[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       QUESTIONING OUR PATRIOTISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, over the past week there has been 
a lot of talk in the chambers of Congress about what it means to be 
patriotic. The Republican leadership would have us believe that 
patriotism is asking no questions and voicing no concerns. According to 
them, patriotism is simply handing over $87 billion tied with a bright 
red bow and a card attached to it that says, here is the money you 
asked for. Go ahead and spend it how you want.
  Madam Speaker, this is not patriotic. This would be neglecting our 
constitutional duty to oversee how taxpayers' dollars are spent, and it 
is an obligation that I think we need to take very seriously when 
considering this supplemental bill. We need to take it seriously not 
only for the taxpayers but also, more importantly, for our soldiers.
  There is not a person in this chamber who would vote against 
supporting our troops. They are serving bravely and honorably in a 
faraway land for far longer than anyone expected, and our prayers are 
with them and their families. Our troops are the true patriots, and the 
patriotism I see in this debate is demonstrated by those demanding the 
best for those troops.
  Unfortunately, the war plan may have failed to adequately protect our 
troops. Details may have been overlooked.
  Members of Congress returning from Iraq talk about the lack of Kevlar 
inserts and the need for heavier armor for Humvees. The $87 billion 
supplemental includes these items. But why were these items not in the 
$79 billion Congress provided the administration last spring? Kevlar 
inserts cost $517, $517 for a life-saving device. I ask my colleagues, 
why was there not enough money for each soldier to have a Kevlar 
insert? Did we not foresee our soldiers being shot at? Unfortunately, 
my question is not one that will be answered, or as the chief of the 
U.S. Central Command said last week, ``I can't answer for the record 
why we started this war with protective vests that were in short 
supply.''
  Madam Speaker, there is no answer, or at least no answer that could 
satisfy this Member of Congress. Where was the money to armor up our 
military vehicles? The Department of Defense thinks we only need $177 
million to do it now. Again, why was this not done with the $79 billion 
appropriated last April? Why was the money not provided to protect our 
soldiers in these vehicles from gunshots and shrapnel from these 
roadside bombs?
  So, I say to my Republican friends, you will have to excuse us if we 
insist on exercising our constitutional duty, one that I happen to 
believe is our patriotic duty, to ensure that we get our priorities 
straight and protect our young men and women in Iraq and in 
Afghanistan.
  In examining patriotism and priorities, I cannot help but wonder if 
singlehandedly rebuilding Iraq while our country remains in economic 
downturn is the most patriotic use of this $20 billion in proposed 
reconstruction funding. I see part of this funding going towards a 
children's hospital in Iraq when right now I have 177,000 Texas 
children who have been dropped from the CHIPS program and they are 
crowding our emergency rooms because they have no health insurance. I 
want to help children in Iraq, but should we not be also addressing the 
problems here at home?
  I see this funding going toward building roads and bridges in Iraq 
when this Congress cannot pass a highway spending bill because we 
simply do not have enough money to fix our own roads and bridges here 
at home. This administration has misplaced priorities that come at the 
expense of the American people.
  In the name of free trade, we pushed our manufacturing companies and 
workers offshore. Our manufacturing sector is struggling to survive, 
and our economy has lost 3.2 million jobs over the last 3 years. For 
the second straight year now, more Americans are finding themselves in 
poverty. Our country has turned into a land of executives and service 
sector employees, creating an ever-widening gulf between the rich and 
poor that is extinguishing what is left of our middle class in America.
  This administration's fiscal policies have come at the expense of the 
American people.
  Oh, we will hear that we can have it all. They will tell us we can 
fight a war, rebuild a country, cut taxes, save Social Security, and 
provide our seniors with a prescription drug benefit which is less than 
half of what they really need. But what they do not tell us is that we 
cannot pay for it. We are going to incur the largest deficit in this 
Nation's history, and our children and grandchildren will be paying off 
the national debt for generations to come.
  Tough decisions must be made to get this country back on track, and 
it takes courage and leadership to make the right decisions for our 
soldiers, for the American people, and for this country.
  Putting the American people first. Now, that is what patriotism is.

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