must do. And I think it is very, very important that this message is loud and clear. And I don't think that the will or the desire of the majority of the Members of the House and the will and the desire of the majority in the Senate will change on this issue, because polls have indicated, not only the poll that was taken in January because that was all about Iraq and some other issues and accountability and ethics, but the poll that was just taken over the weekend of how the American people felt about the action of this Congress, they are with us. They are saying, what took you so long? Well, the thing that took us so long was not necessarily this Congress. It was the rubber-stamp Congress. So someone, please, I implore you and beg you, call the White House and tell the President, just because you say it, doesn't necessarily mean the American people are going to follow you. I was watching the President on the television just the other day, the press conference after the Senate took its action, and you would have assumed that something really bad happened. The President was saying, You know, I am going to veto it. He kept saying this, And they are holding money. Do you think the American people are going to believe for one minute when you have an emergency supplemental with accountability measures in it, of following what? The Department of Defense deployment rules and regs of men and women when they circulate out of theater. You have bureaucrats right now in the Pentagon that as soon as enlisted Reservists and in some instances National Guard return back home, they are returned back home within 150 days and going back into theater for another 12 or 15 months if they are a soldier, 7 to 10 months if they are a marine. If they are in the Air Force, it may go from 3 to 4 to 5, or maybe up to a year, not because someone believes that that is the case. And here is the President on the front page trying to play the blame game and point fingers. That is not what this is about. And the reason why I am speaking in a very firm voice on this issue is that this is not politics. This is saying, let's work together, let's make sure that this is not about a stare-down, who is going to flinch first. It is not about flinching, it is not about who tucked their tail under their legs and who won. Because we all win when we give the men and women what they have to do. So this has accountability measures in it saying that troops will not be deployed outside of the Department of Defense's own rules and regulations. Obviously they have been bending those rules. How do you say to a soldier or a marine, an airman or a sailor that we are going to bend the rules when it works to the benefit of the Pentagon or the administration, but when it comes down to what you are supposed to do we are not bending anything? We are going to hold you to the nine of what you are supposed to do. That is not American. That is not fair. So this Congress has stood up on behalf of those individuals and said that we are going to hold not only the Department of Defense's feet to the fire, but also the administration's feet to the fire on this issue in law in this emergency supplemental. If you are going to spend the money, these are the rules you are going to live by. It also goes on and talks about the whole issue of readiness, making sure that our men and women have what they need when they go into theater. Well, some may say, well, Congressman, why are you talking about readiness? We are not sending anyone over there unprepared. The real issue is there is training that is involved that needs to happen. Again, I told you that I met with the sergeant major, the highest enlisted man or woman in the Army Reserve just this morning, and he was sharing with me the level of training that his men and women in the Reserve units have not received because of the fast rotation and the lack of emphasis on training and readiness. This is fresh information. This is not fresh. We already knew this, but he just validated it even more by just coming and saying this is an issue. We just passed this budget. So if the President doesn't want to move in a new direction in making sure that our men and women have what they need and they are trained, that is something that we need to talk to him about. We need to talk to him about it. We don't need to say you are wrong or do it, we want to watch, we want to see you do it; because if you do it, it is going to cost you politically. We are far beyond politics right now. It goes further into increasing the VA and assisting those men and women that are coming back. And it also looks at, states, that kids, the children, we reflect in our budget what we want to do. But with children, the money will run out for children's health care in certain States here in this country if this emergency supplemental doesn't go through. And I think it will happen prior to the next budget act when the bill is up. I know Mr. Ryan came down and he was getting ready to join me, and I don't want to move into the segment that he shared with me that he wanted to share with you. But as we start continuing to look at the present and hopefully moving into the future, I want to make sure that the Members know exactly why this budget was very, very important. The budget that we passed doesn't raise any taxes whatsoever, and I know Mr. Ryan is going to talk about that and I am not going to take his thunder. But as we start to look at the interest payments on the debt, of what has happened in the past and where we have to have the paradigm shift and where this budget resolution starts to move the numbers and the reality of what has happened in the past, what was the reality in the 109th and 108th Congress. Here is the interest that is paid on the debt right here, in the billions. And this is what Congress invested in education. Interest, education. Next to that investment in veterans in the billions, the very low billion, under a hundred billion versus the debt. Homeland security. You have a lot of chest beating going on down here on the floor about homeland security, protecting the homeland. That is one of those things that comes in behind ``I love the troops.'' Protect the homeland. Previous Congresses and previous budget chairmen and committees did not set their priorities there, but they made good speeches. Look down here, homeland security, that is the investment that is made in homeland security versus paying down the debt. Why is this chart important? It is important because our priorities are now changing to no deficit spending, pay as we go. That is going to be painful. Mr. Speaker, I already feel the pain. It is going to be painful. But if we are going to make sure that we do what we are supposed to do as Members of Congress and we hold to our word as Members of Congress, I am talking about all Members of Congress, we will pay. Because the foreign debt that this administration and the Republican rubber-stamp Congress previous to this Congress put on the backs of this country will have other countries looking at us in a different light. Mr. Ryan, I probably borrowed $20 from you every now and then.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Let's say I was to say hypothetically, Mr. Ryan, can I borrow $100? Sure, Kendrick. And I will pay you on Friday, payday, at the end of the month. And I see you 2 weeks after that payday and I come up to you. You are thinking, hold it, you owe me money when you see me next. You're not thinking about what I want to talk about. Where is my chart on foreign debt held? We love charts here. I can tell you, on the foreign debt held, there are countries like Japan, China, OPEC countries, Mr. Speaker, that we borrow money from. Iran is in that number. So how are we going to be viewed on the world stage and how do we rebound from that? Here is my chart. We keep the chart people in business. China, Japan, leading the pack there. The U.K., the Caribbean, OPEC countries that include Iraq, Iran, Venezuela. You look at Korea, Hong Kong and Germany. Again, Mr. Ryan, how do we look these countries in the eyes and say we want you to do this a certain way when we owe them money? How do we get out of that? We get out of it by passing this budget resolution that we passed today.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You are making a point, and I just want to slingshot that point in.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, it is always a pleasure coming to the floor.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. It is very interesting, my grandmother used to say sometimes, I am so glad that I lived long enough. She used to say sometimes, even as I go from day to day, you know they say thank God for life. That is what she used to say, I am glad God allowed me to live long. I am so glad that God allowed me to live long enough to see the paradigm shift that is now taking place here in Washington, D.C.; see accountability; see a new direction; see oversight and see us sharing in that accountability, us sharing and making sure that we are making cuts and having reform ourselves so that America can be better. We used to say, Mr. Speaker, all the time in the 109th Congress, we have the will and the desire to lead; give us the opportunity to lead. And now that leadership is happening. So, Mr. Ryan, keep pointing it out. Let us keep sharing good and accurate information. Let us continue to go to the Congressional Record. Let us continue with our third-party validators because we love third-party validators, and the credibility and the integrity of the 110th Congress will live on in a bipartisan way.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Here's the issue. The President is now saying, I am going to veto the emergency supplemental bill for Iraq and Afghanistan and for our veterans. I'm going to veto it. That is something he has never said before, Mr. Speaker. All the while all of this debt was being built up on the future generations of Americans and our children and grandchildren that are children of Republicans and Democrats and Independents and those who are thinking about voting, the President never once said I am going to veto it. As a matter of fact, every bill that was passed in the rubber-stamp Congress, the President was saying, I'll sign it. I am going to sign that bill. Record spending, I am going to sign that one. Mr. President, that bill will run the debt up. We will have to borrow money from foreign nations, some that we have issues with. I'm going to sign it. As a matter of fact, he signed so many bills, can I have another pen? I ran out of ink. Now to say I am going to veto something that has accountability measures in it, the problem is not additional dollars for the emergency needs of Americans, the problem is the fact that the Congress has said, after 4, now 5 years in Iraq, that we are no longer going to be the say-nothing, hear-nothing, do-nothing Congress, that we are going to have a say in it, and we are sitting here and federalized by the people of the United States of America to make sure that they have a voice and we have accountability.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I think it is important that we continue to say this. Mr. Ryan, you said something that I thought was very interesting, very interesting.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You are welcome. Again, third-party validators, and I have here Congressional Budget Office numbers here, there is nothing it is nothing like the truth, and it is nothing like the Congressional Record. I can tell you when we look at, these are the same individuals in the White House, and some of the same Members on this floor that were left over from the days of just spend, spend, spend, borrow, borrow, borrow, don't worry about it, we are not going to be here to fix it, but here is the truth, $5.6 trillion surplus was here when the President got here, President Bush. We have had an $8.4 trillion swing, deficit, from a $5.6 trillion surplus, which means, projection, we had money, and these numbers were based on 2002 to 2011 projections, to now, a $2.8 trillion deficit. Republican policies and this, you know, that got us there, $8.4 trillion. Let me just share this with you. The amount of foreign debt held more than doubles under the Bush administration. He didn't do it by himself, that is why we have a Democratic Congress, because the American people caught on to what he was doing and what the rubber stamp Congress was doing last Congress. We are talking about accountability. We are talking about being responsible with U.S. tax dollars, foreign-held debt. Look at it skyrocket, going straight up.