[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23617-23618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE HOUSE FELLOWS PROGRAM

  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 269) recognizing the 40th 
anniversary of the White House Fellows Program.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 269

       Whereas in 1964, John W. Gardner presented the idea of 
     selecting a handful of outstanding men and women to come to 
     Washington to participate as Fellows and learn the workings 
     of the highest levels of the Federal Government to learn 
     about leadership as they observed the Nation's officials in 
     action and met with these officials and other leaders of 
     society, thereby strengthening the Fellows' abilities and 
     desires to contribute to their communities, their 
     professions, and their country;
       Whereas President Lyndon B. Johnson established the 
     President's Commission on White House Fellowships, through 
     Executive Order 11183, to create a program that would select 
     between 11 and 19 outstanding young Americans every year and 
     bring them to Washington for ``first hand, high-level 
     experience in the workings of the Federal Government, to 
     establish an era when the young men and women of America and 
     their government belonged to each other--belonged to each 
     other in fact and in spirit'';
       Whereas the White House Fellows Program has steadfastly 
     remained a nonpartisan program that has served 8 Presidents 
     exceptionally well;
       Whereas the more than 600 White House Fellows that have 
     served have established a legacy of leadership in every 
     aspect of American society that includes appointments as 
     Cabinet officials and senior White House staff, election to 
     the House of Representatives, Senate, and State and local 
     Government, appointments to the Federal, State, and local 
     judiciary, appointments as United States Attorneys, 
     leadership in many of the Nation's largest corporations and 
     law firms, service as presidents of colleges and 
     universities, deans of our most distinguished graduate 
     schools, officials in nonprofit organizations, distinguished 
     scholars and historians, and service as senior leaders in 
     every branch of the United States Armed Forces;
       Whereas this legacy of leadership is a national resource 
     that has been used by the Nation in major challenges 
     including organizing resettlement operations following the 
     Vietnam War, assisting with the national response to 
     terrorist attacks, managing the aftermath of natural 
     disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and reforming 
     and innovating in national and international securities and 
     capital markets;
       Whereas the more than 600 White House Fellows have 
     characterized their post-Fellowship years with a lifetime 
     commitment to public service through continuing personal and 
     professional renewal and association, creating a Fellows 
     community of mutual support for leadership at every level of 
     government and in every element of our national life; and
       Whereas September 1, 2005, marked the 40th anniversary of 
     the first class of White House Fellows to serve this Nation: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the 40th anniversary of the White House 
     Fellows program and commends the White House Fellows for 
     their continuing lifetime commitment to public service;
       (2) acknowledges the legacy of leadership provided by White 
     House Fellows over the years in their local communities, the 
     Nation, and the world; and
       (3) expresses appreciation and support for the continuing 
     leadership of White House Fellows in all aspects of our 
     national life in the years ahead.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 269.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 269. This 
resolution, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Texas (Mr. 
Barton), honors the 40th class of Fellows participating in the White 
House Fellows Association. The program was founded in 1964 by President 
Lyndon Baines Johnson and is considered one of the most prestigious 
opportunities for leadership and public service today.
  Offered strictly on a nonpartisan basis, White House Fellowships 
offer exceptional young people firsthand experience in working at the 
highest levels of Federal Government. White House Fellows spend a year 
assisting full-time senior White House staff, the Vice President, 
Cabinet secretaries and other senior officials. Fellows are also 
invited to take part in educational travel in order to examine United 
States domestic and international policy in action. Finally, the 
education program offers roundtable discussions including leaders from 
both the private and public sectors.
  The purpose of the White House Fellows program is to shape young 
minds into having an understanding of the challenges faced by the 
Federal Government. The leadership and public affairs development 
offered by the program is crucial to the functioning of our system in 
that it provides us with exceptional young professionals in our 
nongovernmental sector.
  President Johnson's idea for the program was clear when he said, ``I 
want to give the Fellows firsthand high-level experience in the 
workings of the Federal Government and to increase their sense of 
participation in national affairs.'' President Johnson's hope was that 
those who were given this extraordinary opportunity would ``continue 
their work as private citizens on their public agendas.''
  In Congress today, both the sponsor of this resolution, Congressman 
Joe Barton, and Senator Sam Brownback are former White House Fellows. I 
hope that my colleagues will join me in recognizing this exceptional 
program through the adoption of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleague from Ohio in 
consideration of this important legislation. Forty years ago, President 
Lyndon B. Johnson, through executive order 11183, established the 
President's Commission on White House Fellowships. The commission was 
given the task of creating the White House Fellows program. The program 
was designed to expose the best and the brightest of America's future 
leaders to policymaking at the highest levels. Between 11 and 20 young, 
gifted Americans serve as White House Fellows each year, and they truly 
represent the best of what America has to offer.
  Being a White House Fellow provides each Fellow with the unique 
opportunity of interacting with officials at the highest levels of 
government. It is not uncommon for Fellows to learn about policymaking 
in all of its forms, at both the domestic and international levels, 
while gaining access to policymakers that is generally afforded to only 
a small group of advisers and senior staff. As a result, the White 
House Fellows program plays an integral role in cultivating the leaders 
of tomorrow.
  The program is indeed bipartisan and is hailed as a great success by 
Republicans and Democrats alike. Over the last 4 decades, more than 600 
people have served as White House Fellows. The program has attracted 
the most talented of America's young up-and-comers. Former Fellows have 
gone on to serve in Cabinet positions, as elected officials at all 
levels of government, as heads of industry, as distinguished members of 
the Armed Forces, as leaders in the legal field, and as distinguished 
academicians in some of the Nation's top colleges and universities.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 40th anniversary of 
the White House Fellows program and the Federal Government's continued 
commitment to producing the future generations of American leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership on 
this

[[Page 23618]]

and being the floor manager for this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be the primary sponsor of H. Con. Res. 
269, a resolution to recognize the 40th anniversary of the White House 
Fellows program. As has already been pointed out, this is a program 
that was established first by President Lyndon Johnson to be a 
leadership forum for young Americans of all walks of life, of all 
political persuasions, all ideological philosophies, to give them a 
window on Washington for a year and then encourage them to go and be 
leaders in building America. Since its inception in 1964, over 600 
Americans have served as White House Fellows. I was privileged to be a 
part of the class of 1981 and 1982 where I served in the Department of 
Energy.
  The best thing about the Fellows program are the Fellows. You get to 
meet the most amazing people. In my class, we had the police captain 
from Oakland, California; we had an Indian chief from Oklahoma; we had 
a law professor from Utah; we had a Navy captain from the Navy; an Air 
Force officer from the Air Force; a tank commander, an infantry 
battalion commander from the Army; and you had somebody like me, Joe 
Barton, from Crockett, Texas, plant manager.
  There have been, as I said, over 600 Americans serve in the program. 
Some of them are names that we now know as household words. Colin 
Powell, who was Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, 
was a White House Fellow. Elaine Chao, Secretary of the Department of 
Labor, is a former White House Fellow. Wesley Clark, who was former 
Allied supreme commander in Europe, is a former White House Fellow. In 
my class, David Karnes was a Senator from Nebraska. Paul Apple-
garth was a senior officer at the World Bank. Mike Ullman is currently 
president and CEO of JCPenney Corporation. Members who have served in 
Congress or in the Senate since they were Fellows include Tom Campbell; 
Sam Brownback, who is currently the Senator from Kansas; former Senator 
Tim Wirth, who started out as a Congressman from Colorado and then 
became Senator from Colorado; and of course myself, who is currently 
serving in the House of Representatives.
  As has been pointed out, this is a nonpartisan program. You are asked 
to fill out an application that is about 30 pages long. It is the most 
extensive application I have ever had to fill out. You are asked what 
your life's ambitions are, what you consider your notable achievements, 
what you hope to achieve, and you are even asked to give a policy 
recommendation to the President of the United States. Pretty heady 
stuff when you are a young plant manager in Crockett, Texas, like I was 
back in 1981.
  The interview process is extensive. You start out at the regional 
level. Everybody whose application is accepted, and normally there are 
1,000 to 2,000 applications filed that are winnowed down by the staff 
of the White House Fellows to about 500 or 600. Those then are read 
over several weekends by former White House Fellows and that 
application pool is winnowed down to approximately 150. If you are one 
of the 150 what are called regional semifi-
nalists, you are invited to a regional interview over a 2-day period 
where you sit down face to face with a panel of leaders in your local 
area and are asked all kinds of questions.
  Each region picks three finalists to go to the national finals. There 
are 33 national finalists. You come to Washington for a weekend where 
the national panel interviews you. From that group of 33, they pick the 
class that is anywhere from 10 to 15 Fellows. I think the largest class 
has been 19. You then spend the next year, if you are picked, working 
as an assistant in one of the Federal agencies, up and including the 
White House; but every week you meet with your class and you meet world 
leaders, local leaders. My year we met with Tom Foley who was the 
majority leader, I believe, in the House. We met with Tip O'Neill. We 
met with the majority leader in the Senate. We met with the President. 
We met with the Vice President. We also met with corporation leaders. 
We met with community service leaders.
  And you get to go on several trips. We had two domestic trips where 
we went to Chicago where we studied the architecture of Chicago. We 
went to the west coast where we went out and studied agriculture in 
California. I got to take my class to Texas and we showed them Houston, 
TX, where we met with leaders of the oil industry; and then we went to 
Austin, TX, where we met with State leaders. We also went on one 
international trip. My class went to Europe where we studied NATO 
issues.
  This is a wonderful program. You make lifelong friends, but it also 
helps facilitate that ephemeral quality called leadership. The goal of 
the program as established by President Johnson back in the 1960s was 
to give young Americans who had shown potential in their early career 
the opportunity to have a window on Washington and then go out, whether 
they go back to their community, whether they stay in Washington, 
whether they change career paths, to hopefully be a positive force for 
change for America. I can honestly say after 600 Fellows, after 40 
years, that the program has delivered beyond the wildest expectations 
of President Johnson.
  It is with a great deal of pride that I am allowed to be the primary 
sponsor for this resolution. I think Senator Brownback is the sponsor 
in the Senate. I say to the past 600 Fellows, the current 15 Fellows 
and to future Fellows: job well done; let's look to the future; let's 
continue to build a better America.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption 
of House Concurrent Resolution 269.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
269.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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