[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25882]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                IT IS TIME TO PUT PEOPLE BEFORE POLITICS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, just a few minutes ago I asked a question on 
the House floor as to the schedule because it seems to me that there is 
some confusion. We have been asked now vis-a-vis the Senate to have a 
potential 14-day CR.
  Now, to refresh the memory of those listening, we were asked by the 
President to stay and work day in and day out 24-hour CRs until we get 
our work done, and we have done that. We have tried to work. We have 
tried to negotiate. Now it appears that sometime within the last 12 
hours, Mr. Daschle, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), and Mr. 
Podesta, the President's chief of staff, had a meeting and decided to 
take a 14-day CR over to the Senate and place it on Trent Lott's desk 
and ask for unanimous consent, and apparently the Senate has taken them 
up on their offer for a 14-day CR because the politics of confusion is 
not working for them.
  Many of the Members on my side of the aisle, including one of our 
most vulnerable members, the gentleman from California (Mr. Rogan), 
remained in Washington, D.C. to do the people's business because he 
believes more in the sanctity of the voting process here than going 
home to protect his reelection. The courage that he has displayed will 
ensure his reelection, because he truly represents his district.
  Unlike some of the Democratic House leaders featured today in the 
Hill Magazine, Wednesday, November 1 edition, and let me read the 
headline because it is telling. Last night I heard the chants, work, 
work, work from the minority side of the aisle; gets everybody festered 
up, ready to do the people's business. Let me read this because it is 
telling. Democratic House leaders miss weekend votes. Despite President 
Clinton's pledge to stay here with you and fight for the legislative 
priorities, not one House Democratic leader was present last weekend 
for all 7 votes taken on session-ending procedural matters.
  The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the gentleman from Rhode 
Island (Mr. Kennedy), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), all missed votes while we worked 
trying to solve some very, very difficult issues. Some are on 
immigration. We have heard a blanket amnesty requested by the 
President, and I am all for letting people stay in America that have 
been tortured and oppressed from their homelands, but let us get the 
record straight. We do not want to just give everybody amnesty until we 
figure out who they are, why they are here, what their backgrounds are, 
do they have criminal records.
  Every time they talk about blanket amnesty, people in Haiti and Cuba 
and other places decide maybe it is worth risking their life to come on 
a raft to the United States, because if they just reach our shores they 
will be allowed to stay because some day a future Congress will blanket 
amnesty them as well.
  So those that go legitimately to the INS process 2 and 3 years at a 
time, waiting for some response that they may be citizens, are 
basically shunned and turned away because they do not and are not 
covered by blanket amnesty.
  Now the Republican majority has proven itself capable of staying here 
in town working until the job is done. We were blamed for the shutdown 
of government. I remembered some on the other side howling about 
shutting down the government; it is the Republicans' fault. The Chamber 
is empty today and the Republicans are talking, I being one, and am 
prepared to stay through Tuesday, election day, to make certain we 
deliver a budget that is good for America, good for kids and schools, 
good for Medicare recipients, good for hospitals.
  We have delivered that bill and we have delivered tax relief, and we 
have done so in a prudent, sensible, cost-effective manner; but we are 
tied up on a couple of issues and they are refusing to budge. The 
President is in California, Kentucky, New York, except, excuse me, let 
me flash back, stay here with you, said the President, until our job is 
done. Well, he is in New York with his wife campaigning. He will not 
sign a bill helping women with cervical and breast cancer. He will not 
do a White House ceremony because it may involve the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Lazio) and that would give him unfair publicity in a very 
tough Senatorial contest.
  Seemed like the White House had no problems finding a picture of the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) and Mr. Arafat at a common 
reception when a delegation went to visit Israel and Palestine and 
areas of that nature in order to talk to the people to bring about 
peace. They can find a photo, but they cannot make time for a bill 
signing.
  Mr. Speaker, one other critical matter coming before the Congress, 
and I can assure you it will get done, and that is the Everglades. 
Thanks to the Speaker today and others who have urged our leadership to 
move forward on the Everglades, we are going to see a bill before this 
session of Congress ends, not in lame duck but in this session, before 
Friday. If the other Members of the minority think it is too important 
to go home and campaign, well how about it, because you are missing 
anyway.
  We are going to stay here and make certain the principles of the 
democracy are upheld, that we fight the good fight on behalf of our 
constituents. Our constituents are as important as theirs are, but I 
urge every Member to stop the rhetoric and nastiness and aspersions and 
start focusing on why we are here.
  I think we have made some tremendous successes, and I compliment the 
other side of the aisle on a number of them but I suggest that in this 
day and era we need goodwill, not a poisonous atmosphere. It is time to 
put people before politics.

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