Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

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

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, with that, we would like to yield back the balance of our time and thank the Democratic leader for the time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I want to say quickly just today, news flash from the Budget Committee, happened over there in the Cannon Building, really nice building named after Speaker Cannon, who used to walk around here smoke cigars and all and is well known. But I can tell you this. There is a heating program that is out there to help poor people. Since we are talking about these big companies that are making all of these big profits, it would have increased the funding to provide for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program from $1 billion to $3.093 billion. That would impose a temporary windfall profits tax on the oil companies to assure that the amendment is deficit neutral. Now I am going to tell you something. You want to talk about this budget is keeping not only everyday Americans in the cold but is definitely keeping poor people in the cold. But I cannot tell you, when you say, can you explain it to me, well, I cannot explain to you the reason why we have CIA agents being outed, not only one but a number of them. I cannot explain to you the reason why we still have Michael Brown on the Federal taxpayer dollars, on the dole, at the same salary he was making pre-Hurricane Katrina, and why the Secretary of Homeland Security extended not only the 60-day contract they had with him but another 30 days, saying we have to learn something from him. I cannot explain to you why the majority side puts together a report talking about cutting, and I am going to tell you, we gave the Web site out earlier. This is third-party validators, cuts to Medicare, cuts to Medicaid, cuts to student loans, cuts to food stamps, cuts to school lunches for poor kids. I cannot explain to you why. I cannot explain to you why veterans have to wait so long for assistance. I cannot explain to you why that was the case. I cannot explain to you why this administration, after this Congress acted, with many Members on this side pushing for military families to be reimbursed for equipment they had to buy for their loved ones while they were in theater to save their lives, to give them the Kevlar and the vests that they needed, I cannot explain to you why the Defense Department waited for the regs for that program for them to even get the money back, back in February. Senator Dodd from Connecticut had to write the Defense Department, who is a Democrat, had to threaten them to write the regs, and they finally wrote it. I cannot explain to you why. This is to reimburse military families for equipment they bought, husband, wives, what have you. I cannot explain to you why. But one thing that I can tell you, that it is important that we illuminate these issues so not only the Members know that we know what they are doing on the majority side but the American people know. Now I am going to say back for the one Republican that voted with Democrats on this budget, on the backs of the American working class, on the backs of retirees, on the backs of those that wake up every day and try to provide for their children, provide for their family, I am glad that he voted with us. Maybe, just maybe, this hour is working on the conscience of some. Real quick, since we are going out of time, you want to give the site out? Then we can close out.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to chime in to let the gentleman from Massachusetts know, sir, that we can do better.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry. I was looking at the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and looking at those charts over there. They are so breathtaking. And turning over to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), we were working very hard over the last weeks or so dealing with Wilma, the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Inslee) has joined us tonight, who has so much to add to this conversation. I will give the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) the honors of recognizing someone else who has joined us here on the floor.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, could you read that again, sir?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, one individual in the Senate said the Senate was hijacked, as though someone came in with a gun, waving it and saying, I am here to take over; but simply using the rules of that body, the Senate, just like we use the rules here in the House towards the benefit of the American people. Reports have said that what came out of it is hopefully a report that will surface in a couple of weeks about some of our intelligence failures. I can say that Mr. Inslee, a couple of speakers ago, mentioned the fact of outing a CIA agent, and I must say my good friend from the Garden State New Jersey and also Mr. Delahunt stated that a CIA agent, a clandestine agent, was outed, but a number of agents were outed. A number of agents, agents that we will not even know their names for now, left up to this White House; they may be outed tomorrow, if they get in the way. I think that it is 110 percent correct, as Mr. Pallone said, if you get in the way, and I do not even like to use the word ``Republican,'' because I have a lot of good friends who are Republicans and I have some folks on the majority side that I know that they go home every night and lift the toilet seat up, and they are literally sick. They have to put their heads in a porcelain bowl because they are sick of what is going on in this institution. It is shameful that we would sit here under regular order when CIA agents are being outed and being proven in indictments that they are outing these individuals for political gain. It is beyond politics, far beyond politics, what is going on. I just want to read something here. Mr. Delahunt, we call those individuals like the colonel and others third-party validators. We want to make sure that the Members are not sitting in their offices thinking, oh, well, they go in the back and they just draw this stuff up. Members, the American people, Mr. Speaker, all they have to do is pick up the paper. They do not even have to turn the page; it is right there on the front page, what is happening in the moment. And the question is, when folks start looking at the 109th Congress what we did and what we did not do and what we allowed to happen, we have an obligation, Democrat, Republican, and the one Independent in this House have an obligation to call the question on why we are allowing a number of things that are happening to our country, our country, our country, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, those that are not even registered to vote and those individuals that are seeking to become citizens in this country, it is our responsibility. It goes far beyond winning and losing here in this House and the games that are being played on a bill or two. I just want to read here what was printed on the 10th, just a couple of days ago: a small Boston firm, Brewster-Jennings & Associates, listed as her employer, suddenly was shown as a bogus CIA front. Her alma mater in Belgium discovered that it was a favorite haunt for American CIA spy activity. Now, this is a front. This is a company that we had set up. I did not know about it. I am pretty sure none of us knew about it. But the individuals in the White House that have the highest security clearances knew about it, outed this agent and outed a number of other agents behind enemy lines in a forward area. It is like saying, it is like calling up the enemy and saying, there are some marines right outside of Mosul, okay, and they will be there at 12 o'clock, to the insurgents. That is how deep this is. We have individuals that are running around here without weapon, some folks have put their life on the line for this country, and it is shameful for the people that have the highest security clearances and I must add, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, appointed to have those security clearances. Now, you speak of Mr. Rove. I mean, the way this indictment reads, obviously a lot of thought has gone into it. Statements were made to this grand jury, and he is still available and working as the deputy White House chief of staff, sitting in on meetings, the highest security clearance, hearing what the President hears, hearing what the Vice President says. I am glad that I am not a CIA agent. I am glad I am not a clandestine agent working on behalf of this country, because I may very well be outed because I am talking about it. This is very dangerous. This is very dangerous, Mr. Pallone, what you mentioned. It is very dangerous when not Big Government, just a few individuals in the government, take it upon themselves, they have the prerogative to out individuals that are career CIA agents. There is something fundamentally wrong with that, and it is very serious.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we want to thank the Democratic Leader and the Democratic leadership for allowing us to have this hour.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Ryan, I believe you have the next hour, sir. We are running out of time. What I am going to do is, if you could, we want to get that Web site so we can click over and have more time so that we can continue to talk about this issue. I am pleased that the Members who have been following this issue for a very long time on behalf of the American people are here. If you can give the Web site, I would appreciate it, real quick.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I would like the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), who has been focused on this issue for some time, we would like to hear some of his thoughts on what is happening right now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, once again, it is an honor to come before the House. We want to thank not only Democratic leadership but everyone within the Democratic Caucus for coming to this floor night after night in a fight for what is right in America and to make sure that we work as much as we can in a bipartisan way to bring about the best of America. We have to fight for that position. A lot has happened today, Mr. Speaker, in the Capitol. A lot has happened in the capital city in the last days. A lot will happen in the days to come. And it is how we move from this point on. If we are willing to travel the road of bipartisanship, carrying out oversight, making sure that our country is being told the truth, making sure that our troops are being told the truth, making sure that we as a Congress do what we are supposed to do constitutionally for the American people, then I believe that our future will be bright. Or there is another road that could be traveled and has been traveled upon quite a bit in the 109th Congress, the road of strict partisanship, abusing the rules of the House to extend votes even when the majority is not winning so that they can win even though the ideas may not be in the best interest, in many cases, of the reason why we came to the floor in the first place, i.e., the energy bill, the prescription drug bill, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Also on that road is the road of cronyism, the culture of corruption and cronyism; and I think it is something that we need to disabuse ourselves of and move on the road of bipartisanship, move on the road of cooperation, move on the road of leveling with the American people. So we do have a choice. There is a fork. Unfortunately, I would say that just picking up the paper, Mr. Speaker, just looking at the news, it looks like the majority has taken the fork of partisanship, endorsing the culture of corruption and cronyism. I want to make sure I am clear when I say culture of corruption and cronyism: A, condoning it, not calling Federal agencies, the executive branch, and some legislative branch operations or on the floor or before committee when we see this activity taking place. Cronyism: a perfect example, Mr. Speaker, as I stand here now, Mr. Michael Brown still enjoys full salary at FEMA even after the debacle of Katrina, admitted by the administration, admitted by many Members of this House; but he still enjoys full salary of the taxpayers' dollars, $148,000-and-change. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has endorsed his extension by saying that we can learn from Michael Brown. Mr. Speaker, I cannot wait until Secretary Brown comes before the Homeland Security Committee, because I have one question: What benefit to the taxpayers of the United States does Michael Brown have or possess as it relates to his experiences from Katrina? Did we not already have 60 days of a contract that was extended and then 30 days more extension of the contract? Mr. Speaker, I ask the colleagues of the House and level-minded Members of goodwill to please answer the Department of Homeland Security, to save the taxpayers' money, and turn their back on cronyism in the Federal Government. Today I am joined once again by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) and also the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan); and we come to the floor, as the Members know, Mr. Speaker, week after week and now night after night, to not only bring to the Members but to the American people what we are doing and also what we are doing wrong. But it just seems like the wrong is overwhelming, and we feel it is our obligation to bring it to the attention of the Members and the American people.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, the reason why we want to be careful as it relates to the Office of the Vice President and President is because we respect the rules of the House, unlike some folks on the majority side that expand the rules of the House for their own gain. I just want to bring that clarification. I do not want the Members, Mr. Speaker, to feel we are scared to call a spade a spade. We just want to respect the rules of the House, and I think that is very appropriate and in order in this case.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I am not a carpenter.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And I say to my colleague from Massachusetts that I am driving the point straight home. I am not as good as the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) in hitting that nail on the head.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. As a consultant. At the same rate he was making as a consultant. And lo and behold, just last week we hear, Oh, well, I extended his contract 30 more days so we can learn more. That is cronyism and it is on the breach of corruption.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. With that, if I may, what is so disturbing about this whole thing, once again, is the fact that like my colleague from Florida, this whole culture idea, and we talked the other night that it takes a while to get a culture. It is an American culture to have picnics on July 4. It is cultural, I guess, for certain religions to practice a certain meal on a given day. It is within the culture. That means it is preserved. It is something that is accepted. What has happened here in Washington, D.C. is that there is a culture of corruption and cronyism. When we say a culture of corruption and cronyism, that is not something that remotely happened on some given day 2 years ago. That is an everyday practice, and you would assume that it would stop. You would assume that we would disabuse ourselves of that kind of activity. You would assume. The gentleman from Massachusetts mentioned ``their war.'' Well, guess what, it is our war. It is our war. They are our men and women that are laying down their lives right now, whether it be part of our armed services or a contractor or foreign service Americans that are working in the biggest embassy in the world there in Baghdad, in Iraq. Millions upon millions and billions of dollars are being spent. We talk about a culture of corruption and cronyism. I would say to the gentleman from Washington that the other day we talked about four of the big contractors that received no-bid contracts on the Katrina disaster that took place. They were under investigation for mishandling the taxpayers' money and falsifying documents by our own government. I used an example of a company that is under investigation by our government where it is pretty much documented that they have overcharged the government for the services that they were supposed to be providing and, in some cases, never provided those services. Then we call them in when Katrina happens and say, Oh sure, here is another contract, no-bid, go out and do the work. I used this example: it is almost like I run into a 7-11 and I am a contractor. I take my gun out and I tell the kid behind the counter to give me the money. And I reach in there and grab $200, and I run down the street. Then some of Washington, D.C.'s finest stop me. Police officers. We gotcha. Wait a minute. Just put that money in your pocket and put that gun back in your waistband and go out and rob some more. That is encouraging corruption. That is encouraging a crime. That is what we have here. That is what we are encouraging here. So when folks come to the floor on the majority side or have a press conference that calls themselves fiscal conservatives, or we know how to run the government and they do not, speaking of Democrats, that kind of activity does not speak to it. When the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the largest department not only in the Federal Government but in the history of the world, takes a former director, Michael Brown, of FEMA, and not only removes him from the position of being over the response at the time of the response to Hurricane Katrina and the recovery, and says, Well, we need to send him back to Washington, we are putting two or three other people over his responsibilities; but better yet, we will keep him on for 60 days so we can learn.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I cannot help but think, when I talk about commitment and sacrifice, I just represent too many veterans for me to even look beyond the front line that allowed us to even have this discussion here, kept this country free. I cannot help but think of the parents, wives, fathers that have a picture of their child, son, daughter, husband, wife hanging on the wall right now next to a Purple Heart. They lay down their life for this country. So this discussion is far beyond comprehension for me. I have gone to too many funerals, talked to too many parents, read too many stories for people to take this lightly. I know we have said it once and we have said it twice and if we have got to say it 10,000 times, trying to keep up with a lie, my mother told me when I was young that if I tell a lie, I have to remember what I said when I said it. And that is the problem right now in Washington, D.C. There are so many lies that have been told to the American people, it is difficult to keep up with what was said in the first place. If it was the truth, it would not be a problem because it is enshrined in one's memory and in one's character. So I will leave it with that. There is nothing more that I can add to that; but the reality for so many Americans, so many Americans that we represent, so many parents and wives and fathers and mothers that were handed a freshly folded, crisp American flag on behalf of their loved one and family member who lay down their lives for this country, their lives, literally, for those individuals who have to be fed by tubes right now, for those individuals who cannot get up and go to the restrooms like many of us right now, for those individuals we have got to continue to fight on their behalf and on behalf of their children that are without a father and mother. So I commend the Members for coming to the floor. I am glad the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) has claimed this hour, and I think we have to do the things we must do within our power to stand up for those individuals.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. This is far beyond someone saying that we are being political. This is about the taxpayers' money. This is about the responsibility of the Congress. I said it once and I will say it again: if the majority is not willing to lead, then there are enough individuals that have filed bills to bring about accountability on behalf of the taxpayers of the United States of America on this side of the aisle that are ready to go. Not only are they in the locker room and ready to go; they are on the field with their mouthpiece in right now, chin strap buckled, ready to go out and hit somebody when it comes down to standing up on behalf of the taxpayers. So I think it is important that we do this. And what we are talking about here, because this is not just a discussion about Iraq, this is not just a discussion as relates to outing CIA agents, as heavy as both of those topics are, and they end up being intertwined, this is about the culture of corruption and cronyism that is going on here in Washington, D.C. Just as an example today, the Senate used the rules to do what they had to do on behalf of the American people. And guess what they were called? Hijackers. They hijacked the Senate today, as though someone ran in on the Senate floor with a gun and said shut the Senate down. No, they used the rules on behalf of the American people. And guess what came out of it from news reports and what I hear from some of our friends across the aisle? The fact that they are going to do what, a bipartisan, three Democrats and three Republicans, who will come together to bring about the report that should have been reported on long ago. But it took an act of leadership and courage. We need our friends on the majority side who have the power right now, because if we had such a rule here in the House we would exercise it to go see the wizard and get some courage and fight on behalf of the American people. If they do not want to do it, we are willing to do it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. If my colleague can read that again, that ``we're not being undermined by the North Koreans.'' Just go through that paragraph one more time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you right now, this goes far, once again, beyond politics. This is serious business. We have Members here who have traveled abroad. I have. I am on the Armed Services Committee. I am on the Homeland Security Committee. If you know how it was to go down to a hotel lobby and go to a restaurant where you are staying there at a hotel, you come back to a hotel after official meetings with the government and you do not understand what people are saying, need it be French, need it be Arabic, need it be Spanish or what have you, now, just think for a minute. If I were a CIA agent in a foreign land, or someone in a friendly country that works with the United States as it relates to sharing sensitive information, how do they feel right now? How do they feel about America right now? How do they feel about our executive branch right now? And how do they feel about the Congress? This is going to hurt us. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) put it just as clear as it can be. It is weakening a country when it comes down to getting the intelligence to protect all of us here in the United States and our allies. And I think it is important, I think it is important, and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) hit the nail straight on the head. Like we say down in Florida, he hit the nail straight on the head just like a good carpenter. The bottom line is that we are not here to hand down guilty verdicts; but we are here to say the statements that were made to FBI agents, statements that were made to the grand jury, statements that were made to the special prosecutor were incorrect and misleading. Statements that were made on national television on Sunday shows, need it be talking to the press in the press corps, at the White House, we now find were incorrect. Now, as it relates to indictments and the conviction of Mr. Libby or possible indictment as it relates to Mr. Rove, this thing is far beyond Mr. Rove and Mr. Libby. This is about outing individuals that have dedicated their lives to go behind enemy lines and live amongst them to get information to protect everyday Americans. I cannot help but think of the veterans that laid their lives down right now, 2,000-plus recently, Gulf War I, Vietnam, Korea, other conflicts, World War II. I was riding through the Mall with my children just about 2 or 3 weeks ago, and we stopped by the World War II Memorial. We saw the different States as you look at the World War II Memorial with the water, a very nice memorial. We dedicated it last year. I was telling my kids about it and the allied force and all of those folks that gave their lives so we could salute the Flag and it is flying high. It was a coalition of countries that fought for democracy on the face of the Earth. For people to not think of that commitment and that sacrifice, that those individuals, and some are still walking this Earth, some have gone on to a greater place, for them to selfishly think of political gain to out these individuals is beyond me and unconscionable. So I say there must be Members on the majority side who have the power to do the right thing in this case, but they have opted not to. So when folks start, when you said before what are we doing, we are pushing the card not on behalf of the Democratic Party; we are pushing the card on behalf of Americans and those veterans that are without limbs right now, those veterans that have to get assistance to get up out of bed right now, who fought for the Flag to fly over this very Capitol. I am not saying that Members who are not focused on this issue are unpatriotic. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that we have a responsibility as the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) has said, not only in the White House but in the Congress to make sure that the truth comes forward so we can protect American lives. Period. Dot. That is just what it is. This is far beyond a campaign against a certain Congressman or President or Vice President or a party. This is about national security of our country and countries that are working with us. Do you think that someone wants to put their agents up front with an American agent, not because the American agent they feel lacks qualification to get sensitive information. They are scared because someone may out their agent and our agent because of a political campaign. That is what this is all about. This is not about one day someone woke up and grabbed a doughnut and coffee and said, I think I will out a CIA agent today. I think I will do that because I feel like it. No. It was about saying that we know our intelligence is bad and anyone that rises up and says different we will destroy them. We will destroy him and we will destroy his wife. We will do what we have to do to make sure that we win. What is happening is that the American people are more in danger under that philosophy than under what we are supposed to be doing statutorily. And when you have a security clearance, let me tell you, there are a lot of things I want to share with some folks but I cannot, because I took an oath and I signed an oath that I will hold secrecy not because I am not fearful of losing my security clearance. I am fearful that someone may lose their life behind enemy lines because I thought I wanted to say something to prove a point. It does not come to that. This is blood. This is life and death. And we do not even know, someone could have lost their life behind this. We do not know that yet. We need to get to the bottom of this, and the bottom line is if the majority is not willing to do what they must do, not what they should do, not if they could, what they must do, if they are not willing to do it, then that is something the American people have to take into account. I tell you one thing, the ride to the soccer game and sitting there feeling that you have a sense of security may not be what it is right now if this kind of activity continues.

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. With that, there is nothing more that I can possibly say about where we stand, what we are trying to do in the minority right now, what we would like to do if we had the majority. So with that, sir, will you give the closing.