[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 39 (Monday, April 3, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1651-H1655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AWARDING GOLD MEDAL TO FORMER PRESIDENT AND MRS. RONALD REAGAN IN
RECOGNITION OF SERVICE TO NATION
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3591) to provide for the award of a gold medal on behalf of
the Congress to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy
Reagan in recognition of their service to the Nation.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3591
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Both former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy
Reagan have distinguished records of public service to the
United States, the American people, and the international
community.
(2) As President, Ronald Reagan restored ``the great,
confident roar of American progress, growth, and optimism'',
a pledge which he made before elected to office.
(3) President Ronald Reagan's leadership was instrumental
in uniting a divided world by bringing about an end to the
cold war.
(4) The United States enjoyed sustained economic prosperity
and employment growth during Ronald Reagan's presidency.
(5) President Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy not only served as
a gracious First Lady but also as a proponent for preventing
alcohol and drug use among the Nation's youth by championing
the ``Just Say No'' campaign.
(6) Together, Ronald and Nancy Reagan dedicated their lives
to promoting national pride and to bettering the quality of
life in the United States and throughout the world.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on
behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design
to former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan
in recognition of their service to the Nation.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of
the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the
Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the
gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 at a price sufficient
to cover the costs of the medals (including labor, materials,
dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses) and the cost
of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals for
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. FUNDING AND PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization.--There is hereby authorized to be
charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund
an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for the cost of the
medals authorized by this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in
the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) who is the principal sponsor of the
gold medal bill to honor President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan.
(Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, first I would like to thank my colleague
and friend, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic and
International Monetary Policy of the Committee on Banking and Financial
Services for granting me this time to address this bill.
Mr. Speaker, in recognition of their distinguished record of service
to the United States, I introduced, along with the gentlewoman from
Washington (Ms. Dunn), H.R. 3591 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to
former President Ronald Reagan and former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
The Congressional Gold Medal is considered the most distinguished
form of recognition that Congress has bestowed. I wholeheartedly
believe, as do
[[Page H1652]]
more than 290 of our colleagues, that the Congressional Gold Medal
would be a fitting tribute to the dedicated service that Ronald and
Nancy Reagan have given to our Nation.
Former President Ronald Reagan began his public life as a successful
Hollywood actor. However, he always had an interest in politics; and,
in 1966, he was elected governor of the great State of California by
nearly a million votes.
As a popular two-term governor and, later, as President of the United
States, Ronald Reagan was dedicated to encouraging economic growth,
recognizing the value of hard work, and igniting the spirit, hope and
pride among all Americans. He believed that everyone can rise as high
and as far as their ability will take them. This principle became a
guiding creed of Reagan's presidency as he successfully turned the tide
of public cynicism and sparked a national renewal.
President Reagan fulfilled his pledge to restore the great confident
roar of American progress, growth, and optimism. Americans, for the
first time in a long time, Mr. Speaker, once again believed in the
American Dream.
Standing by his side, President Reagan's wife Nancy served as a
gracious First Lady and as a distinguished leader in her own right.
While her husband served as governor of California, Mrs. Reagan made
regular visits to hospitals and homes for the elderly, as well as to
schools for physically and emotionally handicapped children.
As First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Reagan had the unique
opportunity to expand her public service nationally. Perhaps her most
notable and longest lasting achievement was her ``Just Say No''
campaign aimed at preventing alcohol and drug abuse among our youth.
Even today, Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Reagan continues to be an active public
leader. As a champion for increasing funding for research on
Alzheimer's disease, Mrs. Reagan has become a role model to all
caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.
Together, the Reagans have dedicated much of their lives to our
Nation. Their leadership and service extended well beyond President
Reagan's tenure in office. It has been an honor for me to lead this
effort of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to this deserving
couple.
I must admit that I have greatly enjoyed reading and hearing of the
support and high praise that distinguished Americans and world leaders
have expressed for Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
For example, Mr. Speaker, recently Mikhail Gorbachev wrote that
President Reagan will ``go down in history as a man profoundly
dedicated to his people and committed to the values of democracy and
freedom.''
Former U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt recalled how President Reagan
``always placed doing what was right ahead of doing what was
politically expedient.''
Finally, former Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick expressed how Nancy
Reagan's dedication and grace in her role as First Lady were
``outstanding and uncompensated.''
H.R. 3591 provides the opportunity for this Congress to finally
recognize the Reagans' extraordinary contributions to the United States
and to say thank you.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend and give great credit
for this legislation to my colleague from the 8th Congressional
District of the State of Washington (Ms. Dunn). Her long-standing
friendship with the Reagans gives this bill the great recognition it
deserves and it gives great credit not only to her constituents but to
all Americans.
It has been my pleasure to work with the gentlewoman from Washington
and the chairman of the subcommittee on this piece of legislation. Mr.
Speaker, I would urge passage of H.R. 3591, which will award the
Congressional Gold Medal to former President and First Lady Ronald and
Nancy Reagan.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bonds that unite us as a Nation go far beyond the
partisanship that we sometimes inevitably encounter in this House; and
so it is appropriate today that this House, Republicans and Democrats
alike, join together to honor former President Ronald Reagan and former
First Lady Nancy Reagan through the awarding of a gold medal. The medal
recognizes the dedication to public service of both the Reagans.
I personally remember President Reagan for many things, but primarily
for being such a person of good will toward all. I really do not think
he ever harbored any ill will toward any human being. And today we
express our good will toward him and his wife. Most especially our
prayers and good wishes for the good health and well-being go to them
today.
Our House would be remiss if we did not highlight and acknowledge the
important role and contribution to the Nation of former presidents,
regardless of their party affiliation. And I look forward to working
with Members in this Congress in a bipartisan spirit to honor the work
in particular of former President Carter and his wife Rosalyn.
In this vein, I would like to acknowledge the efforts my colleague,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), to honor President Carter
with a gold medal through an impending introduction of a bill. It is my
understanding that the chairman of the banking subcommittee of
jurisdiction has expressed a willingness to cosponsor this bill when it
is introduced, and I appreciate the bipartisan spirit in doing so.
In the next Congress, I would also look forward to considering
honoring the work of our present President and First Lady.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. BACHUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, Ronald Wilson Reagan became the 40th
President of the United States on January 20, 1981. It was a time when
America seemed to have lost hope as a result of the Vietnam War, the
Watergate scandal, the oil crisis, and a failing economy. We were
divided, drifting, and seemingly void of purpose. Then someone emerged
who never doubted us or our destiny. That man, Ronald Reagan,
personally embarked on a mission to restore hope in the American Dream.
He set forth two goals: First, revitalize the American economy and,
second, rebuild our military capability and restore our position in
world leadership.
{time} 1530
President Reagan stood as an example of a selfless, optimistic,
humorous, and visionary leader in the crucible of Washington politics.
He gave generously of himself and encouraged all of us not to give up
on the American dream and to dare to believe in it again.
I, for one, have missed his leadership, his confidence not only in
his own abilities but in the American people, and his genuine what-you-
see-is-what-you-get style, no airs, no pretensions. I suspect that a
great many of the American people miss these values as well.
This is most notably demonstrated in this year's presidential
campaign, where we see almost every candidate attempting to take up
President Reagan's mantle of conservative leadership in order to gain
the support of those who find themselves so drawn to Ronald Reagan and
his wish that every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every
evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a hill.
Many will remember President Reagan for turning around the American
economic machine and leading us like Moses out of the barren desert
sands of inflation, gas shortages, and unemployment. Others will
remember him for restoring America to the leadership of the free world
and challenging former Soviet President Gorbachev to ``tear down this
wall.'' But, in the end, President Reagan will be remembered and
honored most for his moral courage and his never yielding dedication to
the ideals that have made this country great.
If today's historians looking back at the end of the 20th century get
it right, they will surely say that Ronald Reagan, more than any other
person, helped to restore the American dream.
What was the American dream for Ronald Reagan? In 1992, he expressed
this is his wish, that all Americans never forget their heroic origins,
never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose their natural God-
given optimism.
[[Page H1653]]
I must also mention the great strength provided by former First Lady
Nancy Reagan with her constant presence in helping, advising, and
protecting the President. It was fitting that the gentleman from Nevada
(Mr. Gibbons), in introducing this bill, sought to honor both President
Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Mrs. Reagan became a leader in the antidrug movement and worked
tirelessly to educate the Nation's youth about the drug use. She coined
the phrase ``just say no,'' which became the guiding phrase of our
Nation's drug preventive efforts. Mrs. Reagan understood that the bully
pulpit was a powerful tool in the war on drugs, and our Nation
experienced a steady decline in teen drug use throughout the 1980s and
early 1990s.
Today, as she consoles and strengthens President Reagan in his
struggle with Alzheimer's, she has become a symbol of hope for all
those who care for a loved one battling disease and illness.
Mrs. Reagan is certainly a model of courage for my mother, who must
deal daily in caring for my father during his own battle with
Alzheimer's.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LAFALCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, how much time is there remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Bachus) has 9\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to join my colleagues
today in support of this resolution that calls for honoring President
and Mrs. Reagan with a Gold Medal.
I first met Ronald Reagan in 1966. That is when I was working as a
young person, I was in school at the time, in his first gubernatorial
campaign. I then worked in both of his presidential campaigns as an
assistant press secretary, traveling with then candidate Reagan
throughout the United States both in 1976 and in 1980.
After Reagan won the 1980 presidential campaign, I went with him to
the White House, where I served as a special assistant and speech
writer to the President for 7 years.
Let me note, as someone who was this close to Ronald Reagan for many,
many, many years, I will just have to testify today that Ronald Reagan
never let me down.
Far too often, people who get to know their heroes are dismayed when
they get to know their heroes. They get to know them as people. And all
of us, of course, are only human; and we have our personal defects, our
strong points, and our weak points. Ronald Reagan was a human being,
but he was a wonderful human being; and he never, ever disappointed me
with a lack of conviction or a mean spirit.
Throughout the time I knew him all of those years, I knew him as a
man of strong conviction and principle and a man of benevolence, a
loving person, and a man with a very positive character, always on the
upbeat, always looking for the positive way to approach problems rather
than just lamenting the problems that existed. And that was driven home
to me, his character, the first time I met him.
In fact, I had worked on his first gubernatorial campaign in the
primary. They were going to eliminate Youth for Reagan. I had a hundred
young people in my area, walking precincts, in 1966, in Reagan's first
campaign primary campaign for governor. But there had been turmoil in
Youth for Reagan, and they were going to eliminate it. So I decided I
would talk to Ronald Reagan myself in order to save Youth for Reagan.
At 2:30 in the morning, I walked up to his house in Pacific
Palisades. There were no guards there, unlike today, we can imagine
candidates today; and I camped out on his back lawn.
At about 7 o'clock in the morning, Nancy's head came out of the back
door and said, Who are you? I had a little sign that said, ``Mr.
Reagan, please speak to me.'' She said, Who are you? I said, well, I
work in his youth campaign and they are going to eliminate Youth for
Reagan, and I need to talk to him for 2 minutes.
She said, If my husband comes out here, he is going to be late for
the rest of the day because I know he will spend more than 2 minutes
with you. I have got to think about him as a man. He is going to skip
his breakfast. I just cannot have it. If you go down to the campaign
office, I will arrange that you meet the campaign manager.
So how can I argue with a wife when she is protecting her husband? I
started walking down that long driveway. And a few minutes later
running after me, I hear these footsteps and there is Ronald Reagan
with shaving cream on his face and his shirt is half off and he is
waving to me and saying, Wait a minute, wait a minute. If you can camp
out on my back lawn all night just to speak to me, I can spend a few
minutes with you. Now, what is the problem, young man?
Well, that was Ronald Reagan. That was the Ronald Reagan I met then.
That was the Ronald Reagan I knew for 30 years after that, the very
same Ronald Reagan. And it was the very same Ronald Reagan that was
very often castigated as just an actor, well, he is up there just
giving speeches.
Having worked with Ronald Reagan, I can tell my colleagues he is a
great writer. He is such a talented writer we always used to say that
if he was not the President, he could be the President's speech writer.
In fact, he was a man that was not just reading his speech. He was a
man that was setting direction for his administration, setting the
goals for the free world. And nowhere was that greater brought home to
me than during the conflict over Ronald Reagan's visit to Berlin and
whether or not he should say, Tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbachev.
I worked with several speech writers with the President preparing for
that trip to Europe. During that time, I will report to my colleagues
today that Ronald Reagan was advised by all of his senior staff, all of
his foreign policy advisors, including and especially Secretary of
State Shultz, but all of his top senior foreign policy advisors begging
him not to say, Mr. Gorbachev, if you really believe in democracy, tear
down this wall.
The night before that speech, Ronald Reagan was approached by his
national security advisors, saying they wanted him to give this speech,
all of his senior advisors wanted him to give this speech, not the one
he had. And all it was was the same speech minus, Mr. Gorbachev, tear
down this wall. Ronald Reagan looked at it and said, well, no. I think
I will use the one I have. Thank you.
Ronald Reagan made up his mind. He was courageous. He made the
decision, not his advisors. That courage, that strength of conviction
is what ended the Cold War, brought the Soviet Government down to its
knees and said, no, we cannot withstand principled democracy,
principled capitalism as Ronald Reagan is presenting to the world, and
ended the Cold War without the nuclear holocaust we feared.
Ronald Reagan was a hero of America and mankind, all of humankind.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago, the United States was mired in an economic
malaise. As a Nation, we were experiencing the worst economic chaos
since the Great Depression. Interest rates were as high as 21 percent,
making owning a home an impossible dream for most Americans. Inflation
rates were 12\1/2\ percent. They ate into savings. We had an
unemployment rate of 7\1/2\ percent. Eight million Americans were out
of work.
We had oil shortages, a stagnant economy. And we even had something
that economists said could never happen, high inflation at the same
time as low economic growth. A new term had to be coined by economists.
That term ``stagflation.''
To restore the economic vitality, President Reagan championed a four-
point solution: reduce tax rates across the board, regulatory reform,
slow the growth of Federal spending, and focus monetary policy on price
stability.
As a result of his economic program, we had 92 straight months of
economic expansion, the second longest period of peacetime economic
growth in the history of the country; and, indeed, this was the start
of a period of economic growth which, with the exception of a 9-month
recession during the early 1990s, has continued to this day.
[[Page H1654]]
Foreign policy. Most of us remember President Reagan and his
successes there. He had an aggressive foreign policy record that was
distinguished by the fight against international terrorism and
communism in Africa, Asia, and Central America.
Ronald Reagan squarely faced Soviet Union, called it the Evil Empire,
and faced it down. He even dared to call upon Mikhail Gorbachev to tear
down the Berlin Wall, something that no one felt possible. And it fell,
along with Soviet Communism. He ended the Cold War and made history.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a letter that I have received
from Mikhail Gorbachev saying ``The award of the Gold Medal of the
United States Congress to Ronald Reagan is a fitting tribute to the
40th President of the United States, who will go down in history as a
man profoundly dedicated to his people and committed to the values of
democracy and freedom.''
The International Foundation for Socio-Economic and
Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation),
Moscow, March 15, 2000.
The following is the text of Mikhail Gorbachev's tribute to
Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the award of the
Congressional Gold Medal:
The award of the Gold Medal of U.S. Congress to Ronald
Reagan is a fitting tribute to the fortieth president of the
United States, who will go down in history as a man
profoundly dedicated to his people and committed to the
values of democracy and freedom.
Together with Ronald Reagan, we took the first, the most
important steps to end the cold war and start real nuclear
disarmament. It was not easy to break the ice of mistrust
that had been building up for decades. But at our very first
meeting in Geneva I felt the president's readiness for
dialogue. This honest and respectful dialogue eventually bore
fruit. The human rapport between us and our families
continued after we completed our duties in government.
On this important occasion I salute Ronald Reagan. My
warmest greetings to Nancy Reagan and members of the Reagan
family, whose care and support have been so important to
Ronald during the past few years. I am confident that
succeeding generations will duly appreciate the
accomplishments of President Reagan.
Mikhail Gorbachev.
Mr. Speaker, Ronald Reagan's presidential legacy as the great
communicator has continued even in his twilight years. As a victim to
Alzheimer's disease, he comforted a Nation by saying, I now begin the
journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that, for
America, there will always be a bright dawn ahead.
He brought to the presidency a sense of confidence in the American
way, restored U.S. pride, and reenergized America's leadership on the
international front. Under his leadership, an entire Nation reawakened
confident, optimistic, bold, and proud.
As one historian wrote, ``Reagan does not argue for American ideals,
for American values. He embodies them.''
Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure and an honor for me to
be involved in this worthwhile effort to award the Congressional Gold
Medal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. I want to thank my colleague, Jim
Gibbons, for his effort on this important legislation.
Together, the President and First Lady selflessly dedicated years of
their lives to lifting the American spirit and bettering the quality of
life for every single American. I continue to be inspired by President
Reagan's ideals of lower taxes, stronger families, limited government,
and peace through strength.
In 1989, I had the opportunity to personally thank President Reagan
for his contributions to America. That was shortly after the Berlin
Wall fell and the land he once declared an evil empire began to finally
dissolve.
The fall of the Soviet Union would not have been achieved had it not
been for Ronald Reagan's insistence on a strong military. During his
tenure in office, he boosted the morale of our military personnel by
providing them with the equipment, training, and support they needed to
be successful. By restoring our national defense, he protected
democracy and rebuilt national pride.
President Reagan's policies helped lift us out of the malaise of the
late 70s, when interest rates were in the 20 percent range,
unemployment was at record highs, and inflation reached the double
digits. The economy recovered, and more Americans were working than
ever before.
President Reagan believed that cutting tax rates would increase, not
shrink, Federal tax revenues, and he was right. in 1981, he worked with
Congress in a bipartisan manner to turn his belief into law.
The unprecedented economic prosperity America is now experiencing is
due in no small part to the idealistic spirit and the anchored beliefs
that Ronald Reagan brought to his agenda as our President. Today, that
historic bipartisan effort continues to be recognized as a defining
achievement that fostered economic growth and human ingenuity to raise
the quality of life in America.
Though he has withdrawn from public life, we will never forget his
great achievements. They are evident all around us, and now is the
right time for America to say thank you.
Some people have thanked him by naming airports, schools, and
buildings after him. I have a son who is proud to carry his name. And
here in Congress, we can begin by awarding the Congressional Gold Medal
to our former President and his loyal First Lady who shared his burdens
and his joys, Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the extraordinary career
and inspirational life of President Ronald Wilson Reagan of California.
When Reagan stood on the steps of this Capitol on January 20, 1981
and took his oath of office, he assumed leadership of a nation that was
suffering the worst recession in a half-century. He recognized his
greatest challenge, and he stood before America that day and
articulated his redemptive mission--to return the reins of government
to the people.
He knew that the best way to revive the American economy would be to
get government out of the way of American creativity. ``It is time to
reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its
means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden,'' he said on that
January morning at the Capitol. ``And these will be our first
priorities, and on these principles, there will be no compromise.''
President Reagan was able to lead America through the murky waters of
recession. He was a forceful champion for breaking down barriers to
trade, because he knew that once we removed the shackles from American
business, it could compete successfully anywhere in the world.
And when he was done, the American economy had embarked upon the
largest peacetime expansion in history.
He pushed America to compete on the international stage as well.
Ronald Reagan took the Presidency of a nation that was uncertain in
foreign policy because it was unmoored in principle. The Soviet Army,
then a greater power than our own, was occupying Afghanistan and
training in Cuba. We were unwilling to provide the leadership necessary
to galvanize our Western allies in response to the menace.
President Reagan identified the imminent threat communism posed to
our democracy and those across the world, and used his leadership to
initiate the policies that led to its demise. He understood that the
United States should deal with the Soviet Union from a position of
strength. He had the extraordinary vision to conceive of a national
missile defense. He provided the leadership to know that we needed to
risk war in order to achieve a more lasting peace. And within a few
short years of his last year in office, the Berlin Wall crumbled and
communism had begun its inevitable march into the dustbin of history.
Though it will be hard to bestow upon our former President any honor
greater than the honor he restored to our nation, we today honor
President Reagan, and his wife Nancy, for the enduring inspiration
provided by their shining example.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join in supporting this
legislation which will grant well-deserved recognition and appreciation
to former President Ronald Reagan and former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Both are outstanding American citizens who have contributed so
honorably and selflessly to our country.
This legislation authorizes the President to present to both Ronald
and Nancy Reagan the Congressional gold medal in recognition of their
outstanding accomplishments as President and First Lady.
For most of our colleagues in this chamber, Ronald Reagan is a hero
and a living legend. He was a dedicated leader who came to office in
1980 seeking to restore growth, optimism, and confidence to our nation.
He survived an assassination attack and remained undaunted in his quest
to lead this great nation into prosperity. Ronald Reagan is a man of
unparalleled integrity and is truly one of our greatest presidents. Our
nation is forever grateful. We are indebted to them.
President Reagan's efforts to strengthen national defense restored a
sense of national security and directly contributed to the end of the
Cold War. He effectively fostered relations with the Soviet Union
during a very turbulent and volatile time in international history.
Through his active communication and frequent talks with Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev, President Reagan was able to successfully negotiate
the INF treaty in 1987 which reduced the threat of nuclear war. It was
that treaty coupled with an extraordinary defense buildup that ended
the Cold War and made the world once again safe for democracy.
[[Page H1655]]
Through cooperation with Congress, President Reagan was able to cut
taxes, curb inflation, and increase employment. His policies stimulated
our economy and initiated the largest peace-time economic expansion in
history. He revolutionized the role in which government plays in the
lives of individual citizens. The American people showed their support
and appreciation for President Reagan by reelecting him in the largest
electoral landslide in history.
Mr. Speaker, Nancy Reagan's role as First Lady was gracious and
elegant. She fought to restore values and decency to our nation. She
effectively and tirelessly promoted the ``Just Say No'' Anti-Drug
campaign and brought that issue to the national forefront. In 1985 she
held a conference at the White House for the first ladies of 17
different countries to focus international attention on the Drug
problem. She continues to work on her campaign to teach children to
``say no to drugs.'' Through these and other worthy efforts, Nancy
Reagan has established herself as a national icon and an outstanding
American.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to support this legislation in recognition
of their service to our nation, and to congratulate both President and
Nancy Reagan as we wish them good health and happiness in the days
ahead.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 3591. At
the same time, I am very supportive of President Reagan's publicly
stated view of limiting the federal government to it's proper and
constitutional role. In fact, I was one of only four sitting members of
the United States House of Representatives who endorsed Ronald Reagan's
candidacy for President in 1976. The United States enjoyed sustained
economic prosperity and employment growth during Ronald Reagan's
presidency.
I must, however, oppose the Gold Medal for Ronald and Nancy Reagan
because appropriating $30,000 of taxpayer money is neither
constitutional nor, in the spirit of Ronald Reagan's notion of the
proper, limited role for the federal government.
Because of my continuing and uncompromising opposition to
appropriations not authorized within the enumerated powers of the
Constitution, I would maintain my resolve and commitment to the
Constitution--a Constitution, which only last year, each Member of
Congress, swore to uphold. In each of these instances, I offered to do
a little more than uphold my constitutional oath.
In fact, as a means of demonstrating my personal regard and
enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan's advocacy for limited government, I
invited each of these colleagues to match my private, personal
contribution of $100 which, if accepted by the 435 Members of the House
of Representatives, would more than satisfy the $30,000 cost necessary
to mint and award a gold medal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. To me, it
seemed a particularly good opportunity to demonstrate one's genuine
convictions by spending one's own money rather that of the taxpayers
who remain free to contribute, at their own discretion, to commemorate
the work of the Reagans. For the record, not a single Representative
who solicited my support for spending taxpayer's money, was willing to
contribute their own money to demonstrate their generosity and
allegiance to the Reagan's stated convictions.
It is, of course, very easy to be generous with the people's money.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3591.
The question was taken.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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