[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13469-13470]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         FULFILLING OUR PROMISE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schrock). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, this week, the House of Representatives will 
implement another item on the President's agenda. We have been voting 
for 6 years to ban the cruel and unnecessary violence of partial-birth 
abortion. At long last, Congress will take the same decision our 
constituents took years ago. We will call infanticide by its name.
  The House is well aware of the debate, and we will repeat it once 
again before we finally send this legislation to a President who is 
willing to sign it. It will become law. And when it does, we will 
become a slightly better Nation for it.

[[Page 13470]]

  But beyond the specific victory this will be for its tireless 
proponents, the passage and enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Act 
will be a victory for the American families we were sent here to serve.
  Last November, in the face of uncertainties about war in Iraq and a 
sagging economy, the American people elected this Congress to get 
things done. Our mandate was to rise above partisan gridlock to 
complement President Bush's leadership instead of undermining it. Five 
months into our first session, we have passed major legislation not 
just in the House but in the Senate as well. And we are not just 
passing paper, we are passing laws.
  In addition to the partial-birth abortion ban, the Armed Services 
Naturalization Act has significant bipartisan support and can quickly 
become law. We are also pursuing the President's initiative to reform 
Medicare with a prescription drug benefit to help those seniors who 
need it the most. This is on top of the jobs and growth package to 
create more than 1 million new jobs and provide for our economic 
security.
  And the global AIDS bill to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in the 
most vulnerable regions of this world. And the Child Protection Act to 
prevent and punish sexual predation against our children. And the war 
budget to fund the liberation of Iraq and the reconstruction of its 
government.
  Mr. Speaker, this Congress is helping this President produce results. 
And with every law we pass and he signs, we move another step closer to 
fulfilling America's promise and, just as important, fulfilling our 
promise to America.

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