[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[House]
[Pages 29431-29432]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CLEARING THE PLATE

  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, all year the House has taken on major 
priorities with an eye towards policy, not politics. And all year we 
have delivered on our promises to the American people.
  We have funded the liberation of Iraq, and now we are quickly turning 
the democratization of that nation over to its people.
  We have reduced the income taxes for every American who pays them, 
and now the economy is growing and jobs are being created.
  And now, after a long year of tireless work with colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle and both sides of Capitol Hill, the House is poised 
to meet the top two domestic challenges currently facing the American 
people: the need for improved health care for American seniors and the 
need for a comprehensive policy to reshape the consumption, delivery, 
and conservation of energy.
  Now, in both cases we took the time to get the job done right. For 
instance, the Medicare bill does so much more than merely provide 
prescription drugs to American seniors, though that alone, frankly, is 
a monumental achievement. Instead, it strengthens and improves the 
underlying program, including competitive reforms that will preserve 
Medicare solvency and prepare it for the retirement of the baby boom 
generation. Rather than tacking on a new entitlement to an old one, as 
some advocated, we took on the fundamental problems of the 40-year-old 
Medicare system and made it a stronger and more flexible program for 
its diverse beneficiary base. In other words, we serve Medicare's 
customers, not its bureaucracies.
  Mr. Speaker, we brought the same comprehensive approach to the energy 
mess the American people have been struggling through for over a 
decade.

[[Page 29432]]

Our energy solution will increase production of energy and improve its 
delivery as befitting an Information Age economy.
  Our energy solution will also reduce America's dependence on foreign 
oil, create jobs, spur economic growth, and protect against economic 
downturns. In both cases, Mr. Speaker, the time is right, the bill is 
good, the need is absolute, and the benefits are immense.
  This week is why we were elected, to keep our promise and fulfill 
America's.

                          ____________________