[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2870-H2872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 1559, EMERGENCY WARTIME SUPPLEMENTAL
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2003
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take
from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 1559) making emergency wartime
supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2003, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto, disagree
to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the
Senate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Motion to Instruct Offered by Mr. Obey
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I offer a motion to instruct.
[[Page H2871]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Obey moves that the managers on the part of the House
at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses
on the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 1559, recede to the
Senate on section 409 of the Senate amendment, providing 26
weeks of additional temporary extended unemployment
compensation for displaced airline related workers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) will
be recognized for 30 minutes, and the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Young) will be recognized for 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 8 minutes.
Madam Speaker, American citizens often hear Members of Congress talk
in terms that they do not understand. They hear us talking about Blue
Dogs, Blue Dog Democrats, they hear us talking about Yellow Dog
Democrats. Sometimes they see us acting like lap dogs, and today I am
afraid that the House may wind up genuflecting to Top Dogs, because
that has been the general pattern on the issue that I am raising this
afternoon.
After 9/11, the Congress passed a $15 billion airline assistance
package, $5 billion in direct cash payments and $10 billion in direct
loans and loan guarantees. The Congress was asked at the same time, and
a number of us have tried to get it done, but Congress had asked at the
same time that we were bailing out the airline industry to also
recognize workers within that same industry who were also losing their
jobs and should have some help from the government. The Congress
responded by saying, no, thank you.
Now, the bill that the House passed last week contained $3.2 billion
in cash payments for the airline industry on this go-round and the
Senate bill contained a figure of slightly over $2 billion. We are here
today again to ask that if we are going to be bailing out the airline
industry that we also provide some $275 million in assistance to the
workers in that same industry by providing an additional 26 weeks of
temporary extended unemployment benefits for displaced airline-related
workers.
Now, the administration has let it be known what their position is,
and essentially they are opposed to this proposal. And what they are
telling Congress is that, instead, we should work with the
administration to make sure that any aid package is appropriately
scaled and ``appropriately based on free market principles.'' Well, I
guess I am kind of new around here and naive around here, and I am not
quite sure what those ``free market'' principles are when it comes to
the airline industry.
To me, I think that the airline industry is a let's pretend industry,
run by let's pretend capitalists who are on the public dole, and I do
not mean Bob. They are out here once again asking the taxpayers to help
finance their survival. Now, we have had some of those airlines go
bankrupt not once, not twice, but three times. I asked on the House
floor last week how many times Continental Airlines had to go bankrupt
before they were bankrupt. I still have not received an answer.
Now, I will fully grant that given the serious nature of the war,
given the impact of 9/11, and given the fact that the airlines are a
crucial part of our economy and our transportation system, I would
fully grant that some kind of cooperative relationship between us and
the airlines will be necessary in order to keep this economy healthy.
But it seems to me that we ought to have some systematic way to assure
that when we are bailing out the airline industry and its executives,
that at least some of those taxpayers' dollars wind up trickling down
to the workers who keep those airlines moving in the first place.
So that is the purpose of this amendment.
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will remind all persons in the
gallery that they are here as guests of the House, and that any
manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings or other
audible conversation is in violation of the rules of the House.
Mr. OBEY. I assume that does not come out of my time, Madam Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. It does not.
Mr. OBEY. So, as I was saying, lest anyone think that it is not
needed, the airline industry itself estimates that we have had a 15
percent increase in unemployment in that industry since 9/11, and since
January 1, we have seen another 15,000 layoffs.
So I would ask the Members of this House today to, for a change, let
us not institutionally genuflect to the top dogs in this society. Let
us keep in mind the needs of the underdogs and provide at least some
modicum of assistance to the workers I am talking about.
Let me also explain that there will be a rollcall on this vote. I
know that it may be possible that this motion could be adopted on a
voice vote. But frankly, if we were to simply have a voice vote, it
would not mean anything to anybody. It would be very easy to jettison
this language in conference.
So I think to assure that this vote is a meaningful vote, let the
chips fall where they may in terms of passage. To assure that it is a
meaningful vote and not just a sleight of hand so Members can say,
``Well, do not worry, airline worker, I voted with you. Of course, it
was not a rollcall vote, and of course the leadership made us turn
around in conference so that there would not be any.'' But I would urge
Members to vote for the motion.
Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
(Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to
instruct.
Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this Democratic
motion to instruct House conferees on the supplemental appropriations
bill.
It's just. It's fair. And it enjoys bipartisan support in both the
House and the Senate, even if the Bush administration has labeled it
``objectionable.''
In short, this motion would instruct House conferees to recede to the
Senate provision providing an additional 26 weeks of unemployment
compensation to workers in the air transportation industry.
This industry and its workers have borne the brunt of the continuing
war on terrorism and have been wracked by our sluggish economy.
In fact, the industry is expected to lose $6.7 billion this year.
Approximately 200,000 airline workers have lost their jobs since
September 11, 2001, and another 70,000 workers are expected to be laid
off.
Last week, the world's largest carrier, AMR Corporation's American
Airlines, averted Chapter 11 bankruptcy by negotiating $1.8 billion in
labor concessions.
And U.S. Airways only recently emerged from bankruptcy after winning
approval for $900 million federal loan guarantee.
Last week, I also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of
the industry and airline workers.
And they know that their fate is inextricably linked; that one cannot
survive without the other.
Today, through this motion, we recognize that and say: What's fair
for the industry is fair for workers.
In fact, members on both sides of the aisle want to help.
This motion would instruct conferees to agree to a provision that is
very similar to bipartisan legislation introduced last week by our
colleagues, Mr. English of Pennsylvania and Mr. Oberstar of Minnesota
[H.R. 1553, the ``Air Transportation Employees Assistance Act''].
The Senate has already passed a plan to extend unemployment insurance
benefits in its version of this legislation.
The Members of this body should do the same thing to aid this
struggling industry, and its workers and their families.
That's precisely what this motion to instruct seeks.
I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished minority leader.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. If we may go first to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Young).
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I am sorry. Did the gentlewoman wish to go? I will always yield to
the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. PELOSI. I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Florida.
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, if the gentlewoman would yield to me
briefly, let me explain that I thought we
[[Page H2872]]
had an understanding that I would explain the motion, that the
gentlewoman would make her comments, and then the gentleman would close
and we could yield back the balance of our time.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I apologize to the gentleman. I
guess I did not understand exactly. But that is fine with me. No
problem whatsoever.
Mr. OBEY. Fine. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Pelosi).
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Obey) for yielding me this time, and if that is not pleasing to the
distinguished chairman of the committee, I am pleased to yield to him
first. If it is okay, then I will proceed.
Madam Speaker, once again I wish to thank the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) for his leadership on this important issue,
important to America's workers. Today, we have an opportunity to do the
right thing for America's aviation workers.
Both the House and Senate versions of the supplemental appropriations
bill include financial assistance for the airlines, as they should.
Aviation is an essential cornerstone of the U.S. economy. Both the
House and Senate bills focus primarily on mitigating for the cost of
security provisions required by the Federal Government, as those bills
should have that funding. But we cannot ignore the workers who form the
backbone of the aviation industry.
Madam Speaker, at least 150,000 workers in the aviation industry have
lost their jobs since 9/11, including those who work for the airlines
and related industries. Many of these workers have exhausted their
unemployment benefits, and that was months ago. But with the industry
still contracting, new jobs are impossible to find. Thousands more
airline workers have lost their jobs since the Iraq war began and
layoffs in the industry could reach 70,000 more. Concern about the
exposure to the deadly SARS disease in Asia is now reducing air travel
from the U.S. to Asia even further.
The Senate has included $225 million for extended unemployment
compensation for aviation workers. The House should recede to the
Senate position.
{time} 1230
Madam Speaker, it is the least that we can do. I urge Members to vote
for relief for aviation workers. To support the Obey motion to instruct
conferees, vote for the motion to instruct.
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I am not really opposed to what the gentleman is
suggesting here. The Committee on Appropriations did add $3.2 billion
to the wartime supplemental to deal with airline issues and to be
helpful to the airline industry. So there is plenty of money to handle
this issue, but I am going to vote against it because of the problems
it could cause as we go to conference.
We have a tight schedule. The committees on both sides of the aisle
have worked extremely well. Just a few days after receiving the
President's request, the Committee on Appropriations reported the bill
to the House. As Members know, last Thursday we passed this bill with
an overwhelming vote in the House.
However, there are some significant differences between our bill and
the bill presented by the other body. I just have the feeling this is
going to be a fairly difficult conference because, while the House kept
the bill very clean and close to what the President requested, to fight
the war and provide for homeland security and to support those of our
coalition who are helping us in this war effort, the other body,
frankly, added quite a few things that were extraneous to the wartime
issue; and that is going to make the conference a little difficult.
I want to get this conference completed. Leadership has advised me,
as well as most of the Members, that we are not going to take our
Easter district work period recess until this bill has left the
Congress and has gone to the President since it is important to what
the President is doing in Iraq. I will vote against this motion. I want
to again emphasize we need to move this bill quickly. If the conference
gets tied up for more than 2 days, we will not get this bill to the
floor in time for the House to take its usual Easter recess. In
addition, I am opposed to motions to instruct in general. I have no
objection to what the gentleman wants to do, but it is just procedural
for me. I think it could complicate the conference on this very
important wartime supplemental.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Without objection, the
previous question is ordered.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to instruct
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. OBEY. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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