Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. It is making a difference.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I yield to Mr. Altmire.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Let me just say the fact that in the 30- Something Working Group we are so glad that not only have the gentlewoman from New York, but also the gentleman from Connecticut and also from Pennsylvania joining us, and of course Mr. Ryan from Ohio. The fact is that we come to the floor to share with the Members what is actually happening here, because I think some Members may say they don't understand, but I think we were pretty clear last Congress about the facts. Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure, I was actually corrected on the 90- something hours; it is 68 hours. Because we like to give out good information here. Even when we may sometimes by mistake give the wrong information out as it relates to the 100 hours, we correct ourselves here on the floor. So we give good information to the people so everybody knows exactly what is going on and how it is going on. Congresswoman, you are going to add not only your experience, but also a good representation on behalf of your constituents and the people of America. By the fact of us being elected, our constituents have federalized us to deal with these issues that are facing the country right now. Mr. Ryan, I yield to you.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. It is nothing like, and I just keep breaking this down to what my cousin would understand, who has nothing to do with government. There is nothing like being a Member of Congress and telling people what you would do if you had the opportunity to get elected, and then coming and actually doing it. Mr. Speaker, that is a paradigm shift. That is a paradigm shift here in Washington, D.C. We said we would do what we are doing now, and it is actually happening. This is not something that somebody wrote in an article or an op-ed to your local newspaper, saying it would be wonderful if Congress could come together in a bipartisan way and raise the minimum wage. It would be wonderful if we could start really diving into stem cell research in a way that would be responsible and along the lines of being able to cure many of the ailments that so many Americans have. It would be wonderful for us to be able to take those super giveaways and loopholes and take $13 billion of those dollars and put them into energy innovation, making sure that we look at an efficient way to conserving not only energy but investing in the Midwest versus the Middle East. It would be wonderful, Mr. Speaker. These are all of the things that people have been talking about, and I am glad to be a Member of the 110th Congress. I was so happy, this last King holiday I had an opportunity to give a couple of speeches. I shared with folks; I told them what I had done over the last week and a half. They were, Wow, Congressman, we weren't ready for all that. We have been reading about it and we are so excited about it. It passed the House; and yes, it is on its way to the Senate and hopefully the President of the United States will sign it. Our work is not done here. The Members' work is not done. America's public work is not done at this time. The American public has to continue to voice their opinion on these issues that we are passing off this floor. I want to also let Members know that I will be down here tomorrow as a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, talking about the importance of the passage of this legislation. Being able to pass this legislation and turn these loopholes and great giveaways to special interests and turn them into something that the American people can wrap their arms around; and we can be innovative here, in the American homeland, to be able to hopefully save America. I look at this as a national security issue. I was on Armed Services for the last two Congresses. I can tell you, I am not a Member of Congress with a conspiracy theory, but I know that if we start to invest in what we have here, our natural resources here, our alternative fuels that we can look at, be it E-85 or what have you, we will be able to do better. I can tell you what is going to stop, Mr. Speaker, and we are going to make sure that the gentleman from Connecticut and the gentlewoman from New York and also the gentleman from Philadelphia, you will get your set of charts as you move along, to be able to show these great illustrations that I usually do. Mr. Ryan and I have a plethora of these charts. I just want to say that it is important----

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, you are 110 percent right. I am so glad you mentioned this faith in government and the opinion prior to the election. We would watch the news, and they would talk about the American public and what they thought about the Congress, what they thought about elected officials. I can tell you, and this is going into my 13th year of public service in the Florida House and the Florida Senate, now here in the Congress, I have never had a 2-week period like I have had. And let us not take it lightly. This is something that should be well noted, and it is something that I am excited about as an individual. But I know the American people are excited about it as well, because my constituents are very excited about it. They have never seen this. So let us not take this lightly. I know we have about 5 more minutes left, and we want to go around and make sure we all get an opportunity to make closing comments, but look at the vision of this Congress from this point forward. Just think about it. Think about the committee work that is going to take place. Think about the oversight that is going to finally take place. Think about the way we are going to look at the President's budget when it is presented later on, when the President comes here and gives his State of the Union speech. Think about the response to that and how we work with the President on some of those issues and move it forward, not jammed up here in Congress. Because the American people want action. They want it right here, right now. We are going to give it to them, Mr. Speaker. And I am glad we have the leadership in place, with Speaker Pelosi and our entire Democratic leadership that is here. We also have some leadership, I believe, on the Republican side of the aisle, the Republicans who want to vote on behalf of their constituents. We are going to give them that opportunity. Folks talk about bipartisan. There have been Republicans on the other side of the aisle who have been wanting to vote for this stuff, for these things. I am going to say this stuff, using Mr. Ryan's analogy, which is good. Because we don't want to speak over the heads of anyone. We want to make sure that we communicate with everyone, and that is what it is all about. That is what it is all about, communicating. And that is what we want to continue to do. Whether it is good or bad, we are going to come to this floor and be committed to it, and I am glad you are all here tonight. Those are my closing comments, so we will roll all around to the Member from Pennsylvania.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. They need it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I just want to let you know how much I appreciate you yielding to me. And you and Mr. Murphy, this must be an outstanding moment for you, because it is better than what Mr. Ryan and I experienced when we came in the 108th Congress. We didn't have the opportunity to do even a quarter of the things that we told our constituents we would do if they gave us an opportunity to serve them in this great body. And what you just talked about is exactly--you can run for five elections on what you just mentioned that we did in the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately, it has been so backed up to the fact that now it is like excitement, it is electric here in Washington, D.C. And these bipartisan votes, anyone who wants to say anything about partisanship, they have to look at what has happened over the last 2 weeks and say, this is what we are talking about. They want it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. They asked for it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I am glad just to echo what everyone else is saying about this outstanding day on the floor of the House of Representatives. The thing that I have been dwelling on in the last segment of the 30 Something Working Group is the fact that we have these bipartisan votes, but we still have the Republican leadership that is voting against, voting the opposite way of many of their colleagues in their caucus. I wouldn't say that the Republican Caucus are joining us, I would say that they are representing their constituents. And we talk about bipartisanship, my constituents talk about it. I know that all of our constituents would like to see it, because this vote, Mr. Speaker, today was for America, for America's future. It was for kids like these and others that were here on the opening day of the House. We are fighting on their behalf. And when we fight on their behalf, we fight on their parents' behalf, their grandparents' behalf. Because no matter what religion that one may practice, they want their children and grandchildren to have a better opportunity than what they have had. And with the whole devolution of taxation, Mr. Speaker, that was passing here with out-of-control spending here in Washington, D.C., sending a lack of funding to the States that they have to balance, many of us come from State legislatures, we know we have to balance. It is not like the Federal Government, they can put it on a credit card. One of our first actions that we took here on this House floor was to pass the pay-as-you-go rules, of saying that if you are going to spend money, then you have to show how you are going the pay for it, not just saying that we are going to borrow from foreign nations and allow them to own a part of the American apple pie. But today I want to talk about this vote again: 71 Republicans on that side voted against it. Amongst the Republican leadership, every last member of the Republican leadership voted against it. Mr. Speaker and Members, what is important here is the fact that this bipartisanship is what America has been waiting on. They have been waiting on it. Let's not do it as some sort of slogan. Living proof is the vote that took place here today on this floor. 124 Republicans voted on behalf of their constituents, not just the Republican leadership saying, well, we want you to vote this way, you know, don't worry about it. It is some mighty tall ladder to climb to say that, well, go back home and say I voted against interest rate cuts for your kid to go to school. I don't know, I wouldn't be back if I was to go home and tell my constituents I voted against it because it didn't happen fast enough in my opinion. Well, the Republican leadership and the Republican Congress on the other side last session took this money away from students and families, and raised the interest rate to give special interest tax breaks to the super, super, super plugged in here in Washington, D.C. the way it used to be. Now, today, we were like Robin Hood. Those Members that voted on behalf of their constituents and voted on behalf of America's future put their special interests love aside and said that we are going to vote on behalf of America's future. So I am excited about it. This is a day that educators and parents and grandparents who want to see their children educated will see this day as a momentous day. And I am speaking from proof, Mr. Speaker. My wife couldn't have gone to law school. She came from a family that they just didn't have the money to do it. If it wasn't for her being able to get student loans, this bill isn't going to be able to help her but it will help kids like her, and she is a judge today. She wouldn't be a judge if she obviously didn't get a law degree. So I think it is important that we give face and voice to this day because this is about the future of our country. Mr. Ryan, I will yield to you at this time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And I just, again, as we go along, because, Mr. Speaker, I am just going to keep saying the same thing because the last 109th Congress, the gentleman from Connecticut and the gentleman from Pennsylvania and Ohio, we pulled this chart out. I know the Clerk's office here has seen it, they probably could close their eyes and tell you what is on it because they have seen it so many times, and I know that the Members on the Republican side and the Democratic side. But this is what has been happening, $1.05 trillion. We are going to have another chart because I am pretty sure that number has gone up of out- of-control borrowing from foreign nations, higher than 42 Presidents, 224 years prior to, $1.01 trillion. That is a real fact. And we kept saying and kept saying it. And what I am going to say again is the fact that we have the 9/11 Commission recommendations implementation making America safer, Mr. Speaker, bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Anyone can go on Yahoo and get a copy of this, the 9/11 Report: 299 yeas. Every Democrat on the floor that was in attendance that day voted for it and 68 Republicans voted in the affirmative. That is bipartisan. Minimum wage, we talked about it. On that day, there were 315 yeas. Here is the record here with everyone that voted for it and against it. Every Democratic Member in attendance, 233, 82 Republicans voted for it. That is the bipartisan spirit. Stem cell research, that was mentioned earlier. We have 253 votes; we have 216 Democrats voted for it and we have 37 Republicans voting for it. That is a good number. Also, you have the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which is 231 Democrats voted for it, 24 Republicans voted for it. And I think it is important that you take a look at that and pay well note to the fact that we were able to vote in a bipartisan way. And I gave the vote out earlier and I want to direct the Members and all the Members to the vote counts. You can go to www.house.gov to get those vote counts so that you can share them not only back home in your district with your constituents, but the American people, Mr. Speaker, can go on www.house.gov and get this information and share it with the people that have been asking and polling and saying that they want bipartisanship in this House. We know there will be a point where there won't be bipartisanship on some votes, but we are going to try to encourage as much as possible. And I want to continue to say that. And I say that in Democratic circles and I say it in Republican circles with my Republican colleagues. But we are so glad to be joined by another Member that has joined us in the 110th Congress, the distinguished lady from New York. What we are doing here is kind of going around, and everyone is pretty much sharing what their experience has been over the last 100 or so hours or 90-something hours. We are going to hit 100 tomorrow. But talking about this governing in the way that we should be governing. And the American people are excited about it. So how is it for you?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Just if you would yield, please.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to verify that time check there. In the 58 minutes we have left, I just want to talk about a few of the bipartisan votes, and then we will talk about this whole 100-hours agenda. I was having a conversation before I came to the floor, and I was stopped by one of the outstanding staffers that are here. They said, Congressman, it is just interesting to see Democrats and Republicans voting together on major issues for a change. Today, Mr. Speaker, we had a vote on the College Student Relief Act, and I am proud to say that not only did we have every Democratic Member that was in attendance today voting for it, but we also had 124 Republicans that voted for it. This was to take the interest rates down from 6.8 to now 3.4, and it is going to help 5.5 million students be able to afford college. But I definitely love for my colleagues to chime in, because this is a good day of accomplishment whenever you can come to the floor and vote and be successful on something that you talk about when you are running for office; and now to see this legislative accomplishment in such a very short time is something that you should be excited about. I know that all our constituents are, too.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to come before the House once again. As you know, the 30-Something Working Group, we come to the floor to share not only with the Members but also the American people the great things that are happening here under the Capitol dome and some things that Members should be informed of that could happen under the Capitol dome if we were able to work in a bipartisan way. But I am so happy, Mr. Speaker, today because we are on the floor today, and we have a number of issues that we want to share with not only Members but also the American people. I am excited about all these bipartisan votes that have been taking place over the last 90- something-odd hours that have taken place. I am glad to have good friends from all over the country. We are going to have the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) that is going to join us, and also the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy) is going to join us tonight. I think it is important for us to really reflect on some of the things that have been happening. Mr. Speaker, if I may make an inquiry, how much time do we have, sir?

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, Dr. King brought the civil rights movement to every living room in this country. He marched for freedom in the face of unspeakable racial prejudice, yet preached a message of nonviolence, civility, and tolerance. It took Dr. King's forceful movement and powerful words to bring about real and lasting change to this country. This will be the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Day since the passing of Dr. King's wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, a legendary civil rights advocate whose memory we honored at a community-wide march last year in Miami. During a time of national grief and unrest following Dr. King's assassination, she became a symbol of her husband's struggle for peace and unity. On this day, we also honor this wonderful matriarchal figure, a role model who helped lead the struggle for equality. Minority communities face obstacles every day--poverty, unemployment, lack of healthcare, and access to housing. It is a tragic waste that 1 in 5 children live in poverty, including more than one-third of African American children. Dr. King paved the way for so many people, including me, to assume roles of influence in this country. And for all this work, he created a more just society and made this country an even better place to live. On this day of remembrance, let us work even harder toward fulfilling Dr. King's legacy of public service.

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. Thank you so very much. I am glad you came to the floor to share that. There is nothing like a representative of the American people that the Republican minority seems to be so concerned about all of a sudden, sharing misinformation, that the representative of the people comes to the floor to set the record straight. The good thing about it is that we are in the majority right now, Mr. Speaker, and knowing that the issue will continue to receive the kind of attention it deserves, but making sure that mistruths are ironed out here in the Congressional Record, so that when we reflect on the facts, as I speak so fondly of, that we are on the right side of those facts. I would also like to share with the Members, since we try to provide information to the Members, mainly, and hopefully we will get to the American people, we want to make sure that Americans stay tuned on behalf of the rest of this 100-hour agenda that we are carrying out right now, with the Student Loan Relief Act, which is on Wednesday; and repealing big oil subsidies, that will be coming up; and also investing in renewable fuels, that will be coming up. All of this along these lines are going to make us a stronger America, a better America. These are issues, or issues that have been presented before Congress before, some of them passed on a committee level. Even some of them have passed in some amendatory form in a bigger package of legislation this House of Representatives, out of this House of Representatives. It should not be a surprise or a shock. As I mention it here now, well before next week, I am pretty sure we will have some Members on the other side of the aisle who will come up and say, you know, I was walking down the hall and someone told me we were taking tax breaks away from the big oil companies. What happened to the hearing? Well, I can tell you not only prior to the election, I know for sure I said it here on the floor in the last Congress, the 109th Congress, in the last Congress. If they did not know, if they did not know that this was going to take place, prior to the election, then I suggest you pick up a newspaper. We notice that some people don't read the newspaper here in Washington D.C., but that is another commentary. But I am excited about the fact that we are getting some of these issues done. We always encourage the Members to log onto www.speaker.gov. You can get any information that is coming up, if you want to learn more about the 100-hour agenda, but I would say if you want to e-mail the 30- Something Working Group, www.speaker.gov/30something, and you can send us information on things that you are concerned about or questions that you may have. With that, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank the Democratic leadership for allowing me to come down to the floor. The 30-Something Working Group will be back on floor next week. We want to not only ask Members but also staff and all Americans to celebrate the memory and the legacy of Dr. King and his entire family along with Mrs. Coretta Scott King for their contributions, not only to this country but to the world. As we carry out this day of service that the King Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence calls for every year, try to create some sort of public service project within your family of something that you can do for somebody else, because that is what his philosophy was all about.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. There is so much going on right now that is working on behalf of the American people. There are some Members of the minority party that feel that they need to come to the floor and raise objection to that, with the blessings of the Republican leadership. Because when you come to the floor, you have to have the okay of the leadership of your side of the aisle. I went through earlier this afternoon about Republicans joining Democrats in these votes. This bipartisan spirit, that is the only way I can figure this out because the misinformation that is coming to the floor and that is being given out to the American people, Mr. Speaker, you represent the area that they are so concerned about and they don't even bother to pick up the phone and say, is this true or that true or even doing the research. You can look in the law.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you so much, Ms. Jackson-Lee. I know that many Members of Congress hopefully on both sides of the aisle will be joining you during your special order in recognition of the contributions of Dr. King and the entire King family, including Ms. Coretta Scott King. Mr. Speaker, I want to take an opportunity to come down, and I have already given comments on the memory and legacy of Dr. King and the entire family for the record, and I know that that will be entered. I wanted to come to the floor just to sum up this week. As you know, those of us in the 30-Something Working Group, we work to not only let the Members know what the Congress is doing and what we are leading in the direction of that the American people would like for us to go in in all areas, need it be defense, need it be standing up on behalf of our most vulnerable members of our society, our children and our elderly, those that have put forth opportunities so that we would have a better America. When we think about and reflect just on the last few hours here in the House and we reflect on what happened last week and the beginning of this week, I can't help but what we say in the Baptist Church, since I am Baptist, testify for a moment. I have been in Congress now two terms. I believe we have done more in the last week and one or two days than we have done in a very long time as it relates to the 109th and 110th Congress. I come today to report, because I know that some would say that while everything is happening and everything is going in reverse and people are not being included and goodness gracious, why didn't we have 10,000 hours of committee work, well, I would just say for everything that has passed, it seems like the American people are happier and pleased with the way this Congress is moving with its work. I just want to make sure, because you can't say it enough, because it is important that the record is correct. When Members come to the floor, it is important that Members reflect on what they say before they come to the floor. This is America. You are elected from your district. You can come and voice your opinion, not only of your constituents, but of all Americans, but I think it is important when we look at the Congressional Record that we are as accurate as possible. Historians will look back at this time and say, let me see what took place during that time in this country's history. I think it is important that the American people know that even though we represent individual districts, like I represent Miami Dade County and Broward County in Florida, I have to make sure that I carry not only the will of the people from that district, but also the American people. That is the reason why we have to make sure that the Members are informed of what actually took place, in case some forgot, and that the American people know what is going on. I say all of that to lay the facts out, and the facts are the facts. The fact is that in the last Congress, the 109th Congress and the Congress before that one, the American people were very disappointed in what was not taking place, Mr. Speaker. It so great we have a 30- Something Working Group in this U.S. House of Representatives. I think I said the last time we were on the House floor, I believe just the night before last, we said we didn't create this 30-Something Working Group just to get in the majority. We didn't create the 30-Something Working Group, thanks to the Speaker, who then was minority leader at that time. We wanted to make sure the American people and the Members of this Congress knew that we wanted to work in a bipartisan way towards tackling the issues that the American people wanted us to tackle and represent them and not the special interests. Now, there are some folk that are still on the other side of the aisle that are disappointed that the American people are getting what they have been asking for, need it be polling or what have you. I can tell you, some of my friends on the other side, a lot of my friends on the other side agree with us, and when I say ``us,'' I am saying the Members on the Democratic side, on issues that are bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for us to reflect on the fact that there are some Members on the majority side that have been asking for that all along. A majority of the Members on the minority side have been asking for bipartisanship. Now we have it. Now you have the minority party, or the minority leadership, I must add, on the Republican side, they are so concerned that so many of their Members are working in a bipartisan way. It is not because they like the Democratic Members on the majority side. It is because they are voting on behalf of their constituents. Well, what is wrong with that? I came down to the floor because, you know, I was with my daughter and we are in the office, it is the end of the week, we are about to get some things together, and I said, you know, I want to continue to have the minority spirit that I had in the 108th and the 109th Congress, to say that this is historic in recent times, and working in a bipartisan manner. Now, if I wasn't serious about bipartisanship and if the Democratic leadership wasn't serious about bipartisanship, I wouldn't be here. We are serious about this. We have got work to do. We don't have time to sit around here and say, I come here with a donkey hat on and say I am a Democrat and hail to the Democrats, whatever, you know. Bow down, what have you. We are in charge, and, you know, walking around here and looking important and not saying ``hello'' when I walk by people in the hall. That is not what this is about. This is about working in a bipartisan way on behalf of the American people. I am so glad the Democratic leadership has embraced that. I am so glad that all Democrats here on this floor have embraced that. I am also very pleased and glad that many of the Republicans have embraced that. Maybe not their leadership, because as far as I am concerned, on many of the issues that we passed on this floor a good number of Republicans have voted for it in this past week, Mr. Speaker and Members, but the Republican leadership are not voting for it. Why? They want to show the difference between us and them. Well, we are not in the business of us and them anymore. And I think it is important that the American people and the Members understand that there is a public out there that is paying attention. There is a public out there. We have an escalation of troops out there now. Well, we are going to separate the Members of Congress from the followers. Members are going to have to have a choice in what they want to be. We have to stand up on behalf of the people that have elected us and federalized us to serve in this U.S. House of Representatives on their behalf. Mr. Speaker, case in point. I will just make my point with this, and I would move on to other things. I think it is important that we understand in adopting the rules of the 110th Congress, there were many carrying on and saying, well, why do we have to do that? We have a new set of rules and we want to be better than you, when the Republican leadership had an opportunity to set those rules. Mr. Speaker, I hold in my hand four pages of how under Republican control on more than 14 or 15 or even 20 examples, as a matter of fact, it is not four pages, it is six pages, of how Democrats were blocked, how Democrats weren't even allowed to offer amendments. House votes were held open for 3 hours, making U.S. history on behalf of special interests while they twisted arms. That is the past. I got it right here. If any Member wants to come down on the floor and debate me on this, we can get a time and talk about this, because, you know something, we are right on this one. The people are right. So, if you want to talk, these are the facts. The Congressional Record, you can go and cite it, because we in the 30-Something Working Group on this side of the aisle, we don't talk fiction, we talk fact, because that is the only thing that will hold up; not only the test here on this floor but the test of the American people, that challenge. I want to commend some of the Republicans and all of my caucus for voting for some of the good things. The rules of the House, like I was mentioning, 232 Democrats with one Democrat not voting because they weren't here on the rules of the House. Forty-eight Republicans joined us on PAYGO, which brought about the kind of accountability that we needed in this House to be able to stop the out-of-control spending that the Republican Congress has built up. That was this chart. There are so many people that are familiar with this. The record, $1.05 trillion that was spent under Bush and the Republican Congress in just 4 years, that trumped 42 presidents and 224 years of history. $1.01 trillion. That vote started moving this in reverse, Mr. Speaker, saying that we would no longer spend, and I wouldn't even say the Federal tax dollars because we borrow from all of these countries to carry out that out-of- control spending, which we put together this chart to show all of the countries that we owe because of reckless spending and not living under PAYGO rules, pay-as-we-go rules. And so I think that is important for the Members to know and reflect upon. So if it was so bad, Mr. Speaker, why did 48 Republicans vote for it? Now, I can tell you right now, I am pretty sure there are Members on the other side saying I am not voting with Democrats just to vote with Democrats. They are voting because that is what their constituents want. And if we are to work in a bipartisan way, I think it is important for them to continue to join us on great ideas. There will be times when there will be partisan votes on this floor, but they should be few, especially when it comes down to issues of the Federal Treasury. Mr. Speaker, on implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, we were here on this floor talking time and time again about following the bipartisan commission report on making America safer. What is wrong with screening containers coming into this country before making it to U.S. ports? What is wrong with making sure we carry out all of the 9/11 recommendations? This was 9/11. We went to the war in Afghanistan, running after al-Qaeda and doing away with the Taliban because of 9/11. Now, 9/11 Commission members and the American people, Democrats, Republicans and independents, are happy that we voted on this. Again, all the Democrats voted for it, with 68 Republicans voting for it. Mr. Speaker, that is the reason why we have some Members on the other side of the aisle running to the floor complaining. They are not complaining because they happen to be upset with us, and when I say us, I mean the Democrat majority, they are complaining because their Members are voting for their constituents. I am sure there are Republican Members that are saying, I am a member of the Republican Caucus, I am not trying to caucus with the Democrats, but they are trying to represent their constituents. So let them. And so for the 68 Republicans who voted on behalf of the 9/11 recommendations, why not? It is protecting their constituents in America. Good for you. So much work has been done, very little talk but so much work, on the minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough about this. We have the charts from the 109th Congress, because I think it is important that Members don't get amnesia. We have a lot of new Members trying to figure out how to get around the office buildings here in Washington, D.C. I have been here now going on my third term, and I am still trying to figure out a few things myself, but I think it is important when it comes down to the business of the House, and you want to stay in the House and you want to have this honor to represent not only the people in your district but the American people, and you want to do right on behalf of the American people, then it is important, Mr. Speaker, that we share this good information not only with the new Members but the present Members that have been here, because the American people have spoken. Let me share these figures. These are the pay increases of Members of Congress. In 1998, $3,100; in 2000, $4,600; 2001, $3,800; 2002, $4,900; 2003, $4,700; 2004, $3,400; 2005, $4,000; and 2006, $3,100. Now, here is the point that is very, very important, Mr. Speaker and Members. I am not here to say that, well, you know, this is not justified. Just as a Member who is financially challenged, like myself, I will tell you there are some Members here, this cost-of-living adjustment, whatever the case may be, maintaining two households, I don't want to make an argument there. But if Members felt it was important to give themselves a raise and at the point when you start getting in the back years, the Democrat leadership made the decision that we will not give ourselves a pay raise unless the American people get it because we are tired of fighting for a pay raise for them, yet when it comes to Members of Congress, please join us in making sure we get a cost-of-living adjustment. We put our foot down. And now, this week, Mr. Speaker, we were able to give the American people a pay raise. Not because Republicans said we should do it. It is because we have a Democratic controlled Congress. And that is the problem that some Members on the minority side have with progress on behalf of the American people. It is going to be $7.25 that people are going to be making now. Believe it or not, we are going to get it passed in the Senate and the President will hopefully sign it. We had 82 Republicans that joined, and all the Democrats on this side of the aisle, in voting to increase the minimum wage. What we called the fair Minimum Wage Act. But, Mr. Speaker, the Republican leadership voted against it. How do you jump on top of the head of somebody making $5.15 an hour? How do you stand on top of their head and say, well, you know, we can't do it because it is gonna hurt somebody. CEOs are making, oh, boy, they are making more than the minimum wage worker would make in their entire lifetime, Mr. Speaker. In some instances, in a month. Yet we have Members here standing on top of the head of folks making $5.25 an hour and still carrying on about the vote. If it is so bad, Mr. Speaker, why did 82 Republicans join Democrats in voting for what was right? Why? Because they were representing their constituents. So I commend all my Democratic colleagues that have been waiting for an opportunity to vote on the floor on the minimum wage, and I commend the chairman, Mr. George Miller. I am glad he lived long enough to see this happen there in the Education and Labor Committee. But 82 Republicans joined Democrats in that. And that is good and that is bipartisan and it was the right thing to do, and I am glad they did it. But I want to make sure, Mr. Speaker, while we are here setting the record straight, not only talking about the vision of the Democratic leadership and caucus but also talking about bipartisanship, because that is the reason why I came to the floor today, to talk about bipartisanship. That is the record. I don't care what anyone else says. And I say again, these Republicans voted for this Democratic movement to raise the minimum wage because it was a part of our six in 2006 plan. Now, some may say, well, let's have a committee meeting. Well, goodness, let me just show you this, six pages, six pages where we did not have committee meetings. In the 108th Congress I saw with my own eyes a bill filed in the morning, went to the Rules Committee, and was on the floor and passed by 2 p.m., and then passed in the Senate and went to the White House the next day. For one person I watched it happen. So don't come to the floor, especially when it comes down to something like the Federal minimum wage that will help workers throughout this country and start raising a ``yeah, but.'' It is progress. I think the people like it. I think that is why they elected us to come to Congress, to get something done. Here is another point. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act. Why is the Republican minority so scared of this? I can't understand it. Well, I look at companies, and I look at HMOs, and I look at other folks that have price negotiating opportunities and they are trying to drive down the price with their little group that they are dealing with. And now we are saying, the Federal Government, let's get the Secretary to try to see if he or she can make this happen. What is the problem? I can tell you what the problem is, it is that 24 Republicans voted with all Democrats to make that happen. What is wrong with that? While I talk about the fact that my Republican colleagues are joining us in bipartisanship, you have to commend the Democratic leadership on this side of the aisle for having the gumption to do what they said they would do. Now, that may seem like something very small in American households throughout the country, because usually when you say you are going to do something, you do it. You know, I tell my mother, I tell a family member that I am going to do something, I try my best to do it. But when I make a promise, I have got to do it. We made a promise, and it is not a secret, that the minimum wage would be raised in the first 100 hours. We made a promise we would pass a package on ethics. We made a promise that we would make sure that we have price negotiations for prescription drugs. We made a promise, Mr. Speaker, that we would reverse royalties and other tax breaks to large oil companies and make sure that we have innovation in alternative fuels. We made a promise, Mr. Speaker, that we would reduce the student loan package; making sure that we reduce what the Republican Congress did, taking money to give to the super wealthy in this country a tax break. We promised we would do these things. We promised, Mr. Speaker, that we would do this in the first 100 hours. Everyone knew it. It wasn't a secret. We promised that we would make sure we wouldn't de-fund the troops when they are in harm's way. The troops. Then all of a sudden you get this escalation in troops. What is about to happen, Mr. Speaker, and I think the administration knows, and I think the minority party knows that we are about to have some committee meeting in a few minutes. We have just organized this Congress and we are going to start asking some of the tough questions. Where did this money go? Why was this company over here able to abuse this contract and nothing was said? Why are they still receiving Federal dollars? Why are these eight brigades of Army reservists going back to Iraq for a fifth term? Why don't we have other coalition partners joining us? Why won't we take the training wheels off the Iraqi government? All of these questions have to be answered. I like the bipartisan spirit that is going through the floor as a Congress now, or in the halls of Congress. I think it is important that we continue to encourage that, Mr. Speaker and Members. And I think it is important that Members realize that, especially when they come to the floor to start talking about issues that are facing the American people. During the 109th Congress, one of the most partisan Congresses, which passed no bipartisan votes, this week we passed bills with 60, 70, 80 Republicans joining us on these votes. So I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, that, again, we let the facts roll out. Again, I challenge my colleagues. And the reason why I can stand here with great confidence, Mr. Speaker, and the reason why I can even challenge some of my Republican colleagues or those outside of this great institution of ours, the House of Representatives, the people's house, is that I speak of the truth. If I wasn't speaking the truth, and if I wasn't citing the Congressional Record, you know, this notebook is just not a page on the top and newspaper in the middle. These are facts. So as we move forth in this 110th Congress in a bipartisan way, and making America stronger and better for our children and grandchildren, let that happen. The Republican leadership can say whatever they want. We are in the majority. But you know something, we still have a minority spirit. The minority spirit is making sure that we fight on behalf of those who need representation in this House. Not the special interests. The special interests have their representation, or they had it here in this House. And those that continue to carry the water on behalf of the special interests that are totally against or versus the American people, Mr. Speaker, because it is right, they will lose. And that is just where it is. So when we start talking about the integrity of the U.S. House of Representatives, we start talking about the things we would like to do on behalf of the American people, then we are serious about it. Now, if folks want to be serious about coming and representing special interests against the will of the American people, have at it, because there are Members of this Congress, or former Members of this Congress, who did that. And guess what? They are reading what the Congress is doing in the newspaper when it is dropped on their front door. I am not going to be a part of that group. I am here to make sure we represent the folk that sent us up here to represent them. I think it is important that we remember that. Have faith in the American will. If every Member was to carry themselves in the way the night that they were elected or the day that they were elected, of all the things they said they wanted to do before they got here, then this would be a better country. I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, that while we have that spirit, bipartisanship, let's continue it. Let's continue the spirit. It's not about being in the majority and we just want as a strategy to keep you in the minority, no, it's not a strategy to keep the Republicans in the minority. It's just representing the American people. They have had their opportunity to do it. They had the last 12 years to do it. They can't come here and say, we balanced the budget. All they can say is that we have deficits as far as the eye can see. What did we do? First order of business, Mr. Speaker, not only passing a new rules package that cut out a lot of the stuff that went on in the 109th Congress, the 108th Congress, the 107th Congress, but we also passed the pay-as-you-go rule to make sure that we say we're going to spend it, we show how we're going to pay for it. I can tell you right now, that is a paradigm shift coming from this side of the aisle that we have the only record in Congress in balancing the budget. We on this side of the aisle are the only party that can say that without one Republican vote that took place. When that happens again, Mr. Speaker, as we work through trying to dig out of the ditch that the Republican leadership put the American people in, we want to do it in a bipartisan way. We don't want history to repeat itself without one Republican vote we balanced the budget. We don't want that to happen. When we deal with Social Security again, we want it to happen just like when Tip O'Neill was sitting in that seat, Mr. Speaker, and Ronald Reagan was in the White House. They got together in a bipartisan way and said, let's save Social Security together. We don't need to run around here with a flag that says Democrat and says, we did it and they didn't. Let's work together. Let's work together in making that happen. That is why it is very, very important, Mr. Speaker, that we work in this bipartisan spirit as we move forward. Mr. Speaker, as we reflect on the past, I just wanted to come down to the floor and make sure that we set the record straight that there are a lot of things that happened and did not happen in the 109th and 108th Congress. I am only speaking for the Congresses that I have been here for. My mother before me served in the five Congresses before that, so there was a lot of dining room table talk about what was going on here in Congress or what wasn't going on here in Congress. But I can tell you as it relates to the Democratic side of the aisle and even the Republican side of the aisle, Members voting common sense, Members voting on behalf of their constituents back home, I like what I see. The American people like what they see. If we didn't like the bipartisanship, Mr. Speaker, there would be no reason to come to the floor and share ideas and plans with the Republican Members of the House because we said, well, we just want all the credit for what's happening right now. No, we share that in a bipartisan spirit and we stand on the mountain of bipartisanship in this new 110th Congress. The Republican leadership is trying not to stand on that mountain of bipartisanship. They want to stand on the mountain of us against them. Well, this is the U.S. Congress. This is us. It's not us against them. That is a debate for somewhere else. But these major, major, major, major issues that I outlined here in the last 30 minutes, Mr. Speaker, are bipartisan issues that we should be able to join elbow to elbow and lock in together and work together on these issues. I look forward to dealing with this, working with not only the American people on these issues but also Members of Congress on dealing with this issue of doing away with this issue of partisanship on major issues. I wanted to let my Democratic colleagues and leadership know that we are on the right track. We are on the right track and the reason why we are here in the U.S. Congress. We are on the right track in working on behalf of the American people, all of us. If someone tries to pull you away from voting otherwise, against your constituents, you need to share with them that you love being a Member of the U.S. Congress, want to continue being a Member of the U.S. Congress, because those who voted against the will of their constituents are no longer Members of Congress. That's something to take into consideration. As we have talked about the minimum wage, Mr. Speaker, I am so glad to be joined by my colleague who represents the American Samoa islands. I want to thank him for being here. We have worked together over the last two Congresses. Before that he worked with my mother who was here. They are good friends. I am so glad you came down to the floor to join me.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to address the House, and I will concur with my colleague, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee, in honoring the legacy and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King and his contributions, and I must add Ms. Coretta Scott King and the entire King family and the King Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. This country will be forever grateful for the contributions of the King family and those who carry their memory. Many of us know that Ms. Jackson-Lee is going to have a special order on Tuesday. Many of us know that service is the way the King family wanted us to address this upcoming Monday, being able to carry out not only public service, which is random acts of goodwill throughout the country and your community where you live, but especially the day that we recognize his birthday. For his birthday to have birth here on this House floor and in this Congress is recognized as a Federal holiday, is something that this Congress should always hold on to. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, Dr. King brought the civil rights movement to every living room in this country. He marched for freedom in the face of unspeakable racial prejudice, yet preached a message of nonviolence, civility and tolerance. It took Dr. King's forceful movement and powerful words to bring about real and lasting change to this country. This will be the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Day since the passing of Dr. King's wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, a legendary civil rights advocate who's memory we honored at a community wide march last year in Miami. During a time of national grief and unrest following Dr. King's assassination, she became a symbol of her husband's struggle for peace and unity. On this day, we also honor this wonderful matriarchal figure, a role model who helped lead the struggle for equality. Minority communities face obstacles every day--poverty, unemployment, lack of healthcare, and access to housing. It is a tragic waste that 1 in 5 children live in poverty, including more than one-third of African American children. Dr. King paved the way for so many people, including me, to assume roles of influence in this country. And for all this work, he created a more just society and made this country an even better place to live. On this day, let us work even harder toward fulfilling Dr. King's legacy of public service.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Life is getting better, Mr. Speaker, and we will get the tools necessary, visual aids as we usually have here on the floor. We keep the chart companies in business. Mr. Speaker, it was good to come to the floor again, 30-Something Working Group. We will be returning back next week with some of our new members that have joined us. Once again, we want to thank the Democratic leadership for allowing us to have this hour. Mr. Speaker, historic days in the Capitol. Tomorrow will be the same. Friday will be the same. We thank God for the opportunity to be in the majority.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. We look forward to the debate tomorrow. I know Ms. Wasserman Schultz is going to give the e-mail address out, and then we are going to close out.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, I just get so excited whenever you do your own research, and you find quotes and all. But I can tell you what's important here is to make sure that we follow through on what we told the American people. The American people voted for representation, and I am not just talking about proud Democrats, Republicans, independents, some young people that voted for the first time in their lives because they believe that there will be balance in this democracy that we call on. So many of the issues that we talk about here, and so many issues that are within our first 100 hours that we want to work on, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, and that we said we would do in our Six in 2006 plan, the American people said they were for it overwhelmingly. We have to be able to understand here in this House that we would carry out what we said would do. Now that is a paradigm shift here in this U.S. House. A lot has been said. Very little has been done, but we are moving in that direction. I was in a meeting earlier today and saying that we need an escalation in the truth and not the troops. We need an escalation in the truth and not the troops. The truth is that the U.K. is pulling 3,000 troops out by May. The truth is, several other countries that are, quote/unquote, allies in Iraq, they are paying ransom for their troops that are captured by insurgents, because of the lack of security there. The truth very well may be, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Ryan and Members, the President is trying to say, well, I am going to send this in light of security, what have you. Security missions to secure Iraq. What does that mean? Troops having to go out on patrol. What does that mean? IEDs, improvised explosive devices that will be on those roads. What does that mean? Fifteen months away from your family once again on the second or third deployment. What does that mean also when you look at the overall two theaters that we have now? Over 1.4 million troops, U.S. troops, have gone into theater over and over again. What is our situation right now? Two-thirds of our military not ready to move as it relates to readiness if something was to happen. We have one-third that is ready. I am not giving out national secrets. You can read this in the newspaper. So what's our job is to govern. What's also our job is to make sure that we provide oversight. That is what this U.S. House is all about. We're the People's House. You have to be elected to get here. One person said, in the Constitution, you can appoint a speaker, whatever the case may be, but mainly there is an election if a Member was to say, I no longer want to serve, whatever that reason may be. Saying all of that, I am glad we touched on the issue. I think it is important because I know there will be a lot of talk tomorrow, because the President is the Commander in Chief. We committed during the election, when I say we, those of us that are in the majority, that we will not leave, that we will have the troops back, and we will not leave them underfunded, and that we will not pull the funding of the troops that are in Iraq now. No one, I mean, no one, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, no one, I want to say this again, not even the bipartisan study commission, none of them, endorsed what the President is talking about right now. The President had a meeting with some folks that he has been having a meeting with for the last 6-plus years, having a meeting with the same people, having the same input, the same advisors, and it is a merry-go- round of trust. I don't know if it is, you know, in all due respect to the folks that are making the decisions, I don't know if new people are being put into this circle of trust of saying, well, you know, maybe if I haven't been given good advice in the past, maybe I need to bring some different folks in to give me some input. No, the only thing that happens in this circle of trust within the Bush administration is that sometimes people get off and they write a book about how bad the circle of trust was. That is what's happening. Now, Donald Rumsfeld was the last one to jump off the merry-go-round. We don't know what he is going to say, but I think he is going to take it all the way, and he is not going to say anything at all. But there are a lot of bad decisions that have been made, and if you disagree within the circle of trust, you are out. So I want the American people, I want the Members to pay very close attention, and, I am talking to my Republican friends as well as my Democratic friends, that we have the leader up and represent the American people on this issue as it relates to this escalation in troops. We need an escalation in the truth and not the troops, and that is where it is right now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Okay. A 33-year-old senior moment. I just wanted to mention something real quick that I think is important. There is going to be a lot of talk tomorrow. We are going to do some good legislation. We have stem cell research that is coming up, and we have negotiating as it relates to prescription drugs is coming up before the weekend. Something that is going to be common now, was uncommon in the 109th Congress, we are actually going to work a 5-day work week or a 4-day work week as it relates to the congressional calendar. But I just want to mention something. I don't want us to leave this floor tonight unless we have an opportunity to talk about what the President's going to talk about an hour or so from now. I think it is important. I have served, Mr. Ryan and I have served on Armed Services in the last two Congresses; and you, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, have served here in the last Congress and now this Congress at war. Mr. Delahunt, you were here when this House voted to give the President authority to go or not, what have you. And now we are after the election in November, the American people, everyone thought, Mr. Speaker, that the election was going to be about the economy. They thought it was going to be about health care. They thought it was going to be about whatever the issue may be. But it was about Iraq, and it was about the decisions that were made, and the lack thereof, out of this Congress of asking the questions and oversight. Now what is going to happen, Members, you are going to have the Armed Services Committee, you are going to have the Defense Appropriations Committee, you are going to have the Government Operations Committee, you are going to have a number of committees that have oversight responsibility on the committee level, providing the oversight for this war. Now the President is going to come out tonight and he is going to ask, he is going to say, I call it an escalation, he calls it something else, of 20,000 new troops on the ground, boots on the ground. 3,017 men and women are no longer with us tonight; and we appreciate their honor, we appreciate their service to the country. We have several thousand, over 15,000, who have been injured and that are a part of our medical veterans programs throughout this country. Some are learning how to walk now. Many of our injuries come by what we call IEDs, improvised explosive devices. Many of the troops, as we look at, you look at your local television station, I know you see it in Ohio. I know you see it in Massachusetts. We see it in South Florida. We even see it here in Washington, DC. There was a new reserve unit that just left in Maryland. And I was watching the interview, and I think about when I have to travel as a Congressman, you know, my family's up here, I go back to the District. You know, that is 2 or 3 days I am away from my family. I say, oh, my goodness, I miss the kids. Imagine if I was leaving for 15 months for the second or third time. Just imagine that. How much of, how my kids would be taken away, you know. They won't get what they need from me. Just thinking about it, I can't help but get a little emotional when you think about this kind of thing. And we know that they are being sent to do what, secure Iraq. So they are on a security mission. They are not there to say, well, you know, we are here to provide technical assistance. No, they are there to armor up. I have been there twice. Mr. Ryan, we went together. And when they go out the gates of that base in Mosul or Baghdad or Tikrit, they may not come back. Now we know it is a volunteer force and we know all of that. But I just want to say, Mr. Speaker, this has great gravity tonight, and I am so glad that I am hearing voices out of this Congress saying, we said during the campaign and during the election season, we will not defund the troops that are on the ground. But no one, including the President, including the Iraq Study Commission, including all of the folks, General Colin Powell, I mean, General Colin Powell said it is a civil war going on, and if we send additional troops into a civil war it is the wrong thing to do. It is right here. So if the Republicans or the President wants to say when someone is smart or when someone is credible, when they are carrying their message, here is a man that has served, Secretary of State, General, four-star, Joint Chiefs of Staff, well respected in this country, along with a number of other folks that are out there. So I think, Mr. Speaker, it is important that we shed light on this. I know Mr. Delahunt has an hour that he does on a weekly basis on Iraq. But, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I think it is time, no matter what, if you are a Democrat or a Republican, to be able to say, listen, I just came from the election, especially to Members that are new to the Congress, either in the Senate or in the House, and they heard what the American people had to say. So, the President, I think, and this democracy needs to really speak up and say, hey, listen, we hear what you are saying. We know what the study group has said. But it seems like you are kind of out there by yourself. Because, one other thing I just want to add and then I am going to be quiet probably for another 20 minutes, like Mr. Delahunt identified, is the fact that we see how many troops that have died. All right, let's look at the U.S. contractors, these mercenaries we have out there, that are playing a role of when these countries are pulling out, Great Britain, they are out. They are coming out this year. A number of the other, quote, unquote, allies are pulling out of Iraq. So before we even get an opportunity to light the bulbs up in the committee room and start asking the questions about what has been going on over at the Department of Defense since everything has been classified and secret and no one has come and testified in front of these committees of jurisdiction, the President now wants to say, let's send 20,000 troops. These are not new troops. These are individuals that are what we call a back draft. Folks want to leave. We have folks signing checks, giving them $40,000 to stay on. Are you going to go back to wherever you came from where the poverty is? Here is 40 grand. Take it to your family. Sign up for another 3 years. That is what we are talking about here. And I am seeing these individuals that are hired, that are former military, by these companies, they are dying. When we went to the hospital over in Germany, there were contract fighters that carry out those convoys sitting there without a leg, Mr. Speaker. No one is thinking about these individuals because they are not wearing a U.S. uniform. They are veterans, and they want to work for these private contracting companies. So there is a lot of loss of life going on here, leave alone what could be happening with members of the CIA that we would never know how many of those individuals that have died in this conflict. So we have to bring the oversight management. I am saying that on the side of common sense. I yield to any Member that wishes to pick up from this point, but it must be addressed.