Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 109 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 152 WASHINGTON, MONDAY, MAY 22, 2006 No. 64 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was cost to the taxpayer sugar program.’’ important reason this travesty con- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- This does not pass the straight face tinues is to be found in campaign con- pore (Mr. PRICE of Georgia). test anywhere in America but Wash- tribution reports. This industry is only f ington, DC. The most junior intern 1 percent of American agriculture, yet working in any congressional office it spends 17 percent of the campaign DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO who is doing independent research can contributions for agriculture and TEMPORE quickly verify that this is not a ‘‘no countless millions more lobbying and The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- cost program.’’ There are huge costs to producing bogus surveys currently cir- fore the House the following commu- the taxpayer, the government and the culating on Capitol Hill. nication from the Speaker: environment. I suggest if Members want to do a Straight off the top, this ‘‘no cost favor for the environment, for the tax- WASHINGTON, DC, May 22, 2006. program’’ requires American con- payer, allow a junior intern to do your I hereby appoint the Honorable TOM PRICE sumers to pay almost $2 billion a year research to determine whether or not to act as Speaker pro tempore on this day. more for sugar and sugar-related prod- this has no cost. This research done by J. DENNIS HASTERT, ucts. Only in Washington, DC would $2 any college economics student, in any Speaker of the House of Representatives. billion be ‘‘no cost.’’ Then there is the college political science class, or by f loss to industries for whom paying two the outstandingly bright young men to three times the price of the world and women who work for us as volun- MORNING HOUR DEBATES price of sugar makes a big difference. teers on Capitol Hill right now as in- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- There used to be a thriving confec- terns can demonstrate to any Mem- ant to the order of the House of Janu- tionery industry, manufacturing in ber’s satisfaction that it is not worth ary 31, 2006, the Chair will now recog- Hershey, Pennsylvania; in New Eng- the cost. It is time to approve the nize Members from lists submitted by land, in Chicago. Many of these jobs Blumenauer-Flake amendment. the majority and minority leaders for have since disappeared, being driven f morning hour debates. The Chair will across the border to Canada, Mexico or elsewhere where sugar prices are dra- THE LEGACY AND LIFE OF alternate recognition between the par- CARMEN ANAYA ties, with each party limited to not to matically lower. Only the powerful exceed 30 minutes, and each Member, sugar lobbyists and the people who lis- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- except the majority leader, the minor- ten to them would think that $2 billion ant to the order of the House of Janu- ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- a year that will be required to store ary 31, 2006, the gentleman from Texas ited to not to exceed 5 minutes. and purchase surplus sugar over the (Mr. DOGGETT) is recognized during next 10 years would be no cost. The Chair recognizes the gentleman morning hour debates for 5 minutes. One of the most perverse effects of Mr. DOGGETT. Thank you, Mr. from Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 the sugar program has been to dra- Speaker. minutes. matically increase cane sugar produc- Carmen Anaya was a remarkable f tion in the State of Florida. Over the human being. Her life of 79 years both SUGAR last 50 years the amount of acreage inspires and teaches us. Born in surrounding the Everglades has in- Monterrey, Mexico; a teacher, she Mr. BLUMENAUER. Thank you, Mr. creased 800 percent. All of this sugar moved to the United States as a young Speaker. production is in the Everglades. This woman and married Jose´ Anaya. Later this week, there will be consid- expansion has devastating con- For the next 20 years as their family eration of an amendment from Mr. sequences. Pollution, polluted runoff, grew, they worked as migrant farm FLAKE of Arizona and me dealing with and changed water flow attributed to workers all across America—har- the notorious sugar subsidy program, the sugar industry is a significant rea- vesting cherries in Michigan, tomatoes proposing a tiny reduction in it. For son why we are paying seven to $8 bil- in California, potatoes in Oregon, and anyone who wants a lesson in how your lion as a down payment to clean up the sugar beets in the Dakotas. Eventually government works, a review of the pol- Everglades and redo the plumbing. The they opened a small general store in itics surrounding the sugar quota sys- sugar lobbyists in Washington, DC Las Milpas in the Texas Rio Grande tem is a textbook example of how the would lead you to believe that this is Valley. political process can distort reality and no cost. In Spanish, a ‘‘milpa’’ is a temporary why. A Dear Colleague letter is circu- How can this be? How can people pre- field that is cultivated for a few sea- lating touting the benefits of a ‘‘no tend to believe this claptrap? Well, an sons. But the colonia of Las Milpas was b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H2965 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 01:02 May 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 D:\FIX-CR\H22MY6.REC H22MY6 H2966 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 22, 2006 the permanent home of thousands who Linda, a nurse, is an administrator at come forward and lead the House in the lacked running water, had no paved Cornerstone Regional Hospital. Pledge of Allegiance. roads and no jobs that offered a way to The life of service of any one child Mr. PENCE led the Pledge of Alle- escape poverty. Even worse, most resi- would be enough to make a parent giance as follows: dents had little hope for a better future proud. But think how much our coun- I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the for themselves or for their children. try gains and continues to gain from United States of America, and to the Repub- In 1982, Mrs. Anaya joined with other the service of each of these six chil- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, people of faith to found Valley Inter- dren. Her life and her children say indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. faith, a nonprofit coalition of over 40 more about family values than a thou- f churches that, with the work of lead sand speeches from the floor of this organizer Elizabeth Valdez, has now ex- Congress. And in the ongoing national FREEDOM IS WINNING IN IRAQ panded to represent some 60,000 Valley debate about immigration, we should (Mr. PENCE asked and was given per- families. Valley Interfaith leaders al- reflect on her legacy. Mexican immi- mission to address the House for 1 ´ ready knew how to cultivate fields, but grants like Carmen and Jose Anaya minute and to revise and extend his re- together they learned how to cultivate have offered much to their adopted marks.) hope and justice. For more than two land. America is the stronger for their Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, this week- decades, they have put their faith into presence. end with the news of the adoption of a action to help the impoverished help f new government in Iraq, the silence themselves and to hold elected officials RECESS was deafening. You could hear a pin accountable at all levels of govern- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- drop among the critics of U.S. policy in ment. Iraq. With the very active and the very ant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chair declares the House in recess until 2 But there it was. Prime Minister al- vocal participation of Mrs. Anaya, Val- Maliki kept his word. He named 39 cab- ley Interfaith brought clean drinking p.m. today. Accordingly (at 12 o’clock and 40 inet ministers, each of whom was ap- water to over 160,000 residents of minutes p.m.), the House stood in re- proved by more than 90 percent of the colonias like Las Milpas; secured living cess until 2 p.m. 275-member elected Iraqi Parliament, wage ordinances and raised the salaries the first government of Iraq formed f of thousands; and, with a new job train- since the toppling of Saddam Hussein. ing program, have found jobs for an- b 1400 May God bless Prime Minister al- other 1,500. AFTER RECESS Maliki and all those brave ministers in Above all, through her work with his new government; for despite what Valley Interfaith, Mrs. Anaya inspired The recess having expired, the House was called to order by the Speaker pro you read, despite some of what you see, her neighbors to believe in themselves, freedom is winning in Iraq and this new tempore (Mr. MURPHY) at 2 p.m. in their communities, and in their abil- government’s formation stands for that ity to bring about change.