[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 9, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H3019-H3020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H3019]]
                     SUPPORTING AMERICAN PARITY ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel) is recognized for 5 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mr. EMANUEL. 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 my special order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow I will introduce the American 
Parity Act which provides for American families, just as the 
supplemental appropriations which we approved last week provides for 
Iraqi families. It is simple, straightforward and fair. I already have 
16 original cosponsors on the legislation.
  Last week in the supplemental we provided $1.7 billion for the 
reconstruction of Iraq. All we are asking for today is the same for 
America. The same goals that we establish for Iraq, we establish for 
American families here at home. I have gone and looked at some of the 
plans that the administration has for Iraq, post this war.
  In Iraq, we are planning 20,000 units of housing to be reconstructed. 
Yet in the budget approved by this body, we have only 5,000 units of 
housing planned for America: 20,000 for Iraq and 5,000 for America. 
Under education, there will be 4 million Iraqi children guaranteed 
early childhood education. Yet in the budget approved by this body for 
American families, we are cutting 28,000 children from Head Start.

                              {time}  2015

  Twelve thousand and five hundred schools will be deprived of basic 
books and supplies; yet in America teachers have to take out of their 
wages the dollars to buy supplies for their kids. Twenty-five thousand 
schools will be reconstructed in Iraq; in America the budget provides 
not a single dollar for modernizing American schools, and 40 
educational programs here in America have been zeroed out by the 
administration's budget.
  Under the area of healthcare for Iraq, let us look at the agenda for 
Iraq's healthcare. Thirteen million Iraqis, half the Iraqi population, 
will be given universal healthcare. In America we have 50 million 
uninsured, not a single dollar dedicated to the working uninsured in 
America. Every major city in Iraq will get a hospital. We will have 100 
percent maternity coverage for the Iraqi women; yet we are cutting $100 
billion from Medicaid where one out of three children are covered at 
birth. That is in the healthcare area.
  Under infrastructure, 3,000 miles of roads for Iraq; yet we are 
cutting $6 billion from our Highway Construction Budget and Trust Fund. 
We have enough money to build a road from New York to California as it 
relates to Iraq; yet we are cutting our investment here in America. In 
the area of other infrastructure, there will be complete 
reconstruction, the only deep-water port in Iraq. In America our Corps 
of Engineers' budget will be cut by 10 percent under the 
administration's budget and under the budget passed by this Congress.
  I support the reconstruction in Iraq. I think it is the right thing 
to do given what we have done there, what we need to do, the future we 
have to promise the Iraqi people; yet that should not come at the 
expense of the dreams of America's families.
  This lays out every proposal that exists for Iraq versus what the 
budget the President and the Republican Congress proposed for America. 
I do not believe that the way we greet our soldiers when they come home 
is a smaller American dream, one that does not invest in healthcare, 
one that does not invest in America's schools, one that does not invest 
in America's roads, one that does not invest in America's housing.
  In the last 3 years, the last 2 years, America has shed 2.5 million 
jobs, over 1 million manufacturing jobs. Four million more Americans 
have gone without healthcare who used to have healthcare. Nearly $1 
trillion worth of corporate assets have been foreclosed on, and 2 
million Americans have gone from the middle class to poverty. That has 
been the economic agenda and the economic record of this 
administration. As Ronald Reagan used to say, facts are stubborn 
things, and those are our facts.
  In my view maybe what we should do for Iraq is to cut their capital 
gains tax and see if they can grow their way out of this problem. If 
cutting taxes are so great for America, why do not we use that as the 
economic program for Iraq and bring all those investments home to 
America? Since it seems to be that the agenda and the strategy for Iraq 
is to invest in its schools, invest in its roads, invest in its 
housing, and invest in its healthcare which will give Iraqi families a 
better future than the past and in America we are going to get tax cuts 
on capital gains and tax cuts dedicated to the wealthy, why do we not 
give Iraq the tax cuts and get all these investments back here at home 
since it is supposed to be a promising future for the Iraqi people?
  Again, I want to be clear. I am going to support the reconstruction 
of Iraq, but I will not support the two budgets, the supplemental and 
the budget the President has laid down for America, one that offers a 
brighter future for the Iraqi people than it does for the American 
people. Either America will be brought up to Iraq's standard or Iraq 
will come down to America's standard.
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, 
Congressmen Emanuel for his leadership on this important issue.
  I think all of us can agree on the urgency with which we need to 
provide funding for both the war in Iraq and the humanitarian needs of 
the Iraqi people. It is absolutely essential that Congress and the 
Administration provide our soldiers with the resources they need to see 
the Iraqi conflict through to its conclusion.
  Equally indispensable is the United States' responsibility to play a 
key role in providing the funding necessary to the rebuilding of Iraq 
once the war is over. The goals outlined in President Bush's recently 
released reconstruction plan for Iraq--paying for Iraqis' health care 
services, education, transportation, and housing for millions of 
people--these are noble goals that will need to be met as soon as the 
last shot is fired.
  But no less urgent are the needs we are facing today, right here at 
home. These are difficult times. More and more Americans are out of 
work--their families without health insurance. Many of our public 
schools are literally falling down. And we have homeland security and 
other serious infrastructure needs that we can no longer afford to 
ignore.
  That is why Congressman Emanuel's bill is so important. The American 
Parity Amendment would increase funding for urgent needs right here at 
home by $1.7 billion. We are talking about critical investments in 
education, in first responders and health care. Investments in 
transportation and water infrastructure, in social services for 
seniors, and housing for low-income Americans--all of them crucial to 
rebuilding our country and revitalizing our economy.
  What we are saying today is that it is important that we win the war 
and rebuild Iraq, but at a time when so many Americans are struggling, 
America is in need of a little post-war reconstruction, too.
  Since passage of the President's tax bill two years ago, two and a 
half million more Americans have lost their jobs, with the number of 
Americans without health insurance rising by four million. A trillion 
dollars worth of corporate assets have been foreclosed on, and two 
million Americans have moved from the middle class into poverty.
  And so in this legislation, states and localities would be eligible 
for funding according to their level of unemployment and how high it is 
compared to the national average, in addition to factors such as how 
long that state's unemployment rate has been that high, how large the 
state's population and what the average income is. This bill is 
designed to target the most vulnerable regions in the nation so that 
the funding is put to its best possible use.
  Those localities are also under great pressure to meet their 
increasing homeland security needs. Cities and towns have already spent 
more than $3 billion on homeland security improvements since September 
11. But with states experiencing their worst fiscal crisis since World 
War II, it is altogether unlikely that these localities can count on 
their states to assist them with meeting these needs.
  In fact, two weeks ago I met with first responders in my district to 
talk about their problems. Fire chiefs, police chiefs, and mayors, they 
all agreed on one thing--they are desperate for funding to upgrade 
equipment and to train volunteers on how to use that new equipment. The 
$4.25 billion in homeland security funding in the supplemental this 
body passed last week is a good first step, but we need to do more, 
which is why this legislation is so sorely needed. It will get funds 
into the hands of the first responders who need them.

[[Page H3020]]

  I am proud that we will take the lead in rebuilding Iraq, but like so 
many Americans, I think it is time that we rebuild America, too. We 
want our troops who are bravely serving our country abroad to come home 
to a revitalized economy--to an America that is stronger and more 
prepared to meet the many challenges before us.
  None of us are under any illusions about the magnitude of those 
challenges. But we owe it to our troops and their families to be 
equally as realistic about the challenges that we face right here at 
home. Again, I would like to thank my colleague for his leadership on 
these issues.

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