John Yarmuth

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Minnesota, the distinguished president of our class, for yielding and thank him for the superb job he has done in leading us through this wonderful year that we are spending as new Members of Congress. I want to start this segment by actually reading the first few words of the Constitution of the United States because too often I find that, as I go around the country and go around my district, the people have lost sight and I think many Members of Congress have lost sight of exactly what the Founding Fathers did 220 years ago. I think we are all familiar with the preamble of the Constitution, and it starts with those wonderful words ``We the people,'' those incredible words that actually go to the heart of what we are about as a democracy: ``We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'' Now, following those words, following that brief preamble, it says in article I, section 1: ``All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.'' I think it's amazing to think back to what was going on in those formative years of our Republic in 1787. The country had just rebelled against a monarch in England, and when they were establishing a government that would reflect the hopes and dreams of the people who had gone through that incredible war of revolution against England, they decided to create a government in which the ultimate power would rest in the people. That's why they said at beginning of the preamble, ``We the people.'' They created in article I the representative body of government that we sit in today. They did that because they didn't want one person being the decider of everything that affected their lives. They wanted to vest the power to govern in themselves through their representatives in Congress. And so we sit here as successors to that incredible legacy. And it is not only our power to do that vested by the Constitution in article I; it is our responsibility. We have an obligation to govern on behalf of our citizens, ``we the people,'' as reflected in our representation here. I think those of us who were elected for the first time last November know that, yes, we were elected partially because of the war in Iraq, but we were also elected because the people of the country decided that they really wanted to make sure their voice was heard in Washington. They thought their voice was being ignored. They said this is our government. We are going to change it by sending people there who will listen to us and will put our desires into action through the legislative process. So I thought it would be wonderful to call attention to the fact that article I does impose, again, not just these powers, but it also imposes responsibilities. And that's what we came here to do, and we recognize that. We want everyone in Congress, both parties, to share in this acknowledgment of what our responsibilities are under the Constitution. I am so proud to have with me tonight and so proud to serve with wonderful people who are committed to the same ideals. I would like to recognize Betty Sutton from Ohio, one of our wonderful new Members, to elaborate on article I and what we are doing to realize and to fulfill our responsibilities under article I.

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman. I would now like to recognize another colleague, another member of the freshman class and the first president of our class and also a member with me on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where I think we perform one of the major powers and responsibilities that article I vests in the Congress: the function of oversight.

Mr. YARMUTH. I would like to recognize my colleague from New Hampshire with a question. And that is, we are about to engage in a fairly contentious series of votes concerning appropriations measures. According to article I, section 8, one of the most important powers that this Congress has is the power of the purse. As a matter of fact, in another Federalist Paper, number 58, James Madison said that, ``This power over the purse may, in fact, be regarded as the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people, for obtaining a redress from every grievance, and from carrying into effect every just and salutary measure.'' As we look forward to our deliberations and our discussions of the appropriations process, I would like the gentleman from New Hampshire to discuss our responsibilities in that regard.

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire. I would like to yield to the gentleman from New York, with this segue; that we all come from different parts of the country. Isn't it amazing that the Constitutional Convention in its wisdom, the Founding Fathers, I think recognized that even if you had an all-powerful executive, that person, that man or woman could never know the needs and the priorities of every nook and cranny of the country and that you coming from New York or from New Hampshire or Ohio or Florida would all assimilate all of our needs and priorities into a budget and a priority list for the Nation. That is why he vested this type of power in the Congress and not in the executive branch.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, we have just about 5 minutes left, so I thought all my colleagues would like a last chance to talk about what article I means to them and where they think we in this Congress can do our best work in furtherance of the goals of article I.

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentlewoman. Finally, our president.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and I thank all my colleagues. It has been a wonderful hour. I think the dialogue we have had tonight not only discusses an important issue, but also reflects the greatness of the Founding Fathers because it created this body in which we can have this type of discussion. So I thank my colleagues once again. We will have many more discussions like this.

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes). And now, Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce one of our more illustrious new Members, Mr. Hall from New York, who has done a great deal in his term of office to uphold article I.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, when President Bush vetoed a bill earlier this month that would provide health care coverage to 10 million American children, he said the spending was excessive. The bipartisan bill invested $35 billion more in children's health over a 5-year period. Three weeks later, President Bush announces that he needs $196 billion to fight the war in Iraq over the next year. If $35 billion for children's health is excessive, what exactly is his request for the war? I know the President believes that Congress is his personal ATM machine, but article I of the Constitution says different, and we will not rubber-stamp his funding request for the war. As we have in the past, Democrats will continue to exert pressure on the administration to change course in Iraq so that we can begin to bring the troops home. There is no military solution to the war; yet the Bush administration refuses to put pressure on the Iraqi Government to enact the political reforms that are necessary to bring about stability in the country. While we push the administration to change course in Iraq, we also remain firm in our conviction to pass the children's health care bill that covers 10 million American children.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, 220 years ago when the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution of the United States, they chose to create the United States Congress in its first article. That was their way of ensuring that we did try to form a more perfect Union. Over the last few decades, Presidents and Congresses of both parties, through action and inaction, have allowed our system of checks and balances to go quite askew. Many of us believe that it has reached a tipping point. That is why we will over the next few weeks and months talk about article I, the article of the Constitution which vests all legislative power in a Congress of the United States elected by the people. The Founding Fathers did not want to see peoples' lives be decided by one decider. They vested their power in the people through their representatives. Over the next few months, we hope to help reassert the authority that the Founding Fathers envisioned for this body.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, last week Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who led our forces in Iraq when the vast majority of the American public had yet to turn against the war, emphatically agreed with those of us who criticized the invasion and occupation from the start. In calling the situation a ``nightmare,'' Lieutenant General Sanchez referred to the ``unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership.'' But from what I have seen from my seat on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, with all due respect to the Lieutenant General, he is wrong. The administration isn't failing to implement the strategic leadership needed to bring peace to the region and protect our young men and women risking their lives in Iraq; they are refusing. David Walker, U.S. Comptroller General, said that widespread corruption is robbing Iraq of the resources to develop the government and is funding the very insurgency we are fighting. Rather than working to end or mend this catastrophe, the State Department has instructed its officials not to cooperate. Instead of using the ``Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq'' report to rectify the problem, they classified it retroactively, giving the impression that honest information is seen by this administration as politically embarrassing rather than constructive. Mr. Speaker, regardless of how they see it, they owe it to the American people not to ignore factors that endanger our soldiers, jeopardize Iraqi stability, and squander upwards of $18 billion due to corruption. In today's terms, that is 2\1/2\ years of health care for 4 million children through SCHIP. But this isn't merely a case of ignoring crucial information. Our government is actually covering up the rampant corruption, which Inspector General Bowen has referred to as ``a second insurgency.'' With article I of the Constitution, our Nation's Founders protected us against this abuse by calling for a representative government with all legislative powers vested in the hands of a Congress. By defying that mandate, the Bush administration is defying the American people. So I call on the President to return to those Constitutional principles by dropping the veil of secrecy and restoring the open, honest government envisioned by the Framers, demanded by the people, and depended upon by our soldiers. Mr. Speaker, saying ``supporting the troops'' is one thing, but following through with actions is something entirely different. That means admitting our deficiencies so that we can correct them. For the 3,820 warriors we lost in Iraq, and for the more than 165,000 serving there today on the ground, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 734, and call on the administration to level with us and support our troops abroad.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the chairman. And I also want to thank Mr. Boucher and Mr. Pence for inviting me to become an original cosponsor of this important piece of legislation. As the only member of the Society of Professional Journalists in Congress and as a former journalist, I fully understand how assurances of anonymity put a frightened insider at ease and turn a reluctant source into an eye-opening wealth of information. At my newspaper in Louisville, we were able to open doors for the community on several occasions due to confidential accounts of protected sources which would have otherwise remained closed to us forever. Also, at Louisville, we saw what happens when we fail to protect a source's identity. There, Jeffrey Wigand, the famous tobacco whistle-blower, was victimized by threats and intimidation, ultimately losing his job, his family and his home. He is considered a hero today, but for many the lesson from that episode was, if you have incriminating information that will benefit the American public, just keep it to yourself. The first amendment to the Constitution demands the right to free press. Now it falls on Congress to help facilitate that freedom pursuant to our authority vested in us by the first article of the Constitution. And speaking of article I of the Constitution, the article vests all legislative power in the Congress of the United States. It doesn't ask us to ask the White House first whether it approves of what we do. It actually imposes on us, not just the right, but the responsibility to legislate in the best interests of the country. And that's what we are doing with this legislation. Without the Free Flow of Information Act, we, as a country, will be in the dark on certain issues, conscientious journalists will be imprisoned, and potential sources will remain tight lipped. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this crucial measure.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, last week President Bush vetoed a bipartisan bill enacted pursuant to the authority vested in Congress by article I of the Constitution that would provide private health insurance to 10 million low-income children here in America. His reason, the bill was too big. While the President refuses to fund health care for our Nation's low- income children, he has no problem sending billions of dollars to Iraq with absolutely no questions asked. Today alone, the President will spend $300 million funding the occupation of Iraq. With that money, we could insure 246,000 low-income kids. Over the next month, the President will spend a whopping $9 billion in Iraq, which would allow us to insure 7.4 million kids. Mr. Speaker, time and time again, congressional Republicans have approved blank checks for the President to send billions to Iraq, and now they are concerned about $35 billion for improving the lives of 10 million low-income children? It is time they reevaluate their priorities and join us next week in overriding President Bush's veto.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lance Corporal Robert Lynch who was taken from us far too soon when he and two other Marines were killed in Iraq by an IED. In Louisville, the hearts of his family and friends are full of grief as they mourn this tremendous loss, but we are also full of pride as we celebrate the life of an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice. Robbie's heroism began well before his service in the Marines. At a young age, he conquered Tourette syndrome and became a charismatic joker, an eloquent poet and a caring and empathetic young man. At Seneca High School, he enrolled in the ROTC as a freshman, becoming an instant favorite among the faculty and his classmates alike. In fact, to many, it seemed Robbie was friends with everyone, classmates, teachers, administrators, clerks, everyone. And in Robbie, or Jax, as he nicknamed himself, they had a friend who would send people into hysterics when times were light or cut through the tension with a joke that lightened the mood. In Iraq he used that sense of humor to keep up the spirits and morale of his fellow warriors. But people were drawn to Robbie for more than his affability. Robbie was also the one you knew you could depend on, the one you would go to if you needed help, support or simply a friend. That sentiment was shared by the many at home who loved him and those who served with him in Okinawa in the 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. Robbie dreamed of going to Hollywood to sing. He wrote songs and poems that expressed, among other things, his passion for justice and freedom. Tragically, his devotion to service eclipsed his artistic aspirations, and that dream will not be realized. Still, his words remain with us, and I'd like to share just a few. He wrote, ``I don't plan on being a hero to the world. I just want to try to help make it a better one.'' Clearly, Robbie underestimated himself, for in just 20 short years on the planet we are better for having him here, and he is a hero to us all. Today I'm introducing legislation to rename the Fairdale, Kentucky, Post Office the Lance Corporal Robert A. Lynch Memorial Post Office, so that it may stand as a testament to his heroics and strong character. For his selfless devotion to all of us in the United States, he deserves our recognition and thanks. For their sacrifice, his family deserves our support. We are poorer for the loss of him but we, as a community and a country, are better off for the short time we had him. I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring Lance Corporal Robert Lynch, a patriot, a poet, and a good man.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 928, the Improving Government Accountability Act. Because America's Founders were freshly freed from the shackles of British oppression when they formed this Nation, safeguards against the consolidation of power into the hands of a few can be found everywhere in the Constitution, beginning with article I; 220 years later, we still must strive for those checks and balances in order to form the more perfect union the Founding Fathers envisioned. For nearly 30 years, 1978's Inspector General Act provided much of the oversight required for our government to function as the Forefathers imagined, but today, some Inspectors General would rather impede oversight than conduct it. What else should we expect when we have no protections from the protectors? We have unaccountable appointees in nearly every executive Department and agency, and many serve not to prevent corruption but to preserve it. These are not cases of individuals merely failing to fulfill their job descriptions, but actually instigating the waste, fraud and abuse the American people pay them to ward off. These unchecked appointees have hindered valid investigations, siphoned tax dollars for personal pleasures, and refused to uphold accountability for fellow political appointees. Honest civil servants who have dedicated their lives to improving our government are victims of intimidation, threats and termination. And despite these blatant offenses, our hands are tied. There is no line of defense for the American people. We have gone far astray from the noble aims of this Republic. And let me be clear, this is not a simple case of a few bad apples. The abuses within the Inspectors General offices were invited by the cracks in a failing structure, and they will continue to grow unless we, in this body, take steps to fix the crumbling construction. The Improving Government Accountability Act begins to correct these weaknesses and in so doing fulfills the intent of the Inspector General Act of 1978 and once again upholds the integrity of this Nation's proud creation. The Founders were very clear from the first article of the Constitution in which they granted all legislative powers not to an executive with a consolidated power, but to the Congress. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in utilizing the authority to preserve the checks and balances that our Constitution's crafters held so dear.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct honor to rise today in recognition of my good friend and a great citizen of my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Owsley Brown II, as we mark the end of his 46- year career at Brown-Forman. In Louisville, Owsley is well known for his success in business. He worked his way up to the top of his family business, and his leadership turned it into a giant in the wine and spirits industry. That fact is all the more astounding, considering that among the top companies in the industry 50 years ago, only his Brown-Forman remains a leader in the field. The global expansion has taken the company to heights only dreamed of back then, and the branding under his watch was absolutely unprecedented. Jack Daniel's, a tiny acquisition of a half century ago, has practically superseded the term whisky itself. But in Kentucky, of course, we take the most pride in Brown-Forman's home-grown bourbons: Early Times, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. Owsley Brown's reputation in business comes not only from making money, but from creating an environment in which people want to work. Owsley himself takes great pride in the fact that the average tenure at Brown-Forman, 14 years, is three times the average for a Fortune 500 Company. The reason for this is simple. For many of these employees, Owsley Brown gave them more than a job; he gave them a home. But Owsley's place in our community only begins with what happens in the walls and barrels at Brown-Forman Corporation. Through the philanthropy of Brown-Forman, Owsley set the standard for what it means to be a good corporate citizen. His commitment to social responsibility can be seen throughout his work for the Century Council, of which Brown-Forman is a founding member, and in every facet of Louisville life. His dedication to the arts has been critical to Louisville's developing a scene in which music, theater, independent film and visual arts of every stripe have thrived, helping to forge our community's unique and exciting character. His philanthropic devotion to health care has helped make Louisville home to some of the best facilities, doctors, and medical innovation in the world. What's more, as Owsley helped to make Louisville a vibrant 21st- century city, he never lost sight of the need to preserve Kentucky's natural beauty. In fact, he has served as a powerful force in protecting land from overdevelopment, particularly along Louisville's scenic riverfront. Long before conservation hit the mainstream, Brown- Forman began implementing policies to reduce the company's environmental footprint and enhance the environment around us. So as Owsley took Brown-Forman to new heights worldwide, our community reaped the rewards. We are fortunate in Louisville, for even as a corporation sees its leader pass the torch into other capable hands, Mr. Brown remains one of our most generous and responsible citizens. His triumph and business exceeds the success of the bottom line. The true achievement he oversaw and engineered was creating a company of fine character and impeccable integrity, just like the man himself. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring my good friend, Owsley Brown, thanking him for all he has done and wishing him luck as he enters this next chapter of life. Owsley, you and Christy now have time to see the world, and I have no doubt that you will use that time to change it.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. With brave American soldiers dying in record numbers, I have just two questions for the President: Just whose posteriors are we kicking? And how do you know? With Sunnis and Shiites killing themselves and each other, plus an incompetent Maliki government, we don't know who we are fighting much less where we are kicking them. And while we are tied up in Iraq, al Qaeda thrives in Pakistan and Afghanistan. So the President's turn of phrase will go into the Blooper Hall of Fame with other Bush golden oldies, like ``last throes,'' ``links to al Qaeda,'' and ``mission accomplished.'' There was a time when American success meant defeating Nazis, tearing down communism's iron curtain, and walking on the Moon. Supporting our troops meant honest safeguards, not trash talk. How low have our standards fallen when the President points to the debacle he created and says, ``This is what I am proud of''? Most Americans believe in a country that is capable of much higher standards. And if America were really kicking butt, the President wouldn't need to say anything. Everyone would know it.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, the President recently boasted that we were ``kicking ass in Iraq.'' With brave Americans dying in record numbers, I have two questions for the President. Point of Order

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise to salute the life of a good friend and great public servant. William E. McAnulty, Jr., lost his battle with lung cancer on August 23. His passing marks the culmination of an incredible life: the son of an Indiana mailman became the first African American to be elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court. He will be missed not only by his wonderful family--wife Kristi, sons Patrick and William III, daughters Katheryn and Shannon, and father William E. McAnulty--but by legions of friends and admirers who loved him for his incredible wit, his lively intelligence, and his unwavering commitment to justice throughout society. Bill, or Judge Mac as he was belovedly known, was born in Indianapolis in 1947. He received his B.A. from Indiana University and both his masters and J.D. degrees from the University of Louisville. He was first elected to the bench in 1975 as a judge in Jefferson County Juvenile Court. Two years later he was elected to the Jefferson County District Court, and then he was selected by Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr., to serve as Secretary of the Justice Cabinet in 1980. Following his service in Frankfort, Bill was once again elected to the bench, this time to the Jefferson Circuit Court, where he served until 1998, when he became the first African American to be elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals. In June, 2006, McAnulty was appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to succeed Justice Martin E. Johnstone, who was retiring. Then last fall, he was elected to that post. While he tried to play down the significance of being the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, he was well aware of what his accomplishment meant. Upon his swearing in, he said that other African Americans ``will understand this door is open and they are able like any other lawyer or judge to enter.'' But McAnulty was not like any other lawyer or judge. He was universally recognized and applauded for his fairness, his patience, and his disarming sense of humor. When he learned that he had cancer that had spread to his brain and was to undergo surgery, he said his only fear was that he would ``wake up as Clarence Thomas or a UK fan.'' Justice McAnulty was frequently the recipient of professional honors, including the Henry V. Pennington Outstanding Judge of the Year in 1997, awarded by the Kentucky Trial Attorneys. Unfortunately, no simple biography can adequately describe the person under the black robe. Bill was one of those rare individuals who was equally comfortable with princes and paupers, and who never thought about the difference. I was fortunate to know him for more than 25 years, and most recently, as we both campaigned last year, I saw firsthand how deeply he cared about the least among us, and how steadfast was his commitment to combat injustice wherever he saw it. I know he would have seen some kind of cosmic irony in the fact that his crowning achievement would have ended so quickly, but while his tenure on the Kentucky Supreme Court was short, his legacy to Kentucky justice will endure forever.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to allow 5 legislative days in which Members may revise and extend and place extraneous material relevant to the conference report on H.R. 2669 into the Record.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, President Bush continues to ignore reality in Iraq, instead glossing over the deteriorating situation while asking for more money from Congress and more personal sacrifice from our troops. A report released by the White House in July claimed that progress had been made on eight of the 18 benchmarks mandated by the Congress. But a new, unbiased report from the GAO shows that the situation is even worse than the White House led us to believe. According to the GAO report, Iraq has failed to meet all but three of the 18 benchmarks required for political and military progress in Iraq. Some of the report's most disconcerting findings include the fact that the capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved and that violence remains high. Madam Speaker, with the release of this discouraging and objective report, Republicans in this body must decide whether to continue rubber-stamping the President's failed policy in Iraq or begin working with Democrats to bring our troops home.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. I thank the gentleman. I would like to follow up on something to which you alluded because I think it's really important. This Congress has not only taken on a lot of new initiatives and has tried to deal with substantial problems that face this country and our people, but it has also made up for a lot of lost ground and a lot of inactivity in prior Congresses. And we hate to sound partisan around here, and I know the American people don't want us to be partisan, they want us to work together, and I think we have tried to work together and to reach out, but the fact remains that over the last 6 years the Congress did not do a lot of the things that it was supposed to do. We've seen the impact in a lot of ways. We've seen the impact on our budget, where we have increased the Federal debt, the national debt by $3 trillion, 50 percent over the last 6 years. That's because the previous Congresses were not doing their fiscal accounting the right way. We've seen time after time, program after program, you mentioned veterans. We also had situations with education. We've had situations with health care where basic research that we were supposed to be funding has been cut. A lot of human services have been cut or zeroed out in past budgets. So we've not only had to take new initiatives, but we've had to make up for a lot of lost ground and programs that have affected a lot of Americans adversely. So we've had a lot to do. And another area we've had a lot to do, and this is, again, something you alluded to, my colleague from Minnesota has alluded to, is that we've had to finally provide the accountability for many of the operations of government which have basically gone unsupervised for the last 6 years. We've seen it time after time after time. We've seen it in the reconstruction effort in Iraq. We've seen it in cases of fraud and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid situations. We've seen it in the enforcement of coal mine safety rules. We've seen it in environmental regulations. Across the entire spectrum of government we have seen time after time where problems in the operation of government have basically gone unsupervised and unaccounted for. We have taken steps to do that. I hope that the American people all have the occasion, for instance, to read the new Rolling Stone where there is an article about all of the subcontracting, the private contracting in Iraq, and the billions and billions of dollars which have been lost or essentially stolen by fraudulent activities by contractors in no-bid contracts and in sweetheart contracts given to friends of the administration. Nobody was looking at these deals until this Congress decided to take action and look at them. And now we have tried to implement new contracting laws and new supervision so that the taxpayers' dollars are accounted for. This is what the Congress is supposed to do. This is what we're doing. Again, it comes to me as an incredible affront for the President of the United States to stand halfway around the world and say to the world that this Congress is not doing what it should be doing and that it is not functioning as effectively as the most dysfunctional parliament in the world, which is the Iraqi Parliament. I can't imagine what the American people would say if Speaker Pelosi or my colleague from Minnesota, or any one of our Members went to Australia or went to Iraq and compared President Bush unfavorably to Mr. Maliki. There would be an outcry unheard like anything in this country. And yet the President does it in Australia and criticizes this Congress. I hope the American people respond with the same degree of outrage which I think they would, and probably justifiably, if we were out there comparing him to Prime Minister Maliki. I would like to expand on that a little bit, just for the sake of having fun, since the President likes to be cute and have fun when he makes these statements. Since he was so interested in the Iraqi Parliament, let's talk about what the Iraqi Parliament has done with regard to some of the benchmarks that they were supposed to make progress on. We're going to get a report from General Petraeus in a few days. But the Government Accountability Office has already given us a report on the progress of the Iraqi Parliament, the one that Mr. Bush seems to appreciate so much. One of the benchmarks, enacting and implementing legislation on de- Baathification, nothing done. Laws were drafted, not passed. Enacting and implementing legislation to ensure the equitable distribution of hydrocarbon resources of the people of Iraq, none being considered by the Parliament. Enacting and implementing legislation on procedures to form semiautonomous regions, that one they did enact a law. Enacting and implementing legislation establishing an Independent High Electoral Commission, provincial elections law, provincial council authorities, and a date for provincial elections supporting laws, not enacted. Enacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty, no law drafted. Enacting and implementing legislation establishing a strong militia disarmament program to ensure that such security forces are accountable only to the central government and loyal to the constitution of Iraq, no laws drafted. Nothing done. So this is the great Iraqi Parliament that President Bush seems to appreciate when he is standing halfway across the world. The fact of the matter is, this Congress has acted. It has acted in so many areas that I am so proud to speak of and that my colleague has done such an excellent job of enumerating. But this Congress continues to work in education, in health care, in the environmental issues, and, yes, in Veterans Affairs, for the great heroes of our country to whom we made a critical promise when they decided to give their service. We had made a promise to them, and we haven't been keeping it. This Congress is going to make sure that we do keep it, even though prior Congresses and this administration is not. So again, I am very proud of the record that this Congress has assembled over the last 8 months. I am, again, ashamed of the President of the United States for what he said in Australia. But I hope he will come back. I hope he will realize that his legacy is going to depend, to a certain extent, on how he reaches out to us and deals with us over the next 15 months. The Constitution begins with article 1, which vests the legislative authority in this country in this body, not in him. Now, he doesn't seem to have read the Constitution. With 700 or so signing statements in which he said he is basically going to ignore what this Congress does with executive orders, vetoes, and virtually every other parliamentary procedure or technical procedure he can use to invalidate the work of this Congress, I think basically he has a lot to answer for, both to the American people and to us. The Constitution vests the legislative authority in this body. We are doing our job. We will continue to do our job. I ask the President and the Republicans on the other side of the aisle and in the other body to recognize that this is our job. We are the ones mentioned by article 1. We are mentioned first in the establishment of this government, and I think we will continue to act first in the interests of the American people.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Minnesota for yielding. And I want to join many of us in expressing my great empathy for him and the residents of his State who have gone through so much recently. And we all, I think, not only empathize but sympathize with what the people of Minnesota have had to go through, and I know we all stand ready to help in any way that we can. But my colleague is right, Mr. Speaker. When we all came to this body last year right after being elected and we all met for our orientation and, as freshmen, we met for the first time and started comparing notes, it was clear that we all came with pretty similar mandates. We were sent by our people to change what was going on in this country. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with energy problems. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with a dysfunctional health care system. We were sent by the people of this country to deal with the income and wealth inequality that has put such a strain on the great working families of this country and has seen the wealthiest people in America have their wealth increased by leaps and bounds while, as the census report just mentioned last week, 95 percent of the people in this country have not seen their standard of living improve over the last 6 years. We were sent by the people of this country to do something about the education system, to make sure it not only leaves no child behind but moves every child forward; that we work with the most gifted kids and we work with the kids posing the greatest challenge; that each one of them will have the best that our teachers have to offer and have the greatest support system that we can provide for them. And foremost of all these things, the people of America sent us to Congress with one overriding thought, and that was to change direction in Iraq. And it is very interesting because I know that the people on the other side, our colleagues in the Republican Party, want to try to spin our activities by saying, well, we haven't really accomplished very much. Well, I think every one of us knows how hard we have worked over the last 8 months to accomplish the mission that the people of the United States sent us here for. We have dealt with minimum wage, increasing the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years. We have dealt with the energy situation. We tried to eliminate the great and unnecessary tax cuts that were given to the oil companies when they were making record profits. We dealt with health care, not just recently by trying to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover 5 million more American children, but also in trying to save money and make the system more efficient by forcing the pharmaceutical companies to negotiate with Medicare in the Medicare part D program. In every area of our jurisdiction, we have tried to respond to the demands of the American people. We have listened to them. We are dealing right now with the revision of No Child Left Behind. The changes we are making in that program stem directly from what we have heard from the American people. We are listening. We are acting. We are moving. And so it is with not only a great deal of personal disgust but also with a sense of outrage that I listened to President Bush make a statement when he was halfway around the world in comparing this Congress, this body, with the Parliament in Iraq. And I know he likes to be cute and that is the way he is, but for him to stand halfway across the world before international cameras and international media and tout the fact that the Iraqi Parliament has passed 60 bills when, according to him, we haven't passed that many in this session of Congress to me is an outrage. It's not even factually correct. We have sent him 57 bills; he signed 55. We have passed several hundred bills in this House. But the most important thing is look at what he has done. Look at the vetoes he has threatened, the vetoes he has actually made. He has already threatened to veto 10 out of 12 appropriations bills we passed in this body. After the committees in this body, both parties working hand in hand, have dealt with these issues and the budgeting for months and months and months, he says arbitrarily, they weren't my budgets, it wasn't what I asked for and, therefore, I'm going to veto them. For him to criticize the United States Congress for not passing legislation is like the Vice President criticizing his lawyer friend for getting in the way when he shot him. I mean, if anyone is more responsible for retarding and obstructing the work of this body, it is the President of the United States and his party. And it happens day after day. It happens hour after hour. And the only reason it happens is because the Republican Party and the President of the United States have run out of initiatives. They have run out of ideas. They know the American people have rejected their agenda, and they are looking for a new direction, and they just simply don't want to see us succeed. But that's not what we're here for. We're here to continue working. We're going to generate the type of grassroots support for what we've done. We know it's out there. We're listening to the people. They will be listening to what we're doing, and they will force this Republican Party and this President to move in our direction. I am convinced that we are doing the right thing, that we are working, we are making progress for the American people. We will continue to do that under the great leadership we have in Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer. And I know eventually the Republican Party will come to their senses and they will begin to realize that the American people want us to act to solve the very demanding, the very challenging problems that face this country. We are about that task. That's why we came here. That's what we will continue to do as long as we are here.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, over the last 7 months, the new Democratic Congress has amassed an impressive record of accomplishment, making real progress on issues important to the American people. Last week, thanks to our efforts, the minimum wage was increased for the first time in a decade. We also sent to the President's desk one of the most important bills of the new Congress, legislation that will make America safer by finally enacting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Last week, the House also passed a farm bill that reforms our Nation's farm policy by committing more resources to nutrition and conservation programs, while also addressing the needs of our Nation's family farmers. And our efforts continue this week. Today, we will live up to our promise to change the way business is done here in Washington when we pass the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. Tomorrow, we will strengthen the health care safety net programs essential to our children and seniors. And then on Thursday we will pass a comprehensive energy bill that reduces our dependence on foreign oil and fights global warming. Democrats are delivering results and doing it in a new way.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, in this body, where we often discuss proposals to allocate millions or billions of dollars, it can become easy to lose sight of what just a few thousand dollars a year can do. But the increase in the minimum wage, the first part of which takes effect today, will make a major difference in the lives of America's working families. The extra $4,400 per year that these families will bring home to their families will have a very tangible impact on their lives. For families who have struggled too long without a raise, $4,400 a year translates into 15 months of groceries, 19 months of paid utility bills, 20 months of child care, or well over 2 years of employer- provided health care. The extra money could even pay for 30 months of tuition at a public 2-year college, allowing these parents to get additional education or to help their children achieve their dream of attending college. Madam Speaker, thanks to the Federal minimum wage increase passed by this Democratic Congress, nearly 13 million working Americans and more than 6 million children will have a chance at a better life. This fair and long overdue pay raise is an important first step in moving our Nation in a new economically healthy direction.