[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 165 (Tuesday, December 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8305-H8306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS PROGRAM

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 72) recognizing the 45th 
anniversary of the White House Fellows Program.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 72

       Whereas in 1964, John W. Gardner presented the idea of 
     selecting a handful of outstanding men and women to travel to 
     Washington, DC, to participate in a fellowship program that 
     would educate such men and women about the workings of the 
     highest levels of the Federal Government and about 
     leadership, as they observed Federal officials in action and 
     met with these officials and other leaders of society, 
     thereby strengthening the abilities of such individuals to 
     contribute to their communities, their professions, and the 
     United States;
       Whereas President Lyndon B. Johnson established the 
     President's Commission on White House Fellowships, through 
     Executive Order 11183 (as amended), to create a program that 
     would select between 11 and 19 outstanding young citizens of 
     the United States every year and bring them to Washington, 
     DC, for ``first hand, high-level experience in the workings 
     of the Federal Government, to establish an era when the young 
     men and women of America and their government belonged to 
     each other--belonged to each other in fact and in spirit'';
       Whereas the White House Fellows Program has steadfastly 
     remained a nonpartisan program that has served 9 Presidents 
     exceptionally well;
       Whereas the 672 White House Fellows who have served have 
     established a legacy of leadership in every aspect of our 
     society, including appointments as cabinet officers, 
     ambassadors, special envoys, deputy and assistant secretaries 
     of departments and senior White House staff, election to the 
     House of Representatives, Senate, and State and local 
     governments, appointments to the Federal, State, and local 
     judiciary, appointments as United States Attorneys, 
     leadership in many of the largest corporations and law firms 
     in the United States, service as presidents of colleges and 
     universities, deans of our most distinguished graduate 
     schools, officials in nonprofit organizations, distinguished 
     scholars and historians, and service as senior leaders in 
     every branch of the United States Armed Forces;
       Whereas this legacy of leadership is a resource that has 
     been relied upon by the Nation during major challenges, 
     including organizing resettlement operations following the 
     Vietnam War, assisting with the national response to 
     terrorist attacks, managing the aftermath of natural 
     disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, providing 
     support to earthquake victims in Haiti, performing military 
     service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and reforming and innovating 
     the national and international securities and capital 
     markets;
       Whereas the 672 White House Fellows have characterized 
     their post-Fellowship years with a lifetime commitment to 
     public service, including creating a White House Fellows 
     Community of Mutual Support for leadership at every level of 
     government and in every element of our national life; and
       Whereas September 1, 2010, marked the 45th anniversary of 
     the first class of White House Fellows to serve this Nation: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the 45th anniversary of the White House 
     Fellows program and commends the White House Fellows for 
     their continuing lifetime commitment to public service;
       (2) acknowledges the legacy of leadership provided by White 
     House Fellows over the years in their local communities, the 
     Nation, and the world; and
       (3) expresses appreciation and support for the continuing 
     leadership of White House Fellows in all aspects of our 
     national life in the years ahead.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CHU. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 72, a 
concurrent resolution recognizing the 45th anniversary of the White 
House Fellows Program.
  Senate Concurrent Resolution 72 was introduced by the Senator from 
Kansas, Sam Brownback, on September 22, 2010. The Senate passed the 
resolution by unanimous consent on September 29, 2010. Notably, an 
identical measure, House Concurrent Resolution 320, was introduced by 
the gentleman from Texas, Representative Joe Barton, on September 28, 
2010, and was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform.
  Suggested by the then president of the Carnegie Corporation, 
President Lyndon Johnson established the President's Commission on 
White House Fellowships on October 3, 1964. President Johnson stated 
that the program's mission was to give highly promising young citizens 
``firsthand, high-level experience with the workings of the Federal 
Government and to increase their sense of participation in national 
affairs.''
  The nonpartisan program selects between 11 and 19 outstanding 
applicants per year to take a full-time, paid fellowship position 
working with senior White House staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other 
top government officials. This type of participation at the highest 
levels of our government's leadership develops experience vital to a 
continued career serving the public.

                              {time}  1450

  The hundreds of former White House Fellows have gone on to serve the 
public in many critical roles. They have been appointed judges, U.S. 
Attorneys, ambassadors, and Cabinet officers. They have been elected to 
local, State, and national office, including here in the House of 
Representatives and in the Senate.
  Mr. Speaker, let us now recognize the legacy of leadership that the 
White House Fellows Program has provided to our country for the last 45 
years through the passage of Senate Concurrent Resolution 72, 
recognizing the program on its 45th anniversary. I urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Barton).
  (Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. I thank the gentleman from Utah.
  I want to thank the leadership on both sides for allowing and 
supporting this resolution. I'm happy in the House to be the primary 
sponsor. I also want to commend Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader 
Boehner for scheduling

[[Page H8306]]

this so timely. I was told yesterday it would be on the floor at 2:45, 
and I walked on the floor at 2:43, and it was on the floor at 2:45. So 
that shows that the House can work in a bipartisan, efficient fashion 
when it so desires.
  Mr. Speaker, I was a White House Fellow in the class of 1981 and 1982 
under President Ronald Reagan. I was one of 14 Fellows that year. I 
worked for the Secretary of Energy, the Honorable James Edwards of 
South Carolina, the former Governor of South Carolina. The Deputy 
Secretary was Ken Anderson, and my direct report was J. Hunter Child 
III, the director of the Office of Policy, Planning and Analysis.
  In my class in 1981-82, we had Mike Ullman, who's now the CEO of J.C. 
Penney; we had Paul Applegarth, who was a senior official at the World 
Bank and later became a Presidential appointee under President Bush. We 
had several military officers, Tom Shul, Ellie Heineman. We had a 
police captain from Oakland, Chip Stewart. And we had a cheerleader 
from the New England Patriots who later worked for the director of the 
FBI. So we had a very diverse class.
  The White House Fellows is nonpartisan. In fact, I don't recollect 
one political question being asked me in the interview process. To show 
you the caliber of the folks that interviewed me, in the semifinals at 
the LBJ School in Austin, Texas, I was interviewed by Hillary Rodham 
Clinton and Sarah Weddington, who was the chief attorney in support of 
Roe v. Wade. At the national finals in Washington, D.C., Ed Fuelner, 
who was then and now head of the Heritage Foundation, was one of the 
individuals who interviewed me. So you had very staunch Democrats and 
also very staunch conservative Republicans.
  But they were interested then and now not in your political views so 
much as they were interested in your vision for America and where you 
had been and, even more importantly, where you might go in the future.
  Most Fellows are in their late twenties to mid thirties. Some are as 
old as their mid forties. You serve for 1 year for one of the senior 
officials in the White House or the Office of the Vice President or a 
Cabinet Secretary. It's a very diverse experience. You have real work 
to do, as has been pointed out. You are paid at the GS schedule 14, but 
you also develop a friendship with your Fellows and you have what's 
called an educational program where you meet with officials of that 
administration but also leaders in the country.
  We met my fellowship year with, of course, the President, the Vice 
President, all the Cabinet Secretaries, but we also met with Tip 
O'Neill. We met with Tom Foley. Tip O'Neill was then Speaker and Tom 
Foley, I believe, was the majority leader or the whip. I think Mr. 
Foley was the whip. We met with Leon Jaworski who was the prosecutor in 
Watergate.
  Each fellowship class gets to go on some trips, both domestically and 
internationally. We took three domestic trips or four domestic trips. 
We went to California where Congressman Leon Panetta hosted us. We went 
to New York City, had a helicopter ride where we went over the old 
Yankee stadium. We went to Chicago, and I was able to get the class to 
come down to Texas, and we visited in Texas.
  It is a tremendous program. Since President Johnson initiated it in 
1965, over I think 672 young men and women have served as White House 
Fellows. Members of this body include, in addition to myself, former 
Congressman Tom Campbell of California, former Congressman and Senator 
Tim Wirth of Colorado, and in the other body, Senator Dave Karnes of 
the great State of Nebraska.
  It's a program that encourages you once you've been a White House 
Fellow to be in public service or at least community service, either in 
the business world or in your civic or, in some cases, elective office. 
I wouldn't be on the floor of the House of Representatives today, Mr. 
Speaker, if it had not been for the White House Fellows Program. I 
believed before I became a Fellow that Washington was this mystic place 
that most of the time was nonfunctional and very difficult to navigate. 
The White House Fellowship Program gave me a window on government in 
Washington, in both the executive and the legislative branches, and it 
showed me that there were people of good will on both sides of the 
aisle, in the executive and the legislative branches. It showed me that 
in spite of what some people think this is a very transparent, open 
process. If you have an issue and you want to have an impact in our 
America, that is still possible; and I cannot say anything but the most 
positive things, Mr. Speaker, about the White House Fellows Program.
  So I'm very glad on behalf of the other 671 former and current White 
House Fellows to be the chief House sponsor, very appreciative of it 
moving through the Senate, very appreciative of our Speaker and 
minority leader, Mr. Boehner and Ms. Pelosi, putting it up on the 
floor; and I would certainly encourage a unanimous vote in support of 
it.
  I want to thank my good friend from Utah for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. Con. Res. 72, to recognize 
the 45th anniversary of the White House Fellows Program.
  The White House Fellows Program, as envisioned by President Johnson, 
was designed ``to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience 
with the workings of the Federal government and to increase their sense 
of participation in national affairs.'' In the fall of 1965, the first 
class of Fellows was named. The program is nonpartisan, and has 
remained so through nine administrations. Each year between 11 and 19 
Americans are chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The 
Fellows are placed into various agencies of government and are then 
able to work hand-in-hand with leaders at the highest levels of 
government. In return for the Fellowship year, the Fellows are expected 
to repay the privilege of serving by continuing to work as private 
citizens on their public agendas.
  To date, more than 600 White House Fellows have served the Federal 
government and established a record of leadership and service. A number 
of former Fellows have gone on to serve their government and 
communities in important ways, by receiving appointments as Cabinet 
officials and senior White House staff, election to the House of 
Representatives, Senate, and State and local government, appointments 
to the Federal, State, and local benches, appointments as United States 
Attorneys, leadership in many of the Nation's largest corporations and 
law firms, presidents of colleges and universities, deans of 
distinguished graduate schools, officials in nonprofit organizations, 
distinguished scholars and historians, and service as senior leaders in 
every branch of the United States Armed Forces.
  In 1981, I was honored to be selected to serve as a White House 
Fellow in the Reagan Administration and was placed in the Department of 
Energy. This was an experience where I gained valuable insight and 
knowledge about leadership and public policy, and it was a privilege to 
serve in this unique capacity.
  I believe the White House Fellows program is worthy of recognition, 
and I commend those who have worked to make it a success and a national 
resource for all branches of our government.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend those individuals 
who were once Fellows and have gone on to serve our Nation with such 
distinction. I urge all Members to join me in support of this 
resolution, and I yield back the balance of our time.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) that the House suspend the rules 
and concur in the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 72.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. CHU. 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.

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