[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H3732-H3735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND SYMPATHY TO PEOPLE OF BURMA FOR LOSS OF LIFE 
                AND DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY CYCLONE NARGIS

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 1181) expressing condolences and sympathy to 
the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction 
caused by Cyclone Nargis.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1181

       Whereas on the night of May 2, 2008, through the morning of 
     May 3, 2008, Cyclone Nargis, the first tropical cyclone to 
     make landfall on Burma since Cyclone Mala in 2006, struck the 
     coast of Burma;
       Whereas Cyclone Nargis caused more destruction in Burma 
     than the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004;
       Whereas Cyclone Nargis has caused the death of tens of 
     thousands of people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and is 
     anticipated to affect over a million people;
       Whereas Cyclone Nargis has caused significant damage to 
     Burma's rice crop, likely worsening the global food crisis 
     and affecting the supply of rice in Burma and worldwide;
       Whereas on May 7, 2008, news media reported that the death 
     toll, as accounted by a United States envoy, could reach over 
     100,000;
       Whereas tens of thousands of people remain missing in the 
     storm's wake;
       Whereas Cyclone Nargis has devastated major parts of Burma, 
     including extensive damage to Burma's largest city of Rangoon 
     and throughout the Irrawaddy Delta region, Bago (Pegu) 
     division, Karen State, and Mon State;
       Whereas initially 5 regions in Burma were declared disaster 
     zones;
       Whereas 2 Irrawaddy Division townships, Kyait Lat and 
     Latputda, were almost completely destroyed, leaving several 
     hundred thousand people without homes or shelters;
       Whereas fallen trees, demolished homes, downed power and 
     telephone lines, and debris have blocked roads and blanketed 
     the affected area;
       Whereas hundreds of thousands of people are in dire need of 
     emergency shelter and clean drinking water;
       Whereas Burma's military regime did little to warn the 
     people and is not providing adequate humanitarian assistance 
     to address basic needs and prevent further loss of life;
       Whereas despite the devastation, the military regime has 
     announced plans to go ahead with its May 10, 2008, referendum 
     on a sham constitution, delaying voting only in portions of 
     the affected Irrawaddy region and Rangoon;
       Whereas the military regime has failed to provide life-
     protecting and life-sustaining services to its people;
       Whereas more than 30 disaster assessment teams from 18 
     different Nations and the United Nations have been denied 
     permission to enter Burma by the junta;
       Whereas the United States, through its Government, the 
     Burma-American community, and its people as a whole, has 
     already extended significant support to the people of Burma 
     during this difficult time, including a $250,000 emergency 
     contribution authorized by the United States Embassy in Burma 
     to be released immediately, and $3,000,000 in additional aid 
     relief announced on May 6, 2008, by the White House; and
       Whereas a United States Agency for International 
     Development disaster response team is positioned in 
     neighboring Thailand: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) extends its condolences and sympathy to the people of 
     Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused 
     by Cyclone Nargis;
       (2) vows its full support of and solidarity with the people 
     of Burma;
       (3) calls on Americans to provide immediate emergency 
     assistance to cyclone victims in Burma through humanitarian 
     agencies;
       (4) expresses confidence that the people of Burma will 
     succeed in overcoming the hardships incurred because of this 
     tragedy;
       (5) calls for the Burmese military junta to consider the 
     well-being of its people and accept broad international 
     assistance; and
       (6) demands that the referendum to entrench military rule 
     be called off, allowing all resources to be focused on 
     disaster relief to ease the pain and suffering of the Burmese 
     people.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) and gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from American Samoa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from American Samoa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the distinguished 
gentlemen of this committee of the House, the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Mr. Berman, and our senior ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, 
for their leadership and support of this legislation. I would also like 
to thank our distinguished colleague, a member of the House Foreign 
Affairs Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for being 
the lead sponsor of this proposed resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, the long-suffering people of Myanmar are once again 
gripped by tragedy. On May 2, Cyclone Nargis slammed into Myanmar, 
ripping through the southern part of the country and leaving a path of 
enormous devastation.
  The United Nations reports that so far the cyclone has killed between 
60,000 to 100,000 people and affected well over one million. Hundreds 
of thousands of people are without food, fuel, clean water and shelter. 
As high as the death toll is now, the greater fear, Mr. Speaker, is 
that disease, like cholera, will spread in the affected areas, taking 
many more lives. Aid agencies

[[Page H3733]]

claim that one million people could die if measures are not taken to 
stem the effect of diseases.
  Such a large-scale tragedy demands a large-scale relief effort, and 
the international community is ready to assist the people of Myanmar. 
But sadly, it is Myanmar's own government that is slowing the delivery 
of aid.
  As we stand here today, Myanmar's military rulers are refusing to 
allow the necessary number of foreign assistance teams and programs and 
aid groups to enter the country. Only yesterday was the first U.S. 
airplane allowed to deliver aid. This relatively small shipment is a 
fraction of the overall effort that the United States is ready to 
provide. We have airplanes, we have helicopters, ships, ready to 
deliver goods and relief teams, but Myanmar's military rulers have 
refused even as their people continue to suffer.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States is not being singled out. Dozens of 
governments and nongovernmental aid groups from other countries are 
likewise prohibited from traveling to Myanmar. As a result, only a 
small fraction of the affected areas are receiving any assistance at 
all. And with each hour of delay, the people of Myanmar continue to 
suffer.
  In the midst of this tragedy, the Myanmar military rulers decided to 
make an even greater display of their total disregard for the health 
and safety of the people of Myanmar. Last week, sadly, the Myanmar 
Government went ahead and conducted a scheduled referendum on a 
proposed constitution in the nonaffected areas. Then they plan to hold 
another referendum in the affected areas some time later this month. 
Mr. Speaker, I submit the constitution and the referendum are a sham, 
and the process is another effort on the part of the military rulers to 
continue their control over the people and their government.
  But even if the constitution was legitimate, the decision to go 
forward with the referendum as millions of the people of Myanmar are 
fighting for survival totally defies any sense of logic and is a denial 
of human dignity.
  Mr. Speaker, the spectacle of the referendum was chilling, even by 
the low standards the military leaders have set. State-run television 
showed clips of generals at the ballot box as corpses continued to pile 
high along the banks and the river beds in the south region of the 
country.
  With this resolution, the House of Representatives calls upon Myanmar 
to put the needs of its people first and call off the constitutional 
referendum and accept international assistance.
  H. Res. 1181 also expresses our deepest condolences and sympathy to 
the people of Myanmar for the great loss of life and their continued 
suffering, and offers our full support and solidarity.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution also expresses confidence in the people 
of Myanmar that they will overcome this terrible tragedy. May I say, 
Mr. Speaker, I would like to make this special appeal, a special appeal 
to the president of the People's Republic of China to bear the 
strongest possible influence upon the military leaders of Myanmar to 
stop this insanity and let these governments and aid agencies come 
forth and to give assistance to the people of Myanmar.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand also in support of House Resolution 1181 
authored by my good friend from New York (Mr. Crowley), and which I am 
proud to cosponsor, that addresses the tragic loss of life in Burma due 
to the devastation of the recent cyclone.
  The suffering caused there is heart wrenching, with the number of 
estimated dead nearing 100,000, and with at least 1 million people left 
homeless.
  The secretive and corrupt military junta in Burma has made a 
determination of exact figures on the loss of life and of those in 
desperate need of assistance nearly impossible to estimate. Millions 
are reportedly at immediate risk of disease or hunger.
  Many have publicly criticized the Burmese regime in the cyclone's 
aftermath, pointing out that Burma's state-run radio failed to issue a 
timely warning to its citizens in the storm's path, despite information 
it received from neighboring countries.
  United Nations agencies temporarily suspended relief flights last 
week after reports that the junta had impounded two plane loads of 
supplies and that the Burmese troops were pilfering the assistance 
already on the ground. What kind of regime steals the food literally 
out of the mouths of starving babies? The answer is the one in Burma 
today.
  The first U.S. relief aircraft, loaded with 28,000 pounds of 
supplies, including water, mosquito netting and blankets, was allowed 
to land in Burma on Monday. This is in keeping with the wide-hearted 
generosity of the American people to those who are in need anywhere in 
the globe. It is in keeping with Ronald Reagan's famous dictum that ``a 
hungry child knows no politics.''
  Disaster relief experts from the United States and other countries 
are ready to head to Burma to prevent what could become an even greater 
calamity affecting millions of people. The Burmese regime, however, is 
still refusing to issue them visas.
  The insistence by the junta that it will distribute all supplies 
itself raises grave concerns, given the regime's past track record of 
thievery and indifference to the welfare of its own people. It is time 
for Burma to let the relief workers and journalists inside. The 
generals must put aside, for once, their own selfish ambitions and must 
start thinking of the good of their own people. The prospects for this, 
however, remain grim. This is, after all, the same regime that 
callously shot monks and other peaceful demonstrators on the streets of 
Burma's cities last fall during the Saffron Revolution. The generals, 
unfortunately, are likely to turn a deaf ear to the cries of their own 
people.
  This Congress, however, should not and must not be deaf to the cries 
of the suffering men, women and children in Burma. It is essential that 
the House speak today in a strong and unified voice and pass Mr. 
Crowley's important resolution. The American people would expect no 
less, and the Burmese people will be forever grateful.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Manzullo) be allowed to manage the remainder of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I yield 6 
minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), the 
chief sponsor of this proposed legislation.
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend, 
Representative Faleomavaega, for not only yielding me the time but for 
working with us on this important resolution. I also want to thank his 
staff who has worked with my staff in an expeditious way to get this 
resolution to the floor as soon as possible. I want to thank the 
chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well, Congressman 
Berman, and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, and the other members of the 
committee for their quick movement on this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deepest condolences and 
sympathy to the people of Burma for the grave loss of life and vast 
destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis.
  Burma was hit by the cyclone more than 10 days ago, and its impact 
has been nothing but devastating. To date, it has claimed an estimated 
100,000 lives. It has robbed more than a million people of their homes, 
and tens of thousands of people are still missing and unaccounted for, 
while millions are struggling to survive without access to clean water, 
food, or shelter.
  Shamefully, the military junta of Burma, showing no regard for the 
lives of their fellow Burmese, did little to warn the people in the 
cyclone's path that the cyclone was coming, and they have done little 
to help their own people in the aftermath of this natural disaster.
  Instead of providing much-needed emergency humanitarian aid to its 
people, the junta pushed forward with an election to pass their sham 
constitutional referendum. At a time when all resources should have 
been focused on saving the lives of survivors struggling

[[Page H3734]]

to find food and clean water to stave off starvation, disease and 
death, the regime deployed personnel to campaign in favor of the 
referendum, man polling stations, and fill state television with images 
of dancing girls urging people to vote in favor of their referendum.
  Aside from failing to use their own resources to help the people, the 
junta would not even accept outside resources to aid the devastated 
communities in the aftermath of the cyclone.
  Immediately after the cyclone hit, the United States embassy in Burma 
authorized $250,000 in emergency assistance, as it does whenever such 
an emergency takes place around the world.

                              {time}  1730

  President Bush also swiftly followed by pledging an additional $3 
million, the assistance of the U.S. Navy assets in the region, a 
disaster assessment team and any additional aid that would be needed. 
And the United States Agency For International Development 
Administrator Henrietta H. Fore announced an additional $13 million in 
aid to Burma, bringing the total value of U.S. Government assistance to 
more than $16.3 million.
  Yet most of those funds and offers have gone unaccepted. To date the 
junta has allowed only one plane load of U.S. emergency aid to enter 
the country, and it is unclear if that reached the survivors at all.
  While estimates from the international humanitarian organization in 
Burma reveal that more than 1.5 million people are on the brink of 
death unless aid reaches them immediately, the Burmese military regime 
continues to deny international aid workers entry in the country.
  Yesterday, at a meeting in Rangoon, a Burmese cabinet minister told 
relief agencies that foreign aid workers are prohibited from entering 
the disaster zone, and must present all of their supplies to the 
military for distribution.
  The regime does not have the capacity or skills to handle this major 
humanitarian crisis, yet it continues to deny visas to disaster 
assessment teams that can help. It has allowed only the smallest 
trickle of international aid into the country. At this point, in the 
post-tsunami relief operation, the hard hit region of Aceh was 
receiving one aid flight every single hour. In Burma, the regime is 
only allowing three or four flights a day, after not allowing any in 
the first five days after the cyclone hit.
  Efforts to ensure aid reaches the survivors of the cyclone are 
continually hampered by military officials who will not allow aid 
workers, foreigners, diplomats or journalists, or even ordinary Burmese 
who want to help their fellow citizens access to the hardest hit areas. 
Many of the affected communities have received no aid from the regime 
or any aid agency.
  To make matters worse, it is being reported that the junta is also 
selling aid supplies to local markets. Mr. Speaker, that is simply 
unacceptable.
  Just yesterday, China experienced its own natural disaster, a massive 
earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, and our hearts go out to 
the victims of that disaster. But China, unlike the junta in Burma, 
immediately acted to help the victims and the citizens of its country.
  Countries that have the capacity to react to a natural disaster and 
provide aid to its citizens have a moral obligation to do so. China's 
actions in the United Nations Security Council to prevent efforts to 
invoke the responsibility to protect in Burma is appalling.
  It is truly saddening, but not surprising, to see the Burmese junta 
turn a blind eye to its own people. The United States, along with the 
international community, understands the gravity of the situation, even 
if the military regime in Burma does not. Even in the wake of one of 
the most deadly natural disasters they refused to provide the proper 
humanitarian assistance needed to ensure the health and survival of 
their own citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us is about making clear to the people 
of Burma that we stand with them, and that we will continue push the 
junta to accept our assistance to help those in need.
  Mr. MANZULLO. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend for yielding and I 
rise in very strong support of H. Res. 1181 regarding the heartbreaking 
situation in Burma. I thank my friend from New York for sponsoring it 
following the devastating cyclone that hit that country earlier this 
month.
  The United Nations, Mr. Speaker, has suggested that the death toll 
from the cyclone is likely to number more than 100,000. Many people 
already living in poverty saw their homes swept away, and some two 
million survivors are now struggling to stay alive, threatened by 
disease and starvation. The water is contaminated, medicine is hard to 
come by, and much of the land in the affected regions is still under 
water. Bodies of victims are floating in the waters with those of 
drowned animals. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this 
terrible tragedy and to their families.
  This body has addressed the plight of the Burmese people many times 
in the past as they have struggled for the most basic freedoms under 
the repressive military junta that rules them. It is tragic that a 
people that has already suffered so much now faces this devastation.
  The resolution we are considering expresses support for the Burmese 
people and confidence that they will overcome the hardships they now 
face. It calls on Americans to give generously to humanitarian agencies 
that are addressing the crisis. I am pleased that the U.S. government 
has pledged more than $16 million in relief for Burmese cyclone 
victims. And if our relief is allowed to get there, I'm sure that 
number will skyrocket.
  But the military regime has thwarted the efforts of relief agencies 
and personnel to enter the country and distribute aid. There have been 
reports that the government has also appropriated supplies, withholding 
them from the victims.
  Our aim here, Mr. Speaker, is not to score points on the Burmese 
question. My feelings and those of my colleagues are well known. At 
this point, we all just want to see humanitarian aid get to the people 
as soon as possible to save lives and mitigate suffering.
  Right now paranoia reigns among about Burma's military strongmen, and 
innocent people, as a result, are dying. But I plead with Burma's 
leaders to facilitate relief efforts, allow the international community 
to help. I ask them to heed H. Res. 1181's call to put the welfare of 
the Burmese people first.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a 
unanimous consent request to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Berman), chairman of our House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  (Mr. BERMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution.
  One cannot help but be deeply saddened by the harrowing reports and 
images coming from Burma in the wake of Cyclone Nargis.
  Television clips show bloated, dead bodies floating among scared and 
starving Burmese, desperate for assistance. Entire villages are 
destroyed, some with survivors in the single digits, others with no 
survivors at all. Because of the escalating cost of fuel, it is too 
expensive to burn the corpses of the dead.
  As horrific as the current destruction is in Burma, there is the 
eerie fear that we are on the precipice of the situation becoming much 
worse. The threat from disease could raise the number of dead from the 
tens of thousands to over one million.
  It seems unthinkable that in this modern age, 1 million people can be 
left to die as the result of a single natural disaster. Yet, that is 
what we face if we are not able to provide aid and assistance to the 
people of Burma.
  And, if it is horrific to hear reports of the humanitarian crisis in 
Burma, it is nauseating to hear reports of the lack of humanity on the 
part of the Burmese regime.
  The Burmese junta seems committed to preventing the full-scale relief 
operations necessary to respond to the current crisis. Instead of 
welcoming the outpouring of assistance from around the world, Burma's 
generals are letting aid groups and governments languish as they wait 
for visas.
  The United States stands ready with so many other countries, 
international organizations and NGOs, to do what it can to prevent 
further loss of life and to help Burma begin to recover from this 
devastating storm. But the military leaders continue to rebuff our help 
and our pleading on behalf of the Burmese people.
  Most governments would be strained by the demands of responding to 
such devastation,

[[Page H3735]]

and Burma lacks a fraction of the capacity necessary to deal with this 
crisis. To make matters worse, there are reports of corruption inside 
Burma eroding the efforts that are allowed to take place. We hear that 
supplies that were provided by donors are being confiscated by the 
government and resold back to aid groups. This is sinister profiteering 
at its most extreme.
  That the junta went ahead with its scheduled constitutional 
referendum on Saturday in the unaffected areas is sickening and 
surreal.
  The constitution under question is intended to legitimize the current 
ruling government. But despite its many, many crimes, this government 
has done few things that have so de-legitimized its claim to govern 
over the Burmese people.
  It is time for the Burmese government to do what Secretary General 
Ban Ki Moon said it should do, and ``put its people's lives first.''
  We hope and pray that, for the sake of the people of Burma, the junta 
does so as soon as possible.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, it's not without irony that just this past 
week Congressman Joe Crowley and I, representing the House, and 
Senators Feinstein and McConnell, representing the Senate, the other 
body, were at the White House for the signing of the bill that awarded 
the Congressional gold medal to Aung San Suu Kyi, and it was a very 
interesting moment there. The First Lady joined the President at the 
bill signing, which was quite unusual. And the First Lady, the day 
before, had actually conducted a press conference, which is quite 
unusual for her, talking about the untold suffering that is occurring 
in this country.
  And while we discussed the issue, it was apparent the intensity with 
which the President and the First Lady, and indeed the entire Nation is 
viewing the impact of the fact that the junta in Burma simply would not 
allow humanitarian aid to flow into that country. And so at the time, 
when we honor somebody with the Congressional Gold Medal, somebody who 
represents a bulwark of freedom and democracy, the country gets hit 
with this horrible tragedy.
  Our purpose here today is simply to encourage the junta to follow the 
humanitarian strain which is written in the soul of every individual, 
and that is to set aside the politics, to allow the American aid that 
is available and, indeed, world aid that is available, in order to 
alleviate the suffering.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1181, expressing condolences and sympathy to the people of 
Burma for the grave loss of life and vast destruction caused by Cyclone 
Nargis. I would like to thank my colleague Representative Crowley of 
New York for introducing this important legislation that reaffirms the 
commitment of the United States to the people of Burma who have been 
victims of the natural disaster caused by Cyclone Nargis.
  Mr. Speaker, Burma has been a region of serious political unrest and 
economic changes. As my colleagues may know, in the evening of May 2, 
2008, Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Burma leaving in its wake 
catastrophic destruction. It was reported that an estimated 1.5 million 
people were severely affected by the cyclone. With winds reaching 190 
kilometers per hour and an 11.5 foot storm surge that swept across 
affected areas, the world could only fathom the damage that was 
inflicted in horror. It has been projected that the damage caused by 
the cyclone significantly exceeds the government's ability to provide 
full relief for the victims and it has indicated its acceptance of 
assistance from the international community.
  It is my sincere hope that the military-backed caretaker government 
currently in power in Burma will promptly lift the state of emergency 
in the remaining regions and move expeditiously to allow foreigners to 
administer vital care and aid to the people. At this dire state, our 
deepest concerns in supplying aid to all the people affected should be 
directed to Burma's willingness to openly allow international efforts.
  In this key period of political change, one that will hopefully allow 
for a more free and fair democratic Burma, the nation has been hit by 
an unthinkable natural disaster that has affected the country. The 
country's infrastructure is in shambles and it is estimated that there 
are 22,000 dead with 41,000 missing. In the midst of the rice shortages 
that South Asia is experiencing, the most productive agricultural lands 
and crops of Burma have also been destroyed. It will take an estimated 
two years for Burma to be able to produce food for its people and will 
need continued assistance and support throughout that time.
  As a member of the international community, it is in the best 
interest to provide humanitarian services and aid to those in need in 
Burma. The United States must offer its full support and continued aid 
in restoring the country's self-sufficient agricultural sector to 
reduce the strain on food shortages in the entire region. It is 
imperative to cultivate harmonious relations between the United States 
government and that of Burma to help facilitate the mission of 
international peace.
  I believe that it is crucial that the United States government 
express its heartfelt sympathy and support to the people of Burma in 
the wake of this terrible disaster. I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this legislation and to further their efforts to ensuring 
the complete restoration of the well-being of Burma.
  Mr. MANZULLO. I have no further speakers. I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I also yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1181.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________