[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 106 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7417-H7422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HOUSE DEMOCRATS' TOP 100 BROKEN PROMISES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 18, 2007, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, I appreciate this and I appreciate the 
minority leader asking me to lead this hour tonight.
  I am going to have next to me here a little poster that I'm going to 
keep up during my talk. I am joined by a couple of my colleagues that I 
will recognize in just a few minutes. I have been blessed to be a part 
of an organization and a group that has come here on the House floor in 
the last 18 months or so called the Truth Squad, led very ably by our 
colleague, Dr. Price from Georgia. I think that we will add to our 
Truth Squad on a regular basis the group that will be talking about the 
House Democrats' Top 100 Broken Promises.
  Last fall, the Democrats won a majority in this Congress, in the 
House and in the Senate, by making many promises to the American 
people. They have not kept these promises. At the beginning of the 
110th Congress, the new majority came to power full of promises for a 
bipartisan working relationship and a landmark pledge to create ``the 
most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history.'' 
Unfortunately, the first 6 months of Democratic control have been 
marked by a long string of broken promises. Contrary to the pledges 
they made to the American people, the leaders of the current majority 
have delivered a more closed, intellectually dishonest, and ethically 
ambivalent House of Representatives. By decree instead of open debate, 
Democrats have attempted to weaken our national defense and legislate 
retreat from the global war on terror, impose the largest tax increase 
in American history, propose the most indiscriminate wasteful spending 
this Congress has seen in decades, craft multi-billion dollar slush 
funds for secret earmarks, make gas prices worse by raising taxes and 
increasing regulation, and cut Medicare at a time when our seniors are 
enjoying large savings in their prescription drug medicines. This is 
the wrong direction for the American people.
  I am quoting from a new report that the offices of the Republican 
leaders have put together and will continue to do that throughout my 
comments tonight.
  At the 6-month mark of the new majority, the report takes a look at 
the House Democrats' top 100 promises and how those broken promises 
have led to little if any accomplishments of note and a record of 
failure that has undermined the confidence of the American people in 
this Congress. As I said earlier, this report complements efforts that 
have been made by other House Republicans, including the Official Truth 
Squad, and the Truth Squad has been holding Democrats accountable for 
their promises. We're going to go over these promises one by one, point 
them out to the American people and show them what has not happened 
even though the Democrats made these promises in order to get elected 
last fall.
  Let me start with Democratic Promise No. 1: Prepared to Govern and 
Ready to Lead: ``Democrats are prepared to govern and ready to lead.'' 
Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, in a press release, November 8, 2006.
  Now, let me tell you what the report is on that promise from the 
Chicago Tribune. The headline on the article, ``Democrats Promised Way 
More Than They've Delivered So Far.'' June 21, 2007. And this is the 
quote from that article: ``Six months after taking over Congress, 
Democrats find they have accomplished little of their agenda. Perhaps 
not coincidentally, Congress's job approval rating has reached a 
dramatic low. If they can't reverse the trend, some Democrats are 
starting to worry their majority could be short-lived.''
  Well, for the benefit of the American people who counted on the 
promises that the Democrats made and who promised a new bipartisan 
approach to governing, and with our assistance we could have 
accomplished a great deal in this 6 months, but because they have 
refused to uphold their promises, they have not been able to fulfill 
much, if anything.
  I would now like to recognize one of my colleagues who's here with us 
tonight who's going to expand upon some of these promises and talk a 
little bit about how they have affected the American people and perhaps 
particularly those in her district, the gentlelady from Florida, Ms. 
Ginny Brown-Waite.
  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. I thank the gentlelady from North 
Carolina.
  I think Americans are disappointed. I think with the change in 
leadership in the House of Representatives as well as in the Senate, 
the people thought things were going to be improved. Kind of like when 
you buy a new container of detergent, it might say New and Improved. 
Well, I have to say, it's not improved and it certainly isn't new.
  We were promised transparency. As you know, the gentlelady from North 
Carolina, if you recall, we had some language about making all earmarks 
transparent when we were in charge, when the Republicans were in 
charge. Well, a week and a half ago on this very floor, we found out 
that that promise of transparency was broken and the promise of 
transparency in earmarks just didn't happen. As a matter of fact, we 
were going to be asked to vote on a bill that we had no idea what the 
earmarks were going to be in. We would be told that when it came back 
from conference.

  Well, that clearly, as my momma used to say, was buying a pig in a 
poke. You didn't know what you were getting and it was a very bad 
public policy. One of the Democrat promises was that they were going to 
promote smart and tough security. Let me read a direct quote: 
``Democrats are committed to protecting our country with real security 
initiatives that are smart and tough,'' then Minority Leader Nancy 
Pelosi said in a press release on October 25, 2006, before the November 
elections.
  Well, what we find is that the Democrats brought legislation to the 
House floor supporting the transfer of responsibility for a critical 
national security program to, of all entities, the United

[[Page H7418]]

Nations. And then 230 Democrats voted against a Republican motion to 
recommit which would have prohibited this transfer of responsibility 
and made clear that America's national security is and should be the 
responsibility of America alone. That happened to be a vote on January 
4 of 2007.
  In the Fifth Congressional District in Florida, which I represent, 
and I know, Ms. Foxx, in your district, too, protecting of our borders 
is so important. Let me read a quote from then Minority Whip Steny 
Hoyer. The quote was made November 25, 2006: ``I believe there is 
virtually unanimous agreement in the Congress that we must secure our 
borders and know who is entering our country.''
  Contrast that with May of 2006, and then what we have is a total 
change on June 15, 2007, when, just 6 months after the Democrats took 
power in the House, 214 Democrats voted against a Republican proposal 
to provide funds necessary for the construction of at least two layers 
of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional and physical 
barriers, road lighting, cameras and sensors, so that we could make our 
borders secure. This certainly is not the secure U.S. border promise 
that was made before the election.
  The Fifth Congressional District has a large number of retirees in it 
and people who are relying on Social Security. They truly care about 
the future of our country and the absolute need to be very careful 
about protecting future generations.
  Let me read a quote that was made and that is that they were going to 
reform entitlement spending to protect future generations. But here's 
where the broken promise came in. The Democrat budget actually puts off 
tough and divisive decisions. Democrats did not include proposals to 
control the growth of entitlement programs that are projected to swamp 
the rest of the budget. Again, another broken promise.
  While you have a list there of 100 broken promises, whether it's the 
transparency issue or whether it is reforming entitlement spending, or 
let me end with one that is so important to my district and that is 
Social Security and the Social Security trust fund. I would like to 
read a quote, and this was in March 2007 by a member of the Democrat 
Party from New Jersey. He said, ``We will not borrow the money from the 
Social Security trust fund and from other creditors around the world.''
  However, when there was a Republican proposal to prohibit increases 
in the authorization spending levels if the Social Security surplus has 
been spent the previous year, that same Member from New Jersey voted to 
virtually break his promise. That's what Americans are concerned about. 
That's exactly why the rating of Congress is down to 14. I think it's a 
combination of thus far the very, very serious broken promises and what 
the Senate was about to do on immigration.

                              {time}  2000

  Americans are very disappointed, and I thank the gentlelady from 
North Carolina for bringing this issue to the House floor. It's 
important that we remind the citizens, Republicans, Democrats and 
Independents of the broken promises that have only happened the first 6 
months of the Democrat control of this House.
  I thank the gentlelady for bringing this very important issue up.
  Ms. FOXX. I thank my colleague from Florida, who also represents a 
fifth district, as I represent the Fifth District in North Carolina. We 
share our names together and the districts that we represent, and our 
respective States together.
  I am going to speak a little bit more from this report, and then I am 
going to recognize one of my colleagues from Texas. I think it's 
important to sort of set the stage again for these comments. I am very 
grateful to my two colleagues for being with me tonight.
  Democratic Promise No. 2, now, as my colleague from Florida said, 
there are a lot more than 100 of these promises. We have taken the Top 
100. Between now and the next 6 months, we know there are going to be a 
lot more than that, but we only have time to deal with the first 100.
  But this was Democratic Promise No. 2 that I want to highlight, ``We 
will make this the most honest, ethical and open Congress in history,'' 
Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, press conference, November 8, 2006.
  Broken promises, this is a quote from the Cleveland Plain Dealer 
editorial, June 10, 2007, entitled, ``A Wake-Up Call for Congress. When 
Democrats recaptured the House last November after 12 years of the 
minority, they promised voters `the most honest, the most open and most 
ethical Congress.' Five months after Nancy Pelosi and her leadership 
took control, that promise remains unfulfilled.''
  With so little in the way of accomplishments, is it any wonder that a 
new poll released by Gallup last week showed that just 14 percent of 
Americans have confidence in this Congress, an all-time low. The 
previous low point for Congress was 18 percent at several points in the 
time period from 1991 to 1994, the last time Democrats were in power.
  Indeed, one of the only meaningful accomplishments of this Congress 
to date has been legislation enacted to fully fund American troops 
fighting the war on terror, a bill that was carried on the strength of 
a unified Republican Party. Nearly half of the 39 bills signed into law 
either named Federal property or billed a road.
  In sharp contrast, Republicans have spoken with one voice and kept 
our promise made to the American people 6 months ago to return to our 
core principles and focus on a smaller, less costly, accountable 
government. Moreover, a unified Republican Conference has proven 
formidable, effective and successful in exposing flaws and 
strengthening Democratic legislation by passing 14 GOP motions to 
recommit in just 6 months, more than House Democrats were able to 
accomplish in their 12-year stint in the minority.
  In many ways, the new Democratic majority has simply picked up where 
the old Democratic majority left off, a long list of broken promises, 
little in the way of accomplishments, and dangerously disconnected from 
the American people.
  I came to Congress because I wanted to make changes in a positive way 
and represent the people of my district and the country in a very, very 
positive way. I think most Members came here for that. It troubles me 
to see an approval rating of only 14 percent. That is not good for this 
institution; it is not good for this country.
  I want us to be able to revive the attitude of the American people 
toward the Congress. That is why we are holding up these promises that 
the Democrats have made and not fulfilled that let people know the 
difference between the Democrats and the Republicans in this body.
  I would now like to recognize my good colleague from the State of 
Texas (Mr. Carter), who is going to share some more insights into these 
broken promises.
  Mr. CARTER. I thank my friend and colleague from North Carolina.
  This is an interesting document that we have got here. I have got a 
copy, certainly a smaller version than is on the board there. These Top 
100 broken promises, I thought it would just be interesting to just 
thumb through here and turn to a page and see if we can find one that 
we might find interesting.
  I am just going to randomly look here. Let's see, energy policy, 
Energy Independence Day.
  Promise: ``We will make this 4th of July Energy Independence Day.'' 
That's coming up next week, I believe. That's from Speaker-elect Nancy 
Pelosi back on May 9, 2007, at a press conference. ``The House energy 
bill has evolved into a heated internecine battle'' that threatens to 
spoil Democrats' hope of passing an overall energy policy by July 4. 
``Pelosi versus Dingell Heats Up.'' ``Energy Tension Rises At 
Meeting,'' Roll Call, one of our newspapers here on the Hill, June 13, 
2007. ``House Members will depart for the 4th of July district work 
period without passing independence energy legislation of any kind.'' 
That's a quick look through here.

  Let's look over here at something else. ``Eliminate Reliance on 
Foreign Oil,'' promise: ``To free America from dependence on foreign 
oil, we will achieve energy independence for America by 2020 by 
eliminating reliance on oil from the Middle East and other unstable 
regions of the world.''
  ``Nancy Pelosi, A New Direction for America,'' her speech, page 6. 
``During the first 6 months of the Democrat-

[[Page H7419]]

controlled Congress, no energy independence legislation has been passed 
by the House, much less sent to the President's desk. But 228 Democrats 
voted to impose more than $6.5 billion in new taxes on small and 
independent American energy producers, which will lead to less domestic 
supply, higher prices for consumers, and an increase in America's 
dependence on foreign sources.'' That's also from Roll Call.
  Let's turn over here a couple of more pages and look at what we can 
find.
  Probably one of the things that Americans worry about most is their 
security for their families and their that children. You know, we don't 
ever want the United States of America to have to suffer the kind of 
terrorist activity that our friends in Israel suffer where, when you 
send your kids to the park to play ball or just swing or just visit 
with their friends, there is some idiot that wants to blow you up and 
kill you. We don't want that in this country. Homeland Security is 
important.
  The Democrats, when they ran the last election, they made promises 
that they would implement all of the 9/11 Commission report. That was 
kind of their campaign.
  ``On the first day we control Congress, we will begin by passing all 
of the 9/11 Commission recommendations,'' that's what the then minority 
leader Nancy Pelosi promised in the last election cycle campaign.
  Another part of that promise, ``House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi 
says she plans to pass all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations 
within 100 legislative hours of a Democrat takeover of the House of 
Representatives.'' That comes from Congressional Quarterly.
  But, now, I am afraid that promise got broken. Let's see what they 
actually did here. ``But the 9/11 package will not include a 
reorganization of congressional oversight of Homeland Security 
Department or an attempt to declassify the intelligence budget, despite 
the fact that those two were key recommendations. Although the 
Democrats pledged during the election to implement all of the 
Commission's unfulfilled recommendations, aides now concede that doing 
so will be harder than they thought,'' Congressional Daily, December 
15, 2006.
  ``Pass clean spending bills without Iraq policy changes. House 
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member John Murtha, 
Democrat from Pennsylvania, told reporters last week that he would not 
use the spending bills to enact policy on Iraq, a war he strongly 
opposes.'' That's from Congressional Daily.
  Then we have ``A Broken Promise.'' An editorial in the Arkansas 
Democrat Gazette accused Democrats of using the supplemental spending 
bill to author resolutions that would severely restrict supplies and 
reinforcements for American troops in harm's way and would tie the 
President's hands by imposing all kinds of conditions on his ability to 
reinforce the troops. It comes from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette 
editorial, February 21, 2006.
  CNN John Roberts questioned John Murtha, Democrat from Pennsylvania, 
about his slow-bleed scheme to undermine our generals and our troops on 
the ground on the American Morning, CNN, April, 2007. Mr. Roberts asked 
``You heard what President Bush said, that Congress shouldn't be 
micromanaging the war. What do you say?'' John Murtha, ``That's our 
job, John.''
  On the upcoming Department of Defense spending bill, it's clear that 
House Democrats and Representative Murtha do intend to attach to the 
latest version of his slow-bleed scheme to undermine our troops. House 
Democrat leaders are considering votes next month on another 
legislative package aimed at changing course in Iraq and might announce 
those plans this week,'' said aides Monday. ``The Iraq language would 
be an attached to the Defense Appropriations bill.'' This was June 26, 
2007, ``Democrats Weighing Attempt to Change Course of Iraq War,'' 
another broken promise.
  Let's thumb over here just a little bit more and see what we can do. 
Something that--I just heard a lecture this morning by an expert from 
over at Georgetown University on international terrorism, where he told 
us in an hour-long lecture that the resources that we have on the 
ground, and the intelligence community and the special operations 
forces that operate are critical in being able to bring down al Qaeda, 
which is a world-wide network, and, quite frankly, very, very much 
still alive in countries like England and Western Europe, and their 
number one target is still to attack the United States of America.
  He stressed that we have got to have intelligence at every level 
assisting us in finding these people. I think this was recognized when 
we started this session of Congress.
  Here is a promise, ``We all, Democrats and Republicans alike, take 
very seriously our responsibility to protect the American people. We 
know the important role that intelligence plays in that.''
  Another bill, another promise, ``This bill contains robust funding 
for critical intelligence programs.'' The first quote was from Nancy 
Pelosi. This is from Silvestre Reyes, chairman of the Intelligence 
Committee.
  But here is the broken promise. ``Democrats pledge to provide full 
funding for critical intelligence programs. But just months after 
taking power, they took precious resources away from critical 
intelligence programs and used the money to fund research on global 
warming instead. Led by U.S. Representative Silvestre Reyes of Texas, a 
coalition of D.C. Democrats say national security will be better served 
if the CIA cash is used for global warming research, because apparently 
there just aren't enough people studying this issue out there.'' This 
is from an article that says Intelligence Committee Threatens National 
Committee, Detroit News editorial, May 13, 2007.
  We can move on. This is fun. You just turn to a page and see what we 
have got here. I welcome anybody to come turn the page for me. I am not 
making these things up here.
  ``Reform Entitlement Spending to Protect Future Generations. This 
summer, Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman said the 
administration would return to entitlements and taxes in earnest 
following the elections. Senior Democrats on the House and Senate 
Budget Committees, Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, and 
Representative John Spratt of South Carolina, responded by saying 
Congress, not the administration, must drive these efforts.'' That's 
from The Hill newspaper.

                              {time}  2015

  But the broken promises, but the Democrat budget plan puts off tough 
and divisive decisions. Democrats did not include proposals to control 
growth and entitlement programs that are projected to swamp the rest of 
the budget in coming decades as the baby boom generation retires.
  That comes from Congressional Quarterly March 29, 2007. Democrat 
budget does nothing to curtail runaway entitlement spending, 
Tallahassee Democrat editorial April 16, 2007.
  So we've just got promise after promise after promise. And as my 
colleague from North Carolina pointed out to us tonight, we've got an 
approval rating of this Congress at 14 percent, the lowest in the 
history of the United States Congress, by my understanding. The last 
time we were close to this low was back when the Democrats were last in 
power back just before 1994.
  This is a sacred body here. And it's important to win elections, and 
people use a lot of tools to win elections.
  But back where I come from, and where a lot of the folks around here 
come from, when you tell somebody you're going to do something, you 
ought to do it.
  I once had a man tell me, if you ever serve in a legislative body, 
the greatest tool you take to that body is your word. And if you give 
somebody your word, you ought to keep it. And if you don't keep it, you 
ought to go home. And that's a man named Bob Johnson, who there now is 
an office building in the Capitol complex in Austin, Texas named after 
this great Texan. That is great advice. And that's why these broken 
promises, I think, should weigh upon all of us because, quite frankly, 
a man or a woman's word ought to be their bond. And if you say you're 
going to do something, you ought to do it, and if you can't do it, you 
ought to at least try. And if you're not going to try, then you've 
broken your promise. And that's really not what this House ought to be 
all about.

[[Page H7420]]

  I know there's a lot of campaign rhetoric, but a lot of these things 
were not said in campaign and, in fact, many of them were said right on 
the floor of this House as a pledge to the colleagues in this House. 
These pledges shouldn't be broken. We have a duty to raise the level of 
honor that it now seems to be the American people seem to be perceived 
is lost in this House of Representatives. I hope we can all take my 
friend Bob Johnson, who's now passed away, his advice. Let's make our 
word our bond.
  I'll yield back to my colleague from North Carolina.
  Ms. FOXX. I thank the gentleman from Texas for coming over and 
helping shed some light on this subject. As he has pointed out, and our 
colleague from Florida pointed out, a lot of things have been said, not 
just in the heat of a campaign, but in very deliberate opportunities, 
either on the floor of the House or in plans that were drawn up, in 
press releases. These were not slips of the tongue that were made.
  And let me point out to anyone who might have just joined us that, in 
addition to having the Official Truth Squad which has been operating 
for about 18 months here in the House to correct misstatements that are 
made by the people on the other side of the aisle so often, a group of 
us are going to be highlighting this new report which has just come out 
today, House Democrats Top 100 Broken Promises, put together by the 
Republican leaders offices here in the House of Representatives. We 
think it's important to highlight what was promised to the American 
people last year, this year and what have been the results of those.
  In fact, while my colleague from Texas was speaking, I was just 
thinking about the fact that most of our colleagues have left the 
Chamber tonight, they're on their way home for the 4th of July recess. 
And I can remember, it has been just a short time ago, that the 
Democrats promised that they would get all the appropriations bills 
passed by the 4th of July recess. I'm not sure that that broken promise 
is even in here. But as of today, we passed 6 out of 12. So half of the 
appropriations bills got passed.
  Now, I've even had some of them accuse us of being the problem in not 
being able to get the bills passed or not being able to go home on 
Friday afternoon. And I looked at one of my colleagues one day who said 
that, and I said, wait a minute; who's in charge here? You all blamed 
us last year for things we didn't accomplish. Now you're blaming us for 
things you don't accomplish. I find it very interesting that they're 
very good at doing that.
  So our goal here is to simply hold them accountable. I think the 
American people want their government held accountable for what we 
promise to do. And as I said earlier, I'm very troubled by having come 
to a House that I revere so much, this House of Representatives, and 
find that the American people have such a low opinion of us, based 
partly, I think, on this very situation that we're faced with, promises 
made, promises broken.
  I know when I was a child, and I know with my daughter and with my 
grandchildren, they take promises very, very seriously. And I think the 
American people take promises very, very seriously.
  And I know that Republicans did not always live up to their 
reputation of being fiscal conservatives in the last 4 years, I would 
say, that they were in control of this House. But I don't think anybody 
can accuse us of having broken promises the way the Democrats have 
broken promises.
  I, like most of my colleagues, want to work with the Democrats on 
getting things accomplished for the American people. But we find that 
difficult to do when we know that we can't count on their word.
  I want to bring up a few more of these promises that have been made 
and broken that I think are going to be very, very good for the 
American people to be reminded of. I'm going to go in this report 
that's highlighted here to Democratic Promise No. 16, lower gasoline 
prices. I know this is a big concern in my district. It's a big concern 
to me. Promise: ``Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices. Join 
Democrats who are working to lower gas prices now.'' That was said by 
then minority leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, California in a press 
release, April 19, 2006.
  Broken promise: And I'm going to quote from USA Today, May 22, 2007. 
``The average price of gasoline hit $3.218 a gallon, up a stunning 11.5 
cents the past week, and just half a penny shy of the inflation 
adjusted record the government reported. The average is almost certain 
this week to pass the inflation adjusted high of 3.223 recorded in May 
1981 by the Energy Information Administration.'' And that comes from an 
article entitled Average Gasoline Price Nears 1981 Average. And as I 
said, it's from USA Today, May 22, 2007.
  Democrats have been in power for 6 months and gas prices have gone 
up, not down.
  Democratic Promise No. 17: Make energy reform a top priority. 
Promise: ``Democrats promise to hit the ground running on energy issues 
if they win control of the House or Senate. Responding to voters 
concerns about $3 a gallon gasoline and the soaring cost of home 
heating oil, Democratic leaders in both Chambers have ranked energy as 
one of their top priorities for the next Congress.'' That's from an 
article entitled Energy Reserving a Front Burner, National Journal, 
September 9, 2006.
  Broken promise: And this is a quote from Energy and Environment 
Daily, May 18, 2007. ``House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, 
California, issued a clear directive soon after Democrats took control 
of Congress this year, promising a comprehensive energy and climate 
change bill on the House floor by the 4th of July. But with five 
legislative work weeks to go before that deadline, House Democrats are 
still left with the task of cobbling together a bill from as many as 11 
committees. As for the deadline itself, a House Democratic aide close 
to the process said the package will not arrive on the House floor 
before the July 4th recess.''

  Well, that aide was certainly correct. We just adjourned today for 
the 4th of July recess, and we certainly did not have an energy bill to 
vote on. And 6 months after the Democrats took power in Congress, no 
comprehensive energy reform has ever been passed by the House, much 
less sent to the Senate.
  Democratic Promise No. 18: Make global warming a top priority. 
Promise: Again from Speaker  Nancy Pelosi. ``The most urgent 
environmental issue facing us today is global warming.'' And this comes 
from a piece attributed to the Speaker, a New Direction for America, 
page 9.
  Broken promise: June 1, 2007, Congress Daily PM. ``Pelosi says global 
warming bill might wait until next year. Doesn't sound like it's a very 
urgent issue if they're going to put it off for a year.''
  And the promises and the broken promises related to energy continue 
to go on and on and on.
  Mr. CARTER. Will the gentlelady yield?
  Ms. FOXX. I will be happy to yield to my colleague from Texas.
  Mr. CARTER. And I thank the gentlelady for yielding to me.
  As you were reading those interesting broken promises, I was thumbing 
through here and saw my name in one of them so I thought I might read 
about it. Broken promise No. 43: Protect U.S. Borders. Promise: ``I 
believe there is virtually unanimous agreement in Congress that we must 
secure our borders and know who is entering our country.'' Then-House 
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, press release May 25, 2006.
  Promise: ``Democrats are for the rule of law. We want to get the 
border security right. We would do what's necessary to protect our 
borders.'' Then House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, press release December 
15, 2005.
  Broken promise: ``Just 6 months after Democrats took power in the 
House, 114 House Democrats voted against a Republican proposal to 
provide the funds necessary for construction of at least two layers of 
reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barrier, 
roads, lighting cameras and sensors pursuant to section 102 (b)(1) of 
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 
1986.'' This comes from the GOP Motion to Recommit, a rollcall vote, 
June 15, 2007.
  Broken promise: ``218 Democrats voted against an amendment by 
Representative John Carter, Republican,

[[Page H7421]]

Texas to strike new bureaucratic hurdles in the Homeland Security 
Appropriations bill designed to undermine the Department's efforts to 
complete the construction of the fence along the border. As Brit Hume 
said recently on Fox News: `House Democrats added more than a dozen new 
rules the administration must meet before it can spend more money on 
the border fence.' Special report, Brit Hume, Fox News, June 18, 
2007.'' And I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  Ms. FOXX. Well, thank you for helping to get on the record these 
broken promises.

                              {time}  2030

  I think over the next several months, we will do our best to make 
sure that we bring them out one after another, and I am sure we are 
probably going to have another hundred of them to be able to talk about 
in the next 6 months without any difficulty.
  I want to talk about fiscal responsibility and taxes a little bit 
because I think this is something else the American people are quite 
concerned about. Let me talk about Democratic Promise No. 49, ``Restore 
Fiscal Responsibility.'' Promise: ``Democrats offer a New Direction 
which includes fiscal responsibility,'' Democratic Caucus Chairman 
James Clyburn, press release, October 10, 2006.
  Promise: ``We will work together to lead the House of Representatives 
with a commitment to integrity, to civility, and to fiscal 
responsibility,'' Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi, press release, November 
16, 2006.
  Promise: ``It is imperative to the future of our Nation that we come 
together, Democrats and Republicans, and restore fiscal 
responsibility,'' Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat, Maryland, 
press release, January 23, 2007.
  Broken promise, and this comes from the Post and Courier in 
Charleston, South Carolina: ``Clyburn Defends Budget Earmarks,'' 
February 21, 2007. ``Now Democratic Whip James Clyburn, Democrat, South 
Carolina, also said he loves appearing in the Citizens Against 
Government Waste Pig Book. `I want to be there as often as I possibly 
can for as much money as I possibly can,' he said.''
  Folks, these are not conservative publications that are putting these 
quotes out and calling the Democrats to task. These are what we would 
generally call liberal newspapers. And there are lots of quotes from 
the New York Times. I just haven't gotten to them yet.
  Broken promise relating to the promises I just read: ``Democrats 
resorted to begging, threatening, and, worst of all, bribing Members 
for their votes with $21 billion in pork-barrel projects . . . Loading 
a bill that's supposed to keep our soldiers in bullets, boots, and 
beans, pork-barrel bribes for congressional colleagues must be a low 
point in the history of the U.S. Congress. This destroys any pretense 
Democrats have to being a party of fiscal responsibility and good 
government.'' This came from the Colorado Springs Gazette editorial, 
March 27, 2007, in an editorial entitled ``Buying Votes; Military 
Funding Bill a Stain on Congress.''
  Broken Promise: ``It's hard to say which is worse: Democratic leaders 
offering peanuts for a vote of this magnitude or Members allowing their 
votes to be bought for peanuts.'' This is from a USA Today editorial, 
March 22, 2007, entitled ``Pork Has No Place in `Emergency' War Bill.''
  These are the kinds of things that make the American public cynical 
about their elected officials. And it is nothing that the Republicans 
are saying about the Democrats. It is what the publications of this 
country are saying about them and showing over and over and over how 
they have broken their promises. I don't think that we could probably 
get into a stack up to here of all of the statements that have been 
made in all of the presses about the broken promises of the Democrats 
in the first 6 months of their majority reign, but I do think that it 
is important that we point out some of them so people can make the 
comparison between what has been said to them and what was promised to 
them.
  Democratic Promise No. 57. It is entitled ``Institute `PAYGO' to 
Control Spending.''
  Promise by Speaker  Nancy Pelosi on her Web site: ``Democrats are 
committed to fiscal responsibility through pay-as-you-go budgets so 
that our children and grandchildren are not saddled with mountains of 
debt.''
  Broken promise, and again this is not coming from a Republican or 
conservative publication. This is coming from the San Diego Union 
Tribune in an editorial dated April 16, 2007. The quote: ``In 
Washington . . . congressional leaders have imposed pay-as-you-go 
budget rules that exclude the existing entitlement programs, such as 
Medicare and Medicaid, which dominate Federal spending. So `PAYGO' is 
really just political cover for new taxes to support new spending.''
  Some of the people in the country have gotten this other than the 
Republican Members of this Congress, and it is very important that 
these things be published so that people understand what they are 
doing.
  Let me give you one more here. Democratic Promise No. 58, ``Adopt 
Honest Budgets.'' Promise: ``The new Democratic-led House takes America 
in a new direction, a fiscally responsible budget with the right 
priorities. Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt is a master of the 
budget, and he and his team have done an outstanding job reflecting the 
right American priorities and values,'' Speaker  Nancy Pelosi, press 
release, March 21, 2007.
  Broken promise: ``American families don't have the option of using 
gimmicks to put their family budgets in order. But such rules weren't 
applied by House Democrats in crafting their budget, which is loaded 
with trickery that hardly reflects American priorities and values. The 
House and Senate versions of the budget depend on reserve funds to pay 
for additional spending. There is only one catch: The reserve funds are 
empty.'' And the title of this, ``Democrats Banking on Empty 
Reserves.'' The source, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2007. Again, 
hardly a conservative place to come up.
  We talked earlier about earmarks, and I think that it is very 
important, again, that we talk a little bit more about the issue of 
earmarks because I think that was one of the more egregious of the 
promises that were made and then broken by the Democrats. And had we 
not called their hand on it 2 weeks ago in this very Chamber with our 
standing up and protesting what they were doing to keep the earmarks a 
secret so that the American people could not judge whether the votes we 
were taking on the bills were votes that we should be taking, but, no, 
the Democrats had promised transparency, but they weren't about to do 
it until we made them do it.
  Democratic Promise No. 68: ``Allow Lawmakers to Challenge Individual 
Earmarks.'' Promise: ``I think, first of all, with any bill, any 
provision, whether it is an earmark or not, there should be 
transparency. So that is what we have said, and I hope you would agree, 
that before Members vote on a bill, there should be appropriate time 
for people to be able to read it, that it would be a matter of public 
record, and if there is an earmark that can stand the scrutiny, then 
that transparency will give the opportunity for it to be there,'' then 
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a press conference, March 16, 2006.
  Broken promise: ``Rather than including specific pet projects, 
grants, and contracts in legislation as it is being written, Democrats 
are following an order by House Appropriations Committee chairman to 
keep the bills free of such earmarks until it is too late for critics 
to effectively challenge them.'' The title of the article: ``House 
Democrats Sidestep Their Own Rule to Shield Lawmakers' Pet Projects 
From Scrutiny,'' Associated Press, June 3, 2007.
  As I said earlier, we believe that it is our responsibility to bring 
to the American people a list of these broken promises, the promises 
made and then the promises broken, because the House Democrats haven't 
kept their promises to the American people, whether it is the result of 
inaction or an inability to govern. On issue after issue, the 110th 
Congress has failed to meet the needs of working families, soldiers 
battling radical jihadists, senior citizens, and others who are waiting

[[Page H7422]]

for Washington to offer serious solutions to the problems facing the 
country. One look at the polls shows Americans are taking notice and 
they aren't pleased.

  But where the majority is failing to lead, Republicans are stepping 
up. While Democrats broke their promise to operate the House floor in 
an open, fair, and bipartisan manner, Republicans have found ways to 
strengthen and expose flaws in Democratic bills. While Democrats broke 
their promise to lead the most open, honest, and ethical Congress in 
history, Republicans are pushing for commonsense ethics rules that hold 
lawmakers to a higher standard. While Democrats broke their promise to 
deliver transparency in spending taxpayer dollars, Republicans have 
forced the majority to restore GOP earmark reforms that bring greater 
transparency and accountability to Federal spending. While Democrats 
broke their promise to enact legislation that makes America energy 
independent, Republicans believe we can lower gas prices and reduce our 
dependence on foreign energy by increasing domestic energy supplies, 
conserving more, and investing in the technologies of tomorrow. While 
Democrats broke their promise to be fiscally responsible increasing 
taxes and spending in tandem, Republicans put forth a plan that 
balances the Federal budget without raising taxes. And while Democrats 
broke their promise to make national and homeland security a priority, 
House Republicans have stood united to provide our troops the resources 
they need to defeat al Qaeda and radical jihadists and are determined 
to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws.
  While Republicans are working to earn back the majority, Democrats 
are acting like the entrenched majority they led before, saying one 
thing to Americans outside of Washington and doing something different 
inside the Capitol building.
  Over the next few weeks, every House Democrat must answer this key 
question: Why haven't you kept your promises?
  I don't have a Web site available like some of the other groups do. 
But I can tell you that this publication, ``House Democrats' Top 100 
Broken Promises,'' will be available from any Republican Member of this 
Congress, and I am sure that we can make it available. I am sure it is 
on a Web site, probably on the Web sites of all of the leadership: 
Republican Leader John Boehner, Republican Whip Roy Blunt, Conference 
Chair Adam Putnam, Policy Chairman Thaddeus McCotter, Conference Vice 
Chair Kay Granger, Conference Secretary John Carter, Chief Deputy Whip 
Eric Cantor, Rules Committee Ranking Republican David Dreier. My guess 
is that it can be found on any of their Web sites. I am going to make 
sure that it is on my Web site in the next few days.
  But I think, again, it is important that we hold people to the 
promises that they have made and make sure that the American people 
don't continue to have this very negative opinion of the Congress of 
the United States. We want this House to be respected. We want the 
Senate to be respected. And we need to live up to our promises so that 
we can get on with the important work that the American people have 
sent us here to do.
  This is the people's House, and I am extraordinarily proud to be a 
Member of this House. And I know I join with other Republicans in 
saying that we want to bring back respect and integrity to this House 
so it is not called a House of hypocrisy.

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