[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 143 (Sunday, October 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COME HOME, MR. PRESIDENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I think it would be very helpful to all of 
the constituents in my district to sort of cut through the shrill 
rhetoric on the other side of the aisle today and kind of get behind 
what is driving all of this political force.
  See, it appears to me that the Democratic leadership and the 
President have placed petty politics above the interest of American 
children, America's veterans, America's seniors, and recently America's 
farmers.
  The farm bill that was just vetoed recently had more money in it than 
the President's request, but it did not spend it on the programs that 
the Federal Government and the President wanted, so he vetoed it. It 
was not that it was anything in the best interest of America to do, but 
he vetoed it for politics.
  Let us just take a look at what is behind this injustice to the 
American people. The principal motivation for the President and the 
Democratic leadership's intended shutdown of government is sort of to 
take the spotlight off the scandals that the President has gotten 
himself into.
  It is also evident that the President has been AWOL, absent without 
leave, from his duties during most of the year. Let us consider this. 
The first 282 days of 1998, Mr. Clinton spent 45 percent, or 
approximately 127 days, working for his employer, the American 
taxpayer.
  So what has he done with the majority of his time as President this 
year? Let us take a look at that. Fund raising. I think the new motto 
of the White House ought to be ``Show me the money, Mr. President.''
  Mr. Clinton has spent 56 days away from his job raising money, 
gaining millions and millions of dollars from wealthy elitists, big 
business tycoons, liberal special interests, and media moguls.
  Note that most of these fund-raisers, of course, were outside of the 
Washington, D.C. area. All totaled, Mr. Clinton has attended 97 today. 
Tomorrow in Florida will be number 98. Special interest fund-raisers 
gathering up those millions and millions of dollars, rather than 
working with Congress on problems facing all Americans.
  The ``Show me the money, Mr. President'' ought to be here working 
with the working Congress. Let us take the vacations that he has had. 
Please do not get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with a much-needed 
break from a hectic work schedule. But there is something wrong when 
the vacations start interfering with the job of being President of the 
United States.
  Not many hardworking men and women around this country have the 
luxury of working only 127 days and getting 32 days vacation, paid at 
that by the taxpayers of the United States.
  Let us see, that would include 13 days at Martha's Vineyard, 9 days 
in Camp David, 5 days in the Virgin Islands, 4 days at a Utah ski 
resort, and, oh, yes, 1 day in Aspen, Colorado. Obviously, the only 
thing that got in the way of all of these vacations was his fund-
raising schedule.
  All this is bad enough, but it does not end there. Let us take the 
travel abroad, overseas junkets. During this time frame, the President 
spent 45 days abroad visiting 13 different countries, including Ghana, 
Chile, Uganda, Senegal, Germany, Rwanda, England, Ireland, Russia, 
Northern Ireland, and, oh, yes, a $50 million trip to China just to pay 
homage and tribute to the barbarians of Tiananmen Square.
  But, my colleagues, that is not all. Outside the fund-raisers, 
vacations and expensive junkets abroad, the President has spent an 
additional 22 days on the road at photo-ops in telegenic settings 
outside of the Washington area. Most of these photo-ops were 
strategically placed with an eye to upcoming elections like New York, 
Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, and even the scenic area of Lake Tahoe.
  Mr. Speaker, it is very obvious that the duties of the President are 
being pushed aside at a time when there are critical issues facing 
America's children, veterans, seniors, and, yes, even farmers today.
  Even as we speak here today, Congress is in session working, doing 
its job to help save Social Security, promote and improve our 
children's education, and to provide for America's veterans.
  Yet, the President is once again preparing to go to another fund-
raiser tomorrow in Florida. That is right. The President is once again 
planning to be AWOL while we here in Congress are hard at work solving 
our Nation's problems.
  Clearly, it is time for America's part-time President to clear his 
travel calendar, clear his fund-raising calendar, clear his vacation 
calendar, and stay home so that we can get the Nation's work done.

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