[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 177 (Thursday, November 9, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H12071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1830
        THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY TO RESIGN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Allard). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Kansas [Mr. Tiahrt] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, in order to start off this period of time 
where we are going to address some issues that have occurred today, 
some current articles, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Hoke] 
for an opening statement.
  Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to say that the revelations brought forth this 
morning in the Wall Street Journal have caused me, along with many of 
my colleagues, to believe that the Secretary of Energy has crossed a 
line that goes far beyond the indiscretion, the mismanagement, and the 
incompetence which have, unfortunately, all too often been the hallmark 
of Secretary O'Leary's tenure. The Secretary has moved out of the gray 
area and leapt into an obvious and indefensible abuse of office. I am 
speaking of her use of taxpayer money to hire private investigators for 
the purpose of compiling a media enemies list. It is for this reason 
that we are sending a letter to the President of the United States 
asking him to demand Secretary O'Leary's immediate resignation.
  It is clear that this specific use of taxpayer money is way beyond 
the pale.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, what we have found in some of the earlier 
period today, we got a lot of calls in my office where people thought 
this was more than just wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars, but to 
use taxpayer dollars to hire a private investigative firm to develop 
information or an enemies list, as was mentioned in the Wall Street 
Journal article, goes beyond, as the gentleman says, the gray area, and 
really crosses the line.
  I think we have already started the process here on the floor of the 
House and around the Hill here of talking with different individuals. 
They have become very upset at what has happened today on revealing 
this, that the Secretary of Energy has misused these tax dollars. We 
have a letter that is, as was mentioned by the gentleman from Ohio, 
going to the President that has almost 70 signature on it now, and it 
has gained momentum. This is on top of other patterns that have been 
developing.
  Over the last 6 months we have seen several articles in the paper 
about the travel that has been going on through the Department of 
Energy. Secretary O'Leary often takes many people with her when she 
travels. She upgrades to first class, stays at resorts or four-star 
hotels, and has really been living the good life on taxpayers' money.
  Mr. HOKE. If the gentleman will continue to yield on that point, I 
think it is an ironic footnote that in fact when the White House, 
finding out about this, tried to determine where the Secretary was 
today, it turns out that, of course, the Secretary was not in 
Washington. In fact, the Secretary was in Louisiana raising money for 
the Democratic candidate for Governor in Louisiana, and had to be asked 
to come back to the White House to speak, apparently, to Mr. Panetta, 
the President's Chief of Staff, to explain, and perhaps more than to 
explain her actions in this regard.
  Mr. TIAHRT. Once again, the travel budget seems to be the issue here. 
I think, again, we are just noting that this is a pattern that has been 
developing of wasteful management. Even Vice President Gore, in his 
National Performance Review, looked at the Department of Energy and 
found that in the environmental management portion, that they were 40 
percent inefficient, citing that over the next 70 years it could cost 
taxpayers up to $30 billion if we do not do something about it.
  Also we have found that the Department of Energy was 20 percent 
behind in their milestones, which means they are behind schedule in one 
out of five projects. So we have a pattern developing of poor 
management of the taxpayers' dollars.
  Then we come to this morning's article, which says that this private 
investigative firm that was paid for out of taxpayer dollars was 
developing an enemies list, and we find out that Senator Dole is at the 
top of the list. Other Members of Congress were also involved. I heard 
from a member of the Department of Energy that I was also on the list, 
at No. 13. I think that is a very unlucky number for the Secretary.
  Mr. HOKE. If the gentleman will yield for a question, what do you 
suppose would be the reaction of your constituents if you were to spend 
$100 out of your official account to investigate and rate the media as 
to how they report on your official proceedings?
  Mr. TIAHRT. The gentleman brings up a good point. All of us wonder 
how we are doing in the media, but none of us that I know of take 
taxpayer dollars and hire a private investigation firm to go in and do 
that, act for us. We all read the clips ourselves and make kind of a 
mental tally, but we do not misuse taxpayer dollars. I think that is 
the important difference between what goes on in Congress and what is 
going on in the Department of Energy, with the Secretary of Energy.
  Mr. HOKE. I think it speaks for itself. It is just incredible. As the 
President's own press secretary, Mike McCurie, said today, ``On the 
face of it, it is simply unacceptable.'' When he was asked if she would 
be asked to resign, McCurie said, ``I don't want to speculate on 
that.'' I think the time has come when 68 of our colleagues agree, and 
counting, that the time has come for the Secretary to resign.

                          ____________________