Kendrick Meek

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) for coming down here this evening. I also want to share with the gentleman that on the upcoming Tuesday we have the first Democratic hour, and we can share the information that the gentleman has pulled together. We look forward to seeing that and sharing with the American people. A part of the reason why we came down to the floor was to bring to light some of the issues that needed to be illuminated a bit more and also talk about solutions. Solutions are having the Congress do what it is supposed to do, an oversight of the Department of Defense. Solutions are doing what the junior Senator from Missouri, Senator Truman, who became President Truman, in his committee that he had from 1941 to 1948 during World War II. To say that we do not have time to do this, we are at war, does not reflect on past history. So I think it is important even if it is the good, bad and ugly, it helps the American troops, our troops be able to get the up-armor that they deserve. It will probably have avoided us from having to put in this Armed Services bill reimbursing families for bulletproof vests that they bought. Why should they have to buy them in the first place? If someone is going into harm's way, they should have the equipment that they need. I think that is so very, very important.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I will tell the gentleman, we have maybe 10 more minutes. We shared with the majority side that we were going to go about 40 minutes so that their Member can get down here. So I just want to say very quickly, it is important that we share that information. This is a Special Order that we thought that was important. As members of the Committee on Armed Services, to come to the floor to talk not about politics but to talk about our troops, to talk about the leadership of our troops as it relates to the shirts and ties over at the Pentagon, the folks that are not supplying the information that we need in the Committee on Armed Services for the correct oversight. I believe there should be more oversight because that is the only way we are going to find out what actually took place, what memo was written so that we do not have to read about it in the newspaper. The thing is that I do not like coming in here and quoting the newspaper. I would much rather have some sort of memorandum or some sort of committee testimony that I can make reference to, saying that General X told me Y, or Secretary X told us this. We do not have that privilege. We have to read about it in the paper. We have to read about it in Time magazine. We have to read about it in Newsweek. And for us to be 60-something-odd members of the Committee on Armed Services, the largest military on the face of the Earth, the most capable, able, agile, mobile military on the face of the Earth, for us to have to read the newspaper to understand what is going on, and taking from General Myers's testimony when he did come before us and in his 30-plus years of service he has never seen anything like this Abu Ghraib issue. He said that to us. He has never seen it. So for us to have an event that has not happened in 30-some-odds years, or I do not see anywhere in U.S. history that this has happened, it is documented the way that it is documented, for that to happen and for us to put a two-star, as much respect that we have for him, to investigate the little guys and gals that were a part of this bad behavior, it sets forth a culture that it is okay. If you are in the Pentagon, you are okay. You are a protected class. Do not worry. No one will look into you or no one will call you down to the Hill and ask you some tough questions, because if they do, they will be chastised by members of the Committee on Armed Services. Unfortunately, from the majority. And it is also unfortunate that we have to come to the floor to be able to share thoughts in a way that we should be able to share thoughts with members of the military. I would love to ask Secretary Rumsfeld questions about why he came before the committee, shared with us what he shared with us at that particular time. We received the Taguba report 2 weeks after that. I have taken a look at the Taguba report. Many members of the Committee on Armed Services have looked at the Taguba report. But now we just received new information from the Pentagon. So when are we going to get all the information so that we can represent our constituents in the way that we should and be able to protect and make changes in legislation that is moving through this process now to protect American troops, to save American troops' lives, to be able to carry out all of our missions as we look abroad in what we are trying to do. But if we are not getting the information, then who is? And if they are getting the information and it is continuing to be suppressed, then it is not going to help save the lives of American troops.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. No, he could not. I mean that is just the way it is.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say to my colleagues that how the United States is viewed in the world is important. Some people may discount it. Some people may feel, oh, well, who are they to judge us? Well, let me just say that the United States spearheaded the creation of the United Nations. Let us come together. I want the American people to understand. There are a lot of veterans out there that shed a lot of blood for this country, and I am so appreciative of their service. There are a lot of diplomats that have gone and stood in the eyes of communism, stood in the eyes of what was humane, I mean in trying to promote democracy and treating people in a humane way. And then now, for very few individuals at the top, and I am not talking about the troops. It is very interesting, when we start talking about the Pentagon, they have greater knowledge, especially of men and women in uniform than many Members of Congress have, and for Secretary Rumsfeld to okay an investigation by General Taguba to look at the Iraqi prisoner abuse, knowing all along that he was a 2-star general and he could only look at certain people, the first person that was court-martialed was an enlisted man.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is all depending on the kind of leadership that we will have come November, and I, for one, believe that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), who believes in some of the things that we are talking about here tonight, making sure that children or young people receive the opportunity that they need to be able to move in the direction, that they would like to move in to make this country strong, also making a decision like you just mentioned, what will be best for the American young person or the American family. I mentioned early in our time here tonight the crunch, the squeeze on the middle class, the gas issue, and you have the gas chart there. We talked about voter suppression, also. We did a little cutback on that, but I think it is important when we talk about the middle class squeeze that folks say, well, you know, I received a $35 check in the mail and I am so glad or $100 back in my middle class tax cut, but I will tell my colleague, this gas thing is very real. This is not the Tim Ryan report or the Kendrick Meek report. We actually do a little homework before we get to the floor. We spend the week making sure we get this information so that we are factual and we are sharing it with the American people, the good, bad and ugly, but according to the Forbes Magazine, it says the gas price increase since the beginning of this year cost Americans $35 billion. That is a big number, much more than the 15 to 20 billion middle class consumers got from the Bush tax cuts this April. I think it is important for us to continue to bring these facts to the table because it is money in one pocket and it is more money out of the other pocket. I will tell you right now that is playing with the economy of families and will continue to do so, and it is important that we share this information with them. We are asking on this side of the aisle the opportunity to lead, an opportunity to cut the deficit, an opportunity to be able to make sure that young people have greater opportunities in the future to make America strong and investing in U.S. jobs here versus overseas.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, once again, as I always start, it is an honor and a privilege to stand here and speak not only to Members of the House but also to the American people. And as the Members know, for several weeks now, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) has appointed a 30-Something working group to address the issues that are facing middle-class Americans throughout America and some of the issues that we need to work on to make sure that their voice is heard in this democracy and this U.S. House of Representatives. Lately, we have been having quite a bit of discussion on some of the issues that are facing democracy here in the United States, and we have been working with Rock the Vote in making sure that young voices are heard throughout this country to make sure that they have access to voting, to make sure that they know the things that they need to know to fight to register on their campus. There have been several reports that have been quite disturbing throughout the country. We encourage young people to go to rockthevote.com to find out more about voter suppression that is happening throughout this country. We also inform young people in the public and their parents that are also concerned about making sure that they are able to receive good information to go on the rockthevote.com site or the 30-something Dems site to make sure that they get information so that they can share it with supervisors of elections that are misinformed. Based out of that discussion, we received several e-mails, Mr. Speaker, of times that young people had to actually go get an attorney to register to vote. And I think that that is very unfortunate due to the fact that many of us in this country are concerned about voter apathy, concerned about the 18- to 32-year-olds or 18- to 24-year-olds, the reason why they do not vote or the reason is not great enough for them to vote. We have to make sure that their voices are heard. And in this light, I want to share again with the American people that are watching us right now that in 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court spoke to this issue. It said if a person is enrolled in school and needs to be out of state or in state, they have the right to register where they are attending school. That is so very important. The reason why I mention that is the fact that, as we start looking at issues that are hindering young Americans from being able to educate themselves, that once they leave that higher education opportunity that they are given in their State or another State, they should not leave that educational experience in debt. When they leave that experience in great debt because of student loans, because the President said that he was going to raise the Pell grant opportunities for young people that would like to educate themselves, middle-age people that would like to educate themselves, to $5,100 versus what we are experiencing now, a little bit over $4,000 and some change, that is more a reality now for young Americans than fiction. So I want to make sure that they have the opportunity to vote. As we cut the Federal commitment here in Washington, D.C., States do not have what we have, the opportunity to put it on a credit card and continue the deficit clock is running. Right now the deficit is well out of control, and we are experiencing the highest deficit in the history of the Republic. The States do not have that opportunity. They have to balance their budget. When they balance their budget, they then pass that cost on to local government and in this case to State university systems that then ask students to pay more money for tuition and for services that ordinarily they would receive at a lower cost or for free. The educational experience is quite financial these days, and I think it is important that these individuals or the young people or middle- age individuals, even in the community college experience, that they understand that they have an opportunity to have their voice heard in November; and it is very important that they are able to not only have their voices heard in November but also during the primary season to let it be known that they are voters too. They are our future, and it is important that we stand with them and for them. On another point, and I am just going back to some of the e-mails we received, I think it is important for us to talk a little bit about what we are experiencing here today, Mr. Speaker, even though we have seen a 6 cents or 5 cents in some areas, 3 cents in others, drop in gas prices. I will share with you even from my great State of Florida that this is really putting a crunch on the middle-class. They did not receive an additional dollar from an employer or a small business person did not receive more dollars from a bank to be able to deal with the gas price crunch that we have right now. I have a chart here, Mr. Speaker, if I can just share it here with the American people what has happened over the last 2 years in America. In 2002, the gas prices were $1.44. This is just for regular grade gas, the retail prices. Then in 2003 it was raised to $1.60 here. Then in 2004 it skyrocketed, and it was projected to be $1.87. Now, May 31, in recent numbers of this year, it is now up to $2.05. I know some Americans are looking and saying, ``I want to know where I can find $2.05 gas.'' Before I came here to the floor, I was going to fill up my tank, and then I hesitated and I said hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. We cannot judge our spending based on the fact, middle-class spending, based on the fact maybe the gas prices will be cheaper tomorrow, and in many instances throughout America it is going to be quite a lot higher. OPEC has done some things that are very interesting. They have put more crude on the market now to try to deal with the issue of gas prices. But I will tell you that this administration has to have a better response than to try to encourage OPEC to do something that is short-term. This is a real issue. We have Americans that are trying to work, trying to get to work, trying to use mass transit, and at the same time we are trying to find some of the solutions to be able to alleviate the financial burden of American families at the same time we are stalling legislation here in this House. There is a Federal highway bill. The President has also said he would veto it due to a bipartisan effort here in this House to make sure we are able to give States the necessary dollars for the roads, bridges and modes of transportation to be able to help the middle-class and help working Americans. I am here today as a witness from a State that we have individuals that wake up and go to work every day, young Americans that are trying to do the things they have to do to be able to meet the obligations of their family. And so many of those individuals that are watching us now with one eye open, they have to wake up. Their reality is at 6 a.m. in the morning to get their kids ready for school and make sure they have what they need. If they are fortunate to have transportation or can afford to fill that tank up, take them to school, go to work. These are individuals that know what it means for a 15-minute break in the morning, a strict half an hour lunch break, punch in and out, and 15 minutes in the afternoon. These same working individuals, I must add, and I am not talking about individuals that are not contributing to our economy in the way they should and trying to support their families, these are the same individuals that are a part of the 43 million Americans that are working every day that do not have health care. I think it is so very, very important for us to take up this point, the fact there is not a bill that is being considered in this Congress that will see the light of day at any time in the very near future that will be a national health care plan so individuals will have an opportunity to provide for themselves, to provide adequate health care. If you want to talk about a health savings plan that the President has proposed, under these gas prices, under the strain American families already have, there is not a lot of room about talking about okay, we are going to save in case I get sick. They need preventive care. They have to have it, their children need to have it, and it is important to prioritize that. If we are going to make tax cuts permanent for the millionaires in this country, knowing of the unmet needs of being able to finds alternative fuel sources here in the United States, to be able to pull back on our dependency on crude oil, that I believe has a lot to do with our American troops as I speak on guard in Iraq and in the Middle East, and if we are going to be able to set forth an America that is set for young people and families that are trying to do the best they can to provide for their families, something has to give, Mr. Speaker. The 30-something group is working toward solutions, not just identifying these problems, but solutions, and continuing to put pressure on this administration to make sure that the President knows that it is very important that we do some of the things that American people need. One, we need to make sure that on this gas issue that Americans do not have to find themselves going to a gas station and saying ``give me $5 worth.'' Now, that is something that I used to do when I was in college. There was a time in college when you are financially challenged, you probably do not have the opportunity, I know I did not, to fill my tank up every time I showed up at the pumps, but it was something I knew was temporary in nature. But individuals that have jobs that work every day trying to provide for their families, they should not pull up with a child seat in the back and say, ``Give me $5, because that is all I can afford, and hopefully it will last me for a day or two if I do not turn on my air conditioner.'' This is reality in America right now. We are at war now. A lot of folks feel throughout the world we are at war because of oil and our dependency on oil. Is there a real move from this administration to take us off that dependency of Middle Eastern oil? I think it is important for us if we are going to hold Saudi Arabia's feet to the fire that this administration should stand up to Saudi Arabia and stop making excuses for them. I think it is also important for us to realize we have to find alternative ways of finding fuel and encouraging more cleaner burning vehicles. I think it is also important for us to realize that we have to do some work here in America in trying to find new oil resources within our own control, but also be very sensitive not to go into natural environmental areas in this country that we have great respect for, that we would turn into an example that we chastise other countries for doing. I think that this could definitely be able to assist us in our efforts in keeping gas prices down. My talk here tonight is about making sure that individuals that have children, or do not have children that are trying to make this time in their lives from college on to 40, 45, and on, and even grandparents that are now stepping in, or the parents of these children that I am mentioning in this age range, that are trying to provide not only information, but provide financial assistance to their children because they are not able to make ends meet, it is in that vein. I think that it is important for us to remember that declining real wages are putting a squeeze on middle-class Americans, and that gas prices have a lot to do with it. I also want to share with you that in the last 3 months, average wages in the United States increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, but what is sad is the fact that during this same time, the most recent stage of so-called Americans that actually have worked, took a pay cut as relates to the costs they had to spend for their health care. So in this circle of not doing anything at all, in this circle of not passing a transportation bill that is going to help not only States be able to stimulate more jobs or be able to help us to find alternative ways of finding fuel outside of the Middle East, we are at a standstill now, and we are at a standstill that Americans are actually suffering. We are at a standstill of their voices being heard. I think it is important that Americans understand that this Federal Government has chosen, this administration has chosen to make sure that millionaires receive a permanent tax cut over health care for working Americans, over making sure that we are able to keep gas prices down so that Americans can be able to continue doing the things that they are trying to do and providing for their families, over a prescription drug benefit for seniors. So when we start talking about the middle-class and we start talking about the 30-somethings and the 20-somethings and even those individuals who are looking forward to getting to that particular age, we look at all of these impediments. So our government is supposed to be here to assist, not to hinder. I do not think that anyone sets out at the beginning of the day saying, ``Well, let's see what I can do to throw a log in front of young people in America.'' But I think it is important for us to bring into question this upcoming election season whose side are you on when it comes down to the policies that are either being made or not being made in the process. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to just share a few other issues as it relates to what is happening to so many young people, and as we look at the squeeze of what is happening with the gas prices, as we look at the squeeze of what is not happening as it relates to health care, and what I mentioned at the top of the hour, voter suppression; and I know that this Congress has tried to deal with that. I have to mention, when we talked about a couple of weeks ago, the issue of Iraq, and I am going to come back to the middle-class squeeze. In some of these families we have troops that are serving and we have parents that are raising children on their own. Now, they receive correspondence, they also receive support from the spouse or the significant other that is fighting on behalf of this country of what they have been told to do in Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas. We even have troops in Haiti as I speak right now trying to provide some way of life for that country, and security. No one is giving anyone a gas voucher to that spouse or significant other to make room for this squeeze. They have to suck it up. So this is very, very important business that I am talking about here this evening. My good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), we have been working together for some time; we had a very late night tonight, we had a hearing in the Committee on Armed Services, a markup, which is disappointing at best; but this may be a time that we can talk about that. The gentleman represents Ohio, and they have been hit hard on this middle-class squeeze. A lot of people that are around the gentleman's age range and even above have experienced economic hard times on top of not having a job, on top of not having health care, even though small businesses in the gentleman's State that are trying to provide and trying to continue to keep the workers working, they are taking a squeeze, they are taking a hit on the gas prices. So I think that not only the gentleman being a Member of the Congress and being a very insightful person, that the gentleman's purpose here is even greater to give those individuals voice, and I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, that was the U.S. Department of Education report.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. We have individuals now that are ungraduate level and just to do a comparison between what happened in 1997 to 2000, and if you move beyond that you really start getting in trouble. But here between 1997 and 2000 the typical undergraduate debt rose 66 percent to $18,900. And more than a quarter of today's 14 million undergraduate students will incur more than $25,000 in debt to earn their degree. Now, that is a good story because I know of stories that individuals leave the higher education experience 75,000, $100,000 in debt. Now, you mention that yes, we are here to point those issues out but at the same time we are here to talk about solutions, and there is legislation on this side of the aisle from the Democrats with our fearless leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) that has served this Congress so well as the Democratic leader, and wants the opportunity to be Speaker of this House, so to summon these issues that are facing real Americans can rise to the top, need it be carrying out if the American people would have it, Senator Kerry's plan which hopefully will be President Kerry, or Members of this body that want to be see this legislation top shelf in this House. But now we have Republicans that are blocking legislation to lock low interest rates in, to allow students to be able to continue to receive low interest rates versus a variable in the long run. They will pay more if this is not taken care of. I will tell you that if we go to a variable as some of the big banks want us to do, I will tell you right now they are not talking to me because they know they will be wasting their time because I am all about being on the side of the individual who tried to educate themselves, and unfortunately had to go beyond the call to pay for that education. It will cost those individuals $5,500 over time. That is real money. That is while you are trying to buy a house. That is while you are trying to provide for your family. I will tell the gentleman right now this is a real issue. We talk about the dollars and cents. This is a Democratic proposal. Lock it. Make sure the individuals have what they can be able to have, more money in their pocket versus more money out of their pocket.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Let me share with you, we received a rebate in the State of Florida of a billion dollars. And the State Governor Jeb Bush said, let us hold it off to next annual year versus trying to resolve some of the issues that are facing Floridians right now. I am going to tell you nine times out of ten if it is the wrong governor or the wrong way of thinking of continuing to way say, well, I am here to make sure that we do the right thing with the people's money, well, let me just say this, nine times out of ten when things are held off it is in the kitty to justify another tax cut for individuals and for big corporations that are not necessarily on their knees and need it right now. They are carrying out the tax cuts because they cannot because they need to. When the gentleman talked about that report, basically colleges and community colleges are not able to provide the courses for the individuals that would like to educate themselves. Right now, I just want to read something almost from the same report that was given to us. The fact that we talk about the 30 percent, we talk about the 250,000 college qualified students that have been shut out of last fall, 2003, in many cases because of cutbacks, because colleges will have to pull their belts tighter and cut courses. They just did not have the room to be able to adequately serve these students. Also as we start looking at the debt issue, Mr. Ryan, I mentioned earlier that many people are leaving the college experience in debt and right now.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. That is correct. Right now we are experiencing the highest deficit in the history of the republic. And you would assume that if we have the highest deficit and it was Democrats that balanced the budget. I just want to remind the American people of that in this Congress, it was not the Republicans, it was not the Republican President. It was the Democrats in this House that balanced the budget. Just 3\1/2\ years ago, the discussion was on the floor on what are we going to do with the surplus. Now the discussion is, can I take my credit card out? This is a big number.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. A big number. And I will tell you right now if we had a little ticker here these zeros would be moving to a higher number as we speak. So the experience now that the American people have to witness and this is the U.S. Treasury credit card here, and we have Republican Congress there. What we are experiencing now is that every 3 weeks we are knocking on the bank of China saying, can you loan us money to be able to pay down on the debt? So as we look at that, more money in the American people's pocket versus out of their pocket.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Do that Web site real quick. Then we are going to take this back to the Speaker.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say I do not think anyone on this floor could have shared in a way that the gentleman just summed it up and what he just shared with the American people. It is choices that one has to make. I believe that people are going to make the right choice this upcoming election season. I have said it before. President, commander- in-chief, I do not envision him as what you might say a textbook Republican. I think he is something else. I think he is trying to take the country to another level, to where a number of Members of this House are not, and I think some of them are on the other side, and I think that they have gone to see the wizard to get courage and heart to be able to speak out against the present administration. So while we are trying to tell the rest of the world how a democracy works, it is going to be up to the American people ultimately to be able to stand in judgment of this Congress, Democrat and Republican, and also this President of making sure that we move in the next 4 years towards a safer, sounder, more job generating America, an America that is healthy, that has health care, so that we do not have literally millions of Americans experiencing emergency room health care. With that, I would say that we should try to run to catch the back end of David Letterman's monologue tonight and come back next week with solutions to problems but also pointing out the good, bad and ugly so that we can come clean with the American people so they can be able to make a sound judgment in a letter or e-mail that they may send to their Member of Congress or the President of the United States.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree, and I am not an economist, but one would argue, well, if we take the banks out of it, what kind of effect will it have on the economy? And I think very little. If any of us that have gone to banks knowing the kinds of praying at the alter, at the end of the day to be able to get money, for them to trust us enough to pay them back, it reminds me of the pharmaceutical companies in the prescription drugs. I think the pharmaceutical companies are doing good things in America, in research, things of that nature, but when you look beyond the blankets of all of that we are paying, it is subsidized research. With the banks we are guaranteeing their loans. So the real issues for that individual that is trying to educate him- or herself, this feeds also to the parents that we are talking 30- something, but individuals that are 50- or 60-something, high 40s, they are picking up the slack, and they are paying the interest 9 times out of 10 for young people because they cannot afford it.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Is the gentleman actually suggesting that we do something that will actually help the students? Are you suggesting that? Mr. RYAN of ohio. I am working on it. I do not want to be so bold but we need to start peeking in that direction.

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. Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan forever changed the landscape of American politics. He will be remembered as a President who loved his country and inspired us all to be better Americans. President Reagan was a principled leader, and many times his beliefs put him at odds with Democrats. Despite these disagreements, he taught us that there is a big difference between bitter partisanship and strong beliefs. My thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Reagan and her children at this difficult time.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the contributions and achievements of Mr. Richard Matthews, who will be retiring as Assistant Principal of Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School in Miami, Florida after thirty-five years in education. Phyllis Ruth Miller Elementary School is the educational home for over 1,000 students, ages three through eleven. The student body is comprised mainly of recent immigrants who are primarily from Haitian- Creole linguistic backgrounds and have limited proficiency in English. Many of the students come from economically disadvantaged homes. Meeting the educational needs of these students is one of the toughest jobs in education, but it is one of the most important in the United States of America, a nation of immigrants. Richard Matthews was up to task. He spent much of his adult life as an educator in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and his judgement, skill and experience have been invaluable. Mr. Matthews advocated learning from the past, assessing the present and managing for the future. But when it came to preparing for his own retirement, he reflected on what he called the fallacy of mis-placed prudence, proclaiming that life is what happens while you're out making other plans. Although teaching is a full time job, Richard Matthews found the time to contribute to the lives of young people in many other ways, including as Executive Vice President, Dade County, School Administrator Association, Local 84; Minister of the Eucharist, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church; Chaperone, Miami Killian Marching Band; Retired Commander, U.S. Navy Supply Corps: Past Union Steward, United Teacher of Dade, Arvida Middle School; Past President, Catholic Alumni Club of Miami; Past Troop Leader Boy Scouts of America; Past Advisor Sea Scouts of America; and Cofounder, Peter Flores Scholarship Fund, Learning Experience School of Miami. Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleagues join with the students, parents, and staff of Phyllis R. Miller Elementary School, and with all of those in our community whose lives have been touched by his, in expressing our thanks and appreciation to Mr. Matthews for all that he has contributed and for doing an important job, and doing it well. We wish you great happiness and success as you begin this next new chapter in your life.

Mr. MEEK of Florida

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I just want to make sure, because I was on the floor last night with the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) and the Congressional Black Caucus, and I shared that I was at the World War II memorial with my mother and uncle, who is a Korean War veteran. They asked for all of the veterans to stand up. A number of them stood up. Those individuals that could not stand up, they put their hands up. I could not help but think ``America the Beautiful'' playing in the background, planes flying over, what was going to be their reality on Tuesday, when they go to the VA to try to receive services, the reality of calling for help and having to wait 6 months to see an eye doctor. When we start looking at how we treat our veterans and how we respond to them, the gentleman mentioned the deficit, and I am going to say we had this credit card made up. This is the U.S. Treasury credit card, Republican Congress. That is a big number, $477 billion. That is a lot of money. That is an awful lot of money. And we look at, hopefully, the expiration date is good through 11/04 so we can get a new majority in here to be able to do something truly about the deficit. I appreciate the gentleman's work on that committee and on the Committee on the Budget to talk about true fiscal responsibility. And I will say it is important on the Committee on Armed Services, on behalf of troops and what the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) has just shared with us, families, we watch the news without even worrying about a family member, will their name scroll across the screen. Will they become a picture in the wall in the backdrop of a newscast. We have that privilege of not worrying, but we have individuals not based on the troop decisions, and many of the individuals on the ground, but the decisions that are made right here in Washington, D.C. that are endangering the lives of American troops. We are going to support them, and we want to make sure that they have the equipment that they need to have; but if we do not do our job here in this Congress in giving voice to the voices, giving voice to that Reservist and that family that the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) talked about where the father could not see the graduation of his own daughter, but he is fighting for the very freedom she is celebrating right now. Do Members know why the President would not say, I am going to sacrifice one of my own programs? Because, guess what, he is never wrong. I am sorry to say it, he is never wrong. He never says, hey, I am wrong. The only thing he says, and we need to watch this word, and I need the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) to share some of the things we discussed earlier, but when we hear that somebody is doing a superb job, watch out. The President today said, George Tenet, and I must say after the President stood up here in the well and said we believe that Iraq has received the necessary materials they need to make a nuclear weapon, and then once we found out that was inaccurate information, he was prepared to throw George Tenet under the bus, and now he said he has done a superb job. That sounds like the same thing he said about his Secretary of Defense. It is not a personal thing, but it is an issue of decisions. Especially when you are appointed and not elected, you have to make the decision if the leader does not take the prerogative to make the right decision and say, you know something, thank you for your service. In an honorable way, we will give you a gold watch and we appreciate your service. But he is saying nothing at all. That is what inflames insurgence on American troops. I will leave it at that.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And the level of insight that went into the letter he received from an official office of saying not only do we think you do not reside in this State but you have your mom's car, and the last time you voted you were in another State. It is very, very important that Americans understand that we have to fight day in and day out, even within the borders of our own country, to make sure that our voices are heard. And young people they are getting it handed to them right now not only by the Federal Government but the State has to do the same thing because we have cut our commitment to them. We will talk about spending money and spending irresponsibly. But I cut the gentleman off. He was about to head down a path that we are fully prepared to talk about this afternoon. But I want to encourage our listeners and watchers to go to rockthevote.com. I understand we are going to do some things in the 30-something Caucus to make sure that does not continue to happen.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. And he is a National Guardsman.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me just share with you a bid- for by the Defense Department, some $360,000 on a monthly basis. I tell you the reason why we will not have hearings here in the House, public hearings, about what is going on in this war is that no one has the right answers for what has actually happened today. Forget about the argument of yesterday. Let us talk about today. There was a point when the Secretary of Defense could not answer in a straight way how many U.S. troops we had on the ground. Mr. Secretary, well, we have maybe, the indicators say maybe, you know, the rotation. We do not need to hear that. The American people need to know more about what is going on with this war. Also, in Time magazine, I must add, Halliburton. So after all, now this e-mail appears because the cream will rise to the top, or the truth will, that Vice President Dick Cheney did have something to do with the no-bid contract and Halliburton. It is not the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) report. Check out Time magazine, and here it is in black and white, an unclassified letter that was sent to the highest levels. Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said, one of his superiors said it is fine, go ahead, move on it, it is being coordinated by the Vice President's office. Let me share something with you. This is not small stuff. It is huge. The whole outing of the CIA agent. This is huge. We had a young lady in harm's way, and in this White House somewhere she was outed, and then the President goes and talks to an attorney. It is not a good sign. So I want to say that the American people have to really pay attention to what is going on. We are far beyond Democrat and Republican right now. We are far beyond that. American lives are at stake, and by the fact of us having these hearings, letting not only the world but the American people know that we are going to address prisoner abuse and that we are not going to allow it to happen because, guess what, we are not them. We are not the terrorists. We are not the insurgents. We are not individuals that are parking cars in front of buildings waiting on those cars to explode. We do not gun down innocent people. We are the United States of America. We have to uphold the history and the integrity that our veterans have put forth in foreign lands and in this country of being men and women of honor and integrity. For individuals in shirts and ties to make decisions and then anyone that questions their decisions is considered helping the terrorists or being on the other side is really far beyond anything that I can remember. So I think it is important that the American people pick up that magazine. Also, there is an article here talking about how we are in full retreat on our Iraq policy. But I think it is important that we understand that outsourcing in the White House is still going on, some of the bad decisions that are going on in the Pentagon, decisions that are being made and putting America's troops' lives at stake so that this Congress has to rise up. The chairman of the Committee on Armed Services in the other body is being criticized by his colleagues, Republican colleagues, for having open hearings about what is happening wrong in Iraq. Something is fundamentally wrong with that. His having those hearings may help save American lives. So I think it is important we have this open government. No one wants to give away secrets, but it is important to share this information with the people and the world to protect America's interests.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, as you know, some of our troops secured the perimeter while Iraqi police went in and raided his office. This is the man we just cut payment off to in the last 30 days. Also you mentioned outsourcing, and I just want, as it relates to this war and as it relates to the fight that we have tried to put on in the Committee on Armed Services, of making sure that our troops still get the things that they should have gotten when they first went in, armor, up-armoring Humvees, making sure that they have the things that they need to have so they do not have to write home and say, Mom, Honey, can you send me some equipment, can you send me a bulletproof vest. I mean, all of these things that the U.S. military is supposed to provide but did not have on hand because we went at this war in haste. You mentioned something about outsourcing, and I want to tell you, I think maybe at this juncture, maybe 4 years into the business of trying to run the country, that one would understand past mistakes. Well, it seems like the White House is at it again. The White House announced yesterday, led by President Bush, that they just gave the largest technology contract for passport screening, the largest contract in the history of the Department of Homeland Security to a Bermuda company, a company that has turned in its U.S. passport, moved to Bermuda to skirt paying Federal corporate taxes to be able to help this country run. Those jobs have also been encouraged and will continue to stay offshore of the United States of America to be able to provide the very jobs that individuals are looking for. I must be able to share with you that unless some amazing magic trick happens in the next 5 months, this President will be the first President in a very, very, very long time that has not gained not one net job, one-plus net job for U.S. citizens or individuals that are here in the United States of America. I just want to make sure that we understand. The American taxpayers are paying $10 billion, okay, that is with a capital B, for the passport inspections to a company that has turned its own U.S. passports in and their bank account is offshore. Yes, I am a Democrat; but you know something, there has to be a change, and when I said in the opening that the American people have to make a decision on when they get the opportunity, it is up to us to make sure they have good information. This is not the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) saying, hey, what can we write to make it seem like we are right. This is straight out of the White House, and this was yesterday. It is not last week. I encourage Americans, if you can, I do not have any stock in Time Warner, but please get this Time magazine that I am holding here, and I encourage Members of the Congress to grab a copy of this Time magazine. I get Time in my office, and of course, the issue on obesity in America, I need to read that story, too, because I need to put down a few things. But there are a number of issues that we have been talking about in the Committee on Armed Services that I would like to talk about if we would have a public hearing for a change to be able to share with the American people about what is happening to our troops, what is happening for our troops and to be able to share with the rest of the world that we do care about the good, bad, and ugly that goes on in America, and we are able to address it. I will tell you, I will continue and with your voice and other folks' voices, and I am so glad I was on this morning on the Washington Journal, on C-SPAN, with one of our Republican colleagues who concurs that we should have hearings about what is going on in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, our base where we are detaining insurgents, the al Qaeda individuals that are providing us the very information that we need to be able to save American troops' lives. I want to talk about the drug issue in Afghanistan that is also putting American troops' lives at risk. So we cannot sit here and say, well, let us pass another resolution supporting the troops. No, we should not pass another resolution supporting the troops. The troops already know that we support them. We support them. There is no question. There is no great mystery in the Congress about who does not and who does support the troops. Everyone does. The 5-year-old kids that are walking around in this building, if you ask them do they care about our military, I guarantee you nine times out of 10 and 99.9 percent, you are doggone right, I do. I look up to them. They are heroes and sheroes. They are in the community; they serve. They are Reservists that have been in Afghanistan and Iraq and other areas and the Horn of Africa where we are fighting the issue of terrorism. Let me share with you a few things in the Time magazine this month. This is very interesting. It has a picture in here of children that are playing in front of a painting of the famous picture in Abu Ghraib prison where the individual has the wires hooked up to him, and I think it is important for the Committee on Armed Services and this House of Representatives, to the majority, that not only we get to the bottom of it, I am sick and tired of looking at sergeants and privates. We are going to hold them accountable. We are going to court-martial. We are going to put them in jail, but how do we get to the culture of how the individuals felt comfortable in doing this? By us addressing the issue all the way up to the top, okay, and it is important that we do that. I am talking about the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, who I did in committee thank him for his service to the country. He was a Member of this Congress, a two-term Secretary, serving his second term as Defense Secretary, but there becomes a point when you say, you know something, maybe I need to allow someone else to lead at this point, when we gave inaccurate information about weapons of mass destruction; when we gave inaccurate information as it relates to what is going to happen after the shock-and-awe campaign that was misleading; when we gave information of the fact that we were ready equipment-wise to go into Iraq for a year and 15 months, going on 2 years, all of our troops would have what they need.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, let me just say this. I saw our con man on ``Nightline'' with Ted Koppel, and he said that he wanted to come before the Congress and address the Congress. He was willing to come to a congressional hearing. I am to the point that I will send him a ticket because I really want to see this one.

Mr. MEEK of Florida. Can I just, when the gentleman mentioned that, because we need to get into what we are getting ready to discuss right now, but I know the gentleman has a couple of e-mails. If we can just take 5 minutes and talk about this voter suppression issue. As you know, over the last couple of weeks we have been getting phone calls and e-mails about students throughout the country going to supervisor of elections offices and being told that they cannot register to vote there. Those students that are now in summer school, students that would like to go into the fall and be able to have the opportunity to vote in the primary elections in many States and also in the general election. They are being told that they can not register to vote in that State because they are not a permanent resident. But, as you know, in 1975 the Supreme Court said you can register. It is legal. So we got a response back from a number of people saying this has happened to me, and we asked them to go to rockthevote.com.