Congressional Record, Volume 149 Issue 49 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)

[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2392-H2398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SALUTING OUR TROOPS

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bradley). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings)
is recognized for 60 minutes.

General Leave

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, this evening, members of the Congressional
Black Caucus wanted to take a moment to salute our troops. These are
men and women who have voluntarily put on the uniform of the United
States of America to make sure that we maintain our way of life,
maintain our constitutional rights, maintain our privileges; and they
have put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great sadness today to start off my remarks
by having to pay tribute to a great American hero who died in the line
of duty while serving his country in pursuing the American dream.
Originally from my hometown of Baltimore, Marine Staff Sergeant Kendall
Damon Waters-Bey, age 29, was one of the four U.S. Marines who died
when their CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter crashed near the Iraqi-Kuwait
border.
I would like to start off by first expressing my deepest condolences
to the Waters-Bey family during this very, very difficult time. I mourn
their loss, along with the other members of the Maryland Federal
delegation.
Our prayers are with Sergeant Waters-Bey's 10-year old son, Kenneth;
his

[[Page H2393]]

wife, Belinda Waters-Bey of San Diego, California; his parents, Michael
and Angela Waters-Bey; and four sisters, Shernell Waters-Bey, Sharita
Waters-Bey, Michelle Waters and Nakia Waters.
This tragedy makes the war in Iraq more personal for all of us. I did
not have the privilege of knowing Staff Sergeant Waters-Bey, but his
story is one that is familiar to many of us in Baltimore.
Fellow Marine and Captain Ray Coleman said that Sergeant Waters-Bey
viewed the military as a path out of the struggles and challenges of
urban life. I understand these challenges, Mr. Speaker, as I live in an
urban area in Baltimore City.
Not too far from the Capitol in which we stand tonight, many young
people are confronted with violence, oppression, lack of quality health
care and lack of equal access to the all-American dream every day.
Their terror is as real as the terror that the Iraqi people are facing
right now. For these Americans, it often takes a miracle to climb over
the barriers.
Achieving the American dream is often out of reach, but the barriers
did not stop Sergeant Waters-Bey from reaching his dream. In spite of a
hard life, friends say that Sergeant Waters-Bey had a jovial spirit. He
was known for making people laugh with his funny jokes and funny faces.
While a student at Baltimore's Northern High School, he refused to fall
into the wrong crowd and chose instead to be an athlete whose
afternoons were filled with running track and swimming.
Upon graduation, Sergeant Waters-Bey was determined to make something
of himself. Since he could not afford to go to college, he enlisted in
the Marines and worked very hard to succeed as a Marine; and he did. He
entered the service as a mechanic, but as a result of his determination
he quickly moved up to crew chief.
The Marines took Sergeant Waters-Bey around the Nation from Maryland
to Florida and then to Camp Pendleton in California. But distance did
not keep him from his family. Sergeant Waters-Bey always made time for
his 10-year old son Kenneth. Whenever father and son spent time
together, they would go on fishing trips, watch cartoons or just play
ball, according to family members. Unfortunately, that shall be no
more, for he has given his life so that ours might be uplifted.
The evening before his father's death, young Kenneth was about to get
a new computer so he could e-mail his dad in the Iraqi desert. Now,
young Kenneth will never have a chance to send an e-mail to his father.
Last Thursday, tragically, the helicopter where Sergeant Waters-Bey
served as a crew chief crashed and killed all who were aboard.
The other U.S. Marines killed in Thursday's crash were Major Jay
Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine; Captain Ryan Anthony Beaupre,
30, of Bloomington, Illinois; and Corporal Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25,
of Houston, Texas. Our prayers go out to all of them and to their
families.
Before I close, Mr. Speaker, I have to bring up the fact that Mr.
Waters-Bey's family is asking why their son, father and brother died in
a war that lacks an international mandate. I agree with the Waters-Bey
family and also believe that our Nation should have continued to pursue
diplomatic measures to disarm Saddam Hussein's regime before sending
Sergeant Waters-Bey and other members of our Armed Forces to the Middle
East.
I still stand behind our troops. They are our sons, our daughters,
our fathers, our mothers, our friends; and I salute all of our men and
women in Iraq and pray for their safe return.

{time} 2130

Finally, I would like to say Sergeant Kendall Waters-Bey was not only
a hero because he served this country in the Armed Forces, but also
because he climbed over barriers that were placed before him, so many
barriers that many of his neighbors were not able to climb. I applaud
Sergeant Waters-Bey for not only what he did in Iraq, but because of
what he did right here in the United States. By his example, he was not
only on a mission to set the Iraqi people free from oppression, but
also set on a mission to set himself free from the obstacles that keep
so many Americans from achieving the American dream. God bless Sergeant
Waters-Bey.

Congressional Black Caucus Salutes Troops

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I will now address the issues that the
Congressional Black Caucus would like to bring before the Congress.
Mr. Speaker, at this very hour, this very moment, our servicemen and
women are literally fighting for their lives. They are doing so with
unbelievable courage and determination. We stand shoulder to shoulder
with our military and pledge again tonight that while they are on the
battlefield, they will have every resource they need to get the job
done. We pray that they will return home soon to their families and
loved ones.
But, Mr. Speaker, I worry about what kind of country our servicemen
and women will be returning to after the war. What signal and what
message is the Congress of the United States sending to our men and
women in the military when we pass a budget like the one that the
Republican majority passed last week? A budget that cuts veterans'
benefits, a budget that cuts funding to address the health care needs
in America, a budget that cuts loan opportunities for college students,
a budget that cuts school lunch and child nutrition programs, a budget
that cuts job training programs; and on top of that, the budget does
nothing to create any new jobs or businesses.
Mr. Speaker, I ask what kind of America will our men and women
serving in Iraq come back to and what kind of America will their
families be living in while they are away? Mr. Speaker, we have to do
better. We must do better. They deserve better. We must work to create
an America that every American can be proud of, but most importantly,
an America that invests in its people.
We still have an opportunity to do better. Over the next few days and
weeks, the Congress will have a conference committee on the budget
resolutions passed by the House and the Senate. This conference
committee has the opportunity to right some of the wrongs passed by the
House. In addition, the President announced yesterday that his fiscal
year 2003 supplemental legislation would be in the amount of about $75
billion. While we do not know all of the details, much of the money,
and rightfully so, will go to ensuring that we win the war as quickly
as possible. Some of the money will also go to helping rebuild Iraq and
that is understandable, too.
However, I have a question: When are we going to rebuild America?
Many of our cities and rural areas need rebuilding today. I am certain
that Governors, mayors, city and county officials all around the
country can give us a laundry list of infrastructure needs that the
American people need right now.
That is why the Congressional Black Caucus will advocate for the
inclusion in any supplemental bill monies to help rebuild America. Our
citizens deserve the best we can give them, and we should do our very
best.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, when our men and women return home from Iraq
and any Member of Congress greets them in their State, city or
neighborhood, I want us all to be able to say we have done our very
best to invest in their future and in their families' futures.
Unfortunately, the budget that we passed last week does not invest in
their future, but we can fix that and I hope that we will.
Now, Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor and privilege to yield to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).
Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, our Armed Forces are now at war. They are
performing the duties which they have been preparing for their whole
careers. They are the best-trained and the best-equipped military in
the world. We have no doubt that they will prevail, but we also have no
doubt that their task is perilous and difficult. All of America
supports them and we pray for their swift and safe return.
Last week, Members of Congress had the chance to cast a vote in
support of our troops in the field. I do not refer to the resolution
congratulating the President. Instead, I refer to the vote on the
President's budget for this fiscal year. In fact, a vote against the
President's budget was a vote for our troops. I find it shameful that
at a time when our dedicated men and women of the

[[Page H2394]]

Armed Forces are in the field fighting, perhaps subjected to attacks
from chemical and biological weapons, that the President of the United
States and the Republican leadership have not felt it necessary to
include in their budget one dime to support their efforts. I cannot
think of a more stunning vote of no confidence, a bigger slap in the
face of our troops than to send them into battle and then refuse to pay
for it.
It is not that there have not been estimates of what this war might
cost. Those estimates have been reported in the media for several
months now, and we now belatedly have a request for this funding from
the President; but the President pointedly refused to provide us with
numbers last week so that Congress could include them in the budget and
make sure the war is paid for.
Now, I personally find it hard to believe that last week we had no
idea what the war would cost and that this week we suddenly have a full
and accurate accounting. Does the price of ammunition fluctuate that
much? Did the White House really have no sense of the cost of providing
300,000 troops with resources in the desert?

Or perhaps there is another more practical reason. Perhaps the
President is afraid that if the budget reflected the cost of war,
Americans might ask the President to hold off on a huge tax cut for his
wealthiest supporters, tax cuts that by themselves cost more than 10
times what the President thinks it will cost to remove Saddam Hussein
from power. I think it is scandalous that this administration will send
our troops into the field and risk their lives and refuse to budget for
it simply so they can justify huge tax cuts for the wealthy.
Mr. Speaker, the right thing for us to do now is to reconsider this
budget resolution to factor in the $75 billion that the President
estimates it will cost to remove Saddam Hussein from power. We owe
nothing less to our troops who as we speak are being asked to put their
lives on the line. If Americans do the numbers, they see that we cannot
give a tax cut and pay for the war up to this point. I understand there
will be subsequent proposals given to us to continue our efforts, and I
understand just today, we are not looking for weapons of mass
destruction, we are looking for a regime change. So what will be the
cost of setting a new regime in place? Do we have a Marshall Plan? What
is our policy? I think Americans should know what their hard-earned tax
dollars must do in the future.
Mr. President, please give us the full story, please give us the
amount that it is going to cost us because the cost in terms of the
lives of our coalition members and Americans is just too high.
Mr. President, do the right thing.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bradley of New Hampshire). The Chair
reminds Members to please direct their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her remarks.
I want all people to know that the Congressional Black Caucus
wholeheartedly supports our troops. When I move throughout my district
and I have an opportunity to talk to the many men and women in the
grocery store, the hardware store and simply stopping at a gas station
and hear Americans talk about their sons and daughters and friends that
are overseas now fighting for us, my heart definitely goes out.
Over the last few days we have seen a few of our men and women taken
as prisoners of war; and every time I see those pictures, I cringe
because I cannot imagine what they might be going through and what they
might be feeling. So while we stand concerned about the budget
situation in our country, while we stand concerned about our cities,
many of which need that $1.6 trillion like Iraq will need to be
reconstructed; as we stand concerned about young children who are still
reading from textbooks printed when Jimmy Carter was President; as we
stand still concerned about children who can actually go through high
school without ever looking through a microscope; as we stand concerned
about so many elderly people who cannot afford prescription drugs; as
we stand concerned about people who cannot get medical care because
they simply do not have the insurance; as we stand concerned about the
National Institute of Medicine's report on ``Disparity in Health
Care,'' that shows if one is African American you get one type of
treatment and if you are white you get another type, and Hispanics gets
another type, and that an African American if they have the same
insurance, they have the same level of ailment, they are the same age,
and if they have diabetes, for example, they have a four-times greater
chance of having an amputation below the waist; as we stand concerned
about the many homeless people in our Nation; as we stand concerned
about the many people who unfortunately have tried their very best
after being put off of welfare and because of our economy are unable to
find a job; as we stand watching children who should have an
opportunity to go into Head Start but because of budget cuts will not
have that opportunity; as we stand looking at so many people who have
over and over and over again begged us, begged us for the Hope VI
program which would allow them to have decent housing; as we stand
where there are schools not very far from here where children sit with
rain falling on their heads; as we stand here tonight concerned about
all those things and many, many others, I say we stand for our troops.

{time} 2145

It gives me great pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to say this, that so often I
think what happens is that we lose a sense of balance. I have often
said that it is extremely important that we protect ourselves from
outside forces and that we protect ourselves from terrorists. I think
that is extremely important, and I know that 9/11 and those planes
flying into the Twin Towers is embedded in the DNA of every cell of
America's brains. But the fact still remains, Mr. Speaker, that we must
not only worry about outside forces and, by the way, some homegrown
ones, but we must also worry about the implosion of our country from
the inside.
So the Congressional Black Caucus comes tonight simply saying that we
stand for our troops, but we also stand for America, and we stand for
balance. Because we realize that on 9/11, that horrible day when some
demented people flew planes into the Twin Towers and brutally and
maliciously killed so many of our fellow Americans, we understand that
we have to make sure that that never happens again. But, at the same
time, we also have to make sure that all the people that I just talked
about, that we take care of them, too.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield to the distinguished
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek), a young man who has come from
Florida and has already made a name for himself and who is working
very, very hard to uplift his district and to uplift the American
people.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for
his leadership and the members of the Congressional Black Caucus for
bringing voice to the real level of patriotism that our country is at
at this particular time.
I think it is so very, very important, Mr. Speaker, that we make sure
that all Americans understand the level of integrity when we look at
our military. When we look at our military, not only the sacrifice they
are undertaking right now in the theaters of war in other parts of the
world but it is also the sacrifice that their families are paying.
Their families are truly paying the ultimate price of giving a loved
one the opportunity to serve their country and many of those
individuals like two young men from Florida.
I just called home, Mr. Speaker, and spoke to my wife; and she shared
with me that just today in the Miami Herald they had a story of a
letter of one of our outstanding young patriots who gave his life on
behalf of this country willingly. He was happy and thought it was a
great opportunity for him, right out of college, to fight on behalf of
his country.
I know in this Congress that many of us do not agree with the rules
of engagement that we used, especially in Iraq, and we had a resolution
here on this very floor and many Members were draped up in the flag,
rightfully so, paying praise to all of our troops that are getting sand
in their teeth right now. We all understand here in the

[[Page H2395]]

Congress that the sacrifice, the sacrifice of family, of friendship,
the sacrifice of just being an American, few of us have the opportunity
to put our lives on the line on behalf of this country, but we have
thousands of Americans that are doing that. Some 43 percent of the
individuals that are in the theater right now are what we may call our
volunteer army, reservists, individuals that have given up their
weekends from their families for years and now they have been called
upon.
I think it is important since we have set the stage of saying truly
that we are here to pay not only respect to those who are fighting the
war now but it is important that this Congress and members of the
Congressional Black Caucus feel very strongly about this, that we
continue to respect those that put it on the line in the past. We know
that we have a number of these individuals that are serving our country
right now in a time of war that are going to return back to the United
States and they are going to need adequate health care, veterans'
benefits. They will be our new veterans. Some of them will be as young
as 19 and 20 and 21. Some will be 55 and over 65.
It was very disheartening when the budget, this Federal budget that
passed by a very narrow, narrow margin, that we would have a shortfall
of some $1.9 billion in the 2003 fiscal year. It is good for us to pay
respect and cry and pray on behalf of those that will return and those
that will not return. But I think words are inadequate to even describe
the kind of, how would I put this, I am trying to be a distinguished
gentleman here, but the kind of understatement, for us to undercut our
veterans.
Veterans of wars past right now, in my district, the Miami VA
hospital, those that have laid it down in different theaters of war,
some of them in two different theaters of war, have to wait a year and
a half to see an eye doctor. What do you think after this $1.9 billion
shortfall that is going to be given to the richest Americans here, how
is it going to affect that veteran if we allow this huge tax cut that
the President is trying to pass?
I commend the Senate for taking half of the responsibility and saying
that in a time of war, just like in the past, we have never given a tax
cut. Yes, times are hard, and it is important that we sacrifice.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bradley of New Hampshire). The gentleman
will refrain from casting reflections on the Senate.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. The Senate did an outstanding job in their
light. But I think it is important that we pay very, very close
attention to what our priorities are right now. Our priorities right
now should be making sure that our men and women return back to the
States safely, making sure that the Iraqi people receive the kind of
freedom that they yearn, and also making sure that we treat our
veterans, even when they return back, back here to the United States,
treat them with dignity, the dignity that I know this Congress wants to
treat them with. I urge my colleagues here in the Congress, and I am
sure the Congressional Black Caucus would like to urge them, let us
treat our veterans and let us give the dollars toward the veterans that
we should give toward their health care and making sure that they do
not have waiting lists as we have right now existing here in the United
States.
I came tonight, in closing, to be able to pay respect to those that
not only are in the theater of war right now but on behalf of those
patriots of the past. I think it is very, very important that we
remember, Mr. Speaker, those individuals in such a time as this. On
behalf of this Member of Congress from the 17th Congressional District
of Florida, I think it is very, very important, all Americans, that we
pray for the safe return and we respect and pray for those that have
provided us with the very freedom that we enjoy this evening.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I listened to the gentleman from Florida
very carefully as he talked about a person from Florida who gave his
life. Before he came on the floor tonight, I had talked about a young
man, not from my district but he lives very close to me, within
actually about 10 minutes, Sergeant Kendall Waters-Bey, who was one of
the young men who was killed in the helicopter accident, I guess almost
in the first 24 hours of this war.
I am so glad that you said all the things you said. You are
absolutely right. Our soldiers and their families, they do give a lot.
Every time I see the news footage of our soldiers going off to sea and
see the small children tugging on daddy's leg or mother is crying as
she gets on the bus and has to leave her loved ones behind and not even
knowing whether they are going to return, and if they do return,
whether they will be disabled. Every time I see that, it just reminds
me that we have a lot of truly, truly great Americans.
I just want to thank the gentleman for what he said, because I think
so often as we watch what is going on on television in Iraq, that
sometimes we have a tendency to forget about those families, but the
gentleman is absolutely right. Those families still have to struggle
here at home. They still have to do without a parent here at home.
There have been some situations, I am sure the gentleman is well aware,
where it may have been a single head of household who then had to have
loved ones take care of the children.
To all of them, to the families and certainly to our troops and to
all of those, as the gentleman said, who were there, we have so many
veterans who have given so much. We see them all the time in our
districts, at our town hall meetings, at our veterans meetings, and I
always try to remind them that we shall never forget them because they
stood up for this country, they stood up for us when we could not even
stand up for ourselves so many times. I really appreciate what the
gentleman said.
Mr. MEEK of Florida. I will tell the chairman, just watching some of
the news accounts of many of these destroyers, our destroyers leaving
to go to the Persian Gulf, as an individual that knows the sacrifice as
it relates to many of my friends who I attended college with that were
involved in ROTC, that are officers in our military right now, that
have been shipped off, that e-mail me every now and then about their
experiences overseas, and they are very proud to be there. I think it
is very important that as we start to look at those families, someone
is going to have to pick up the kid after school. Someone is going to
have to read a story. Someone has to go and minister to a wife or
husband that is having not only to take the burden on of the family but
to also take the burden on of having their loved one overseas serving
our country.
When we look at this, those families really understand that this is
not a made-for-TV movie, that this is real, that the possibility exists
that they may never see their loved ones again. We all pray for that
not to happen. We had a good day yesterday in Iraq with no U.S.
casualties.
But my heart goes out also to those other individuals in our world,
the Iraqi children, the Iraqi people, that we are trying to provide
freedom for. I am glad that this country has gone through great lengths
in trying to preserve life. And so I commend those family members, sons
and daughters, that are paying a mental and physical, emotional tax
because a loved one from their family and not even to mention the
single parents, that the aunt or grandmother or grandfather has to take
care of the children now.

{time} 2200

So tonight it was more than an honor for me to be a member of the
Committee on Armed Services to come tonight to pay tribute to those
families and to those troops and to those veterans that have provided
the kind of freedom that we celebrate here today. I look forward to
working with Members of the Congress and also members of the Black
Caucus as we continue to be the conscience of the U.S. Congress and
hopefully the world in the future as we start dealing with this new
level of terrorism that we are having to work and fight against every
day.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Speaker, it was the theologian Swindoll who said it is what you
do when you are unnoticed, unknown, unappreciated, and unapplauded that
means so much. And as I listened to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Meek), I could not help but think about all of those people that he
talked about, people getting sand in their

[[Page H2396]]

teeth, like he said, and sand blowing in their eyes and going through
very difficult circumstances right now, and our prayers are with them.
There is another thing that the gentleman talked about, Mr. Speaker,
and that is balance. And one of the things that we are always concerned
about in our Nation is housing. Housing is extremely important for all
of us, and when we look at again that balance that we are talking
about, supporting our troops, but we also want that balance when it
comes to making sure that Americans and those soldiers, when they do
come back, that they have housing. And one of the sad things that has
happened is that when we look at the President's budget, we have zeroed
out under HUD the Hope VI program, zeroed it out; and what that means
to Baltimore, we have been able in the city of Baltimore to tear down
at least five high-rise public housing projects and replace them with
beautiful low-rise neighborhoods, and as I said to a friend of mine the
other day, when I ride through there, Mr. Speaker, I feel like I am on
``Andy of Mayberry.'' They are so beautiful, right smack dab in the
middle of the seventh congressional district.
So when we have a situation where we have a budget that zeroes out
programs that allow that to happen, it certainly concerns the
Congressional Black Caucus, and I think it should concern all
Americans.
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure and privilege to yield to the
distinguished gentlewoman from the great State of Texas (Ms. Jackson-
Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus very much for yielding, and I appreciate
very much the opportunity to share with my colleagues what I think is a
very crucial debate. I appreciate very much the leadership of the
gentleman from Florida who serves us very ably not only on the
Committee on Armed Services but on the Select Committee on Homeland
Security, and he has brought a great insight because I know the State
of Florida, similar to the State of Texas, has a large number of
individuals who in years past either are drafted but volunteered. That
does not leave out my good friend from Baltimore, Maryland, one of the
founding colonies, and certainly no stranger to fighting the wars of
this Nation.
I think it is important for some of us to clarify where we have been
on this question of war and why it is important to have this discussion
with our colleagues because for some reason there has been an effort or
an impression that the Congress has become marginalized on these very
crucial issues. I can assure the Members that members of the Democratic
Caucus who reached out to our friends on the other side of the aisle,
members of the Congressional Black Caucus, have been persistent in our
viewpoints that we should raise our voices even in the specter of war
as the war winds are raging because that is democracy.
And I heard one of the generals comment just 24 hours ago, and they
said that the military does not oppose dissent. The military in fact
respects dissent. They just want to have it acknowledged, that dissent
should be thrust toward the policymakers because our brave men and
women are following orders and risking their lives on behalf of all of
us. So I would simply say let the word go out, let a clarion call reach
the ears of all who might hear that there is not one single divide
amongst us on the love, affection, and respect for United States troops
who have offered their lives on our behalf so that our values in this
Nation might be promoted. There is not one single difference in our
support for those families in terms of our commitment, but there has to
be a question on our practices.
I think democracy is all about practice as opposed to words. So I
think it is important that personally I acknowledge that I have spoken
quite continuously on my view that war should be the last option, that
we should have chosen or could have chosen other options other than
war. But I come to the floor tonight to join the gentleman in my
concern that we not be silent on issues dealing with the budget, issues
that will have a devastating impact on the young men and women who are
now facing harm's way, who we have lifted up in our prayers and where
we have stood steadfast to interject our respect and our resolve that
they come home safely.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today on the floor as a co-sponsor
of H. Res. 118, the POW resolution that demanded that the Iraqi
Government comply with the Geneva Conventions and as well demand that
the Red Cross be able to see these individuals and as well to hold the
Iraqi Government responsible for any inhumane treatment of our POWs. I
stand resolved that the Iraqi Government hear us, that we will not
tolerate this inhumane treatment that we have perceived is occurring.
As the chairman well knows, there are a number of POWs, a number of
them from Texas, a number of them from around the country. One in
particular happens to be a woman, happens to be a single parent. I know
the families of these individuals, the families of the missing in
action, the family of the lost Marine corporal in my congressional
district; and when I say lost, who lost his life in valor, in bravery.
We owe them something.
We owe them our undivided commitment, but we also owe them the
respect to come to the floor and be able to question our colleagues as
to why they would cast a budget that would in fact cut 28 percent from
veterans services. Having a veterans hospital that I hope to name after
Dr. Michael DeBakey, one of the warriors who fought in World War II,
and when I say fought, was an outstanding physician in World War II. In
my own congressional district, as we speak today, there are veterans
who are being de-enrolled or not enrolled. My fear is that some of
these very brave young soldiers, sailors, and others of all the
branches will come home and look to the services that are necessary not
only for them but for their family members, some of them will be
veterans as they leave this action, and out of being veterans, there
may be a matter of any number of ailments that they may encounter. We
are not far away from the Gulf War disease where there are thousands of
veterans still suffering from an undiagnosed, to some, and diagnosed,
to some, disease. How many of us remember Agent Orange, and yet we took
so long to be able to remedy those veterans who had suffered in the
Vietnam War and now the Persian Gulf.
Let me say why I am concerned about a budget that barely passed and
it barely passed, Mr. Speaker, because it should not have passed. The
budget fails to have a meaningful prescription drug plan. My seniors
have been waiting and waiting, and this budget only provides $400
billion. The tax cuts, even what my good friends in the other body did,
and I applaud an outstanding, very brave Senator, but I would say that
we do not need any tax cuts, $726 billion with a raging war, with the
needs of those who are left behind in education and Medicare and
Medicaid. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that when we are in times of
war, I remember it well in the history books, of course, that
Presidents before us indicated that we must rise to a mutual sacrifice.
I think the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), my good friend and
colleague, coined that phrase, ``mutual sacrifice.'' Mutual sacrifice
does not pretend to have $726 billion in tax cuts when we have a $283
billion deficit expected to implode into $1 trillion. The tax cut is
expected to go to $1.3 trillion, and we are expected that the war
really is costing $100 billion right off the bat and may even cost us
$1 trillion.
Mr. Speaker, where are we getting these funds? That was not even
included in the budget. We know for sure that the Congress is being
accused of being marginalized, but we are disrespecting the concept of
the three branches of government. Let me say that what was reported in
The New York Times, the administration's request, this recent request,
places most of the war funds in a discretionary fund that would allow
money to be moved around at will by the Department of Defense. I have
made a commitment, as I review the emergency supplemental, that I am
not going to leave the troops that I love and respect without the
resources that they need; but what we are doing with this discretionary
fund is turning 200 years of constitutional and congressional oversight
mandated by the Constitution, and remember now I have argued vigorously
that only the Congress as pursuant to the Constitution can declare war
under article I, section 8.

[[Page H2397]]

The Constitution also dictates that the Congress raises up armies and
the Congress, the House in particular, has a hold on the purse strings.
How can that be done with all of this money being put into
discretionary funds, marginalizing a third branch of government duly
qualified under the Constitution to be able to assess how these funds
are used so that we know that if our troops encounter nuclear activity,
radioactive activity that we should be assured that they have the
highest quality equipment shipped in immediately, preceding that they
have enough battalions while we are in this midst even though I am one
who is advocating peace and would welcome a cease-fire right now and
will be pressing forward with my position on peace but recognizing
where our troops are.

Does this make any sense that we put all these moneys in
discretionary funds in violation of our duty? It includes $150 million
for the DOD to fund indigenous forces, Mr. Speaker, throughout the
globe without any input from Congress; and while the administration may
argue that it will require such latitude, the fact is that during World
War II, Mr. Speaker, with D-Day about us, with Pearl Harbor behind us,
with troops raging all over the European theater, Congress passed 11
supplemental requests in just 2 years, thus preserving the oversight
vote. How can we do this in this time when our troops need us to
eliminate the authority and responsibility of Congress?
Mr. Speaker, I think this budget also fails because it calls for at
least $265 billion over 10 years in cuts to mandatory public benefits.
Right now in my State with a $12 to $15 billion deficit, we are looking
for ways to cut people off Medicaid, the most vulnerable people. Mr.
Speaker, right as I speak, we have closed doors with the mental health
services, hundreds of employees laid off, but more importantly 1,500
clients or patients not being able to be served or marriaged into
another clinic that now serves 3,000 clients.

{time} 2215

Nine thousand people calling in for help on the help line, and 2,000
people on the waiting list in my community trying to get mental health
services.
This budget fails to address the mutual sacrifice that is needed, Mr.
Speaker. While I believe that this Congress and Members should still be
engaging in ways of resolving the conflict, working with the
administration, talking prospectively about how we keep the peace; we
must support our troops, and that includes ensuring that they have the
resources.
To do that, Mr. Speaker, it includes their families. We do not know
the magnitude of need. We do not know how many will come back not able
to work. We already know that we have lost young lives. We already know
they are resolved to fight on our behalf.
But as we do that, Mr. Speaker, we have another challenge; and that
challenge, of course, is to ensure the safety of the home front. I
believe it is extremely important that the supplemental is not
addressing the amount of money that we would need for grants.
Already my first responders are looking for the money that they were
promised in 9/11. New Yorkers are looking for the money promised after
9/11. And the way to get money to the local cities and governments is
to ensure that we have dollars for grants to our local responders, to
our HAZMAT teams, those hazardous material teams.
Likewise, let me say that we have a lot of money missing out of the
Coast Guard, the Customs Service, the border community, meaning the
border security that is needed. We were meeting today with members of
the Canadian Government, and they are concerned that we are treating
our neighbors differently. We can do better than this. We can have a
joint partnership on security and must not be discriminatory with our
northern neighbors and our southern neighbors.
We can be secure without violating civil liberties or requiring
Canadian citizens, one white, one Muslim, the Muslim fingerprinted, the
white not fingerprinted. The Canadians are raising their voices. They
are saying we are all Canadians. The same thing with civil liberties in
this town.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, as I listen to the gentlewoman, I cannot
help but think about the fact that we do have to make sure that during
this time of war and this time of terrorism, since 9/11, that we make
sure that we preserve the rights that are granted to our citizens under
the Constitution of the United States of America.
I have often said that although we are facing very difficult
circumstances, we do not want to be in a situation where, when all the
dust settles and the war is over, that we have given up so many rights
that we, the country, do not even look like a pre-9/11 country.
So I agree with the things the gentlewoman has been talking about and
bringing to bear. The gentlewoman has been a staunch supporter of the
Constitution and making sure that we stick to it and that we do not
allow it to be set aside in these difficult circumstances to collect
dust, and then later on, for generations yet unborn, they look back and
say, what did you all do under your watch.
I just want to applaud the gentlewoman for that.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment the
gentleman for his leadership, because most people would be frightened
to raise such a matter during this time of raging war. When I say these
matters, issues that the Nation and the Congress should be addressing,
civil liberties, civil rights, the question as to whether or not
homeland security has been fully funded.
The gentleman was brave enough to bring us to the floor to announce
our dedication to the troops, to announce our patriotism, to announce
the fact that we have lost constituents, neighbors, that there are
family members we know that are mourning now; and we do not want to
make light of the very seriousness of this and the sensitivity of it. I
hesitate. I have not called the name of the constituent that I lost. I
will not do so until I share with the family. I have not called the
name of the young woman who is a POW on the floor of the House, out of
respect for those family members.
But it is important, because they are risking their lives, that we
come and argue for them now, so that they do not come back broken and
beaten, if that is the case. Some will come back valiant and standing,
God bless them, but others will need us.
I want to applaud the gentleman for coming down to Houston this
weekend to talk about an issue that has to do with this country's
values, civil rights, affirmative action. Some would fault us for
raising these issues now; but I believe, as a general said, that our
military does not want us to be silenced. They are not afraid of
dissent. And I have said this once before today, Hubert Humphrey said
we need critical lovers of America, the kind of patriots who will work
to improve America.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, the interesting thing is that that is what
I hope, and I know that they are fighting for. They are fighting for
that Constitution. They are fighting for the things that this country
is all about. They are trying to make sure that those rights that we
have are protected, not just for us, not just for our children, but for
generations yet unborn.
I think it is quite appropriate that we stand here and make sure that
they are not fighting in vain.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. The gentleman is absolutely right. I have
been among veterans and the military personnel. Many of us had the
honor, and I call it the honor, of visiting our troops on their
respective bases in Germany, in Italy, Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan; and
I have saluted, as I have been instructed, and I have indicated to them
that we have the greatest respect for what they do.
I think there should be other words we could capture out of the
dictionary to express the affection we have for these young men and
women. These are young people who have volunteered.
I happen to be supporting the reinstatement of the draft, and I have
a young man in my family, my son, 17 years old. That is a challenge for
me to even say it. Probably I would want to step away from those words.
But I do think we should let these volunteers know that we know what a
sacrifice they are making, and that we believe in mutual sacrifice.
That is why, Mr. Speaker, I say to the chairman, I am hoping that we
can fight together against this tax cut and that we can work to bring
dollars home

[[Page H2398]]

to the homeland security frontline individuals. We need to be able to
have a system where we can all communicate together. Just imagine in
the course of our work of securing the home front that we have
difficulties because we have systems that are different. Work needs to
be done in this area, and we cannot do it with a budget that clearly
does not give credence to the two important responsibilities we have
now: the home front juxtaposed or right next door to the raging winds
of war, and then the domestic agenda of people who are now suffering
with, I understand, some 200,000 service jobs being cut, unemployment
still at a peak, and people in need.
This is an important discussion. I am hoping that this budget process
that shows such enormous cuts, and allow me to say two others, the
veterans benefits, billions have been cut from pensions and safety net
programs, such as SSI, where $62 billion over 10 years has been cut
from the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is one that we have been very
supportive of. Then the environment has been cut, and health care.
So I would simply say, Mr. Speaker, that our voices need to be heard,
because we need to get to work and uphold the constitutional duty of
this Congress to have oversight over war spending and the
constitutional duty as well to be engaged in the budgeting process as
we lift up monies for armies; but we need to deal with this budget to
help the people we represent all over America.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. I just wanted to
say this to the gentlewoman: I just wanted to say, Mr. Speaker, the
Congressional Black Caucus stands behind our troops, but we also stand
for a very strong America. We stand for our Constitution, and we want
it to be well. We also stand for that flag that is up there behind you.
We stand for the little children that tomorrow morning will put their
little hands up to their little hearts and say, ``I pledge allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for
which it stands, one nation under God.''
That is why we have come here today, to just remind America, and beg
America, to pray for our troops, to lift their families up in their
prayers, but also to be vigilant, to be vigilant for the rights and the
privileges that we have as Americans.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, just to close, I would simply
say we were praying in our churches this past week. I was at the
Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor Willie Davis;
and we prayed, and we prayed across Houston and the Nation. I believe
we have the freedom to pray. No one is forced to pray. We wanted to
pray, our different faiths. And I agree with the gentleman, we pledge
ourselves to a united Nation, and we pledge our resolve for our troops
to come home. But we also pledge, as the youngsters at Forest Brook
High School said, will there be an opportunity for me to be educated?
That is why we are here on the floor today, to insist that we stand
united for the troops, but also united for the people of America, for
the opportunities for them in the future.
I thank the gentleman for allowing me to be here this evening.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in strong support of our troops.
Today, American men and women are putting their lives on the line in
the service of their country. I deeply mourn the deaths of our troops
and hope and pray for the safe return of all of their comrades in arms.
I mourn as well the deaths of innocent civilians, especially children,
who have been or may be caught in the crossfire of this conflict.
Some Americans are now held as prisoners of war and they hold a
special place in our thoughts and prayers.
As the daughter of a career army officer, my heart goes out
especially to the families of our service men and women as they
anxiously await word from their loved ones. That waiting is its own
kind of torment.
Thousands of National Guards and Reserves are serving in the Middle
East today, honoring their commitment and abandoning their civilian
lives to answer this call.
We honor their service and sacrifice as well as that of all the
personnel in our armed forces.
It is my deepest hope that our troops will soon be home with their
friends and families. I wish them Godspeed and hope that peace is both
rapid and lasting.
In closing, let me once again reiterate my support and admiration for
our troops who are in harm's way.

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