Pat Toomey

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deliver a Report from Pennsylvania's 15th District. All across the Lehigh Valley there are so many good people doing good things to make our communities better places to live. So many good people are working day and night to help others. In my book, these outstanding individuals are Lehigh Valley heroes. Their hard work and dedication have made a difference in lives of thousands of individuals in the Lehigh Valley. Today, I would like to recognize the dedicated volunteers at the Parkland Community Library in Allentown, Pennsylvania as Lehigh Valley Heroes. I would like to share their efforts with my colleagues and the American people. In 1973, Parkland Community Library first opened its doors as a grassroots or solely volunteer library. Through twenty-five years of service to the community, the library has truly relied on the efforts of dedicated volunteers. These hard-working volunteers help everyone in the community who visit the library. Volunteers are at the front desk when you walk though the front door. They are there to help when you need to find a book. They help with the children's programs, assist with bookkeeping, help with data entry, make copies and help with computer work. All the volunteers at Parkland Community Library have done so much to make a difference. These volunteers are Lehigh Valley Heroes. Mr. Speaker I would like to single out and commend the following volunteers who have dedicated more than one thousand hours of service at the Parkland Community Library. Georgia Baldrige, Priscilla Baxter, Alice Bergstein, Gloria Boyer, Cathy Brockington, Carol Caliguiri, Patricia Crawford, Viola Crouthamel, Fredia Csencitz, Mary Jean Doelp, Audrey Elison, Arthur Farrell, Nancy Farrell, Inger Fisher, Brook Fulford, Sherry Geiger, Faith Gensler, Richard Gobrecht, Carrie Gorman, Betty Hallman, Isabel Heffernan, Margaret Krause, Elizabeth Marsden, Elaine Miller, Clifford Moyer, Elaine Moyer, Marie Platner, Ruth Rees, Miriam Romig, Betty Scharfenberg, Barbara Schmidt, Reba Seidel, Eleanor Sheldon, Sally Shelly, Fan Shoemaker, and Doris Vogelsong.

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Chairman, what is amazing to me is that despite the record high taxes on the American people and unprecedented surpluses, what does the President's budget propose? More taxes, over $100 billion in new taxes and fees. And what does he propose to do with these new taxes? More big government programs and more spending. Now, usually I try to illustrate my points with legible charts. But I am afraid that the only way I could fit all of the President's new taxes and fees and all of his new spending programs was to do it on these charts. I ask my colleagues to do the best they can to read them. But the point is, how does the President pay for all of this new spending? He spends over $100 billion of the Social Security surplus during the next 5 years, eliminates or underfunds programs like special education and NIH research, reduces Medicare payments, and again proposes over $100 billion in new taxes and fees. In conclusion, I just want to urge my colleagues to vote against the President's budget, vote against the new spending and new programs made possible by raiding Social Security and raising taxes.

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Chairman, I must confess a certain degree of confusion. Last month, the author of this amendment, this alternative budget, praised the President's budget with a glowing review. Today he proposes a budget that is diametrically opposed to and completely incompatible with the President's budget, so I am confused. I do not know in which direction my colleagues on the other side of the aisle really want to go. I suppose we will find out soon. But in the meantime, I want to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the obvious alternative, the best budget, the Republican budget proposal. I came to Congress just 3 months ago as a small businessman, accustomed to the discipline that the free market imposes on business budgets and frustrated by the irresponsible lack of discipline we have often seen in many government budgets. Perhaps the most egregious example of this irresponsibility has been the raid on the Social Security trust funds. I am proud to be a member of the Republican Committee on the Budget that is bringing an end to that irresponsible practice. The Republican budgets saves 100 percent of Social Security funds, every penny of payroll taxes, every penny of interest owed to the Social Security trust fund. That is $1.8 trillion over the next 10 years, considerably more than the President's budget. In addition, the Republican budget spends more on elementary and secondary education, more on defense, more on Medicare, and then after those priorities are addressed, the Republican budget, unlike any of the Democratic alternatives, provides meaningful tax relief for overtaxed working Americans, all of this accomplished within the context of the 1997 budget agreement. I urge my colleagues to stand up for senior citizens, to stand up for our students, to stand up for our soldiers and for our taxpayers. Reject the Spratt alternative and vote ``yes'' on the Republican budget.

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. I yield to the gentleman from Kansas.

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Tiahrt-Goode-Toomey amendment. Last week the House Committee on the Budget, on which I have the privilege to serve, approved the budget resolution that saves the entire Social Security surplus, 100 percent of payroll taxes, and 100 percent of interest for future budgets. It is a budget resolution we will debate on this very floor tomorrow, and it stops the reckless practice of spending Social Security payroll taxes on non-Social Security programs. My fellow committee members and I proudly held a press conference last week declaring that this Congress for the first time would no longer spend the Social Security surplus. And we are right. Over the next 10 years, the budget resolution locks away $1.8 trillion for our seniors' retirement both for Social Security and Medicare; and that is $200 billion more than the President called for in his budget. This budget is an important first step towards our ultimate goal of real, long-term structural reform of our Nation's retirement system; and I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this budget later this week. But would it not be ironic if the House passes an emergency appropriations bill that spends today's Social Security money in the same week that it passes a budget resolution that tries to save future Social Security funds? And that is exactly what will happen if the House does not adopt the Tiahrt-Goode-Toomey amendment that fully offsets the supplemental emergency appropriations bill. We have got an obligation to ensure that that does not happen. The $1.3 billion emergency supplemental appropriations bill as written offsets all but $195 million used to reimburse the Defense Department for its response to Hurricane Mitch. Any spending not offset in this bill will come from the Social Security surplus because the Federal Government still has an on-budget deficit in fiscal year 1999. The only surplus is the Social Security surplus. My objection is not the Defense Department. It should be reimbursed for its work. My objection is certainly not the Committee on Appropriations. They have worked hard to offset the vast majority of the emergency spending in this bill. But we have come so close. Just 15 percent of the bill is not offset. And we should finish the job. Our amendment finishes the job. It offsets the remaining $195 million in emergency spending by rescinding budget authority for an account already used to offset in this bill. The Callable Capital Account has over $12 billion in unused budget authority. It has not been used this decade. That is why democratic Congress used this same account as an offset in 1994. Mr. Chairman, I consistently told senior citizens in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District that Congress should not spend Social Security dollars on anything other than retirement. And that is exactly what we should do. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Tiahrt-Goode-Toomey amendment.

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 751, a bill I introduced to name Allentown's Federal courthouse for retired Judge Edward N. Cahn. Judge Cahn, as a native of Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, has honored our community with his service as a Federal judge and the determination he has brought to everything that he has done. The outpouring of community support to name Allentown's courthouse after Judge Cahn has been substantial and bipartisan. Judges, prosecutors, defenders, corporate attorneys, civil lawyers, and many others have asked that Judge Cahn be honored with this distinction. His childhood friend and colleague, Judge Arnold Rappoport, once said, ``Whether it's being captain of the basketball team at Lehigh University or being in the Marines, he has a pioneering will to achieve. The energy and drive never changed.'' Judge Cahn served on the Federal bench for 23 years, including 5 years as chief judge. As a jurist and a public servant, he instilled the virtue of fairness and equality under the law. He remains the only Federal jurist to come from Lehigh County lawyers. In fact, if it were not for Judge Cahn's influence and enormous efforts, Allentown may not now have this beautiful new courthouse. It is only fitting that this courthouse bear his name. Beyond the physical structure of the building, Judge Cahn is widely helping with helping Lehigh Valley garner the respect and recognition it deserves within the Federal legal community. Judge Cahn's former law partner, John Roberts, says, the Federal bench has lost a star. I agree, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind us all that we should not underestimate the importance of a community having representation on the Federal bench. It is something Judge Cahn always believed and stresses to this day. Federal courts should be reflective of all constituents within their borders. Nothing can substitute for the personal knowledge and experience of living and working in a region. Judges who understand a region's customs and history better understand their jurists, plaintiffs, and defendants. That is why the Lehigh Valley must have a trial judge on the Federal bench, and why I am committed to working with my colleagues to fill Judge Cahn's seat with a native of the Lehigh Valley. In conclusion, Judge Cahn is already missed on the Federal bench, but perhaps naming the courthouse after him will serve as an enduring reminder of the contributions he has made to the administration of justice in Pennsylvania. I would like to thank several people who have been very supportive of this measure: first, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Holden), a fellow member of the Pennsylvania delegation; the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and its chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Bud Shuster), as well as the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. William Lipinski); the Subcommittee on Buildings and Economic Development, and the chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Bob Franks), as well as the ranking member, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Robert Wise). I would also like to thank the majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Dick Armey) for his support in this. Finally, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 751, and give honor to Allentown's courthouse and the man who made it possible.

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 4, because the threat of a missile attack against the United States is real, it exists today, and it will grow in the future. It is crucial that we defend Americans in their homes, children in their schools, men and women at their workplaces against a ballistic missile attack. H.R. 4 is a vital first step toward protecting our own citizens here at home, but in addition to the commitment to deploy, we need to deploy as soon as technologically possible. There is no other legitimate reason to delay deployment. The administration and some of my colleagues have proffered only very weak objections. They cite obsolete and irrelevant treaties. They question whether there even is a threat in the face of obvious threats. Some worry that the cost of a missile defense system might crimp other programs as though we should spend money on the program of the day rather than protecting American lives. Mr. Speaker, the threat is real, the time is now, we must commit to deployment as soon as technologically possible. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill and to continue to take the steps necessary so that we in fact deploy a system to protect Americans in our homeland.

Mr. TOOMEY

Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to deliver a Report from Pennsylvania's 15th District. So many good things are happening in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. There are scores of good people doing amazing things that make our communities better places to live and I would like to share their stories with my colleagues and the American people. These good people should be recognized, lifted up and known as Lehigh Valley Heroes. I my book, Lehigh Valley Heroes are individuals who reach out and lend a helping hand to others. Today's I'd like to recognize all the individuals involved with Lehigh Valley's Summerbridge after-school- tutoring program in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Summerbridge Program tutors and mentors young children from inner city schools. These young children may be the first-member in their family who has an opportunity to go to college. These volunteers help young students with their homework and take them on field trips. Additionally, the primary goal is to help ensure they are on a path for college. Mr. Speaker I'd like to recognize all of the tutors at the Summerbridge Program for making a difference. By helping young students learn, these heroes are making our community a better place to live. Lehigh Valley Tutors Jen Auman, Matthew Schultz, Sarah Noblitt, Kelly Cannon, Michelle Hoffman, Chris Balassano, Harry Foley, Michelle Anderson, Daniel Surria, Jessica Rappa, Maria Calafati, Natalie Paraska, Danny Pichardo, Rebecca Kross, Dave Yuan, Payal Shah, Steph Katsaros, Rich Taylor, Brian Brunner, and Kristin Vasquez. Tami Votral, Brooke Kraus, Sunil Samtani, Michelle Williamson, Kelly Schaeffer, Albert Kelly, Brandi Gilmore, Darren McGill, Lori Wehr, John Fritzkky, Steph Kilgge, Dorene Brill, Terri Ertle, Cheyenne DeMulder, Allison Sheniak, Mays Nimeh, Elizabeth Hohenstein, Jaime Silfies, Jarred Weaver, and Nicole Oertman. Jason Erk, Suzanne Mlynarczyk, Nicky Rothdeutsch, Emily Deck, Nicky Krupa, Brandi Christine, Melissa Hummel, Claudi Reycraft, Chris Verdier, Capri Thornton, Brandi Schultz, Vanessa Boyer, Steph Ropel, Brandi Gilmore, Alicia Giasi, Jessica Almond, David Rodriguez, Sunil Samtani, Molly Shank, and Justin Christein. Marisol Ocasio, Shawna Hasford, Kori Newman, John Fritzky, Mandy Burkhardt, Stacey Barron, Steve Weiss, Corrine Reph, Tabitha Hymans, Diana Rodebaugh, Autumn Rainere, Maria Baingbridge, A.J. Bradley, Jeannot Gangwisch, Asad Nawaz, Megan Markulies, Amber Zettlemoyer, Robyn Christine, Sarah Clautier, and Sarah Eitzen. Kari Druckenmiller, Amy Simonka, Steph Miller, Jacquin Pierce, Steve Schenk, Dana Popkave, Becky Balog, Crystal Leidy, Christine Tessier, Vanessa Vanderberg, Jodi Glenn, Jen Yamerik, and Holda Adams.