[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 67 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   WAIVING A CERTAIN REQUIREMENT WITH RESPECT TO CONSIDERATION OF A 
     RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 4426, FOREIGN 
OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  1995

  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on 
Rules, I call up House Resolution 441 and ask for its immediate 
consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 441

       Resolved, That the requirement of clause 4(b) of rule XI 
     for a two-thirds vote to consider a report from the Committee 
     on Rules on the same day it is presented to the House is 
     waived with respect to a resolution reported on the 
     legislative day of May 25, 1994, providing for consideration 
     of the bill (H.R. 4426) making appropriations for foreign 
     operations, export financing, and related programs for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 1995.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hall] is 
recognized for one hour.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier], 
pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During debate 
on this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 441 is a simple resolution to permit 
the House to consider the foreign operations appropriations bill today. 
The rule waives the two-thirds vote requirement against a rule on the 
foreign operations bill if the rule is brought up on the same day it is 
reported from the Rules Committee.
  This is the 2d of 13 appropriations bills which the House is hoping 
to complete and send to the Senate by the end of June. It is a vitally 
important bill which will help us reorder our priorities in foreign aid 
while making significant reductions in the overall foreign aid spending 
level.
  The bill provides additional disaster relief assistance for 
countries, experiencing severe emergencies, such as Yugoslavia and 
Somalia. It establishes important new programs of democratization and 
nonproliferation. And, most importantly, it increases the funding 
levels in all child activities, including child survival, basic 
education, displaced children, and UNICEF.
  The Rules Committee met this morning at 9:30 to grant a rule 
providing for consideration of the foreign operations appropriations 
bill. The rule under consideration at this time simply allows us to 
take it up today by a majority, rather than a two-thirds vote. I urge 
my colleagues to support this rule and let us proceed to debate how we 
intend to fund our Nation's foreign assistance programs.

                              {time}  1330

  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise that I rise in 
strong opposition to this rule, waiving a requirement for a two-thirds 
vote to consider a report from the Committee on Rules on the Foreign 
Operations Appropriations Act for fiscal year 1995 on the same day that 
it is reported.
  Mr. Speaker, waiving the two-thirds rule should be reserved for 
emergencies. That is when we waive the two-thirds rules. In this case, 
we do not have an emergency. The schedule of the House does not warrant 
this kind of very extreme action. We are not approaching the sine die 
adjournment. We simply face the Memorial Day district work period. On 
top of that, despite the scheduling concerns of the Committee on 
Appropriations, they are far ahead of last year's appropriation pace.
  Certainly there is no ``foreign aid'' emergency that requires 
immediate congressional action on this spending bill today. The House 
can consider foreign aid tomorrow. We could debate foreign assistance 
upon return from our districts in 2 weeks. Therefore, I have to wonder 
if the Democrat leadership would prefer that Members of Congress not go 
home for 2 weeks with the foreign aid bill pending--it might make votes 
harder to come by when they get back after listening to their 
constituents.
  Mr. Speaker, this ``martial law'' rule is not about foreign aid. It 
is about the process of deliberative democracy, or more accurately, the 
lack of real democracy that exists around here. We are being asked to 
expedite consideration of a truly horrendous rule that cuts the heart 
out of the House's most sacred responsibility, thorough and open 
consideration of spending bills. The power of the purse of the House is 
now regularly stripped on foreign aid bills, and that deed is done each 
year through the rule on the Foreign Operations Act.
  Therefore, of all rules that are least deserving of being rushed to 
the House floor through ``emergency'' authority, this Foreign 
Operations Act rule stands out. If we are going to deny the American 
people, through their elected representatives, the right to debate and 
vote on amendments that subject foreign aid to the democratic process, 
then let us at least honor the House rules and consider that closed 
rule under regular order.
  Mr. Speaker, this House should be a living testament to the 
democratic principles of deliberation, accountability, and consensus. 
We should not scrap those to appease the schedule of the Appropriations 
Committee. I urge my colleagues to vote down this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Appleton, Wisconsin [Mr. Roth].
  Mr. ROTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this rule, as my friend, the gentleman 
from California, is, but I am also opposed to the bill on its merits or 
demerits. The reason I say that is despite all of the hoopla on 
reforming foreign aid, this bill is just business as usual.
  When we analyze it, it is $2.2 billion for international banks, it is 
$7.6 billion for foreign aid, and it is $3 billion for military 
assistance. Some token cuts have been made to put a veneer of change on 
this legislation, but for those of us who want to put the American 
taxpayer first for a change, it is easy to see through this disguise.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill has $1.2 billion for the International 
Development Association. That is a $210 million increase over last 
year. The IDA is the World Bank's branch which gives loans that are 
never repaid. We will never see this money again.
  There is $168 million for the Asian Development Bank's development 
fund. That is a $105 million increase. Asia is the fastest growing 
region of the world. Why should the American taxpayer finance loans to 
countries that are taking away American jobs?
  The bill also has $2.8 billion in new money for AID's so-called 
Development Assistance Programs. That is a $109 million increase for an 
agency that everyone agrees is broken and needs reform.
  Mr. Speaker, what does this bill do about reforms? It gives AID a $12 
million increase in its operating budget. That brings it to $517 
million, or over a half a billion for operating AID.
  There is even an increase for the Housing Guarantee Program, which 
sticks the American taxpayer with co-signing loans for houses now that 
are not for Americans but for people in other countries, so the message 
to every American family struggling to save enough for their first home 
is that a majority in this House are putting other nations' needs ahead 
of our own people's. This bill symbolizes what is wrong with the 
majority who run the House, and have done so for 40 years.
  Mr. Speaker, they ran foreign aid through the House instead of 
cutting the waste. Last year the majority in the House voted for 
President Clinton's' largest tax increase in American history, the 
largest tax increase of $260 billion. Today we see the fruits of some 
of those tax increases going overseas. No wonder the American people 
are angry with Washington, but they should take into account who is 
voting to send this money overseas.
  Mr. Speaker, some of us are fighting to put the taxpayer ahead of 
foreign interests, and some of us are fighting to put the American 
people's needs ahead of the needs of foreign interests. That is what is 
at stake with this bill, and the American people should take note and 
remember.
  Mr. Speaker, this rule before us requires a two-thirds vote. It is 
not the proper rule for this House. The rule following it I am also 
opposed to, but basically, the merits and demerits of this legislation 
is what we should be voting on.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the body to vote against this rule.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this obviously is not the procedure we should be using 
for consideration of this. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my opening 
remarks, this easily could be put off until tomorrow, or until we come 
back from our district work period. This is not an emergency item, this 
debate on foreign aid. It is called a martial law rule. There is no 
reason under these kinds of circumstances to impose martial law in this 
House.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' on the rule.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I 
yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on 
the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Torres). The question is on the 
resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present, and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Evidently a quorum is not present.
  The Sergeant at Arms will notify absent Members.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 246, 
nays 174, not voting 13, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 201]

                               YEAS--246

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Andrews (ME)
     Andrews (NJ)
     Andrews (TX)
     Applegate
     Bacchus (FL)
     Baesler
     Barca
     Barcia
     Barlow
     Barrett (WI)
     Becerra
     Beilenson
     Berman
     Bevill
     Bilbray
     Bishop
     Bonior
     Borski
     Boucher
     Brewster
     Brooks
     Browder
     Brown (CA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant
     Byrne
     Callahan
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carr
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coleman
     Collins (IL)
     Collins (MI)
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Coppersmith
     Costello
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Danner
     Darden
     de la Garza
     Deal
     DeFazio
     DeLauro
     Dellums
     Derrick
     Deutsch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Dooley
     Durbin
     Edwards (CA)
     Edwards (TX)
     Engel
     English
     Eshoo
     Evans
     Everett
     Farr
     Fazio
     Fields (LA)
     Filner
     Fingerhut
     Flake
     Foglietta
     Ford (MI)
     Ford (TN)
     Frank (MA)
     Frost
     Furse
     Gejdenson
     Gephardt
     Geren
     Gibbons
     Glickman
     Gonzalez
     Gordon
     Green
     Gutierrez
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hamburg
     Hamilton
     Harman
     Hastings
     Hefner
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hoagland
     Hochbrueckner
     Holden
     Hoyer
     Hughes
     Hutto
     Inslee
     Jacobs
     Jefferson
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnston
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kennedy
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kleczka
     Klein
     Klink
     Kopetski
     Kreidler
     LaFalce
     Lambert
     Lancaster
     Lantos
     LaRocco
     Laughlin
     Lehman
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lightfoot
     Lipinski
     Livingston
     Long
     Lowey
     Maloney
     Mann
     Manton
     Margolies-Mezvinsky
     Markey
     Martinez
     Matsui
     Mazzoli
     McCloskey
     McDermott
     McHale
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek
     Menendez
     Mfume
     Miller (CA)
     Mineta
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Montgomery
     Moran
     Murphy
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Neal (MA)
     Neal (NC)
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Orton
     Owens
     Pallone
     Parker
     Pastor
     Payne (NJ)
     Payne (VA)
     Pelosi
     Penny
     Peterson (FL)
     Peterson (MN)
     Pickett
     Pickle
     Pomeroy
     Poshard
     Price (NC)
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reed
     Reynolds
     Richardson
     Roemer
     Rose
     Rowland
     Roybal-Allard
     Sabo
     Sanders
     Sangmeister
     Sawyer
     Schenk
     Schroeder
     Schumer
     Scott
     Serrano
     Sharp
     Shepherd
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skelton
     Slattery
     Slaughter
     Smith (IA)
     Spratt
     Stark
     Stenholm
     Stokes
     Strickland
     Studds
     Stupak
     Swett
     Swift
     Synar
     Tanner
     Tauzin
     Tejeda
     Thompson
     Thornton
     Thurman
     Torres
     Torricelli
     Towns
     Traficant
     Tucker
     Unsoeld
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Volkmer
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Wheat
     Williams
     Wilson
     Wise
     Woolsey
     Wyden
     Wynn
     Yates

                               NAYS--174

     Allard
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus (AL)
     Baker (CA)
     Baker (LA)
     Ballenger
     Barrett (NE)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bateman
     Bentley
     Bereuter
     Bilirakis
     Bliley
     Blute
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bunning
     Burton
     Buyer
     Calvert
     Camp
     Canady
     Castle
     Clinger
     Coble
     Collins (GA)
     Combest
     Condit
     Cox
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cunningham
     DeLay
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Doolittle
     Dornan
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Ehlers
     Emerson
     Ewing
     Fawell
     Fields (TX)
     Fish
     Fowler
     Franks (CT)
     Franks (NJ)
     Gallegly
     Gallo
     Gekas
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Gingrich
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Goss
     Grams
     Greenwood
     Gunderson
     Hancock
     Hansen
     Hastert
     Hayes
     Hefley
     Herger
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Hoke
     Huffington
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Inhofe
     Istook
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson, Sam
     Kasich
     Kim
     King
     Kingston
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     Kyl
     Lazio
     Leach
     Levy
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (FL)
     Linder
     Lloyd
     Lucas
     Manzullo
     McCandless
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McKeon
     McMillan
     Meyers
     Mica
     Michel
     Miller (FL)
     Molinari
     Moorhead
     Morella
     Myers
     Nussle
     Oxley
     Packard
     Paxon
     Petri
     Pombo
     Porter
     Portman
     Pryce (OH)
     Quillen
     Quinn
     Ramstad
     Ravenel
     Regula
     Ridge
     Roberts
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roth
     Roukema
     Royce
     Santorum
     Saxton
     Schaefer
     Schiff
     Sensenbrenner
     Shaw
     Shays
     Shuster
     Skeen
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (OR)
     Smith (TX)
     Snowe
     Solomon
     Spence
     Stearns
     Stump
     Sundquist
     Talent
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas (CA)
     Thomas (WY)
     Torkildsen
     Upton
     Valentine
     Vucanovich
     Walker
     Walsh
     Weldon
     Wolf
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Zeliff
     Zimmer

                             NOT VOTING--13

     Blackwell
     Chapman
     Grandy
     Horn
     Houghton
     Machtley
     McCurdy
     Ortiz
     Rostenkowski
     Rush
     Sarpalius
     Washington
     Whitten

                              {time}  1359

  Mr. GILCHREST changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mr. DEAL changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________