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, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009 No. 30 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the SAMMY MAHAN: ‘‘OPT ME OUT’’ United States of America, and to the Repub- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was pore (Mrs. TAUSCHER). lic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. given permission to address the House f for 1 minute.) DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER f Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, PRO TEMPORE this morning I was talking to my friend Sammy Mahan. He is from Bay- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER town, Texas. He is a wrecker driver, fore the House the following commu- PRO TEMPORE and has five wreckers under his service. nication from the Speaker: The SPEAKER pro tempore. The He was asking me about the stimulus WASHINGTON, DC, Chair will entertain up to five requests bill. And he said, ‘‘How are we going to February 13, 2009. pay for it?’’ And I said, ‘‘Well, we don’t I hereby appoint the Honorable ELLEN O. for 1-minute speeches on each side of have the money, so we are probably TAUSCHER to act as Speaker pro tempore on the aisle. this day. going to have to borrow it maybe from the Chinese. Eventually there is going NANCY PELOSI, f Speaker of the House of Representatives. to be a tax increase.’’ f And he said, ‘‘How much is it going VOTE FOR THE STIMULUS to cost?’’ And I said, ‘‘$790 billion.’’ PRAYER (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given Then he said, ‘‘No. How much is it The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. permission to address the House for 1 going to cost me?’’ I said, ‘‘It is about Coughlin, offered the following prayer: minute and to revise and extend his re- $10,000 per family, is what they say.’’ To open the Bible, Lord, and just marks.) Then he said, ‘‘Well, I don’t have read a few lines offers such consola- Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, we $10,000; and unlike you government tion. The message may not be advice or learned today that more Americans are boys, I can’t spend money I don’t have. command an action. It is just reward- applying for jobless benefits. We also So I want you to opt me out of this ing to know You are not silent. You learned that, according to Moody’s deal.’’ And I said, ‘‘What do you mean, have words to speak. I simply need to Economy.com, that the measure that ‘opt me out’?’’ He replied, ‘‘Give me a take the time, open the Book, and lis- is before us may not create as many form. I want to sign it. You take $10,000 ten. jobs as we had hoped, perhaps only 2.2 off that $790 billion, and I don’t want to If I open my heart and listen in- million jobs by the end of 2010, leaving pay it because I don’t have the tently, I can hear Your love behind unemployment hovering around 10 per- money.’’ every word. I sense Your presence, and cent. Madam Speaker, I suspect that if it is enough for me. Amen. most Americans read this bill and they Look, I understand the limitations of f realized how much it was going to cost this bill, but we have to recognize them personally, they would want to THE JOURNAL something: Government spending is opt out of this deal. We need to come The SPEAKER pro tempore. The stimulative. We have to stimulate our up with a plan, but this isn’t the deal. Chair has examined the Journal of the economy. We have to do everything we And since people I represent can’t opt last day’s proceedings and announces can right now to try to lift America up. out, I am going to opt out for them. to the House her approval thereof. Now we can debate the details of this And that’s just the way it is. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- bill, and they should be debated, but f nal stands approved. one thing for sure, we need to pass this ECONOMIC RECOVERY PACKAGE f stimulus. And we are probably going to have to come back here and pass an- (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE other stimulus, which I hope will focus permission to address the House for 1 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the on putting millions of people back to minute.) gentleman from Ohio (Mr. KUCINICH) work, rebuilding America, rebuilding Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, last come forward and lead the House in the and building a new energy infrastruc- month the unemployment rate in- Pledge of Allegiance. ture, and making massive investments creased from 7.2 percent to 7.6 percent. Mr. KUCINICH led the Pledge of Alle- and moving our health care system in If these increases continue, we will hit giance as follows: a new direction. Vote for the stimulus. double digits this summer and would 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. H1523 . VerDate Nov 24 2008 03:58 Feb 14, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A13FE7.000 H13FEPT1 smartinez on PROD1PC64 with HOUSE H1524 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 13, 2009 reach our highest unemployment num- we will maintain or create somewhere making lithium ion batteries so that ber since the Great Depression. But between 3 million and 4 million jobs in we can make electric cars right here in this unemployment number does not the construction industry and the en- America and start selling them across tell the complete story. ergy industry; we will maintain jobs of the world. And I hope some of my Last month alone, 731,000 people sim- teachers and firefighters and police- brethren across the aisle will not vote ply gave up looking for work out of men. We will pass this bill today in the against research so we can find a way frustration with the lack of employ- House of Representatives, and I am to burn coal cleanly, against research ment prospects, and today 13.9 percent glad, because in Colorado we need this to make electric cars more affordable of Americans, or more than 21 million effort, we need these jobs, and so does to Americans, against research to of our neighbors, have either given up the rest of the Nation. make our houses more efficient. looking for a job or are working in a f This is a plan to start an economic job that is no longer full time. These energy revolution. We should pass it KEEP OUR COMMITMENT TO THE workers are underemployed. and be proud of it today. AMERICAN PEOPLE These numbers are a stark reminder f of how important it is for us to get (Mr. COLE asked and was given per- VOTE ‘‘NO’’ ON THE STIMULUS these people back to work, and that is mission to address the House for 1 BILL why we need to pass the economic re- minute.) covery package today without delay. Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I rise (Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado asked Madam Speaker, we have an oppor- today to ask that we all uphold the and was given permission to address tunity to create or save 3.5 million honor of the House and keep our com- the House for 1 minute and to revise jobs. Let’s do the right thing and get mitment to the American people. and extend his remarks.) these people back to work. Less than 3 days ago, my good friend Mr. COFFMAN of Colorado. Madam f and colleague, Mr. LEWIS of California, Speaker, buried in the stimulus bill asked this House to instruct our con- that we will be voting on today is a THE JOBS BILL HAS TURNED INTO ferees not to record their approval of provision that will gut the welfare re- A SPENDING BILL the conference agreement on the stim- form measures that the Congress (Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania ulus bill until the text of that agree- passed in 1996. The legislation will asked and was given permission to ad- ment had been made available in an move us down a path that will take us dress the House for 1 minute.) electronic, searchable, and away from welfare reform that re- Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. downloadable form for at least 48 quired work, training, and education in Madam Speaker, a couple of months hours. That motion passed unani- exchange for benefits, back to the old ago, the talk from congressional lead- mously. system that says to single young ership was to produce legislation that Essentially, we gave our word, the women that, as long as you don’t get was about providing jobs for America’s word of the people’s House, to all married, don’t get a job, and keep hav- families and small businesses, with lots Americans, guaranteeing them that ing children, that we will continue to of opportunities for our needed invest- they would have ample opportunity to subsidize you at taxpayers’ expense.