Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to come before the House of Representatives tonight and the American people and this great house of democracy that we serve in day in and day out. It is an honor to serve, and every day that we have an opportunity to serve it is important that we share important information with the American people and also with Members of the House. Once again, our 30-something Working Group that consists of 14 Members on the Democratic side of the House, we come together to share with Americans things that are going good. We call it the good, bad and ugly; but at the same time, we work towards constructive change, and as my colleagues know, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and I have been coming to the floor, along with other Members of this House, to address issues such as education, issues that are facing young Americans from the ages of 18 to 30-something. That covers a supermajority of individuals that are not exercising their right to vote at this particular time, but I believe now, because we are reaching out to those individuals, they will find a reason to go out and register to vote or to use that voter registration card to work towards good for their family and also for their future. There is a lot happening to young Americans now versus poor young Americans, and this is the 30-something hour that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the minority leader, has organized. Those of us in the House that are living the 30-something right now or that recently went through 20-something come and give voice to those individuals on the floor, and I think this reaches out to even a larger demographic, a demographic of parents that are paying for their loved ones to go to college, a demographic of individuals who were not able to go to college immediately after high school or completion of a vocational training program. Some are in community colleges that are trying to make a way. Either they did not have an opportunity to go to college immediately after high school, one, they could not afford it; two, they had to help their family. Many Americans have to make that choice, and it is okay to make that choice. It is about family. It is about values. It is about religion. It is about definitely individuals that have strong morals and outright patriots in our country that would like to see their children and grandchildren have a better opportunity than what they have. I think it also addresses grandparents. I am not one, obviously. I have two children and a wife; and I would tell my colleague that I look forward, if God is willing, to allow me to become a grandparent one day. I am pretty sure my goal would be to make sure my children are able to provide for their children and that their children have a better opportunity than the generations that were before them. So we come to the floor to be able to share with the American people and give response to some of their e-mails. We welcome e-mails to the 30-something group, and we will be giving that e-mail address out; and I will tell my colleagues week after week, we have received a number every week. We are receiving more and more e-mails. It is very encouraging. Some Americans have questions that they need answered. We try to provide those answers to the best of our ability. Some Americans are saying, hey, it is great, I am a Republican, I am glad you are giving voice to the issue of student loans, and the fact that more people are graduating from college that are in debt now than it was in the previous generation and the opportunity for Pell grants that were promised, and even those who went through college in the early 1970s, I mean we have less of an opportunity for financially challenged individuals that work every day, individuals who did what we told them to do, go to high school, get that vocational training, that we will be there to be able to assist you. There was a commitment made by the President to raise the Pell grant commitment a little bit up to $5,000, but he has not yet been able to do so. Not because the resources have not been there. It is because the priority has not been there, which then takes us back to being able to have individuals ready for the workforce, that small businesses and businesses need in this country; and it is so very, very important we pay very close attention to that because that is serious business, the business of making sure that we have a workforce ready to step up and meet the challenge to be able to make America strong. If we are going to have these individuals graduating from college in debt before they can invest in the American dream of being able to buy a home, being able to invest in this economy, it is very important that we do not put them in debt prior to that opportunity. Some believe in this Congress that we should have variable student loans. Well, one may argue, well, it is the lower interest payment now; but guess what, they will be forever paying those student loans. Being someone that was once on a college campus, offered a credit card, I will tell my colleagues I am a victim. I put my hands out. I was on my campus.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, that is something to be outright mad about, but I can tell you one thing I find comfort in. I have the opportunity, I am Baptist, and I have the opportunity to do something we call pray, and we pray for days when things will get better for real people, people who understand what it means to take a 15-minute break in the morning and a 15-minute break in the afternoon, and a solid 30 minutes for lunch. These are people who know what it means to punch in and punch out. They know that if you punch in five minutes late that you have to punch out five minutes late. Those individuals. These are the individuals who come home, and I am not just talking about hardworking men that have the steel toes sitting next to their chair watching their favorite sitcom when they get home, if they can stay awake through it. I am talking about every day working men and women in this country. And also young people that are having to pull a little extra wait because the money is not coming in like it used to. So if a family tries to get health care, someone has to sacrifice. The person that has the lowest premiums has to pay that out of their paychecks. This is hard, particularly in a single-family household. And I will tell my colleague that I came up in a single-parent household, and there is nothing wrong with that. I want my colleagues to know that right now. I commend those single parents out there doing what they have to do on behalf of their children. Whatever your faith may be, whatever your religion, it is the same thing. The responsibility of taking care of one's child is priority number one. It is close to what we call in the Baptist and Christian faith, when you think about God, agape, love. It is important we do that and we practice that. Now, what I see, because I am not a pessimist, I am a person that feels that tomorrow will bring about a different day, a brighter day for Americans. And that means Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Green Party or what have you. When it comes down to health care, and you talk about emergency room health care, no one asks for a party affiliation. No one says, well, Republicans over here, Democrats over here, Independents over there. We are going to take the majority party first. They do not do that. They treat you equally. That means 3 to 4 hours in the emergency room. Why does it have to come to that? Why do we not have 41 million Americans working? I am not talking about individuals looking at want ads, not even trying to get a job and saying the job situation looks sad. I am talking about individuals who go in and punch out or sign in and out every day. Those individuals who cannot walk away from their job, or say, hey, guess what boss, I am leaving. Or what about a small businessperson? These businesses that have 100, 200 good hard-working Americans, be they citizens or noncitizens, working in their companies, they are not offshoring it. They are right here in America paying their fair share. They are the American Dream. I want to make sure Americans understand and the Members of the House understand that we are talking about super-duper corporations. I mean the folks who publicly traded on the stock market. I am talking about individuals who do not even say hello to the individuals that we are talking about here. And the reason why we are here, at 10-plus o'clock at night, taking away from our families, is to be able to say there can be a brighter day. And I am glad that even though we did not have the vision or foresight or power to put us on the floor for an hour every week, I thank God for the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader. She has been here for some time, along with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), and they have seen this happen. So I can say that we have been about the solution on this side of the aisle as it relates to Democrats. And guess what, there have been some good Republicans that wanted to do it, but could not. They could not do it because they felt there would be repercussions for them manning up and womaning up and leadering it up to be able to say you are wrong. But, guess what? Some have said it. And the record speaks for itself. Once again, this is not the Tim Ryan report or the Kendrick Meek report. This is fact. We talked about prescription drug plan. The bottom line is, Americans get drugs cheaper under the Democratic proposal. Bottom line. I am sorry. No one can debate that or dispute that. Now we have the AARP coming out and saying we need the Democratic proposal. I prayed that the leadership here in Washington, at the time that the issue was here on the floor at 3 a.m. in the morning, would have said without that that they would not support it. But that is the past, and we are talking about the future. At the same time, when we talk about folks taking money home, and what I would like to see and for us to continue to let the American people know just because we are Democrats, and there are a number of Americans that are out there, and they are not all Democrats, they are Independents, Republicans, they voted for leadership, to make sure they get their voices heard in this democracy in this House; and they are going to get it. The bottom line is if given the opportunity, if we are able to have as the Speaker the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) in the 109th Congress, that this will happen. If we are able to have new leadership in the White House, this administration has had their chance. The Democrats did not impede them from doing what they wanted to do. The Democrats are not in the majority. We did not appoint the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Commerce. We did not appoint these individuals, the national security person, the Attorney General. The Bush administration did. They cannot say well, the liberal Democrats ran the deficit up to the highest level in the history of the Republic. They cannot blame that on the Democrats. That game is over. Or the reason we do not have health care is because of the Democrats. I am sorry, the last I checked at 1600 Pennsylvania, there was a Republican President there.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, that budget was balanced without one Republican vote in this House. I want to make sure that we are clear on that because 3\1/2\ years ago, we were talking about how we were going to spend the surplus. Are we going to save Social Security? And I want to say this to our older Americans and future Americans that will be eligible for Social Security, the little thing on their paycheck, Social Security deduction, think about that. We were go to be able to put money into the trust fund.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me say quickly, we talked a couple of weeks ago, and I want to segue into what is happening in the workforce, and before we leave here we have to read some of the e-mails that we have received so our viewers will be able to know we hear them and are responding to them. We get a number of hits on the 30-something Web site, and a lot of people are very interested in this. They are not just young people, they are older people, they are Republicans and Democrats.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. God willing, I will be there one day. We talk about a devolution of taxation, and that is when the Federal Government cuts the Federal commitment to the States, and the States do not have the privilege that we have. See, here in Congress we have the opportunity to put it on the U.S. Treasury. Oh, we can take that credit card out any day of the week and we do on the minute. Then every 3 weeks we knock on the bank of China or Japan and ask for more money to pay down our own interest on debt. The States do not have that luxury. The States have to balance their budget. How do they balance it, well, they do not balance it out of thin air. They raise tuition prices, raise fees on hunting and fishing licenses, they raise the driver's license fee, and simple services to local government. Then they cut their commitment to local governments and school districts. When they do that, the school districts do not have the credit card. They have to balance their budget. When they balance their budget, the senior feeding program that everyone counts on to be able to provide a warm meal for seniors, the after-school program for kids, and I am not just talking about poor minority kids, I am talking about kids in rural America, where families have to work two, three jobs to make ends meet, these sorts of things take place. The quality of life of our communities is just not a priority here. So when we say well, we are sending you a $150 check, in the final analysis it is going to end up being a lot more. And gas prices are on their way back up again. I do not want to get started on that. Let me mention quickly what 30 somethings will be handed if we do not make drastic changes here in Washington. We talk about the good, bad and ugly, and we will give credit where credit is due, but we will also point out where there is trickery in what they are sharing with us. On July 2, the Labor Department announced that in the month of June, 11,000 manufacturing jobs were lost and only 12,000 jobs were created in June for the total population of America, less than half of what was widely expected. So what the Labor Department is doing, they will make these projections, these grandiose projections and then they will fall short. The President had to explain himself by saying we are not necessarily gaining jobs, but we are steady and the economy is solid. It is all in the words. Thank God for institutions such as the Children's Defense Fund which also announced that almost 60 percent of teenagers lost their job last month, and that is the highest June jobless rate since the data was first collected in 1949. The gentleman from Ohio and I were not even on earth in 1949, but this should not happen in America in 2004 as it relates to young people. I do not even want to get started on the minority numbers. It is 77 percent, even more. So when we look at it and we look at individuals that need jobs and summer jobs, even in Florida where you have Walt Disney World and Busch Gardens and Universal Studios and all of these fine amusement parks, there was a big thing in Florida, there was an uptick in jobs, but many jobs are summer jobs. Some 5,000 are summer jobs, and they provide very little health care benefits, if any at all. When you start looking at a healthy America, it is not necessarily the case. It is almost like some of these infocommercials, buy this and it will help you lose weight. You wait on the UPS guy to show up, and the bottle is not as big as it looked on television. I will tell you right now, Americans, we have to understand that we have an opportunity, we cannot change it, we can do all we can in this great House and we give respect to this House, no matter what control it may be under at a particular time, but guess what, we are all Americans and we have to uphold the American dream. Part of that dream is a better tomorrow, and that is just the bottom line. If given the opportunity, and I am talking about Democrats, if given the opportunity, to be able to set the agenda, to say health care is a priority in this House, real health care; making sure that your child is educated, that is a priority. Senator Kerry says he wants to give a $4,000 education tax credit every year to make sure there is money in your pocket to pay for tuition. When we see tuition prices going up, that is a tax, in my opinion. That is a tax on young Americans and working Americans. I cannot tell you how many parents that are my age, I am 38 years old, that actually are having to do the prepay college deal. Oh, I have to put this money away because there is no guarantee that my children will be able to educate themselves. At the same time, they are trying to provide health care. We do not want any handouts, but we want to make sure that they have a fair shake at what previous generations have had. Mr. Speaker, 3 months ago at birth, a child born already owes the Federal Government over $23,000. So now we are a part of this Congress that oversees the highest deficit in the history of the Republic. I want to say that again. Since we have been the United States of America, today, this year of 2004, this Congress is overseeing the highest deficit in the history of the country. Now, I am going to tell you I do not take any great pride in that nor privilege. The fact that we have men and women that are over in Iraq right now, sand in their teeth trying to do the best that they can and will fight on behalf of this country as long as this country asks them to fight, but the individuals that are here in shirts and ties are making bad decisions. So we need to make sure that we have the kind of leadership that is going to make the right decisions, make sure that we are fiscally responsible. I want to say that again, to make sure that we are fiscally responsible, making sure that we are spending the taxpayer dollar in the right way, not just saying that I have a couple of friends, happen to know the CEO of super mega company X, and they are happy. That is their constituent, their base. Our base is individuals who punch in and punch out every day; and I encourage every American, because I am only one vote, maybe I can influence a few others, but I am only one vote and you are one vote. Okay. But they have to do their part, that they have to reevaluate the leadership, that they have to be tough on their Congressman and Congresswoman and they have to be tough on their local elected officials. They have to be heard, because if they are not heard, ladies and gentlemen, you think the last 4 years was a superroller coaster ride, what will happen in the future when there is really no accountability from this administration to do the right thing on behalf of everyday working people?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Well, there are a few Republicans that joined us in that philosophy, those individuals who raised their right hand at the beginning of this Congress.

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. Dallas is in Texas. I want to make sure. I am from Florida so I want to make sure I have it right. They are saying, ``You have got a credibility problem, Mr. President.'' Now, this is the hometown paper in a home State that is saying that there is an issue. It goes on in this editorial.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And pay for it, not increasing this number, not increasing this number, but hopefully having this number go down, so that we do not have to knock on the bank door of China and say, hey, guess what, we need to borrow more money because we need to pay down our deficit.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. When we talk about sacrifice and commitment, we have to make some tough decisions here in the Congress, and I will say that we dodge making those tough decisions constantly when it comes down to doing the things that we should be doing. And the good thing about our democracy is that we can tolerate one another's opinion, and being able to share the truth with the American people is important too. And in this House we have a Democrat and Republican side, with the one independent, and I think it is important that we have the diversity of arguments but at the same time speak to all American people about the issues that are facing us. We were talking about veterans, talked about the deficit, because it all intertwines with one another. In the past we have talked about 43 million Americans without health insurance that are working, I must add. We have talked about student fees being at the highest rate that they have been in the past history. We have talked about how the banking industry is trying to get students out of having the option to be able to lock in a low interest rate versus sending them back to a veritable interest rate where they will end up paying more in the long run. But I think it is important for us, and I think this work towards force protection in Iraq, that we talk a little bit about the management from the Pentagon of this effort in Iraq.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I will say that the individuals that are wearing the shirts and ties, just like I shared today with Secretary Wolfowitz, who is the Under Secretary under Donald Rumsfeld, it is something fundamentally wrong when the Department of Defense is not handling the war in the way that it should be handled. And if we have not only Members of the Congress, but members of the press that say, hey, you know something? Things are not going all that well in Iraq. One may think that everything is good and it is productive. We support our troops. We stand with our troops. That is not the question. The real question is as it relates to Abu Ghraib and other prisoner abuse issues that are out there on how we are managing that issue, how we are managing that issue and how the people at the top are going to be dealt with who set forth the culture. Now, I am not saying that Secretary Rumsfeld was there at Abu Ghraib. I am saying that there is policies that have come out of this administration that have put a light on interrogation, and it is also mismanagement and also a lack of training in a prison that Saddam Hussein had in Iraq that was known for abuse and torture. Now, for the administration to say we have dealt with that, it is over, it is done, next subject, we have to move on to winning the war, well, let me say, when it comes down to insurgents and the recruitment of insurgents, our lack of attention to that issue is so very, very important. The first person to go down in this thing was an enlisted man. That is interesting. The Pentagon appointed a two-star general to oversee the investigation, knowing full well that this two-star general could not go above his rank, define wrongdoing anywhere else as it relates to the Department of Defense or the chain of command. The four-star general in control, General Sanchez, said, well, maybe you all need to appoint a four-star. Secretary Brown, I would say Secretary Rumsfeld, appointed a four-star. Guess what? Out of the Secretary's office to oversee the ongoing investigation into Abu Ghraib. I think it is important for the American people to understand, it is not totally how we feel about the handling of the investigation. It is how the world feels, how the handling of the investigation is done, because guess what? We cannot do this on our own, and if we are looking towards force protection or troop protection, it is important that we let the Iraqi people know that we are doing everything we can, no matter where it is. At the top or the bottom, we are going to get to the top and the bottom of the situation. And it is important that on behalf of those troops, those that have served, Reservists, National Guard that have now returned, in their honor and their respect for our effort in Iraq, we have to make sure that not only enlisted men and women take fault for what took place, but it is important that individuals up the chain of command also takes fault for what has happened. And I will say right now the truth will rise to the top, and since we are talking about 18- to 30-year-olds, 70 percent of the force that is over there, I want to say, we cannot sit by and watch these individuals play the Potomac two-step and go around the responsibility for what has happened. It has happened under his watch, it has happened under Secretary Rumsfeld's watch, and I have said it before and I will say it again, there comes a point where you, say hey, maybe I have done all that I can do for this effort. Maybe I need to allow someone else to do it. But come this November, Democrat, Republican, independent, they will make the choice if this administration does not make the choice as it relates to new leadership and making sure that we get good information about this war and making sure that we have good management of this war to protect American lives. People talk about how Iraqis feel. I care about how Americans feel. Seventy some-odd percent of American people feel that we are taking too many casualties in Iraq. Seventy some-odd percent of individuals feel that decisions that are being made on this war are hurting our image throughout the world. We cannot do this on our own. I know the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) knows that. But I am not pleased. I know many Members of this Congress are not pleased with the way things are going. I have said it once before that our troops would fight 20 years if they had to fight on behalf of this country. That is not a question. Do we support them? You are doggone right we do. But we cannot sit here and allow the mismanagement of this war to continue.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is 110 percent right as it relates to what our commitment should be to these men and women that are putting their lives on the line; and after every young person that walks into a recruitment office to offer themselves as patriots to the country, that is the least they deserve is to be able to at least get 80 percent of what they were promised. Right now, they are not getting that; and what is so very, very unfortunate with the growing deficit that is taking place in this Congress, and this is the reason why I take the opportunity along with you and others like the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) to make sure that we give voice to the growing deficit and the lack of commitment to our veterans of what we know will be adequate and strong health care in this country, providing them with that. We have veterans that are close to 100 years old that are out there who have needs; and we also, from the statistic that the gentlewoman gave earlier, 70 percent of the individuals that are in Iraq right now and Afghanistan, they range from the age 18 to 30. So now we are talking about fathers and mothers with young children that hopefully their commitment to our country will mean that the country that they defended and stood under the flag for, some of these individuals came back without a leg or an arm or years that they can ever pay their families back, the anguish that their families have to go through when they hear about troops that were killed or a roadside bomb that went off, and they have to hold their breath and shudder when the doorbell rings because it could be someone from the armed services to share with them that Mom's not coming home or Dad's not coming home. The least that we can do is follow up on our commitment; and I think bring that kind of not only tender, loving care but oversight to this Congress, that our Democratic leader, our whip and others, those of us on this side of the aisle, even though we have good Republicans that want to do these things for veterans. As you know, some of the bills that we pass here, it takes some Republican votes, but to be able to bring the kinds of leadership that is going to be ready to attack this issue and say, veterans, you put it on the line for us, we are going to follow through on what we told you, you are going to be respected even when you hang up the uniform, we are going to keep your honor throughout the wars that you fought in the past and the one you just fought and the time that you spent serving this country on our call. We are going to do everything we can to help you. You know something, that is not Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party. It is not really north, south, east, west. If you put it on the line, citizen or noncitizen I must add, if you put it on the line for this country, the least that we can do is do what we said we are going to do for you, and you should not have to worry and should not have to come marching up like the VFW and many others saying, please, please, Congress, do not have us waiting 8 months now, because we are already waiting 6.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) this is important that the American people understand this is not the Ryan-Meek-Sanchez report, but this is the Dallas Morning News. I do not sit on that editorial board. What has happened here as it relates to this editorial, it is saying, ``Mr. President, we backed you for President of the United States, we backed your decision to do certain things in this country.'' But I will tell my colleague as it relates to other people in this democracy like the 9/11 Commission, that is made up of Democrats and Republicans, okay, that have said there is no link between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, and you are saying yes, there is, as it relates to the war, the preemptive strike that we took in Iraq when we keep changing the reason why we went into Iraq, there is an issue there. So that is the reason why 76 percent of the American people feel that we were receiving too many casualties in Iraq. I must say to the families to the four Marines that lost their lives within the last 24 hours that my heart goes out to them. And every Member of this Congress, Democrat and Republican, appreciate their service. But it comes down to the management of the war and also the management of the country. We cannot separate ourselves like a quarterback to a receiver when it comes down to bad news from the war saying, well, whatever they want on the ground we are going to give them, but otherwise you are telling them what they are going to have. Do not separate yourself on those issues coming up. And I will tell my colleague what is so very, very important as it relates to credibility, as it relates to veterans affairs, as it relates to a real health care plan, as it relates to reducing the deficit, there are a lot of people saying, oh, we are going to take the deficit down but we are having to have action here on Thursday that will separate the boys from the men and the girls from the women when it comes down to the vote of who really cares about the growing deficit in this country. I pull no punches when it comes down to what happens in the management of this war, how we approach June 30 and beyond. We have a question of command, who is going to be in charge afterwards of American troops and what happens with their safety. It also comes down to the issue of how long we are going to be there? How are we going to bring other world leaders into it? When one has a G-8 summit with the hopes of hopefully someone will say, hey, we are sending more troops and that does not happen, something is wrong. So it means that 135,000, 137,000 troops in theater right now are going to be in theater for some time to come with really with us saying, well, there will be elections in December. I say to my colleague from California we cannot even have elections in Afghanistan. Okay. I am not belittling Afghanistan, but Iraq and Afghanistan are two different issues. The war against terror, I will tell you this, if we cannot have elections that we are postponing for the second time, Secretary Wolfowitz of the Secretary of Defense, he said the U.N. was not able to register folks. I wonder why the U.N. is not able to register. It is a safety issue in Afghanistan. There is a safety issue in Iraq.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me correct myself. It is one of the home State newspapers in Dallas. I know that the American people associate the President with Crawford, Texas. Let me just say very quickly that we encourage the e-mails that we have been receiving. The gentleman can give our e-mail address out and then I will give another e-mail address out, but the gentleman from Ohio can go ahead and do that. David Letterman has his Top 10. You have the e-mail. I am going to give out this e-mail address so I do not want to take that away from the gentleman.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. You are part of that solution, and we thank the fact that you have joined us on several occasions and you are part of us. I just want to say quickly that we talk about priorities in America. I am so glad on the Democratic side of the aisle, and even some Republicans within this process, that we believe in keeping the deficit down, not increasing the deficit, not playing games about how we are going to decrease it in the future; but this is my credit card and the reason why the numbers have not changed is the fact the Congressional Budget Office, they are going to have a mid-session review in July, and this deficit number is going to change. Unfortunately, it may not change for the better, but this is a big number right here, and this is the U.S. Treasury and down here you have the Republican Congress. That is there. I want to share with the American people that the Democrats here in this House, we can only do so much to bring the deficit down. We can try to build coalitions and try to come up with resolutions, but the majority of the House is Republican. The majority of the other body of this Congress is Republican. The White House is Republican. I must go back to say that in the Dallas Morning News, I wanted to read just one segment of this editorial at the beginning so that it is important that we have the kind of diverse thinking. You mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, how important that we have balance in this process to be able to bring about accountability. ``A time comes in most administrations when supporters tell the President he has a problem. Bob Dole told Ronald Reagan he should worry about the deficit. Tip O'Neill,'' who was one of the great Speakers of this House, ``told Jimmy Carter he better improve his icy relationship with Capitol Hill. And George W. Bush told his father that the White House chief of staff John Sununu needed to go.'' There comes a time that some of us in this process have to voice our opinion, and that opinion is based on the American people. My colleague is from the State of Ohio, I am from Florida, and the gentlewoman (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) is from California; and I will tell my colleagues that as we look at the security of the country, as we look at the deficit, and I am going to tell you this honestly, I take no pleasure in being a part of the 108th Congress and presiding over the highest deficit in the history of the Republic. The 108th Congress, since we have had 108 Congresses, and we are a part of it, we have the honor or the dishonor to stand over or be in control of the highest deficit in the history of the Republic. I would not be able to sleep at night if I was calling the shots or the Democrats were calling the shots to be able to make the deficit what it is. This amendment that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has, who is the ranking member on the Committee on Appropriations, coming up on Thursday will set forth the priorities of this country: that we care about our veterans and we care about protecting the homeland, not that we care about millionaires, millionaires getting a tax cut on top of a tax cut that is permanent. The American people need to understand this is not homeland security for Democrats. This is homeland security for the Republic. It is not veterans benefits for Democrats. This will be veterans benefits for the Republic, for men and women that put it on the line, for VA workers, many who are veterans, who put it on the line in serving other veterans. So as we look at this time of patriotism that one may say, then it is only appropriate for us to put our money where our mouths are. What Mr. Obey is trying to do on Thursday in this great House is to vote on trying to do something on behalf of those individuals who have done something for us.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I was really appreciating the dialogue here. I know I am not a veteran myself, being from the State of Florida, I can tell that we have a number of veterans, very patriotic veterans that are very concerned from St. Petersburg to the Panhandle, to Miami, Florida, we have a VA hospital where veterans just need to see the ophthalmologist and it takes 6 months for them to see him. Meanwhile, World War II dedication, remembrance of D-Day, politicians falling all over themselves wearing flags talking about we love you, we love you, trying to get in a photo op with these patriots, even patriots of past wars whether it be Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War I, out there trying to take a picture on these Memorial Days and Veterans Days, but the real issue is this: How do we treat them outside of Veterans Day and Memorial Day? That is the real issue. The real issue is when the rubber meets the road and the reality after each one of those holidays they still have long lines and they still have inadequate and underfunded VA centers. So when we look at the credibility of United States and our efforts, I will tell my colleagues for all of us here who care so much about our troops, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) knows today in the Committee on Armed Services that it is not a question about do we love and appreciate the troops' commitment to the sovereignty and the United States and our friends abroad, that is not a question, I mean, will the troops fight for 20 years? They will fight for 20 years if they have to fight on the behalf of the United States and our reputation. But it is the management of not only the country, but also VA services that we will go into in a minute, and also what is going on in Iraq right now. And I must say that for every turn this Congress has given this administration credit when credit was not due, but on behalf of the efforts that were in and people that we have in forward areas throughout the world, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is just so very, very important that we bring point to this. If I can, my colleagues, I always read the paper. I know that there are some people who said they do not read the paper, but I will leave that alone. We know who that individual is. But this is the Dallas Morning News. ``Iraq Trust Gap.'' And this editorial is from this paper. And I must say that the President is from Texas, right?

Mr. MEEK of Florida. This is your role.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. No, sir.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. In closing, I just want to say that our next 30 Something hour will be on Tuesday, July 6. That is after Independence Day which is going to be a festive celebration, I understand, here in Washington, D.C. There will be fireworks on the Mall to celebrate our independence once again. They can check the Web site which is the Democratic Leader Web site, democraticleader.house.gov/30something to get that information. I would also like to commend the WWE which is our wrestling component here, World Wrestling Entertainment, for their voter registration effort of the 18 to 30 demographics.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of Americans who are just holding on to their clicker right now to hear exactly what she has to say and how she says it. I know that the gentlewoman from California has another engagement, and we definitely want to hear from her. First, I want to just share a few things as an update real quick. We still have the voter suppression issue that is alive and well in America. We have been getting the vote out through the Rock the Vote effort and also a lot of other folks who are out there, making things happen, sharing with young people who are going to be on college campuses this fall, that they can register where they are going to school, whether it be community college or wherever. So we ask them to go do Rock the Vote because we still have a problem with supervisors telling people even in summer terms that they cannot register. Once again, in 1975, the Supreme Court spoke to that issue saying, you can vote when you go to school so that your voice can be heard in this upcoming election. We have other issues that we will touch on throughout the hour. Mr. Speaker, I will now yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) to please share with us some of the issues that are important to her. I know the gentlewoman will talk about some news dealing with issues facing young people here in America today.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure once again to address the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people and also Members of the Congress. I just want to first say that as my colleagues know, every week, the 30-Something Working Group, under the leadership of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader, we come to the floor to address the House and the American people to share with them what is going on that is good for young people in America, young working people and families, and also what is not going so well, and come with not only constructive ways that we can make things better for Americans throughout this great country of ours, but also make sure that we point out issues that may harm them in the future or that will harm them. Tonight, we have the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) and also the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), who are my partners in this effort. I would be remiss if I did not, number one, say that it is a pleasure being here with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) again. One more week, we made it, another week in America, and also the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez), who is from the great State of California and who has so much to contribute to our dialogue.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, once again, as I always say, it is a pleasure to address the House of Representatives and the American people. Tonight I will be joined by some of my colleagues who will this evening be talking about the issue that is facing not only our military but our future as we start to deal with this effort against terrorism. First of all, I would like to give my condolences to the family that lost their loved one that was held hostage. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and your local community. Unfortunately, all too often now, violence has played such a very strong role in the way not only Americans live but also how individuals live abroad. I just would like to make some opening comments. When we start talking about how we entered Iraq, claiming we were better than the dictator Saddam Hussein, which I do believe very strongly we are still, there are some decisions that are being made that are putting into jeopardy how the world feels about the United States of America and also how the world views our moral high ground, or what is left of it as it relates to abuse. I think it is important for us to remember that Iraqis at the beginning gave us a great deal of credit. They were believing that we would deliver on our promise of providing security, safety and democracy that they could believe in and live under. Now revelations of prisoner mistreatment have really clouded the minds of many Iraqis that had hoped. Some Iraqis saw us as being a part of holding out the flag of hypocrisy in the region due to the fact of the Abu Ghraib issue. The scandalous impact of opinions, especially of Iraqis and other members of the world, of photographs that have been made public throughout the Muslim world, is deeply repugnant to most Muslims. I think it is also, Mr. Speaker, important for us to remember that as we start to look at what is taking place in Iraq, at the top of the week we thought it would be a good week for coalition forces as it pertains to the new Iraqi government taking over by June 30. We thought the topic of the week would be Iraqi's soccer team joining the Olympics. But it was overshadowed by tales of a gentleman by the name of al-Dory, a 39-year- old father of three, imprisoned by coalition forces on August 6 of last year and was held until February 17 of this year. al-Dory was arrested in his office in the oil ministry and initially interrogated at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in the capital city. Suspected of being a member of an anti-U.S. insurgency, he was battered with the butt of a gun and hung from the ceiling in a way that injured his right arm. Last fall he was moved to Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, where humiliation of those in photographs was open and no longer secret. By that time, he was released without explanation. al-Dory had lost 100 pounds of his 260 pounds. For the coalition forces, the mistreatment of this prisoner also may have transformed places like Abu Ghraib into insurgency recruitment stations. Coalition forces told the Red Cross that 70 percent to 90 percent of the individuals arrested in the past year were mistakenly jailed, according to the Red Cross report in February. The United States also tried to remedy the issue by releasing several thousand of these young men, many of whom emerged bitter towards Americans in uniform. This is what al-Dory said: ``Based on my experiences in prison, most of the guys who were released will go to join insurgents immediately because of the unjust treatment and the lack of response by the U.S. Government.'' But tactics like these, really, Mr. Speaker, do not work towards the safety of troops, and I will tell you that the culture that has been set in the Department of Defense and the blocking of giving information to this Congress to be able to respond to some of these issues are so very, very important. Veterans that are listening to us now who have served in previous conflicts on behalf of democracy in foreign lands and also on behalf of our country, their honor is at stake. Their honor is at stake making sure that when people look at men and women in uniform, the world and Americans, that they are doing a noble job, which I believe they are, which I know they are. It is some of the individuals that are making the decisions in the suits and the ties that I am growing more and more concerned about. I am so glad that tonight I share this session and this floor of the House with two of my colleagues from Ohio. I would like to recognize my good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. MEEK of Florida. General Taguba, who is an honorable man, he was doing what he was told just like many men and women in uniform, he was only able to interview MPs, number 1. Number 2, he was not able to go over his rank of a 2-star general. So this means from the very beginning, the fix was on.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to let the gentleman know, I just could not believe that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would respond, because I was there, would respond in that manner. I think that he is a man of honor but also, at the same time, we are looking at the way the Taliban is being funded. And they said that they harvested the crop early. That is what he said. I was there. This is once again not the Tim Ryan report, this is what actually took place. It is very serious. I know that the Pentagon would like to save the lives of many troops, but it is some of the decisions that are being made at the top, not at the bottom, but at the top that is putting American lives at stake.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. No, you could not. But we would never, through what the Pentagon has said, we would never know whether the mistakes were made at the top. That is pretty much what I am saying. So the way the deck, if I can, the way the deck is fixed now, that all of the investigations that are taking place need to be reviewed or what have you, will be done from the 4-star on down. Now, Secretary Rumsfeld has appointed someone out of his office, a 4- star, that is going to go take over the investigation in Iraq. I can tell my colleagues that this Congress does not have what they need to be able to know what is going on with these investigations. This is actually putting American troops at risk. This is putting contractor lives on the line. And we will continue to see this abuse of prisoners that are taking our Americans that are taken and made examples out of, the first thing that this group said that has connections to al Qaeda has said, we are doing this because of Abu Ghraib, and we are not responding. The American Congress, we are not responding in a way to be taking this thing seriously. We have the chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the other body who dared to have a couple of hearings and then he was chastised by his colleagues, including our chairman of the Committee on Armed Services. So I think it is important that it is okay for Members to say how they feel. There is nothing wrong with that. We are doing that now. But I think it is fundamentally wrong when we know that we are becoming an incubator for more individuals to fight against American troops that will be in Iraq for some time to come. So I think it is important that we remember that. I just wanted to mention this U.N. thing before I yield real quick. I mean the gentleman from Ohio mentioned a minute ago of how the world thinks of us. Kofi Annan, Secretary General Kofi Annan of the United Nations, a very honorable man, who has tried his best to be with us as long as he could. But now, we would like to renew our relationship with the Security Council of not having our troops or our military come before an international criminal court. This international criminal court was established by a treaty in 1998, a conference in Rome that would put forth saying prosecuting individuals responsible for most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The treaty was signed by 135 countries and was ratified by 94, including us, and took effect in 2002. Just today or yesterday, Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the Security Council on Thursday to oppose renewing the resolution that would shield U.S. troops serving in U.N.-approved peacekeeping missions from prosecution before an international court. He said, Exemption is wrong. This is from The Washington Post today. In light of what took place, the circumstances of abuse that took place, the detainees of Iraq and Afghanistan, I think it is very, very important that we pay very close attention to this. Then check this out. China, of all people, said that they may veto the security council approving the United States this blanket exemption. Mr. Speaker, that article is as follows: [From the Washington Post, June 18, 2004] Annan Opposes Exempting U.S. From Court (By Colum Lynch) United Nations, June 17--U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the Security Council on Thursday to oppose renewal of a resolution that would shield U.S. troops serving in U.N.- approved peacekeeping missions from prosecution before the International Criminal Court, saying the ``exemption is wrong.'' Annan noted that the United States is facing international criticism for abuses of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. He told reporters: ``It would be unwise to press for an exemption, and it would be even more unwise on the part of the Security Council to grant it. It would discredit the council and the United Nations that stands for the rule of law.'' The U.N. chief's remarks added momentum to a campaign by supporters of the war crimes court to defeat the U.S.- sponsored initiative. Senior U.N. diplomats said Annan would press his case in a closed-door luncheon Friday with the 15 Security Council members. ``Blanket exemption is wrong,'' Annan said. ``It is of dubious judicial value, and I don't think it should be encouraged by the council.'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States is well aware of Annan's position but will press the council for renewal. The resolution, first adopted two years ago, applies to ``current or former officials'' from countries that have not ratified the treaty establishing the court--which includes United States--and exempts them from prosecution before the court for crimes committed in U.N.- authorized operations. The council expressed an ``intention'' to renew the resolution each year ``for as long as may be necessary.'' ``It should be renewed the way the council said it would,'' Boucher said. ``And so we're still talking to other governments in New York and discussing this with them. The United States faces fierce resistance within the council as the July 1 deadline for renewal approaches. China has threatened to veto the resolution, citing concern that it could be used to provide political cover for abuses. U.S. and other Security Council officials say that China-- which also has not ratified the court treaty--is confronting the United States because it recently supported Taiwan's bid for observer status in the World Health Assembly. ``This could have an impact,'' said one council ambassador, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue. China is sending a ``signal'' to Washington that this ``will threaten the development of bilateral relations.'' U.S. diplomats acknowledge that they are struggling to line up the nine votes required to pass the resolution. Six countries--Russia, Britain, the Philippines, Pakistan, Algeria and Angola--are expected to support the United States, according to council diplomats. France, Spain, Germany, Brazil, Benin and Chile have indicated they will abstain. Romania's U.N. ambassador, Mihnea Ioan Motoc, said his government will abstain unless its vote is responsible for defeating the U.S. resolution. The International Criminal Court was established by treaty at a 1998 conference in Rome to prosecute individuals responsible for the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The treaty has been signed by 135 nations and ratified by 97; it took effect in July 2002. President Bill Clinton signed the treaty in December 2000, but the Bush administration renounced it in May 2002, warning that it could be used to conduct frivolous trials against U.S. troops. The United States subsequently threatened to shut down U.N. peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and East Timor unless the council exempted U.S. personnel from prosecution. That strategy has fueled resentment against the Bush administration at the United Nations. More than 40 countries have a standing request to discuss the resolution in a public debate. A senior diplomat said most nations will use the event to criticize the resolution, and to draw attention to U.S. abuses of detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan. ``We think the resolution is not compatible with the U.N. charter,'' one Canadian diplomat said. ``It's harmful to international accountability for serious crimes and the rule of law.'' China. You mean to tell me that we are at the point now that China gets to say something about the United States and how we treat individuals? Now, American troops did not put us in this posture. This is the culture from the top of the Pentagon. And I will tell you this, if we want to save American lives, if we want to save the ways Americans think about us, if we really care about what happened in World War II, World War I and all of the wars after that up to this point, about the sacrifice, blood their grandfathers and fathers and mothers have shed, on behalf of how the world thinks that we are the good guys on the face of the Earth, then it is important and we should not allow this kind of leadership that is deeply flawed to continue. I share with the gentleman, I was with the gentlewoman, I was with many Members of this Congress when I asked Secretary Rumsfeld, maybe you have done all that you can do at this point. Maybe you need to just say, I had a good run. Maybe you need to allow someone else to move on and lead the Pentagon in a way that it should be led, on behalf of saving American troops' lives.