Congressional Record, Volume 147 Issue 161 (Tuesday, November 27, 2001)

[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 161 (Tuesday, November 27, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8396-H8397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

EXPRESSING THE GRATITUDE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO GENERAL
ACCOUNTING OFFICE

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 294) expressing the gratitude of the House of
Representatives to the General Accounting Office and its employees for
enabling the House to continue its work while the House office
buildings were closed due to the presence of Anthrax.
The Clerk read as follows:

H. Res. 294

Whereas the House of Representatives recently found it
necessary to close its office buildings to Members, staff,
and the public due to the presence of Anthrax;
Whereas the Comptroller General made an offer to the House
of Representatives to make the General Accounting Office's
building and equipment available to the Members and staff of
the House of Representatives during the period in which the
House office buildings were closed, an offer the House
gratefully accepted;
Whereas the House's subsequent temporary use of General
Accounting Office workspaces, telephones, computers, and
other equipment imposed an inconvenience on the employees of
the Office, who graciously vacated their worksites; and
Whereas the sacrifices made by employees of the General
Accounting Office during this period enabled the House of
Representatives to continue its legislative work on behalf of
the people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives expresses its
gratitude to the General Accounting Office for accommodating
the House during the recent closure of the House office
buildings, and sincerely thanks the hundreds of General
Accounting Office employees who generously vacated their
workspaces and otherwise helped to make it possible for the
work of the House to continue during this period.
Sec. 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall
transmit a copy of this resolution to the Comptroller General
of the United States.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise here today on behalf of my colleague, the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), of the Committee on House
Administration for consideration of H. Res. 294. This resolution
expresses the gratitude of the House of Representatives to the General
Accounting Office and its employees for enabling the House to continue
its work while the House office buildings were closed due to the
presence of anthrax.
Mr. Speaker, I want the citizens of the United States to know that
later on representatives on behalf of all employees of the GAO will be
present in the Capitol in Statuary Hall so that we may speak with them
and personally express our gratitude.
On October 18, 2001, the House office buildings closed their doors;
and we arrived at the GAO on October 22, 2001. The General Accounting
Office graciously accommodated Members and their staff through November
5, 2001. With their help, use of phones and work space, we were able to
continue our legislative work on behalf of the United States.
I want to personally thank the GAO for the logistical support they
provided to the United States House of Representatives while we
occupied two floors of their agency. The professionalism and can-do
attitude they exhibited is a credit to the agency. The GAO's hard work
made a difficult situation manageable, and it will be long remembered.
All facets of the government working together for the common good
will only overcome the trying times that face this Nation.
The GAO's efforts demonstrated that resolve. The GAO's partnership
throughout this process not only proves their loyalty to this great
Nation but also their kindness as employees and as an agency.
Mr. Speaker, when this country was formed, from the first veteran who
fought to make this the greatest democracy ever on planet Earth, they
envisioned that their efforts would always continue and that there
would be an energetic give and take on the floor of the House and the
Senate. And let me just say that during this trying time, when it was
difficult for employees of the House and the staff and the Members, we
got through it by allowing this floor to be able to continue and by our
employees, our staff, of the House being able to communicate with the
constituents across the United States and to do their job to keep alive
the debate that is so important to our democracy. The GAO was an
integral part of allowing us to go forth.
I also want to thank the House staff, who transcended through this
move under also a very difficult situation. Particularly I would also
like to commend our Clerk, Jeff Trandahl; the Sergeant-at-Arms, Bill
Livingood; and especially our CAO, Jay Eagen; and their staffs for
making all of this possible, again, for us to continue to do our job;
also, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), Speaker of the House;
the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the minority leader; and
the Committee on House Administration staff; Members, both majority and
minority, who all put in their time in order that this transition was
made to be as good as it could get.
Once again, the purpose of this resolution is to thank GAO for their
unselfish generosity and partnership, and on behalf of the entire House
of Representatives, we commend them for doing such a tremendous job,
sacrificing of their time and their offices to make sure that we
continue.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
I am delighted to rise in support of House Resolution 294 and to
stand in tonight as co-manager of this bill for my friend, the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member of the
Committee on House Administration. The gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Hoyer) is a cosponsor of this bill, as indeed are the other Democratic
members of the Committee on House Administration, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Davis).
Mr. Speaker, it is not common for the Members of the House and their
staffs to need to vacate the House office buildings due to the presence
of a potentially lethal health hazard, and let us hope it never happens
again. Steps are certainly being taken to protect the people's House
from future anthrax threats, to defend our country and freedom-loving
peoples around the world from the scourge of terrorism.
Pending achievement of that goal, this House indeed owes its thanks
to the General Accounting Office for enabling it to continue its work
for two critical weeks at the end of October and beginning of November.
The gentleman from Ohio's resolution simply expresses the House's
gratitude, and I hope it will pass without dissent.
I want to thank David Walker, the Comptroller General of the United
States, for so graciously offering GAO's assistance to the House in our
time of need.
I also want to thank Dick Brown, the GAO's Comptroller and Chief
Administrative Officer, for his tireless efforts to ensure that the
enterprise went smoothly.
I certainly want to thank the dedicated employees of the General
Accounting Office who were uprooted and relocated and otherwise
inconvenienced to accommodate Members and their staffs.
Mr. Speaker, despite hundreds of us descending upon the GAO
headquarters, thereby allowing our legislative work to continue, GAO's
important work got continued as well. This is a great tribute to the
professionalism of the GAO staff and their ability to adjust to rapidly
changing circumstances.
The GAO, in fact, has been an essential support agency for Congress
since its creation in 1921. Mr. Speaker, for 2 weeks at the end of
October, 2001, and beginning of November, it was more than that. It was
serving as the House's home away from home.
The leadership and the staff of the GAO can now say that they have
supported the work of the Congress as never before. This episode
belongs in

[[Page H8397]]

the annals of congressional history, and this resolution ensures that
it will be so recorded.
Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that the House express its gratitude to
the GAO and its wonderful employees in the way that this resolution
determines. I applaud the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) for bringing
this important resolution to the floor.
I urge an aye vote on the motion.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from West
Virginia (Mrs. Capito).
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution
294.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the employees of the
General Accounting Office who sacrificed their personal offices in
order to allow the daily business of Congress to continue. As we were
trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy, I was amazed at the
willingness of the GAO staff to be flexible in conducting their daily
business in less than desirable conditions.
I would personally like to thank Mr. Charles Johnson, Jr., and others
whose offices at the GAO housed members of my staff. Although it may
seem like a small sacrifice in the larger scheme of things, the
employees of the GAO played a critical role during very uncertain
times. It is obvious that the GAO, once known as the iron fist of
government, has slipped on a silk glove of kindness in this urgent
time.
Mr. Speaker, all Americans are making sacrifices to ensure terrorism
is stricken from our world. We must not forget to thank everyone for
his or her cooperation in this time of crisis. If they have not already
done so, I encourage my fellow Members of Congress to join me in
thanking the employees of the GAO for their graciousness and
flexibility.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I just wanted to thank my colleague, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Price), for carrying this resolution once again;
also, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the ranking member.
I would just say in closing that we thank from the Comptroller
General down the line all of the employees who gave of their time to
help us operate. They are truly great Americans, great patriots and, in
general, very good people.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise in
support of House Resolution 294, which expresses the gratitude of the
House of Representatives to the Government Accounting Office and its
employees.
Mr. Speaker, the silver lining to the dark cloud cast upon our nation
on September 11th is the ability and willingness of all Americans to
sacrifice for the good of the nation.
As this Congress looked for ways to carry out the nation's business
amid anthrax scares and other security concerns, the Government
Accounting Office and its employees graciously vacated office space so
that Members of Congress could continue to do the great work that these
times require.
For this great sacrifice, we are proud and we are grateful. The
criminals who continue to perpetrate these crimes against Congress and
other citizens seek to shake the will of our nation and the will of the
Body.
By allowing Members and their staffs to use office space, telephones,
and computer equipment, the House was able to continue legislative
business. This sacrifice sends the important message to anyone who
attempts to harm our great nation: We will be defiant and unrelenting
in the face of terror.
I would like to join my colleagues in offering a sincere ``thank
you'' to the Government Accounting Office and its employees for their
important sacrifice.
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution
expressing the gratitude of the U.S. House of Representatives to the
General Accounting Office for their assistance during the relocation of
member offices.
On September 11th, terrorists attempted to weaken our great nation.
They failed. In the aftermath of the attacks, the United States
continues to stand strong and wave its flag proudly. We are perhaps
stronger now, than we were before.
The American people have come together in a way never before seen, to
support their country and help those affected by the attacks on our
country.
The Comptroller General and the employees of the General Accounting
Office are no exception.
When the Capitol and member's offices were assaulted with anthrax,
the Comptroller General and the GAO employees generously shared their
office space with the members of the House of Representatives and their
staffs. GAO employees made quite a sacrifice in doing so. Many were
displaced from their own offices in order to provide the House of
Representatives with workspace. Because of the selflessness of these
employees, the House of Representatives was able to continue to do
their work on behalf of the American people and help our nation fight
against the evils of terrorism.
Today, I am pleased to join my colleagues in thanking the Comptroller
General and the GAO for their assistance. They have been a great help
during this very difficult time and their assistance will be
remembered.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to express my strong support
of this resolution.
Fortunately, it's not every day that the members of this House, and
their staffs, must evacuate the House office buildings due to the
presence of anthrax.
Let's hope it never happens again. Steps are certainly being taken to
ensure it never happens again.
This House indeed owes a debt of gratitude to the General Accounting
Office for making it possible for the people's House to continue its
work during those two critical weeks.
The chairman's resolution eloquently expresses the sentiments that
should be expressed, and I urge all members to support it.
As one whose office is in the Longworth Building, I spent
considerable time working at the GAO. I found it to be a hospitable
place, staffed by hospitable, dedicated Federal workers. I want to
express my personal thanks to David Walker, the Comptroller General of
the United States, for throwing open the doors of his agency to the
House. I also want to thank Dick Brown, the GAO's comptroller and chief
administrative officer, for spending many hours working to ensure the
whole enterprise went smoothly, which it did. And I generally want to
thank the dedicated employees of the General Accounting Office who were
relocated, or otherwise inconvenienced, to accommodate me and my staff,
and other Members and their staffs. Their sacrifice did not go
unnoticed, or unappreciated.
Mr. Speaker, we should note that as hundreds of us descended upon the
GAO headquarters, GAO's own important work continued, despite the
disruption. This is a grand tribute to the professionalism of GAO
employees.
The GAO's mission is to support the work of the Congress as our
budgetary watchdog. The leadership and staff of the GAO can now say,
with pride, that they have supported the work of the House directly as
never before. This incident rightly belongs in the annals of
congressional history. This resolution ensures it will be properly
recorded.
Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that the House express its gratitude to
the GAO and its wonderful employees for allowing us to continue our
operations during this time. I applaud the chairman for bringing this
resolution to the floor. I urge an ``aye'' vote on the motion.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Isakson). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H.Res. 294.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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