Mike Ross

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of George Edwin `Jetty' Steel, a dedicated lawyer and longstanding pillar of the Nashville, Arkansas, legal community and Howard County. He passed away on March 3, 2006, at the age of 89. I wish to recognize his life and achievements. Jetty was born in Ashdown, Arkansas, on August 16, 1916. After graduating from Nashville High School, he attended Hendrix College and received a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Jetty then began an impressive 67-year legal career in Nashville, where he served as the City Attorney of Nashville, Prosecuting Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Arkansas, and a partner of Steel and Steel Law Firm. Jetty's commitment went far beyond the legal community; he led a life of public service by offering unwavering support for institutions throughout Nashville. He served on the Arkansas State Police Commission for 19 years, Board of Directors of First National Bank in Nashville for 20 years, Board of Directors of Diamond State Bank, Board of Directors of Nashville Federal Savings and Loan Association for 33 years, Board of Directors of the Bank of Glenwood and Board of Directors of the University of Arkansas Alumni Association. He was also a member of the Arkansas State Racing Commission and a member of First United Methodist Church in Nashville. Jetty will be remembered for his lifetime of dedication to his community. While he may no longer be with us, his spirit and legacy will live on in the hearts he touched throughout Nashville. My deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences are with his son, George Steel; his daughter, Donna Kay Steel Yeargan; his grandchildren, George, Linsley, Ashley, and Nate; his great-grandchildren; and to all those who knew and counted him as a friend.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) for his input and would encourage him to stay for what I hope will be a meaningful discussion with the time remaining this evening as we talk about the budget and the debt and deficit. And I want to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean) for staying with us as well. Some of this has been mentioned tonight; some has not. But let us just take a look at some of the cuts that will be included in the budget this week. Education, the Republican budget resolution that will be voted on on the floor of this Chamber this week is identical to the administration's proposed budget cuts to education, training, and social services, including $2.2 billion in cuts to the Department of Education. Let us begin by putting this thing in perspective. We spend more money paying interest on the national debt in 100 days than we spend funding education in 365 days. What does that say about our commitment to our children?

Mr. ROSS. To future generations. And yet they propose to cut $2.2 billion from the Department of Education. The President's budget fully eliminates, fully eliminates, 41 Department of Education programs. I had folks in my office this week, today, from my district. They are involved in the HIPPI program, programs that are helping young people get ready for kindergarten. They reach those young people at ages 3, 4, and 5. And they also go into the homes and teach the parents how to teach the children. It is a wonderful program. And I had a meeting yesterday in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with the chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which is an historically black college, Chancellor Lawrence Davis, and he was telling me that we have a crisis in America with African American males because 60 percent of African American males who do not finish high school end up in prison. And his concern and my concern is that America does not seem to be nearly as alarmed about it as they should be. The way we address this is by investing in education. If we will get to these young people at age 3, 4, and 5, we can spend pennies on the dollar compared to what we are spending warehousing them in their adult life in prison. It is about priorities.

Mr. ROSS. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. ROSS. The gentleman is so right. And I was sitting there in a meeting in my office today listening to a group pleading with me to vote against this budget, which I am, pleading with me to vote against this budget because it cuts programs that give 3- and 4-year-olds a fighting chance to be ready when they enter kindergarten that can help us be able to give them a chance at success in life. We live in a free country. We get to choose what we eat and where we worship and whom we marry. Some people do that several times. And one of the few things in life we do not get to choose is who our parents are. Some children, both black and white, get really lucky. Some do not. And I think as a Nation we have a duty and obligation to be there for all young people. And if we can get to these young people at age 3 and 4 and get them ready for kindergarten, then we can have an impact on their lives and turn them into a productive citizen instead of spending $20,000 a year paying for them to sit idly and wastefully behind bars. Yet these programs, these preschool programs, are being cut in this budget. And one of the women that was in my office today talking to me about it, she said, I was one of those in one of these programs. They came to my home and they taught me how to teach my child, and I started teaching my child, and my child started making the honor roll. And this woman today, she is from my district, she said, Mike, I want you to know I am now going back to college to become a school teacher. She went and got her high school degree. She is now going to college to become a school teacher because of one of these programs that not only has had an impact on her daughter's life but has now had an impact on her life. Yet these programs are either cut or eliminated in this year's budget.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for being a part of this special order on the budget, the debt and the deficit. And I appreciate the work he is doing with me to try and save all these agricultural research centers from closure that are so important, not only to rural America and to the communities where they are located like Booneville, Arkansas, but also so important to our farm families, all over this great country. Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments, questions for the Blue Dog Coalition, there are 37 of us. We are a group of fiscally conservative Democrats that come together here on Capitol Hill to try and restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. And Mr. Speaker, if you have any comments or concerns of our group, I would encourage you to e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. That is bluedog@mail.house.gov. At this time I am pleased to turn this over to Melissa Bean, Congresswoman from Illinois, a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, who many Tuesday evenings comes down and joins us for this, what I believe is a very healthy debate and healthy discussion about how we need to get our Nation's fiscal house in order and restore some of the conservative values that many of us were raised on and still believe in. And with that I yield. And we are also joined tonight by, as we are almost every Tuesday night, and I am so proud of that, David Scott, Congressman from Georgia, a real leader, a real voice for common sense and conservative values within the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition. And I welcome both of you. And we can have a colloquy or do whatever y'all want to do. I will yield right now to the gentlewoman from Illinois.

Mr. ROSS. The gentlewoman is so right, and I appreciate her sharing her experiences. I was at Pine Bluff High School on Monday, speaking to a couple of classes, history classes, and that is one of the things we talked about was the debt, the deficit and what it means to their generation, because, you know, it is what I call the debt tax. It is one tax that, debt as in D-E-B-T, not to be confused with the death tax. It is what in the Blue Dog Coalition we have coined as the debt tax, because as long as we have got a debt, as long as we are spending a half a billion a day paying interest on the debt, then that is a half a billion we don't have to meet America's priorities. And that debt tax has got to be paid back by future generations, our children and grandchildren, because I can assure you all these foreign investors and foreign central banks that are now funding our deficit, they are not going to forgive our debt the way that oftentimes in the past we have forgiven others debts. And I yield to the gentleman from Georgia. Glad to have you with us this evening, Mr. Scott.

Mr. ROSS. I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I know I feel confident that the Republican leadership will send down a group to follow us. They do that every Tuesday evening. I am honored that they feel a need to do that. I think our message is getting through about trying to restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government. They are going to talk about how we didn't vote for this so-called Deficit Reduction Act. What they are not going to tell you was it was $40 billion to cuts in Medicaid, student loans and the orphan program, and also it was followed by $90 billion in tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. I wasn't real good in math back in high school or college, but $90 billion in new tax cuts and $40 billion in cuts to the poorest among us equals what, $50 billion of new debt. Only in Washington would they call that the Deficit Reduction Act. That was the name of it. Then they are going to say this budget we are opposing is making the hard choices and the hard cuts and eliminating important programs in the name of trying to restore some fiscal discipline and balance the budget. What they fail to tell you is it is really about priorities, because their budget includes $1.7 trillion in new tax cuts over 10 years. Look, I voted for the biggest tax cut in 20 years back in 2001, and a lot of my Democratic colleagues are still mad at me about it. We had a surplus, it was before 9/11, before Iraq and before Afghanistan. We really were giving people some of their money back. Yet now, every time since then that we have passed a tax cut, because we no longer have a surplus, we have a deficit, every tax cut we have passed since that time has been funded with money that we are borrowing from places like China. In 2000, we had borrowed a total of $62 billion from China. From 1976 up until 2000 we owed $62 billion to China, and at the end of 2005 we owed $257 billion to China. Japan, $668.3 billion. Our government, we are borrowing $1 billion a day and spending half a billion a day paying interest on the debt we have already got. That is half a billion that can't go to fund our agricultural research centers or build I-49 or I- 69 or many other opportunities and priorities and needs we have in Arkansas' Fourth Congressional District, because our Nation is in debt and running record deficits and borrowing money from all these foreign investors and foreign central banks. Put it this way: Foreign lenders currently hold a total $2.174 trillion of our public debt. Compare that to only $23 billion in foreign holdings back in 1993. Here is the top 10 list. Here is who is funding your tax cuts. Here is who is funding our government. We have borrowed $668.3 billion from Japan; we owe now $262.6 billion, and it goes up every week, to China; the United Kingdom, $244.8 billion, Caribbean banking centers, have you ever heard of that? I never heard of a Caribbean banking center before, but we have borrowed $97.9 billion from them; Taiwan, $71.6 billion; OPEC, you wonder why gas is $2.50 a gallon? We have now borrowed $77.6 billion from OPEC; Korea, $68.3 billion; Germany, $65.2 billion; Canada, $54.9 billion; and Hong Kong, $48.3 billion. Those are the top 10 countries that we are borrowing money from to help fund tax cuts in our country to pay for tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from Georgia and the gentlewoman from Illinois for joining me this evening. At the beginning of this special order, this was the national debt, $8,378,143,406,405 and some change. Just in the hour that we have spent here on the floor in this special order discussing the Nation's debt and the deficit, the debt has gone up approximately $41,666,000. So the new number is $8,378,185,072,405 and some change. Just in the hour we have been here, we have seen the national debt go up that much, $41,666,000, approximately. So, until our government gets its fiscal house in order, as Members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, we are going to continue to come this to this floor every Tuesday night and talk about restoring some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. We will be talking more about the Blue Dog 12 point plan for curing our Nation's addiction to deficit spending and will be talking about our plan, our vision for a better America, a vision that includes a balanced budget and so many other provisions that just make good old-fashioned sense.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the co-chair, Mr. Cardoza, and for communications within the 37-Member strong, fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition for his insightful information and knowledge about the process and what we are trying to accomplish. We have Members here from Georgia and Illinois and Oklahoma and from all over the Nation that have come to speak the truth, to hold this Republican Congress accountable and demand some commonsense and fiscal discipline be restored to our Nation's government. We are going to hear from people other than California, but it just so happens our first two presenters are both from California. The other is a gentleman who has not been here long, but has been quite effective within our coalition and a real leader within our coalition, and that is the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Costa for joining us this evening to discuss these issues that are so important to not only today's generation but to our children and grandchildren. This week on the floor of the House there is going to be a very close vote. Most votes on the House floor last somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Every once in a while we have a vote that goes for an hour or 2 hours, sometimes even 3 hours, while enough arms are twisted to be able to get enough votes for a vote to pass. I have always said the Prescott Curly Wolves, they have some pretty good years in football. And when there is no time left on the clock, if we are not ahead, if we could just not sound the buzzer until we are ahead, we would be the State champions every year. That is, unfortunately, how many votes run on this House floor. When they are close votes, votes are no longer 5 or 15 minutes; they last until the Republican leadership prevails; and then the horn, the bell, the gavel is sounded. That will likely happen late Thursday night or early Friday morning during the vote on this budget because this budget does not reflect America's priorities, and they are going to have a very difficult time passing it. In fact, I predict it will be on a strict party-line vote, and they will lose some votes. It is unbelievable the fiscal turnaround from a budget surplus in fiscal year 2001 to the five largest deficits in history, and they have occurred in the last 5 consecutive years with the 2006 deficit being $372 billion. And the projected deficit for fiscal year 2007 is $348 billion; but not really. That is counting the money that the politicians are borrowing from the Social Security trust fund. If you do not count the money that is being borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, the deficit last year was really $605 billion and for fiscal year 2007, it is $448 billion. I am beginning to understand why the Republican leadership refused to give me a hearing or a vote on the first vote I filed as a Member of Congress, a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. When this administration took office, it inherited a projected 10- year surplus of $5.6 trillion. This surplus has become a $3.3 trillion deficit, an embarrassing reversal of $8.9 trillion. Since 2001, there have been four increases in the debt ceiling to a staggering total of $3 trillion. This Republican-proposed budget increases the statutory debt ceiling by another $2.3 trillion, almost doubling the debt ceiling in 5 years to $11.3 trillion. And if that is not enough, with regards to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, this budget only includes $50 billion, less than half of what was appropriated for 2006, and goes so far as to actually assume we will be out of Iraq and Afghanistan after 2007. This is not a truthful budget. The budget includes no funding, absolutely no funding for the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond 2007. This Republican Congress is telling us in this budget that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will be over by the end of fiscal year 2007. We know better. This is not a truthful budget. The budget resolution calls for $39 billion in 2007 and $228 billion in new tax cuts over the next 5 years; $39 billion in tax cuts in 2007, $228 billion in new tax cuts over the next 5 years, and $1.7 trillion in new tax cuts over the next 10 years that primarily benefit only those earning over $400,000 a year. And in times of deficit, in times when we are borrowing a billion a day, what does that mean? That means we are borrowing money from places like China. This administration has borrowed more money from foreigners in the past 5 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Let me repeat that: this administration has borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors in the past 5 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined; and yet we are now going to borrow more money from China and Hong Kong and, God forbid, OPEC nations, to give a tax cut to those earning over $400,000 a year. Over 5 years, the Republican-proposed resolution cuts nondefense discretionary spending by $162 billion, below the amount simply needed to maintain services at current levels. Our next speaker will talk more about these funding cuts, these cuts that not only cut programs that matter to people but undercut our values, that undercut America's priorities. And to talk more about this is the gentleman from Oklahoma, who has quickly become a real leader and a real voice within the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, my friend, Dan Boren.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, this evening, as every Tuesday evening, the members of the 37-Member strong fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition come to the floor of the United States House of Representatives, here at our Nation's Capitol, to address the debt, the deficit, and tonight also the budget. And for those of you who have walked the halls of Congress, it is easy to spot when you are walking by a Member's office that is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition because you will see one of these posters, one of these posters that displays the current national debt. And every American citizen shares the National debt. As you can see, at the moment, the U.S. national debt is $8,378,143,406,405 and some change. And for every man, woman, and child in America, including those being born this hour, your share of the national debt is $28,000. We raise these issues for a number of reasons, Mr. Speaker. It is hard now to remember, but from 1998 to 2001, our Nation enjoyed a balanced budget. We had a surplus. We could meet many of America's priorities. But today, for the sixth year in a row, we have the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history. Our Nation is borrowing a billion dollars a day. We are sending $279 million a day to Iraq, $57 million a day to Afghanistan, a billion a day we are borrowing, and on top of that we are spending half a billion dollars a day simply paying interest, not principal but just interest on the debt that we already have. As members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we believe it is time to get our Nation's fiscal house in order. Now, the Republicans in this year's budget they will present this week on the floor of the United States House of Representatives indicates that their priorities do not reflect our priorities or our values. We are going to spend a lot of the time this evening talking about that. They will say, well, we are trying to balance the budget, which they do not do. They will say that, well, we are cutting this program or that program to try and reduce the deficit. But what they do not tell you is that their budget includes $1.7 trillion over the next 10 years in tax cuts that primarily benefit those earning over $400,000 a year. So when they talk about cutting programs, they will tell you that they are trying to cut programs to reduce these numbers. Not so. Because you don't cut taxes for folks earning over $400,000 a year at a time when you are in a nation that is borrowing a billion dollars a day; at a time when you are in a nation that is spending half a billion a day simply paying interest on the debt you already have. So it is about priorities. And the Republican priorities in this year's budget include cuts to the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in my Congressional District. In fact, there are 25 or 26 agricultural research centers all over America that are being cut. They create good paying jobs in these rural communities that invest in the kind of agricultural research that our farm families so desperately need. The development of the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center began back in 1977 with their initial work starting in 1980. It is a partnership among three agencies, Agricultural Research Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Their mission, the mission at the Agricultural Research Service unit at the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center, is to develop scientific principles and technologies to enhance the profitability and sustainability of small-scale farms, because they are threatened by a lack of profitability. Yet in this year's budget, in this year's budget that the President submitted to this Congress and that this Republican Congress may very well pass this week, it includes zeroing out, eliminating 25 or 26 of these agricultural research centers all across America. Again, this budget is about priorities, and this budget that we are going to vote on this week does not reflect my priorities or my values. It certainly does not represent the kind of conservative small-town values that I was raised on, where I was raised to value our farm families who simply try to do their best to provide us with a safe and reliable source for food and fiber. We can get into a debate about how we have become too dependent on foreign oil. If we are not too careful, we are going to become too dependent on other countries for our food and fiber. And I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that that is a dangerous road to go down, and one in which America has no business going down. This is just one example of many of what is wrong with this budget. There are ways to balance the budget, and we are going to talk tonight about an alternative that I believe makes sense, that reinstates a thing called PAYGO. Pay as you go rules mean if you want to fund a new program, you have to cut something else. If you want to pass a tax cut, you have to cut a program. You just don't go borrow more money from China to fund it. It also balances the budget within, I believe, 10 years. Yes, in 10 years we would have a balanced budget again, and that is an alternative that will be presented on the floor this week that many of us will be supporting. We will be talking a lot tonight about the debt, the budget, and the deficit and these things, and I am very honored to be joined tonight by a number of my Blue Dog friends, and Dennis Cardoza is the co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. He is the co-chair for communications. He is a Member of Congress from California. A lot of people, when they think of fiscally conservative Democrats, they think we are just in the South, but we are spread from California to Long Island. This is a national movement. This is a national movement of 37 fiscally conservatives Democrats that believe it is time to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. So, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to turn this thing over to one of the leaders of our group, Dennis Cardoza from California.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of George Odom, a long time resident of my hometown of Prescott, Arkansas who passed away at the age of 70 on February 15, 2006. George was born on August 23, 1935 in Heflin, Louisiana and I would like to recognize his life and achievements. Raised in Minden, Louisiana, George attended Webster High School followed by service in the United States Army. Upon leaving the Army, he attended Grambling State University where he received a degree in Secondary Education. Shortly after moving to Prescott in August 1964, George married Dorothy Jones. He led an exemplary life and was extremely active in many different capacities. At Prescott High School he assumed many roles including librarian, history teacher, track and football coach. Additionally, George was a member of the Lions Club, Director of Alcoholics Anonymous, Treasurer of the Youth Organization: Boys II Men, Girls II Women, Treasurer for Ila Upchurch Community Education Center, Prescott School Board Member and President and Director of Prescott Parks and Recreation Department. Following his retirement, George worked part-time at the Bank of Prescott. George was also very active at Macedonia Baptist Church where he served as Chairman of the Deacon Board, Church Trustee, Church Treasurer, Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent. Leading by example through a lifetime of dedication, community service, and commitment to children, George has left an undeniable mark on countless students who attended Prescott Schools and on the Nevada County community. Prescott is a better place, a more cohesive community because of George Odom and he will be deeply missed. My heart felt condolences are with his sons, Mario and Corwin; his daughters, Charra and Chandra; his sister Annie Mae Odom Knowles; and his six grandchildren. While George may no longer be with us, his spirit will live on forever in the lives he touched.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Roosevelt Early, a veteran high school educator from Crossett, AR, who died at the age of 72 on February 26, 2006. I wish to recognize his lifetime of dedication to public education and the city of Crossett. A native of West Helena, AR, Mr. Early earned a bachelor's degree at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal College, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, UAPB, where he played football and sang in the choir. Mr. Early also attended the University of Central Arkansas where he received a master's degree. Moving to Crossett in 1958, Mr. Early spent nearly a half century as a public school educator at T.W. Daniel and Crossett School District. He began as a shop teacher at T.W. Daniel High School in 1958 and rose to the post of assistant principal of T.W. Daniel Middle School in 1973, and principal 2 short years later of T.W. Daniel High School. Following his tenure at T.W. Daniel, Mr. Early served as principal at Norman Junior High School beginning in 1980 and Crossett High School in 1985. Mr. Early was active throughout the Ashley County community. He served as director of the E.C. Crossett Community Center, president of the UAPB Ashley County Alumni Association, and was a member of the Ashley County Medical Center Board of Directors, Ashley County Martin Luther King Planning Commission, Phi Delta Kappa Educational Society, Georgia-Pacific Planning Commission, the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, the Arkansas Association of Secondary Principals, Crossett Classroom Teachers Association, Arkansas Education Association and the National Education Association. As a man of faith, Mr. Early served as chairman of the Deacon Board at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and chairman of the Trustee Board. The Roosevelt Early Memorial Scholarship was started shortly after his death to commemorate and honor the impact he made as an educator at Crossett High School. As the son of public school educators, I believe there are few jobs more noble than that of educating our Nation's children. Mr. Early spent a lifetime dedicated to this end. I extend my deepest condolences to his wife of 48 years, Lendora; his daughters, Cassandra and Patricia; his brother, David; his sisters, Thelma, lola, and Alma, and his grandchildren, Kenyellshia and Chase. Though Mr. Early may no longer be with us, his spirit and legacy will live on for generations to come.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Jacob Andrew ``Dooley'' Womack of Camden, AR who died on February 16, 2006, at the age of 81. Dooley was born in 1924 in Dallas County, AR. Upon graduating from Princeton High School, Dooley joined the Armed Services where he served with the 448th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force during World War II. Dooley began a long and distinguished political career in 1950 at the age of 23 while he was a student at Henderson State Teachers College. As a Representative in the Arkansas State House of Representatives, he represented Dallas and Ouachita Counties. Following his tenure in the Arkansas State House, he served in the Arkansas State Senate for 12 years. For more than a half century, Dooley owned and operated Womack Brothers Realty. Dooley was also involved in the First United Methodist Church of Camden, and enjoyed both hunting and fishing. Camden, Ouachita County, and the State of Arkansas have lost one of its most ardent supporters. Dooley had a deep love for Camden and South Arkansas, and dedicated a lifetime working to make it a better place. While Dooley may no longer be with us, his spirit and legacy will live on forever in the lives he touched. My deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences go out to his beloved wife of 55 years, Amy; his three sons, Lance, Tim, and Carey; his daughter, Anna; and his grandchildren, Jacob, Wesley, Taylor, Joshua, Erin, Leah, and Diana.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, this evening, as on each Tuesday evening, I rise on behalf of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 37 of us that are fiscally conservative Democrats that are concerned about the state of affairs in America. We are concerned about the debt, the deficit, the budget; and we are committed to trying to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government and our Nation's budgeting process. Ever since I was a small child growing up in Prescott, Emmet and Hope, Arkansas, I always heard it was the Democrats that spent the money. And yet it was a President named Bill Clinton from Arkansas, from my hometown of Hope, Arkansas, in fact, that gave this Nation its first balanced budget in 40 years. From 1988 through 2001, America enjoyed the prosperity that came with having its fiscal house in order. America enjoyed the prosperity that came with having a balanced budget. It is hard now to believe that from 1998 through 2001 this country had a balanced budget, because, as we all know, for the sixth year in a row this Nation, under this Republican-led Congress and under this President, this administration, has given us the largest budget deficit ever, ever in our Nation's history for a sixth year in a row. As a matter of fact, as you walk the Halls of Congress, it is easy to spot a fiscally conservative Democrat because the 37 of us who belong to the Blue Dog Coalition have this poster outside our office in the Halls of Congress. As you can see today, the U.S. national debt is $8,365,525,832,151 and some change. That is a big number. Let us put it in a way that we all can understand it. For every man, woman and child, including those born this past hour, every citizen of America's share of the national debt is $28,000 and some change. Mr. Speaker, where I come from, very few of my constituents can afford to write a check for $28,000 and yet it is this kind of debt, this kind of deficit that we are saddling on our children and grandchildren and expecting them someday to pay back, and I believe it is morally wrong. I raise these issues because, you see, my grandparents left this country better than they found it for my parents, and my parents left this country better than they found it for my generation, and I believe we have a duty and an obligation to try and leave this country just a little bit better than we found it for the next generation. But instead, for the sixth year in a row, we have the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history. This administration, this Republican Congress, continues to pass tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. Just in the last few months, this Congress passed the so-called Budget Deficit Reduction Act. Here is what it did. It cut Medicaid, the only health insurance plan for the poor, disabled, and elderly. It cut student loans and a program for orphans to the tune of $40 billion. And then they passed another tax cut to the tune of about $90 billion. I was not real good in math in high school or college, but you can do the math on that. Some $90 billion in tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year, $40 billion in cuts to Medicaid, to orphan programs and to student loans. That amounts to $50 billion in additional debt, and yet the Republican leadership in this body had the nerve to call it the Deficit Reduction Act. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is time for those of us in the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition to rise up and hold this administration, this Congress responsible for these kinds of reckless spending habits that destroy future generations. The budget the President has submitted for fiscal year 2007, some $2.8 trillion, you have to give it to him, he has managed to cut all of the programs that matter to people: health care, education, infrastructure, economic development, and yet give us the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history all at the same time. How does he do that? Because he continues to propose to borrow money from foreign lenders, foreign central banks, foreign investors to fund tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. What has it given us? It has given us a debt of $8,365,525,832,151. By the time we complete this hour, Mr. Speaker, the national debt will have risen more than $41 million. Every Tuesday night those of us in the Blue Dog Coalition, we are 37 members strong, we come here to talk about the debt and the deficit and what it means, not only to today's generation but to future generations, because you see, Mr. Speaker, these are big numbers. They are big numbers, but let me put it in perspective. Not only is our Nation borrowing about a billion dollars a day; we are sending $279 million every day to Iraq, but do not dare ask the President how he is spending it or if he has a plan for how it is to be spent because he will tell you that you are unpatriotic. Some $57 million is going every day to Afghanistan. And on top of that, our Nation is spending the first half a billion we collect in your tax money each and every day simply to pay interest, not principal, just interest on the national debt. We need I-49 in my congressional district. I need $1.5 billion to complete it. Give me 3 days' interest on the national debt, I can build I-49. On the eastern side, we are waiting on I-69. Give me 3 days' interest on the national debt, and I can complete I-69' and with these two interstates, we can bring economic opportunities and jobs to one of the most depressed and distressed areas of the country. These are the kinds of priorities that should be America's priorities that continue to go unmet until we get our Nation's fiscal house in order and restore some common sense to our government. Mr. Speaker, if you have questions for the Blue Dog Coalition, I would invite you to e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. Mr. Speaker, we are very privileged this evening to have a special guest join us, that is, the whip of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), and I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from Georgia who raises an excellent point, that is, how the United States is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign lenders, foreign central banks, foreign investors. In fact, foreign lenders currently hold a total of well over $2 trillion of our public debt. Compare that to only $23 billion in foreign holdings back in 1993. And who are these countries that we are borrowing billions of dollars from? Japan, $682.8 billion. China, $249.8 billion. As my friend from Tennessee, one of the founders of the Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Tanner, has said before, if China decides to invade Taiwan, we will have to borrow even more money from China in order to defend Taiwan. This does directly impact not only our national security, but our monetary policy because they can call these loans. United Kingdom, $223.2 billion. Caribbean Banking Centers, I had never heard of such, $115.3 billion. Taiwan, $71.3 billion. OPEC, $67.8 billion they have loaned us to fund our government, to fund tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year, and we wonder why we have got $2.50 gasoline. Korea, $66.5 billion. Germany, $65.7 billion. Canada, $53.8 billion. And Hong-Kong rounds out the top 10 lenders in loaning money to the United States of America at $46.5 billion. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. ROSS. I thank the gentleman from California, a real active member and leader within the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Schiff, for joining us in the discussion this evening as we outline the Blue Dog Coalition's 12-point plan for curing our Nation's addiction to deficit spending. This is the first time in 50 years the Republicans have controlled the White House, the House and the Senate, and they have given us the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history for the sixth year in a row. The debt is $8,365,525,832,151 and some change. We will be updating that board here in just a few moments to show you, Mr. Speaker, exactly how much the debt has gone up since we started this hour-long discussion about trying to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. Each week it seems as we wind down this hour others come to the floor to refute what we have to say. And one of the favorite sayings each week that we hear from the other side is how we voted against the Deficit Reduction Act. And I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, that everyone understand exactly what the Deficit Reduction Act was really all about. It was about cutting Medicaid. Eight out of ten seniors in Arkansas in a nursing home are on Medicaid. Half the children in Arkansas are on Medicaid. One out of five people in my home State will be on Medicaid some time this year. It is the health insurance program for the poor, the disabled, the elderly. Student loans, programs for orphans, those are the types of programs that were cut $40 billion to help pay for another $90 billion in tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year. Ninety billion minus 40 billion is $50 billion in new debt, and yet they had the nerve to call it the Deficit Reduction Act. We are running out of time. And I will yield as we begin to update this board, showing exactly how much the debt, let's just do it real quick. In fact, the debt has gone up $41,666,000 in this past hour. So that means it is now $8,365,567,498,151 and some change. Mr. Speaker, the minute we have left I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia. I am pleased to have him as an active member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition. We are 37 members strong. Mr. Speaker, if you have questions, comments or concerns you would like to raise with us, you can e-mail us at bluedog@mail.house.gov. That is bluedog@mail.house.gov. Another very active member, a leader within the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, is the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff). I yield to him for as much time as he may so desire.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the whip of the Democratic Caucus, for joining the Blue Dog Coalition this evening as we hold this Republican administration and this Republican Congress accountable for this reckless spending, for this record deficit, for the record debt, and for this out-of-control budget that truly does not reflect America's priorities. The gentleman from Maryland raised an excellent point when he talked about the Social Security trust fund. And I am beginning to understand. The first bill I filed when I got to Congress back in 2001 was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security trust fund. And the Republican leadership refused to give us a hearing or a vote on that bill. And now I understand why, because when we talk about the fiscal year 2006 deficit at $318 billion, that is not right. The real deficit is $494 billion because the $318 billion is counting the Social Security trust fund. Now, when I go to the bank to get a loan, they want to know how I am going to pay it back, when I am going to pay it back, where the money is coming from to pay it back. And yet our government, this Republican Congress, continues to borrow billions of dollars from the Social Security trust fund with absolutely no idea, no provision on how or when or where the money is coming from to pay it back. And I believe that is morally wrong, as we have a duty and an obligation to protect Social Security for today's seniors as well as future generations. I am also pleased to be joined this evening by one of the co-Chairs of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, a real leader within the group, Mr. Matheson from Utah. Welcome.

Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson), co-Chair of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, for his insight. And the gentleman is right. As members of the Blue Dog Coalition, we are trying to make some sense out of our Nation's government, out of the budget process, trying to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline. We are not here just to rail at the Republicans. It may be the first time in 50 years that they have controlled the White House, House, and Senate. But we are not here just to criticize or to hold accountable, but also to offer up solutions and ideas on how we can fix this thing for America and future generations, and that is why we have a 12-point plan. And the gentleman from Utah talked about accountability. And right here you will see an aerial photo of a hay meadow at the Hope Airport in Hope, Arkansas, a so-called FEMA staging area. It is my understanding that it has been about 7 months now since Hurricane Katrina, a terrible storm, devastated the gulf coast. We have folks in Pass Christian, Mississippi, living in military-style tents. We have got some 80,000 people living in camper trailers. We have got over 10,000 families living in hotel and motel rooms spread out over several States. And yet FEMA has purchased and has stored in a hay meadow at the Hope Airport some 10,777 brand-new, fully furnished, fully furnished, manufactured homes, $431 million worth just sitting there in a hay meadow at the Hope Airport, some 450 miles from the eye of the storm, while people continue to live in hotels and military-style tents and in camper trailers. This is an example of the lack of accountability in our government. This is a symbol of what is wrong with this administration and what is wrong with FEMA. Their response is, they are concerned because, as you can see, they are literally just parked in this hay meadow, literally parked in the hay meadow. And now winter weather has come and set in and spring is here and the showers are here and it is starting to rain. So FEMA's response, you would think, would be to get these 10,777; and 300 of them have been moved, by the way, good for FEMA, so we are down to 10,477 brand-new, fully furnished manufactured homes. You would think FEMA's response is, let us get them to the people who lost their homes and everything they own, who so desperately need them on the gulf coast. But no, FEMA's response is, we are going to fix that. We are going to spend $6 million to gravel the hay meadow. That is FEMA's response. It is the lack of accountability that people are fed up with, Mr. Speaker. This is a symbol of what is wrong with this administration, what is wrong with this Republican Congress and what is wrong with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At this time, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Georgia, a real leader within the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, Mr. Scott.

Mr. ROSS. Three hundred of them.

Mr. ROSS. Ten thousand four hundred and seventy-seven remain in this hay meadow at the Hope Airport while people continue to live in hotels, camper trailers, and military-style tents. It is horrible.

Mr. ROSS

Mr. ROSS. I have to give it to this President, who has managed to give us the largest budget deficit in our Nation's history, while at the same time cutting programs that are important to people, programs for education, programs for farm families, and the list goes on and on. How does he continue to do that? He proposes tax cuts for those earning more than $400,000 a year. I do not have many folks in my district who earn $400,000 a year. I have voted for tax cuts in the past. Back in times of surplus, before 9/11 and before Iraq and Afghanistan when we really had a surplus, I thought it made sense to give people some of their money back. But for us to continue to borrow money from foreign governments to give tax breaks may make for good politics, but it makes for bad fiscal policy. But what the gentleman is talking about in terms of the foreign debt, again the debt $8,270,385,415,129 and some change. Who owns that debt? Who do we owe that money to? Well, we owe $2.174 trillion to foreign lenders. Compare that to only $23 billion we owed to foreign holdings back in 1993. As the gentleman from California pointed out earlier, this administration, this President, this Republican Congress, has borrowed more money from foreign central banks and foreign investors in the past 5 years than the previous 42 Presidents combined. Who are they? Japan is the top 10. Japan, we owe them $682.8 billion. China has loaned our government $249.8 billion. The United Kingdom, $223.2 billion. The Caribbean Banking Center, they have loaned us $115.3 billion. Taiwan, $71.3 billion. OPEC, and we wonder why gasoline is $2.25 a gallon, OPEC has loaned our government, $67.8 billion. Korea, $66.5 billion. Germany $65.7 billion; Canada $53.8 billion; and Hong Kong $46.5 billion. I am very concerned about what that means to our national security as these foreign countries will be able to have such a tremendous and dramatic influence on our monetary policy. I find that appalling. I find it reprehensible, and I find it something that we need to correct and we need to correct it now by getting our fiscal house back in order. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California as we go through our 12-point plan.