[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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