José Serrano

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman for his time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this rule, and I am pleased to be able to comment on the Financial Services and General Government section of this bill, which provides for a total of $24.1 billion in discretionary appropriations. The agencies that this bill funds touch all of our lives, and the spending has been carefully allocated to those programs where the American people will benefit the most. In an effort to rebuild the regulatory agencies that protect investors, consumers, and taxpayers, the Securities and Exchange Commission is given a 16 percent increase over fiscal year 2009 to $1.1 billion. In addition, because we are committed to implementing important consumer protection legislation which was enacted in 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Commission receives $118 million, which is the full amount authorized, and a $13 million increase over last year. In this conference report, we also want to make sure that capital and other assistance gets to small businesses and disadvantaged communities, not just to large businesses and the wealthy. The Small Business Administration and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund both received significant increases above fiscal year 2009. The IRS is sufficiently funded to allow for the fair and effective collection of taxes, including resources to pursue wealthy individuals and businesses who avoid U.S. taxes by parking money in overseas tax havens. There is also more than the budget request for taxpayer services. The Federal Judiciary receives the funding that it needs to keep up with increased costs and responsibilities. We also provide a 2 percent pay adjustment in 2010 to our hardworking Federal workers. In this bill, we meet our obligations to the District of Columbia. I feel very strongly that Congress should not be overly involved in local affairs of the District of Columbia. Like any other citizens, D.C. residents should have the right to manage their local affairs on their own. In this year's bill, with respect to both abortion funding and medical marijuana, we allowed the District of Columbia to make its own decisions, just like each of the 50 States. We also dropped some other outdated and unwarranted restrictions. I would like to thank Chairman Obey for his leadership, and my ranking member, Jo Ann Emerson, for her many contributions. I would also like to recognize our staff who have worked long hours to put together this conference report. In particular, I would like to mention David Reich, Bob Bonner, Lee Price, Ed O'Kane, Ariana Sarar and Alex Jabal from our majority staff, and Alice Hogans, Dena Baron and John Martens from our minority staff. On my personal staff I would like to thank Philip Schmidt, George Sullivan, Matt Alpert and Nadine Berg. I hope that you would support this bill. Very briefly, on the size of the bill, it's great theater to show that bill, but that's composed of bills that passed this House, some as far back as 6 months ago.

Mr. SERRANO. Those bills went through the committee process, the subcommittee process, the full committee process, the amendment process in committee, the amendment process on the floor. If anyone says that they haven't read that bill, it's because they didn't take time to read those five or six or seven bills that are included there which were passed about 6 months ago.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman for the time, and I thank both him and the ranking member for the support. Too often we take for granted those places where we live in terms of the landmarks that are around us, and this is a celebration of a roadway that--it was stated before--it was set up or thought of originally to link the borough of Manhattan to the Bronx, but it became much more than that. It became a cultural icon. It became part of a community. And as the city grew and up to today, in its 100th anniversary, it has become grander year by year. We are now celebrating 100 years of the Grand Concourse, and this, as said, was designed by a French immigrant in 1894, and when it opened in 1909, it was something spectacular that had not been seen before. Those of you who have come on many occasions, I'm sure--and hopefully in the future--to visit the Bronx and to visit Yankee Stadium will know that the Grand Concourse, that 4-mile thoroughfare that stretches from 138th Street to Van Cortland in my borough, the Bronx, is really majestic in form and so full of history. The Grand Concourse has the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the United States, and those Art Deco buildings are those that you walk into and the lobbies are so special with the artwork and the murals that were painted, especially during World War II and in the late 1930s. Those buildings are now part of the National Registry. In accordance, the Grand Concourse itself has been designated and registered as a National Historic Place and has also been designated as a special preservation district by the city of New York. And as was mentioned before, if you go to the Grand Concourse you will see the cottage known as Poe Cottage where Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem ``Annabel Lee,'' and that is still standing there. Many folks, as we mentioned today, have lived on the Grand Concourse. Of course I live on the Grand Concourse, and I certainly did not have the kind of year that Babe Ruth had in 1927, but I've had a pretty good year in this past year. This Congress saw fit a couple years ago to designate $18 million that was used to renovate parts of the Grand Concourse and its infrastructure. That was in January of 2006. And now as part of that celebration, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is celebrating the roadway in its exhibition ``Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100.'' What's interesting about the Grand Concourse, I believe, is that it mirrors so much of what New York City is and what this country is. Because as you travel the Concourse not only physically but through its history, you see the different groups of people who came to New York, who came to the Bronx, who settled on the Concourse, as we called it, and became part of America. And so as we see people enjoying the park and enjoying and socializing on the Concourse, we see the different groups that have arrived from throughout the world and from my birthplace of Puerto Rico. The Grand Concourse has, for them, fulfilled and exceeded its planners' intentions over a series of generations--occupying a central place in the hearts and minds of Bronxites past and present. So I have come here today in support of this resolution. I would hope everyone votes for it. I thank the committee, the chairman, and the ranking member for their support.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner III. I recently sponsored a resolution congratulating the Yankees on their 27th World Series win. Since the World Series victory was dedicated to Mr. Steinbrenner, I wanted to honor his dedication to the city of New York and the Yankees. He has owned the franchise for 36 years, the longest serving owner in Yankee history. Mr. Steinbrenner always has had a longstanding interest in coaching and sports management. He began as an athletic director and baseball/ football coach at an Ohio high school. In 1955, he became an assistant football coach for Northwestern University. The following year in 1956, he was an assistant coach for the Purdue University football team. By 1961, he led a team of investors in the purchase of the Cleveland Pipers of the National Industrial Basketball League, which soon joined the American Basketball League, ABL. In May of 1962, Steinbrenner got the coveted young rookie, Jerry Lucas, to play for the Pipers. That same year the Pipers won the ABL Championship. Under his ownership, Steinbrenner made history by having the first African-American coach in professional basketball, John McClendon. It was not until 1973 that Mr. Steinbrenner became part of a now historic deal when he bought the Yankees for $10 million from Columbia Broadcasting Company, CBS. When Mr. Steinbrenner took ownership of the Yankees, they were a team in decline. After the 1962 season, the glory days were winding down for the Yankees. In 1966, they finished last in the American League, which had not happened since 1912. As owner, Mr. Steinbrenner took over a Yankees franchise that needed rebuilding from the bottom up. He accepted nothing less than victory and made sure everyone in the Yankees organization worked together towards that goal. Within 4 years, Steinbrenner had directed the team back to its winning ways by helping guide the Yankees to World Series championships in 1977 and 1978. This winning tradition has continued over the years. Overall, under his management, the Yankees have brought home 7 world championships, 11 American League pennants, and 16 division titles. Many Yankee legends have played for the team during Steinbrenner's tenure as owner. Derek Jeter was quoted in the Associated Press after the recent World Series win as saying that, ``He's the reason we're here. First of all, we wouldn't be in this stadium if it wasn't for him. We wouldn't have this group together if it wasn't for him. This is a special moment. We all tried to win it for him. He deserves it.'' There is no question that George Steinbrenner has changed and modernized major league baseball and professional sports. A Yankees franchise that sold for $10 million in 1973 has grown to a current value of $1.5 billion under Steinbrenner's leadership. Mr. Steinbrenner is also a dedicated and generous philanthropist. He established the Gold Shield Foundation in Tampa Bay and the Silver Shield Foundation in New York City, both of which financially support families of fallen police officers. Among many other endeavors, he has donated funds to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ohio State, the University of Florida, and most notably, given $1 million to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund at Virginia Tech University. These are just a few of his many efforts to assist other organizations. Although Mr. Steinbrenner was not in attendance at the 27th Yankee World Championship, his legacy was an important part of the franchise's victory. The message displayed over the field on that November night says it all: ``Boss this is for you!'' Madam Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Mr. Steinbrenner for his long dedication towards the City of New York, my borough of the Bronx, and the great success that he has brought to the New York Yankees organization.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 110th anniversary of the Bronx Zoo, a milestone in the cultural history of New York City. The Bronx Zoo opened its doors on November 8, 1899, and is the largest metropolitan zoo in the country with approximately 4 million visitors annually and featuring 6,000 animals and 600 species. The Bronx Zoo continues to win awards for its world class exhibits and is well known for creating naturalistic habitats. Chief among them is the Congo Gorilla Forest which is one of the zoo's most popular exhibits. Spanning more than 6\1/2\ acres, the exhibit's main attraction is the western lowland gorillas, making up the species largest breeding group in all of the Americas. The Gorilla Forest is the largest man made rainforest in the world. The rain forest simulation gives visitors the chance to experience the Congo as if they were there. Along with the lowland gorillas, the exhibit is home to white bearded debrazza monkeys, okapis and red river hogs. Since the opening of the exhibit, it has had 7 million visitors. The exhibit fees go to help conservation efforts in Africa which have helped 18 National Parks in such countries as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Gabon. From the zoo grounds, hundreds of conservationists work every day hand-in-hand with more than 3,000 employees located in 65 developing countries around the world. The zoo's first conservation achievement was here in the United States of America, where, by 1905, uncontrolled hunting had reduced the great herds of bison to fewer than 1,000 animals. Theodore Roosevelt, along with William Hornaday, the Bronx Zoo's first director, were founding members of the American Bison Society, ABS, an organization formed at the Bronx Zoo to preserve this icon of the American prairies. In 1907, the Bronx Zoo sent a group of zoo-born bison to Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Montana to help reestablish the species throughout the plains. Along with its broad conservation efforts, the Bronx Zoo's award winning exhibits and pioneering research has garnered world recognition. In the Bronx, the zoo's impact is felt in yet another way. In addition to being a cultural staple and headquarters for an international conservation organization, it is an economic cornerstone in the Bronx. On average, the Bronx Zoo employs more than 750 full-time staff per year and is the largest employer of youth in the borough, providing employment opportunities, job skills training, and scholarship opportunities for more than 700 teenagers each year. Two years ago, the Bronx Zoo opened the first New York City public school focused on wildlife conservation. At the school, children can learn math, sciences, history, and arts by interacting with the zoo's animals and experts. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the Bronx Zoo on its 110th anniversary and to applaud the institution for its efforts in leading the world in wildlife conservation as well as bringing joy to the millions of visitors who have walked through its gates.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman. I understand what the other side is trying to do. I don't think the American people have a problem with the fact that we pause momentarily in our very serious work to celebrate something positive that is happening in our country; just the way we pause when something terrible happens, a tragedy, we pause to take time out. I make no excuses about the fact that this is a resolution I brought to the floor and that I sponsored this resolution. But I really think it's a shame that we would take this moment to use it to attack on a partisan issue other issues. The New York Yankees won the World Series. Americans love sports. Americans celebrate success, and I am positive that there is not a single American in this country, except for some in this House, who would think that what we are doing today is wrong. This weekend we will deal with the biggest issue of our time. For this moment, for these 20 minutes of this whole week, we take to celebrate the American pastime, baseball and its global implications in bringing so many people together.

Mr. SERRANO. I have proudly worn that hat on my head for many years, and I promise not to wear it during the debate, of course, out of respect for the House, which I am proud to be a Member of. Having said that, I am not one of those Yankee fans, if there are any, who thinks we are going to win all the time. I am very nervous. I was nervous with the Minnesota Twins; I was nervous with the Angels. I was very nervous with the talented Phillies. But that does not compare to the nervousness I felt yesterday when I introduced the resolution and wondered if we could get it on the House floor before we left this weekend and before we did health care. But thanks to the chairman and the ranking member and the leadership, here it is. I rise to pay tribute to the Yankees on their 27th World Series championship. As the chairman has said, they are the most successful franchise in sports history. Congratulations especially should go to the Phillies, the Philadelphia Phillies, a fine team, world champions prior to this year, who repeated their championship in the National League and gave the Yankees a very tough time. They're a successful team, and I suspect they will be back next year when I'm sure they will play the Yankees again in the World Series. I am very proud to be the Congressman who represents the Yankee Stadium area. In fact, I can tell when the Yankees are doing well by just opening my window and hearing the sound of a crowd. Whenever you hear the crowd--I live that close to the stadium--you know the Yankees have scored a run or gotten a big hit. The Yankees have been a tradition in the neighborhood and have been a tradition in sports history. What's interesting about it is that, as you know, this year they opened up a new stadium and they won the World Series in that stadium. My understanding also is that they won the first World Series they played in the old stadium in 1923, The House That Ruth Built. So they move, but they still keep their winning tradition. They are, indeed, the Bronx Bombers, and they've become a sign of perfection, of teamwork. And much has been said throughout the years about how the Yankees played and how they got along or at times didn't get along, and everyone says that this team came together and played as a true organization and a true institution. They have been in the World Series an astonishing, an amazing 40 times and they have won 27 of those 40 times. Professional baseball is a few years over 100 years old, and 40 percent of the time one team was in that appearance. In 2009, they won 103 games. Then they went on to defeat the Twins and defeat the Angels, and then finally the very talented Phillies. They put it all together. And they put it all together as they continue to build on that tradition. We hear about Ruth and Gehrig; we hear about DiMaggio and Mantle and Berra, and the other players of the 1950s. Then we know that there was that period with Reggie Jackson, and the wonderful years with Bernie Williams and the rest of the team. And now we have Jeter and we have Posada and we have Pettitte and we have Mariano. And of course the Yankees in many ways also do great things beyond New York. The MVP, Hideki Matsui, my understanding was, practically shut down the great country of Japan as they watched the game on TV. Little did they know that their son would become the MVP by having a fabulous last game with three hits and six RBIs. It was, indeed, a wonderful World Series. I understand from my relatives in Puerto Rico that everybody was glued to the TV set to see the Yankees, not only to see the Yankees, but then to see how Jorge Posada would do. In the Dominican Republic, in the Dominican neighborhoods in New York, people were out in the street watching just to see what Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera and others were doing. So you see, it goes beyond baseball. It is a tradition, and now it has expanded globally. And it is only fitting that the most successful team in baseball would be part of this expansion of baseball throughout the world. So my congratulations go to the Yankees. We will be here today doing the work we have to do. At 11 a.m., in Mr. Towns' great city and mine, the Yankees will have a ticker tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes. After that, they will go to city hall at 1 o'clock where every other elected official except Members of Congress will be there taking pictures with the Yankees. So that is one of the reasons why we are here today, to do our part in celebrating this great team; to do our part in celebrating their home in the Bronx, New York; to do our part in saying that, yes, we have problems in this country; yes, we have serious debate; yes, we have difficulties, but we can take some time to celebrate something that is beautiful, something that we can come together on. Even Boston Red Sox fans, I'm sure, are celebrating the Yankee victory--well, I try to always tell the truth, but every so often I bend it a little bit. Ladies and gentlemen, and to the leadership, thank you very much for putting this resolution on the floor. Thank you for this opportunity to honor our beloved Yankees. Congratulations to the Yankee management, to the Steinbrenner family; to my friend, Randy Levine; to Joe Girardi; and to all the Yankees that made this the winning season it has been. Congratulations. Viva los Yankees. Thank you.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman. I thank the ranking member for his kindness. I hope, Madam Speaker, that the rules can be slightly bent to allow this wonderful hat to sit by me as I speak, but we do bring other charts and other things to the House floor. I have to tell you, I am one of those Yankee fans who doesn't take anything for granted, so I was nervous during these games and the playoffs.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a milestone event in the cultural history of New York City. This month, El Museo del Barrio, New York's leading Latino cultural institution, celebrates its 40th Anniversary. There is much to be proud of when we speak of El Museo: the beautiful physical space it now occupies; the extraordinary talent it continues to attract; the superb quality of its collections; and the professionalism and dedication of its staff. But for me what stands out most about El Museo is that it has never stopped growing and evolving. Much like the community in which it makes its home, El Museo continues to reinvent itself for new waves of residents and new generations of New Yorkers. El Museo del Barrio was founded 40 years ago by Puerto Rican artist and educator Raphael Montailez Ortiz, who gathered together parents, artists, and activists, to address the absence of Puerto Rican and other Latino artists at larger mainstream institutions. Since its founding, El Museo has been dedicated to showcasing Latino culture. Its permanent collection includes over 6,500 objects which span more than 800 years of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino artistic expression. A wonderfully diverse body of art, this collection includes everything from pre-Columbian Taino artifacts to twentieth-century drawings and paintings, to prints, sculpture, photography and documentary film and video. Located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and E. 104th Street, El Museo is firmly situated on New York's illustrious Museum Mile, but is also far enough uptown to reach into Manhattan's historic El Barrio. Today, more than 100,000 people visit El Museo each year from all backgrounds and walks of life. On Saturday, October 17th, the museum will hosted an all day celebration and open house to mark the anniversary as well as the opening of El Museo's newly renovated facility. Two new exhibitions will be on display, one of which highlights four decades of El Museo's permanent collection. And to dramatize El Museo's impact on the cultural life of New York City, the Empire State Building was illuminated in the museum's signature mango-yellow color for the entire weekend, so the city as a whole could share in this momentous reopening. Madam Speaker, from humble beginnings in East Harlem's Puerto Rican community, this landmark of learning and wonder has emerged as a destination for people from all over the world. They come for many reasons: for the history that is taught, for the remarkable work on display, and, not the least of all, people come to El Museo to feel connected--connected to the past and the future of the Latino diaspora in this great international city. El Museo's holdings and exhibitions are a gift to all New Yorkers and to the world, and for this reason I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the 40th Anniversary of El Museo del Barrio.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for this time. Every so often an issue comes before Congress where I honestly have to admit I scratch my head and say, Do I fully understand what we are talking about here? Because it makes no sense to me. On every appropriations bill that we see come before the full committee, there was this notion that we couldn't bring folks from Guantanamo here to be prosecuted. Now, I know how dangerous some of these folks may be. I know how dangerous some of these folks are. I was in New York in my city on September 11. I was not here. Many people forget that was primary day in New York. Many people forget that one of the accomplishments, if you will, of the terrorists was to suspend, in the middle of the day, an election that was taking place in New York. They didn't just attack the symbol of our military power. They didn't just attack the symbol of our financial power. They were not just geared towards attacking, and did not get a chance to do it, to attack the symbol of our legislative power, but they disrupted an election, which is perhaps at the center of our strength, our electoral process. I was there. I saw the pain. I know that they killed a lot of people, but they didn't defeat us. Let's be clear about that. They killed a lot of Americans, but they didn't defeat us, and they will never defeat us unless we begin to run away from who we are as a people and as a Nation. Unless we begin to throw away and turn our back on the Constitution, on what makes us a unique country, then they have a chance to win. My friend, and we say this on the floor, but he truly is my friend from Kentucky, says, Why would we want to do that? Why would we want to bring them here? Because we are the United States of America. Because we are a great democracy that is not afraid to bring people to justice when they deserve to come to justice. Because we have nothing to hide. Ironically, on another issue that I discussed with my friend at length over the years, we want nothing to do with Cuba except to use them to hold people there for trial. Why not bring them to New York where they committed their act, the scene of their crime? Why not let the world know in the middle of our pain, in the midst of all of our anguish over September 11, we are big enough and democratic enough to bring people to trial here within our territory. We have nothing to fear. As far as whether or not there will be Miranda rights involved and whether the people have rights, why not? What is so difficult to understand about that? There is a contradiction in a country that continuously tells the world we are better, and we are; we are more democratic, and we are; we have a better justice system, and we do, and at the same time says but not for these individuals. Now, if I was making the argument on behalf of the individuals in Guantanamo, we know how many were detained and eventually released because we have, throughout the last few years, nothing to charge them with. It might be that we have to release some and send them back to their countries, but this fear that somehow they are going to be watching the streets of Washington, D.C., and eating at local restaurants and planting bombs everywhere, these folks will probably be the most guarded people in the history of the world. But we will do ourselves a great disservice if we continue to say that they cannot be brought to the United States for justice. Why should they be near our community residents was one of the questions asked. I see it differently. Why not see our system in full bloom? Why not allow the world to see and understand that we are not afraid to bring people here to pay for their crimes, to go before our justice system. Now, here is another question. So we bring them to justice in Guantanamo. We find them guilty in Guantanamo. Are we going to incarcerate them in Guantanamo? Are we going to keep them in a foreign country for crimes they committed against our country or are we going to bring them to a prison here? If we bring them to a prison here, after convicted, those who are convicted, why not try them here to begin with? Again, this whole notion that these people have no rights, the terrorists win if we suggest that everybody that comes before us has no rights. That's why I oppose this motion.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman for bringing this to my attention, and I will assure him that I will do my best to work with my Senate colleagues in conference.

Mr. SERRANO. How much time do I have left, Mr. Chairman?

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for the purposes of a colloquy.

Mr. SERRANO. I yield myself the balance of the time. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentlewoman, and I want to thank all of the speakers who have participated today, but I think there is a clarification that needs to be made. Many speakers have come to the House floor and have spoken about the abortion issue and have said that the American taxpayer is being asked in this bill to foot the bill for abortions. That is not correct, and that has to be made clear. First of all, to me, the issue is whether or not the District of Columbia should be given the opportunity to govern its own affairs or whether Congress will continue to impose on D.C. its will. So, for many years, the folks in the District of Columbia have had to accept Congress' wishes for many test items and issues throughout the country. I believe that, in some cases--and with all due respect to my colleagues--they have imposed these provisions on the District of Columbia in many areas of gay marriage, of needle exchange programs, of abortion, and of gun issues so that they could go back home and say they had done something on that issue. Yes, they did, to the people of the District of Columbia--not to the people in their districts but to the people of the District of Columbia. What this bill simply says is that local funds raised locally by the taxpayers of the District of Columbia can be used to provide abortion services. The ban on the use of Federal funds for abortion remains in place. Let me repeat that. Federal funds going to the District of Columbia cannot be used to supply abortion services. What we've done is to say, local funds that you raise on your own from your own American citizen taxpayers can be used for those purposes. That should be clarified, and people should know the truth. This bill is a good bill; and I hope that at the end of the day, people will vote for it. It covers many areas. I thank all my colleagues.

Mr. SERRANO. I yield the gentleman another 30 seconds.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. It is very easy for folks on the other side to say, let's not talk about the past administration. I agree. That is not my intention. In fact, our President has said on many occasions the past is the past. But if we keep coming up and making it sound like something happened January 20 until today that brought us to our knees economically, then it is my role, and everybody else's role on this side, just to clarify and to discuss a little history. And the history is the fact that this economy is in bad shape not for anything that has happened this year, but what happened in the past. On this amendment, this is the wrong time to get rid of this. This is the wrong time to move against it. We need it more than ever. I hope that people will defeat this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. First of all, I think it is important to realize that a lot of Members, especially--well, all Members from the other side will get up and make it sound as if the last few months have been the months that caused the economic crisis that we are in. The fact of life is that this President is trying to clean up the mess that was created during the last 8 years, because the prior President left this economy in pretty much good shape. It fell apart during these last 8 years. And we are trying to recover. On this particular matter, the Council of Economic Advisers, or the CEA, was created in 1946 when the country faced a major economic crisis, just as we are doing today. At the end of the Second World War, many feared that the economy would sink back into depression with the phase-out of war spending. The Congress wanted to ensure that sound economic advice would be provided at the highest levels of the administration. In the wake of a stock market bubble followed by a housing bubble that we have recently had, people have reason to worry about where the growth and jobs of the future will come from. We need the CEA to help the administration make better policy for the future. Today, CEA has been involved in developing and evaluating the Recovery Act, health care options, energy and greenhouse gas policies, tax changes, job and training programs and other major economic challenges of our time. As the administration develops policies in all these critical areas, the CEA brings solid, scientific evidence on the economic effects of alternative policies into the discussion. This is probably one of those times where we really need this kind of a Federal agency. And this is not the time to do away with it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. The Rules Committee made in order a certain amount of amendments. The Rules Committee is a body composed of Members from both sides. That's the rule that we're working under. And I think that out of respect for the House and the rules that we work under, we should accept that as the format for this debate today, and not to change it in any way just when we feel like it.

Mr. SERRANO. I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. I object.

Mr. SERRANO. I object.

Mr. SERRANO. How much time do we have on this side?