[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2009

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Omnibus 
Appropriations Act, despite many severe misgivings I have with the 
legislation.
  Last night the President gave us a frank and candid assessment of the 
dire situation of our economy, and I remain committed to ensuring that 
appropriations bills reflect an appropriate federal response. This bill 
will strengthen the social safety net so that individuals and families 
that have been affected by the recession can meet their daily needs. 
This bill includes substantial and badly needed increases in funding 
for food assistance to combat starvation and malnutrition in the 
elderly and those of modest income.
  The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has been inundated by 
a surge in unemployment claims. Constituents have called my office to 
tell me that they cannot even get through on the phone to speak to 
someone about their claim. Facing such an extraordinary increase in 
demand, I am glad that the states will get some help. The bill 
increases funding by 10% for state offices to process this surge in 
unemployment claims.
  Cleveland, unfortunately, has been at the epicenter of the subprime 
mortgage and foreclosure crisis. The number of foreclosures continues 
to increase; some neighborhoods still average two foreclosures per day. 
Up to 6,000 voucher holders have yet to find affordable housing in 
Cuyahoga County--and this does not include the estimated 19,000 people 
who qualify for vouchers but are forced to endure a years-long waiting 
list.
  The bill increases overall funding for the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development by 10%. This includes increases in funding for the 
Public Housing Operating Fund to keep the doors open in our existing 
public housing, the Public Housing Capital Fund to build new public 
housing, and tenant- and project-based voucher programs. The bill also 
increases funding for homeless assistance grants.
  The bill provides several other funding increases in areas of 
particular need for Northeast Ohio. There is $187 million dedicated to 
making emergency communication more reliable through interoperability 
funding. There is a $385 million increase in funding for NASA, an 
economic anchor for the region and the state. There is $273 million for 
research on more fuel-efficient vehicles, which will help our ailing 
auto industry and the other industries on which it relies. There is 
$40.7 billion in infrastructure funding, a $484 million increase over 
FY08 levels and an integral part of Northeast Ohio's economic recovery.
  However, I am deeply saddened and frustrated by sections of the State 
and Foreign Operations portion of this bill that continue 
counterproductive policies regarding the Middle East and drug policy. I 
am hopeful that with the leadership of President Obama a new U.S. 
policy on the Middle East will emerge. It is time for the U.S. to move 
beyond the biased policy contained in this portion of the bill.
  The surest way for this body to ensure the safety and security of 
Israel while encouraging peace in the Middle East is to craft a policy 
that encourages Israel to end the blockade of Gaza and the occupation 
of Palestinian lands. The U.S. must also call on Israel to implement a 
freeze on settlement building.
  Instead this bill undermines any effort to position the U.S. as an 
honest broker for peace in the region. The bill gives $75 million in 
funding for aid to be shared between Gaza and the West Bank while 
giving $2.4 billion in grants for Israel including $670 million for 
procurement of military equipment alone. Adding to this extreme 
imbalance, the bill also places far more restrictions on the 
humanitarian aid to Gaza than on the arms funding for Israel. If the 
U.S. was an honest broker of peace, the reverse would be true. The 
United Nations has declared in no uncertain terms that peace in the 
Middle East, which is the best way for Israel to achieve security, 
cannot be achieved militarily. By favoring arms over aid, this bill 
takes us in the wrong direction during a time when relations between 
Gaza and Israel are particularly strained.
  This bill also includes funding for counternarcotics initiatives in 
Afghanistan, Mexico, Colombia, and other regions in Latin America, 
continuing supply-side interdiction efforts that have done nothing to 
disturb the flow of illicit drugs into our country. Research clearly 
demonstrates that money directed to domestic demand-reduction efforts--
drug treatment, drug abuse prevention, youth intervention programs, and 
the like--is more effective at reducing drug consumption and curtailing 
the flow of illicit drugs into the country. Moreover, such efforts 
usually increase the price of drugs in circulation, which only leads to 
increased violence and crime in communities. So long as the demand for 
a product exists, enterprising drug dealers will find a way to get the 
drugs to those addicted to them.
  I support this bill because the needs of my district come first, and 
the money in this bill will go far toward alleviating the stress on my 
constituents and my district caused by the economic downturn. However, 
I find it reprehensible that I am also forced to support these other 
provisions, and I look forward to working with leadership and the 
Administration to support policies that engage all parties and 
encourage peace rather than aggression.

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