[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 91 (Tuesday, July 6, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5171-H5172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CRITIQUING THE ADMINISTRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, if the last speaker had ever traveled 
outside the United States, he might understand why it is that every 
country in the world wants George Bush replaced.
  Mr. Speaker, I am going to rise today to address the policies of this 
administration. I intend to use the ``F'' word, so be forewarned.
  During the administration's watch, America has lost nearly 2 million 
jobs in the private sector. Through no fault of their own, Americans 
who are out of work cannot find a job. The administration's response is 
to classify flipping hamburgers as a manufacturing job.
  We could have helped Americans weather the storm by extending 
unemployment benefits, but the administration turned a deaf ear.
  Health care costs have skyrocketed in America, up to an average of 49 
percent in 3 years. One in seven American families are struggling to 
pay medical bills, families are being forced to choose between food, 
housing and medicine. Unpaid medical bills are a leading cause of 
personal bankruptcy.
  So what does the administration do? Provide health care for everybody 
in Iraq; muzzle the expert who knows what the prescription drug bill 
would really cost; and passes a drug bill for seniors after drug 
companies raise prices three times the rate of inflation, negating any 
possible benefit from a prescription drug card. There is an ``F'' word 
in there someplace.
  Today, one out of every three Americans breathes unhealthy air. 
Thanks to this administration, existing rules are being rolled back so 
that old, dirty power plants can keep belching their pollutants into 
the atmosphere. The American Lung Association calls it the most harmful 
and unlawful air pollution initiative ever undertaken by the Federal 
Government.

                              {time}  1945

  100 million Americans live in places where the air is not fit to 
breathe. The administration's response is to label science as fiction 
and then work to undermine environmental protection. We know the 
sources of pollution. Coal-fired power plants and diesel trucks are two 
big culprits. We know how to clean up the air. What does the 
administration do? Choose polluters over people. Choose polluters over 
protection. The administration wants to let oil rigs into the pristine 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The oil companies cannot wait. The 
only thing greater than America's greed for oil is the insatiable 
desire for profits by oil companies.
  Certainly there must be an ``F'' word that applies when oil companies 
post 300 percent profits. The administration's civilian leaders must 
have lots of ``F'' words when the world first learned about the 
prisoner abuse scandals in Iraq. First they denied knowing anything. 
That was followed by media revelations of what they knew and approved 
in advance. The Geneva Conventions was something to embrace, not 
follow. That is the bottom line of the internal White House memos.
  Need something else to use the ``F'' word? The administration has 
launched an undeclared draft in America. The undeclared draft compels 
current and former soldiers to fight in Iraq, even if they have already 
served. The undeclared draft uses rhetoric to mask reality. The 
military does not have enough soldiers. The administration knows they 
will be thrown out of office if they told America the truth. So the 
undeclared draft is called something else for now. Wait till after the 
election if George Bush wins.
  The veterans seeking health care, the administration has a new plan. 
Bring your checkbooks and get in line. The administration wants to cut 
hundreds of positions in the VA. They want veterans to pay even more of 
the financial burden for the purchase of prescription drugs, and it 
wants veterans to pay a new enrollment fee. The administration's 
proposed budget for the VA is $2.5 billion too low, but that is nothing 
compared to what the administration intends to do to education in title 
I funding which helps disadvantaged kids across America. This 
administration underfunds title I by over $7 billion next year.
  Half of every eligible school district in America will receive less 
grant money. The need is greater, but that does not matter. Only the 
rich have strong advocates in this administration.
  From education to the environment, from veterans to health care, from 
the economy to forced military service, from moral leadership to global 
credibility, one word applies to this administration: the ``F'' word, 
failure, the administration's failure to create jobs that Americans 
want and deserve; the administration's failure to protect our land, 
air, water, and people; the administration's failure to confront 
military reality; the administration's failure to invest in our future 
leaders; the administration's failure to address the needs

[[Page H5172]]

of those who earn less than a million dollars a year; the 
administration's failure to retain America's moral leadership in the 
world and our moral compassion at home.
  The Vice President used the other ``F'' word on the floor of the U.S. 
Senate. It showed a blatant disregard for a distinguished Senator. It 
showed a blatant disrespect of the American institution. It showed a 
blatant disrespect for being an American when dissent keeps the strong 
free. The ``F'' word applies to the administration. Failure in every 
way.

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