[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 46 (Monday, March 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TERM LIMITS: BRING IT TO A VOTE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Furse] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to talk about promises. The 
Republicans have not lived up to their promise with the American 
people. Today we were supported to vote on term limits and on the first 
day of this session, I introduce a term limits bill that mirrors the 
one passed in my home State of Oregon. Oregonians overwhelmingly 
support term limits, and the majority of Americans do, too, and by all 
of the talk by Republicans, you would think they supported term limits 
too. But apparently not so.
  The leadership will not schedule a vote on term limits today because 
a lot of those people who campaigned on term limits have suddenly 
gotten squeamish now that they are in office. Our current Republican 
Speaker has served in Congress for 28 years. That is what I call a 
career.
  By not voting on term limits today, Republicans are saying that maybe 
they don't care what their constituents want. Maybe they just want to 
stay in office.
  Most of those Republicans who signed this Contract With America said 
they are proud of it and they keep saying so. That contract has been 
rushed through Congress. Most of the issues being voted on have never 
been scrutinized in a hearing or allowed full public comment. But 
Republicans don't seem to have any problem voting anyway on those very 
important issues.
  For instance, when the contract called for slashing laws that protect 
our health and our environment, laws like clean air and clean water, 
they had no problem scheduling a vote. When the contract called for 
taking away the number of cops on the street, no problem then for 
scheduling a vote. When the contract calls for taking away the rights 
of women and children and seniors to get fair treatment when a company 
knowingly harms them, again, no problem scheduling a vote.
  But I want to remind all of us that the contract also called for a 
vote on term limits. We were supposed to vote on that today and 
tomorrow, but guess what? That is a vote that affects Members of 
Congress.
  Now, we are not talking about hurting women and seniors and children 
and the environment or civil rights, no, not when we talk about term 
limits. What we are talking about is Members of Congress, about their 
jobs, their power, their incomes. Now we are talking about something 
that actually affects us.
  I think that that is outrageous. I think that the business of this 
Congress is to keep our promises, and the reason why the public has 
such a low regard for Congress is because lawmakers put their interest 
in front of their constituents.
  I came to Congress to do a job, not to get a job. I came here to 
change the spending priorities of Congress, to protect a woman's right 
to choose and to make our streets safer for all our citizens and, when 
my work is done, I will go back to my farm in Hillsboro, OR.
  It has been an honor and it is an honor to be a public servant and I 
am proud to keep the promise I made to my constituents. I an here to 
fight for them. But I am not here to make a career out of it. I call on 
the majority to be honest with the American people, bring up term 
limits for a vote now, today, or tomorrow.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. FURSE. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Would the gentlewoman yield for a question?
  Ms. FURSE. Yes.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Your complaint today is we did not bring up the term 
limit votes today. Is there some doubt in your mind that it will be 
brought up during the first 100 days as was promised the American 
people.
  Ms. FURSE. The vote was scheduled for today and tomorrow; and 
Thursday evening, at the very last moment, I received the word that we 
were not going to vote on term limits.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Is there any doubt in your mind--our Contract With 
America said it would be within the first 100 days there would be a 
vote on this issue.
  Ms. FURSE. It makes me very doubtful. It raises a strong doubt. Why 
have we been voting on things that hurt children and women and the 
environment and civil rights, like the fourth amendment?
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. So the gentlewoman has a doubt that the Republicans 
mean to bring this up to a vote. I would hope that the people that have 
that doubt, and if we do bring it up for a vote, that they will then 
understand the Republicans are keeping their pledge.
  Ms. FURSE. I would hope they would keep their pledge on time. I would 
hope we would vote on this only issue that affects us as Members of 
Congress, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROHRABACHER. Would the gentlewoman answer one other question? 
When have the Democrats for the last 40 years had such a vote?

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