Dave Obey

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio for the purpose of colloquy.

Mr. OBEY. Let me thank the gentlelady for her comments on this issue and her steadfast advocacy on behalf of those who are suffering during this economic downturn. The bill we're considering today continues the process of rebuilding the FBI's mortgage fraud capability by adding 50 new agents and $25 million to the white-collar crime program. We look forward to working with the gentlelady to monitor the FBI's progress on mortgage fraud investigations and to ensure as we move through the conference that the Bureau is appropriately resourced and staffed to address a problem of this magnitude.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the managers on the part of the House may have until 11:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, to file a conference report on H.R. 2346, making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Appropriations may have until 11:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, to file a privileged report on a bill making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2346) making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Madam Speaker, I don't particularly care how people vote on this motion. Motions to instruct conferees are notorious, and they have been for many years, for simply being a device by which we either make political statements around here or express first preferences. I don't really have any objection to either. I think it's a legitimate thing to do in a legislative body. I intend to vote ``no'' on the amendment, but I don't have any problem with any Member who decides that there are certain pieces of this motion that they would like to send a message to the conferees on. And so, as far as I'm concerned, people can vote any way they want.

Mr. OBEY. Sure.

Mr. OBEY. I think that would be a very good idea. It would give us more time to do our real work, which is to prepare for the conference this afternoon.

Mr. OBEY. I thank the gentleman for his very wise comments. Let me simply say that I don't have any objection to several provisions in this motion. I do have to say one thing, however. The effect of this motion would be to substantially increase the likely amount of money approved by the conference for the Defense Department, and to substantially reduce the amount of money provided for the State Department. I have always had difficulty understanding why people are willing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to wage war but are resistant to spending a tiny amount in comparison in order to prevent war or to extricate ourselves from war. In fact, the conference report that is likely to come back will probably exceed the numbers in this motion for bringing State Department personnel more immediately into Iraq, into Afghanistan and into Pakistan. We are trying to convert that operation from, essentially, a military operation to a much more balanced operation, which includes much greater effort on the diplomatic side to extricate ourselves from that war. That requires money. It requires facilities. As many military experts have said, you cannot win this if you just deal with it militarily. So, with that one point, I would simply say, Madam Speaker, that I would reserve the balance of my time until the gentleman is ready to close.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY. Just one briefly, myself.

Mr. OBEY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I had not wanted to take a lot of time here today, but I am moved to take a couple of minutes to respond to a couple of things that I've heard on the floor today. We have heard several lectures about the President's fiscal policy and about his economic policy and about his international economic policy. I find it kind of difficult to take economic lectures from the same folks who have driven this country's economy into the ditch. The President has inherited a very dicey situation both internationally and domestically. It is always hard in life to clean up other people's messes. It is especially hard to do that when you have the responsibilities as heavy as those that weigh on the shoulders of the President of the United States. I don't understand why he should be expected to take lectures from the people who helped put the economy into the ditch or, for that matter, to take lectures from the same people who brought us the most unnecessary war in America's history, the people who took $6 trillion in projected budget surpluses and turned them into the largest deficits in the history of the Republic, the people who are now sniping at virtually everything that the President does to try to deal with both his international challenges and his domestic challenges. I don't think anybody wants to see any of those prisoners at Guantanamo ``released'' into the United States. I do think we have a legitimate question about where they should be tried and about where they should be imprisoned after they are found guilty. Because we wanted to have more specific answers from the administration on that score, this committee has already removed all of the money that could be used to close Guantanamo until we do get a specific plan from the administration. Having said that, I would suggest that the average American family is much more in danger of being hit by the flu pandemic than they are of actually being hit by any person who would be imprisoned in a maximum security prison here in the United States. I, frankly, would be kind of interested to see some of those terrorists exposed to the wonderful ``charms'' of some of our prison inmates in our own prisons. I don't think they would like the experience very much; but nonetheless, that is not what is at issue here. What is at issue is simply whether or not we will go about our business of going to conference and of producing a supplemental appropriation bill that will meet the basic needs of our troops and that will meet our basic diplomatic necessities as well. That's why I think there is a problem with this motion. This motion, by the time it sets aside money for military construction and defense, would not leave us with enough money on the table to respond sufficiently to the pandemic flu problem. It would not leave us with enough money on the table to deal with the necessity to provide assistance to Mexico in order to deal with the drug problem there, which is certainly a national security threat to us, and it certainly would not leave us with sufficient funds to strengthen and buttress our political and diplomatic activities in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. It would not leave us with enough money, for instance, to fully fund the funding for the new Embassy in Pakistan, which is desperately needed given the fact that we just had a bombing in Peshawar of the Pearl Hotel where most of the American diplomats stayed. We need to protect diplomats just as much as we need to protect soldiers. That's what the conference will try to do if we can ever get to it. So I would simply say, Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, I intend to vote against this motion, but I am not going to be particularly bothered if other people want to vote for it because they supported one piece or another of this proposal. I, myself, would probably support two of the provisions in here but not all of them. So Members are certainly free to vote however they prefer. This is a place where we like to state our first preferences as often as possible, but sooner or later, we have to compromise. That means most of us, including the ranking member and the Chair, will not be able to get all of the first preferences that we would prefer. So, if the gentleman is prepared to close, I will yield back my time.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Vermont.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 434, I call up the bill (H.R. 2346) making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha).

Mr. OBEY. Let me simply say that, representing a lot of dairy farmers myself, and being a former cosponsor of the milk program, I obviously would like to see additional help provided to them. The Appropriations Committee is not the committee of jurisdiction. So we would need to work out something with the White House and the proper authorizing committee. But we are open to any reasonable suggestions.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I have only one remaining speaker, myself. And I have the right to close. I would suggest the gentleman go through his speakers.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds. Mr. Speaker, we have a new President who has inherited a war he is trying to end. This bill tries to help him do that. We have no real alternative but to support it. I urge support for the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and that I may insert extraneous and tabular material on H.R. 2346.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), the chairwoman of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price).

Mr. OBEY. Let me simply say that public health at all levels must continue to respond to this current outbreak and the increasing number of U.S. and worldwide cases, but also prepare for the potential of increased severity or for a new, novel strain to emerge. This bill will give HHS the funds needed to develop and purchase vaccines and replenish and expand Federal and State stockpiles of antiviral drugs and other necessary medical supplies, such as masks, ventilators, delivery devices, and other items.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards), the chairman of the Military Construction Subcommittee.

Mr. OBEY. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland, the distinguished majority leader. (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)