[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SPECIAL INTEREST CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS CORRUPT DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

  (Mr. MILLER of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, we now know where Speaker 
Gingrich stands on campaign finance reform. The Speaker does not think 
there is enough money. He says they ought to be able to give any amount 
they want. Let everyone go play.
  Mr. Speaker, when those people gave hundreds of thousands of dollars 
in soft money, they were not playing. When they met in the minority 
whip's office to gut the Clean Water Act of this Nation, they were not 
playing. When they met with the leadership to gut the environmental 
laws of this Nation, they were not playing.
  Mr. Speaker, they are not playing when they give hundreds of 
thousands of dollars and then try to stop food safety laws in this 
Nation, and they certainly were not playing late at night last month 
when they got a $50 billion tax cut for the tobacco companies.
  No, Mr. Speaker, these are not people who are playing. These are 
special interests who are corrupting this democratic process, who are 
corrupting this House, who are corrupting this Senate, and who are 
corrupting the election process in this Nation.
  This is about hard ball. This is about special interests, tax 
preferences and gifts of public resources to campaign contributors.

                          ____________________