TRANSCRIPT

Hoyer: Is It Irresponsibility Week in the U.S. House
March 16, 2004

GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND, MR. HOYER, IS RECOGNIZED. MR. HOYER: I WOULD LIKE TO I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO ADDRESS THE HOUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES AND REVISE AND EXTEND MY REMARKS. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: WITHOUT OBJECTION. MR. HOYER: MR. SPEAKER, ONE WEEK AGO TODAY, THE MAJORITY LEADER, THE GENTLEMAN FROM TEXAS, MR. DELAY, TOLD THE MEMBERS OF THIS BODY AND THE NATIONAL TELEVISION AUDIENCE WATCHING C-SPAN, AND I QUOTE, IT'S RESPONSIBILITY WEEK HERE IN THE HOUSE. IT'S RESPONSIBILITY WEEK HERE IN THE HOUSE. WELL, MR. SPEAKER, THE MAJORITY LEADER WAS ONLY HALF RIGHT. LAST WEEK INDEED WAS RESPONSIBILITY WEEK, BUT THE REAL RESPONSIBILITY WAS BEING EXERCISED NOT HERE IN THIS HOUSE BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CAPITOL HILL. WHILE WE NAMED POST OFFICE BUILDINGS, HONORED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS, AND PASSED LEGISLATIVE SOLUTIONS IN SEARCH OF NATIONAL PROBLEMS, THE OTHER CHAMBER ADOPTED A BIPARTISAN PAY-AS-YOU-GO MEASURE THAT REPUDIATES THE CENTRAL FICTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY'S FUZZY MATH. THAT WE CAN SOMEHOW REIN IN RECORD BUDGET DEFICITS CREATED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION AND THE REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED CONGRESS WHILE IGNORING THE CONSEQUENCES OF TAX CUTS. DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME, MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN WILL SUSPEND FOR ONE MINUTE. THE CHAIR MUST REMIND ALL MEMBERS NOT TO CHARACTERIZE THE ACTIONS OF THE SENATE. MR. HOYER: AS RESPONSIBLE? THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: EITHER WAY. MR. HOYER: DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME, MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS. LISTEN TO A RESPECTED MEMBER OF YOUR OWN PARTY. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, BILL YOUNG. IN FEBRUARY, CHAIRMAN YOUNG SAID, AND I QUOTE, NO ONE SHOULD EXPECT A SIGNIFICANT DEFICIT REDUCTION AS A RESULT OF AUSTERE, NONDEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING LIMITS. THE NUMBERS SIMPLY DO NOT ADD UP. SO SAID, BILL YOUNG, REPUBLICAN, FLORIDA, CHAIRMAN OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THIS BODY. WHY DON'T THE NUMBERS ADD UP? BECAUSE NONDEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING REPRESENTS ONLY 17% OF THE ENTIRE FEDERAL BUDGET. THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, WE COULD WIPE OUT ALL DOMESTIC DISCRETIONARY SPENDING, THE FUNDING FOR THIS HOUSE, THE FUNDING FOR THE SENATE, THE F.B.I., C.I.A., N.I.H., NASA, ALL OF THAT, IF YOU WIPED IT ALL OUT, WE WOULD STILL BE RUNNING A DEFICIT OF MORE THAN $100 BILLION. YET THIS WEEK THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY CONTINUES ITS MARKUP OF A BUDGET RESOLUTION FOR FISCAL 2005 THAT UTTERLY IGNORES MATHEMATICAL AND FISCAL REALITY. BY APPLYING PAY-GO RULES TO SPENDING ONLY, THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION PRETENDS THAT MAKING EXISTING TAX CUTS PERMANENT OR ENACTING NEW ONES ARE A FREEBIE WITH NO BUDGETARY IMPACT. BUT, OF COURSE, THAT IS FALSE, AND IF ONE SAID IT, IT MIGHT EVEN BE A LIE. THE TRUTH IS, THIS REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION CUTS TAXES WHILE SPENDING THE ENTIRE $1 TRILLION SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS BETWEEN FISCAL 2005 AND 2009. ALL OF IT, EVERY NICKEL OF SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS SPENT, AND IT WOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. THE TRUTH IS, THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET RESOLUTION WOULD MAKE OUR DEFICITS $247 BILLION WORSE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS UNDER CURRENT LAW. OVER 10 YEARS, IT WOULD INCREASE THE DEFICIT, ALREADY PROJECTED BY THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE AT $2 TRILLION, BY ANOTHER $1.6 TRILLION. THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR IRRESPONSIBILITY. INDEED, THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION PROPOSAL, AS HAS THE ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, BEEN IMMORAL TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ADVERSELY AFFECT GENERATIONS TO COME. AND THE TRUTH IS THIS BUDGET RESOLUTION WOULD FREEZE FUNDING FOR NECESSARY PARTICULAR APPROPRIATION -- DOMESTIC APPROPRIATIONS OUTSIDE OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO MAKE ROOM NOT FOR DEFENSE, NOT FOR HOMELAND SECURITY, BUT FOR NEW TAX CUTS. FOR YEARS, HOUSE REPUBLICANS PREENED AS, QUOTE, DEFICIT HAWKS. SOME EVEN SUGGESTED THE TAX CUTS ARE NOT, IN FACT, SACROSANCT. FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1997, THE MAJORITY LEADER HIMSELF, MR. TOM DELAY, WHO I QUOTED EARLIER, SAID OF JACK KEMP -- YOU ALL REMEMBER JACK KEMP? SERVED IN THIS BODY, MEMBER OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. HE QUOTED, AND HE SAID TOM DELAY SAID THIS -- JACK KEMP WORSHIPS AT THE ALTAR OF TAX CUTS. JACK HAS ALWAYS SAID THAT DEFICITS DON'T MATTER. NOW, THIS IS TOM DELAY, THE MAJORITY LEADER, THE REPUBLICAN LEADER OF THIS HOUSE. HE CONCLUDED BY SAYING, QUOTE, WE THINK THAT DEFICITS DO MATTER. PERIOD, CLOSE QUOTE. WHAT A TRAGEDY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT THE POLICIES DO NOT FOLLOW THAT CONVICTION. MY REPUBLICAN FRIENDS, THIS WEEK AND NEXT, YOU ARE GOING TO SHOW THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHETHER YOU'RE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING THE DEFICIT YOU CREATED OR WHETHER YOU'RE SIMPLY TAKING IT AND LACK THE COURAGE TO MAKE THE TOUGH CHOICES. NOW, WHEN I SAY THE DEFICIT OF YOUR CREATION, LET ME REMIND ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES, THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION -- THE FIRST FOUR YEARS TOOK US ON A STRAIGHT LINE OUT OF DEFICIT FINANCING, AND THE LAST FOUR YEARS, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN EIGHT DECADES IN THE LIFETIME OF ANYBODY OLDER THAN 80, WAS IN SURPLUS, FOR FOUR YEARS STRAIGHT. SO THIS ADMINISTRATION INHERITED A BUDGET SURPLUS WHICH THEY SAID -- NOT WHAT WE DEMOCRATS SAID, WHICH THEY SAID WAS $5.6 TRILLION, SURPLUS OVER 10 YEARS. THAT THEY HAD TO WORK WITH. IT IS NOW $4 TRILLION OF DEBT. THAT IS WHAT I REFER TO AS IMMORAL. AS REPUBLICAN JOHN MCCAIN SAID LAST WEEK IN SUPPORTING PAY-GO RULES THAT APPLY TO EXISTING AS WELL AS FUTURE TAX CUTS, AND I QUOTE AGAIN, JOHN MCCAIN -- THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN WILL SUSPEND. MR. HOYER PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY. WHILE I CANNOT CHARACTERIZE THE DEBATE THAT OCCURS ON THE OTHER SIDE OR CHARACTERIZE THE POSITION OF THE SENATE ITSELF, IS THE PARLIAMENTARIAN OR IS THE SPEAKER SAYING THAT THE QUOTING OF A MEMBER WHO HAPPENS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE IS CONTRARY TO THE RULES OF THIS HOUSE? THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THAT'S CORRECT. THE GENTLEMAN MAY BE IDENTIFIED AS A SPONSOR OF A MEASURE BUT NOT AS A SENATOR. HIS REMARKS MAY NOT BE QUOTED. MR. HOYER: LET ME SAY TO MY FRIENDS THAT A PROMINENT AMERICAN HAS SAID RECENTLY THAT OUR FAILURE TO START MAKING SOME OF THE TOUGH DECISIONS WILL LAND SQUARELY ON THE BACKS OF OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. AND THEIR FINANCIAL FUTURE WILL BE STRAPPED WITH THE DIGGING OUT OF HOLES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED BY OUR ACTIONS AND INACTIONS. I AGREE WITH THAT SENTIMENT. AND LET ME ADD THAT OUR FAILURE TO MAKE THE TOUGH DECISIONS ALSO THREATENS THE VERY FUTURE OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE. TWO PROGRAMS WHICH NOW KEEP MILLIONS AND MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF AMERICANS OUT OF POVERTY. NEXT WEEK DEMOCRATS WILL PROPOSE A BUDGET PLAN THAT MEETS AMERICA'S PRIORITIES AND GETS OUR FINANCIAL HOUSE BACK IN ORDER. I URGE ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT IT BECAUSE IT IS INTELLECTUALLY THE RIGHT THING TO DO, FROM A FISCAL POLICY IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, AND FROM A MORAL VALUES, PRO FAMILY PERSPECTIVE, IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. IT'S TIME WE DELIVERED REAL RESPONSIBILITY THIS WEEK TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. THANK YOU, MR. SPEAKER. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN FROM MICHIGAN,