[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21709]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE AMERICAN PARITY ACT

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, the President gave quite a speech Sunday 
night. More of the same failing policy with a new face and a new 
breathtaking price tag, $87 billion he wants to borrow now. And he 
wants to borrow $20.5 billion from the American people to rebuild the 
roads, bridges, ports, water and electric systems in Iraq.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. Speaker, what about here at home? We have to say maybe we could 
use some investment here in the United States on our bridges, roads, 
ports, water and electric systems.
  So the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel) and I have introduced 
the American Parity Act, and I urge my colleagues to support it. The 
President would have to match dollar for dollar every dollar that he 
borrows from the American people to invest in Iraq, he has to invest a 
dollar here for the same purposes here in the United States of America. 
$20.5 billion for infrastructure in the United States could put a 
million people to work in this country and begin to rebuild our 
crumbling infrastructure with our tax dollars as opposed to a nation 
far across the sea. I urge my colleagues to support the American Parity 
Act.

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