[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  2002 SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR FURTHER RECOVERY FROM AND 
           RESPONSE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS ON THE UNITED STATES

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                               speech of

                         HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2002

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4775) making 
     supplemental appropriations for further recovery from and 
     response to terrorist attacks on the United States for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2002, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Chairman, I come to the floor tonight to 
voice my utter disgust for what we as Members of Congress, 
representatives of our great nation, have to do here tonight. We as 
representatives of our constituencies must voice that we will not stand 
by idly and let a few destroy everything America's workers have 
diligently worked for all their lives. Though we may not win this 
battle, which is rumored not to end until early in the morning, know 
that we, those who truly represent working Americans, will not stop 
fighting this legislative battle.
  Over the last 15 months, we have experienced the worst fiscal 
reversal in our nation's history--with $5 trillion in projected 
surpluses over the next 10 years having disappeared. Last year, it was 
projected that publicly-held national debt would be completely paid off 
by 2008. And yet now, due largely to the economic plans put in place 
last year by the Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans, the 
publicly-held national debt is going up and not down. As a result, the 
country is now hitting the current statutory debt limit of $5.95 
trillion.
  But some of us, those who continue to fight for American workers, 
children, and seniors saw this coming. In face of a deteriorating 
economic picture, Democrats pleaded for Republicans to join us at an 
economic summit so we could put our country back on the path to long-
term economic growth and opportunity. Instead of working towards this 
goal, our attempts were dismissed and now we have experienced a 
dramatic reversal of continued prosperity, a dramatic reversal of a 
growing hope to increase education spending, a dramatic reversal of 
saving seniors from loosing the money they put into social security, 
and a dramatic reversal of a decreased percentage of unemployed workers 
to a steadily increasing number of unemployed workers facing more 
hardships by the dozen.
  Today, I stand here fighting a battle with my colleagues. A battle 
that calls for us to think twice about what we as a governing body will 
do if this legislation is passed. If the debt ceiling is raised we can 
no longer envision our plan to leave no child behind. We can no longer 
envision our plan to continuously provide social security to all of our 
seniors. We can no longer envision our plan to level off the current 
unemployment rates. The bottom line is that so much of what America 
stands for and yearns to become can be washed away with final passage 
of this supplemental appropriations bill that provides much more than 
what we can afford. We thought the tax cuts passed by the majority 
would slowly chip away at the American dream of so many, but we were in 
for such a surprise. Yes, there was much more in store. What was in 
store was this supplemental. Think about it. Think about the chipping 
away of our nation's future. Think about denying Americans what they 
deserve and have worked for all their lives. Think hard. Think if you 
want to take the blame for what will surely come. Once every Member in 
this governing body truly does this, each will know that we should not, 
cannot, and must not pass this legislation.

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