[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 1738, ``THE AMERICAN PARITY ACT''

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 2003

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, we all know that it will take years, if 
not decades, for Iraq to be restored and rebuilt in the wake of 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our nation's desire to restore and rebuild 
Iraq--for the Iraqi people--is to be commended. It reflects the most 
dearly held values in American society.
  As Americans, we want to make the world a better place. We want 
people to live full, healthy lives without fear of violence and hunger. 
We want children to have full stomachs, clear heads and the educational 
resources to realize their potential. We believe that healthcare should 
not be available to only the rich.
  Certainly, as a nation, we want to elevate the quality of life for 
the Iraqi people, who bear the scars of years of hunger, violence and 
fear. At the same time, we must ask, what is being done to end the 
hunger, violence and fear that dominates the lives of far too many 
Americans?
  As USAID makes the first down-payment of $1.7 billion that the United 
States has dedicated to the housing, education, health care, and the 
infrastructure of rebuilding Iraq, we must ask--what is the 
Administration's plan to ``Rebuild America ``?
  Here at home, our schools are closing, summer school activities are 
being shut down, hospitals are not able to provide the health care, and 
state and local first responder budgets are being stretched thin.
  Over the past two years, 3.1 million Americans have lost their jobs, 
nearly 5 million Americans have lost their health care coverage, and 2 
million families that were living the American Dream have dropped out 
of the middle class into poverty.
  This is not progress. We need a plan to ``Rebuild America.''
  Enacting more tax cuts, as the Administration favors, is illogical. 
How can a $550 billion tax cut that primarily changes the tax treatment 
of corporate dividends stimulate the economy? How will this tax cut 
help state and local authorities address the shortfalls in our nation's 
critical infrastructure? Twenty billion dollars, as provided in the tax 
package, is wholly inadequate. Moreover, it is a drop in the bucket as 
compared to our $1.7 trillion commitment to Iraq.
  Mr. Speaker, while I believe that rebuilding Iraq will be important 
to secure lasting peace in the region, it must not come at the expense 
of rebuilding America.
  My colleague, Rahm Emanuel, has introduced legislation to require 
that for every dollar spent rebuilding Iraq, at least one dollar is 
spent addressing the health care crisis in America, urgent school 
construction, funding for first responders, and other domestic 
priorities.
  In looking over USAID's plans for Iraq, I cannot understand how the 
Administration can justify building 12,500 new schools in Baghdad, 
without doing anything for children in America. Today, far too many 
America children are forced to study in trailers because their school 
districts simply do not have the funds to build a new school.
  How can the Administration justify providing health care services to 
13 million Iraqis while 42 million Americans struggle to live without 
health care? It's indefensible. Why, just today, Paul Bremer, the U.S. 
civil administrator of Iraq, announced plans to invest $100 million to 
create jobs in Iraq.


                                in iraq?

  Mr. Speaker, how can the Administration justify launching this 
ambitious initiative in Iraq when there are thousands of workers in 
Western New York that have been unemployed for over two years?
  Mr. Speaker, the Administration must not sit idly by and let America 
fall apart, just as unprecedented resources are being dedicated to 
reconstructing Iraq. I strongly believe that enactment of H.R. 1738 
will help us make significant strides in the effort to restore this 
nation.
  We must rebuild America. We owe it to the men and women who fought in 
Iraq, risking their lives to protect our homeland. We owe it to our 
children. We owe it to our seniors. We owe it to all Americans.

                          ____________________