C. Young

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute primarily to say thank you very much to all of the players, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), especially, as chairman, and to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) as the ranking member, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), my friend and the ranking member on the full Committee on Appropriations. This is not the easiest bill to deal with and get votes for or to negotiate with the administration. But I think we have successfully done that. There are a lot of decisions in this product that I do not really like, I will have to be very honest with my colleagues. I probably dislike this bill more than any of the ones that we are going to vote on. But we are going to take it up now, we are going to amend it, we are going to pass it, we are going to get it to the White House, and we are going to get on with the business of the Congress.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute and would just like to point out that, as I said in my opening comments, I do not think we need a lot of debate on the underlying bill inasmuch as we have already discussed it and debated it numerous times. So we are just about prepared to yield back our time. But before we do, and before I have a closing statement, I will recognize the very distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and related programs, who has done yeoman's work in getting some realism into our foreign aid program and getting programs that actually work and doing the very best that he can to keep the money from going into corrupt hands and ending up into some numbered bank account somewhere where the poor people do not get a chance to see any benefit from it. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Callahan), who is responsible for this bill.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would expect that the general debate time would be rather limited today because the underlying bill that we deal with this morning is basically the same bill that we passed in the House earlier and that we again passed as part of the conference report on the foreign operations bill. So, Mr. Speaker, I believe that most of the debate today will revolve around the amendment that I will offer after we have completed general debate. The amendment has been discussed during consideration of the rule, and I will just briefly go through it again. It will provide the money that the President has requested to fund the Wye River Agreement relative to the Middle East peace process. It also will add additional funding for programs that the President has asked for, but not nearly in the amounts that he initially asked for. He asked for $1.4 billion over and above the underlying bill plus the Wye River agreement funding. We, after serious negotiation, we brought that number down to $799 million. But we will discuss that amendment in greater detail when we get to that point. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3196, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 362, the rule just adopted, I call up the bill (H.R. 3196) making appropriations for foreign operations, export financing, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the House, I move to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 3194) making appropriations for the government of the District of Columbia and other activities chargeable in whole or in part against revenues of said District for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the amendment of the Senate, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes of that hour to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), my distinguished friend and colleague, for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the issue before us today is the Senate amendment to the District of Columbia appropriations bill. It struck language that the House had included relative to the issuance of needles in the needle exchange program. Personally, I object to the Senate amendment. However, in order to move this bill and get it to conference, I do move to take the bill from the table, disagree to the amendment and agree to the conference. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman for reminding me that it was important to have an additional meeting with representatives from the Senate and from the House in order to try to finalize or come to agreement on what we were trying to do, and, despite the gentleman's insinuation, it is very difficult to be in two places at the same time. That is why I emphasized in my presence Mr. Lew was unwilling to provide the offsets. But now we are working through that. If we can keep the atmosphere fairly civil, I think we can do that. I did not see a lot of stability coming our direction from that side of the aisle today, and I really am offended by that lack, and I am offended by the political speeches. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said earlier that there are too many speeches. He is right, especially when they are all the same and they say the same thing. I have memorized the speech of my friend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) because he has made it every time we had an appropriations bill. So I can make his speech for him. Although I disagree with it, I can make his speech for him. Now, we have other things to negotiate, but the President is not willing to negotiate anything on the other remaining bills until we have an agreement on foreign aid. In other words, his primary interest is how much money are we going to give him to spend around the world. Well, we are willing to work with him on that. We are willing to do things he wants to do, because we understand that he is the President, but we have to understand that one reason we are being delayed on the other bills is because the administration refuses to negotiate with this House and the leaders of this House on anything else until the foreign aid bill is settled and decided. Now, we are willing to go along with that, and that is why we wanted to get this measure off the floor early so we could get back to those negotiations and try to have that package wrapped up by today. Mr. Speaker, there is something else that I would like to mention. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said that we start to believe our own baloney. We have seen some baloney on the floor today. Most of it I did not believe, Mr. Speaker. Anyway, let us pass this continuing resolution, and let us not be offended by the fact that it is a continuing resolution, especially coming from the Democrats who ran this House for 40 years. Let me repeat something the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said: We repeat our speeches too often. But in view of some of the accusations made today, let me just go back a few years. In fiscal year 1990 the Democrats controlled this House and they had a continuing resolution for 51 days. Fiscal year 1991, they had a CR for 36 days. Fiscal year 1992, they had a CR for 57 days. They did better in 1993, they only had 5 days. But in fiscal year 1994 they had 41 days. So for the Democrats to come on the floor now and accuse the Republicans of using CRs to finish the business is a little hollow. Now, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) would like me to say the year he was chairman, for fiscal year 1995, we did not have any CRs, and he is right, and I applaud him for that. Let me tell you what else he had: He had 81 more Democrats than there were Republicans in the House. He could do most anything he wanted. We have a small majority. We only have 10 more Republicans this year than the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) had. He had 81. But in that year that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) had 81 more Democrats than Republicans, he spent $60 billion out of the Social Security trust fund. We are not doing that. We are balancing the budget. We are not raising taxes. We are not taking any money out of the Social Security trust fund. There is a big difference. We have accomplished some things that people did not believe could be accomplished, and we have done it with a very, very small majority and a Democrat in the White House. Mr. Speaker, let us pass this continuing resolution and get down to the real business of finishing the negotiations on the remaining bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this has been somewhat of a spirited conversation over a measure that we thought was going to move fairly quickly. I would join the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) in wishing we had completed this business 20 minutes ago, because it is important that we get this measure passed through the House. But it is difficult to sit here and listen to some of the political accusations that we have heard on almost every appropriations bill that has come before the House this year. It is difficult to sit here and listen to that and not feel inclined to respond. But I am not going to yield to that temptation. I am not going to respond to all of the political attacks that were made here. But I do want to say that the attacks that some Members of the other side like to make at our majority leadership, the Speaker of the House, the majority leader, the majority whip, are unfounded. They are unfair, because these gentlemen have worked hard to try to accomplish the work of this House. We have passed every appropriations bill in the House and in the Senate, we have passed every conference report in the House and in the Senate, and we are now dealing in that final phase where the President of the United States has decided to veto certain bills. So we are at a point where we are negotiating with the President to try to resolve our differences so that we can get new bills to him in a form that he will sign, because unless he signs them or unless we have the votes to override his vetoes, we have to reach an agreement and accommodation. That means both sides have to give a little. Our leadership met with the President just a few days ago, and they talked with him on the phone even more recently, and he agreed to this: That we would negotiate; that any additional funding that he requested that we would agree to that he would offer offsets to pay for it. Now, the negotiations began, and they began in earnest, and I would compliment Jack Lew, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He is a tough negotiator. When he tells you something, that is the way it is. Unfortunately, some of the things he told us we did not like because they were different than what the President told us. The President told us as we went along with spending or agreeing to spending the money that he requested that he would then offer offsets. Last night, several times at one of our lengthy meetings, I asked Mr. Lew what are the offsets? Mr. Lew refused to talk about the offsets, and to this minute in my presence has refused to talk about offsets; in other words, how do we pay for this additional spending in foreign aid.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant). (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the previous order of the House, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 75) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2000, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. J. Res. 75, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself one minute just to say that it is that kind of political poison that has caused the problem that we have in the House in trying to move appropriations legislation. This type of poison is passed on to the administration, and then they last week refused to even come to meetings to negotiate. We have finally gotten them to meetings and we are negotiating. But this kind of political diatribe does not really add to getting the job done, which is what we are trying to do. I would point out to that gentleman that this House has passed every appropriations bill, every conference report, and we are dealing with the vetoes that the President sent to us. The President is finally, finally, sending a representative down here to negotiate with us. The gentleman is really offbase. He is making his usual political speech, but all we are trying to do is get this continuing resolution passed which I thought we had agreed to do. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the current continuing resolution, under which the agencies that are funded in the five remaining uncompleted appropriations bills expires tomorrow night. Negotiations on these remaining bills are ongoing. However, I must say that while we are making some progress in our negotiations with the administration, they are going slow but sure. So it appears we will not be able to complete our agreements on these remaining bills for the next several days. As the CR that we are operating under presently expires at midnight tomorrow night, the joint resolution before the House would extend the provisions of the current CR until November 10. I would have preferred that we would have been able to have completed our work by tomorrow night, but the issues involved require additional time to work out. In light of this situation, I urge all Members to support this extension. I would say again that we have been spending early mornings, long days, and late nights in negotiation with the representatives from the President's office, and we are making progress. The meetings are and have been constructive, and we do hope that we can finish our business sooner rather than later. I would also point out that this House has done a very good job of getting its appropriations matters considered. This will be the 32nd appropriations measure to be voted on in the House in preparing for fiscal year 2000. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have been pretty patient about all of these appropriations bills. The gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) is speaking out of order. He is not speaking to the issue before us. I think the gentleman should be compelled to constrain his remarks to the issue before us, and that is the continuing resolution.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, point of order.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have only one remaining speaker to close the debate, and so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Joint Resolution 46, which bestows honorary veteran status upon Mr. Zachary Fisher. Zach Fisher was a true American hero who spent most of his adult life working behind the scenes in support of the men and women he loved who served in our Nation's military. It is most fitting today that we grant honorary veteran status to a man who longed to serve our Nation. Unfortunately, a construction injury left Zach unable to serve on active duty. He was turned down by the services because of a serious knee injury when he tried to join the Marine Corps during World War II. Unable to serve on the battlefield, he sought other ways to help those he so envied who served here and abroad, in war and in peacetime. The American public has probably never heard or read of Zach Fisher's good will and generosity, but he wanted it that way. When 241 Marines died in the tragic 1983 Beirut bombing, Zach Fisher sent each of the victim's children a $10,000 check for their college education. The total for the 113 children was $1,130,000. When 47 U.S. sailors died in a 1989 accident aboard the USS Iowa, Zach Fisher sent each family who lost a loved one a check for $25,000 to help with their expenses at a very difficult time in their life. In all, with no public fanfare, the Fisher Armed Services Foundation has sent out checks to more than 600 families of service members who paid the ultimate price. It was Zach Fisher's way of saying thank you from a grateful nation and from a grateful Fisher family. His legacy of generosity and patriotism does not end there. Years ago, he learned of the plight of a wife of a seriously ill member of our military who could not afford a hotel room near the Bethesda Naval Medical Center. She had to ride two buses each way just to visit him at the hospital. Zach came up with the idea to build a house on the hospital's grounds where family members could stay and be near their loved ones in their greatest time of need. Today, there are 26 Fisher Houses on the grounds of U.S. military and veterans hospitals and two more under construction, including the first one abroad in Germany, where U.S. troops are stationed. These are beautiful homes that allow family members to be together at a most trying time in their lives. It is yet another way Zach Fisher and his family serve those who serve our Nation. To honor the legacy of courage and bravery with which Americans serve our country, one of Zach Fisher's greatest and proudest achievements was resurrecting the USS Intrepid into a living, floating museum. It took 17 years and more than $25 million to open the Intrepid Sea-Air- Space Museum, the world's largest marine museum, which is now docked in Manhattan's Hudson River. It is one of New York City's most popular tourist spots, and hosts more than 600,000 visitors annually. Every May, it has become a New York tradition to kick off Fleet Week activities with a parade of ships from all over the world, usually watched over by Zach Fisher aboard the deck of the Intrepid. Oftentimes, he was joined by former presidents and our Nation's highest ranking military leaders. They all recognize how much Zach Fisher and his wife Elizabeth have given to our Nation's service members. They know his gifts came from the heart. He never sought public recognition for his good deeds, just as those who fought on the ground, in the air and at sea never sought public recognition for their acts of bravery. For all his quiet yet good work, President Clinton awarded Zach Fisher the 1998 Medal of Freedom, one of our Nation's highest civilian honors. Mr. Speaker, Zach Fisher's largess went far beyond those who serve in uniform. He loved children and several years ago he learned of a program at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to care for a small population of special children of service members. The Department of Defense brings these children with severe physical problems and learning disorders together at Lackland to meet their special educational needs. When Zach Fisher learned that this program was housed in two old World War II quonset huts, he decided to do something about it. Today, we have the Admiral Jeremy Boorda Center for Children with Special Needs; a brand new, state-of-the-art facility that provides the best care possible for these children. One of the two Fisher Houses now under construction will serve as a Children's Inn for the families of children being cared for at the Boorda Center. In addition to his concern for our Nation's youngest citizens, Zach also was concerned about the terrible toll that Alzheimer's has taken on older Americans. He responded as only he could by establishing the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at the Rockefeller University in New York. This world renowned facility is sponsoring leading-edge research into the causes of and cures for Alzheimer's disease. As my colleagues can see, Zach Fisher never responded in a small way to a problem. He confronted problems large and small with the same spirit and energy and he always got results. In the end, those results have meant a better quality of life for the families of service members, for children and for older Americans. Mr. Speaker, the military coalition which represents all of our Nation's major veterans organizations has endorsed this legislation because they know how much Zach Fisher loved veterans and gave to our service members. I want to commend my colleague from New York Carolyn Maloney, for introducing this resolution, and my good friend from Illinois Henry Hyde for joining with me as an original cosponsor as we honor this unique special American. We all share a certain sense of sadness that Zach Fisher died last June before we could complete action on this legislation. His life-long dream was to join those he most loved as a veteran of our U.S. services. Today, for just the second time in our nation's history, we grant that special status as an honorary veteran. The Military Coalition, which represents all of our nation's major veterans service organizations, has endorsed this legislation because they know how much Zach Fisher loved veterans and gave to our service members. Mr. Speaker, when I first heard about Zack Fisher, I told many of my colleagues that this person was just too good to be true. There couldn't be anyone doing as much for his nation so quietly and with so little fan fare. It wasn't until I first met Zach Fisher that I found out he was even more kind and caring than the reports I had received. Nothing brought a bigger smile to his face than a hug or handshake from an enlisted service member or from a child visiting the INTREPID. Today I know Zach Fisher is looking down upon this House with that same glowing smile as a grateful nation says thank you to a true American hero who devoted his life and his generosity to our service members. He now stands shoulder to shoulder with all those past, present, and future who wear the uniform and who will forever be honored as veterans of our great country.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague from Florida, Karen Thurman, for calling this special order today to honor Dr. John Lombardi, the outgoing President of the University of Florida. Dr. Lombardi has served the University of Florida with distinction as president for the past 9 years. During this time, he has taken the university to new national levels of excellence, from the classroom, to the research laboratories, to the athletic fields. The number of National Merit Scholars attending the university has more than doubled during his presidency. Private gifts to the university have increased by almost two-thirds and research and development funds from Federal, State, and private sources have more than doubled. And we all know of the university's prowess on the athletic fields under Dr. Lombardi's presidency. The Gators won national championships in football, men's golf, women's tennis, women's soccer, and numerous Southeastern Conference championships in a wide range of sports. On a personal note, my colleagues should know how diligently Dr. Lombardi has worked with Congress on behalf of our great State of Florida and its university system. One dream of Dr. Lombardi, which I had the opportunity to assist with through my work on the Appropriations Committee, was the creation of the Brain Institute. Through his work and dedication on this project, the University of Florida now hosts an institute which will lead to critical new medical research and technological breakthroughs to help generations of people throughout our Nation and the world. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Lombardi has served our State, the University of Florida, its faculty and students honorably and with a conviction these past nine years. He has been an outstanding ambassador for the university with the Florida congressional delegation and I want to say how much we appreciate his dedication and how much we will miss his hard work and his friendship. Thank you Dr. Lombardi for your service and I join with my colleagues from Florida in wishing you and your wife Cathryn all the best as you continue your work to improve the quality of education for our Nation's students.