Dave Obey

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. I yield myself 2 minutes. And yet we're told that the Republican Caucus was advised to vote against this bill by one of their leaders. I think the public will see through this. It doesn't matter much what we say to each other or how we talk to one another. It should, but apparently it doesn't. All I can say is we have a serious job before us. We have had many ideas expressed for many months, but the time for talk is over. We need to make decisions. And right now, like it or not, the only comprehensive package before us, the only balanced package before us is the one being brought to us in this bill today. And I would hope that tomorrow, when we vote on it, that there will be significant bipartisan support for that package. I don't know if I have any real expectations that will occur or not, but I would certainly like to think so.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Chairman, this has been in many ways a very sad debate. We face the prospect of economic collapse. We certainly face the worst economic crisis in our lifetime. We have been asked by the President to pass legislation that will try to put people back to work by repairing schools, by building roads, by developing modern energy grids, and by making broadband available to rural America. We have been asked to invest in science and technology to make our economy more efficient and more productive and more conducive to job growth. And we have been asked to invest money to make our health care system less costly and more efficient and more open to more people. We've also been asked to provide assistance to people who have lost their jobs through unemployment insurance, and by helping them to meet the cost of education, especially college. And we've also been asked to take actions to help stabilize State and local budgets so that while we try to expand the economy at the national level we aren't shrinking the economy at the State level through unfortunate State tax increases or service cutbacks. That's what we're trying to do. This is serious business. And yet when you look at much of the debate that we had today, you would think that we were playing a game of Trivial Pursuit. We've had at least 10 Members of this body on the other side of the aisle focus on the really big picture by complaining about the fact that there is a $50 million appropriation for the arts or, can you imagine, because we have the temerity to want to try to repair the Jefferson Monument to prevent the plaza on the Mall from sinking into the Tidal Basin. It is really sad, indeed. I wonder why it's come to this. And then I recall a statement by a member of the House Republican leadership in which he advised his caucus members to deal with their minority status by behaving like a thousand mosquitos and apparently inflicting mosquito bites on the majority. We've had a lot of Republican talk about bipartisanship, which was welcomed; but yet before President Obama even was able to appear before the Republican Caucus today we are told in newspaper stories that one of the key leaders in the Republican Caucus advised their Caucus even before the President came----

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

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1. And while I'm at it, I want to express my understanding that apparently an ice storm is on the way, and I appreciate the cooperation we've had from both sides of the aisle in ending this debate a mite early so that people can get to their homes before the ice storm hits.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, for the last 4 years Rob Nabors has served as, first, the staff director of the then-Minority Democrats on the Appropriations Committee and, in the last 2 years, as the staff director of the entire committee. His work ethic has been legendary. He has worked all hours of the day like so many in this institution whose names are not publicly known. He has worked overtime. He's worked night and day. He's worked weekdays and weekends. He's demonstrated great judgment and skill. And he has also been a bit of history because he is the first African American to have served as the staff director for the Appropriations Committee. But now, alas, President-elect Obama has asked him to serve as the Deputy Director of OMB, and exercising the ``faulty judgment'' that we have come to expect from Chicago Bears fans, he has accepted that invitation. So I simply wanted to take this moment to publicly in this institution thank him for the great service that he has provided this institution and the country and to wish him well on the road ahead.

Mr. OBEY. Surely.

Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. OBEY. I yield to the Speaker.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleague from Wisconsin about once a century, and this is that occasion. For all of my 39 years in Congress, I have fought against trickle- down economics and the mindless deregulation that has produced today's economic crisis. I opposed the repeal of Glass-Stiegel, which has made the problem so much worse. The boy geniuses on Wall Street do not deserve to be rescued. But if they fall off their perches at the top of the economic ladder, they will crush innocent people far down that ladder on lower rungs. Sometimes in life, if we are responsible, we have to clean up not just the messes that we have created but the messes that others have created as well. This is one of those times. This package will not prevent a severe recession. We are going to see that, but it can buy us more time to make more basic changes that will stand this country in good stead over the long haul, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. OBEY. Let me simply point out the Senate package failed because they loaded it up with 32 additional items. We tried to keep this skinny and thin so that it's fiscally responsible and has a chance of getting the President's support.

Mr. OBEY. * * *

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, in the interest of continuing the debate on this issue, I will withdraw my words.

Mr. OBEY. Now, if I may continue, what I should have said is that I found the gentleman's words in error. And let me explain why. He claims that this is a problem that was created during the Democratic control of this House. In fact, the program under discussion, the authorization expired under control of the Republican Party. Then, at the request of a good many Members, including you, I voluntarily agreed to extend that program on an appropriation bill, even though the authorization had expired. But I said at that time that he needed to understand that this would be a temporary extension, and because this matter was not under the jurisdiction of our committee, he needed to resolve this problem in the authorizing committee, the Agriculture Committee. And that is still where it belongs.

Mr. OBEY. The fact is that the Appropriations Committee is in a no- win situation. Every time we try to bring a bill out to extend an authorization, we get squawks from the membership because we are exceeding our jurisdiction. Then if we don't bring a bill out, we get squawks for not stepping into an area where we have no business treading.

Mr. OBEY. After I have completed my statement, I would be happy to. So what I would simply say is this: I gave the gentleman a year. I took money out of the appropriations portion of the pot to give the gentleman a year's grace. Now, if the gentleman voted against a freestanding authorization bill, as I understand, I think from the conversation that the gentleman apparently did, if the gentleman voted against that free-standing suspension bill, it is not the fault of my committee, and I don't have to step in and make up for somebody else's mistakes.

Mr. OBEY. It would seem to me, if the gentleman wants that program funded, he needs to find an offset and take it to the proper committee of jurisdiction, because I am tired of having Members of this House combat us from both directions at the same time.

Mr. OBEY. I would be happy to yield.

Mr. OBEY. With all due respect, taking back my time, if the gentleman did, indeed, vote against the free-standing bill that would have corrected the problem, then, as far as I am concerned, he has no complaint with this committee. We are in the middle of serious economic problems. We are trying, as best we can, to find ways to counter the recession. With all due respect, I don't want to get this committee into any more authorization fights than I have to, because I have got a long list of authorization issues that people have objected to when we have included authorization issues on appropriation matters, and you can bet that today there will be some squawks about the fact that we have done that.

Mr. OBEY. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. OBEY. If we had done that, the bill would not have been in compliance with the rules of the House. You could not have offered that amendment, because it would not have been in order. I would suggest if you have got a problem under an authorization bill, take it to the committee that's supposed to handle it. Don't dump every dog and cat in an appropriation bill.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1507, I call up the bill (H.R. 7110) making supplemental appropriations for job creation and preservation, infrastructure investment, and economic and energy assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7110, and that I may include tabular material on the same.