[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              FLOOD RELIEF

  (Mr. GUTKNECHT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise out of frustration today about 
what is happening with the flood relief money for northwestern 
Minnesota and the Dakotas. But I am mostly frustrated with some of the 
rhetoric, and I am very disappointed with the some of my colleagues for 
trying to turn this into a partisan political issue.
  Some people say, ``Well, this bill is not perfect.'' Absolutely it is 
not perfect. There is money in there for the troops in Bosnia. I do not 
support that. There are a lot of other things in this bill that I do 
not support. But if I wait for the bill that is perfect, that has only 
in the bill what I absolutely agree with, we are never going to get a 
bill.
  I think the President is being absolutely unreasonable on this 
because there is money, as I say, in there for Bosnia, there is money 
in there for parking ramps, there is a lot more money in there, and 
incidentally, there is money in there that the President did not 
request. It is money for relocation, and that is very important money 
for the folks up in the Red River Valley. So if we wait for all the 
lights to turn green, we are never going to leave the house.
  Now why is the President holding up this flood relief money? Because 
he does not like the anti-Government shutdown provision in it. Is there 
any Member in this body that will stand on this floor and say they want 
to make certain that we have the chance to close down the Government 
come October 1? If they believe that, they ought to come to the floor 
and say that.

                          ____________________