Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2638) making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2008, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1488 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, technically, this point of order is about whether or not to consider this rule, and ultimately the underlying bill. And in reality, it's about trying to block this bill without any opportunity for debate and without any opportunity for an up-or-down vote on keeping the government running, providing hurricane and other disaster assistance and other critical items. So I think that that is just wrong. And I hope that my colleagues will vote ``yes'' so we can consider this important legislation on its merits and not kill it on a procedural motion.

We need to move forward with this legislation. We need to keep this government running. Those who oppose this bill can vote against final passage, but we need to move forward. So I would urge my colleagues to not allow a purely procedural tactic to kill this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. Speaker, I just want to associate myself with the remarks of the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

I should point out that all of the earmarks are made public. They are on the Rules Committee Web site. They are available in the Appropriations Committee. I should also point out that we have instituted reforms so that what happened when the Republicans were in control, for example, when they air-dropped a provision to provide blanket immunity to drug companies and inserted it into a defense bill after everything had been closed cannot happen.

I will also say that I think Members of this Congress should have the right to advocate for their districts and make decisions as to how money

should be allocated. It is our responsibility as the legislative branch to have a role in where that money goes versus bureaucrats who work with the White House.

I will also say that there are a lot of Republicans who have applied for and received earmarks. They have gone through this process where they had to fill out forms and vet it through the committee. I know a lot of Republicans, including some of my Republican colleagues on the Rules Committee, have earmarks on this bill because it's public. And I actually trust them to be advocates for their district.

So, I would point out to my colleagues that things are very different from how they were when the Republicans were in control of this House. There is more sunshine. There is more accountability. I would urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the motion to consider.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1488.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1488 provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009.

The rule makes in order a motion by the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations to concur in the Senate amendment with a House amendment. The rule provides 1 hour of debate on the motion, equally divided and controlled by the Committee on Appropriations.

The House amendment inserts language for continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2009, making emergency supplemental appropriations and covering three regular fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills, each in a separate division.

Division A provides continuing appropriations for all agencies and activities that would be covered by the regular fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills until enactment of the applicable regular appropriations bill or until March 6, 2009, whichever occurs first. Emergency FY09 appropriations for LIHEAP and advanced technology vehicle manufacturing loans are also included.

Division B provides $22.9 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for relief and recovery from hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.

Division C provides $487.7 billion in FY09 funding for the Department of Defense.

Division D provides $40 billion in FY09 funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Division E provides $72.9 billion in FY09 funding for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin with the good news, a fact that my friends on the other side of the aisle cannot refute. This is the last time that we will have to deal with Bush's budget priorities. After 8 years of President Bush's fiscal mismanagement, we will soon vote on the final Bush appropriations bill.

Eight years ago, George Bush became the 43rd President of the United States. Are the American people better off after 8 years of George Bush? The answer is a clear and resounding no. His administration and the then Republican-controlled Congress inherited a $5.6 trillion budget surplus from President Clinton, and they turned that into about a $3.2 trillion deficit and have left us with a national debt that stands at $9.8 trillion. That is the biggest debt we have had in the history of the United States of America.

Because of George Bush, we are stuck in a quagmire in Iraq. Because of George Bush, more people are living in poverty and more people are going hungry than they were 8 years ago. And because of this President and his administration, we have the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Just 40 days from the election and 117 days until the next president is inaugurated, President Bush is asking for a $700 billion blank check to fix the mess on Wall Street that he and his allies helped create.

Thankfully, this continuing resolution will keep the government up and running until March 6 of 2009 and hopefully, at that time, we will have a President with a very different set of priorities.

The process getting here hasn't been perfect. I am disappointed that we weren't able to consider all of the appropriations bills here in the House under regular order. But my Republican colleagues share much of the blame for this inaction. Every time the Republicans had an opportunity to act like statesmen and do the business of the American people, they decided to do the opposite, to play partisan games in attempts to score political points. Instead of acting like honest brokers, they decided to demagog these bills until there was no ability for the House to act on them.

We should all remember last year when the Republicans tried to filibuster the Agriculture appropriations bill by offering silly amendment after silly amendment, cutting a program by $50,000, then $75,000 and then $100,000. And we should all remember earlier this year when the Republicans attempted to kill the Labor-HHS appropriations bill by replacing it in committee with the Interior bill. So when my friends on the other side of the aisle complain about the lack of regular order, I would suggest they take a good, long look in the mirror.

And this bill isn't perfect. Because of the intransigence by the White House, there are a lot of programs that I care deeply about that are underfunded. But this is the best product we could hope for under these circumstances. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey, and his incredible staff, there are some bright spots in this bill.

First and foremost are the increases in LIHEAP and WIC. This bill fully funds LIHEAP, something the Republicans never did, and increases funding for the WIC program by $1 billion over 2008. At a time when energy and food prices are skyrocketing, we cannot and will not ignore the plight of Americans who are struggling to heat their homes or put food on the table. I am also pleased the bill includes $23.5 million more for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. This increase will prevent 70,000 low-income women, infants, children and seniors from losing access to food.

I am also pleased that there is a $2.5 billion increase in Pell Grants. Unfortunately, this will not restore Pell Grants to the original purchasing power, but it is a good start that will prevent potential cuts in student aid that could come during the school year.

Another critical component of this continuing resolution is the disaster aid package. Earlier this year, Iowa and the Midwest were hit with disastrous floods. Wildfires have caused major damage in the West. And this hurricane season has already been deadly and costly with Hurricanes Gustav and Ike causing major damage in the gulf coast States. This continuing resolution includes almost $23 billion to address these natural disasters. Funding will be directed to FEMA, the Community Development Block Grants Program, the Army Corps of Engineers, and several other important disaster recovery efforts that will help these ravaged areas across our Nation. I am also pleased that there is $100 million to help Haiti recover from Ike and other hurricanes, and another $100 million for international food aid to provide emergency food assistance.

In addition, the fiscal year 2009 Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security appropriations bills are all included in this continuing resolution. There is no higher priority than providing funding for our military and for the men and women who defend our Nation.

Finally, let me comment on what is not in this bill. Unfortunately, and at the insistence of the White House, there is no economic stimulus package, no new money for food stamps, unemployment insurance or Medicaid. There is no new money for transportation projects to help jumpstart our ailing economy, and there is no ban on offshore drilling.

Mr. Speaker, I simply cannot understand how this President and his Republican partners in the House and Senate can ask for a $700 billion blank check for Wall Street, but oppose $50 billion to help people afford to put food on the table or to make ends meet while they look for a job in this ailing economy or prevent States from cutting health care benefits to people on Medicaid.

Republicans like to say that people have to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. Well, it's hard to do that if you can't afford any boots. During these tough economic times, it is critical that we help all Americans, not just the fat cats on Wall Street. Yet as Katrina and this economic crisis here have shown, the Republican Party has no interest in helping the people who need it most.

Again, Mr. Speaker, the good news is that this is the last time that we will have to deal with this President and his budgetary priorities. Help, I believe, is on the way. With a new administration and more Democrats in Congress, we will be able to finally act on these priorities of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I always love to listen to the gentleman from Washington State, my colleague on the Rules Committee. But I have to say that I don't think there is a single American who hasn't concluded that they have had enough of the Republicans and their misplaced priorities. We are in a financial mess right now because of their fiscal policies, and we need to try to figure out a way to dig ourselves out.

But I found it interesting, I think I got the quote right, he talked about stuffing in ``unvetted earmarks.'' Well, a quick look at the earmarks, which are published, by the way, are on the Website of the Rules Committee, I see the gentleman has some earmarks in here. I don't know whether or not the portable launch and recovery system and unmanned aerial vehicle operation was unvetted and stuffed in in some secret room.

I yield to the gentleman.

Reclaiming my time, I would say to the gentleman that all of the earmarks in here went

through the same process that he went through. So it is just a little bit frustrating to hear some of my friends on the other side of the aisle complain about earmarks when they have earmarks in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would also remind people that in this bill is $22.9 billion for disaster relief to deal with the disasters in Iowa and Florida.

I will point out to my friends in this Chamber that my Republican friends on the Rules Committee all voted last night to block this bill from coming to the floor and block this disaster relief from getting to where it needs to go.

At this time I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley).

(Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I thank the gentleman.

I can simply say to the gentleman, all of my earmarks are vetted. I hope yours are. I mean, there is a process here. The deal is that----

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me just rise to associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Colombia continues to be the most dangerous place in the world to be a member of a union. It is number 2 in the number of internally displaced people, the largest number of internally displaced people, second in the world. And extrajudicial killings by security forces are on the rise.

So if we're going to have a trade agreement, and human rights matters, then I don't think it's too much to ask the Colombian security forces to stop killing and targeting its workers.

I yield to my friend for 30 seconds.

I would also disagree that a Colombia Free Trade agreement is going to help create more jobs in Ohio or Massachusetts or anywhere else for that matter.

Mr. Speaker, I also, going back to what the gentleman from Washington State had talked about earlier, he mentioned stuffing in unvetted earmarks. I've been going through the bill here, and I found that the ranking Republican member of the Rules Committee has a number of earmarks, too. You may want to check with him whether or not he vetted them and whether they went through the proper process. I assume they did, because I would not expect anything less from him. But I want to point out again that as you go through this bill, you see a number of earmarks that are attributed directly to the Republicans.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.

I would just say that the American people can see what earmarks exist in this bill and who is responsible for those earmarks because it is open. What the gentleman is complaining about is he can't play politics with some of the earmarks on the floor today.

The other thing is, I will restate what the chairman of the Appropriations Committee said. The reason why the Defense appropriations bill is in this continuing resolution is because of the request of the Republican administration.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Hodes).

Mr. Speaker, if I could yield myself 30 seconds, I just want to say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh) that it has been a pleasure and honor to serve with him in the Congress, and I think I speak for Democrats and Republicans when I say that we will miss him.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to ask the gentleman from Washington whether he has any other speakers.

Neither do I, so I reserve my time.

How much time do I have, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.

Mr. Speaker, it's important that we pass this continuing resolution for a number of reasons. One is it contains money for LIHEAP. With the high cost of energy, we need to make sure that people have the emergency assistance so they can heat their homes, so they don't have to choose between heating their homes and their medication, or heating their homes and food.

We need to support this bill because it has money to help combat hunger--which unfortunately, under this administration's watch, has gotten worse in this country. There are people in the United States who are hungry, and that is something that every one of us should be ashamed of.

We need to pass this bill because it contains money for disaster relief. We have had hurricanes in Florida and Texas. We have had floods in Iowa. People are in need of assistance from the Federal Government to help rebuild. Why anybody would want to hold that up is beyond me.

We need to support this bill because it supports our troops. And we need to support this bill because it supports our veterans. We have a lot of talk around here about how we have to support our troops and veterans, and yet here we have an effort to try to block a bill that will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is about keeping the government running. And I gotta tell you, I, for one, am glad that this bill will take us into March because hopefully in March we will have a different leadership in the White House; we will be moving in a vastly different direction than the one this President and his Republican allies in this Congress have taken us over the last 8 years. We are in a fiscal mess. Our economy is on the verge of collapse as a result of the incompetence and the inability of this administration to lead us in the right direction.

Enough. Enough.

It is time for us to move forward. It is time for us to get this work done. I would urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and a ``yes'' vote on the rule.

The material previously referred to by Mr. Hastings of Washington is as follows:

Amendment to H. Res. 1488 Offered by Mr. Hastings of Washington

At the end of the resolution add the following new section:

Sec. 4. It shall not be in order in the House to consider a

concurrent resolution providing for an adjournment of either

House of Congress until comprehensive energy legislation has

been enacted into law that includes provisions designed to--

(A) allow states to expand the exploration and extraction

of natural resources along the Outer Continental Shelf;

(B) open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and oil shale

reserves to environmentally prudent exploration and

extraction;

(C) extend expiring renewable energy incentives;

(D) encourage the streamlined approval of new refining

capacity and nuclear power facilities;

(E) encourage advanced research and development of clean

coal, coal-to-liquid, and carbon sequestration technologies;

and

(F) minimize drawn out legal challenges that unreasonably

delay or prevent actual domestic energy production.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the State of Texas, and all of my colleagues that have been working on the devastation that we experienced in Hurricane Ike, I say thank you to our leadership and chairman of the Appropriations Committee and my colleague, Chairman Obey, and the staff, because disasters always need the benevolence and the friendship of the American people. And I thank you very much for your concern about the people in the Midwest and on the gulf region who have suffered, through no fault of their own.

And so this is what our newspaper looks like every day for the last 10 days. The picture is one of a gentleman, 80 years old, Roy Krause in my district, with a tree protruding out of his house. His wife is in the hospital, no lights, no place to go. Galveston and regions around are suffering. And so I am very pleased that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This rule is necessary so that we can begin to help people. The $6.5 billion in CDBG money, one-third of it will be out of Washington, into the hands of the State of Texas, in 60 days. We have thousands of people returning as evacuees with no place to live; $400 billion for Economic Development Agency because we have businesses whose lights are still out; $800 million to FEMA that could help our businesses that have suffered business interruption.

I met a couple as I was giving out MREs and water and ice. They had just come back from being evacuated. They are on hourly wages. They don't know how they're going to pay their rents.

Social services block grants, $600 million. Because of our utility company, CenterPoint, we have hospital and nursing homes today without power and electricity. Those hospitals cannot dry out because they don't have power. And so this grant that we will have will be necessary.

The Army Corps of Engineers, we don't have levees. I'm grateful for the levees. We have bayous that overran themselves and flooded people. So we are grateful for this, $200,000 in an earmark that I was able to secure for predisaster work and $1 million for flooding.

But the real crux is human needs. We need this money now. And in addition to this legislation, I'm glad that we are taking care of our veterans, many of whom were displaced because of the hurricane, homeless veterans, people who were about to transition to a better life, then got wiped out.

Yes, we need moneys for the Red Cross, and I support the $150 million that they need, but I really want this money to get to our people.

And finally let me say, some of this devastation comes about because our utility companies were too worried about profits than performance, and so I have 180 schools that are out because of lack of power. I'm glad this bill will provide moneys from FEMA for public buildings to help them rebuild.

But let me say this to my colleagues, we have got to address the crumbling infrastructure in America.

The PUC of Texas ordered our utility company to precut limbs, to rebuild their power lines, to make them metal. They did not do it, and now we have close to 800,000 people without power still, not because we are trying to get more than we expect after a disaster, but it is because we have poor performance. Our trees are down. They are confused. They don't have an organized special needs list. My nursing homes are without power. My hospitals are without power.

I'll be writing legislation to correct this immediately and provide penalties for those who cannot provide service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act. Although this legislation does not include the important legislative and policy language I sought to help my fellow Houstonians and Texans on the road to recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ike, it does appropriate $22.9 billion in disaster assistance, which will help communities in Texas and across the nation rebuild, rejuvenate their local economies, and take steps to fortify ourselves from future disasters.

I have been working diligently and tirelessly to prepare for the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Ike since September 11, and I have been in Houston nearly every day since Hurricane Ike hit landfall to assist my constituents and my fellow Texans respond to and recover from the widespread impact. The government should not abrogate its responsibility over the general welfare of its citizens, and all levels of government (federal, state, and local) must do a better job of coordinating and ensuring that relief is delivered in a timely and efficient manner. I am optimistic that this bipartisan legislation does that by assisting the victims and states affected by Hurricane Ike, especially in Texas, get on the road to recovery.

I worked with Chairman Obey and my fellow Texan colleagues to appropriate $7.9 billion in disaster relief funds for FEMA so that this Agency can continue helping communities recover from Hurricane Ike by using these funds for emergency housing, school repairs, debris removal, infrastructure improvements, emergency protective measures, utility repairs, and water facilities. I also worked to provide $6.5 billion in Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs), which are flexible grants that help communities recover from disasters by providing temporary housing, repairing and replacing damaged homes and public infrastructure, and stimulating economic development activities. I also worked to include $600 million in social services block grants to provide

states with flexible sources of funding to address emerging needs ranging from food assistance to urgent healthcare needs. We also have appropriated $1.3 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to repair damage to infrastructure, especially bayous, drainage channels, and levees to bolster flood control efforts. Furthermore, we have appropriated $799 million for loans and technical assistance by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to businesses and homeowners who have been hit hard and need increased assistance. This legislation also includes assistance for emergency highway relief, levees in New Orleans, wildfires, economic development assistance, international disasters, and international food aid.

While Hurricane Ike has left an enormous amount of devastation, it has brought out the amazing unity, strength and resilience that Texans and Americans possess. Whether rich or poor, black or white, young or old, Democrat or Republican, everyone has been working together to rebuild and move forward. This is a great testament to the insurmountable American spirit.

More than 60 Americans and over 28 Texans have died as a result of Hurricane Ike. In addition, the hurricane has caused millions of dollars of damage in Houston and Galveston and billions of dollars damage throughout the Nation. After touring the devastation throughout the Houston and Galveston area, it is clear that the funds I helped secure for FEMA and CDBG grants are needed to help residents with recovery efforts in Houston and throughout Texas.

As a senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, which has oversight over FEMA and DHS, I saw firsthand the waste, fraud, and abuse that occurred in the response and recovery effort to Hurricane Katrina. Furthermore, the almost exclusive use of major, national contractors marginalized and excluded small, minority, and local contractors from participating in the cleanup and rebuilding of New Orleans in particular. This exclusion of small, minority, and local contractors cannot be allowed to occur again in the response and recovery effort in Houston and throughout Texas. I am committed to exercising my oversight over funds appropriated to DHS and FEMA to ensure that they utilize, small, minority, and local businesses that must play an integral role in the recovery and rebuilding of their communities.

Furthermore, the response efforts to Hurricane Ike in Texas, unfortunately similar to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana but to a smaller extent, revealed breakdowns in communication between the state and local government on the one hand and FEMA and the Federal Government on the other hand. These communication failures resulted in unnecessary and avoidable delays in deploying vital resources to individuals and families in need. I look forward to hearing from the panelists on how we can increase the role that FEMA can play in the response and recovery efforts to natural disasters in order to ensure the most expeditious and efficient decision-making process possible. Whether it be through legislation or simply improved preparation and communication, we must take concrete steps to ensure that in the ongoing recovery effort, bureaucratic barriers are eliminated and minimized and that resources are deployed to individuals and families in need efficaciously.

Nearly 6 million people nationwide and over 2.5 million Texas residents lost electricity and approximately \1/3\ Houstonians still have not regained power. This is unacceptable. CenterPoint, and to a smaller extent Entergy, have demonstrated that their utility infrastructure is lacking and insufficient to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Clearly, we need to invest substantial funds to improve our electric grids to ensure that the disparate impact on vulnerable populations such as the elderly, disabled, and impoverished, are corrected and are never allowed to reoccur. Furthermore, I am drafting legislation to ensure that utility companies who ignore recommendations to upgrade their power infrastructure and fail to prepare for natural disasters face both civil and criminal liability for their negligent actions.

Also, nearly 1 million people evacuated before Hurricane Ike and tens of thousands of Houstonians and Texans are facing a major housing crisis that must be addressed. The City of Houston will need over $2 billion for emergency shelters, temporary housing, removal of debris, emergency protective measures, and repairs for infrastructure, schools, and water facilities. The City of Houston also estimates that it will require over $300 million in CDBG grants for permanent housing to address this housing crisis. I am confident that I will have the strong support of my congressional colleagues in my efforts to ensure that Houston and Texas receives the funds it so desperately needs on the road to recovery.

Also, the procedure for reimbursement of uninsured home damage is extremely cumbersome and slow and must be streamlined to assist families on the path to recovery. The current steps which allow for applicants to be rejected by the Small Business Administration (SBA) after they have registered with FEMA and have had their homes inspected and their losses assessed is broken and must be fixed.

Although I support the additional support of our troops included in the Defense Appropriations portion of this legislation, I still must reluctantly oppose allowing President Bush to continue a war which the American people also oppose by failing to impose timelines for withdrawal. However this legislation also restores the crucial American priorities shortchanged by the President's proposed budget, this legislation restores vital homeland security programs, life-saving medical research, education for our children, financial aid for secondary studies, energy independence, and services for seniors.

Throughout this year, the Democratic-led Congress has worked to restore these critical programs, and this omnibus appropriations bill represents the final rejection of the President's misguided budget cuts. Instead, this legislation provides funding for medical research, health care access, and rural hospitals. It increases funding for K-12 education, student aid, and vocational education. This legislation invests in our Nation's first responders, invests in highway infrastructure, and in a safe future for our children through renewable energy.

Mr. Speaker, it is essential that the Congress, as the direct representatives of the American people, approve appropriations legislation that reflects the priorities of the American people. That is what this bill does. It restores funding, supported by a strong, bipartisan majority, for a wide variety of American needs. Even as the President asks for billions more to fund a war that the majority of Americans do not support, he proposes to essentially freeze most domestic funding.

In addition, I am pleased to have been able to secure funding for a number of projects benefiting the citizens of the 18th congressional district of Texas such as $1 million for Harris County Flood Control District, $200,000 for City of Houston, and $200,000 for FEMA Pre- Disaster Mitigation. These funds will be crucial to ensure the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Ike is not repeated.

Mr. Speaker, while I am pleased with many of the provisions of this legislation, this legislation contains some language which is unacceptable to me, and is unacceptable to the American people. My colleagues and I in the House of Representatives have tried, numerous times, to provide funds for the troops in Iraq specifically linked to a requirement for the immediate commencement of the redeployment of U.S. forces.

As lawmakers continue to debate U.S. policy in Iraq, our heroic young men and women continue to willingly sacrifice life and limb on the battlefield. Our troops in Iraq did everything we asked them to do. We sent them overseas to fight an army; they are now caught in the midst of an insurgent civil war and continuing political upheaval. The United States will not and should not permanently prop up the Iraqi government and military. U.S. military involvement in Iraq will come to an end, and, when U.S. forces leave, the responsibility for securing their nation will fall to Iraqis themselves. However, whether or not my colleagues agree that the time has come to withdraw our American forces from Iraq, I believe that all of us in Congress should be of one accord that our troops deserve our sincere thanks and congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, we have already lost over 4,100 American lives and $500 billion in taxpayer dollars in Iraq. We have occupied the country for over four years. And our President continues to push a strategy devoid of clear direction and visible targets, while rejecting congressional calls to solidify an exit strategy.

In November 2006, the American people clearly stated that they did not want to see an endless conflict in Iraq; they went to the polls and elected a new, Democratic Congress to lead our nation out of Iraq. I am proud to be a member of the Congressional class that listens and adheres to the will of the American people, as we did when both houses of Congress approved Iraq Supplemental bills that instituted a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. We need a new direction, because we owe our brave, fighting men and women so much more. Washington made a mistake in going to war. It is time for politicians to admit that mistake and fix it before any more lives are lost.

This Congress will not, as the previous Republican Congress did, continue to rubber stamp what we believe to be an ill-conceived war. As we continue to receive reports on the situation in Iraq, it is important that we continue to look forward, to the future of Iraq beyond a U.S. military occupation.

Despite the multitude of mistakes perpetrated by President Bush and former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, our troops have achieved a military success in ousting Saddam Hussein and assisting the Iraqis in administering a democratic election and electing a democratic government. However, only the Iraqi government can secure a lasting peace. Time and time again, the Iraqi government

has demonstrated an inability to deliver on the political benchmarks that they themselves agreed were essential to achieving national reconciliation. Continuing to put the lives of our soldiers and our national treasury in the hands of what by most informed accounts, even by members of the Bush Administration, is an ineffective central Iraqi government is irresponsible and contrary to the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the American people.

Our nation has already paid a heavy price in Iraq. Over 4,100 American soldiers have died. In addition, more than 30,600 have been wounded in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003. This misguided, mismanaged, and misrepresented war has claimed too many lives of our brave servicemen; its depth, breadth, and scope are without precedent in American history. In addition, the U.S. is spending an estimated $10 billion per month in Iraq. This $10 billion a month translates into $329,670,330 per day, $13,736,264 per hour, $228,938 per minute, and $3,816 per second. Ultimately, many estimate that Bush's misadventure in Iraq will cost over $1 trillion.

Mr. Speaker, this House previously passed legislation providing our brave soldiers in Iraq with the resources they need, while requiring that the President begin to redeploy our troops. We have worked tirelessly to keep our soldiers and our nation safe. The open-ended war funding provided by this legislation is not the will of the American people, and I am proud to stand here, on their behalf, and oppose this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, in accordance witt House earmark reforms, I would like to place in the Record a listing of the congressionally- directed projects I have requested in my home State of Idaho that are contained in the report of H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 Appropriations Bill.

I'd like to take just a few minutes to describe why I support these projects and why they are valuable to the Nation and its taxpayers.

The report contains $4,000,000 in the NPPD Infrastructure Protection and Information Security account for the Power and Cyber Systems Protection, Analysis, and Testing Program at the Idaho National Laboratory. The program would conduct vulnerability analysis, testing, and protection of power and cyber connected systems for the Department of Homeland Security, utilizing the unique resources available at the Idaho National Laboratory, such as the electric grid, SCADA and control systems, cyber and communication test beds, and the explosives test range. The proposed work entails collaboration with leading universities and other National Laboratories to leverage ongoing research at these institutions and advance the state-of-the-art in building resilience into infrastructure systems. The funding would be used to obtain full-scale systems in sectors of interest to DHS for testing of vulnerabilities, identification of protection strategies, and evaluation of resilient designs; partner with universities and National Laboratories to develop resilient control systems; and establish a program that develops new protection schemes. The INL is uniquely placed to carry out this program, which would leverage its ongoing work in this area sponsored by DoD, DHS, and Intelligence Agencies and its established relationships with industry, universities, and National Laboratories. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is the Idaho National Laboratory, located at 2525 North Freemont St., Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415.

The report contains $1,600,000 in the Defense Production Act Purchases account for the Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) Manufacturing Improvement. The United States Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency have been investigating ways to improve manufacturing capabilities and improve cryogenic and

radiation performance of these circuits. The thermal imagers of the future will operate in harsh environmental conditions for longer periods of time and will have increased resolution (through increased pixel count) over the detectors of today. Maintaining a domestic source of this technology as well as working to enhance the manufacturing capabilities of this critical technology are equally as important as increasing the yield. Funds for this project will be used to establish a long-term, known U.S. source; improve yields both by the manufacturer and by the vendors who use the contractor as a manufacturing source; decrease the cycle time required in manufacturing ROICs and a reduction of design cycle time by ROIC designers; and provide a roadmap to meet the future needs of the ROIC designers. When the program is completed, ROICs will be available with twice the number of pixels for less money than the ROIC currently costs. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is ON Semiconductor, located at 2300 Buckskin Rd., Pocatello, Idaho 83201.

The report contains $1,600,000 in the Medical Advanced Technology account for the Integrated Patient Quality Program. To directly enhance the patient-provider encounter, the Integrated Patient Quality Program will identify the degree to which physicians utilize consumer content integrated into the DoD Electronic Medical Record (AHLTA) and provide after-visit summaries to patients, and identify the impact this critical medical information has on patients' health and their ability to make informed decisions. This phase of the project will build upon the requirements' definition and technical feasibility study performed within FY08 funding that developed a functional and technical road map, and successfully tested the Integrated Patient Quality concept in a development environment. Additionally, the Integrated Patient Quality Program will explore content delivery options outside of the patient- provider face-to-face interaction to include: secure provider/patient e-mail, online laboratory results, pre-visit/test preparation, surgical decision support, and disease management to at-risk patients. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Healthwise, Incorporated, located at 2601 N. Bogus Basin Road, Boise, Idaho 83702.

The report contains $2,000,000 in the Support Systems Development account for the Accelerator-Driven Non-Destructive Testing. The Idaho Accelerator Center (lAC) proposes to continue development of penetrating and nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques utilizing new techniques in positron annihilation spectroscopy with accelerator-based gamma-beams, and the use of monochromatic x-ray beams that are produced by colliding high-power laser beams with high-energy electron beams. Both of these core technologies have been under development at the lAC for several years and have matured to the point that serious in-field commercialization is possible. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Idaho State University, located at 921 South 8th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho 83209.

The report contains $1,440,000 in the Electronics Technology account for the 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems Project. The military has a need for new three-dimensional (3-D) packaging of electronic systems, particularly sensor systems for portable applications. The team of Boise State University and RTI International has developed 3-D processing techniques on silicon and LTCC platforms, including technologies for die- and wafer-scale bonding and 3-D interconnects. These funds will allow them to apply these techniques to create 3-D integration and packaging solutions applicable to a general category of high performance sensor systems. These funds will be used to support summer salaries for faculty, and provide salaries for research staff, post-doctoral associates, graduate and undergraduate students. Research supplies, capital equipment, and travel will be funded as required to support the objectives of the project. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Boise State University, located at 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725-1135.

The report contains $1,200,000 in the Critical Infrastructure Protection account for the Electric Grid Reliability/Assurance project. The effort will operationalize advanced electric grid modeling simulation and analysis capability that links disparate critical infrastructure sector models that run simultaneously and dynamically to share information providing greater understanding of critical infrastructure status before, during or after a destructive event. Funds will be used for the enhanced development of electric grid modeling, simulation and testing capabilities at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Incorporation of both real-time and distributed system modeling capabilities will provide expanded capabilities for analysis of systems critical to DoD. These efforts will provide DoD an enhanced capability to simulate, prove and make recommendations for techniques to sustain mission operations via continued power generation when power from the electric utilities is no longer present. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Idaho National Laboratory, located at P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83415.

The report contains $1,200,000 in the Advanced Electronics Technologies for the Hybrid Power Generation System. Research has resulted in a breakthrough technology using compressed magnetic fields which can generate power. The continued research, development, testing and validation of the technology should result in mission extension for dismounted soldiers and considerable savings by reducing the reliance on disposable batteries. Approximately $57,000 is being spent per soldier, per year on batteries alone in theatre. This technology will not only reduce Federal spending needed for such batteries, but will considerably reduce related military logistics costs, reduce the amount of hazardous waste disposal costs (for the toxic substances used in battery materials), and will reduce the man/machine interface by reducing the 20-30 lbs of extra batteries soldiers are currendy required to carry for extended missions. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is M2E Power, Inc., located at 875 W. McGregor Court, Suite 150 Boise, Idaho 83705.

The report contains $3,200,000 in the Chemical and Biological Defense Program Account for the Vacuum Sampling Pathogen Collection and Concentration project. Production and commercialization potential of the recently completed basic wet-vacuum pathogen collection system will be further enhanced through completion and integration of current prototype-stage ``sister'' technologies. The combined systems will provide safer, more accurate and faster sample collection and processing capabilities with GPS-RFID sample site documentation and sample identification, plus handling, transport and lab traceability. Current outsourced production activities will be centralized through expanded in-house production facilities for more stringent cost, QC and delivery schedule management and control. Integrated technology systems will improve safety, accuracy and standardization of bio-agent detection methods for our soldiers and civilian end users. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc., located at 160 Bridon Way, Jerome, Idaho 83338.

The report contains $3,200,000 in the Advanced Spacecraft Technology account for the Ultra Low Power Electronics. Ultra-Low Power (ULP) Electronics is an Air Force Research Lab-sponsored initiative working in collaboration with industry to develop electronics that require less power and provide increased efficiency. A key challenge for DoD electronics applications is the reduction of power consumption in the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)--the technology platform used for advanced integrated circuits. Funding in 2009 will develop a high OPS/Watt ULP platform solution for DoD designers of electronic systems and demonstrate a base technology that can be rapidly scaled to meet general ULP industry requirements for portable electronics. The project is an iterative, multi-lot, fabrication research and development effort that includes design tool and model development necessary to deploy the new technology. A viable scaling method for reducing electronic voltage requirements and the associated ULP products will define an alternative CMOS scaling roadmap specific to portable technology. This program will establish a new technical approach and industrial capability for U.S. electronics. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is American Semiconductor, Inc., located at 3100 S. Vista Ave., Ste 230 Boise, Idaho 83705.

The report contains $800,000 in the New Design Ssn Account for the Highly Corrosive-Resistant Alloy Joining for Nuclear Applications. This funding will be used to develop and test novel prototype design-for- manufacturing methods, flexible automated welding and inspection technology for application in submarine nuclear reactor propulsion systems. The research will result in new joining techniques to shape highly corrosive-resistant alloys to meet the requirements of underwater power generation and radiation containment. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is Premier Technology, located at 1858 W. Bridge Street, Blackfoot, Idaho 83221.

The report contains $1,800,000 in the Air Force Military Construction Account for the Mountain Home AFB Logistics Readiness

Center. The Existing Logistic Supply is a condemned 53-year-old wooden structure beyond economical repair. The building had to be evacuated and now 60% of base supply functions operate from temporary spaces across base, creating significant delays in troop/equipment mobilization. This negatively impacts the Wing's ability to demolish and relocate from other substandard facilities on base. When funded, the Logistics Readiness Center will provide command and control for all materials in-bound and outbound, including freight processing, packing, crating, pallet buildup shop, and provide bulk and bin storage. The facility will also support secure storage and an armory and will include administrative areas. This request is consistent with the intended purpose of this account.

The entity to receive funding for this project is the 366th Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, located at 366 Gunfighter Avenue, Ste. 107, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho 83648.

I appreciate the opportunity to provide a list of Congressionally- directed projects in my district and an explanation of my support for them.

(1) $4 million for the Power and Cyber Systems Protection, Analysis, and Testing Program; Idaho National Laboratory.

(2) $1,600,000 for the Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) Manufacturing Improvement; ON Semiconductor.

(3) $1,600,000 for the Integrated Patient Quality Program; Healthwise Incorporated.

(4) $2,000,000 for the Accelerator-Driven Non-Destructive Testing; Idaho State University.

(5) $1,440,000 for the 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems; Boise State University.

(6) $1,200,000 for the Electric Grid Reliability/Assurance; Idaho National Laboratory.

(7) $1,200,000 for the Hybrid Power Generation System; M2E Power Inc.

(8) $3,200,000 for the Vacuum Sampling Pathogen Collection and Concentration; Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc.

(9) $3,200,000 for the Ultra Low Power Electronics; American Semiconductor.

(10) $800,000 for the Highly Corrosive-Resistant Alloy Joining for Nuclear Applications; Premier Technology.

(11) $1,800,000 in the Air Force Military Construction Account for the Mountain Home AFB Logistics Readiness Center; Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

I have to say that it is very sad that we are here at this point, having gone through the past several Congresses with the then-minority maligning us for not having completed our work. In the last Congress, I am happy we were able to actually pass out of the House 11 appropriations bills. In this Congress, one appropriations bill, this session of Congress has passed out of the House. It is unfortunate having been maligned so viciously for such a long period of time that here we are using a structure which is one that was used only once in the 109th Congress, and it is a structure that denies any Member an opportunity to provide even the slightest opportunity for an amendment. No motion to recommit, no substitute, no amendment at all.

This is actually concurring in a Senate amendment with an amendment which is a procedure that has now been used 15 times in this Congress to completely subvert the rights of the minority to do anything, to have, as I say, one bite at the apple. It saddens me that we are doing that again.

And I think back to the promises that were made 2 years ago right now when we were in the midst of the 2006 campaign. We were promised that if we in fact allowed Nancy Pelosi to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, it would be a whole new day and the kind of horrible action that we had seen in the past would be history.

What we were told, Mr. Speaker, is we would not see closed rules. This happens to be the 63rd closed rule that we have had in this Congress, the largest number of closed rules, again preventing any Member from having any opportunity to offer any amendment at all. Not one single amendment allowed, and this is the 63rd closed rule. Mr. Speaker, never before in the 230-year history of the Republic have we had the number of closed rules that we have had in the 110th Congress.

And then you look at the promises for things like not meeting after 10 p.m. in the Rules Committee. Last night we met right up until midnight. You look at all of these promises that were made, and it is sad that the only statement that I regularly hear from my good friends on the other side of the aisle is how horrible we were.

I was privileged to serve as chairman of the Rules Committee, and we continue to hear, well, you did this and how horrible it was when you were chairman of the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, they never once talk about the promises that were made to be different. I never, never thought that they would be as bad as they have been when it comes to this process of deliberation. Frankly, where we are right now with this rule for consideration of this measure is exactly that, denying any opportunity whatsoever. And again, it is the 15th time in this Congress where we have concurred in a Senate amendment with an amendment which again shuts out--and, by the way, we never, we never contemplated doing this, Mr. Speaker, in the consideration of an appropriations bill. Appropriations bills, as we all know, are regularly considered under by and large a completely open process.

Having said that, I will say, and we had our exchange with the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee last night, there are some things in this bill that I am very, very happy about. My distinguished colleague from North Carolina, Virginia Foxx, along with our colleagues Mike Pence, Tom Price and others, and I was privileged to be here on one occasion, they were here virtually every single day during the month of August. Why? Well, to refresh the memories of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, and yours as well, at the very end of the month of July just as Congress was getting ready to leave for the month of August, we were arguing that we should in fact have a debate and a vote on considering a wide range of proposals that the American people had said that we should at least have a vote on that would allow us to see the price of gasoline come down, that would allow us to see the cost of the price of natural gas come down, and allow us to vigorously pursue important alternative energy sources--wind, solar, biodiesel, green crude, nuclear. We said in late July that we should have a debate and we should not leave the Congress, we should not leave Washington until we completed that.

And so on the last day, by a one-vote margin, the minority was denied an opportunity to be able to even speak, to even address this issue. So we all know what happened right after. Even when the gavel came down and by a one-vote margin the majority chose to cut off specials orders that would have simply been an opportunity to talk about the need for looking at alternative energy sources and allowing for exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR and other areas, what happened, well, Members on our side of the aisle took to the well, when the lights were dim and there were only tourists who were here in the Chamber. Mr. Speaker, that went on during the entire month of August. During the entire month of August.

And the American people were able to come in, fill this Chamber, even though the lights were out and the microphones weren't working, and Members on our side, led by Virginia Foxx and the others whom I have mentioned, they talked about the need for us to have an all-of-the- above solution to the problem of high gasoline prices and overall high energy prices.

We are still dealing with that serious problem. I see my fellow Angeleno, Jane Harman, here. In Southern California, we pay very high prices for gasoline and people drive great distances. I know that her constituents, just as mine are, are very, very concerned about high gasoline prices. They still want to see the cost of gasoline go down and do what we can to get gasoline costs down and deal with transportation and a wide range of other issues.

I was really struck when, over that August break, Santa Barbara's County Board of Supervisors--Santa Barbara, California, and to refresh your memory, Mr. Speaker, 39 years ago, one of the most horrendous oil spills took place off the coast of Santa Barbara. Seals, birds, it killed, all kinds of devastation, because of this horrible oil spill that took place 39 years ago.

And yet, Mr. Speaker, what has happened is the members of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors have recognized that the technology that exists in 2008 is dramatically advanced from that that existed 39 years ago when we saw that horrible oil spill. They know that today we have safety valves and lots of other advances that have been made that will work to ensure that we would not see that kind of accident.

And so what has happened, even in Santa Barbara County, California, the County Board of Supervisors voted to allow exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf. They said that they don't have the power to do it, but they voted in favor of doing that.

And so, Mr. Speaker, I've got to say that one of the good things in this measure is that we are going to, with its passage, see the expiration of that moratorium that was put into place following the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. It's existed for a long period of time, but the American people recognize that we can, in an environmentally sound way, in a safe way, engage in this kind of responsible exploration.

I also want to say that as we look at this overall energy issue, there are many other things that need to be addressed that are not being addressed. Yes, we are taking some of these things in a piecemeal way. Why? Because both Democrats and Republicans alike have heard from their constituents about the need to deal with high energy costs and so some of these things are being addressed.

But we have been arguing, Mr. Boehner and others, that we need to have this all-of-the-above solution. And so I want to say again to my colleague, Virginia Foxx, and to the others who virtually every single day during the month of August, came here, stood in a dark Chamber without the benefit of a microphone talking to a place filled with tourists who were here and getting a very, very positive response, thank them for continuing to keep this issue in behalf of the American people on the forefront, in the forefront in this debate.

I will say that again there are other items in this measure that are important. But one thing that I find particularly troubling is the date at which time this continuing resolution will expire. I happen to believe that, as we look at the economic challenges that we are facing, and we all know that we've had meetings with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve and a wide range of other people who are involved in trying to responsibly deal with a rescue package that we are going to have to face, I have grave concerns about what I've seen, but it is an issue which we need to address. Creating American jobs and getting the economy growing is the single most important thing that we can do to deal with the fiscal crisis that we face right now. Economic growth is the key. And that's why I'm troubled with this March 6, 2009, expiration date, Mr. Speaker.

Why? Because by virtue of our taking this action, we, I believe, will, for all intents and purposes, not have a chance to vote on a very, very important agreement, a trade agreement that is designed to pry open new markets, to create jobs right here in the United States of America. And I'm talking, first and foremost, about the very important Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we all know that the State of Ohio is a State that has suffered from the economic slowdown. There are great products that are made in Ohio, in Illinois and other States that have been suffering. Caterpillar tractors, Whirlpool washing machines and refrigerators and all. Those things could be sold in great numbers to the 40 million consumers in Colombia, tariff-free, if we were to actually pass the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Unfortunately, extending this continuing resolution to March of next year, I believe, will play a big role in diminishing the prospect for a so-called lame duck session that would allow us to do that.

This is a slap, not only at Colombia, our strongest ally on the South American continent, but at all of Latin America, and, Mr. Speaker, it is a slap at any country in the world that might be contemplating embarking on negotiations with the United States of America in its attempt to deal with this.

I would be happy to yield to my friend from Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for her very thoughtful contribution, and let me just respond to a couple of points.

First and foremost, I place human life first, at the top. And so I think it's

absolutely essential, I would say to my friend from Ohio, that she know that that is priority number 1. Human rights are priority number 1. And the fact is, we have seen Colombia, as a nation, in a 5-year period of time, go through a more positive transformation than any nation in modern history. And the fact that the Colombian Government, under President Uribe, has stood up and fought very, very vigorously in behalf of bringing to justice those who have been responsible for any killings. The demobilization, taking people who have been part of the FARC and the paramilitaries and bringing them into society, Democrats and Republicans alike have seen that time and time again as I have in two recent trips that I have taken to Colombia.

I want to say, Mr. Speaker, the reason I mentioned the State of Ohio is that I want to do everything that I possibly can to create more good jobs for the constituents of Ms. Kaptur and other Ohioans throughout the State. Whirlpool is a very important Ohio company, and this agreement will allow workers for Whirlpool to create products that can be sold into Colombia.

And so all I'm arguing, Mr. Speaker, is that by virtue of having this date, it is a slap at the American worker and it is undermining our chance to get this economy growing again by prying open these new markets so that we can export our goods and services into the country.

Mr. Speaker, again, there are good things in this measure, but I am strongly opposed to this rule, the structure around which we are considering it.

Will the gentleman yield?

I thank my friend, and say that all we're asking for is a vote on this issue. I understand that the gentleman has a different view on this question, Mr. Speaker. It's very clear that he does.

I happen to believe that humans rights are very, very important, and we should recognize that enhancing the economies of both the United States and Colombia will help in that effort.

All we're saying is that we've been denied a vote, something that has never happened since the 1974 Trade Act was put into place under this structure, and by virtue of having this March 6, 2009, date, we're denying even a chance for a vote because I suspect we won't have a lame duck session.

I want to thank my friend from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and, Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

(Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Wow. I couldn't help but listening to my friend from Massachusetts state at least his interpretation of history, but the fact is, just when the American people think that Congress can't sink any lower, the liberal leaders of the House and Senate prove that they are up to this challenge and they are finding another way to do it.

I have only 30 minutes to speak today, and that's simply not enough time to detail each of the many broken promises that the Democrat majority made to the American people in the election of 2006, and they have promptly done exactly the opposite. For brevity's sake, let me just list some of the more egregious:

Democrat leaders promised the most open House in history. That means allowing Members the open opportunity to offer amendments on the House floor to change and improve legislation. Instead of a record of openness, the Democrats have delivered the most closed down, sit-down- shut-up record in the history of this country. That's not

an exaggeration, it's a fact. Sixty-three times the Members of this House have been totally blocked from offering even one amendment on the House floor. They have not just set the record for closing down the House, they have shattered it and left it in the dust. They promised one thing to get elected in 2006, and then promptly have done another thing.

In addition to shutting down the House and taking away the ability of Members to offer amendments and alternatives on bills, they perfected a procedure that should be known as the Pelosi ping-pong. It's a trick, it's a gimmick, a game that allows the House and Senate to just ping- pong a bill back and forth between the two Chambers while writing in secret the text of the final legislation that will eventually become law.

They play the Pelosi ping-pong to bypass and sneak around the normal process of holding conference committees where the House and the Senate work in public to bridge differences and publicly write final texts of new laws. By playing Pelosi ping-pong, Democrats keep Members of the House, Members of the Senate and the American people in the dark while they work in a back-room way cutting deals, stuffing in unvetted earmarks, and hiding the process from public scrutiny.

Despite their loud complaints and protests about conference committees not being properly followed when they were in the minority just 2 years ago, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid have abandoned them almost completely in this Congress for this far more abusive and secret game they are now playing.

Speaker Pelosi promised that if the Rules Committee met in the dead of the night, after 10 p.m., that the House would not act on that bill the following day. Yet here we are, early this afternoon, considering a rule and a bill that the Rules Committee didn't even begin meeting on until after 11 p.m. last night. It's another broken promise to the American people.

Speaker Pelosi and the liberal leaders of this House promised that a bill would be available for 24 hours before the House would vote on it. This would allow Members to read it and know what they are voting on. The text of this massive bill was not made available to the Rules Committee until 11 p.m. last night. It's over 1,100 pages long, yet the 24-hour waiting period promised by Speaker Pelosi has been abandoned. This massive bill is being rushed through the House.

The rules of the House were also unilaterally rewritten by Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats to block a vote on a fair trade agreement with Colombia, which is America's strongest ally in South America. The rules don't say there has to be a yes vote on the agreement, only that it hold a fair yes-or-no vote in a timely manner.

Yet instead of respecting our best ally and holding a vote on the agreement, Democrats chose to, instead, change the rules. So this fair trade agreement is essentially being held hostage and is locked away someplace, probably in the basement of the Capitol.

The fact is, Colombia already has open access to sell most of their goods into America. It's American farmers and businesses that face tariffs and hurdles to be able to sell their crops and goods into Colombia. This trade agreement is about fairness for American farmers and American workers.

The people that Democrats are hurting by blocking a vote on this fair trade agreement are Americans. Colombia has one-way access to our country, which Democrats have overwhelmingly voted on to give them. By passing this agreement, we would be making it a two-way street and give Americans fair access to Colombia. That should be what fair trade is all about.

Also, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat leaders promised that earmarks would be scrutinized and be subject to debate and challenge on the House floor. Yet this 1,000-plus page bill contains an untold number of earmarks that have never seen the light of day. They have not been through a public review of any kind, no committee hearing, no debate on the House floor, no Senate and House conference committee review.

And today the House is going to spend a grand total of 1 hour reviewing this bill.

Mr. Speaker, that is not a broken promise, it really is irresponsible.

Now, the reason why this liberal Congress finds itself in this mess is because the fiscal year ends on September 30, and they have yet to pass a single one of the 12 appropriation bills needed to fund the Federal Government starting October 1. This Congress has totally failed in its most basic job.

They shut down the work of the Appropriations Committee. In fact, in the middle of a working markup, they literally gaveled the committee to close, got up and left the room and just quit working. I should qualify that, they quit working in public because Democrats have been working feverishly behind closed doors to write this massive spending bill.

But why did Democrats punt on their basic responsibility and retreat to work in secret and walk out of a markup? It is because Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats are doing everything they possibly can to prevent us from lowering gas prices by producing more American-made energy with offshore drilling.

Democrats are so opposed to drilling offshore that they shut down the work of the Appropriations Committee. But the good news, Mr. Speaker, on this issue they have failed. Republicans have succeeded in forcing the ban on offshore drilling to be lifted despite the massive battle that Democrats waged for months to try and block it. With passage of this bill, the moratorium on offshore drilling will be lifted.

Yet, of course, this is just the first step. Democrats have shown the incredible lengths they will go to to block drilling. While they have been beaten this time, Americans, Mr. Speaker, should not be fooled. Democrats have chosen to play possum because election day is approaching and they want to hide from voters who support drilling offshore. There is much more to do, both now and after election day, to ensure that offshore drilling becomes a reality. But the reality is, Mr. Speaker, that Democrats and their allies will continue to use lawsuits and other tactics to block America from becoming more energy independent.

So, Mr. Speaker, this Democrat Congress has broken promise after promise to the American people. It has failed to do the most basic job to pass 12 funding bills by October 1. It is now jamming through a bill that was only made public at 11 p.m. last night, a little over 13\1/2\ hours ago. It is a bill that is over 1,000 pages long. It is a bill written in secret, spends hundreds of billions of dollars and includes untold numbers of earmarks that haven't been publicly vetted. The House will debate this monster piece of legislation for just one hour.

Mr. Speaker, for these many reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Would the gentleman yield?

I appreciate the gentleman yielding.

This particular earmark you're talking about and the others that I have sponsored have been vetted. In fact, they were in last year's appropriations bill. I have no problem with earmarks being vetted.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the distinguished ranking member of the Rules Committee, I yield myself 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I am talking about unvetted earmarks in this bill, and I would be happy to yield to my friend from Massachusetts if he would tell me that he has, and stake his reputation, and he is a very valuable member of this committee, that there are no unvetted earmarks in this massive bill.

I will yield to the gentleman if he will give me a ``yes'' or ``no'' answer.

Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I asked the gentleman about unvetted earmarks, and his response was only his. I was talking about earmarks that everybody else would make, and the gentleman couldn't answer me.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the ranking member of the Rules Committee.

(Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, what is the time on both sides?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, the normal process for appropriation bills are for them to come to the House floor and be debated under an open rule with the earmarks that are in the bill being open for everybody to look at them.

Now I find it rather interesting, when other Members were talking I saw my friend and his staff from Massachusetts frantically going through this 1,100 page bill to try to find earmarks. Well, if we'd gone through normal process, we would have known what those earmarks are. I have always said that I am one that is not necessarily opposed to them, but I think there ought to be transparency to this whole process. And there hasn't been any transparency, because only one, Mr. Speaker, only one of the appropriation bills was passed by the House, and that was not done under an open rule.

Had we had the normal process, all these earmarks would have been vetted, asked about, explained and so forth. But here we are, 1 hour to debate this 1,100-page bill of which there are three appropriation bills a part of this CR, and no real process to look at what the earmarks are. That's my whole point. Nothing more than that.

Yet because we aren't going through the regular order as we say, open process, in fact we go through 63 closed rules, Members don't have an opportunity to find out how the taxpayers' money is being spent on particular earmarks that all Members of this House have an opportunity to put in these bills. Mr. Speaker, I just wonder what the qualms are over there. It's their process, they run this place, and it hasn't been open.

I reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh), a valuable member of the Appropriations Committee, who is leaving the Congress after this term.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests for time.

Mr. Speaker, I will yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question because, by defeating the previous question, I will move to amend the rule to ensure that the Congress will not adjourn, Mr. Speaker, until a comprehensive energy legislation bill has been enacted.

What this means, Mr. Speaker, is passing an all-of-the-above energy plan that, in addition to drilling offshore, we need to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, and shale oil reserves in other parts of our country. We also need to extend renewable energy incentives. We need to streamline approval of new refining capacity in the United States and nuclear power facilities in the United States, and we need to encourage advanced research and development of clean coal, coal-to-liquid, and carbon sequestration technologies.

And finally, we need to minimize drawn-out legal challenges that unreasonably delay and prevent actual domestic energy production, because I had mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker, that while the offshore is now open on October 1 to exploration, I'm almost sure that the lawsuits will ensue. The bill that I will be amending this rule to contemplate takes care of that provision.

So, Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have the text of the amendment and extraneous materials inserted into the Record prior to a vote on the previous question.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask my colleagues now to vote ``no'' on the previous question so that we can simply amend the rule and take up this legislation.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.