Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for taking this time and recognizing certainly one of the greatest modern statesmen that this House has had the honor of having as one of its Members.

Henry Hyde is a person who I have got to know in cutting my teeth in politics. As a young teacher who decided to take a run for the State legislature after about 16 years of teaching, I was, to say, a little wet behind the ears. I was a novice. Part of this district that I had was DuPage County, which is the land of great Republicans and was outside of my home county, but, nonetheless, I had to represent part of it.

Every time that I would go on the dais or the podium, usually late in the program, I would follow Henry Hyde. Henry Hyde, of course, was this great, well-known statesman, the person who came to Congress in 1972, that fought the fights, that was the leader, that carried the banner of conservative Republicanism, and I was the schoolteacher who was just cutting my teeth.

I got to learn a little bit from Henry Hyde. I learned that if you wanted to keep people's attention, you had to have a little bit of humor, you had to keep to the point, you had to be loquacious. Well, I never quite learned to be loquacious, but, anyway, Henry had that quality, and he still does.

One of the greatest speeches that I heard just recently was a speech honoring Henry Hyde in the City of Chicago. Of course, there were a great multitude of supporters and people who have worked with Henry over the years present. Henry Hyde took the mike and for about 25 minutes laid out a wonderful litany of ideas, of challenges, of experience that this man has had in politics, from the State of Illinois, from the State legislature, then on to Congress and then went on to be a national leader and a national spokesman.

I think our Members from Illinois have learned that this great gentleman is not only a great leader, he is certainly a great spokesman, but he is a friend, somebody that you can sit down and share your concerns with or ask opinions or get a little lesson. Henry is that kind of man.

I am very honored, because Henry Hyde will now be a resident of my district. He is going to find a house down along the shores of the Fox River in northern Illinois, and I will be honored to have him as one of my constituents.

So to Henry, God love you. We love you. You have been a great leader. You have been a person who we are certainly honored to have served with and a person who we will hold very, very closely to our hearts for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4893 and want to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for their hard work on behalf of this important bipartisan legislation. The practice of Indian tribes acquiring lands outside the borders of their tribal homelands for the purposes of opening casinos--often called reservation shopping--is a problem that is spreading throughout the country. In most cases, it forces states and local governments into protracted and costly legal battles. This is especially true in the State of Illinois where off-reservation claims have affected thousands of landowners.

When Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, they did not intend to authorize reservation shopping by Tribes. In fact, IGRA prohibits gaming on all after-acquired lands and only permits off-reservation gaming under extremely limited circumstances. However, some Tribes are attempting to take advantage of IGRA's provisions and move into lucrative casino markets far from their reservations and lands where they have a historical connection.

This legislation puts an end to reservation shopping by prohibiting attempts to establish off-reservation casinos outside the state where the tribe currently resides. Most importantly, this legislation prevents tribes from filing lawsuits and land claims against private property owners in hopes of getting a casino in the settlement.

One example is in my district where the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indian Tribe, based in Kansas, has laid claim to 1,280 acres of land in DeKalb County. Their claim is based on an 1829 Treaty between the United States and United Tribes of the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi that granted the DeKalb acreage for the ``use'' of a chief named Shab- eh-nay and ``his band.'' Shab-eh-nay left the land in the 1830's and moved to Kansas with his band. In fact, on December 1, 1845, Shab-eh- nay sold 640 acres of the property for $1200--a deed which I have a copy of right here--and federal agencies determined that the land had been reverted to federal ownership when he moved west.

Nonetheless, the Tribe asserts that the 1829 Treaty granted a permanent title to the land that could only be taken away by an Act of Congress. Their claim is based solely on a letter written on the final day of the Clinton Administration by U.S. Department of Interior Solicitor John Leshy that the Tribe had a ``credible'' claim to the land.

However, instead of requesting that the Department of Interior formally recognize that claim and have the land taken into trust, the Tribe made an open-market purchase of 128 acres of land and declared through a Tribal Council Resolution their sovereign authority and jurisdiction over the property.

It should be noted that according to the Department of Interior, the Tribe has never officially contacted the Department about their claim to this land. Not to mention that another tribe, the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, has made a competing claim to the same land.

Shortly after presenting the resolution to the County, the Tribe attempted to begin work on construction of a satellite office on the property, which the land is not currently zoned for. As a result, the County was forced to issue a stop work order on the project. Subsequently, the Tribe scheduled a public hearing regarding their proposed change in land use. Ultimately, the Tribe's intention is to construct a $715 million ``first class gaming, entertainment and resort complex on 1,280 acres of land'' according to their proposal issued in 2003. This is despite the fact that tribal gaming is not allowed under State law.

Rather than take the steps outlined by IGRA, and apply to have their land taken into trust by the Department of Interior, the Tribe has instead chosen to force costly legal action by the County for the purpose of having their claim heard in court. This is clearly an attempt to circumvent the review process by the Department of Interior.

Mr. Speaker, even the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that an Indian Nation cannot regain the sovereignty of lands through open market land purchases. Nonetheless, these claims persist and put private landowners and local governments at risk. Without congressional action, these claims could establish a dangerous precedent whereby tribes could, and would, locate casinos in any state where gaming is allowed.

Mr. Speaker, it is my opinion that H.R. 4893 is especially important for the sake of protecting private landowners who have a legitimate right to their land, while providing fair and reasonable treatment for Indian Tribes. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this important and commonsense legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it was a day, September 11, 2001, of unforgettable horror and unforgettable heroes. It was the day our buildings fell, the day our people rose. The fear and anguish that we felt that bright blue morning 5 years ago will never leave us, but the courage and the iron resolve that carried us through the hours and days that followed must also remain.

The war on terror, today being fought here in our homeland, and around the world, must be won. Five years after 9/11, America is safer and much more alert to the dangers that lurk in the darker corners of our world.

Those dangers yet exist in Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran and Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. They call themselves al Qaeda and Hamas and Hezbollah and many other names.

Mr. Speaker, their differences of names and nationality neither erase nor even obscure the menacing ideology that binds them together as a single indistinguishable enemy of freedom and justice and peace.

This ideology of evil seeks not simply to dominate, but to destroy the will of all mankind, to control at the tip of a sword our very thought, word and deed. Their ultimatum is simple: submit or die.

Beginning on the morning of September 11, 2001, aboard United Flight 93 in the skies over Pennsylvania, America decided to take a third option. We decided to fight back. Despite the overwhelming odds, despite circumstances that no other nation and no other military could hope to overcome, our resolve has not broken.

In the 5 years since 9/11, our military and our intelligence services have thwarted dozens of attacks, large and small. Their efforts have saved countless lives. Along with our coalition partners, we have overthrown dangerous dictatorships in Afghanistan and Iraq and started to free people of those nations on a road to democracy.

These facts are all laid out in the resolution before us. But as important as it is to recite what we have done, it is more important for this House to assert what it intends to do.

Let me quote from it. The House of Representatives ``reaffirms that the American people will never forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the loss of innocent lives that day, and will continue to fight the war on terrorism in their memory, and will never succumb to the cause of the terrorists.''

To me, and I think to most Americans, after 5 years of security and success, a lapse in our resolve is unthinkable. Victory is not yet assured, and victory without resolve is impossible.

Adoption of this resolution today will be a signal to our Nation, to our troops, to our allies around the world, and especially to our enemies, that we will never forget and we will never surrender.

Ladies and gentlemen, for us on the Republican side of the aisle, it is a sad day today. We have lost Helen Sewell. Helen served in the Republican cloakroom for over 70 years. She was a person who was always happy, always met any special needs that people had.

She starting serving in the House in the cloakroom with her father. She started working when she was in junior high. She was a very sweet lady. She was there all the time. Whether it was late at night, early in the morning, Helen was there with her hot dogs and tuna fish sandwich, and always a little hot sauce or relish if people wanted that. She loved working in the cloakroom and working for the people and serving the people that came to see her almost on a daily basis.

When people like Gerald Ford or George Bush, Sr., or Dick Cheney would come by, they would always make sure that they took some time and conversed with her and greeted, kibitzed, a bit in the cloakroom.

Some of her favorite Members include Henry Cabot Lodge and Claire Booth Luce, so Members know she went back a long, long time in this country's history.

We will miss her. We thank the Lord for her service here, and I would just like to take a minute in remembrance.

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, one of our greatest Presidents, Ronald Reagan, was fond of saying that ``Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.'' President Reagan's wise words are still true today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 861. This resolution is about more than the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is about a global war to protect American ideals, and the democracy and values on which this great Nation was founded.

This resolution, Mr. Speaker, like this war itself, is about freedom. Just 12 days ago I returned from Iraq. I can tell this House that the morale of our fighting men and women there is sky high. They are not suffering from doubt and ``second guessing.'' And they are certainly not interested in the political posturing about the war that often goes on in this city. They know why they are there. They know they are liberators doing good. And they believe passionately in their mission.

It is not possible to talk to these men and women without being inspired by their courage, their determination, their professionalism and their patriotism.

I came home from Iraq believing even more strongly, that it is not enough for this House to say ``we support our troops.'' To the men and the women in the field, in harm's way, that statement rings hollow if we don't also say we support their mission.

The clarity with which our men and women in uniform understand the reason they are in Iraq is a stark contrast to some here at home who talk about this war as a ``war of choice.''

The facts are clear. America has been struck repeatedly. Despite the life-ending attacks on Khobar Towers, our East African embassies, the USS Cole and the first World Trade Center bombing, U.S. policy tended to confuse these attacks with isolated law-enforcement events. We failed to recognize them as

the escalating strikes that they were. We failed to identify the networks behind the bombs. We convinced ourselves that these attacks were just somehow random acts of violence. And yet the attacks continued.

The terrorists did not admire or appreciate our limited response. They did not come to the table to discuss points of political concern, and they did not de-escalate, demobilize or disappear. Our response was inconstant and limited, but their reactions were not. They plotted and they practiced, while we hoped for the best and fired an occasional cruise missile into the desert. We were wrong and we slumbered in denial.

And then came the day when terrorism slapped us in the face, awakening us to a stark reality. I remember it as a crisp, fall day. Where the clear blue sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. But that peaceful scene was transformed in an instant when planes went crashing into buildings and the clear sky turned to choking ash and soot.

I stood in my Capitol office, just a few yards from where I am speaking here today. I saw the black smoke rising from the Pentagon. The third plane had hit just across the river from this Capitol building.

On 9/11 the terrorists were not a distant threat, they were in our front yard, and they were very real and very deadly. In that moment, we were afraid. None of us had anticipated the lengths to which our enemies would go to destroy our American way of life, our ideals and our belief.

Of course, we knew that foreign terrorists had caused trouble elsewhere, maybe in Israel or in Northern Ireland, but we found it hard to imagine that they came to our shores hoping to kill tens of thousands of men, women and children, innocent, unarmed people, peacefully going about their daily lives.

It is hard, even now, to comprehend such enormous evil.

As we watched some of our fellow citizens leap from burning buildings to their deaths, our fear turned to anger and then anger to resolute determination.

America's response started high above a corn field in rural Pennsylvania. Brave men and women, armed with nothing more than boiling water, dinner forks and broken bottles, stood up, as Americans always do when our freedom is in peril, and they struck back.

We know from the messages they left behind that their final thoughts were for their families and their loved ones, but they also spoke of their love of their country.

``Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.'' Perhaps the brave souls on United Flight 93 reflected Ronald Reagan's words because the generation represented on that plane, like the patriots at Concord Bridge, were not going to let freedom be extinguished, not on their watch.

We in this Congress must show the same steely resolve as those men and women on United Flight 93, the same sense of duty as the first responders who headed up the stairs of the Twin Towers.

We must stand firm in our commitment to fight terrorism and the evil it inflicts throughout the world. We must renew our resolve that the actions of evildoers will not dictate American policy. And we must decide, right here, today what kind of a Nation we want to leave for our children and their generation.

We are not alone in the fight on global terror. I cannot list them all, but they include countries large and small, rich and poor: Great Britain, Japan, Canada, Jordan, Portugal, Denmark, Mali, Latvia, Romania, Italy, Poland, South Korea. In fact, the number of countries working to defeat our common enemy continues to grow.

Pakistan, a nation that once recognized the oppressive Taliban regime, has changed its course and now works closely with the coalition to round up terrorists. Yemen, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia have also moved aggressively within their borders to fight terrorism. Libya has given up her nuclear capability.

Today, more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's known leaders and associates have been detained or killed.

There is no doubt that since 9/11 our military, as well as our law enforcement intelligence agencies, have made great strides in uprooting terrorism. Nearly a dozen serious al Qaeda plots have been stopped since September 11th. But there is good reason for ongoing vigilance because the threat is still very real.

Just recently, our neighbor to the north, Canada, foiled a terrorist plot to storm that country's parliament and one of its major television headquarters. The terrorists planned to behead those they captured.

Mr. Speaker, today in parts of the Middle East, where once oppression choked out freedom, we are now seeing democracy take root.

Afghanistan was once a safe haven for the al Qaeda terrorist network. In remote training camps, terrorists planned and practiced attacks on the United States and other freedom loving peoples. Those camps are now gone. In their place is a developing democracy with an elected President and a new Constitution that gives unprecedented rights and freedoms to all Afghans.

Just 3 years ago, Afghan women were whipped in the streets; schooling was denied to girls. Today, women have the right to vote, and two Afghan cabinet ministers are women.

In Iraq, just 3 years ago, a brutal dictator sat in palatial luxury. Unhampered by the United Nations, Saddam and his family stole the Oil- for-Food money from starving Iraqi children in order to support their lifestyle of debauchery and brutality. Schoolgirls were raped. Iraqi patriots were thrown alive into meat grinders. Unspeakable atrocities of all kinds were common, including the use of chemical weapons on Saddam's own people, the Kurds.

Saddam invaded the sovereign nation of Kuwait. He harbored terrorists in his midst, and he defied 17 United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

Just a few days ago, I was listening to the radio, and a pundit remarked on the sectarian violence in Iraq. He observed that perhaps the Iraqi people were better off under Saddam. Given the unspeakable and systematic brutality of Saddam's regime, such a remark either reflects a serious misreading of history or a very naive and forgiving nature.

It might have been easier for us in America to turn our heads and look the other way, as much as the rest of the world did, but I would submit that Saddam was an evil cancer on the world. He was a threat to our country, and Mr. Speaker, America, not just Iraq, is better off today because Saddam Hussein sits in a court of law, answering for crimes he committed against humanity.

While I was in Iraq, I met with Prime Minister al Maliki as well as my counterpart, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament. We talked about the birth of democracy in Iraq.

I looked at the Speaker. I looked him in the eye and I said, ``Mr. Speaker, I admire you. The Iraqi people represent an ancient civilization, but your democracy is just beginning. Your challenges are great, but so too are your opportunities.''

I urged the Iraqi people to look forward and not back, to listen to the voices of reconciliation, not division, I urged them to choose unity.

They told me that they were succeeding in putting together a unity cabinet, and shortly after my return, they announced the names of the last three ministers that deal with critical security issues.

Each Iraqi official I met with, even the Iraqi Speaker, who originally viewed the U.S. presence in Iraq negatively, thanked me for the help America has given their country. He went further and urged us to stay with them while they build up the capacity to take over the task of providing security for their people.

Today in Iraq we are working together with Iraqi patriots, men and women elected by their fellow citizens.

Along with brave Iraqi soldiers and police, we are moving toward a day when the Iraqi Government on its own has the strength to protect their people, a day when our men and women, and their coalition partners, can come home.

The ``stand up'' of this new Iraqi Government, which is the fruit of three elections where Iraqi citizens held up their ink-stained fingers and resisted intimidation, brings us closer to that day.

President Bush told us from the beginning that this road would not be easy. We have lost many American lives. And each one is precious to us.

But our fighting men and women remain committed to the effort. Active duty retention and recruiting is meeting or exceeding all objectives, and we are making progress toward our goal, but the battle is not over.

It is a battle that we must endure and one in which we can, and will, be victorious. The alternative would be to cut and run and wait for them to regroup and bring the terror back to our shores. When our freedom is challenged, Americans do not run.

``Freedom is the very essence of our Nation,'' President Reagan said in 1990 when a section of the Berlin Wall was presented to his Presidential library. America, he said, ``remains a beacon of hope for oppressed peoples everywhere.''

President Reagan also observed that freedom is not passed on at birth. It must be fought for and protected and handed on. And that is happening. Freedom is being handed on.

Our soldiers, sailors, Coast Guardsmen, airmen, marines, and our Reserves are serving proudly and bravely in harsh conditions, far from their families.

When I was in Iraq, I told them that their task was important and how proud we all were of their service. But frankly our men and women in uniform did not need to be told. In fact, it is we who should listen to them.

They know their sacrifices on foreign shores are keeping the battle against terrorists out of our cities. They know that by going into harm's way they are keeping American freedoms safe, and they know that they are helping a proud but brutalized people to throw off tyranny and stand tall once again. They know that they are liberators, not occupiers.

Our men and women in uniform know all this, and they are proud of it. It is time for this House of Representatives to tell the world that we know it too; that we know our cause is right and that we are proud of it.

Stand up for freedom. Adopt this resolution.

I thank the gentleman from Iowa.

Mr. Chairman, as he moves his last budget before the House of Representatives, I want to thank him for his years of service, his steadfastness, and, Jim, we wish you well in all your future endeavors. Thank you very much. God bless you.

Friends, the hour is late, and we have heard a lot of arguments, and we voted on a lot of budgets today. But three things I just want to talk about very briefly. First of all, I have heard some arguments on the other side of the aisle saying, well, you know, if you earn $40,000 a year, you would not get a very big tax cut.

Well, folks, if you earn $40,000 a year, a family of two children, you do not pay any taxes. So you probably, if you do not pay any taxes, you are not going to get a very big tax cut.

Now, if you earn, as somebody said, $1 million a year, you are going to pay about, when all of the taxes are paid, about $400,000 of taxes. And maybe you will get a $40,000 tax cut, maybe. Well, look at the math.

But I am saying, you know, those are relative things. Now you have to look at it.

We also heard that, you know, we have a lot of numbers. But I will tell you, one of the numbers that are important this year because of the fiscal discipline that this House has had, and our tax policy that this conference has had, and this Congress has had, is that just in our revenues this year alone, we have almost $140 billion more in revenue than we projected even in January, and we are only 5 months into the year.

So, you know, if you can grow the economy, if you can make things work, if you create jobs for people, and incidentally those taxes that some folks talked about that were so terrible, is putting small business and letting them take their money and create new jobs. As a result, we have had almost 2 million new jobs in the last year. We have had 5 million new jobs since 2003. We have created an economy that is moving, and probably the most vibrant and healthy economy that we have had in years.

Unemployment is down. Gross national product is up. Consumer confidence is up. More people own their own homes in this country than ever before in the history of this country, and more minority folks own their own homes than ever before in the history of this country, so something is happening that is right.

But the last thing I want to remind you of is being able to pass a budget is being able to govern. And it is time that we quit talking, that we quit, you know, throwing numbers around here. I have been to auctions before. I have seen a lot of numbers move across the ring. But I will tell you, we are not going to the highest bidder. We are going to make sure that we do what is right, what the American taxpayers expect us to do. That is to be fiscally responsible, to pass a budget so that we govern and get the work of this House done.

Mr. Chairman, I have talked long enough. Let's vote.

Mr. Speaker, since 1983, the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag and Bundesrat have conducted an annual exchange program for staff members from both countries. The program gives professional staff the opportunity to observe and learn about each other's political institutions and interact on issues of mutual interest.

A staff delegation from the U.S. Congress will be selected to visit Germany from May 21-June 3 of this year. During this two-week exchange, the delegation will attend meetings with Bundestag/Bundesrat Members, Bundestag and Bundesrat party staff members, and representatives of numerous political, business, academic, and media agencies. Participants also will be hosted by a Bundestag Member during a district visit.

A comparable delegation of German staff members will visit the United States for two weeks July 9-22. They will attend similar meetings here in Washington and visit the districts of Members of Congress. The U.S. delegation is expected to facilitate these meetings.

The Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Exchange is highly regarded in Germany and the United States, and is one of several exchange programs sponsored by public and private institutions in the United States and Germany to foster better understanding of the politics and policies of both countries. This exchange is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The U.S. delegation should consist of experienced and accomplished Hill staff who can contribute to the success of the exchange on both sides of the Atlantic. The Bundestag reciprocates by sending senior staff professionals to the United States.

Applicants should have a demonstrable interest in events in Europe. Applicants need not be working in the field of foreign affairs, although such a background can be helpful. The composite U.S. delegation should exhibit a range of expertise in issues of mutual concern to the United States and Germany such as, but not limited to, trade, security, the environment, economic development, health care, and other social policy issues. This year's delegation should be familiar with transatlantic relations within the context of recent world events.

In addition, U.S. participants are expected to help plan and implement the program for the Bundestag/Bundesrat staff members when they visit the United States. Participants are expected to assist in planning topical meetings in Washington, and are encouraged to host one or two staffers in their Member's district in July, or to arrange for such a visit to another Member's district.

Participants are selected by a committee composed of personnel from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State and past participants of the exchange.

Senators and Representatives who would like a member of their staff to apply for participation in this year's program should direct them to submit a resume and cover letter in which they state their qualifications, the contributions they can make to a successful program and some assurances of their ability to participate during the time stated.

Applications may be sent to the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs, HB-28, the Capitol, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15.

Mr. Speaker, I was truly saddened this morning when I learned of the death of Coretta Scott King.

My experience with the Kings goes back to 1960 as a freshman student of North Central College, wide-eyed from the country, not really knowing all of the new social issues that were before us. But yet Dr. Martin Luther King came to that little town, came to that college accompanied by his wife. It made a great impression on a college freshman.

The word that comes to my mind as I think about this great woman is ``devotion": devotion to her husband, devotion to her family, and devotion to the cause of civil rights. Standing side by side with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, she helped bring America to an understanding that ``all men are created equal.''

In my first year as Speaker, we had a Congressional Gold Medal award ceremony honoring the Little Rock Nine. It took place just a few feet from here in the rotunda of this Capitol building. Coretta Scott King was there. As I gazed across the room, I saw her stoic and yet gentle presence. Stoic, yet gentle, qualities that reminded me also of her husband and the struggles he and his wife had to overcome so that we as a Nation could overcome our shortcomings and our prejudices.

Even after the hate-inspired death of her husband, she called for love and understanding and found meaning and purpose in the continuing of her husband's work. It is not surprising that she did so, because it was her work too.

While I wish we had her with us for more years to come, to teach and bear witness to future generations, it is fitting that we honor her death on the 31st of January, the day before our Nation begins its month-long celebration of the accomplishments of African Americans. She now becomes a permanent part of that history.

A few hours ago, Senate Majority Leader Frist and I ordered the flags on this Capitol building be lowered to half staff. It is a small way in which we can say on behalf of a grateful Nation thank you, Coretta Scott King, thank you for picking up the torch of civil rights and taking it across the country and the world. We are a better Nation because you and your husband passed our way. May God welcome you home, and may he hold your family close in this time of sorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 594) honoring the 50th anniversary of the Honorable John D. Dingell's service in the House of Representatives, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is important for the House to recognize important milestones. Tonight, the Democratic leader and I on behalf of the House take this brief time to honor our colleague John Dingell.

If Members would also like to add words of congratulations, I would encourage them to insert remarks as part of the Congressional Record or partake in a Special Order following votes tonight.

I rise in support of this resolution saluting and congratulating our good friend, John Dingell, for 50 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As the Clerk said, only two other House Members have made the 50-year milestone, Jamie Whitten and Carl Vinson. For a half century, John has walked the Halls of this Capitol doing the business of the people of southeast Michigan. And I must say the Congress is a better place because we have men like John Dingell.

I first met John when I came to the House in 1986, and he had already been here three decades at that time. We really got to know each other better when I started my third term when I was named to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. I knew him as Mr. Chairman. In fact, I think I only started to call him John after I became Speaker.

Mr. Dingell earned my respect early on. He knew the issues under his committee's jurisdiction, which was just about everything. He knew their legislative history. He knew how to count votes. He knew how to get legislation through the process. He was tough, but he was fair.

His congressional work has done much to benefit the American people. During his time in the House, he has left his mark on historic legislation like the Clean Air Act of 1990, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and every other major energy and telecommunications bill since the 1970s. In fact, during the 1980s, he oversaw the investigation into the safety of the Nation's blood supply, including the procedures that we now have to ensure that donated blood is disease free.

As Dean of the House, John Dingell administers the oath of office to the Speaker. The Speaker then administers the oath of office to all the Members as well. I could not be more proud to have had John Dingell administer my oath four times.

Mr. Speaker, in this age of sound-bite politicians, John Dingell is the real deal. You always know where he stands, and you can always rest assured that he stands for something. And so today we salute John Dingell for 50 years of service with dignity, with dedication, with courage, with principle, and with honor. I thank you, John, for your good work.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Democratic leader, for her remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my appreciation to Jeff Trandahl, the departing Clerk of the House. We are going to miss Jeff who has given over 20 years of faithful service to the United States Congress.

After rising through the ranks in Member and committee offices, in 1994 Jeff became a principle assistant to the transition team of the new Republican majority, helping to set up the first new majority in almost five decades. Jeff served as an assistant to the Clerk and then as the Acting Chief Administrative Officer of the House. In December 1998, I selected Jeff as my first officer appointment and the 32nd Clerk of the House. Jeff was subsequently elected by the House to four consecutive 2-year terms. He served on four occasions as the presiding officer for the opening of the House, overseeing the seating of Members and the election of the Speaker.

As the chief legislative official of the House, Jeff has been responsible for the daily legislative operations of the House from the day's Journal to our voting system. He has led the House Page Program, which under Jeff's leadership was recognized as a top educational institution, and he has managed the House's historical, curatorial, and archival needs.

Jeff has also been very instrumental in the development of the Capitol Visitor Center project, especially the future exhibit space. Jeff has provided valuable leadership to the House Fine Arts Board, the Capitol Preservation Commission, and the National Archives Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress.

Jeff's tenure as Clerk has coincided with extraordinary events, including 9/11 and anthrax. Thanks to Jeff and the other Officers of the House, the House was prepared with contingency plans. Jeff was also instrumental in making the ceremonial session in New York City to mark the 1 year anniversary of 9/11 a tremendously moving and historical event.

On both sides of the Capitol building and on both sides of the aisle, Jeff is known for his fairness, his dedication, and his hard work. As I have said before, Republican and Democratic Members of Congress alike have enormous respect for Jeff's vast institutional knowledge, his utter professionalism, and his ability to get things done--traits which have made him a very effective and successful Clerk.

I join my colleagues in wishing Jeff all the best.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, I express our sincere gratitude for Jeff's long and faithful service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this conference report funding the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, and other agencies.

While not a perfect bill, it is a good bill. It represents another step in this year's appropriation cycle for fiscal responsibility.

Earlier this year, Congress passed a budget. It was a tough budget that reflected the difficult financial times we face.

It reined in spending on non-security activities for the first time in a generation. This is not an easy task. It is tough to cut the budget.

The conference report before us today $142.5 billion. This is precisely the House-passed level, and nearly a half a billion dollars less than last year.

To arrive at this number, the conferees had to work hard to reduce the levels proposed by the other body that were $2.6 billion higher than the accounts in the House-passed bill.

The conference report before us today does not include emergency spending designations or funding gimmicks as proposed by the other body.

The bill before us is lean. It prioritizes spending, contains some real cuts, and provides some resources for high priority programs.

The bill proposes to terminate 29 programs, including 20 of the 50 programs proposed for termination in the bill that originally passed in our chamber. Other programs proposed for termination by the House are cut substantially from last year's level.

While reducing the overall size of the bill from last year, the House conferees were able to increase funding in critical area, such as Pell Grants, Special Education, and low income heating assistance and bioterrorism preparedness.

For Community Health Centers, the final conference agreement provides $1.8 billion, $66 million more than last year.

The conference report includes $100 million for a Teacher Incentive Fund that will be a pilot program helping reward teachers with the incentives to boost the quality of our education.

Generally, the increases in the conference report aren't big enough for our Democratic friends but they reflect our effort to do the best we could with the limited resources we had available.

I urge my colleagues to support the conference report.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

I guess we have heard it all. We have heard an argument wrapped in religious morality. We have heard revisionist history. We have actually heard a lot of words tonight. We have had epithets thrown back and forth across this hall, which does not make me proud and probably does not make the American people. But what we have to do is do the people's work. We were elected by the American people to make a difference.

Now, I remember 1993. I remember the largest tax increase in American history. That is what they call ``fiscal integrity.'' The American people rejected that. I also remember 1997. Maybe I have been around too long, but in 1997, we did deficit reduction. We also did welfare reform. If I remember right, we passed it once; it got vetoed. We passed it twice; it got vetoed. We passed it three times, and the President decided if he was going to get re-elected, he had better sign it, and then he took credit for it.

In this body it has been the people on this side of the aisle that have done the tough work, that have done their homework, and have made a difference.

I also remember in 1999, 2000, and 2001, we paid down $500 billion of public debt. We wiped that debt off. I will tell my colleagues in 2001 we had 9/11. Three thousand people got killed in 45 minutes in this country. And we probably had to respond to that. And we have. Then we had a deficit. The great bubble of that economy burst. It did not burst on their watch, but it burst because people were overleveraged and it was overheated. But we have responded. And we have had 10 consecutive quarters of 3 percent-plus economic growth because this party has worked hard to do what the American people sent us here to do.

You can talk about meanness and mean spiritedness, but I will tell you the most mean spirited thing we can do is to leave our children with a debt that they cannot pay. We can leave our children with a deficit. And you are right. You are right. Stand up and clap because we will leave our children with a deficit that they cannot spend down or save.

I will tell my colleagues when we look at this bill, we talk about the growth in Medicaid. Governors are calling us from both parties and saying, Help us do something, help us to have a plan to reform Medicaid so that we can save some money, so that we can offer more services to more people in a better way.

And you know what? We worked at it. We did have reform. And Medicaid is growing at a 7.3 percent growth rate per year. A 7.3 percent growth rate. It has been growing for years.

Is there a better way to do it? Is there a more efficient way to do it? Should we find some reforms to make it better? Yes, we should. And we are bending that growth rate from 7.3 to 7 percent. Think about it.

The American people expect us to do what is right. The American people do not want all of these platitudes of moral indignity. They want us to go to work. They want us to do our job. They want us to provide a better life for themselves and their children, and this majority will do it. It is our responsibility. We can start right now by voting for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor House Associate Parliamentarian Muftiah McCartin. Today marks the final day in the long and distinguished career of Muftiah, who has served this House with great distinction for nearly 30 years in the Office of the Parliamentarian.

During her nearly three decades of service, Muftiah served under six Speakers and three different Parliamentarians of the House. Charlie Johnson, the former Parliamentarian, would often describe Muftiah as a ``Renaissance woman.'' She came to work for the Parliamentarian's Office as a clerk in 1976 and continued her education at night. On top of her day job and night school, Muftiah was a dedicated mother. She accomplished all her tasks with great determination, strength, and grace. After completing her juris doctorate, Muftiah was the first woman appointed an Assistant Parliamentarian in January of 1991 by Speaker Tom Foley.

Aside from her dedication to the office's daily procedural mission, she has provided special expertise to the House in the areas of budget process and rule making. Muftiah has also assisted the office as the long-time editor of the House Rules and Manual, published every Congress, as well as two editions of House Practice.

Over the years I have served in this House as both a Member and now Speaker, I have come to have a greater appreciation for the role of the office of the Parliamentarian and those giving me advice. On behalf of all those who have looked to you for help while presiding in the Speaker's chair, thank you for being such a trusted and educated colleague.

I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and hope that with the long hours of this job behind you, you will be afforded more time to spend with your husband and four children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution. I want to commend the authors of H. Res. 523, Henry Hyde, Chairman of our International Relations Committee, Tom Lantos, the ranking member of that committee, and a host of others, in their condemnation of the words of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. On Wednesday, President Ahmadinejad presented 4,000 of his country's youth with a diatribe against the state of Israel entitled ``A World Without Zionism.'' As the resolution pending before the House today states, Ahmadinejad described Israel as ``a disgraceful blot on the face of the Islamic world'' as well as a place that ``must be wiped off the map.'' As Islam is a self-proclaimed religion of peaceful teachings, President Ahmadinejad's words are anything but. His portrait of ``Islamic fury'' that wishes to ``burn Israel'' turns the entire civilized world against him. What kind of leadership is that?

Unfortunately, Ahmadinejad's words are not the only ones of this kind coming from the mouths of Iranian leaders. In 2001, the President of Iran's Expediency Council, Ali Akbar Hasemi-Rafsanjani threatened Israel with nuclear attack. These words are the latest in a string of defiant moves against the international community by Iran. Its uranium enrichment program openly disregards the warnings of the International Atomic Energy Agency. And we are all well aware that Iran also has been credited with harboring terrorists and relaxing border security with Iraq to enable entry into that fledgling democracy. These attempts by the government of Iran to destabilize Iraq are absolutely despicable and cannot be tolerated if Iraq's democracy is to grow.

In addition to these destabilizing activities in Iraq, Iran has openly supported the violent actions of terrorist groups of Hamas and Hezbollah, both of whom have repeatedly called for the annihilation of Israel and have repeatedly backed up that threat with suicide bombings inside Israel. How can the United States' and our allies' attempts to spread democracy and promote peace be effective when nations such as Iran are protecting and bankrolling such groups?

This has been a landmark year for the Middle East and Persian Gulf, especially in Iraq, Israel and in the Palestinian areas. We have seen the extremely successful constitutional reforms and democratic elections in Iraq, unwavering in the face of security risks. Israel and the Palestinian Authority reached a milestone agreement regarding the controversial Gaza strip settlements. In addition, Lebanon moved forward in the democratic process by holding elections without significant Syrian interference and Bahrain allowed women to vote for the first time. If those successes are not indicative of worthy work by all nations involved, then I don't know what is.

The state of Israel, as the only non-Islamic nation in its region, has come under fire since its creation in 1947. However, it has withstood verbal and physical attack and it will continue to do so with the unwavering support of the United States. It is ironic, perhaps, that this week, the House passed a resolution which congratulated Ambassador Dan Gillerman of Israel as he was elected as a Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly. This marks the first time that Israel has been included in a U.N. regional grouping and the first time an Israeli has served as a U.N. General Assembly Vice President. While the international community continues to welcome Israel's deeper involvement, Iran refuses not

only to recognize Israel's right to fully participate in U.N. activities, it also refuses to recognize its right to exist.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the players, owners and staff of the Chicago White Sox on their tremendous victory in the 2005 World Series. Loyal White Sox fans across Illinois have been waiting 88 long years for this moment and it is every bit as satisfying as any of us could imagine.

Not many picked the Chicago White Sox to win the World Championship when the season started. After all, they had not won a playoff game in more than a decade, they did not have a group of high-priced superstars on their roster, and they are from the city of Chicago--which had not even seen a World Series game in nearly half a century. But this team never stopped believing in itself and quickly showed the experts and the Nation that championships are won through tireless effort, consistent teamwork, and a spirit that says anything is possible.

History will record that the 2005 Chicago White Sox marched through the season with a 99-63 record, the best in the American League. It will further show that this team went on to dominate in the postseason with an 11-1 record that included an unimaginable World Series sweep. But no historic record can convey the excitement this team created in a city desperate for a baseball championship, or the joy felt in the hearts of White Sox fans everywhere. And it certainly cannot capture the pride felt throughout our state in having this tremendous group of young men represent us in the World Series.

It is my honor to congratulate owner Jerry Reinsdorf, General Manager Kenny Williams, Manager Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox players for this extraordinary accomplishment. From the first day of this season, you have conducted yourself with class on and off the field and truly exemplified what it means to be a champion. In the process, you have set a standard of excellence for others to follow and provided cherished memories that so many dreamed of, but feared impossible.