Dave Obey

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, this is a very human institution, and it's affected very much by our personal relationships with one another. Very frankly, for the first 20 years that Jack and I served on the Appropriations Committee, we were often adversaries. There were some issues that we differed on. He was, as has already been said, very much old school, and I was more of a reformer. In fact, when I ran for the chairmanship of the committee against a senior member of the committee, Jack managed the campaign of my opponent and, unfortunately, he did a pretty good job. After I was elected, we had pretty much an arm's-length relationship for a couple of years. But if you care about your country, and you care about this institution, you swallow your differences and you learn to work with everybody. Jack and I soon had developed a solid working relationship, and we became allies on a host of issues. One of our most important was our view of the war in Iraq and how to get out of it; and another was our concern about the dubiousness of our continued involvement in Afghanistan if we didn't have a better ally in that government to rely upon. We often talked together, and we traveled together. We went to the Middle East together. We shared something special as well in a different place on this globe. A few years ago, he and I and Dave Hobson and our staffs became concerned about the visitors center at Normandy. It was really pretty much of a cracker box affair, and it was not at all fitting to the history of that place. So we determined that there ought to be a new visitors' center at Normandy. With the three of us working together with our staffs, that visitors center was built. Today, if you visit it--and it's truly beautiful--there is a little plaque behind that visitors center in front of a small tree with the names of Murtha, Obey and Hobson on it. I know I am proud of that, and I know Jack was proud of that. I think it symbolizes what happens in this place. Two people who started out as adversaries became reasonably good friends, never fully agreeing, because no two people in this place ever agree on everything, but we had a solid working relationship. I learned one thing about Jack a long time ago. He had the courage of his convictions, and he fought hard every way he knew how for those convictions, and he cared deeply about the welfare of the men and women who served in the Armed Forces and defend this country's freedom. I am proud that at Normandy there is that little note of the three of us having gotten together, all for one purpose, to honor the people who did so much on those beaches to build and preserve America's freedom and the freedom of the world.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.J. Res. 64.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I am the only speaker for our side of the aisle and I plan to be brief. So I will yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) for the purpose of debate only. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I think the gentleman from Florida has summed up the situation pretty well. In December, the House and Senate passed a 5-day continuing resolution in order to give the President time to sign the Defense appropriations bill. The President received the CR and the Defense appropriations bill on the same day, December 19. He signed the Defense bill, thereby avoiding the need for the stopgap funding in the CR. Since the President signed the Defense appropriations measure quickly, I agree that the CR was not needed to keep the government open. The President sent the CR back to the House, as the gentleman indicated, with his veto. But in that veto message, he suggested in some ways that he had, in fact, pocket vetoed the legislation. But the fact is clear that the Congress was here to receive a message, and we do not consider it a pocket veto. Therefore, we feel that the appropriate action to be taken is to sustain the veto and take this action to demonstrate that, in our judgment, a pocket veto is not appropriate, that the President exercised a regular veto and it should be treated as such.

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

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 976, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 64) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2010, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, before I start, I don't see either one of them on the House floor now, but I just want to take this time to note that today is the birthday of the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), the ranking member of the Defense appropriations subcommittee, and also of the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks), who is the second ranking Democrat on the same subcommittee. So in their absence, I think we wanted to wish them well. With that, Madam Speaker, I would simply say this is a simple joint resolution, a continuing resolution, which takes the Congress to December 23, next Wednesday. It is made necessary by the fact that it is just possible that the Senate might not finish its work before the 18th. They have been known for their speed, but this may be an exception. It is also useful in order to give the President additional time to review the Defense bill before he signs it. With that, I would urge support, and I am prepared to yield back after the gentleman has made his remarks.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I would again urge support for the resolution, and I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 976, I call up the bill (H.R. 2847) 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, with a Senate amendment thereto, and offer the motion at the desk.

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 the pending legislation.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I think people understand what this legislation is--it is an effort to redirect some $75 billion from TARP funds that in the past have been directed to help Wall Street. Instead, direct them to Main Street to try to help Americans who are struggling to hang onto their jobs, their houses, and their health care. I think the need for it is obvious, and I urge passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his support. I now yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller), chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. OBEY. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. OBEY. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Madam Speaker, when President Bush left office, we were losing over 700,000 jobs a month. We passed the economic recovery package, and we have gotten that down to about 11,000 jobs a month. That's not enough, but it's terrific progress. I am somewhat bemused, however, by all of the comments by our friends on the minority side of the aisle denouncing the recovery package and saying that it didn't work. Not a single one of them voted for it on this House floor. But if you check newspaper accounts around the country, you will see, for instance, that the minority leader, in a June 15 press statement, said that he was pleased that Federal officials stepped in and ordered Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed jobs. The minority whip vowed to shed partisan politics to help the economy. He met with transportation officials about how his home State of Virginia could apply for stimulus grants to build a rail line. The minority chief deputy whip, in his own press release, outright praised the courthouse in his district receiving funds from the recovery package to build a new courthouse. He said, ``I applaud this funding for the Bakersfield Federal courthouse.'' My Republican colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Lance) announced by a press release that his district received $13 million from the Recovery Act for local flood control projects. ``This is outstanding news,'' he said. He even sent a letter to President Obama asking for speedy release of those recovery funds. Another of our colleagues from Michigan on that side of the aisle issued a press release saying he was pleased to announce that his international airport would receive $12.7 million from funds received by the Recovery Act.

Mr. OBEY. I yield myself 1 additional minute. Another of our colleagues on the minority side from Illinois said, ``There is no question these grants will be of assistance in creating jobs.'' I can go on and on and on citing Member after Member who denounced the bill on the House floor and then went home to their districts and issued grandiose press releases expressing their support for the results of the recovery package. I have a little difficulty following that ping pong ball when it's bouncing on both sides of the table. I have a little difficulty following the folks on that side of the aisle when they decide to fall off both sides of the same horse. I wish you would make up your mind: which do we believe, your statements that you make at home or the statements and the votes you cast on this House floor?

Mr. OBEY. Could I inquire how much time is left on both sides.

Mr. OBEY. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee (Mr. Rangel). (Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. OBEY. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the chairman of the banking committee.

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

Mr. OBEY. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. OBEY. Well, I find it very interesting that the gentleman has not raised this point with respect to the Defense appropriations bill. But let me simply say that the explanatory statement for this bill is very short. It is on our Web site. It was posted there this morning.

Mr. OBEY. Might I inquire how much time is remaining on both sides?