[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 131 (Monday, September 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 ON PASSAGE OF THE CONFERENCE REPORT OF THE VA-HUD APPROPRIATIONS BILL

                                 ______


                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 19, 1994

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, September 12, this 
House voted to spend $300 million tax dollars in unauthorized spending 
for 259 special grant projects that never was approved by the 
authorizing Committee of Jurisdiction.
  Many of these projects were rejected by the authorizing committee 
after careful consideration. Some were not considered at all. All of 
them were passed Monday night, on this floor, after being tacked on at 
the last minute by a conference committee.
  This is wrong, and precisely why the people of this country are so 
frustrated and so angry with the way Congress works.
  The House passed the original bill with zero dollars for pork barrel 
projects. The Senate came into conference committee with $135 million 
worth of these types of projects. The compromise between zero on the 
House side and $135 million from the Senate was $290 million.
  And Monday night, as this was all going on, it became very clear to 
me how and why this is all happening. I heard the lobbying, and it went 
this way: You have to vote for this, because there is something in it 
for you!
  And so it goes, vote for this pork barrel bill of unauthorized 
spending, and even though it may be wrong, and even though it violates 
the very rules of this institution, there's something in it for you. So 
deep quite. Go along and get along.
  Well, in fact, Mr. Speaker, there was spending in last night's bill 
that would have helped my district and my State. I support the projects 
that were in the bill for my district and believe that they make sense. 
And because I believe that they are strong projects, I believe that 
they would pass a fair and open test of review and scrutiny by the 
appropriate committee of jurisdiction or competition for community 
block grant funds.
  In short, I believe that these projects could stand on their own two 
feet and walk through the front door in full public view, instead of 
being slipped through the back door of a pork barrel process that 
violates common sense and fairness.
  And so, I voted against last night's bill even though there was money 
in it for my district and State. My vote, Mr. Speaker and Members of 
the House, will not be bought by the promise of some pork-barrel 
spending in my district so that hundreds of millions of dollars of pork 
barrel spending can be wasted around the country.
  I will not keep quite. I won't go along to get along. When it comes 
to this kind of practice.
  Passing this bill was wrong. It is why the American people are 
calling for change in Washington. And I believe that the people of this 
country are going to keep calling for change until this kind of 
politics as usual comes to a halt.
  Mr. Speaker, and Members of this body, the people of the this country 
deserve better. Its about time that they got it.

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