[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


               SERIOUS QUESTIONS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me say to my colleagues 
that we have some very serious questions to answer on behalf of the 
American people. I want to pay special tribute to the hard work of the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and the Democratic leadership 
on trying to answer these questions for a broad and diverse range of 
Americans.
  Earlier today I called out the specific jobs of beauticians, 
waitresses, bus drivers, teachers, mechanics, sort of the people in 
this Nation that do the heavy lifting. There are many other 
professions, jobs, that really turn the engine of this Nation.
  As we are on the very day of the State of the Union, I think it is 
extremely important as the President speaks tonight that he not speak 
to the Members of the United States Congress, but he speak to these 
Americans who create the engine of our economy. So I hope my words are 
taken in the manner in which they are offered, because in all of our 
districts we are finding deep and continuing pain, hurting families, 
individuals who have lost their jobs with no opportunities for further 
employment.
  Right now we know nearly 6 percent of Americans are unemployed. In 
the African American community in particular, 17 percent are 
unemployed. I call that, Mr. Speaker, a crisis.
  The Nation's health care system is in need of great reform. Just this 
last Saturday night I spoke to a group of physicians, private 
physicians and those who work in our public hospitals. Might I note to 
one of my colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), I 
would thank him for generating 270 names, bipartisan names, on the 
question of addressing the Medicare crisis and ensuring that physicians 
and nurses and others who deal with our health care are provided the 
amount of payments that will allow them to keep their doors open.
  The continuing resolution that we just passed, but more 
appropriately, the appropriations that we need to pass, has to address 
the fact that more than malpractice issues, our physicians are closing 
their doors. They are deenrolling and not enrolling individuals because 
their payments are not there.
  I hope that the very first item that we will deal with as we come 
back to deal with the 108th Congress will be the idea of freezing or 
increasing the Medicare payments that are necessary to keep the doors 
of physicians open. My commitment to our local physicians in Houston, 
Harris County, is that I will continue to fight for those dollars for 
physicians, nurses, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, and 
other health care providers. That is a key.
  One of the other things we need to fight for is full funding of 
Medicaid, and also the changing of the formula so Texas is not 
disadvantaged. Right now, our State legislature and the Governor are 
dealing with a $10 billion deficit. I hope the President will announce 
that he has discovered that the dividend discount tax cut helps no one; 
that he would much rather help the State of Texas, the State of 
Illinois, Ohio, New York; that he would much rather agree with the 
Democratic plan to provide block grants of monies to States that will 
help them in Medicaid funding, that will help them in education 
funding, and that will help them with special projects, education 
funding, that will put people to work.
  I believe we can always reform. I believe the President can reform 
his message to address the working people of America.
  Let me also say that there has been great concern. I have just filed 
House Concurrent Resolution 2, which repeals or asks the Congress for a 
sense of Congress resolution to repeal the October resolution on the 
Iraqi war.
  Mr. Speaker, that vote was a vote of conscience. I challenge no 
Member in this House as to how they voted. But what I will say is that 
the Constitution is near and dear to me and many Members of Congress; 
in fact, all of us. Clearly, we have the right to declare war.
  When we debated that resolution, Mr. Speaker, we viewed the words of 
the President as suggesting that we were under imminent attack, and 
that there was a nexus between Saddam Hussein, Iraq, and terrorism. 
Whatever might have occurred, we have more facts now, Mr. Speaker. We 
do understand, as I close, that there are more indications that we 
should look for a political resolution. The U.N. inspectors want more 
time. They need more time to look for nuclear weapons. North Korea is 
on our very horizon.
  Mr. Speaker, people are hurting, and I believe the United States can 
do better than what we have done. I believe the President can cause us 
to reach to our higher angels by providing for the working people of 
America; and saying to the world that we stand on the side of peace; 
and saying to this Congress, come with me, rise to a new debate, 
discern and design a better policy about Iraq and North Korea, and then 
we can spend our dollars on building this Nation again, building jobs, 
and building peace.

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