[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12614-12616]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  GERALD R. FORD POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6085) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 42222 Rancho Las Palmas Drive in Rancho Mirage, 
California, as the ``Gerald R. Ford Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6085

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. GERALD R. FORD POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 42222 Rancho Las Palmas Drive in Rancho 
     Mirage, California, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Gerald R. Ford Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Gerald R. Ford Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Higgins) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?

[[Page 12615]]

  There was no objection.
  Mr. HIGGINS. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, I join my colleague in the consideration and support of H.R. 
6085, which names a postal facility in Rancho Mirage, California, after 
the late President Gerald R. Ford.
  H.R. 6085, which was introduced by our colleague, Congresswoman Mary 
Bono Mack of California, on May 20, 2008, was reported from the 
Oversight Committee on June 12, 2008, by voice vote.
  H.R. 6085 is sponsored by 113 Members of Congress, including 51 
Members from the California delegation. This bill before us does more 
than just redesignate one of our post offices. It provides the entire 
House an opportunity to, once again, pay tribute to one of our Nation's 
leaders and former Presidents, the Honorable Gerald Ford.
  Gerald Ford's public service career began back in 1948 when he was 
elected to represent Michigan's Fifth Congressional District. From 
there, the late President Ford ended up serving 25 years in the House 
of Representatives, including 8 years as minority leader of the House.
  Forced to assume the office of the United States Presidency under 
what he described as extraordinary circumstances, the late President 
Gerald Ford conducted his presidency with honesty and integrity.
  During his years of service to our country, President Ford often 
reminded people that he considered himself ``a moderate in domestic 
affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool 
internationalist in foreign affairs.''
  With his wife, Elizabeth Ford, by his side, on December 26, 2006, 
President Ford succumbed to his death at the age of 93, but his mark on 
our country continues to live on.
  Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from California for 
offering the bill in support of renaming the Rancho Mirage Post Office 
after the late President Gerald Ford and in recognition of his many 
contributions to America, both while in office and out.
  I urge swift passage of this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 6058 to designate the U.S. 
post office at 42222 Rancho Las Palmas Drive in Rancho Mirage, 
California, as the Gerald R. Ford Post Office Building.
  Throughout his life, Gerald Ford was a patriot and a civil servant. 
Throughout his life he had a ``can do'' attitude, whether it was 
attending the University of Michigan where he played ball and was quite 
an athlete, or upon graduation from the University of Michigan, when he 
had the opportunity to play for the NFL, he declined the offer and 
instead attended the Yale Law School where he gained a skill that he 
used the rest of his life.
  He then served 4 years in World War II, and, like many people, came 
home from World War II with a ``can do'' attitude, served his district 
of Michigan for 25 years, and as we all know, gave up the job of 
minority leader to become the Vice President and almost immediately 
became the President.
  Gerald Ford, as the 38th President of the United States, enjoyed the 
dubious honor of being the only President not to have run for President 
or Vice President. But he didn't let that stop him. He was not an 
unelected president but, rather, he was a President who had a mandate 
to heal the Nation. He was a President who had a mandate to deal with a 
post-Vietnam, post-Richard Nixon period. He did so not only by 
pardoning Richard Nixon, something that undoubtedly cost him his own 
election, but, in fact, he did so recognizing that America's healing 
was more important than politics.
  Today, as we recognize Gerald Ford, I would like to just briefly 
explain that I didn't know him as President. I didn't get to vote for 
him, of course, as President. I didn't meet him until 1996, when we 
were doing the Republican convention in San Diego, and his son, Jack, 
was the executive director for that. And a then aged Gerald Ford came 
out simply to support his son and to support what we were trying to do 
in San Diego. He came out repeatedly to help us, help us in the fund 
raising, but more importantly, help his son who he still, at that age, 
was trying to make sure that he went even further than his father.
  Gerald Ford was the kind a person who stayed focused on basics 
throughout his life. One of the basics here in America is our need for 
energy, our need for the natural resources to be domestic, not 
imported. Gerald Ford understood that.
  During Gerald Ford's time our debt was internally held. We had just 
come off of a balanced budget in 1969 and were near a balanced budget 
for his years. And more importantly, the vast majority of our oil was, 
in fact, domestic.
  As a matter of fact, although we did have Aramco operating in Saudi 
Arabia, it was an income stream to the United States and the oil, for 
the most part, did not come to America.
  Additionally, the Prudhoe Bay was coming on line at that time, and 
America's likelihood of getting its oil from its own country made more 
sense.
  Many people do not understand, as Gerald Ford certainly would have 
understood, that Alaska was larger than Saudi Arabia, and that oil 
reserves every bit as plentiful in some areas as Saudi Arabia should be 
gleaned from our 50th State.
  So as we honor and remember Gerald Ford and name this post office 
after him, let's also remember the time, not too long ago, when Gerald 
Ford was President, and America was self-sufficient. America had not 
yet fallen into the melees that it found itself in just a few years 
later when OPEC turned off the oil and America went cold.
  Mrs. BONO MACK. Madam Speaker, I would first like to take this 
opportunity to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis for their 
support of H.R. 6085, which will designate a postal facility in Rancho 
Mirage, CA, as the `Gerald R. Ford Post Office Building.' It is because 
of their efforts, along with those of Subcommittee Chairman Davis and 
Ranking Member Marchant, that this legislation was able to move so 
quickly through the Committee and comes before us today.
  Madam Speaker, I recently introduced H.R. 6085 to honor President 
Gerald R. Ford and pay tribute to his remarkable life and career as our 
38th President. I am grateful to the more than 100 of my Colleagues who 
have joined me in this effort to commemorate President Ford's life by 
naming a post office located in Rancho Mirage, CA, in my District, as 
the Gerald R. Ford Post Office.
  This is an especially meaningful piece of legislation to me and many 
of the residents of our District. As many of my Colleagues may know, 
President Ford and his family resided in Rancho Mirage for many years 
before his passing. Naming Ford's local post office in his honor is a 
tribute to this great man and his many accomplishments.
  President Ford and former First Lady, Betty Ford, were active members 
of our local community, generously contributing to the betterment of 
our residents with their involvement in charities and support for the 
successful Betty Ford Center for drug and alcohol rehabilitation. 
President Ford regularly connected with residents and participated with 
local leaders. Many locals remember him as a friend and pillar of our 
community.
  President Ford's many lifetime achievements included serving our 
country during WWII, rising to the rank of Naval Lieutenant Commander, 
and serving in Congress for 25 years, eight of which he was the 
Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. As President, he 
led our citizens during a time of war, economic uncertainty, and low 
moral. With his steady direction, he worked to unify our nation during 
a tumultuous time in our nation's history.
  He was one of our most respected leaders, and worked on many fronts 
to bring together our citizens and strengthen our trust in America's 
future. Years after his service as Commander-in-Chief, President Ford 
continued serving as a source of wise counsel to leaders throughout our 
nation and the world. President Ford was always willing to offer me 
insight and guidance when I came to Congress, and I will forever 
treasure his shared wisdom.
  As a cherished resident of our District, were many locals called him 
a friend, President Ford is most deserving of the honor that this 
Gerald R. Ford Post Office will bring him and his family.
  I ask that my colleagues, who wish to commemorate the legacy of 
President Ford, join

[[Page 12616]]

me in naming the post office near his residence after this exemplary 
American.
  Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I ask for the support of Members from 
both sides of the aisle for H.R. 6085, legislation I am proud to have 
authored.
  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HIGGINS. We urge passage and yield back, Madam Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6085.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  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.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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