Entire Issue
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 147 WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2001 No. 102 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. up House Resolution 204 and ask for its serves credit for holding the line on The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. immediate consideration. this one. Coughlin, offered the following prayer: The Clerk read the resolution, as fol- Our military needs our help. Without O Lord, down through the ages You lows: this bill and without the help from have taught us to seek Your kingdom. H. RES. 204 Congress, our Nation may fall short on In our search we will not lose our way Resolved, That upon adoption of this reso- its promise to provide adequate health if we approach You with the free aban- lution it shall be in order to consider the care for our men and women in uni- don of trust and the sheer delight of a conference report to accompany the bill form. So today we provide more than $1 child. (H.R. 2216) making supplemental appropria- billion for the defense health program. May pride not steel our hearts or ar- tions for the fiscal year ending September 30, At the same time, we are providing rogance distort our vision so that we 2001, and for other purposes. All points of more than $6 billion, largely to help order against the conference report and our military maintain its facilities and would go after things far beyond us. against its consideration are waived. The Rather, give peace to the soul of this conference report shall be considered as its topnotch training and equipment, Nation and the Members of this House. read. and we are helping the military deal Free us from any restlessness in silence The SPEAKER. The gentlewoman with the energy crisis, they have a problem with that like the rest of us that we may listen more deeply to from North Carolina (Mrs. MYRICK) is do, by providing $735 million just to Your word in human hearts. recognized for 1 hour. As a child takes rest in the wrapped Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, for pur- deal with rising energy costs in the arms of a parent, may our trust in You, poses of debate only, I yield the cus- daily routine they have. We are not only taking care of the Lord, be full-weighted and lasting. tomary 30 minutes to the gentleman emergency needs of our military, O America, hope in the Lord both from Texas (Mr. FROST), pending which though. Several communities in the now and forever. I yield myself such time as I may con- Midwest have recently been devastated Amen. sume. During consideration of the reso- by floods and tornadoes, so we are giv- f lution, all time yielded is for purposes ing the Army Corps of Engineers THE JOURNAL of debate only. money to mitigate the damages from Yesterday, the Committee on Rules The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- these natural disasters. met and granted a normal conference We are also helping low-income fami- ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- report rule for H.R. 2216, the fiscal year ceedings and announces to the House lies deal with high heating costs by 2001 Emergency Supplemental Appro- adding money to the LIHEAP program. his approval thereof. priations Act. The rule waives all Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- That is the program that helps them points of order against the conference nal stands approved. with their energy bills. And we are giv- report and against its consideration. f ing the IRS additional resources so The rule also provides that the con- they can mail out the tax rebate PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ference report shall be considered as checks this summer. I know everybody The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman read. is going to be glad to hear that. Mr. Speaker, this should not be a from Texas (Mr. FROST) come forward I urge my colleagues to support this and lead the House in the Pledge of Al- controversial rule. It is the type of rule normal conference report rule, and to legiance. that we grant for almost every con- support the underlying bill. This legis- Mr. FROST led the Pledge of Alle- ference report. Meanwhile, the under- lation is a strong step forward as we giance as follows: lying bill provides vital relief to our work to care for our military personnel Nation’s Armed Forces, and aid to I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the and to take care of all of those who are United States of America, and to the Repub- areas that have been devastated by hurting at home. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, natural disasters. It does all this with- Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. out busting the budget caps by desig- my time. f nating pet projects as emergency Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield my- spending. self such time as I may consume. CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2216, I cannot remember the last time we Mr. Speaker, in this bill, I think it is 2001 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIA- passed an emergency supplemental bill appropriate to paraphrase the promise TIONS ACT through this House without resorting of the President and the Vice President Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, by direc- to the ‘‘emergency spending’’ gimmick to our military and say that some help tion of the Committee on Rules, I call that we use, and the administration de- is on the way. 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. H4355 . VerDate 11-MAY-2000 01:12 Jul 21, 2001 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20JY7.000 pfrm04 PsN: H20PT1 H4356 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 20, 2001 Mr. Speaker, this is a good con- I believe it is time we provide real counterparts in the Senate did as well, ference agreement as far as it goes, help to the military, so that our dedi- and this conference report stays within since it provides $5.6 billion for the ur- cated personnel do not have to live in the $6.5 billion. gent needs of our Armed Forces. But substandard housing and they do not Most of the money is actually for na- frankly, Mr. Speaker, the administra- have to cannibalize equipment in order tional defense. The bill includes $5.6 tion is remiss for not requesting even to make something work. But we can- billion to address urgent defense needs more funds early in its term so that not do that if this Congress does not that include rising fuel costs, military the Congress might truly ensure that own up to what we have done by pass- health care programs, readiness and help is on the way. ing a $1.3 trillion tax cut. operation requirements, substandard I do have to take just a moment to That tax cut has already cost either housing for our troops, and disaster as- point out that this conference agree- the military, our education programs, sistance for damage sustained at mili- ment provides $735 million to address our energy assistance, or whatever pro- tary installations. the Pentagon’s rising energy costs. gram we want to name, $116 million. I would like to echo what my friend This allocation is critical, but it also And for what? That is what it costs to from Texas said during the discussion points to the fact that rising energy send out the letters saying that the on the rule; that this is more or less a costs hit home all over the country, check is in the mail, and then to send band-aid on our real needs. And I want and can in fact endanger our national the check in the mail. There is money to emphasize housing and quality of security. in this bill to cover those costs. life. There are so many needs in mili- That is true even here in Wash- Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to sup- tary housing that we should be ington, D.C. It is so true that part of port this rule and to support this sup- ashamed of the way we make some of the help that is on the way in this bill plemental appropriation for fiscal year our military personnel live. Some of is most likely going to the Vice Presi- 2001. We do need to send help, but we the facilities that they live in are just dent to help him pay his own rising en- could have done more. totally unacceptable. This bill takes a ergy bills at his residence. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the little step towards correcting that This conference agreement contains rule, and I yield back the balance of problem, but we have a lot more to do a desperately needed additional $300 my time. and a long way to go. We were, how- million for LIHEAP for the remainder Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield ever, constrained to stay within the of the fiscal year to help those con- back the balance of my time, and I $6.5 billion and so we did that. I would also add that while this is a sumers who are facing power cutoffs move the previous question on the res- supplemental, there are no emergency because they have been unable to pay olution.