Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, let me just commend Mr. Watt as chairman of our Congressional Black Caucus for providing leadership in this important celebration and observance of the great and extraordinary contributions that African Americans have made and continue to make in America and throughout the world.

No race of people has come through the ordeal and the circumstances of slavery, of Jim Crowism, of racism, of de facto segregation, and in spite of all these obstacles made extraordinary contributions in every field of endeavor: business, medicine, the arts, sports, politics, business.

Today we are here to highlight especially the role of fraternities in our community. Nowhere is that more particular than within the African American community, for the African American fraternities were brought about not as a result or a need for social edification or for frivolity; but those fraternities that came about in the African American community came about because of great need at a time of extraordinary struggle and circumstance within the African American community.

Such was the case with all of our fraternities and certainly with the fraternity that I am a member of, which is the first fraternity and the oldest fraternity, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. I would like to spend just a few moments talking about this fraternity because this was the first fraternity, and its development exemplifies all fraternities and the importance of their contribution.

In 1905 in Ithica, New York, a group of African American students at Cornell were so devastated with the racism and prejudice at that institution that they found themselves in, that half of the six refused to come back in 1906;

but three did and others joined them in 1906 and they came together to form the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Seven African American men, seven African American men that we affectionately refer to as the 7 Jewels: Brother Callis and Brother Chapman and Brother Jones and Brother Kelley, Brother Murray, Brother Ogle, and Brother Tandy. Seven.

There is something about that number seven. That is God's number, the number of completeness. As we know, we had to march around the walls of Jericho 70 times. The Bible says you must forgive your neighbor 70 times 7. There are 7 days in the week; 7 holes in our head: nose, two eyes, two nostrils, two ears. Seven is completeness. And that is why I believe that these fraternities were God's gift at an important time that they came on the scene. Before the civil rights movement, before the others, these men formed the organization and came to produce some of the outstanding leaders in all fields. Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois and Thurgood Marshall were all members, as were Duke Ellington and Adam Clayton Powell and Martin Luther King, Jr. Scores and hundreds of leaders in every sphere and activity of life were there.

So as we celebrate Black History Month, let us celebrate it where it means the most. And if these members of our fraternity were here, they would say to us in their words, those very precious words that, well, my brothers and my sisters, you see, life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it and splinters, boards torn up. No carpet on the floor, bare. But all the while, I's been a climbing on and reaching landings and turning corners, and sometimes going in the dark where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you stop. Don't you sit down on the steps because you finds it's kinda hard. Don't you fall now while I still going. I still climbing on, honey. And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Life was no crystal stair for those who started our African American Greek fraternities and sororities. But because they had that vision to keep going, they made an impact on the lives of African Americans, on the lives of the people of the United States of America, and on the lives of the people of the world. On this Black History Month we are say thank you to our Greek letter organizations, the African American fraternities and sororities who have helped us so greatly.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for allowing me the opportunity not only to serve with him on the Voting Rights Act reaffirmation, but also for being able to be part of this extraordinary effort this evening on behalf of Mrs. King.

I am a proud Member of Atlanta, Georgia, a product of the civil rights movement, a product of the political movement, which says it all when you step up here and mention the name of Coretta Scott King.

I am very pleased to be able to stand here in the United States Congress and say that I am here because Coretta Scott King touched my life. In 1974, just out of college, the opportunity came for me to step into the political arena in a bid for the State House of Representatives, and at the time to be one of the youngest, but not the youngest, to be elected to that body. It was Coretta Scott King that invited me into Ebenezer to be her Youth Day speaker. Can you imagine what it meant to me to stand in that pulpit where Dr. King was? She gave me advice that sticks with me today. She gave me advice from a scripture that was so meaningful to me, that gave me the courage to step out and run for office, and that scripture was in the Book of Ephesians and Paul's letter where he said put on the whole arm of God so you will be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

That is what Coretta Scott King did for me, to give me the encouragement.

She was more than just Dr. Martin Luther King's wife, she was a leader in her own right. And in many measures perhaps when her legacy is truly written and truly examined, you will clearly see that God called her as he has called so many in our history of America and the world to come at the right time and the right place, as she established his foundation over the last quarter of a century and the national holiday. That was her legacy that gives us every year a chance to reflect on Dr. King and the establishment of the King Center.

God bless Coretta Scott King, and God, we thank You for sending Coretta Scott King our way.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important piece of legislation for several reasons. Paramount, it will help an industry that badly needs our help at a very critical time, and the only way we can help the airline industry is to get it into conference. There are a lot of things that may be right with this bill, there a lot of things that may be wrong with this bill, but the only answer and the logical and most responsible thing that we need to do is to vote ``yes'' and send the bill to conference, allow the process to work.

I appreciate Mr. Miller who has worked very diligently with me and understands my concerns. I represent an area that has probably more airline employees maybe than any other district. I represent Delta Airlines. We all know that Delta Airlines is in a bankruptcy fight, fighting for its very life; and the two most critical issues that they need help on is doing something to lower the high cost of fuel, which we have problems with and how we can do it. There are all kinds of questions. But there is one thing we can do, and that is to help them with relief of their pension plans. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this is a comprehensive pension reform bill that will protect workers' retirement incomes, give companies a longer window to make underfunded plans whole, and will help protect U.S. taxpayers from taking on the liability associated with future plan terminations.

Now I'm asking your help to help my people in Georgia.

One area that remains to be addressed in conference are major airlines' pension plans. Delta Air Lines employs thousands of men and women in my district who rely now or plan to rely in whole or in part on retirement benefits provided by Delta.

Without a change in current law that allows Delta and other air carriers that have defined benefit plan obligations, like Northwest, Continental and American, to make their pension payments over a longer period of time--20 years--it's certainly a possibility that some or all of these plans will be terminated, benefits reduced and liability shifted to the taxpayer.

These carriers want to honor their obligations, but need to be equipped with the tools to have a fighting chance to do so. And getting this pension bill to conference is our only hope.

Although we are not addressing this specific need today, I strongly support continued pursuit in conference of an airline specific provision similar to that passed by the Senate, extending the payment period for these carriers to 20 years.

Help us get this bill to conference. Let's help Delta and all the airlines who need our help so much.

I want to thank Chairman Boehner for your hard work in making this reform bill a reality, and look forward to working with the conferees.

Mr. Speaker, I rise again in support of this important legislation. I wanted to get down to this, well, to kind of deal with some specifics as to why it is important that we move this bill on over into conference.

First of all, this is a comprehensive pension reform bill that will protect workers' retirement incomes. It will give companies a longer window to make underfunded plans whole, and it will help protect U.S. taxpayers from taking on the liability associated with future plan terminations.

As I mentioned before, Delta Airlines employs thousands of men and women in my district, and other airlines, in many of your districts throughout this country, rely now or plan to rely in whole or in part on retirement benefits provided by Delta. Without a change in current law, that will allow Delta and other airline carriers that have defined benefit plans and obligations, like Northwest, Continental and American, to make their pension payments over a longer period of time, 20 years, then it is a certainty that some or all of these plans will be terminated. Benefits will be reduced, and liabilities will be shifted to the taxpayer.

We have an opportunity with this vehicle today to make sure that does not happen. We do not need to extend this liability over to the taxpayers. These employers and airline carriers want to honor their obligations, their pensions, but they need our help. They need to be equipped with the tools just to have a fighting chance to do so.

Mr. Speaker, let us give our airlines this fighting chance. I know that is not the main item on the agenda, but this is the only vehicle we have that we can use in conference to fix the situation. I urge Members to give us a chance so we can help a very important industry.

Thank you so much my distinguished colleague, Congressman Ross, from the great State of Arkansas. You continue to do an extraordinary job of leadership in this

Congress and the people of Arkansas, I am sure, are very, very proud of you.

It is indeed a pleasure to join you once again as we talk about the number one issue facing the future of our great Nation. Alexander Hamilton said it best, who was the father of our financial system, when he said, woe to those who borrow more than they have.

Our Founding Fathers would not be proud of this country today when we say that 90 percent of every penny that we are spending to run this country today is coming from foreign countries. That is a very dangerous position for this country to be in. And I am here to tell you especially that China and India are eating our lunch. Not only are we borrowing money to run our government on it, but through our warped trade policies, we are exporting thousands and thousands of manufacturing jobs from Arkansas, from Georgia, from this country over to India, over to China and these other countries. So it is important that we wake up America. I believe that is our mission as Blue Dogs, to wake up this country to understand what the number one issue is facing us.

And the gentleman mentioned my time in Georgia where I served in the Georgia legislature for nearly 30 years, 10 of those as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. And we kept the State of Georgia in sound fiscal shape because we made it the law that we will not spend more than we have. And that is what we have got to do in this Congress of the United States to get our financial house back in order. For 5 years, the Blue Dog caucus has been warning, we have been pleading, we have been begging, we have been talking about the dangers of blowing the Federal surplus that was left by the last administration. Say what you want to say about Bill Clinton and the Clinton administration. But they left this country in fine shape, with hundreds of billions of dollars in surplus.

In September, the Blue Dogs formally asked President Bush if he would be kind enough to hold a bipartisan summit on budget deficits and Federal spending. That offer was rejected. Instead, President Bush and the Republicans want to cut money from our veterans. Yes, our veterans. Cut money from our veterans. Cut money from our farmers, cut money out of seniors programs, out of children's programs and cut the very programs designed to help those who need the help the most right now, and those are our victims of Katrina and Rita and Wilma, and then to give $70 billion in tax cuts to the wealthy among us, who really do not need it. We cannot afford to give it to them now. And I have had wealthy people even come up to me and say, we do not need this money now. The victims of Katrina need the money. The farmers need the money whose farms have been flooded. Senior citizens need the money. We do not have health care. Our young people need the money to go to school instead of cutting our education budget. And now we are concerned about our national credit. Now we are discussing the budget deficit. But we did not discuss the dangers of overspending until Hurricane Katrina hit. Then we correctly responded. And now what are we being asked to do? We are being asked to cut the very programs that it would help, people like the ones displaced by the hurricanes. America deserves better than this. Americans deserve much better than this, and they are expecting this House of Representatives to give better, and we can do better. And the first order of business is to certainly reject these painful cuts that are untimely. A time when our Nation is in great need and great pain is not the time to cut these vital Social Service programs.

And certainly it is not the time to give tax cuts to the wealthy. Not now. And I am one who supports tax cuts. I supported the first round of tax cuts. But I am at the head of the list today, as most of us should be. This Nation is suffering too much, too greatly for us to give tax cuts to those who really do not need it at this time.

I believe that the Federal budget process is a series of smoke and mirrors designed to deflect from the real financial disaster facing America. There is no provision in the current rules that enforces a balanced budget, and we Blue Dogs have been preaching that for years, pay-as-you-go. And there is nothing there that allows Congress to defy the budget rules at will. America and many people are wondering when we are going to run this government with the care and the sincerity, with the interest of taking care and being good stewards of their tax dollars, run it like a family business. We ask America to do the same thing, families and businesses. Our Federal Government should be at the top of the list.

And let me just point this out, Mr. Speaker: in today's headlines all across this country, it says a report, the USA left open to attack, shocking gaps cited by the 9/11 Commission. The final report from the 9/11 Commission that came out today gives us failing grades, and they warn us that terrorists will strike again and they will cause catastrophic destruction. And what do the Republicans do? They want to give tax breaks to the wealthy by cutting and failing to fund the basic program that the 9/11 Commission said we need to do, and that is to provide the radio-spectrum communications devices so that our firefighters and our first responders can at least coordinate and communicate with one another during the crisis. A failing grade.

Our precious Americans deserve better. We cannot afford the tax cuts for the wealthy now. Perhaps later. America is hurting now. America is in pain now. We need help now.

The victims of the gulf region were just up here today testifying before the Government Reform Committee, their hearts breaking, tears in their eyes. Our American citizens are suffering. We failed them down in New Orleans. Many are homeless. And we are failing them today by cutting the very programs that we have designed to give to them. America deserves better.

This budget reconciliation bill reminds me of the poorly run business that lays off employees in order to stay in the black. That same company in turn gives big bonuses to the corporate officers. Our American Nation is in terrible financial shape of the deficit and now because of the Republicans wanting to add to that deficit $70 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy. The American people are watching this debate; and they need to know what programs will be cut, what we are talking about in this reconciliation.

I want to talk first about the budget cuts. We need to remind the American people how irresponsible we are at this precious time. Nearly $12 billion will be cut in Medicaid; yet nearly 45 million Americans, in spite of that, do not even have health insurance. The cost of college is increasing faster than inflation; however, more than $14 billion will be cut from student loan programs. And the Department of Agriculture is reporting that an additional 2 million Americans are now going hungry; yet over $800 million will be cut in the food stamp program. That is immoral, and we cannot stand for it.

Other programs will be cut, including nearly $5 billion for child support programs. Agriculture programs will be cut at a time when high energy prices are crushing the family farmer. Veterans cut by $2 billion, child nutrition by $2 billion at a time when children are going hungry.

The Federal budget should be an honest blueprint for our spending priorities of the government. However, this budget process is not honest, and I am going to tell my colleagues something. The American people are sick and tired of this dishonesty coming out of Washington. We might as well say what it is. And they are expecting their congressmen and -women to stand up and represent them with honor, with dignity. This budget process is, indeed, not honest because we are passing on our obligations, our responsibilities, our challenges, and this debt to our children, our grandchildren while cutting programs that benefit the poorest among us. We need not accept a Federal budget that singles out hard-working middle-class American families; those who have served our Nation, right now making our veterans have to choose between whether they have their veterans retirement pay or whether they take disability. That is wrong. They should have both. They should not have to make those decisions. Society's most vulnerable citizens, Americans deserve an honest budget that reflects their priorities and that honors their hard work, and that is what we must do.

Finally, let me say this: I think that great writer Sir Edmund Burke put it best when he said that the only necessity for the triumph of evil, for the triumph of wrong, is for good men and women to do nothing. And that is why we Blue Dogs are standing in this Congress tonight. We are standing up and we are doing something. We are demanding that this Congress treat the American people better, and the first step is to reject these budget cuts and to reject this tax reconciliation package.

I just wanted to go back to a point that both of you made, because I think it is important for the American people, those who are watching us, to know the role of leadership that Democrats have played throughout the history of this country, going all the way back, and you go to the great world war and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. You come all of the way up through all of the Presidents that we have served. We have been very strong and very responsible in areas of defense, in areas of the budget, bringing it in on time.

This is just a recent phenomenon with this administration. So I do not want the American people to feel like we are jumping on the Republicans here. The truth is there. When Democrats left office running this government there was an extraordinarily large surplus. Nobody argues with that. We are in an extraordinary deficit now, and dangerously so. And I think what we are seeing here tonight as Blue Dogs, as Democrats, is this: that whether you are Republican, whether you are a Democrat, the whole point of it is, I think we all will agree, that our country deserves better.

The American people deserve better than what this is, and all we are doing as Democrats, and as our Blue Dog Coalition, is proving our heritage, proving our purpose, our mission, our goal, is to bring about a balanced budget. We are the group in this Congress that has been at the leadership of this issue. It is time to lead. We have been leading. We think we are getting the ear of the American people.

Once we get the ear of the American people to help put pressure on this Congress, which unfortunately or fortunately, depending upon what party you belong to, is run by Republicans. And I think Republican and Democrats can work together. And there are many on the other side of the aisle who want to bring this deficit down

I definitely do agree. Just to bring your point home and the gentleman from Tennessee's point home about what we are doing and the money we are borrowing from foreign governments, just think about this as you tie that to homeland security. We are spending more in our interest and the fee and the costs that we are paying these countries, in addition to the billions of dollars for each country you have mentioned, there is an interest on top of that that they are charging us to borrow the money. It is more than what we spend on our own homeland security. You talk about the height of irresponsibility.

But I do want to make sure that the American people understand the hypocrisy that is at stake here with what my friends on the Republican side are asking us to do which we must not do. We must not trade these budget cuts for foster care programs and for those of the needy to give the wealthy these tax cuts. Not now. Later when we can afford it, let us do so. But certainly not now. Just think. I am not sure that my friends on the other side of the aisle understand nor the President really understands how our country, most of the majority of the working families, the people in this country that are the backbone of this country, let us just even take our soldiers and our National Guardsmen, our soldiers who are defending us so brilliantly, doing an extraordinary job in Iraq and Afghanistan, many are on their second and third tours. Our military might is being strained. We are not nearly paying our soldiers enough. They are coming from the middle class and they are coming from people like my district. I talk to them every day as I stand here as a Georgian, no State in this Nation has paid the sacrifice in the number of soldiers who have lost their lives in this combat in Iraq as in the State of Georgia. While at the same time in my State of Georgia, we are faced with the loss of manufacturing jobs. We have just had news of the General Motors plant closing. There is a possibility, strong possibility, before the week is out, we may have news that the Ford Motor plant is closing. Delta Airlines, stretched with its pension, begging and asking this House of Representatives for help to help with their pension so they do not go under. That is where we need help. Katrina victims, nearly 30,000 in my State, many in your State of Arkansas who need help. And you mean to tell me at a time like this when our country is in such great pain, in such need, not only are we going to cut their programs but we are going to take that money and give it to billionaires and millionaires.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to fulfill an annual obligation to wish a happy birthday to Ms. Maggie Katie Brown Kidd. This year, it is my distinct pleasure to wish Ms. Kidd a happy 101st birthday. Although her birth date is December 8th, she will be celebrating with her family on November 25, 2005.

Ms. Kidd has led a long life of devoted service, always lending a helping hand to any of her relatives or neighbors. She carries on the tradition of her beloved husband ``Doc'' who earned that nickname precisely for such a reputation. So in addition to celebrating her birthday, we are celebrating another year of her contributions to our community. To mark this occasion and her contributions I am awarding her a ``Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, Maggie's children, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren in wishing her a happy 101st birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot begin to tell my Republican friends how disappointed I am, and I want to speak to why you are seeing so much passion on this floor tonight from Democrats, and especially from Blue Dog Democrats, of which I am a proud member. I am going into my fourth year here, and every year it has been the Blue Dog Democrats, not the Republicans, who have been at the forefront of trying to rein in deficit spending. It has been Blue Dogs who have been at the forefront to put forward pay-as-you-go.

You say we do not have a plan. We have a 12-point plan. We have tried to institute pay-as-you-go principles from day one. We have begged, we have pleaded with the President of the United States to meet with us to make sure that we rein in the deficit. So when you see Blue Dogs coming down here mad as hell, you have to understand that the reason we are mad is because we are not going to stand idly by and see the hypocrisy of a party that squandered billions and billions of dollars in surplus in the last 4 years and then come down here and say you are leading the fight to cut deficits, when you have done more than any President, any party in modern times to add to the deficit. And then the worst thing you want to do is to squeeze in a tax cut of $70 billion and then to do it on the backs of those that can least afford it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to speak on behalf of the American people. The American people want us to stand up and fight these dastardly budget cuts to the needy at a time when this country is in such great pain. We have just gone through the visceral attacks of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The American people are suffering. They are hurting. At the very same time that we are hurting and suffering the most, this Republican-led Congress and

the President of the United States want to put forward budget cuts that would hurt them the most.

Let me tell you about them: $12 billion in Medicaid cuts at a time when 45 million Americans do not even have health insurance, and $850 million cuts in the food stamp program when 2 million people, according to the Agriculture Department, were just added to the hungry rolls.

This is the wrong time to do these cuts. These cuts are made to offset a $70 billion tax cut for billionaires and millionaires who do not even need the money; and in order to even pay that money, we have to go and borrow it from Communist China.

The American people deserve better, we can do better, and we must do better. Let's vote down these cuts and stand up for the American people.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to be here and to be here with my good friend from Ohio (Mr. Ney) on this very, very important and timely subject.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 4133, which is the National Flood Insurance Program Further Enhanced Borrowing Authority Act of 2005, which would temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program.

This bill increases the borrowing authority by $5 billion to $8.5 billion. While this is a dramatic and unprecedented increase, it still will not be enough. Estimates are that the flood insurance program will need upwards of $30 billion to pay the claims from the unprecedented hurricane season led by Hurricane Katrina, and paying the claims is the contractual obligation of the Federal Government to those people who paid for and maintained policies under this important government program.

It goes without saying that the flood insurance program needs to be reformed so that it can meet the needs that arise from unprecedented disasters. Additionally, additional funding should come with an assurance that we are not going to put people right back in harm's way. We need to prevent this same situation from occurring in the future.

Today, this morning, the Financial Services Committee is debating a bill that will be a good start at that reform. I was present this morning and participated in that debate where many of my colleagues on the committee spoke passionately and set forth ideas and plans to respond to the Katrina tragedy and to help homeowners get back on their feet.

It is clear that my colleagues care, and I am pleased to reported that reform legislation that will benefit people living in harm's way is on its way to this floor.

Mr. Speaker, it is so fitting because there is just one week before Thanksgiving and; as we go home this weekend and next weekend, it will be comforting to know that while we are in the comfort of celebrating Thanksgiving, that we are also putting forward this measure today which gives a measure of thankfulness and giving.

Mr. Speaker, this is a necessary bill which fulfills our obligation to people who have legitimate and legal claims under the flood insurance program and who need that money now to begin rebuilding their shattered lives.

I urge swift passage.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I feel very privileged and honored to be here with my fellow Blue Dogs.

Our debate is going out across the country thanks to C-SPAN, and I think it is very important that we understand that the American people have awakened. All of the polls show it. The American people are glued in to what is happening here in Washington, and right they should be.

I want to start off by saying that so that individuals who are tuning in who would like to know just what are the Blue Dogs, more than anything else, we pride ourselves on being, first and foremost, good stewards of the taxpayers' dollars. We provide the sterling leadership in the Democratic Party for responsible fiscal responsibility.

For 5 years, we in the Blue Dog Coalition have been begging and pleading that this Congress develop a plan to pay as you go. Mr. Speaker, 5 years ago when the Clinton administration left office, we had a surplus. Billions and billions and billions of dollars were left in surplus. Now 5 years later, under the Bush administration, we are trillions and trillions and trillions of dollars in debt. Make no mistake about it, our debt and our deficit is the number one problem and issue facing the survival and the future of our democracy. And we are concerned about this national debt.

But at a time when we are expressly concerned about it and pushing forward for responsible measures on the Democratic side, it is the height of hypocrisy, it is the height of being insensitive, it is the height of indeed smoke and mirrors for this Republican-led Congress and this Republican President to, under the guise of giving a tax cut for billionaires and millionaires across this country, say he wants to cut spending.

Cut spending of the most vital services, the most important needs in this country, as a matter of fact, in the history of this country, in this 20th century. We have just been hit with the worst hurricane season in modern times. Katrina was the worst that anybody can remember. Billions and billions and billions of dollars worth of damage, an entire city, entire region almost totally destroyed. Over 250,000 American citizens without homes. We all remember those pictures, down in New Orleans, in the flood. Our hearts went out to those people. Well, our hearts must continue to go out to those people.

And the reason it is the height of hypocrisy is here is the President of the United States and this Republican controlled Congress, who says that they want to offset a $70 billion tax cut for the wealthiest people in this country on the backs of those poor victims of this hurricane.

On the front page of the Washington Post this morning, the answer from FEMA is to throw 150,000 American citizens who have become homeless on the street. The answer from The White House and the answer from this Congress has been to cut the very programs that will help these victims the most. The most effective programs that have helped them has been the food stamp program. And under this budget, this Republican held Congress, and this President proposes to cut food stamps by $850 million. Not only at a time when we have people who are homeless, without jobs, without hope, but according to the Agriculture Department, just this year alone, we have added 2 million more citizens to the hunger roles. The Republicans answer, cut the very program that has been designed to help them by $850 billion.

Medicaid. Under this budget planned by the Republicans and President Bush, they want to cut Medicaid by $12 billion, when 45 million Americans, mostly senior elderly citizens, are going without any kind of health insurance.

And our farmers? Cut them by $2 billion. Farmers who have been devastated by the flood, who have been hurt by the flood. Now is not the time to cut the farmers.

And our veterans, $3 billion. Lord knows. We have not been doing right by our veterans. We have cut them. We have cut them. We have cut them. And the President's answer is, cut the veterans. This Republican Congress's is to cut the veterans. Is that not a reason why they have had difficulty in getting the votes? Why they have had to pull the bill last week?

And the American people need to wake up and understand and put the calls in to your Republican congressman to let them know that America does not want to cut the basic services for the needy while trying to add a $70 billion tax cut for the millionaires and the billionaires. They do not need the money. But the children do.

This budget will cut children's nutrition by $2 billion and $5 billion in child support. Heating oil is cut at a time when the oil companies are getting record profits, and their executives are sitting fast.

Student loans, $14 billion at a time when going to college costs so much. There will be tens of thousands of American children who will not go to college if this Republican budget reconciliation bill passes. That is why this is so important. That is why it is important.

Listen to me, America. And if you know other people, tell them to tune in. We are here to tell you the facts. This Blue Dog coalition is one of the most influential groups on Capitol Hill, and the reason why is because people trust us. We have earned that. We have earned that distinction. Folks like Charlie Stenholm, John Tanner, they have pioneered and set the curve. Respect across party lines. Respect across this country, the Blue Dog coalition. We are speaking the truth tonight.

William Shakespeare said it well when he wrote that great play, Julius Caesar, when he said, et tu Brutus? Yours is the meanest cut of all. And that is what these Republicans are doing in this bill. It is mean. It is cold, and it is wrong. And the American people deserve better. And we are going to give them better.

So Mr. Ross and my fellow Blue Dogs, we are here tonight to speak the truth. We are here tonight to let the American people know, and we hope and we pray that we will be successful in stopping this budget reconciliation bill from being devastating to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman raises such a great point on the interest, and I think the American people need to know that just on the money that we are paying these other countries, just on the interest, it amounts to more than what we are paying for our own homeland security.

Absolutely, our plan, the Blue Dog plan number eight, is to justify spending for pet projects, that while we have many projects that may be worthy, it is very important that we have written justification available to the public so the public can see, and it strengthens our credibility to make sure we are spending the taxpayer's money in an efficient effective manner, justify the spending for pet projects.

Number nine, ensure that Congress reads the bills it is voting on. So many times, we do not even have the time to read the bills we are voting on. How can you vote intelligently on an issue if you are not even given the time? The Blue Dogs will recommend that we at least be given a minimum of 3 days to finally look at the legislation, to make sure that we understand and have all the information for a vote.

Number ten, require honest cost estimates for every bill that Congress votes on, most important. Get the right amount of money that it is going to cost.

Number 11, make sure new bills fit the budget, pay-as-you-go, make sure that we are not putting in more than we have to spend.

Number 12, make sure that Congress does a better job of keeping tabs on government programs. The Blue Dogs propose that each committee be required to submit a report at least twice a year, available again to the public, which is very important that we make known that we want to make sure the public is a working, participating partner in our 12 points.

Mr. Speaker, those are our 12 points. We are very proud of them. I think they make sense. It gives vision. It gives direction. It gives purpose.

I want to just conclude, because I know our time is short, before I hand it back to the gentleman from Arkansas, we are at Thanksgiving. What an extraordinary time. Families all over this country a week from tomorrow will be gathering together. We have got to make sure that we give them a

Thanksgiving that they will appreciate, and I assure you that they will not appreciate cutting Medicaid. They will not appreciate cutting the farmers' programs. The veterans are not going to have a good Thanksgiving if they know that their benefits are cut by $2 billion. Our students are not going to have a good Thanksgiving if they know that the student loan program is being cut by $14 billion; our children, child support $5 billion, child nutrition, food stamps.

We have got to make sure that our people have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. The way to do that is if they bring that budget reconciliation bill up before we leave, in the name of the American people, we must vote it down.

Mr. Speaker, who is telling the truth? The Democrats are telling the truth on this. This is smoke and mirrors, and the Republicans are offering a budget reconciliation package that is definitely harmful to the American people.

We can do better, this Congress deserves to do better, and the American people are expecting us to do better.

Here is the truth: the truth is that this is not deficit reduction. It will add a total of $16 billion to our deficit. Here are the facts: The cuts are $54 billion. Yet there is a tax cut in here for $70 billion. Separate it, the math is there: 54 from 70 is 16. It adds $16 billion just in adding the tax cuts to it.

I tell my colleagues, there was a young fellow named David who came from the sheep and they told him to go back and mind his sheep, and he was to go get Goliath. David looked at him and said, Is there not a cause?

Well, I am here to tell my colleagues there is a cause for you and a cause for me, and that cause is to stand up for Americans, stand up for the American people. We can do better. Let us vote down this awful budget reconciliation.

Mr. Chairman, the entire country witnessed what happened in my district, in the Fulton County Courthouse, on the morning of March 11, 2005.

On that day, Brian Nichols, was to appear in a retrial for charges of rape and false imprisonment. As he was escorted from his holding cell to change into civilian clothes for the proceeding, he over-powered the female sheriff's deputy overseeing his transfer, stole her gun, and shot her in the face. Mr. Nichols then proceeded to run through the courthouse complex, unimpeded, steal another firearm and shoot 3 more people, including long-time superior court judge Rowland Barnes, a revered judicial figure in the Atlanta area.

Mr. Nichols managed to escape the courthouse and evade police for more than two days during which time he used the fire arms that he stole in the courthouse, injuring several more people, stole multiple vehicles and held one woman hostage before he was finally apprehended.

Mr. Speaker, this episode highlights the merits of this bill not just because of the security failures that allowed it to happen. This much is self-evident.

In the aftermath of the security failures at the Fulton County Courthouse, the entire Atlanta metropolitan area, an area of more than 4 million people, was on edge. Schools were put on lock down in several counties. If we had proper security measures in place on that fateful Friday morning, we could have avoided the hysteria and disruptions of normal life that followed.

My constituents, the residents of the Atlanta area, and the law- abiding citizens of this great nation deserve the right to go about their daily lives knowing that our court rooms are secure. Therefore, I urge the passing of this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from South Dakota for yielding me this time. It is a pleasure to work with her on this, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important issue on the House floor today.

As we all know, on June 23, 2005, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Kelo v. The City of New London. In Kelo, the Court addressed the city's condemnation of private property to implement its redevelopment plan aimed at invigorating a depressed economy. By a 5-4 decision, the Court held that the condemnation satisfied the fifth amendment requirement that property condemnations be for a ``public use,'' notwithstanding that the property, as part of the plan, might be turned over to private developers.

The Supreme Court decision was indeed a wake-up call, Mr. Chairman, for many communities; and I have heard loud and clear from my own constituents in Georgia that they are worried that their property rights are in jeopardy. Today we are going to remedy this wrongful application of the law of eminent domain and restore important property rights to private citizens. This is very important, Mr. Chairman, what we are doing today. And as a cosponsor of H.R. 4128, the Private Property Rights Protection Act, I believe that passage of this legislation will ensure that no Federal dollars will be used to unjustly take any property at the local and State levels. In addition, I will continue to support efforts to curtail the power of eminent domain in an effort to protect private property rights.

H.R. 4128 is important, and I support it because it prohibits State and local governments that receive Federal economic development funds from using eminent domain to seize land for economic development purposes, except for the construction of public facilities such as hospitals or military bases, and for use by a public utility, aqueduct, or a pipeline.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the States and local governments that take lands for private development could not receive Federal economic development funds for those years. I am therefore very pleased that the House is voting on this important bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to address this chamber in honor of a civil rights hero, Rosa Parks. Mrs. Parks passed away on Monday evening but her legacy will continue to inspire us all. Her story is not just a civil rights story it is an American story. I am pleased to honor her here today and as a cosponsor of legislation that recognizes her courageous contributions to our nation.

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Mrs. Parks was riding the bus home from work. On that December evening Rosa Parks was asked, along with other African-Americans, to give up her seat to a white passenger. Mrs. Parks was the only one that refused to do so and she was subsequently arrested and fined. Her actions that day put the civil rights movement into motion and changed the direction of our nation. Her arrest inspired a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. to organize a boycott of the city's buses. The 381 day boycott eventually lead to a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Montgomery ordinance and outlawed racial segregation on public transportation.

Rosa Parks was a humble woman who never wanted recognition, only equality. She continued to fight for equality through her local NAACP chapter. Her mother always told her to take advantage of opportunities no matter how few they are. She heeded that advice and seized opportunities and also provided a multitude of opportunities for others. Mrs. Parks will be remembered not only for her actions but for her courage. She did what so many others yearned to do. Her story catapulted the civil rights movement to the national stage and inspired many others to join the fight to end segregation.

Later in her life, Rosa Parks co-founded an organization for young people, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, which enables youth to pursue educational opportunities, registers them to vote, and works toward racial peace. Mrs. Parks also hosted a special program organized through the Rosa and Rymond Parks Institute called Pathways to Freedom. This student program gives tours across the country that follows the Underground Railroad and highlights the events that spearheaded the civil rights movement. In 1996, President Clinton honored Rosa Parks with the presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1999, she received the Congressional Gold Medal.

Although parts of our history are marred with inequality, discrimination, and hate, it is also filled with individual courage, perseverance, and hope. We must learn from it so that we can continue to progress as a nation. We must never forget our history and we must never forget Rosa Parks.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this important' legislation as I make a final push to keep Forts Gillem and McPherson open by voting in support of a joint House resolution to reject the president's approval of the 2005 round of base realignments and closures. I cosponsored the measure, H.J. Res. 65, which disapproves the recommendations of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) as submitted by the president to Congress on September 15, 2005. I am disappointed that H.J. Res. 65 failed to pass the House today by a vote of 85-324. Congress had until October 30, 2005 to pass a joint resolution of disapproval of the list.

Unfortunately, this round of base closings and realignments has failed to accomplish the military goals of shedding excess operations and facilities without seriously weakening our national security and homeland defense. I strongly oppose the president's recommendations to close Ft. Gillem and Fort McPherson, and I have tried to make a strong case in their defense at every opportunity available to me, including directly addressing members of the BRAC Commission and urging President Bush to consider their unmatched military value and unique strategic readiness for homeland defense.

My efforts to remove Forts Gillem and McPherson from the BRAC list of closings proved partly successful since I secured the extension of six Federal functions at an enclave at Ft. Gillem, blocking a complete closing of the military base. These functions include the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, Georgia Army National Guard, 3rd MEDCOM, SE Army Reserve Intelligence Center, FEMA, and Red Cross.

I am very disappointed by the outcome of today's vote and that Ft. Gillem and Ft. McPherson remained on the BRAC list for closure despite the vital role they continue to play in coordinating the deployment of troops abroad and Federal response to national disasters like this year's string of devastating hurricanes. Following today's vote, the Defense Department is now charged with carrying out the recommended closures and realignments. Therefore, I will work with defense officials and the Local Redevelopment Authority during the upcoming transition period for Forts Gillem and McPherson.

Mr. Speaker, this is indeed an extraordinary time. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for allowing me to participate in this great testimonial to an extraordinary woman, Mrs. Rosa Parks.

Mrs. Rosa Parks was indeed an extraordinary lady who made extraordinary contributions at an extraordinary time in American history.

You know, sometimes at certain moments in life you feel that there are no words that are adequate to really tell the true story and to give the worth that a life like Rosa Parks deserves.

But the word that comes to my mind, as I think of Rosa Parks, is that word ``great,'' because Rosa Parks was a great lady. But she was a great lady of greatness.

It might be wise of us just to take a moment and look at that word great, greatness. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle, when asked what did it take to be a great person, said, in order to be a great person, you must first of all know yourself, know thyself.

Well, Rosa Parks certainly knew herself. She not only knew who she was, she knew whose she was. For Rosa Parks more than anything else was foremost and first of all a child of God, as was so eloquently pointed out by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), who knew her so personally well. She was truly a child of God.

When that question was put to the great Roman general, Marcus Aurelius, what does it take to be a great person, Marcus Aurelius said, in order to be a great person, you must first of all discipline yourself. She was disciplined. She was focussed. She had her mind set on that goal of freedom and quality for everyone.

When that question of greatness was put to the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass, of what does it take to be a great person, Frederick Douglass said, in order to be a great person, you must have courage. Well, Rosa Parks certainly had courage. She was a woman of extraordinary courage. Think about that time when the Ku Klux Klan was running rampant, when black men were getting lynched for barely not tipping their hat or getting off the sidewalk. These were tough, dark days for a woman to sit and defy the white power structure. Courage, courage.

Finally, when that question of greatness was put to the Messiah Jesus Christ what a great person is, he said, you first of all have to sacrifice yourself. And Rosa Parks sacrificed herself. She had what I call the great Isaiah instinct, that instinct when God said, ``Who would go for us and whom shall we send,'' Isaiah cried out, ``Here am I, Lord, send me.''

At that moment of history when Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955, when God called out, ``Who will go for us and who shall we send,'' Rosa Parks said, ``Here am I, Lord, send me.''

My God, what a woman. How much gratitude we have that we must give for her. And as an African American sitting and standing in the well of this House of Representatives, it is important for us to understand that when Rosa Parks sat down and did not get up to give that white man her seat on that bus in Montgomery, as she so eloquently stated, many people said they thought I was sitting there because my feet were tired. Well, that was not the truth. Rosa Parks said, it was not that my feet were tired, it was because my soul was tired of being a second- class citizen. When I sat down and would not give up my seat, I was standing up for justice, for equality for all.

So as an African American standing here, yes, I know she stood up for all of us. She certainly stood up for black people. But let it be said that more than that, Rosa Parks stood up for America, for black people, for white people, for brown people, for yellow people, for everybody who believes in that American dream of justice, of equality, of freedom for all of us. God bless Rosa Parks, and we thank God for sending this extraordinary sojourner of truth our way.