C. Young

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, again, this continuing resolution merely extends the date of the previous CR until February 20 to give us time to conclude the conference meetings. For those who were not on the floor when I made the point before, what I am holding in my hand here is not a copy of the bill. It is a copy of the thousands of differences that we have in this bill between the two bodies. We are closing in on this. We plan to have the conference meeting on Monday evening. I would really not like to interrupt the process that is ongoing now that looks like it might give us a successful conclusion. So when we get to the issue of the motion to recommit with instructions, I would hope that the membership would understand that we are at that delicate stage now. We are about to wrap up the fiscal year 2003 business. We are already beginning the fiscal year 2004 process. Let us defeat the motion to recommit with instructions. I compliment my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). Every one of his motions to instruct is really appetizing and they are really inviting and they are really votes that you would like to cast; and he works hard at developing these really good motions. I would make a deal with him if we cannot conclude this by the 20th, then I think we will give serious consideration to his next motion to instruct, but I really feel confident that we are going to conclude this with this last CR. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that we defeat the motion to instruct and that we pass the CR; and hopefully the next time Members see me here at this microphone, I will be promoting a conference report that we will all love to hate. I do not think any of us are going to like it, but it will be a way to conclude the fiscal year 2003 appropriations bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

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 the motion to go to conference on House Joint Resolution 2, making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2003, and for other purposes, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for his comments. At one point I actually suggested that we keep our side of the conference very, very small, meaning the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and myself, and maybe one other be conferees, but that did not work.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I think I said all that needs to be said, and I would like to advise the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), my friend, I really do not have any other speakers on the subject; so I am going to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to make the case very strongly that a ``no'' vote on this motion to instruct does not deny any of the things that have been discussed today. It does not approve them; it does not deny them. A ``no'' vote allows us to have total flexibility as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I lead this conference committee into a final solution for fiscal year 2003. I listened to the debate, and I have a hard time disagreeing with things that I have heard. But as I said, a ``no'' vote does not deny any of that. So, Mr. Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to reject this motion to instruct. Let us go to conference, and let us bring the best bill that we possibly can back here for consideration by the House. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 2) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2003, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the effort that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) is making here, and I would say that these are some of the items that we will definitely be dealing with as we go to conference. But for those Members who have followed the budget and the appropriations process for fiscal year 2003, they will recognize that we really have accomplished somewhat of a miracle to be where we are today, ready to appoint conferees so we can go to conference with the Senate. If we agreed with the bill that the other body has sent to us as an amendment to our continuing resolution, we could just agree to their amendment today and our business for fiscal year 2003 would be concluded, and I would tell Members that I do not think the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I could be happier if that were the case. But the fact is, as we study that bill, it is not a bill that we can agree with; so it is essential that we go to conference. The Senate had to reduce the bills that they had reported from their committee by $9 billion just to get to the top number that a majority of Members have agreed to. In addition to that, they are going to have to make some additional changes because even though they are at the top number, there are many things in the bills that our committee reported that are not in their bill, and they have included things in their bill that were not in our bill, so we have a lot of work to do. So as we go to conference, we need flexibility. We need to be able to negotiate, to move, to make decisions, and to bring back to this House a responsible omnibus appropriations bill, for fiscal year 2003 and conclude the business for fiscal year 2003 because fiscal year 2004 is approaching us like a runaway train, and thus we will be beginning fiscal year 2004 activities almost immediately. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) does not need to have this motion to instruct conferees. He and I will lead a very strong conference team to meet with our counterparts in the other body. I will be speaking for the majority side, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) will be speaking for the minority side. He and I are partners. We will go into this conference knowing where we want to end up and knowing what we have to do to end up there. We actually do not need a motion to instruct conferees. If for some reason the conference committee got bogged down, maybe we would need a motion to instruct, but I do not think that is going to happen. I have worked very closely with the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and we believe that we have the ability to reach agreements on very difficult decisions. Because of that, I think today is not a good time to instruct conferees. I would say at a later date if that becomes necessary that maybe I would agree to it. Today I ask Members to reject this motion to instruct.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we are rightfully proud in the Tampa Bay area of our team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; and I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis), my colleague from Tampa and my neighbor, for introducing this resolution calling attention to the tremendous success of the team. Also, Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to compliment both teams. I know we had the Raiders, their team and their coach, and we had the Buccaneers, our team and our coach. They gave America, and especially America's sports fans, a tremendous Sunday afternoon. It was exciting. It was an exciting time and the challenge was real, and the Buccaneers really came through; and as my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam), said, we had a dry season for quite a while, but we finally made it. In the few seconds that I have left, I wanted to make this comment, that since I have been in the Congress, many people have told me to quit talking so much about national defense because I have been here preaching about a strong national defense ever since I came here many years ago; but I think Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved there ain't nothing like a good defense. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, we do not have a real argument here because we are not opposed to providing this funding, and the only difference we have is that it does not belong on a CR. It belongs in the 2003 final bill, or it belongs in the supplemental which will be coming very quickly. So what I would suggest is that we defeat this motion, we pass the CR, and then we get prepared to finish up the fiscal 2003 appropriations business. Again, as I pointed out in my earlier comments, I think what is happening here is that we are trying to create an argument where no argument really exists. We believe in homeland security and first responders as strongly as anybody else. We have already proven that. We have taken the lead in that. President Bush has taken the lead in that. We have done a good job as the majority party in leading this Congress to deal with the preemption of, and the need to respond to, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorist attacks or whatever else we may have to face. And we still recognize the need to do more. Now, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. But the funding that is called for in this motion is going to be addressed but it does not belong on a CR. Let us kill the motion, let us pass the CR, and then get along with the rest of our business.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, and I was happy to yield to my friend from Wisconsin, but I would point out the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I sat down with our counterparts in the Senate and we produced a bill of $40 billion that was, I think, passed unanimously in the House and I believe in the Senate as well, to make money immediately available to the first responders, to FEMA, to police, to firemen, to whoever needed the money after September 11th. As a matter of fact, we did something very unusual, Mr. Speaker. Of the $40 billion, we allowed the executive branch to use immediately $10 billion with no strings attached to respond to September 11th, to respond to terrorism, and to do what had to be done immediately. Then we gave them an additional $10 billion that they could basically do whatever they wanted to with, but there were a few congressional strings. We just required that they report to us on what they were doing with that $10 billion. So the Congress responded rapidly. The Administration moved quickly. Then the other $20 billion, the second half of the $40 billion, we allocated through the appropriations process; but we asked the executive branch to suggest to the Congress how that money should be used. We did have some differences, but we worked out a plan that I think worked fairly well. Now, there is a lot more that needs to be done. September 11 was something that many people in this country had never seen before. I think the only thing that really compares to September 11 was December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked and we went to war in World War II. But, Mr. Speaker, this President responded well. This Congress responded well. The agencies of the government responded well. FEMA responded well. The folks in New York responded well, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia responded well, and Pennsylvania responded well when Flight 93 went into the ground. The Nation mobilized and responded very well. So we are creating an argument here where there is no argument. But maybe that is part of the process. You have to have an argument no matter what you do. I want to get this CR passed from here today, and I want to get it off the deck; and then I want to be able to proceed to the conference on the final bill for fiscal year 2003 where we will again address first responder-type issues as well as practically everything else in the government, except for defense and military construction, which have already passed and have already become law. So let us pass this CR today. Let us defeat the motion that would slow down the process, that would make this an appropriations bill as opposed to a continuing resolution. Let us do that and then get on with our business.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, the gentleman just touched a sore spot, there is no doubt about that. The Congress and the President had a little different opinion on that particular bill. But I wanted to comment on the remarks the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) who just spoke. He said that this is a national responsibility. Mr. Speaker, protecting the homeland, being able to respond to a terrorist attack or whatever the threat might be threatens everybody, not just the national government, not just the State governments, not just the local governments. But the response to a terrorist attack has to be a partnership. The local governments have a responsibility to do things that they do far better and far more effectively than the Federal Government. We need the ability that is provided by local governments and local organizations and local first responders. In addition, we need the partnership with the States because the States do certain things that we cannot do nearly as well, and then, of course, the Federal Government has a major responsibility. So this is not just a national obligation or responsibility. This is a partnership. We all have to be in position to play our respective roles in responding to a terrorist attack or preventing a terrorist attack. We all have to work together. It is not just the Federal Government. And so, again, I go back to this, Mr. Speaker, let us get this continuing resolution through the House, down to the other body and to the President, and then hopefully, during that same time period, we will be able to conference the final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003, and then we will clear the decks for a supplemental and for the 2004 appropriations business. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would advise my colleagues that I have no further requests for speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and congratulate her. This is the first chance I have had to congratulate her publicly for her ascension in a historic way to the high position of leadership of her party. However, what it means is that she has removed herself from the committee that I have the privilege of chairing. And I would say that while we did not always agree, it was always a very distinct pleasure to work with her as a member of the Committee on Appropriations. So I would say to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) that we will miss her, but I am sure we are going to see her a lot during the 108th Congress. I listened to her statement, and I appreciate the fact that she used the picture, as well as the previous speaker's use of the picture, of President Bush standing alongside a firefighter at Ground Zero in New York City. President Bush responded quickly and effectively to September 11th. No one can even challenge that. I think maybe what is happening here today, while we are talking about a continuing resolution, is a lot of debate that has to do with the regular appropriations bill. Maybe we are trying to make an argument where no argument exists. As I listened to the gentleman from New Jersey talking about the first responders at the local level, he is absolutely right. He made the point far more effectively than I did when I mentioned the importance of first responders. The people on the scene, the people in the cities, the people in the counties, are going to respond first to any event that is of a terrorist nature or a weapons-of-mass- destruction nature. They are going to respond. And they do need the support and the help of the Federal Government and of the State governments. The States have some responsibilities as well. So we are arguing about something that doesn't really need arguing about. The problem is the motion to instruct by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) will be dealing with an appropriations issue and this bill is a continuing resolution, that just continues funding at last year's level. It does not create any new programs. It does not appropriate any new money. The final bill for fiscal year 2003 that we will be dealing with is available to deal with first responders. But I want to get back to September 11th and this picture. Again, I say I appreciate the fact that the minority used the picture of President Bush, because he did respond. He responded in a local way, in a State way, in a national way, and in an international way. Please, do not take the picture away. It encourages me when I look at it. The President did a really good job, but he did it in partnership with the Congress. Right after September 11th occurred, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) and I sat down with our counterparts in the other body, and we came up with an appropriations bill, an emergency appropriations bill, of $40 billion.

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

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us, H.J. Resolution 13, is a continuing resolution to continue to allow the government to operate through February 7th of this year. This is merely a date extension. It does not change anything else. We have not added any anomalies to those that were previously agreed to. We need to pass this CR today for one very simple reason. If I can just go back quickly and remember, the last CR we passed, we actually passed two CRs, one that was sent to the President to allow the government to continue to function, and the other that was sent to the other body to be used as a vehicle for the final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003. The other body has now worked its will on that CR. They have added to it, the remaining 11 appropriation bills that had not been concluded prior to the adjournment of the 107th Congress. We are still awaiting the paperwork from the other body so that we can appoint conferees and go to conference on that package. I would say to my friends that there are many differences between the Senate version of this appropriations bill and the House version, so there will have to be a conference. If we can receive those papers expeditiously, like today or tomorrow, we will move to go to conference immediately. Some of the pre- conference work has already been done, but there is still a lot more to be done, so we are anxious to receive the papers. But since we are not to that point yet in the process, we do need this CR to keep the government up and running until February 7th. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the rule just adopted, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 13) making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2003, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. Mr. Speaker, I do so to explain to the Members that first responders are extremely important to dealing with any kind of a terrorist attack that might occur anywhere in the United States of America. And we will be addressing the issue of first responders when we do the final appropriations bill, which I have talked about in my opening remarks. But I want to compliment the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) because he has been very personally involved in identifying not only the needs of first responders but the needs of existing security agencies, and police agencies. And as he pointed out, he and I both did a very thorough survey of all of the needs of those agencies, especially the FBI, for example. Those will be the things that we will be addressing very shortly in the final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003. I appreciate his interests and I know they are genuine, but we are going to deal with them in the regular order. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston), a member of the committee.

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

Mr. YOUNG of Florida

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 House Joint Resolution 13, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.