Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. But that was good information. Talking about the program a little further, we have a Stupak bill, which is a Democratic bill here in this House, that is going to give relief to consumers, small businesses and farmers and provide relief from skyrocketing heating home costs that they are taking on right now. It is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and basically it comes from the fines which I am going to go into now, Mr. Delahunt, of what the Republican majority blocked, Madam Speaker. And guess what? That is not what Kendrick Meek is saying, that is not what Bill Delahunt was saying or Debbie Wasserman Schultz has said in the past or even Mr. Ryan in his absence has said in the past. This is the Congressional Record. Republicans voted against imposing tough criminal penalties on price gouging companies and also tough civil fines up to $3 million in price gouging as it relates to protecting consumers. This is CQ vote number 500, H.R. 3402, taken September 28, 2005. The motion was rejected on a 195 to 226 vote. Republicans voted against this overwhelmingly, Democrats voted for it. 194 Democrats voted for it and I believe 226 Republicans voted against it. Another vote, CQ vote, this is all stuff Members can look up, vote number 517, H.R. 3893, taken October 7, 2005. Again, Republicans voted overwhelmingly against this measure from being placed into legislation on price gouging, 199 to 222. The majority prevailed again. I think it is important for us to understand, Madam Speaker, that time after time again, and I know we have another example, Republicans killed the amendment. Which one did I not share? Those are the two that were there. But they are continuing to kill these amendments. So, Madam Speaker, it is kind of mind-boggling when we look up, open the local hometown paper, whatever it may be, it could be the one in Florida where I represent or it can be right here in the Beltway, to read that Republican leaders are thinking about going after folks as it relates to price gouging. Now, I am just going to give the Republican majority a little. They will say okay, that is not true. We did do something. What they did was nothing. I am not a black man with a conspiracy theory, but I am here to tell you that I am concerned, especially when I see headlines, the Washington Post, November 16, 2005, that says ``Document says oil chief met with the Vice President of the United States on his task force.'' So how in the world can folks sit down with the very people that are making record profits? This was put in motion long ago, and now folks are acting like they don't know what is going on. You know why they are acting like they don't know what is going on? Because the American people are pulling their car and saying you know something, Mr. Congressman, madam Congresswoman, you said you were there to protect me. You are not doing a good job, because I can't even put gas in my tank to take my children to school, I can't even make it to work. We are trying to car pool. Even that is becoming a little difficult. And you have folks, they don't have enough money. Some of these pumps in some communities won't even allow them to pump all of the gas they need to pump to fill their tank. Hello? We have also gas stations here in Washington, D.C. that are out of gas, and South Florida. Maybe those small businesses, independent businesses within these oil companies, can't even afford the gas. And we are going to find out. You know what is going to happen again? We are going to find in this time, and let me just say, Johnny Carson used to have the envelope he would put to his head.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, Mr. Delahunt and Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I just have been quiet for about maybe 8 or 10 minutes, which is not common when we are having this kind of discussion. Madam Speaker, like I said before we went on break, it is not even fair. I mean, you would think that someone would wake up 1 day, especially the minority party would wake up, and say, wow, if we had a tool box that dealt with a war that is not being managed appropriately; an energy crisis within the country; containers as it relates to coming into this country going unchecked; families that are not able to provide health care, and neither are small businesses able to provide health care; States that are suing the Federal Government, Leave No Child Behind legislation, Democratic and Republican Governors are suing the Federal Government because of a lack of funding to the Federal Government's own initiative; that environmentally we have a number of issues going on on top of a natural disaster where the response and recovery were not managed well; CIA leaks at the White House; Members of this body in question of ethical violations and a culture of corruption and cronyism under the Capitol Dome. And better yet, Madam Speaker, the reason why we do not have a Democratic Member serving as Speaker or serving as the majority leader is the fact that we are in the minority. But the only good thing about that whole thing that I pointed out, because as an American it turns my stomach that that is even the environment in the United States of America as we speak, partisanship has nothing to do with my being an American and my responsibility as a Member of Congress. So, Mr. Delahunt and Ms. Wasserman Schultz, maybe for the next 4 minutes let us just talk about if Democrats were in control of this House and hopefully in control of the Senate to be able to say no to the administration when they want to put the country in this posture. Democrats, Independents, Republicans, what have you are all concerned about what is going on. The polling has indicated that. Now, I just want to take out this document that we have held up several times, our innovation agenda. Wow, here is a plan. The Democrats' energy plan. Here is a plan. I want to say this to my Republican colleagues because they have the audacity to come down to the floor saying, They do not have any solutions; so how can they criticize our inability to carry out the energy policy? Well, here is the solution right here. It has been on our Web site, and I encourage everyone to go to www.housedemocrats.gov and pull up the innovation agenda. We did not just put it on there before we came to the floor. It has been there for months. Months. They are talking about it. We want to do it. Energy independence in 10 years. Energy independence in 10 years, to change the investment from counting on the Middle East and counting on the Midwest. Ethanol, making sure that we promote petroleum-based ideas of rapidly expanding the production of synthetic bio-based fuels. It is right there. It is just an investment. But what is stopping the Republican majority from taking our plan, as I am going to point out here as we talk about price gouging, and running with it? Well, Ms. Wasserman Schultz just had the chart up with all the oil companies. It has to be the relationship with the oil companies. The American people, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, are paying through the nose as we speak. Some folks are putting a quarter of gas in their tank because they cannot afford it. These are the constituents, unfortunately, of individuals of power and influence in Washington, D.C. I did not get a vote from any of these companies. Maybe the folks that work for the companies say maybe I want to vote on behalf of education and good representation in Washington, but they did not say, hey, you know, these are my constituents, and I am going to stand in the way and make sure that they have what they need. Let me just talk fact, not fiction here, because I think it is important. Oil companies, record profits. Record profits. Folks want to talk about Wal-Mart? Goodness gracious, these oil companies make Wal- Mart look like a five and dime store.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. He would say something like ``high prices, backroom deals.'' He would open the envelope and later we would see oh, wow, and they made record profits while this was going on. I am going to go ahead and crystal-ball this thing, because that is what is going to happen, and folks are going to say, well, we really need to do something about it. If I was in the Republican majority right now, that is very hypothetical, I must add, I would be concerned. If I am home in the bed right now, Madam Speaker, and I was a Member of the majority, I would sit up in my bed and say, you know, maybe, just maybe, we need to go see the wizard, get some courage, get some leadership, and say, you know something, enough is enough, because I am going to be in the minority, not because of the fact that folks did such a great job as it relates to raising money, because you know we cannot raise more money than the other side, not the fact that, you know, our ties are better or our dresses, you know, the dresses that the female Members on this side wear are better. But I think it is important, Madam Speaker, that we look at the facts. It is not fair. It is not fair to the American people, and it is not even fair if I was on the Republican majority side, we tell the Republican majority, come out and defend the selling of America. All of these countries here are owning a part of America. I do not care if you are a diehard Republican, and that you are the chair of the local Republican committee, you have to have a problem with this. You tell your Members, explain this to me. Why are we selling America away? Why are we giving tax breaks we cannot afford? We are we allowing the oil companies to do this? Why? Why? Why? Do not tell me to vote Republican because we are Republicans and that we always did it, and that my mama did it, and that my grandmother did it, and that my great- great-grandmother did it. We cannot do it because of that. We have to do it because we salute one flag. People have died for us to have this opportunity. I am so happy that we come to this floor, Madam Speaker, every day, because history will reflect that there were Members in this body in the minority fighting with what they had, with a nub, fighting night after night, day after day, filing amendments, failing on this floor, arm-twisting happening on the other side, and we prevailed because I am going to tell you, the American people are sick and tired of it, and change is going to happen, and it is going to happen for the better.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church of Miami on the occasion of the blessing of its new Sanctuary. On Sunday, April 9, 2006, the Reverend David Eugene will lead the members of his congregation to celebrate this milestone of the Church, which sits in the heart of my District's North Dade community. Founded in August 1980, this Church has unselfishly committed its ministry of bringing the message of salvation to newly-arrived Haitian immigrants. Part of its stewardship is an ongoing teaching component and counseling service that helps meet the needs of immigrant families as they strive to adapt to a new culture. It has also defined its outreach effort as to bring the ``whole gospel to the whole man,'' striving to empower the members of its congregation with their spiritual, emotional, mental and relational well-being, and to draw closer to other communities. Consistent with this philosophy of ministry, this Church has embarked on and supported many community projects to improve the quality of life of underprivileged Haitian children in the Miami-Dade community, and in Haiti as well. Since its establishment 26 years ago, the prime focus of Church members has been the construction of a sanctuary where people of all races and cultural backgrounds can come together to worship. On its appointed hour at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, this cherished dream will come to fruition when members of this Congregation will join their voices to those of many prominent members and supporters of this community to inaugurate this long-awaited sanctuary and give thanks to all those who have labored long and hard to ensure that this day would come. Reverend Eugene has spearheaded not only a spiritual rejuvenation of the members of his Church, but he has also made magnificent strides in ensuring that their commitment to the mandate of the Gospel is defined by its outreach efforts to provide free and reduced-price daycare services to the children in the community, along with an after-school program for low-income families, dropout prevention, computer literacy and acculturation classes, voters' education and registration. It has also established free student tutorials, substance-abuse prevention counseling, along with counseling for dysfunctional families, parenting skills, and regular seminars on cultural diversity. I am confident that this Church will continue to serve as an unerring instrument for good by evoking in us the centrality of God in our daily lives, conscious of the fact that mandate of our faith must define our charity, understanding and compassion for those who could least fend for themselves. With the consecration of its Sanctuary on its 26th year of establishment, the Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church of Miami symbolizes a magnificent legacy for the perseverance and resilience of our Haitian community. I join Reverend Eugene and his congregation in celebrating this historic event. My genuine pride in sharing their friendship is only exceeded by my heartfelt gratitude and admiration for all that they have done to help the people of our community.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, it was not ``finally''; it was because the American people were saying, what's wrong with you guys? What is going on? I did not elect you all to go up there and represent the super-wealthy, and I didn't elect you all to make specials deals with special interests. I did not elect you to be fiscally irresponsible. They are reading the same papers. Somebody give me a newspaper. I just need a newspaper. They are reading the same newspapers and watching the same news and getting the same phone calls we are getting in our office about, are you all still with us? Are you with us or are you with them? I need to get my Newt Gingrich quote up here because I just want to make sure that folks do not get confused. Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I want to make sure that we tell it the way it is because I believe the American people and some Members are getting what we are sharing with them. You have the Gingrich quote. I think it is important that we continue to share this information. When we talk about third-party validators, this is not just something that we talk about over lunch and say that sounds good. No, this is from government offices and former Members of this Chamber and generals that are out there that are retired and some are still serving.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an honor to come before the House once again. And once again, the 30-something Working Group comes to the floor to share with the American people and to report what is happening here under the Capitol dome. We look forward to continuing to do this in the future. We know we are going to be off for 2 weeks for the Easter break; all of next week, all of the week after, and we come back at the end of the month to try to do the business of the people of the United States of America. I think it is important for us to understand what took place here, Mr. Speaker, in the Capitol just today. As you know, we have been working throughout the week and sharing with not only the American people but also with the Members of Congress the importance of what we do here under the Capitol dome. When I say under the Capitol dome, I am talking about the legislating that is supposed to be taking place on behalf of the American people. I think it is important for us to not lose or miss the occurrence that did not take place here tonight or tomorrow. We were supposed to be in session tomorrow. We were supposed to vote on the budget that many Members on the majority side and the Republican side, Mr. Speaker, said was a good budget; that it is fiscally sound and we know what we are doing. Well, we debated all day here on this floor. I was here a little earlier today, Mr. Speaker, maybe some 13 hours ago on this floor when we opened this Chamber at 10 a.m. this morning. And I pulled my chart out to talk about the borrowing that this Republican majority has done with the President of the United States, record-breaking borrowing from foreign nations and selling off the United States of America where foreign countries own our debt. And all day today I saw Members after that on the Republican side saying we are proud of this budget, this budget is going to put America back on track. On this side, the Democratic side, we were talking about fiscal responsibility, we were talking about being reasonable with our spending and also making sure that we prioritize every day working Americans and not just the special interests and the super wealthy. I think that argument prevailed. Because I understood at the end of the day that there weren't enough Members on the majority side to pass President Bush's budget, because that is what it is. This House has been just saying, yes, Mr. President, whatever you want. No matter what the Constitution says, no matter what our responsibility is to our constituents, we are going to do it the way you say you want it done. That is what has gotten this House in a bad light with the American people. Now, I am here tonight and the 30-something Working Group is here tonight to make sure that the American people and the Members of the majority side understand, we were united in voting for our budget which is a pay-as-you-go budget and that will balance the budget in 6 years. We were united. When I say ``we,'' House Democrats are united. If they were from the west coast or South Or North, whichever way you cut it, you can go all of the way to Hawaii, House Democrats were united in bringing America back into a fiscal responsibility era when we balanced the budget. We are the only party in this House that can say, We balanced the budget. Now, I used to play football for Florida A&M, and it was kind of hard for the coach to talk about the national championship if the coach has never been to the national championship or played in the national championship game. Might have read about it, but it is hard for someone to tell you how it feels if you have never been there. We have been there on the Democratic side. We have balanced the budget. We come to this floor to say if you are going to spend, then you better show where the money is coming from and how you are going to replace it. You just cannot say I am going to take the credit card out and I am going to put it on the backs of Americans, and I am going to come to the floor, and I am talking about, say for instance, hypothetically if I was on the majority side being a Republican, and it bothers me just saying it because the Republican majority has made history in all of the wrong places and for all of the wrong reasons over the past years of borrowing and spending. Borrowing and spending. Borrowing from whom? Let me just take my little map out here. The Republican majority and President Bush, $1.05 trillion that foreign nations own that did not exist prior to this Republican majority having the opportunity to have their way along with following the President and bad policy. Japan, they own a part of the American pie. Did the American people do that? No. Did the Democrats do that? No. Remember, the Republican majority did it with the President of the United States. $682.8 billion is what Japan owns of U.S. debt. That is not my doing. That is the President and the Republican majority. Red China, and we have major, major problems with China. I am talking about China as it relates to Red China, Communist China. We have a number of our jobs, we have U.S. workers training to do their job in China. Ninety percent of the engineers will no longer be in the United States of America; they will be in China. They will be in Asia. They will be in other countries and so we have folks that are attending school now, those that can afford to, and I will get to that in a minute, those that can still afford to go to school, without the help of the Federal Government because the Republican majority would like to cut that in the budget also. They would like to attend school, but that is something that the Democratic Congress in the next Congress will hopefully be able to provide for them. China owns $248.8 billion of the American apple pie. The United Kingdom owns $223.2 billion. They are buying our debt. If I was a Republican, it would be hard for me to go back home and share that I am a fiscal conservative. Just because you say you are, does not necessarily mean you are. These are the facts. Caribbean nations, all of them put together, $115.3 billion in foreign debt that they own of the United States because of the Republican majority and the President's policies. Taiwan, $71.3 billion. OPEC nations, we have a lot of problems with OPEC nations, and not only are we paying through the nose at the pump, countries like Iran that own a part of the American apple pie as it relates to foreign debt, $67.8 billion. Germany. Germany, that means something to some of our veterans, $68.7 billion of our debt. Korea, $66.5 billion of our debt. Once again, to our veterans, that means something. Canada, just north of us, $53.8 billion of our debt. I say to the majority Members, they do not want to lead on the Republican side of the aisle and they do not want to work in a bipartisan way and pick up the Democratic policies as it relates to governing in a way where everyone can participate and be a part of the United States of America, then they can join us because I believe the American people may very well see fit, not just Democrats and not just Independent, but there are some Republicans out there saying, what happened? What happened to the folks that lined up out here on the steps, Mr. Speaker, and said with this Contract on America, or for America or whatever it was called, that we were going to balance the budget and be fiscally sound and we were not going to be spenders? The biggest spenders in this Chamber are the Republican majority. If you want to clear that up, you can vote for a Democratic Congress. I am glad to be joined by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz). I was just going down the line, and I will also share with the Speaker and other Members the fact that we were supposed to vote on the budget if not tonight, tomorrow. It was pulled. Some may go home and say, and I want to make sure that there is not one American confused on why we did not vote for the budget. Somebody may say, The Democrats stopped us from voting for the budget. No, the Democrats pointed out what was in President Bush's budget, and the Republicans said, as they have been doing for the last 6, 7 years that the President has been in office, Oh, Mr. President, we are right with you. We do not have a process. You send it to us and we will rubber-stamp it and send it on out. Foreign countries may own our debt. We may go into deficits. Student loans may be cut. We can train the next generation to make us the leaders of the free world and continue to keep us in front. That is fine, Mr. President, whatever you send, we will do. The bottom line is that the pressure was too great, and we were the ones that called out what was wrong. I think some Members on the majority side felt a little bit uncomfortable going home for a couple of weeks sharing, and a big holy week coming up, some folks might have leaned over and said, Mr. Congressman, Madam Congresswoman, why do I have to pay more for my child's education? Why do we pay more for debt than we invest in education and homeland security? I yield to Ms. Wasserman Schultz.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. This was letter one, December 29th of 2005, the Secretary came into the office days before the New Year and said please raise the debt limit because we are about to run out of money. February 16, he got a little nervous and said, Listen, the Federal retirement program, we are not going to be able to make the payments. This went to Mr. Spratt, our ranking member. Again on the 6th of March, 2006, it is almost like we are having problems and we may not be able to pay the light bill, in so many words. Those were written by Secretary Snow, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, what I am going is do is just pepper in, Mr. Speaker, the difference from what the Republican majority is proposing and ran out of town without voting on because it is a budget of shame versus what we have put forth as our budgets. And then Ms. Wasserman Schultz is going to share with us what the former Speaker, the first Republican Speaker in a number of years, when the Republicans took over the House, what he has to say about the Republican majority. But let me just, once again, you know, more of the same versus change. Okay? And the bottom line is, is this budget that we were supposed to vote on, either tomorrow or today, you let the majority tell it, is it fiscally responsible? Number 1, we have a chart, and this chart, Mr. Speaker, for the majority Members and also for the American people, will be on housedemocrats.gov website starting tomorrow. Is it fiscally responsible? No. The GOP budget calls for deficits as far as the eye can see. Never achieving balance, a balanced budget, adding another $2.3 trillion to the national debt over the next 5 years. Democratic budget, yes. Fiscally responsible. The deficit is lower than the GOP budget over the next 5 years and gets to a balanced budget, balanced budget, Mr. Speaker, in 6 years basically using pay- as-you-go rules which require that spending increases and tax cuts be paid for, and which brought us into a budget surplus in the 1990s. That is fact. That is not fiction. I yield to Ms. Wasserman Schultz.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I would appreciate, Mr. Ryan, while you are at it, if you give the website out to the Members.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Ryan, and thank you Ms. Wasserman Schultz. And Mr. Speaker, basically what we are talking about is change. We are giving the American people an alternative to where we are headed now, which is down a dark tunnel, and it very well can be a train versus the sunlight. And we believe the numbers that we showed here today, we want to make sure that everyone knows that all of these charts will be on the website, housedemocrats.gov. You can get that information. And we would like to thank the democratic leadership for allowing us to have this hour.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor again to be here on the House floor to share with the American people what is actually going on here in the Capitol. I want to share with the American people that President Bush and the Republican majority in just 4 years have borrowed $1.05 trillion from foreign nations. That is selling our country to other nations because of the spending that is going on. That is more than 42 Presidents before this President and the Republican majority and 224 years. What does that mean to Americans? What does that mean to our future? Japan holds $682.8 billion of our debt; China owns $249.8 billion of our debt; the U.K., $223.2 billion of our debt; Caribbean nations, $115.3 billion of our debt; Taiwan, $71.3 billion of our debt; OPEC nations, $67.8 billion of our debt; Germany, $65.7 billion of our debt; Korea, $66.5 billion of our debt; and Canada, $53.8 billion of our debt. Republicans are going to sell this country away to other countries, and I think it is important that we take on fiscal responsibility.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Patient Assistance Day. Today, millions of Americans lack health insurance and cannot access medicines that they need to treat their illnesses. While the government looks for practical ways to help the 45 million uninsured citizens, there are private-sector programs in place that are helping millions of Americans. One such program is the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a national clearinghouse that links uninsured and underinsured people to patient assistance programs that offer drugs for free or nearly free. America's pharmaceutical research companies, along with 1,300 community and patient organizations, launched the PPA in April 2005. Since then, the PPA has helped more than 1.8 million patients, but millions more stand to benefit. As the PPA commemorates its 1-year anniversary on April 5, 2006, it will celebrate the first annual Patient Assistance Day, which will include educational activities throughout the country designed to raise awareness of and help educate the public about patient assistance programs. This private-sector program has been successful in helping uninsured Americans get the medicines they need. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the work of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance and observing April 5th as Patient Assistance Day.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor this morning to not only share with the American people, but also with the majority side that constantly talks about the fact that they are responsible with the people's money. I just want to, again, come to the floor and say that this Republican majority, along with this President, has increased the debt owned by foreign nations by $1.05 trillion, something that 42 Presidents before him were not able to accomplish. I further want to bring to the attention of the House here, Madam Speaker, the fact that Newt Gingrich, who was a former Speaker of this House and delivered this Republican majority to the majority, is now saying that they are seen by the country as being in charge of a government that cannot function. Now, I can tell you, Madam Speaker, as a Democrat, I would be concerned if a former Speaker was referring to the Democratic Caucus as ``they.'' That means that the American people are very concerned about what is going on here. I am concerned as an American. And as we go to vote on this budget, we have to think about the people that have sent us up here. So I want to say here on the Democratic side, we are willing to pay as we go. But the bottom line is, third-party validator, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, is calling the Republican majority ``they.''

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to have Mr. Ryan please tell us the phone call that you got, what happened in your district today to the workers?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Ryan. This is something to be very concerned about. We started at the top of the hour, and I am glad the Ms. Wasserman Schultz has also joined us. The bottom line is that Mr. Rothman is 110 percent right. What they say on the Republican side, especially here in this Chamber and in this city and what the White House says, I am going to tell you, I am not talking about anybody, but I am just talking about what I am talking about. You hear one thing and there is another. You got an answer out of the IRS official that came before your committee. You got an answer out of Secretary Snow, and you got to nail them to the wall to get the answer because the administration said this is the direction we are going to go, we are going to write it in the budget; and Mr. Secretary, you will do as you are told. Secretary Snow, the Secretary of the United States Treasury Department, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, he is a great American and I appreciate his service. But he has to do his job. He did not only send one letter that said we had to raise the debt ceiling or we are going to run out of money on the eve of Near Year's eve, December 29th, 2005, he came back into the office while the rest of us were baking cookies and celebrating religious holidays back home with the family, to say we are going to run out of money because the Republican Congress has passed policies, Mr. Speaker, that cannot hold water and it is going to run us into a fiscal nightmare. Not only did he write that letter, he turned around again when the Congress did not act, February 16, same letter. Hey, things are really getting bad, you all, we have to do something. Please help us. We have to do something about this debt ceiling. March 6, and these are the Republican rubber stamps here, but on March 6 he writes again in almost desperation. Please, raise the debt ceiling. He begged the Congress to do it. Here is the gentleman who is in charge of what we do. Now what Mr. Ryan was sharing with us a little earlier was the fact that when you have Members come to the floor and say Mr. Speaker, or what have you, or Members, we are fiscally responsible, our tax cuts are working for the American people. What Mr. Ryan was saying, and I am going to take it home a little further, tax cuts for whom? What, we are going to borrow money from another country, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Speaker, we are going to borrow money from another country to give millionaires a tax break here in this country? I am sorry, and it has been done by this Republican majority. Guess what, it is history in all the wrong way. In 4 years, and here is the President, here is the Republican Congress.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Will the gentlewoman yield for a second?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I am just going to close out on this and then I am going to back up, because I know that Congressman Delahunt, sir, you were very reserved last night. We were limited to 50 minutes. I just want you to be able to share, because I know you are ready to come out of the locker room on some of this stuff, and I think it is important that we hear from you this evening. But I want to make sure, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, that we break this down, because we don't want any Members to go back home and say, you know, I didn't quite understand that at the time I voted for it. I want to make sure that their constituents know exactly what is going on. And the bottom line is that we are borrowing from foreign nations more than we have ever borrowed in the history of the republic, Mr. Speaker, in the history of the United States Congress. You heard it. They want to make it permanent. It is not what we are saying. That is what the majority is saying. 1.05 trillion in 4 years. That is what the Republican Congress and the President has done, more than 42 presidents, and was only able to borrow 1.01 trillion over 224 years. 224 years. And I don't even need to get into what happened in the 224 years. Who are we borrowing from? Well, let's just look at it. I am not going to pull this off because it came apart last night. It is just so much here. Look at Japan, Mr. Speaker. Japan. We owe Japan. While folks are running around here defending people that are making $10 million a year, that they may very well have to pay their fair share for homeland security and all of that as it relates to the tax cut that this majority wants to make permanent. Japan, $882.8 billion of American apple pie. It pains me to stand here and hold this poster like this. I am glad it's not my creation. I am glad I voted against all of this debt that we have given foreign nations.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I would just yield for a minute, but please allow me to get through this.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Yes, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I would certainly yield.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to address the House once again. As you know, those of us that are in the 30-something Working Group come to the floor if not nightly, every other day to share not only with the Members but the American people about what is happening here, what is really happening here under the Capitol dome. Unfortunately, many times we have to share bad news, but at other times we share very good news, the good news of saying there could possibly be a brighter future. Either one of two ways, Mr. Speaker, either the Republican majority says, hey, we want to work with the Democrats in a bipartisan way on issues such as national security, education, tax reform, issues that we can all rally around, health care for American workers, making sure that American companies wouldn't have to do what they did in Congressman Tim Ryan's district when the third shift showed up for work and they said there will no longer be a third shift. That is a problem, and that is something that we have to work on in a bipartisan way. Or, Mr. Speaker, the American people can make the decision that they are willing to go with a Democratic House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate to move us in the direction of working together on behalf of all Americans. First, we have to deal with the issue of incompetence, we have to deal with the issue of corruption, we have to deal with the issue of cronyism in many areas, and we have to deal with the issue of governance. And I think it is very, very important as we outline a number of these issues here tonight and also pepper it with Democratic proposals that we will hopefully be able to turn the tide in many of these areas. Mr. Delahunt, my good friend from Massachusetts, and my good friend from New Jersey, and we are going to have another good friend from Ohio, and a gentlelady from Florida, and we may have some folks from Texas come in tonight, because we said last night, Mr. Speaker, that this is almost not fair. Some would believe that we just make up this information, that happens to be fact. And it is sad that it is fact. If I was looking at this as some sort of political reason why we come to the floor to share what we believe the situation may be, it would be one thing, but we come to the floor and pull the Congressional Record. We come to the floor to talk about a vote that just took place yesterday. We come to the floor with fresh statements from Members of the Republican, former members of the Republican Caucus, and also a past Speaker that gave birth to the Republican majority, making statements to the press of saying, listen, as an American, I have to say something. Not as a Republican. I have to say something. When you are the Speaker, you are the leader.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, we would like to thank the leadership for the opportunity to speak tonight.

Mr. MEEK

Mr. MEEK. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And if we could, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, I am going to go through this, because it was really to drive home a point that Mr. Ryan was making. And then Mr. Ryan was going to share that chart there, because I think these visual aids are needed at this particular time, because we have some Members that don't necessarily, I mean, I just don't want the American people to be hoodwinked. Some may say bamboozled. We say here in Washington, D.C., you know, to get the Potomac 2-step on folks saying they didn't quite understanding what they were doing while they were making history here in the United States of America of allowing these countries to own, Mr. Speaker, own a part of the American apple pie. I am just, once again, going to mention Japan. We stopped there. But I think we could move across the country, okay? I think we can. $692.8 billion. Japan has bought our debt. Again, this Republican Congress is saying we want to make tax cuts permanent to billionaires and we want to give subsidies to companies that come in number one in profits this year, and that is one industry, which is the oil industry. China, $249.8 billion. They bought up our debt. That means that they have given us money to spend in a way as though we are spending our own money. We owe them this money. America will be forever changed. But if you want to do away with allowing these countries to cover our States because of the debt that we owe them, then you can elect a Democratic Congress. I am going to slide this over a little bit. The U.K, United Kingdom, $223.2 billion that they own of our debt. Now, you have got to remember. This is a 4-year deal. This is the Bush policies and the Congress, the Republican majority that have voted time after time to back the President up on this. They have even lost the former speaker, Mr. Speaker, of the House, Newt Gingrich. And we need to read his quote to the Knight Ridder newspapers that cover this Nation. Caribbean nations. Many of you will be spending time there, vacation time there. It is important. It is important that people understand that they own $115.3 billion of our debt. Taiwan. You go in your room, unfortunately many of the toys there that your kids and grandkids may have may have Taiwan on it. We owe them $71.33 billion that they have bought of our debt. Canada, just north of us. We owe them $53.8 billion of our debt. We will take them off there. Korea, $66.5 billion we owe Korea because this Congress has said that we have to give subsidies to industry because they wanted it and that is something that we need to get back to. I do not blame industry. I blame the Republican Congress. Germany, $65.7 billion we owe Germany. OPEC nations, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Iran, we owe them $67.8 billion of the American apple pie. Now, before I yield to you, Mr. Ryan, I just want to say it is almost like I bust through the door at home and say, Hey, let us go on a European vacation. We are living to from paycheck to paycheck, but let us go because I am going to put it all on the credit card. As a matter of fact, in this case our credit cards are maxed out, but I am going to sign one of those little letters that come into the house that say just sign here, automatic country. That is what we are going to use to vacation on. Everyone is happy, jumping up and down, but guess what. The bill is coming in in 30 days. And soon folks, Mr. Speaker, are going to start calling the House, and they are not going to call and say, ``May I speak to Mr. Meek.'' They are going to say, ``I want to speak to Kendrick,'' because they disrespect you when owe them. Too many men and women laid down their lives and that are bleeding now, getting sand in their teeth for us to have the right to salute one flag, and I will be doggone if we stand here like it is just regular business here in Congress and allow this Republican majority to go without anyone checking them on this. But it is not just us. We have even got Republicans coming out, folks over there are talking about spending, that we are responsible, that we are good spenders. Yes, you are great spenders and borrowers at the same time. And so when you come to the floor, majority, and start talking about fiscal responsibility, just because you say it does not necessarily mean it is happening. I want you to come to this floor, grab these charts here that are sitting right over here in the corner, and explain what is good about them because these are your policies. So, Mr. Ryan, what you were mentioning earlier, I just want to drive this point home because when folks start talking about ``we want to make sure the American people keep their money,'' well, we want to make sure the American people keep their money. But who are the people? Is it the $10 million annual salary individual? Is it the individual sitting over there at some company that is getting a bonus at the same time they are telling their third shift that there will no longer be a third shift? So the real issue here is whose side are we on? Whose side is the Republican majority on? And from what I am seeing of the polls, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, when I am hearing prominent Republicans saying ``because we are Americans first,'' put that party stuff aside just for a moment and look at Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Green Party, nonvoters, they are all concerned about what is happening in this country. And I am going to tell you right now the Republican majority, and it is not what I am saying but what they are saying, cannot govern. We are ready to govern. Mr. Ryan, I yield to you, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. If I can, as it relates to time, Mr. Ryan, if you could give our website. We have to close out.