E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 111 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 155 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 No. 3 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. The gentleman from Pennsylvania Wake up, America. The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. (Mr. BRADY) and f Coughlin, offered the following prayer: The gentleman from California (Mr. THE FACTS ABOUT OUR ECONOMIC O God, Who has had compassion on DANIEL E. LUNGREN). CHALLENGES our darkness and sent forth Your own f (Ms. FOXX asked and was given per- light upon our conscience to make ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER right judgments, grant us the joy of mission to address the House for 1 knowing the closeness of Your love. The SPEAKER. The Chair will enter- minute and to revise and extend her re- May all our words and actions this tain up to 10 requests for 1-minutes on marks.) day be infused with the creative spirit each side of the aisle. Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, we have of freedom and bring forth personal in- f been dealing with economic challenges tegrity, as well as justice, and that we WAKE UP, AMERICA for several months. Last fall it was called a bailout. Now it’s being called a all will join together in serving Your (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given stimulus or sometimes an economic re- people of this Nation with true good- permission to address the House for 1 covery plan. But I think it’s important ness. minute and to revise and extend his re- that we talk about the facts of what May true freedom and justice reign marks.) in our hearts and become contagious in Mr. KUCINICH. Wake up, America. we’re discussing. our world, now and forever. We have trillions for a war machine The stimulus being discussed now Amen. and the banks, while our government could range from $800 billion to more f stands by and sniffs at the slaughter of than $1.3 trillion. This will likely be the largest single spending bill in his- THE JOURNAL innocents in Gaza, where Israel is blocking aid for wounded Palestinians. tory. Now, what will this do to our def- The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam- Here’s today’s Washington Post. It icit which we heard so much about for ined the Journal of the last day’s pro- says, The International Committee of the 2 years before the Democrats took ceedings and announces to the House the Red Cross said Thursday that it power? her approval thereof. found at least 15 bodies and several Nonpartisan budget experts are now Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- children, emaciated but alive, in a row predicting a deficit for 2009 of almost nal stands approved. of shattered houses in the Gaza Strip $1.3 trillion, triple the current year’s f and accused the Israeli military of pre- deficit. That would equal 9 percent of venting ambulances from reaching the GDP, which is a 50 percent increase PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE site for 4 days. over the World War II record of 6 per- The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman Twelve corpses lying on mattresses cent. We may be paying a premium from Pennsylvania (Mr. HOLDEN) come in one home, along with four young rate to foreign investors like China to forward and lead the House in the children lying next to their dead moth- borrow this kind of money. And what’s Pledge of Allegiance. ers. That’s a quote. going to be included in that package? Mr. HOLDEN led the Pledge of Alle- Today, U.S. tax dollars, U.S. jets and $350,000 for a fitness center, $4.5 million giance as follows: U.S. helicopters provided to Israel are to bottle water with recyclable bottles. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the enabling the slaughter in Gaza. The ad- Mr. Speaker, we need more of the United States of America, and to the Repub- ministration enables Israel to press facts, not just words. lic for which it stands, one nation under God, forward with the attack against de- f indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. fenseless civilians, blocks efforts at MONUMENT TO PRESIDENT BUSH f promoting a cease-fire at the U.N., and refuses to make Israel comply with (Mr. DEFAZIO asked and was given APPOINTMENT OF TELLERS ON conditions that armed shipments not permission to address the House for 1 THE PART OF THE HOUSE TO be used for aggression. minute.) COUNT ELECTORAL VOTES Israel is going to receive $30 billion Mr. DEFAZIO. In his last year, The SPEAKER. Pursuant to Senate in a 10-year period for military assist- George Bush has constructed a monu- Concurrent Resolution 1, 111th Con- ance, without having to abide by any ment to his Presidency that will last gress, the Chair appoints as tellers on humanitarian principles, international for generations to come. He not only the part of the House to count the elec- laws or standards of basic human de- doubled our national debt in 8 short toral votes: cency. years; as he goes out the door, he’s 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. H73 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 02:29 Jan 09, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A08JA7.000 H08JAPT1 smartinez on PROD1PC64 with HOUSE H74 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 8, 2009 leaving America with a $1.2 trillion def- It is obvious that the Federal Gov- CONGRATULATING THE CITY OF icit. That means we will borrow $3.2 ernment has to be the spender of last IOWA CITY, IOWA, FOR BEING billion a day, $2.2 million a minute. It’s resort. No frivolous, foolish spending, DESIGNATED A UNITED NATIONS unfathomable. That legacy of prof- but spending that creates jobs, jobs, EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND ligacy based on trickle down and bail- jobs, puts Americans back to work, CULTURAL ORGANIZATION outs has brought our economy to its bring home our troops from Iraq, be (UNESCO) CITY OF LITERATURE knees. It would have been one thing if he able to downsize the investment in a (Mr. LOEBSACK asked and was given borrowed the money to rebuild our war that many of us disagreed with, permission to address the House for 1 crumbling infrastructure, to build new ensure that the war in Afghanistan minute.) schools to educate our kids, to give us succeeds, and make sure that those in Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, I want a sustainable energy future. But, no, America’s Appalachia and Mississippi to express my sincere congratulations the money has been squandered in bail- Delta and the inner cities of Houston, to the City of Iowa City for its designa- outs for Wall Street and an unneces- Texas, have the amount of money to tion as a City of Literature by the sary war in the Middle East. begin to work, summer youth jobs. United Nations Educational, Scientific And now it’s up to us, this Congress, That’s what this stimulus package is and Cultural Organization. Iowa City is the Democrats, to give us a recovery only the third city in the world to re- about. package that will put Americans back ceive such designation, and the first in to work and rebuild our country. We President-elect Obama has it right. the United States. have to reject the policies of the Bush We in the Federal Government have to This recognition is well-deserved and years. No more tax giveaways. Let’s re- rescue those who provided the tax dol- rightly honors a city which has long build the infrastructure of this coun- lars for America to work. Put them been dedicated to literature and the try, put people back to work, borrow back to work. You’ll see our economy arts. The City of Iowa City alone has the money for a purpose, not more spiraling. produced more than 25 Pulitzer Prize waste. Frivolous comments about bailouts winners in literature since 1955, as well f as four recent U.S. Poet Laureates. will not work. The American people GOVERNMENT GONE WILD know a stimulus package is for them. I am proud of all who contributed to Iowa City receiving this designation, (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was Let’s do it quickly. Let’s get the including Christopher Merrill, the cur- given permission to address the House money to our local governments. I be- for 1 minute.) rent director of the University of Iowa lieve we should bypass some of our International Writing Program. I trust Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the State governments; make sure those Federal Government continues to future residents and generations to dollars are in our cities, our counties, bankrupt Uncle Sam with bailouts to come will not only recognize the im- special interest groups using taxpayer our municipalities, put America back portance of this designation, but also money. One more group has appeared to work. That’s what President-elect continue to carry on the city’s tradi- on the steps of the Capitol dragging the Obama wants us to do. tion of literary excellence. sack for more ‘‘Free Money.’’ None other than the adult entertainment f f business, specifically, the CEO of ‘‘Girls Gone Wild,’’ has asked for $5 bil- ISRAEL HAS THE RIGHT TO SELF- ARRIVAL OF THE 21ST CENTURY lion to save them from calamity.