[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         LABOR DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION IS POLITICAL WITCH-HUNT

  (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, as a new member of the Subcommittee on 
Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce, I was surprised to learn last week that the Speaker had just 
awarded the subcommittee $1\1/2\ million out of a political slush fund 
to conduct an emergency investigation on labor unions and working men 
and women around the country. First of all, when we are trying to 
balance the budget, where are we coming up with an additional $1.5 
million for a political witch-hunt that will send us on a fishing 
expedition all over the country. Just another investigation.
  Here is a novel idea, if the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
has an additional $1.5 million, why do we not spend it on education and 
worker training such as the TRIO Program. That is a program that goes 
to low-income students to prepare them for higher education learning.
  In fact, the two largest universities in my district in western 
Wisconsin, Eau Claire and La Crosse, service roughly 2,000 low-income 
students in the TRIO Program. Another $1\1/2\ million will double that 
amount.
  I think we should use our taxpayer dollars wisely instead of going on 
another fishing expedition conducting an unlimited investigation on 
unwarranted charges.

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