Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 111 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 111 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 156 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010 No. 6 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- lars into Wall Street to keep it from called to order by the Speaker pro tem- nal stands approved. melting down and taking the rest of pore (Mr. SALAZAR). f the economy with it. And it should be f the American people who reap the ben- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE efits of that action, not Wall Street DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the banks. PRO TEMPORE gentleman from Texas (Mr. POE) come Congress should pass the Wall Street The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- forward and lead the House in the Bonus Tax Act and give the American fore the House the following commu- Pledge of Allegiance. people their money back. nication from the Speaker: Mr. POE of Texas led the Pledge of WASHINGTON, DC, Allegiance as follows: f January 20, 2010. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHN T. United States of America, and to the Repub- SECOND SHOT HEARD AROUND SALAZAR to act as Speaker pro tempore on lic for which it stands, one nation under God, this day. indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. THE WORLD NANCY PELOSI, Speaker of the House of Representatives. f (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House f ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER for 1 minute.) PRO TEMPORE PRAYER Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The April 19, 1775, 235 years ago, shots rang Coughlin, offered the following prayer: Chair will entertain up to 15 requests out in Massachusetts that forever Lord God, Creator of heaven and for 1-minute speeches on each side of changed the history of the world. Brit- Earth, Eternal Shepherd of the living the aisle. ish redcoats were ordered to seize the and the dead, as a Nation we unite with f weapons of the American militia, even other nations of the world and pray for WALL STREET REFORM though it’s never a good idea to try to our suffering brothers and sisters in disarm the American people. (Mrs. CAPPS asked and was given the poverty-stricken and Earth-shaken The famous midnight ride of Paul Re- permission to address the House for 1 nation of Haiti. Have mercy on us all. vere warned the Minutemen that the minute and to revise and extend her re- We beg You to help all the people of invincible British were coming. And as marks.) Haiti in all their needs. Come to the the sun rose over the town of Lex- Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise aid of the afflicted. Take pity on the ington, Massachusetts, the first shots today in support of the Wall Street helpless and the most vulnerable. Raise rang out against the British tyranny, Bonus Tax Act. The legislation intro- up the fallen as well as the ruins where shots heard around the world. human life and human remains may be duced by Congressman PETER WELCH At the north bridge of Concord, patri- still hidden. Restrain the wayward and would right a terrible wrong. ots fought the British Army. The sustain the brokenhearted. Bring com- Right now, dozens of the financial in- mighty British were defeated and passion to those who mourn and eter- stitutions responsible for the economic turned back towards Boston. These nal life to those who are buried in ano- meltdown are reverting right back to were the first battles of the American nymity. their old bad habits. They are getting Revolution to throw off the yoke of For, with the people of Haiti, we call ready to clap themselves on the back tyranny for a new idea of freedom. upon You, Lord, as the everlasting Re- for the great job they think they’ve deemer and Resurrection, both now and been doing by giving themselves bil- The people of Massachusetts have forever. lions of dollars in bonuses. But the fired a second shot heard around the Amen. thanks and the bonuses should go not world. Yesterday, they fired back against big, intrusive government, not f to the bankers at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and the others; it should go with bullets, but with ballots. The Sen- THE JOURNAL back to the American people. ate election was a statement for free- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The It was the American people who dom over oppression. Our government, Chair has examined the Journal of the stepped in and saved the banks from like the British, would do well never to last day’s proceedings and announces themselves. It was the American people underestimate the American people. to the House his approval thereof. who pumped billions of taxpayer dol- And that’s just the way it is. 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. H195 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 04:04 Jan 21, 2010 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A20JA7.000 H20JAPT1 tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with HOUSE H196 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 20, 2010 HONORING STAFF SERGEANT sage and get their priorities straight: AMERICANS WANT REAL CHANGE DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Drop this backroom government health (Mr. DEFAZIO asked and was given (Mr. COHEN asked and was given per- care takeover and take up job creation permission to address the House for 1 mission to address the House for 1 policies. minute.) minute.) In conclusion, God bless our troops, Mr. DEFAZIO. It’s clear from the re- Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise and we will never forget September the sults last evening that the voters are today to pay tribute to a Memphis, 11th in the global war on terrorism. angry. They haven’t seen the change in Shelby County citizen who gave his life f direction that they thought they voted in service to our country in Afghani- for 1 year ago in November. stan, Staff Sergeant Daniel MAIN STREET NEEDS HELP Now, some Republicans will see it as Merriweather. He was the second sol- (Ms. SUTTON asked and was given an endorsement to turn back to the dier from Shelby County to die in Af- permission to address the House for 1 failed policies of the Bush years that ghanistan since the beginning of Oper- minute and to revise and extend her re- put us in this mess. That wasn’t the ation Enduring Freedom and our 12th marks.) message. But the message is they want in the Middle East since 2002. Staff Ser- Ms. SUTTON. Mr. Speaker, last fall, real change. They want the reform of geant Merriweather, who was with the at the end of the last administration, Wall Street. They’re tired of business 118th Military Police Company, died we all know that America’s largest fi- as usual where the fat cats make out when his convoy ran over an impro- nancial institutions and companies and the taxpayers get the bill. They vised explosive device. were on the brink of collapse, and the want to see real reform in health care, He graduated from Overton High Federal Government, and more impor- take on the insurance industry, take School in Memphis, Tennessee. He tantly, the American taxpayers came on the pharmaceutical industry. studied broadcast journalism, played to their rescue. But let’s be clear: We The Obama administration kicked off football, loved sports, cowboy hats, did not do that because we were fans of health care reform with a deal with the boots, and country music. And you can their behavior. We did not appreciate pharmaceutical industry. Now, that is see from his picture and from the re- even then the excessive greed that was not the kind of reform the American flections of his friends how much he driving Wall Street without any sense people want to see. We need to step back and put forward loved life and how popular he was. of responsibility. We helped them be- a package of real reform. Take away He wanted to serve his country, and cause ordinary citizens were being the antitrust exemption of the health he did so. He did two tours of duty, one crushed, and we hoped to get the credit insurance industry; lower the cost of in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. At 25 flowing. health care for all Americans; make years of age, he is survived by his wife, So what has happened? Wall Street the policies better; take on the phar- Rachelle; his two children, 3-year-old has experienced recovery, but Main maceutical industry; allow people to Kale and Daniel Merriweather, Jr., just Street still needs help. Wall Street reimport drugs from Canada that are 3 months old; his parents, Pamela and needs to help pay for the revitalization exactly the same as the drugs sold here Darryl Finnie; his sister, Adrienne; and of Main Street, and that is why I sup- at a fraction of the cost. Those are the his brother, Darryl Finnie, Jr. port the Wall Street Bonus Tax, which kinds of concrete steps people want to These are the 12 soldiers who died is going to levy a tax on those exces- see.