[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 148 (Tuesday, October 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2112-E2113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE AND FOR THE 
              RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. NICK J. RAHALL, II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3289) making 
     emergency supplemental appropriations for defense and for the 
     reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes:

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, when Mr. Bush told the American People he 
was against nation building, no one, including me, thought he was 
talking about America. Let me at the outset make clear my support for 
our valiant soldiers who are pursuing our enemies in Afghanistan, and 
who are securing the peace in Iraq. But the bill before us today, just 
as it ignites the Iraqi economy and keeps Iraqi kids out of more debt--
it costs America's great great grandchildren more long term debt, while 
America herself crumbles.
  Mr. Chairman, let us look at this bill's priorities and all of the 
unanswered questions it raises. There is plenty of money in here for 
Iraqi health care, but not one dime of the $1.8 billion American 
Veterans need for their health care, which the majorities in this 
Congress seem hell bent on ignoring. Why is that? The White House won't 
fund the No Child Left Behind education initiative, but we're supposed 
to pay Iraqi teachers' salaries. Why is that? President Bush says he 
needs more than $4 billion for water infrastructure when there are

[[Page E2113]]

people throughout rural America who lack public water service. Why is 
that? The President wants $856 million to upgrade three Iraqi airports, 
a seaport and rail lines, while Amtrak is starved for funds and our 
ports remain vulnerable to attack. Why is that? The White House has a 
paltry underfunded proposal for road-building at home but wants to 
spend millions building roads and bridges elsewhere. Why is that? The 
President wiped out the COPS program at home, and now he wants to pay 
more than $3 billion for Iraqi law enforcement. Why is that? The 
President is seeking $5.7 billion to rebuild and expand Iraq's electric 
grid just as millions of Americans are regaining power lost to 
Hurricane Isabel, and Congress is grappling with the causes of August's 
blackout in the Northeast. Why is that?
  The President needed the coalfields of West Virginia last election, 
but today his priorities lie in the oilfields of Iraq. If we can help 
Iraq pump oil, we sure ought to help America burn coal.
  To those who would suggest we should rebuild Iraq at a time when we 
cannot rebuild America, I say that doing so costs our economy, costs us 
tax revenues in lost production, and costs American workers jobs as our 
infrastructure crumbles. The surest way to not be able to help Iraq, if 
that is the President's goal, is to further hurt America. To 
shortchange America's infrastructure. Meanwhile, by failing to win the 
support and aid of the world community, the task of rebuilding Iraq 
became America's responsibility alone.
  And, who pays for these government contracts in Iraq? They are being 
paid for, by the working men and women in West Virginia, and throughout 
our Nation. Is that fair? President Bush's friends are getting a 
double-dip giveaway. First, they get huge tax giveaways, putting more 
of the tax burden on middle and low-income families like many of my 
constituents in West Virginia. Is that fair? Then, the President's 
friends and campaign supporters, such as Halliburton and Bechtel, 
strike it rich with no-bid contracts. Is that fair? There are, 
according to the Washington Post, currently more contractors in Iraq 
than there are soldiers from any force of our allies. Is that fair?
  And where, oh where, have all our allies gone? Can this 
Administration not swallow its pride, can it not make a more 
conciliatory effort to enlist the World in the rebuilding of Iraq? Mr. 
Chairman, if we have to pay $87 billion for Iraq, why don't we do the 
wise thing and roll back the colossal tax giveaway to America's richest 
1%, those making over $337,000? If we defer that giveaway to those 
making over $337,000, we could pay for the entire $87 billion. We have 
far too many unavoidable needs right here at home.
  Several weeks ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 
identified real shortcomings on a nationwide basis. The ASCE report 
said we are failing to maintain even the substandard conditions of our 
transportation infrastructure. It described our national roads system 
as ``poor,'' and our national bridges and transit systems as 
``mediocre.'' The ASCE report also identified needs in my home state of 
West Virginia regarding roads, bridges, water infrastructure, schools, 
and education.
  Right in my own district of Southern West Virginia, I can point to 
pressing infrastructure needs: Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg 
is 35 years old, and in need of a new terminal. The upgrade is expected 
to cost $15 million. Where is the federal grant for Greenbrier Valley 
Airport? Greenbrier Valley Airport's parking apron, used, for housing 
aircrafts, also needs a $10 million upgrade. Due to lack of funding 
availability, this project has already been broken into six phases in 
the hope of completing it. But where are the federal grants for these 
phases?

  In Raleigh County, just one of our wastewater projects is going to 
cost $6.8 million to serve 3,300 citizens in Glen White and Lester. 
This is a matter of public health, of bringing in new jobs, of fueling 
the economy. Where is the federal grant for that program? In Nicholas 
County, $7.3 million is needed for a water project to serve 562 
customers who presently have no water service at all. Where is the 
federal grant for them? West Virginians are told by this President and 
this Congress that we can't afford federal grants!
  Nationwide unemployment levels remain unsteady. We have 42 million 
uninsured Americans and rising health costs for those individuals who 
actually are insured. State budgets in disarray. Attempts to buy 
homeland security on the cheap while we incur record level deficits. 
Meanwhile, the Bush administration tells us that we can't afford to pay 
for all of our needs at home. Not when we're investing in other 
countries, rather than our own. Well, Mr. President, this land is your 
land, but you should know this land is also our land.
  We have an economic stimulus package that we could pass right now to 
provide much needed jobs and get us out of this so-called ``jobless 
recovery,'' which is no recovery at all. I'm talking about 
reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st century, and 
fully funding it at the $375 billion that the Bush administration's 
Department of Transportation says is needed to maintain our economy. 
The Federal Highway Administration estimates that every billion dollars 
that we invest in our infrastructure provides 47,500 good-paying 
construction jobs. However, the Bush administration proposes that we 
spend almost $130 billion less over the next six years than what 
President Bush's own Department of Transportation identified as 
infrastructure problems.
  Mr. Chairman, we're fighting two wars at the moment. Like most 
Americans, I supported our effort in Afghanistan, and I voted in favor 
of it. I still support it. But, President Bush lost interest in our 
enemy in Afghanistan because he had this other war that he wanted to 
fight in Iraq. Now, we're faced with a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan 
along with a bill for Iraq. And, mark my words, this will not be the 
last time the administration comes calling for cash for Iraq. Estimates 
are that it will cost us more than $400 billion.
  With that amount of money we could afford to provide seniors with a 
meaningful prescription drug benefit under Medicare. But, Mr. Speaker, 
we won't be able to afford it because of the lack of priorities. Not 
when priorities are to finance Mr. Bush's war, and his rich friends' 
profit-making ventures. As I said at the outset, Mr. Chairman, I have 
total support for our troops. It is my hope that in the following hours 
and days we can fix this bill. Fix its priorities, putting the American 
soldier first, and getting the American taxpayer some relief. But, when 
we have so many great needs here at home that are being ignored, we 
need to focus on needs at home first. Then let us see how we can best 
serve America abroad.

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