[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H2271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CRISIS IN LEADERSHIP IN WASHINGTON AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Price) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, today is April 15th. It's a momentous day for Americans 
as all Americans know it's Tax Day. And it's a day that Americans tend 
to focus a little more attention on the amount of money that they send 
to Washington. And it's a lot of money. It's a lot of money, Mr. 
Speaker.
  And most folks that I talk to say that would be okay, a lot of them 
have said that would be okay if they were getting good things for their 
money, if they were seeing progress happen here in Washington. But 
that's just not the case.
  I, like most of my colleagues, go home every weekend. I went home 
last weekend, and what I hear from my constituents is what is 
happening? Where is the leadership in Washington? Mr. Speaker, I 
believe there is a crisis in leadership in Washington and here in the 
House of Representatives.
  Whether it is supporting our troops, the leadership here apparently 
is determined that they are going to use our military troops as pack 
mules to carry their special projects across the finish line. Mr. 
Speaker, that's leadership lacking.
  Whether it's protecting our Nation in the area of intelligence, this 
leadership believes that our intelligence community doesn't need to 
have the tools necessary to tell what the bad guys are going to do 
before they do it. Mr. Speaker, that's leadership lacking.
  You have heard a lot about gas prices this morning. Sixteen months 
ago when this leadership took charge, a barrel of gasoline cost about 
$52, $53 a barrel. Today, it is about $112, $113 a barrel. Mr. Speaker, 
that's leadership lacking.
  What's changed in Washington since that time? New leadership here in 
the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, that's not the kind of 
change that America voted for.
  We need to work together in the area of energy. We need to make 
certain that we, as Americans, conserve more. We need to make certain 
that we utilize American resources for Americans. There's incredible 
resources in our land. We could utilize those resources in 
environmentally sensitive and technologically sound ways to make 
certain that we decrease our dependence on foreign oil.
  And finally, Mr. Speaker, we need to make certain that we accelerate 
the use of alternative fuel, not picking winners and losers like this 
leadership in this majority wants to do, pick ethanol and raise the gas 
prices significantly by that, raise food prices around the world 
because of the action of this leadership. Mr. Speaker, that's 
leadership lacking.
  Where else is leadership lacking here in the House? Well, Mr. 
Speaker, it is in helping our friends around the world. We have a 
former President meeting with Hamas terrorists. Where is the outcry 
from this leadership saying that that's not the correct thing to do for 
a former leader of our Nation?
  In the area of fair trade, free trade, last week this leadership 
decided they were going to take one of our friends, Colombia and South 
America, who have worked with us time and time again, one of the 
glimmering hopes for democracy in South America, and what does this 
leadership do? Kick them in the teeth.
  It is not just me saying that. Headlines all across the Nation last 
week: Financial Times, ``A setback on trade in Washington;'' Knoxville 
News Sentinel, ``House Democrats holding free trade hostage;'' Corpus 
Christi Caller Times, ``Congress should pass Colombia trade deal;'' 
Charleston Post Courier, ``Politics trump free trade;'' Orange County 
Register, ``Trading on ignorance;'' the Plain Dealer, ``Sidetracking 
American trade deal hurts U.S. businesses and workers;'' the Chicago 
Tribune, ``Caving on Colombia;'' Los Angeles Times, ``Pelosi plays 
politics;'' The Oklahoman, ``Pelosi's ploy: Colombia Deal Succumbs to 
Politics;'' New York Times, ``Time for the Colombian Free Trade Pact;'' 
the Denver Post, ``Historical failure on Colombia trade pact;'' San 
Francisco Chronicle, ``Trade pandering;'' New York Post, ``Pelosi's 
Putrid Sellout;'' Seattle Times, ``The Washington 6: tampering with 
trade;'' the Boston Herald, ``The Pelosi Doctrine: Duck;'' Las Vegas 
Review Journal, ``Trade Talks;'' National Review, ``Free Choice;'' St. 
Louis Post-Dispatch, ``The Politics of Trade;'' Washington Post, ``Drop 
Dead, Colombia;'' and the Wall Street Journal, ``Pelosi's Bad Faith.''
  Mr. Speaker, there is a crisis of leadership here in Washington, here 
in this House of Representatives. The American people are paying 
attention. The American people want positive change. The American 
people want us to work together. I call on the Speaker of this House to 
bring forward the free trade deal with Colombia, to work together on 
gas prices, to make certain that we pass a Foreign Intelligence 
Surveillance Act that allows our intelligence communities to act 
positively.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on our leadership to be responsible.

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