[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE WIND AT OUR BACKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is recognized 
during morning hour debates.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, this week the House will begin moving into 
the end game for the legislative session, and we will do so with the 
wind at our backs.
  Thanks to our passage of President Bush's Jobs and Growth agenda, 
jobless claims are down, and corporate profits and economic growth are 
way up. Last week, we even learned the Federal deficit has come in much 
lower than anticipated, as Republicans predicted it would.
  In other words, the Bush economy and the Federal Government are 
recovering with a vengeance from the ``bin Laden'' slump. The faster 
the economy grows, the sooner we can balance the budget, all the while 
maintaining our commitment to our national priorities.
  Of course, the war remains our Nation's defining objective. Without 
victory over international terror and the security and prosperity 
victory will bring, no other item on any agenda is even possible. The 
reconstruction and democracy-building now underway in Iraq is a central 
component of that war, as a stable Iraq will be an invaluable ally in 
our fight against terror.
  To highlight the progress we are making over there and to draw the 
public's and the media's attention to the good being done, we have 
created FREEDOM.GOV. On the FREEDOM.GOV Web site, citizens can find 
articles and features from Members of Congress who have been to 
liberated Iraq and reported back on what they have seen and our need to 
finish the job there. Further, with our economy roaring to life in 
recent months, we are now even better able to keep our commitment to 
strengthen and improve health care services for America's seniors. We 
expect a Medicare bill to do just that, and it will be ready for 
passage before we adjourn.
  And, finally, Congress will soon be able to pass a comprehensive 
energy bill which will lower gas prices, create jobs, and reduce our 
dependence on foreign oil.
  To put Congress's work this year in perspective, Mr. Speaker, 
consider: We are winning the war on terror and securing Iraq. We are 
cutting the deficit and balancing the budget through fiscal discipline. 
We are growing the economy and creating jobs, and we are meeting the 
health care needs of American seniors. This is the agenda we ran on, 
promised, and in just another few weeks will have delivered for the 
American people.

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