Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007 No. 22 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. and was become true. It is Orwellian double- committee of initial referral has a called to order by the Speaker pro tem- think, an amazing concept. statement that the proposition con- pore (Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia). They believe that if you simply just tains no congressional earmarks. So f say you are lowering drug prices, poof, the chairman of the Appropriations it’s done, ignoring the reality that Committee, Mr. OBEY, conveniently DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO prices really won’t be lowered and submitted to the record on January 29 TEMPORE fewer drugs will be made available to that prior to the omnibus bill being The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- our seniors. considered, quote, ‘‘does not contain fore the House the following commu- They believe that if you just say you any congressional earmarks, limited nication from the Speaker: are implementing all of the 9/11 Com- tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits.’’ WASHINGTON, DC, mission’s recommendations, it changes But, in fact, Mr. Speaker, this omnibus February 6, 2007. the fact that the bill that was passed spending bill that the Democrats I hereby appoint the Honorable HENRY C. here on the floor doesn’t reflect the to- passed last week contained hundreds of ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, Jr. to act as Speaker pro tality of those recommendations. millions of dollars of earmarks. Demo- tempore on this day. They believe that if you just say you crat doublethink. NANCY PELOSI, are cutting interest rates in half for If we follow this Democrat policy as Speaker of the House of Representatives. college students, it doesn’t matter that long as you submit to the record that f in reality you’ve pulled a bait-and- there are no earmarks, you can feel MORNING HOUR DEBATES switch, with the rate cut lasting just 6 free to just load up any appropriations months. bill with as many earmarks as you like The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Mr. Speaker, saying it doesn’t make with absolutely no accountability. ant to the order of the House of Janu- it so. And Democratic doublethink does Their actions completely violate the ary 4, 2007, the Chair will now recog- a disservice to this Nation. spirit of our earmarking rule, designed nize Members from lists submitted by Now this makes for great talking to bring greater transparency to our the majority and minority leaders for points and great press releases, but spending process. Rather than take the morning hour debates. The Chair will yields very little for the people back new rule seriously, the Democrat ma- alternate recognition between the par- home. Rather than bold policy initia- jority has used this sly interpretation ties, with each party limited to not to tives, people are starting to realize that essentially allows for unlimited exceed 30 minutes, and each Member, that the Democratic agenda has been earmarks. In this new Democrat major- except the majority leader, the minor- more pop than fizz. And now, Mr. ity, if you just close your eyes and say ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- Speaker, the Democrats are using this there are no earmarks, miraculously ited to not to exceed 5 minutes. Orwellian newspeak, doublethink, in millions of dollars of earmarks are The Chair recognizes the gentleman regard to spending Americans’ hard- wasted on things like rain forests in from Georgia (Mr. PRICE) for 5 minutes. earned tax dollars. Iowa. f On December 11 of last year, 2006, the This isn’t the type of open and honest two chairmen of the Appropriations government that our constituents ex- ORWELLIAN EARMARKING Committee in the House and Senate, pected in this Congress. Mr. Speaker, Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, OBEY and BYRD, said, and I quote, this doublethink is unacceptable to the in his novel, 1984, George Orwell pre- ‘‘There will be no congressional ear- American people, who work hard every sents this concept of doublethink, marks in the joint funding resolution day to provide for their families only which is defined as, ‘‘The power of that we will pass.’’ No earmarks. But to have Washington throw away their holding two contradictory beliefs in sadly, once again, the facts just don’t money, unsupervised, on pork projects. one’s mind simultaneously and accept- match the promises. Democratic There was a positive and honest and ing both of them.’’ doublethink is alive and well. principled alternative to this spending I come to the floor today, Mr. Speak- The majority used a loophole in the injustice. Republicans offered an alter- er, to review the repetitive lack of House rules to include millions of dol- native eliminating these earmarks and openness and accountability that we lars of earmarks by simply saying that targeting funds for military housing have seen on this House floor over the there were none. Clause 9 of rule XXI of and drug enforcement. Our friends on last month. Time and again, this new the House rules says that it shall not the other side of the aisle chose to ig- majority has governed on the premise be in order to consider a bill or joint nore it and throw money at their pet that if you simply just say it, it will resolution unless the chairman of each earmark projects. 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. H1213 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 04:07 Feb 07, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A06FE7.000 H06FEPT1 jcorcoran on PROD1PC62 with HOUSE H1214 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 6, 2007 For 12 years our colleagues on the But, Mr. Speaker, I came to the floor declares the House in recess until noon other side blamed Republicans for today to make a few comments about today. every ill under the sun, and now that it the situation in Iraq. There is much Accordingly (at 10 o’clock and 43 is their time to govern, they hide be- ado in the other body to work to catch minutes a.m.), the House stood in re- hind bumper sticker and press release up with the reality on the ground in cess until noon. politics. Never before has such an enor- Iraq and where the American public is. f mous amount of taxpayer money been This is not the time just to oppose es- 1200 spent so quickly, over $400 billion in calation of more troops in Iraq. We find b one hour. that the 21,000 that the President re- AFTER RECESS If our friends on the other side of the ferred to is actually going to mean 50 The recess having expired, the House aisle truly desired to clean up ear- additional thousand when you put all was called to order at noon. marks and bring greater transparency the support in. It is time for Congress f to our spending, why would they then to deal in a comprehensive fashion make this their first act? Their actions with what we need to do to make the PRAYER simply don’t match their rhetoric. The best of this tragically mismanaged sit- The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. American people expect more than a uation, a war of choice that we didn’t Coughlin, offered the following prayer: wink and a nod that they have gotten have to do, sadly mismanaged by the Creator of the stars in the heavens so far from this Democrat majority. administration. It is time for Congress and all upon Earth, the winter sun You Democrat doublethink does a dis- to rediscover our war powers with Iraq, let shine upon our Nation is a great service to our Nation. and even more important, the saber gift for which we give You thanks. In George Orwell’s 1984 Doublethink rattling that is directed now towards In the midst of cold winds and uncer- Newspeak, he said that the lie always Iran. It is time for us to rediscover the tain and sometimes disastrous weather was one step ahead of the truth; but power of the purse, not provide an patterns, the consistent warm rays of the American people are catching up, open-ended bank account, but tighten light fall upon the good and the bad, Mr. Speaker. Just saying something down the resources that are provided the believers and unbelievers alike. doesn’t make it so. by Congress to the administration, and Gradually, the days are already grow- f to rediscover oversight where there are ing longer but like the movement of daily reminders in every major news- IT’S TIME FOR A NEW DIRECTION Your grace often unnoticed. paper of where Congress in the last few Lord, You are ever-present, espe- IN IRAQ years has frankly been missing in ac- cially to those most in need. Show tion. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Your mercy to the most vulnerable, ant to the order of the House of Janu- To be able to advance those goals in a comprehensive fashion, I have intro- the children, the poor, the elderly, the ary 4, 2007, the gentleman from Oregon homeless. We commend them to You (Mr. BLUMENAUER) is recognized during duced new directions for Iraq.

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