[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR REPUBLICANS AND THEIR SPECIAL INTERESTS

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of weeks, President 
Bush has attempted to turn attention away from his dismal domestic 
record by scaring Americans into believing his administration is the 
only administration that can keep them safe and by proposing a litany 
of new domestic programs without any specifics on what they entail and 
how he would pay for them.
  The President hopes Americans forgot 9/11 happened on his watch, that 
he and his administration refused to listen to his own terrorism 
expert, Richard Clarke, who warned that the possibility of a terrorist 
attack needed to be taken seriously. President Bush also hopes 
Americans forgot that it took him several months to back the Department 
of Homeland Security, time that could have been better used securing 
our ports and borders. And now, after more than a month of saying he 
would not support giving complete budgetary authority to a newly 
created intelligence director, the President is now moving closer to 
that 9/11 Commission recommendation. But closer is not good enough. 
Time is of the essence and the President continues to sidestep these 
critical homeland security issues. His latest proposal only gives the 
new director control over 70 percent of our Nation's intelligence 
budget.
  Of course, the Republican leadership here in Congress ignores the 
urgent need to act on the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Last week, 
Majority Leader Tom DeLay told reporters that he thought it was, and I 
quote, highly inappropriate to call for immediate passage of the 9/11 
Commission recommendations. I guess the majority leader would prefer we 
continue to delay. It has been 3 years. How much longer would the 
majority leader like us to wait?
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans also would like the American people to 
forget that they have been doing the work of America's corporate and 
special interests for the last 4 years to the detriment of the best 
interests of the middle class.
  Senator Kerry and congressional Democrats will take our country in a 
new direction and put the middle class first. Despite what President 
Bush and congressional Republicans promise over the next few months, 
they will continue to put the narrow interests of the few ahead of the 
middle class. Let us just look at their record over the last 4 years. 
Republicans have accomplished many of the goals corporate interests 
have set forth with no concern over how these goals impact middle class 
Americans.
  The Republican mission has been accomplished for companies seeking 
tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas, but not for workers. We have 
lost more than one million jobs. This administration still says 
outsourcing American jobs is a good thing, and they still insist on 
giving companies tax breaks that ship American jobs overseas. But 
profits are record high at Halliburton. If only Bush and congressional 
Republicans fought half as hard for the middle class as they have for 
Halliburton's no-bid contracts, maybe middle class families would not 
be hurting so badly.
  The Republican mission has been accomplished for drug companies but 
not for our seniors. Seniors are still splitting their pills in half 
because prescription drug prices have soared so high. The Republican 
mission has been accomplished for insurance companies but not for 
families struggling with high health care costs. While premiums 
skyrocket, insurance companies continue to rake in record profits.
  The Republican mission has been accomplished for big oil companies, 
not for middle class families struggling with the record high cost of 
gas. Average families are paying $580 more in gas prices while oil 
profits rise and the Saudi royal family profits. Bush has made America 
more dependent on foreign oil and failed to invest in alternative 
technologies and conservation.
  Mr. Speaker, in looking at this record, why should Americans believe 
President Bush and congressional Republicans would change their 
emphasis away from the special interests to the middle class in the 
future? Republican policies have squeezed middle class families. While 
earnings for middle class families have fallen over the last 4 years, 
health care costs have increased by more than $2,000, education costs 
are up more than $1,200, and energy costs are up 40 percent. Despite 
the Republican rhetoric, their actual record is clear. Why should 
Americans expect anything different from them in the future?

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