Jim Nussle

Mr. NUSSLE

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan) involving Social Security.

Mr. NUSSLE. I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

Mr. NUSSLE. Not only are the Social Security benefits of the gentleman's grandmother safe, but all of our Social Security benefits are safe under this budget. By voting for this budget resolution, Members will honor their commitment to their constituents and to the seniors of America. Certainly there are concerns about Social Security on the horizon that we need to be concerned about, but this budget does not change the trust fund whatsoever. Every senior will get those benefits.

Mr. NUSSLE. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, that is totally correct; and I want to thank my colleague for not only his concern but his leadership in the brief time he has been here in the House. I would also like to reiterate my own personal commitment to the strength and stability of the Social Security program. Social Security is a promise that neither I nor my Republican colleagues around here take lightly. The gentleman is correct in his understanding that the budget in no way alters the financial position of the Social Security trust fund. The status of the Social Security trust funds is unchanged by this budget.

Mr. NUSSLE. Yes. In fact, we add about $1 trillion to it over the next 5 years after this budget is in effect.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, that is correct. The gentlewoman from North Carolina made a comment earlier about how somebody was concerned whether they would get their benefit check. There is not a senior in America that is not going to get their benefit check under Social Security. Nothing in this budget changes that. I wish Members on the other side would stop that scare tactic.

Mr. NUSSLE

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), a member of the Joint Economic Committee.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watkins). (Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), a very distinguished gentleman, who has some concerns with our budget.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I wish to reserve the balance of the majority's time. We would be prepared then to move to the Joint Economic Committee's time under the rule. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself half a minute. Where is your plan? Where is the plan? This is a terrible crisis, it sounds like the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey) just laid out, and you would think the great Democratic Party would come forward with a plan to take us out of this crisis. What do they do? They run to the floor and play politics, they run to the floor and scare seniors, they run to the floor and what do they propose? Absolutely nothing. If we are in a crisis, where is your plan? If we need solutions, where is your budget? If Americans want answers, where are your answers? You have none. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman).

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, excuse me?

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 10 seconds. Mr. Chairman, I think the plan is starting to materialize. I have been saying the Democrats do not have a plan, but what they are against was the tax cut. Okay. Their plan is to raise taxes. We are starting to see the plan. Starting to see the plan. Raise taxes on the American people. If it is not that, one would think they would come forward with an alternative. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, could the Record be read back? Did the gentleman just call our government a fascist government? I am just wondering if that was what was just said on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 10 seconds. The very distinguished gentleman who just spoke, his plan does not raise taxes. I thought the plan was to raise taxes. That is what the last four gentlemen just said, to raise taxes. The gentleman basically came to the Committee on Rules with my budget and a trigger. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 10 seconds. Would the gentleman from Washington look under one of those shells and see if there is a Democratic plan? I mean they are leaving the entire country behind by not having a plan. The entire country is left behind by the Democrats today. Please look under that shell and look for a Democratic plan. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watts), the very distinguished chairman of the Republican Conference.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield the balance of my time to the very distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), the Speaker of the House.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Fletcher), a member of the Committee on the Budget.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to myself to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. NUSSLE. I yield to the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. NUSSLE. Number one, we have a reserve fund for the extra transportation dollars so it would only be released to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure if in fact they marked it at that higher level, 4.4 of contract authority, 1.3 in outlays. Second, on the firewall that was discussed, that is for a future potential budget enforcement act reform bill that we intend to move on the floor. The third question was whether or not we would try for a higher number with the Senate. We are working to try to get as much money to stimulate the economy as possible. We agree transportation is one of the ways. We will work for as high a number as we can.

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to myself. Mr. Chairman, well, we are coming to the end of this very important debate. We have heard a lot of discussion and debate today about plans and who has got a plan and who does not have a plan. Let us review the bidding very quickly. The President in response to September 11, the national emergency, the war against terrorism and a recession in our economy put a plan on the table in February. It was not a perfect plan. There has never been in the United States history a perfect budget plan, but he has one. What did we do in committee last week? We took that plan and we made it better. How? We said special education is going to get a little bit extra. Veterans are going to get a little bit extra. Science is going to get a little bit extra. Homeland security can get extra. We are going to treat defense, and all sorts of things that we thought were important priorities with a little extra, and the President today said the Republican plan is better. We have taken the President's plan and we have made a better plan. So the President has a plan and the Republicans have a plan. During the last 6 months of the most crucial time in American history, what have the Democrats been doing? Well, three very important things that we did together in a bipartisan way. We said we are going to respond to the national emergency. So we dipped into that surplus, and we took some money out and we said New York needs some help. We did that in a bipartisan way. Every Member voted for it. Then we said we are not going to let people come into this country and do what they did to the people of America ever again. We will find them. We will beat them. We will win this war, and we will do whatever it takes. In a bipartisan way, we stood together and we funded that war. Every Member voted for it. Just last week, finally, we all said the economy is just too important for us to allow it to languish or for it to possibly falter. In a bipartisan way, we dipped in there again and took some of that money and said that is what we are going to do. All of this hand wringing about where did the surplus go, my gosh, it just vanished. Members, it did not vanish. Have Members forgotten Osama bin Laden? Have my colleagues forgotten what happened on September 11? Members are saying the seniors are not going to understand. The seniors won World War II. Our kids understand. Our parents understand. The teachers understand. The nurses understand. Our veterans, by God, understand. So for the other side to run in and tell us now that nobody understands where the surplus went is a bunch of malarkey. So what did the other side do over the weekend? Instead of writing their own plan, 96 pages of criticism. That is fair. We are living in America. We will fight to the death anybody's right to disagree. That is what America stands for, but at some point in time the other side does not just get to disagree. They have to lead. The great party on the other side of the aisle has led many times in our history, but now it fails. The minority leader said, ``We think the Republican budget in the House is a failure, an absolute, total failure in dealing with the big problems in America,'' and he let his voice drop. Did the gentleman come down here with a plan? No. Did he say I have got some ideas? No. Did he criticize? Sure, and he has a right to do that. I will fight for his right to do that. But Members are not allowed to just complain. Members are not allowed to just play politics. At this most crucial time in American history, Democrats have to stand up and say what is important and put their plan on the table. They are not allowed to just snipe from the sidelines and say, oh, we are for national defense and homeland security. Yes, we want a prescription drug benefit. Gosh, we want more than the Republicans do for education. Oh, yes, in fact, we want more for science, and let me think, we want more for all of these things. We cannot do that without a plan, or without raising taxes. So please, I ask the other side of the aisle to demonstrate their leadership by coming forward with a plan. I beg them. This is too crucial a time in American history for them to let us down. I implore Members to vote for a plan to win the war and get this country secure again.

Mr. NUSSLE

Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first of all thank our competitors today. As the old saying goes, I think it was a saying by a former Speaker, the Democrats are just our opposition; it is the Senate that is the real enemy around here. I realize that is probably not appropriate. The point I am trying to make is that the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) and the Democrats on the Committee on the Budget did an admirable job of presenting their points of view, both in committee and here on the floor today. I want to thank them for that, and I would also like to thank our staffs. We get to come on the floor and do all of this debating, but the preparation to put this budget together, like it or not, is done by a lot of work during a lot of hours, many of them late nights, by our staff. Rich Meade and Tom Kahn and the whole gang at the Committee on the Budget do an excellent, professional job. Again, as I say, like the budget or not, it is professional work and they need to be commended for that.