Louise Slaughter

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to my new colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), a fellow New Yorker.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, this process that has led us up to this point has been distressing. Indeed, this Congress has failed time and again to really look at what's happening here, and that is climate change. Because of that, and our inability to deal with it, there will be more and more disasters. We must be prepared for them in the future and not hold any area of the State up for 90 days to try to get the help for them that they require and that they need--80 days, actually, to be perfectly accurate. I urge my colleagues to stop the political games today. Let's pass a bill that is free of unnecessary amendments and get the aid into the hands of those who need it most, those who have suffered the most. As many of my colleagues have said, it's not just the Northeast that suffers. When an area that large and that populated suffers, the Nation suffers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to my gentlewoman friend from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel), my fellow New Yorker.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to inform my colleague I have no further requests for time and I am prepared to close.

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

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank my colleague for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying to my colleague, Mr. Dreier, we've served together here for many years on the Rules Committee. I think that his knowledge of both the Rules Committee and its functions and the rules of the House are unsurpassed, and I think he will be very greatly missed. I want to wish him the very best in his new endeavors in the rest of his life. Nothing but happiness and joy. And thank you. I feel I've learned a great deal from you, David. Thank you for that. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before me, as my colleague said, is no great victory. It's only a partial answer to a much larger problem, and it sets our Nation up for another fiscal showdown in mere months. As we vote, let every Member of this Chamber reflect on the dysfunctional legislative process and the irresponsible leadership that brought us here today, and the need for the majority to come back to the bargaining table in good faith as our work continues. And I share Mr. Dreier's hope that from now on we will put this all behind us and that this next term will be a bipartisan term. Let history show that the fiscal cliff and the dire economic consequences that would come with it were the deliberate creation of this House. Because of hyperpartisan actions taken by the majority, the body has pushed our Nation closer to a self-created economic recession and the greatest displacement of workers that the Nation has known since 1929. The idea behind the fiscal cliff was that the potential for a self- inflicted wound would force Congress to address the growing deficit and debt. Yet from the beginning, the plan was flawed. Over the last 10 years, our deficit has ballooned because of the cost of two wars and massive unpaid-for tax cuts. Yet discussion over the cost of war-- conflicts that have cost the lives of thousands of Americans and forever changed the face of American families--has been almost nonexistent. At the same time, the majority's desire to protect tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires quickly hardened into intransigence and has led us to where we are today. Just a week ago today, it looked as though Congress was close to a solution, until the House majority walked away. Instead of seizing an historic opportunity for compromise, the majority introduced a so-called ``Plan B,'' which quickly morphed into Plan C before being scrapped altogether and leaving us with almost no time to avert the fiscal cliff. By making tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires their biggest priority, the majority not only endangered our economy but they led the House through a legislative process that violated any sense of regular order and transparency. Indeed, as my colleagues and I sat in the Rules Committee last week, the legislation we were considering was changing by the minute, leaving us to guess at what would actually be included in any bill that required our vote. Sadly, such dysfunctional governing comes as little surprise. For the past 2 years, the majority has led with a toxic combination of extremism and hyperpartisanship that has resulted in the 112th Congress being the least productive in history. During the summer of 2011, the majority threw our Nation into crisis when they took our economy hostage and threatened to default on our Nation's debt. This dangerous and irresponsible approach rattled investors around the world and led to the first-ever downgrade of our Nation's credit. In addition, over the last 2 years, the majority has voted more than 33 times to repeal the historic Affordable Care Act, despite knowing full well that the repeal votes would never be signed into law because the Senate would not do that bill. In so doing, they took up valuable time from other legislative priorities. And CBS News reports that these votes consistently trying to repeal health care, Mr. Speaker, cost the American taxpayer almost $50 million. For over a year and a half, this type of irresponsible and unproductive governing failed to provide any solutions to the American people. And coming out of the November elections, our mandate was clear. The American people demanded an end to the political theater and the dangerous legislative games. They demanded that we finally get to work and solve the looming fiscal cliff in a balanced, responsible, and bipartisan way. In the middle of last July, all of the ranking committee members in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Speaker asking that we begin in July to find a solution to the fiscal cliff and sequestration. We called for a bipartisan approach and something we could get finished before the August recess so that we could spare the American people and most other people in the world and financial markets the worry that we have put them through. We got our answer tonight. So, unfortunately, today, what we are doing here does not give the American people a solution worthy of their full approval--and I'm sure we don't have it. The legislation before us fails to seriously address the deficit and debt, protects too many wealthy Americans, and sets the Nation up for another round of high-stakes negotiations. However, what we do have before us is a product that can avert the worst of the fiscal cliff and begin the process of balancing the budget and returning fairness, we hope, to the Tax Code. Under today's legislation, millions of Americans will be spared from a tax increase, and valuable tax extensions for middle-class families and students will remain in place. In addition, today's legislation extends unemployment insurance for millions of Americans struggling to find work. In closing, this legislation is far from perfect, and the process that has led us here is an utter disgrace. Yet in this time of crisis we must act first and foremost to try to protect the American economy. And today's legislation will do that. In the coming weeks, we must continue the hard work of creating a fair Tax Code and ensuring we reduce our deficit in a balanced, responsible, and bipartisan way. And as we do, I urge my fellow Members to avoid brinksmanship and partisan games and to come to the table in good faith on behalf of all the people who sent us here and put their faith in us. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), a member of the Committee on Rules.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. I believe I have three, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, when I spoke earlier, I referred to a letter that we had sent to the Speaker, and I would like to insert that in the Record. July 25, 2012. Dear Mr. Speaker and Chairs of the Committees: As the senior Democratic Members of the Committees of the House, we call upon the Republican Leadership and the Chairs of our respective committees to begin immediate negotiations with Democrats on replacing the scheduled 2013 sequester with a balanced deficit reduction plan. We all agree that a sequester starting in January, 2013 is not in the country's best interest and is not the best way to assure responsible deficit reduction. The American people want us to work together to avoid unnecessary economic uncertainty at this crucial time in our recovery. Failure to reach an agreement would have devastating consequences for our economy, small business and the middle class. The looming possibility of a January, 2013 sequester is already creating uncertainty in our economy. Working together and in good faith, Democrats and Republicans can negotiate an alternative to the defense and non-defense discretionary sequester as well as the mandatory sequester for fiscal year 2013. We are confident that we can identify revenue sources and prioritize investments in a bipartisan fashion to avoid the sequester while achieving our deficit reduction goals. We look forward to hearing from you and sitting down to negotiate an alternative to the sequester. We strongly recommend that this bipartisan process begin before the August recess so that the American people can be reassured before September 30 that the sequester will not take effect. Best regards, Collin C. Peterson, Ranking Member, House Committee on Agriculture; Norman D. Dicks, Ranking Member, House Committee on Appropriations; Adam Smith, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee; Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member, House Committee on the Budget; George Miller, Ranking Member, House Committee on Education & the Workforce; Henry Waxman, Ranking Member, House Energy & Commerce Committee; Linda Sanchez, Ranking Member, House Committee on Ethics; Barney Frank, Ranking Member, House Committee on Financial Services; Howard Berman, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs; Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member, House Committee on Homeland Security; Robert A. Brady, Ranking Member, House Committee on Administration; John Conyers, Ranking Member, House Committee on the Judiciary; Edward Markey, Ranking Member, House Committee on Natural Resources; Elijah Cummings, Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Louise Slaughter, Ranking Member, House Committee on Rules; Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Member, House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology; Nydia M. Velazquez, Ranking Member, House Committee on Small Business; Nick Rahall, Ranking Member, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure; Bob Filner, Ranking Member, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs; Sander Levin, Ranking Member, House Committee on Ways and Means; C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Ranking Member, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, if I could inform my colleague, I have no further requests for time and I'm prepared to close if he has no further speakers. Mr. Speaker, failure to avert the fiscal cliff could lead the Nation back into an economic recession and create the largest displacement of workers in the Nation's history. The dangers are avoidable, and it is our solemn obligation to avert the fiscal cliff and protect the American people. As I said earlier, today's legislation is far from perfect; but in this time of crisis, legislators must act. In the months to come, we will face more fiscal challenges and be asked to act again. When that time comes, I hope that we will avoid the brinksmanship that we have seen to date and come to the table in good faith. If we do, I'm confident that we can finish our work and provide solutions for a better future for America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today we're watching an attempt to perpetuate a hoax. To everybody watching, I want to say to you don't bother to take notes, no need to call the family to see history being made here. Just move along. There's nothing happening here. We've got this plan that doesn't come anywhere close to being a solution to the fiscal cliff. It's a political gimmick, and all of us recognize that it has no chance whatsoever of becoming law. The process that has brought us here has been equally shameful, more befitting a developing country than the greatest democracy on Earth. It has been absolutely painful to watch the otherwise responsible Members of the majority play their assigned roles, pretending that what we did last night was normal and legitimate. Last night we saw one of the greatest miscarriages of the democratic process in my time on the Rules Committee. Facing the impending fiscal cliff that could devastate our economy and harm millions of Americans, the majority decided to cobble together last-minute legislation on a wing and a prayer. Last night, the Rules Committee spent most of the evening debating legislation that we've barely seen. We were told that there would be two bills. Two bills actually were filed at midnight on Tuesday. One of them disappeared. And in the waning hours, even while the debate on the rule was taking place, a third was dropped into our laps. It turned out to be a warmed-over bill that went through the House of Representatives in May destroying health care, food stamps, and almost every other possibility of people in the country to survive. That's how the majority wants to solve the greatest economic threat facing our Nation. With nothing less than millions of jobs on the line, does the majority really believe that passing a bill in less than 24 hours that will do absolutely nothing is responsible governing? Today we're prepared to vote on this legislation and, I think, possibly adjourn for the final time this year. If this is the majority's final attempt to reach a compromise, then our Nation does indeed face frightening times. If no compromise is reached, we may face the greatest displacement of workers since 1929 as sequestration takes effect and forces countless layoffs. How devastating is that to a recovering economy? Every American knows we cannot let this happen; and, frankly, I believe that every Member of Congress knows that we never would let it happen. But after last night, I'm not so sure. This is not a serious solution to avoid economic catastrophe. It's just one last attack on the poor and the middle class right before we tumble off together over the fiscal cliff. Today's bill contains many dangerous provisions. I mentioned part C that we got last night, the old warmed-over bill providing an average tax cut of $50,000 for millionaires and billionaires. Meanwhile, the 25 million working families would pay an average of $1,000 more on taxes; 11 million families would lose a tax credit that helps to pay for college; drastic cuts would be made to Medicare; and the important provisions of the Affordable Care Act would be no more. They simply could not adjourn this year without one last attempt to destroy the health care bill that will provide health care for millions more Americans, many covered by insurance that they have never been able to have before. During my last election, which occurred last month, I met more than one person who told me that they had been born--there is one person who sticks out in my mind--she had been born with cerebral palsy, Mr. Speaker. She told me that her whole life, while she brought up a family, lived her life driving a car, cooking, moving, everything that we all do and take for granted in life, she had to do without any health insurance because having been born with cerebral palsy, she had a preexisting condition that prevented it. It was not until she was 65 and was able to get Medicare did she have the peace of mind that most of us take for granted that she was eligible to be covered. Why in the world do we keep trying to be the only industrial country that does not take better care of its people than that? Finally, 2 million Americans would lose their unemployment assistance right here at the holiday time. As I said before, the nutrition assistance program would be gutted. Those unjust cuts would leave millions struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table. The Americans that we're talking about, those that will be suffering, are not the ones that caused the problem in this country. They had nothing to do with financial services and the shenanigans that were played that brought us to our knees. Yet, continually, this House asks them through the majority side to pay the price. Enough already. They're not to blame, and they should not be put on the block. Sadly, just days ago--Tuesday, in fact--it appeared that President Obama and Speaker Boehner were close to a fiscal cliff compromise. President Obama had made concessions, some that, frankly, as I pointed out, our side is not that crazy about, but in the blink of an eye, the House majority decided to walk away in 51 seconds, announcing what they were going to do in a take-it-or-leave-it manner and introduce this political hoax that is before us today. Mr. Speaker, don't anybody be fooled. The American people know better. They see through this. They know that a compromise means that we must meet in the middle. Unfortunately, the majority continues to think, if they pass extreme legislation and then run for the hills, the rest of us will be forced to give in. We've seen similar antics from the majority throughout the 112th Congress--from holding the full faith and credit of this Nation hostage for the first time in its history and losing our credit rating to voting 33 times to repeal health care reform. The majority has continually advanced a cynical and partisan agenda at the expense of our Nation's welfare. Given this, there is little surprise that the approval rating for Congress is at an all-time low and that historians have said it is the least productive Congress in our history. Mr. Speaker, in the election just last month, the American people made their voices heard. When asked to choose between an extreme agenda that took care of the millionaires and billionaires at their expense, they said ``no'' in that they wanted not to be going over a fiscal cliff, and they have made that very clear. I think of what we have done to just the economic future of this country by debating this fiscal cliff as long as we have, but I don't believe, as I said, that we will actually go over it, except I'm not really clear on what we're doing here today unless that is to cut and run. Yet, in the process, the majority has presided over a shameful legislative circus not worthy of this institution. When our Nation is in desperate need of serious solutions, the majority is doing everything in its power to avoid finding the answers. I strongly oppose this hoax before us. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to oppose the rule and the underlying legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. SLAUGHTER. Will the gentleman yield?