Dave Obey

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 638 for reasons previously cited.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, back to the old business, I make a point of order against section 629 for reasons previously cited, ad nauseam ad nauseam.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I simply want to say, this reminds me of an event that occurred a number of years ago when we were asked by the Reagan administration to vote for the IMF increase on this side of the aisle; and when we did, the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee then demagogued us and put out press releases attacking us for doing what the leader of their party asked us to do. I think the press release last night was just as unfair.

Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I share the disdain of the gentleman from North Carolina for the scurrilous press release, the totally misleading press release which was issued last night by the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee. Everyone knows that the issue on the rule had nothing whatsoever to do with the congressional cost of living. It had everything to do with our disagreement about the abandoning of the effort to treat as an emergency the Year 2000 computer problems faced by virtually every agency of government, and it had everything to do with the decision of the Committee on Rules to, in effect, knock out the Lowey amendment on family planning. I make no apology for the fact that the law provides that under normal circumstances, Members of Congress are entitled to a cost of living adjustment in their pay on an annual basis, minus one-half percent below the amount that has been given to other workers in this society in the previous year. That is what the formula provides. That formula provides that Members' salaries will be whatever private sector workers have received in the previous year minus one-half percent. That is simply a short COLA. I make no apology for that. I think that is a rational approach. But to make clear how phony that press release was, I would urge Members to vote against the amendment offered by the gentleman from North Carolina. I appreciate the fact that he has given us the opportunity to make clear that that press release last night was totally off base and totally scurrilous, but I would simply say that those Members who are truly concerned about trying to prevent a COLA from taking place for Members, now is their chance; they can vote against this amendment and they will accomplish that fact.

Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 626 for the same reasons.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 625 for reasons previously cited.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 624 for the same reasons.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to make the same point of order against section 510.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 621 for reasons previously cited.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 618 for the same reasons.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 608 for the same reason cited before.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I raise a point of order against section 605 for the same reason.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 604 for the same reasons cited previously.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against this section on the same grounds as cited earlier.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 602 for the same reason that I cited earlier.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against section 515 on the grounds that it constitutes legislation on an appropriations bill.

Mr. OBEY. I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, in hopes that we can end the debate on this issue, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to make a point of order against section 512 for the same reasons as I cited previously.

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise to make a point of order against section 505 because it proposes to change existing law, constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill, and violates clause 2 of rule XXI.