[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 64 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H4660-H4662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PERMISSION FOR ALL COMMITTEES AND THEIR SUBCOMMITTEES TO SIT FOR TODAY 
         AND THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK DURING THE 5-MINUTE RULE

  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged motion and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaHood). The Clerk will report the 
motion.

[[Page H4661]]

  The Clerk read as follows:

       Pursuant to clause 2(I) of rule XI, Mr. Armey moves that 
     all committees and subcommittees of the House be permitted to 
     sit for today and the remainder of the week while the House 
     is meeting in the Committee of the Whole House under the 5-
     minute rule.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey] is 
recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may assume.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, again we have a good deal of work to be done 
in the committees as well as some important work here on the floor, and 
I make this request of the House out of consideration for the 
committees continuing their work. I appreciate the gentleman's effort.
  Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman asking me to yield?
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield 5 
minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Frank].
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. I thank the gentleman for yielding the 
time. I know his general parsimony when it comes to minimums, so I 
appreciate the 5 minutes. It is in keeping with his overall approach.
  What we have here is one of the opening phases of the 1996 
Presidential campaign. It is a Presidential campaign, the Republican 
campaign, which is not going sufficiently well on its own for the 
Republicans to conduct it in the normal way. So the House of 
Representatives is being enlisted into the Republican Presidential 
campaign. To the aid of a faltering campaign comes now the machinery of 
the House in a very unfortunate way.
  Mr. Speaker, the request is made so the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight can vote an extremely unjustified, unprecedented, 
unfair, and dangerous contempt citation for the President's counsel.
  We have had a number of ongoing investigations which the Republicans 
are conducting. They are spending enormous amounts of money for very 
little purpose. Well, I take it back; they have a clear purpose: 
election of a Republican President. They are spending enormous amounts 
of money for very little concrete result.
  What they now want to do is to change the subject on the travel 
investigation from the merits to a refusal by the administration to 
exceed to requests that should never have been made that are unfair and 
that the House itself would not respond to. And I think we should be 
very clear. We will be discussing this further.
  They are going to cite the counsel of the President for contempt for 
refusing to release documents to the Republican campaign effort on that 
committee when they would not release similar documents, and we are 
going to have a test of this because we are working now on some 
resolutions, and if in fact the House is going to say these types of 
documents must be made public.
  What are they? They have to do with information that would be 
relevant to a grand jury; they have to do with things that deal with 
lawyers, the independent counsel, the wideranging independent counsel 
who have also again come up with nothing damaging to this 
administration, as they have been cooperating with him.
  They have to do with communications between executive branch and 
Members. The White House is being threatened with contempt if they do 
not turn over for public discussion memorandums conversations, and 
comments between Members of this body and the White House.

  Mr. Speaker, if that is the standard, if the standard is that we will 
subpoena and then make public those kind of documents, let us apply it 
to ourselves. If we are going to threaten contempt against the counsel 
for doing his duty in a conscientious way, then let us understand that 
is the standard by which we will make documents available.
  When the Republican leadership sends out a memorandum to other 
Republicans and says, ``Come find some scandal. Have you got any 
scandal? Have you got any bad news about anybody,'' we will, I guess, 
ask that that be made public.

                             {time}   1045

  If there are memorandums that have existed and letters, phone call 
conversations that are recorded between the Republican leadership and 
that committee, what is the strategizing? Yes; there have been 
conversations between the White House and the Travel Office, I have had 
some myself, between the White House and Congress about how to respond 
to some of these things. There have been similar conversations between 
the leadership of the committee and the Republican leadership, maybe 
the Republican National Committee. Let us have those out there. This is 
the most one-sided and blatant misuse of the subpoena power we have 
seen. I would simply say, if in fact that is the standard, let us make 
the standard uniform.
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. I yield to the gentleman from 
Connecticut.
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, this pattern is going across committees. 
Apparently the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Nussle] and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania [Mr. Walker] instructed committee chairmen to use their 
government-paid positions for the political purpose which the gentleman 
said a second ago of trying to help the faltering Dole campaign.
  We have seen the same things in the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The 
Secretary of State told the chairman of the committee that two 
Ambassadors, our Ambassadors in Europe, would be happy to come by and 
testify before the committee, one of five or six committees that they 
want them to come back for. If it takes them a day to get here, or 
takes a half a month to do it, it is the same thing.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. That is the same point. If in fact 
discussions between Members of the House and the executive branch about 
how to deal with some of these issues, if that is to be subpoenaed and 
made public, then comparable documents on this side will be. I predict 
that we will see a very one-sided application of this principle.
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just remind the body that oversight is a duty of 
the Congress of the United States. We have all read about it in our 
high school history books and political science books as checks and 
balances. It must be done. It is not an option. It is what we are asked 
to do as an institution.
  The gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger], even as a minority 
member of this committee, asked for this information 3\1/2\ years ago. 
It was denied by the majority in the committee at that time. Subpoenas 
were issued for this information in January of this year. The White 
House has not been forthcoming, and the action will be taken in the 
committee with those.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the 
previous question on the motion.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey].
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. 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 230, 
nays 182, not voting 21, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 155]

                               YEAS--230

     Allard
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baker (CA)
     Baker (LA)
     Ballenger
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Bereuter
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bliley
     Blute
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bono
     Brewster
     Brownback
     Bryant (TN)
     Bunn
     Bunning
     Burr
     Burton
     Buyer
     Callahan
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Chrysler
     Clinger
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins (GA)
     Combest
     Cooley
     Cox
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cremeans
     Cubin
     Cunningham
     Davis
     Deal
     DeLay
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Doolittle
     Dornan
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     English
     Ensign
     Everett
     Ewing
     Fawell
     Flanagan

[[Page H4662]]


     Foley
     Forbes
     Fox
     Franks (CT)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frisa
     Funderburk
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gekas
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Goodlatte
     Goss
     Graham
     Greene (UT)
     Greenwood
     Gunderson
     Gutknecht
     Hall (TX)
     Hancock
     Hansen
     Hastert
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayes
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Heineman
     Herger
     Hilleary
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Hoke
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jacobs
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kim
     King
     Kingston
     Klug
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     LaHood
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lazio
     Leach
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Lightfoot
     Linder
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Longley
     Lucas
     Manzullo
     Martinez
     Martini
     McCollum
     McCrery
     McDade
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McKeon
     Metcalf
     Meyers
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Moorhead
     Morella
     Myers
     Myrick
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oxley
     Packard
     Parker
     Petri
     Pombo
     Porter
     Portman
     Pryce
     Quillen
     Quinn
     Radanovich
     Ramstad
     Regula
     Riggs
     Roberts
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roth
     Roukema
     Royce
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaefer
     Schiff
     Seastrand
     Sensenbrenner
     Shadegg
     Shaw
     Shays
     Shuster
     Skeen
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Stearns
     Stockman
     Stump
     Talent
     Tate
     Tauzin
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas
     Thornberry
     Tiahrt
     Torkildsen
     Upton
     Vucanovich
     Walker
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Watts (OK)
     Weldon (FL)
     Weller
     White
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wolf
     Young (FL)
     Zeliff
     Zimmer

                               NAYS--182

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Baesler
     Baldacci
     Barcia
     Barrett (WI)
     Becerra
     Beilenson
     Bentsen
     Berman
     Bevill
     Bishop
     Bonior
     Borski
     Boucher
     Browder
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant (TX)
     Cardin
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coleman
     Collins (IL)
     Collins (MI)
     Condit
     Conyers
     Costello
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Cummings
     Danner
     DeFazio
     DeLauro
     Dellums
     Deutsch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doyle
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Evans
     Fattah
     Fazio
     Fields (LA)
     Filner
     Flake
     Foglietta
     Ford
     Frank (MA)
     Frost
     Furse
     Gejdenson
     Gephardt
     Geren
     Gibbons
     Gonzalez
     Gordon
     Green (TX)
     Gutierrez
     Hall (OH)
     Hamilton
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Holden
     Hoyer
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnston
     Kanjorski
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kleczka
     Klink
     LaFalce
     Lantos
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Lincoln
     Lipinski
     Lofgren
     Lowey
     Luther
     Maloney
     Manton
     Markey
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy
     McDermott
     McHale
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek
     Menendez
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (CA)
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Montgomery
     Moran
     Murtha
     Nadler
     Neal
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Orton
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pastor
     Payne (NJ)
     Payne (VA)
     Pelosi
     Peterson (FL)
     Peterson (MN)
     Pickett
     Poshard
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reed
     Richardson
     Rivers
     Roemer
     Rose
     Roybal-Allard
     Rush
     Sabo
     Sanders
     Sawyer
     Schumer
     Scott
     Serrano
     Sisisky
     Skaggs
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Spratt
     Stark
     Stenholm
     Stokes
     Studds
     Stupak
     Tanner
     Taylor (MS)
     Tejeda
     Thompson
     Thornton
     Thurman
     Torres
     Towns
     Traficant
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Volkmer
     Ward
     Waters
     Watt (NC)
     Waxman
     Wilson
     Woolsey
     Wynn
     Yates

                             NOT VOTING--21

     Andrews
     Brown (CA)
     Chapman
     de la Garza
     Farr
     Fields (TX)
     Fowler
     Goodling
     Hefner
     Houghton
     Kaptur
     Laughlin
     Molinari
     Paxon
     Pomeroy
     Schroeder
     Torricelli
     Weldon (PA)
     Williams
     Wise
     Young (AK)

                              {time}  1108

  Mrs. CLAYTON and Mr. SPRATT changed their vote from ``yea'' to 
``nay.''
  Messrs. MANZULLO, WELLER, and HALL of Texas changed their vote from 
``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the motion was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________