[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   DEMOCRATS WORK ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, NOT THE SPECIAL 
                               INTERESTS

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, for too long the American people have been 
paying for the cost of corruption here in Washington, whether it be 
skyrocketing prices at the pump last summer, or spiraling prescription 
drug costs. Democrats vowed to wrestle power of this institution away 
from special interest lobbyists who have been running it for the last 6 
years.
  Democrats began to restore faith in Congress when we reformed our 
rules to prevent the kind of lobbying scandals that have become 
commonplace during much of the past 6 years.
  We then began to fix some of the laws that were written and passed in 
the dark of night. During the first 100 hours in power, we gave the 
Federal Government the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug 
prices for American seniors, something that should have been done when 
the law was first passed.
  Yesterday, we repealed $14 billion in subsidies to big oil companies 
that simply don't need it right now. We have taken the savings and 
invested them in renewable fuels so that we can begin to end our 
dependence on foreign oil.
  Mr. Speaker, our first 100 hours are over, but we are only beginning 
to work on behalf of the American people.

                          ____________________