[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 30 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  URGING COMPREHENSIVE LOBBYING REFORM

  (Mr. EMANUEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, while Republicans are doing their best to 
distance themselves from their lobbying scandal, they just cannot seem 
to shake off Jack Abramoff.
  Jack Abramoff recently told Vanity Fair: ``Any important Republican 
who comes out and says they didn't know me is certainly lying.''
  While President Bush denies knowing him, Jack Abramoff says he knew 
President Bush well enough to joke with him about weight lifting. 
Former Speaker Gingrich said he didn't know Jack Abramoff well; yet 
Jack Abramoff said, ``I have more pictures of Newt Gingrich than I do 
of my wife.''
  Senator Conrad Burns, Jack Abramoff says: ``Every appropriation we 
wanted we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They 
practically used Signatures as their cafeteria.''
  And to add insult to injury, in January, Senator Santorum, the 
architect of the K Street Project and a Republican point person on 
lobbying reform, vowed to stop his weekly lobbyist meetings; yet we now 
find he continues to do them.
  It is just business as usual here in Washington. Mr. Speaker, the 
Republicans may be lip-syncing reform, but clearly the ``for sale'' 
sign is still up on the West Lawn.
  It is time for a change. It is time to change the culture of 
corruption in Washington, a culture that has real costs for the 
American people. We can do better. We need to do better.

                          ____________________