Frank Wolf

Mr. WOLF

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler). (Mr. HOSTETTLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton).

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We are opposed to the amendment. I want to put in the Record that we will be glad to work with the gentleman and bring the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice up and see if we can try to do what this amendment does not do, but we can really try to accomplish what they are trying to accomplish.

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

Mr. WOLF. But this law is not enforced by the Department of Justice. This law is enforced by Department of Homeland Security. I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment. The gentleman's amendment provides $1 million to enforce two sections of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. However, the amendment does not specify what agency would receive this funding. Secondly, what agency would get this funding and be tasked with enforcing these immigration provisions? Enforcement of this section of the immigration law is the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. The Homeland Security Act specifically changed the responsibility from the Attorney General to the Department of Homeland Security. No agency funded in this bill has that responsibility. The gentleman should have done the amendment on the right bill as the other Members sought to do. So it just does not fit. Now, I would say, and I have offered the gentleman a number of times and I will do it again, that I think either the gentleman is trying to get something out to get a vote to see what happens, or he is trying to get it done. I would rather get it done, and I know that it is a problem. That is a problem even in my region and other regions. The way to do it is to bring the administration up, to bring the Justice Department up, bring the Department of Homeland Security up, and sit down and have them resolve the issue, and honey gets people more than a stick, and particularly this agency that the gentleman is amending the bill for the Justice Department is not the agency to enforce it. I will be glad to set up the meetings and see what we can do to resolve this. Because of this reason, I oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. WOLF. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I support what the gentleman is trying to do, but what agency would get the money?

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

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

Mr. WOLF. And then I can strike the last word?

Mr. WOLF. I thank the Chair. I wanted to be sure there was time for the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) to speak.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, if all the things have been done that the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) thinks have been done, and I think they may have, the Smith amendment is a power puff amendment. It is too weak. We will follow this carefully. If they have done it, then I think it should be more drastic. I would call to the attention of the gentleman from Michigan page 26 of the report. It says: ``Oil-For-Food: The committee directs the FBI to provide assistance in the United Nations' investigation of the Oil- For-Food Program, if requested by the recently established independent inquiry committee chaired by Paul Volcker. The committee strongly supports this investigation and encourages the FBI to make resources available as appropriate to assure its successful conclusion.'' So I think what the gentleman from Michigan is saying is accurate; and we will be very, very aggressive, but we called Mr. Volcker. I personally called the director of the FBI. He personally gave me a commitment to put his very best agents on this. Having said that, I think the gentleman's language would be better if it had been conditional, saying that if there is not cooperation by the Russians and by others, then this will be the case. But I do not want to do anything to keep Volcker from getting to the bottom of this. There are probably people involved in this that may very well go to jail, and I want to see the Secret Service, the Financial Service, and the FBI deal with this. So the amendment does not deal with that; it cuts, potentially, contributions to NATO or something like that.

Mr. WOLF. I yield to the gentleman from Connecticut. (Mr. SHAYS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. WOLF. I would have no objection to that at all.

Mr. WOLF. If it would say what again?

Mr. WOLF. Absolutely I would support it, and perhaps it maybe ought to be changed from 20- to 40-, but yes, I would support it.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton).

Mr. WOLF. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).