for eight years in the bush administration, the budget was basically flat. they did not help small businesses, the engine of drop -- job growth in america. it is what we need for creativity and innovation. last year, the offer was accepted by this committee to raise the budget by $180 million. and this year, to have increased by 75 million, i think you for that. it is the key to our economic success, helping small businesses. .

>> i will yield you some more time. that is kind of you. i would also like to express accolades as everybody else has for senator -- the senator from new hampshire because it is people like him you can -- that give public-service a good name.

when you have somebody like him retire, it is going to give a big vacuum. i wish you were retiring, but you're entitled to your own decisions and whenever life you want from here on out. but public service will be harmed because there are not people like you are around. a year ago when this committee met to mark up the budget resolution, we were confronted with an astoundingly irresponsible budget. during that time, we of heard a lot about how these massive deficits and debts were in heritage from the previous administration. we continue to hear that these claims, even though the congressional democratic majorities in 2007 and 2008 played a leading role in creating deficits that president obama inherited, and as was predicted at the time, president obama was turning the course to

double and triple his inheritance. one year later, did president obama propose a budget that will change course and reduce spending and reduce deficits? i don't think so. in fact, just the opposite. this budget is shocking because it repeats the mistakes of his last pass the budget. it is kind of groundhog day once again. it puts us on a path of rising deficits as far as the eye can see. publicly held federal that grows from less than 6% of our economy today to 90% by 2020. that is an alarming increase from the post world war two average of about 40%. annual deficits over the next 10 years never drop below 700 billion. we will likely have three

consecutive budgets that are each over a trillion dollars in deficit. this budget makes a trillion dollar deficit the norm. there is no effort to rein in spending, and it is unsustainable. it is a one-way ticket to the debt problems being experienced by the governments of greece. while the budget last year was claimed to be inherited, this budget is a wholly owned by president obama, and the people that pass it in this congress, which think will be mostly or entirely the majority party. the obama budget more than doubles publicly held federal that in seven years. they are estimated at more than 4% of our gdp. a few years ago, you, chairman conrad, spoke of the previous administration budget that would push up interest rates and retard economic growth. you describe them as threatening the long-term economic security of the country with debt that would take the nation many

generations to recover. those statements, and that they were alarming statements, were made with annual deficits were one-fifth of what they are under this budget. we never envisioned annual deficit -- deficits of a trillion dollars year after year when you referred to the crippling debts of just a few years ago. now we have had two consecutive budgets from this president that increased taxes, increase spending, and increase the debt. these policies will leave a mountain of debt to our children and grandchildren and have the potential to bankrupt our country. i hope the former federal reserve chairman volcker, a key adviser on fiscal policy gave us an honest assessment of how this administration and the congressional democratic leadership want to tackle fiscal problems facing the nation. to make up for the largest levels of spending in the deficits in modern history, the administration is laying the foundation for a large misguided the new tax for the first time, an american value added tax. they have said much of the same

thing. if the president wants to add a completely new layers of taxation, then he should take this issue for the american people when he runs for reelection. the administration in the democratic leadership are asking the american taxpayer to make up for their inability to do what any responsible american household does, live within their means. we should be keeping taxes low, reducing government spending and the deficit. these actions must be taken if we have any chance of providing the same level of economic prosperity for future generations. thank you, mr. chairman. the >> we may disagree on the analysis of the history and how we got here, but again, when we don't disagree on is one thing i want to say publicly, how much i appreciate the seriousness that you bring to your job, and the decency that you bring to your job.

>> those are kind words, i think you very much. senator white house, thank you for all the energy that you bring to this committee. and also, the background dealing with complex financial matters, because you have made a significant contribution here. >> i appreciate it. i want to begin by applauding your continued leadership as our nation begins to recover from the worst economic downturn of our lifetime. i also wish ranking member greg well on his last budget procedure. we will miss you. 13 months ago, when we met to

consider the budget resolution for the current fiscal year, the economy was in peril. unemployment was climbing up to 700,000 jobs lost by americans every month. the stock market had plummeted to a level not seen in more than a decade. bank lending had virtually frozen. economic anxiety pervaded the nation. president obama was just on the job for two months. we are by no means out of the woods just yet, but before turning to work that needs to be done, we should remark on the progress we have made over the last year. the recovery act has already supported between 2.2 and 2.8 million jobs. helping first to stop and begin to reverse our serging and unemployment. indeed, the two year long climb on unemployment has been halted as the national rate is once again below 10%, although in rhode island, it is hovering just under 13%.

as the economy it has stabilized, investor confidence has recovered. much of the value that had evaporated has been made back over the past year. on the data recovery act was signed into law, the dow jones industrial average closed over 7500. yesterday, it closed at 11,000. it did require borrowing to counteract the inherited meltdown, tightening belts is the wrong analogy in the middle of an economic contraction. if we followed that advice, we would probably be in a second depression now. in addition to the economic gains of the past 12 months, i would be remiss if i did not acknowledge the health care legislation that ensure that all americans have access to affordable, quality health care.

the primary economic anxiety for many families in rhode island and around the country is obtaining and retaining health insurance coverage for their loved ones. the affordable health care law will insure the citizens -- they finally have access to quality, affordable health care coverage. while the progress has been substantial, many parts of the country continue to suffer through recession level of employment. again, unemployment in my state of rhode island stands at 12.6%. the recession started earlier than most places, and the suffering has been deeper. i am pleased that the resolution includes a jobs reserve fund that will provide us with procedural flexibility in passing legislation and extending assistance for the unemployed. as most of you surely know, mother nature hit rhode island hard with the worst flooding since the great september gale of 1815. 3000 rhode island people are out of work because of the storms, and the uncovered damages to

state and local government will likely reach into the hundreds of millions. we're a small state. it for us, those are big numbers. i plan to offer an amendment that will expand funds to cover flood prevention and legislation to bolster the failing dams. i hope that my colleagues will support this language and help provide assistance for the flood victims in my state. the chair in's resolution will complement many of president obama's budget priorities, from maintaining the tax credit and shielding middle-class americans from the amt, to supporting programs and providing for investments in science, education, and health care. it also follows the president's request to freeze discretionary spending for the next three years. as americans are forced to reexamine their budgets, so,

too, should our government. i hope my colleagues see this freeze as a way to cut duplicative spending and make the government run more efficiently. i am pleased to serve on the task force that the chairman established on this committee, chaired by senator warner. i look forward to exploring efficiency opportunities as the work of the task force continues. i want to end on a cautionary note for anyone intent on framing the president of the budget as fiscally irresponsible. a conversation about who is responsible for the budget deficit is one that i am quite prepared to have. president clinton left president bush an annual budget surplus, and budget trajectory predicted by cbo to eliminate the federal that and leave the completely debt-free america by 2009. we could be going into the second year of a completely debt-free america. but the irresponsible policies of the bush administration changed all that. $1.30 trillion went towards the wealthy, a prescription drug that it -- a prescription drug benefit to line the pockets of

big pharma, and regulatory failures that led to near financial collapse all put us where we are today. i am ready to engage in that conversation. i hope that we will choose instead to put the rhetoric aside and work together on a constructive budget with appropriate attention both to spending and revenue. we owe it to our constituents to do our best to restore prosperity to the economy and balanced the budget. i commend you, mr. chairman for your leadership. i look forward to going back to brighter budget days. >> allowed people listening to know that center whitehouse and senator reid made a powerful presentation to our caucus on the flooding in rhode island. i won the center to know that

the history of this body is to stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues and with the people of the affected states when they have a disaster. and clearly, rhode island has had a very serious natural disaster. you, senator white house and senator reid, as i said, made one of the most impassioned presentations on a natural disaster hitting a state that i have heard in my 24 years here. and that has been hurt by colleagues, and it will be responded to. >> i think you, chairman.

>> i had a chance to welcome him to the committee when he wasn't here. i had a chance to say how -- i want a chance to say how much we enjoy your sense of fiscal responsibility, and it has made an impression on your colleagues, certainly on me. i deeply appreciate the sense of fiscal responsibility of brought to the united states senate. i knew you were mayor back home in alaska, and you know what it is to balance budgets. it takes tough choices. and we have started the process here of making tough choices. i am proud of the fact we have brought the deficit down during the five years of this budget from almost 10% of gdp down to 3%, which virtually all economists say what is necessary to stabilize the debt. i am swift to say that we have to do more, that is why this deficit reduction commission is so important. there was no stronger ally in getting that commission put into place then the senator from alaska. >> thank you for those comments in your right. once you have been a mayor, you know you have to balance everything out at the end of the day. it is an important process. thank you for the opportunity to serve here on the committee. the new members of the budget committee, i am pleased to have the opportunity to work with all of you in the coming days, and the chairman's proposal

which is rooted in fiscal present -- fiscal discipline will also provide middle-class tax relief. i applaud the chairman for striking the right balance between putting this on the path of fiscal financial health, and programs that spur economic growth, alaskans and all americans expect us to do two things in terms of fiscal responsibility. first, reduce government spending, and a second, cut the deficit so that tax dollars are put back into the pockets of hard-working americans like the fishermen or the small business owner in anchorage. americans expect us in congress to reduce the deficit so their grandchildren have a more promising fiscal future. they need us to provide immediate relief. what i like most about the proposal in the proposed budget that encompasses just that, extends a helping hand to people that are simply trying to make a

living and also cuts the deficit. when i first got to washington, we were facing the greatest economic crisis since the great depression. it was tough for all of us to go back home and explain why another car dealership has shut down or why another neighbor was facing foreclosure. i was troubled by the enormous level of debt facing this and future generations. today's unprecedented 13 trillion dollars in federal that did not suddenly appear last year or with this administration. it is a result of years of failing to pay for two wars, tax cuts for the wealthy, and spending to prevent the economy from tail spinning into a depression. >> 800,000 jobs have been lost. unemployment reached a staggering 8.8 on the -- the highest in almost two decades. they are slowly climbing out of this devastating fiscal crisis. as of march 2010, we have

gained 162,000 jobs to move our economy in the right direction. the president signed into law a package of measures, which will help thousands of alaskans and millions of americans go back to work. when congress passed the first of several jobs bills, the law business expanded, hired workers, and just started infrastructure projects, including many in my home state of alaska. it includes $671 billion more in deficit reduction the president goes a budget. it also cuts taxes for the middle-class and investing in education that will lay the foundation for a long-term economic security. as a member of the veterans affairs committee, the highest number of veterans per-capita, i am proud the proposal makes our service members and veterans top priority, and it addresses

the inequities. it also repeals the offset the penalizes service members that unjustly allow benefits to work against each other. it also ensures that the va can provide the highest quality of care for the veterans. there is a 7.4% increase. the budget proposal adopt the funding levels and highway safety programs. it gives money to the faa and provides $200 million in air service program that served 45 communities in alaska. alaska is unique in that it has some of the most remote rural communities in the nation. the budget recognizes the importance of the bureau and whirl -- rowlock -- role waters. many alaskan natives are facing a public crisis. the chairman's proposal has

provided $4.40 billion for health services to improve quality health care facilities, services, and $255 million for public safety and justice programs. >> it provides 700 million in native american housing grants. i am proud to work on a budget that puts america on a strong, -- a strong fiscal course that allows people to retain their hard-earned money. we must continue to focus on enforcing fiscal discipline and cutting the deficit. it is clear that america is getting back on track. the 700 billion authorized by

the bush administration for the tarp program, $148 million will be cancelled by the chairman's proposal. this process will be ongoing and will help cut the deficit. a strongly support the long- term changes necessary to reduce the federal debt. that is what tomorrow i will introduce an amendment that will direct all remaining tar buddy towards the deficit other than about $30 billion set aside for small business lending. this proposal is about jobs, deficit-reduction, providing tax relief for hard-working middle-class families. again, thank you, chairman conrad. think for the opportunity to serve on the committee. >> i think the senator very much for his comments, and i especially thank him for doing this committee and bring his perspective to it. i just want to conclude today by saying that others have given their analysis of how we have gotten to where we are today. i want to give mine.

i believe that if we look back over the last decade, we had an overly loose fiscal policy under control of the congress and the president of the united states. the debt doubled during the previous administration, and those were during good times. we also had, at that same time, the monetary policy under control of the federal reserve. it is very unusual in economic history to see simultaneously an overly loose fiscal policy and an overly loose monetary policy. on top of it all, we had the regulations in a way that led to extraordinarily risky financial instruments, and i am primarily thinking of derivatives that led to the complete bankruptcy of aig and indeed for a federal bailout which, had it not been done, this was done by the

previous administration. remember that tarp was done in the previous administration. had aig not been rescued, we would be in a global depression today. had the steps taken by the federal reserve and the previous administration and this administration to provide liquidity, i believe we would be in a global depression today. i think economic history will confirm that view. but the responsibility for the overly loose fiscal policy, that did not happen on this administration's watch. they inherited a doubling of the debt that occured. they inherited a deficit because of the precipitous economic down client that with any previous administration. they inherited a deficit of $1.30 trillion.

it is true that they added to it in order to provide liquidity to prevent a complete collapse. what was done was absolutely imperative to avoid a global financial collapse. i believe there was widespread responsibility. an overly loose fiscal policy under the responsibility of the federal reserve, an overly loose fiscal policy, control of congress and the president, it treated the seedbed for bubbles to form. and it was not just the housing bubble. we also had the energy bubble. we had a commodity bubble. it went over $20 a bushel. bubbles to form and bubble

burst, and when they do, there is enormous economic wreckage. this administration got stuck with cleaning it up. where i would fault this administration. they inherited the debt -- the devastation. because, well, the deficit comes down in the first five years quite sharply. where i would fall to them is the second five years. and that is why the fiscal commission, i believe, is critically important. i would applaud the administration for coming forward with the fiscal commission after center greg and my proposal to have the statutory commission did not get the supermajority vote necessary.

that is where we are. i believe that when the history of this time is written, the steps taken by the previous administration, when the collapse was occurring, and the follow-up steps by this administration in the federal reserve were absolutely essential to avert a global financial collapse. it is also true that we now have to pitch. we now have to pick it and focus on deficits and debt like a laser.

the question before us is, what is the right timing to make that pivot. i don't believe it is this year. i wish it were. we still have almost 10% unemployment, one in every six workers in this economy that says they are unemployed or underemployed. most economists tell me that we could have a double-dip recession. that would be a disaster. i also believe deeply, we have got to give it very soon. i don't think this year is the time. adding soon thereafter, it is the time. we have to take the spending side of the equation, which does have to be dealt with, and we have to take on the revenue side as well. the harsh reality is that the revenue structure in this

country is inefficient, it is not allowing for the full competitive strength of the united states, and it is also not fair. we don't have a fair distribution of the burden. i would say to my colleagues, now is the time. we have got to put in place a plan that makes sense for the economic reality of this year, and we have got to begin the pivot to aggressively go after death -- that's. this budget attempts to do both. senator sanders, welcome. it is good to have you here. the nisei the country owes you a deep debt of gratitude for your devotion to community health centers. your strong advocacy has led to a very substantial investment in community health centers, not only in the budget last year, but in the health care bill. i believe it will pay dividends in that -- and for the people of this country for many years to come.

it would not have happened without you. >> that is very kind to you, and i apologize for being late. thank you for putting together the budget that you did, there is a lot of hard work that that entailed. what is interesting about the process that we're going for right now is that we have an opportunity in a way that many other committees don't to take a hard look at national priorities. this is called a national priorities committee. where we're spending money that we shouldn't be spending? where are we not spending money that we should? how do we ways -- and raise revenue and equitable way?

these are issues that we wrestle with. the take a little bit different bent -- and then some of my colleagues. we are in the midst of the worst recession since the great depression of the 1930's. it means 17% of the people are either unemployed or underemployed as a result of the greed and recklessness and illegal behavior of wall street. millions of people have lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost the ability to send their kids to college. it is an absolute disaster. we can't let anything without understanding that reality. some people say, we have been spending money lately. we have been spending money in order to pull this country out of the major economic crisis, and we appear to be having some

success in doing that. number one, we are in the midst of a major recession. what else? this country has enormous needs out there. i was recently at a meeting of the health committee. we had a guy from the oecd that does education. this country, in many respects, is falling behind young people and the rest of the world in terms of graduation rates for high school and college. we're not going to compete if our educational system is not up to par. we had fewer manufacturing jobs that we have had. how we become a great economy of we're not producing the products that we need? i don't know how you do that. in terms of the needs of our kids, in many ways, the judge and nation on how it treats its youngest people. we have the highest rate of child part -- the poverty of any child country -- of any big country on earth. we don't invest in early education.

with more people in jail than china does, than any other country on earth. for a country with a glass, we have more people in jail. our infrastructure is crumbling right now. how'd you become a great nation if we don't have roads and bridges, a transportation system that we need. everybody knows that we have well over $1 trillion in terms of infrastructure and transportation. those are some of the needs that are out there. but there is a question that don't think anyone has touched on. it seems to be an issue we're not allowed to talk about, the distribution of wealth and income. are we allowed to talk about that issue? the top 1% earns more income than the bottom 50%. how do you not talk about that? we have the top 1% owning more wealth than the bottom 90%. with the most unequal distribution of wealth and then come than any major country on earth. natalie is that immoral and wrong, it is bad economics.

when so few have so much in so many have so little, you create the kind of spending patterns that you want. those are some of the issues that we have got to address. what do i think? i think that number one, my view is that this budget does not go far enough in terms of investing in america. i'll go further. i will be offering amendments to do just that. where do we get the money? i will tell you where we begin to get some of that money. i find it ron that you have a situation where warren buffett who has been before this committee, he tells us that he pays a lower effective tax rate than does his secretary. this is the third richest guy in the world. somebody tell me that that

makes any sense of all. i have a situation where last year, exxon mobile, the most profitable corporation in the history of the world not only did not pay any federal income taxes, but received a tax fund last year in part by setting up tax shelters in the cayman islands. i recall that lovely chart with the thousands of companies. a little bit crowded in one building, there. when you talk about investing in america, were we getting the money? that is a pretty good place to start. none of my republican colleagues are here. but i find it a little bit amusing to say the least, that without exception, they tell us how serious the deficit situation is, and i agree that is a very serious problem.

and they have voted to repeal the estate tax. and i right? i believe virtually every republican voted for that. the vote to repeal the estate tax, over 10 years, it provides one trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top 0.3%. here we have a situation where some folks voted for war that cost us $2 or $3 trillion. they voted for a medicare prescription voted -- written by insurance companies. now we're being lectured on how to deal with the deficit. the bottom line is, i think, if this middle-class is going to survive, and there is a real question about whether that will be the case, we've got to invest in the needs of this country. we cannot allow ourselves to become a second-rate nation. when we invest in infrastructure, education, energy, we will create millions of good paying jobs. the way you raise the revenue to do that is ask the wealthiest people in this country who have got a huge tax breaks in recent

years to start paying their fair share of taxes. the other area, we don't talk about this much. take a look at the military budget. this budget that we're talking about right now spends, as i understand it, twice as much on defense than on domestic and on security discretionary spending like education, energy, the environment, labor. are we allowed to talk about it, or is the military industrial complex too strong? we'll be offering amendments as

this process continues, and a thank-you for your hard work. >> thank you for the energy and the intellect that you bring to the task. we appreciate it very much. let me indicate that we are going to now recess until tomorrow morning at 9:00, please have members here -- please have your members here if they have amendments. it is going to be our intention to have to crotches of amendments tomorrow. senator gregg and i have talked about one contract at about 12:00 or 1230. we will conclude on that tomorrow and we're back here. and a second later in the afternoon, we will figure it out based on the number of amendments that we have when that is best timed.

senator gregg and i felt that late in the afternoon it might work best. we'll see how many amendments we have. with that, i want to thank all members have participated today, and i look forward to a day of amendments tomorrow. we'll stand in recess until 9:00 a.m.. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

>> coming up, the house pastry to civil rights leader dorothy height. president obama meets with members of the senate judiciary committee to discuss possible supreme court nominees. the senate budget committee begins work on the annual budget resolution for the later, " washington journal." >> we have a vast workforce with too many people who cannot read. 75% of the people in the work vests -- we have to do more. >> whether it is bill clinton from 1987 or last week, the c- span library has many videos in

every day at more. certification it, what it, and share it. every program since 1987 not available free online at the c- span video library. >> dorothy height died tuesday at the age of 98 but it today in the u.s. house, members came to the floor to pay tribute to her. we will hear first from john conyers of michigan. this is one hour. >> this is a day we have come to remember and honor the life and legacy of one of america's most celebrated civil rights leaders, the late dr. dorothy height. she passed just yesterday. she was one that brings back many memories for many of the members of the house .

. she was -- her connections with dr. martin luther king jr. and rosa parks and all the organizations that she was connected with are already a part of legendary record. i was with her in 1963 when dr. king led this march to washington and i remembered seeing her, i didn't know her at that time, but i sure got to know her a couple years later. i'm going to put my remarks in the record and yield to our distinguished majority whip, -- wait a minute. maybe i should let mr. poe go for a little while. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i want to thank the chairman of the judiciary committee for bringing this to the floor as quickly as possible. i support this resolution, h.res. 1281, and it commemorates the life of dorothy height as the chairman said who died just yesterday. she was one of the key civil rights leaders who fought for racial and gender equality in the 20th century. she helped bring about school desegregation, she brought about in her own way the movement for an advocation for voting rights and employment equality. . she moved to pennsylvania at an early age. she was admitted to bernard

college but was denied admission when she showed up to register. she the school had a policy of accepting only two black student, so she went to new york university. the got a master's degree in educational psychology. after her studies, ms. height served as a caseworker in new york city. her next year she began her career as a civil rights activist on behalf of african-american and all women. she joined the ywca and was the national president of delta sigma theta. from 1957 to 1967, she was president of the american council of negro women and in the 1970's, she established wednesdays in mississippi, to join black and white women from

the north and south to join in dialogues to accomplish social integration. she lobbied first lady eleanor roosevelt to help civil rights efforts in the 1940's. in later year, she encouraged presidents dwight eisenhower presidents dwight eisenhower and lyndon baynes johnson to she served on the committee of women but the show is a consultant on african affairs and secretary of state. she was on the platform with dr. martin luther king jr. when he gave his speech in 1963. it he winced at that event in 1963. -- mr. conyers was at that event in 1963. she was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1994 and the gold medal in 2004.

at the age of 98, dorothy height passed away at howard university hospital here in washington, d.c. i encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this resolution. i reserve the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> the recognize james clyburn for as much time as teammates. thank you four leading this resolution. >> the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. >> thank you. i thank you so much for joining in this resolution. i was born and raised in a small town in south carolina.

outside is a little town, the birthplace of their mcleod t. , the founder of the american council of negro women. when i was growing up, my mother, who was a beautician, and ms. bethune, organized the national council through beauty shops. my mother thought ms. bethune was the greatest person to ever live and she made me learn everything i could about ms. bethune. later, as i labored on the staff of governor john west, back in 1971, i received a phone call. from dorothy height.

i knew ms. height, she had been a longtime president of delta sigma theta sorority, the sister sorority to my fraternity, omega psi phi. i knew her and i knew her because she'd become the national leader of the national council of negro women. she said to me that she wanted my help because she thought that south carolina being the birth place of marely -- mary mccloud bethune, it would be the place to honor her. she thought ms. bethune's portrait should be in the state house of south carolina. at that time no african-american was so honored. never been an african-american portrait placed in the state

house. and i went to governor west and i told him that i thought this was something we should do. well, as you can imagine, madam speaker, this was not met with as much collegiality as we display toward each other here on this floor. so i called ms. height to tell her that i thought this was going to be very, very difficult. she said to me, now, young man, i didn't ask for your help because i thought it was going to be easy. she said things to me that day that made me understand a lot about who and what i am. and we joined together. we covered and counseled each other.

and i'm pleased to report that because of ms. height, dr. height, the portrait of mary mccloud bethune hangs in the state house of south carolina. the first african-american so honored. others have joined us and later been amaze -- have joined us. but she blazed that trail and she did so because of dr. height. when i got elected to the congress, dr. height called again. she told me that the national council is going to put a statue here in, i believe lincoln park, here in washington. she wanted me to come and be part of that dedication.

i joined her there that day and from that day on, very often, we would meet, we would talk on the phone, and i just believe that she is very close to being as great a woman as mary mccloud bethune was. i'm pleased to be here to say a few words in honor of her and in memory of her great life and tremendous legacy and with that, i yield back, mr. chairman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to yield marcia fudge, one of our

newest members of the congress who knew and worked for, studied under, was a meantee to dorothy height -- was a mentee to dorothy height and i yield the gentlelady such time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. fudge: thank you, madam speaker, thank you, mr. chairman. yesterday, madam speaker, a civil rights icon and humanitarian, dr. dorothy irene height, passed at the age of 98. she was my friend, my mentor, and one of my predecessors as the national president of delta sigma theta sorority. she was passionate about justice and equality. everything she did, every position she held and every policy she advocated served her life's mission, which was to eliminate barriers to success for women and blacks while

inspiring the next generation. even though presidents and other world leaders sought her counsel, she always took the time to advise and encourage young women, including myself. while we mourn her loss, i am in the sad. she lived a great life -- i am not sad. she lived a great life. we often talk about, life is not the longevity, but it is the breadth. she had a great life. we celebrate her life today a great humanitarian who leaves a legacy of strong and caring women. that is why i'm honored to introduce this resolution celebrating dr. height's life and recognizing her work. dr. height served as president of the national council of negro women for four decades, step do you think from the position in 1997. in her position with the council which by the way, connected nearly four million women worldwide, she tackled

issues that affected all families, including child care for working mothers, health and nutrition, and providing adequate housing for families in need. she serves as the national president of delta sigma theta from 1947 to 1957. widely recognized as one of the founding members of the civil rights movement, dr. height was awarded the presidential medal of freedom in 1994 by president bill clinton and in 2004, she received the congressional gold medal. dr. height fought for equal rights for both women and blacks, and was active in such causes as securing voting rights, equality employment opportunities and desegregation of public schools. marching alongside dr. martin luther king jr. she advocated women's rights in that the -- in the civil rights struggle. she advocated number ruse proms

-- programs to help women achieve independence and equal rights shesms a social worker, advocate, educator, organizer, mentor and friend. she was my friend, i will miss her but my life has been better just by knowing her. mr. chairman, madam speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield sheila jackson lee, senior member of the committee, as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized. ms. jackson lee: let me thank you very much to the chairman of the judiciary committee, my colleague from texas, mr. poe for his presence and comments

on the floor about dr. dorothy height, and as well, the author of the resolution. i'm very proud to have joined congresswoman fudge to be an original co-sponsor of this legislation. i come to the floor today, as we did yesterday, for, i believe that the celebration -- for i believe the celebration of dr. height's life needs no stopping, if you will. if we continue to commemorate her throughout this week, we will not be able to account for her service and for those who may not be familiar with dr. dorothy height, i only wish that this picture was in color, so maybe as you look at this lady adorned with fabulous hat, well attired, you will remember seeing in many pictures with presidents, kings and queens, international leaders a lady who was appropriately attired with that dapper and beautiful hat.

the colors i remember most are her beautiful aqua. i say that only because many times we look at women as to how they are adorned. i think that dr. height did not fail to be noticed when she came into a room, both by her sta hewitt and her attire but certainly by her words. i would count her the most influential woman in the civil rights movement, a friend to many, one who empowered women and clearly progeny of mary mccloud bethune. what a wonderful legacy given to dr. height in her leadership of the national council of negro women for some 40 years. there are chapters throughout the nation and i am grateful tore a member of the dorothy height chapter in houston, texas. there are many, and i must remind my colleagues and those who are listening that the narme continues to be the national council of negro

women, which was the name that was given by mary mccloud bethune. no one dared view that as any undermining of the dignity and purpose, reliability and of course the power of this organization. no one ran away from the word negro. because we knew that in that word there was struggle, there was the showing of what we overcame, and to the instruction of mary mccloud bethune we knew it captured the embowerment of women but also spoke to the education of our children. dr. dorothy height was in the center point of that and i had the privilege of coming here to the united states congress and being able to look up to dr. height as i got to know her even before my congressional duties. what a pleasure to be able to join her at her annual events in the national down soifl political women, national

council of black political women, to deal with her seeking empowerment for women and as well to be able to join with betty shabez and dr. coretta scott king. what a powerful group of women whose history parallel eached other but in essence, they were sisters. i rise today to be able to acknowledge this woman who came easily to the national congress and now -- and to be able to thank her. when we were looking to pass legislation to include so journer truth as the only -- sojourner truth as the only standing figure now of an african-american woom in this united states congress, this great heroine, this great woman added her leverage, her power and her support in sisterhood to ensure we place sojourner

truth, a suffragette and abolitionist here. . let it be known we do recommit ourselves to the universal access to education for all children. for the education of america's children, for reminding us that haiti's children now suffering in the wane of an earthquake must be provided education. and to be reminded that there is no shame in being an agitator and provock tour and someone who -- provock tore and someone who vites -- fights. and the women and men and the many different rainbow colors of many different rainbow colors of these united states people will be indebted to you for saving some many of us. may god bless your soul. the rest in peace as we celebrate your life.

god bless you. i yield back. cut the gentleman from texas has 17 minutes remaining. the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i continue to reserve. >> the gentleman from michigan is recognized. >> i am delighted to recognize our former state senator, our former ambassador, and now a member of congress who has served to such distinction, diane watson, hollywood, california. i yield her one minute. >> you are recognized for one minute. >> thank you so much. i come to contribute and to

continue to contribute to a woman that really was the matriarch of the american civil rights movement. i want you to know her crusade for racial justice and gender equality expanded more than six decades. this is a fact you need to know. it was at age 19 that mrs. mccloud saw the leadership, the skill, and the brilliance of dorothy height. she was 19 years old when mary mccloud bethune passed the mantle of leadership over to her and she held it high and she served all people well. and i just want you to know i found out with a little research that my grandmother went to

school with mary mccloud bethune and she used to tell us about her when we were 3 years old, my sister and i. and so it was many, many, many decades ago that the leadership was struck and we stand on her shoulders. thank you so much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: madam speaker, i yield to mr. conyers additional 10 minutes and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: thank you. i want to thank judge poe for his generosity. at this time i'm going to yield donna edwards of maryland is recognized for two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. ms. edwards: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman.

i rise today to mourn and to join our nation in mourning dr. dorothy height. she was an american icon who dedicated her life to racial justice and gender equality. and at a time when women and african-americans were regarded as second class citizens, this strong, powerful, beautiful african-american woman stood up for us. and she strove to change that and rose to become a key figure in the civil rights movement. meeting with first ladies and presidents and heads of state. i want to step back for a minute because i look back fondly to the time when i first met dr. height and it was more than 20 years ago as a young advocate working on domestic violence. it was through dr. height's voice and her leadership and her kindness and generosity of intellect and spirit that enabled me to become a really strong advocate for domestic violence and to speak on behalf of the needs of african-american women and women of color. in a feminist movement that was

not always opened to those kind of voices, and it was really dr. height who enabled us to meet those challenges with our other feminist colleagues. i regard dr. height as a strong woman of color in the civil rights movement, but also a really strong feminist. and a committed feminist. and just a few weeks ago, i greeted dr. height when she was out in my congressional district with her beloved deltas. and she was feeling as strong and healthy then and healthy of spirit and mind and intellect as she always had been. so with that i rise to remember her, to value her, and as a novice political leader to know that when it really counted dr. height was on my side, too. thank you. with that i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance

of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, it's my distinct honor to recognize our speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman, the speaker of the house, is recognized. the speaker: thank you very much, madam speaker. i thank the chairman for yielding and give us this opportunity to honor the life, legacy, and contributions of a godmother of the civil rights movement and a champion of social justice, dr. dorothy height. her loss is felt by all of us who knew her, respected her, and followed in her footsteps. but it's also felt by people who may never know her name but for whom she worked, for whom she led, and for whom she made a difference. the nation mourns the passing of this giant of american history and our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and loved ones of this stroor woman.

-- extraordinary woman. many women are heirs to the work, passion, and legacy of dorothy height. from her early days as an activist, she fought for equality under the law for every american. recognizing that the battle for civil rights extended to african-americans, women, and anyone denied the chance to succeed because of who they are. for four decades she stood at the helm of the national council of negro women, continuing the struggle for an america that lives up to the ideals of liberty and opportunity for all. in every fight dorothy height turned the tied of history toward progress. -- tide of history toward progress. because of what she achieved schools are no longer separate and unequal, and the voting booth is open to all striving to participate in our democracy. because of what she did a steady job and decent home were not limited to a person based on their background, color of their

skin, or means. today we live in america dorothy height helped to build. a nation defined by equality, shaped by civil rights, and driven by the pursuit of justice for all. the pledge we take every day, liberty and justice for all. that's what dorothy height was about. i was very proud to be joined president bush and the house and senate, democrats and republicans, in 2004 when we presented the congressional gold medal, the highest civilian honor congress can bestow, on dorothy height. at that time president george w. bush said, in the presence of dorothy height you realize you are in the presence of grace, but you've got to realize that behind that grace there's a will of steel and absolute determination. the president went on to remind us all of how dorothy height, and he quoted from her -- later

he quoted from her book, but then he went on to say how dorothy height always stressed the importance of institutions closest to us, our families, our churches, and our neighborhoods. he said, she understands that those institutions are important in shaping the character of an individual, and therefore the character of our nation. president bush even, the president of the united states, imagine, even quoted dorothy height's memoir where she wrote, quote, it is in the neighborhood and communities where the world begins. that is where children grow and families are developed. where people exercise the power to change their lives. the president of the united states quoting dorothy height as we presented her with a congressional gold medal. important to note that with all of those honors it was also a

pleasure for us to hear from dr. alexis herman, she would be secretary of labor and secretary herman very, very close personally, professionally, in every day to dorothy height and -- in every way to dorothy height. and at that time she sang her praises, what she did to advance women and young girls and the rest, but she also talked about how she made the best sweet potato pie. so personally, professionally, patriotically dorothy height was all systems go. i have been passed a note because i was asking about a film i recently saw on tv that i hope can be available now. again it is called "the life and surprising times of dorothy height." it is an inspirational presentation of the life of a person, a person who was

instilled by her own mother with the idea she could do whatever she set out to do and had a responsibility to do so. over a lifetime, over dorothy height's lifetime, human rights and equality, dorothy right advocated on behalf 6 our neighborhoods -- of our neighborhoods and community. she stood tall for our children and families. she truly exercised her talent to change lives. as we state in our resolution today, dorothy height was a tenacious civil rights activist, social worker, advocate, educator, and organizer in the quest for equality. i join my colleague, congresswoman edwards, in focusing on that equality for women as well. i last saw dorothy height about a month ago at the 70th birthday party for john lewis, our colleague.

there she sat as dignified as a queen reigning over the proceedings, one who had seen it all, seen the struggle, seen the change, and now recognized then by the congress of the united states and now in her passing by the entire nation. our country is better off because of dorothy height's commitment, compassion, grace, and patriotism. we will miss her tenacity and zeal in the fight for equality. our nation's heritage and hope. will each take inspiration from the story of progress and her countless victories for the american people. thank you, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize my friend and colleague from michigan, carolyn cheeks kilpatrick, distinguished

member of the appropriations committee and activist in her own right, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from michigan is recognized for one minute. ms. kilpatrick: thank you, madam speaker. thank you, mr. chairman. i thank the gentleman for yielding us additional time. we appreciate it. i have known dorothy height, the honorable dorothy irene height, for many years. this last weekend several of us went to bennett college for women in greensboro, north carolina. i was a speaker at the height for excellence luncheon scholarship luncheon for the young women that go to that university. quite an honor it was for us to pay homage to dr. height, quiet, courageous, just imagine 70 years ago when she stepped out as a woman working with leaders to speak, to give, to organize, and to teach. here we are in 2010 wanting to be like dorothy irene height.

i want to honor former secretary alexis herman who served as her adopted daughter and with her for all these years as we serve here in washington. also to dr. barbara skinner who worked tirelessly and surrounded dr. height in prayer for the last three weeks, 24 hours a day. thank you, my sisters. let us rise up and have the strength that dr. height showed each of us. 30 seconds? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is yielded another 30 seconds. ms. kilpatrick: thank you very much. dr. height, just know you are in all of us. that as we go forward as women, as congresswomen, mothers, as we brave young children to be future dr. heights, just know the height of excellence will remain in each of us. rest in peace our dear beloved mother. join rosa parks, harriet tubman, and others who have gone before. thank you very much. .

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize our colleague gwen moore from wisconsin. i yield her one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is yielded one minute. ms. moore: dr. dorothy height gave not only her height but her long-term breadth and depth and length of service to the civil rights movement, to gender equality. mother to no children, wife to no one, she was queen mother and nurturer and lover of the civil rights movement through seven decades of advocacy. although she was a queen, she treated each one she encountered with equity and it was my privilege to bow down to

her each time i encountered her. thank god for the life of dr. dorothy height. thank god for her life and legacy and may her life be more than a memory, but a compelling force to press on for the unfinished work of the civil rights and gender equality movement. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased to recognize the chair of the congressional black caucus, the distinguished gentlelady from oakland, california, barbara lee, for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. lee: thank you very much. i want to thank the gentleman from michigan for yielding and for your leadership and also just say, as we think about about and honor and mourn, yes, and celebrate her life,

congressman john conyers, one of the great civil rights leaders, dr. height, one of our greatest civil rights leaders a woman, who often times with the great men of the civil rights movement had to make sure that a woman's voice, an african-american woman's voice, was heard. dr. height wore many hats, literally and figuratively. i'm going to miss her so much. a couple of months ago she insisted that i participate with the national council of negro women with their annual conference in maryland. dr. height, of course, knows the schedule here on the hill and she said just come out for the breakfast. i said, ok, dr. height. goit there maybe 7:00 in the morning. there she was to greet me. may i have an adigal 30 seconds, mr. chairman? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california has an additional 30 seconds.

ms. lee: she was there to greet me at 7:00 a.m. dr. height, you knew you were in the presence of greatness when you were with dr. height. whenever we called on dr. height, she was there to support our efforts. just recently, for example, she joined the congressional black caucus in our efforts here on the hill to support the 2010 census. her passion was an inspiration to all of us here in congress. hard to imagine that in the 1930's, she provided a resistance movement in her efforts to desegregate the ywca. we're going to deeply miss her he love her and we celebrate her life and mourn her death. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognize plsmed poe: i continue to reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i yield to judge butterfield two

minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from north carolina is recognized for two minutes. mr. butterfield: thank you, madam speaker. let me thank the chairman my good friend, mr. conyers for yielding the time. mr. conyers, i didn't want our female colleagues to have a monopoly on the floor today plus i wanted to come down and say a few words about dr. dorothy height. madam speaker, i had the privilege of knowing dr. height for at least 50 years. she and my mother were very good friends as well as dr. mary mccloud bethune and they were all active participants in the national council of negro women. in the early 1950's, i would come to washington, d.c. with my mother to attend those meetings and it was dorothy height and mary bethune who opened up the willard hotel for the women to have their convention. at that time, hotels in d.c. were segregated abit was dr. height who helped open up the willard hotel for that purpose. at that time, she was helping to build the organization on

behalf of dr. bethune, who was beginning to fail. when i came to congress six years ago, i brought where with me a picture taken in 1942 of the organization and i went and presented to it dr. height. she immediately recognized the picture and told me it was taken in front of the department of labor in 1942. i asked her where she was in the picture. dr. height said, well, honey, i was inside doing the work of the organization while the members were taking the picture. thank you for the time, mr. conyers. this was an a lifetime of service to the country and the african-american people. i want to thank her for her service to quality, -- to equality, fairness and inclusion. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognize plsmed conyers: madam speaker, i'm delighted to yield to dr. don that christensen of the virgin islands one minute.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the virgin islands is recognized for one minute. mrs. christensen: i rise with my colleagues in support of this resolution honoring dr. dorothy irene heights, the god mother of the women's movement a leader in the fight for equality and justice for all americans. one of the civil rights movement's greatest pioneer a true drum major for justice to the very end. it is because of her unwavering dedication, dogged determination and valuable leadership that many of us stand proudly here today. she motivated and inspired men and women of all creeds and colors here and the world over. our entire nation stands with us to commemorate the passing of our beloved leader. while we mourn her loss, we joyously celebrate her life and her rich legacy. she's passed the torch to those of us who remain. let us carry it with pride. my family, my staff and the people of the virgin islands

join me in extending our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. poe: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. coon yers: madam speaker, i will yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman has five minutes remaining. mr. conyers: the recitations of many of the members in memory of dorothy height has been marked by the personal knowledge and their own intimate relationship with her and i'm no different from the rest. i knew and worked with her on a regular basis. she was attending all the functions up until recently.

i could see her anywhere in washington that there was a civil rights event or women's event, a national event. and so it was good to see her. sure she was slowing down but most of us are anyway. so i appreciated that she was as stylish as has been referred to as always. she always had that spirit and it was with great pleasure that i remember through the many occasions starting from our first public meeting at the march on washington in 1963.

she, dr. martin luther king jr., and rosa parks were very important figures as i participated in the struggle that would lead to the cullmy nation of the great civil roog -- to the cullmy nation of the great civil rights movement in american history. it's with fondness i remember her activity, her friendship, her helpfulness and i think that there may be some kind of national commemoration for her that might be appropriate now that we've reviewed all the medals, commendations, and awards that she's received thus far. i reserve the balance of my

time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognize. mr. poe: i reserve the balance of my time the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: i'm pleased now to recognize the majority leader of the house, the great steny hoyer for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: i thank the chairman for yielding. i want to thank chairman conyers for his extraordinary leadership on behalf of the rights of all peoples. his role in the civil rights movement has been extraordinary and continues to this date. i rise on behalf of this resolution and in memory of an extraordinary woman. i had the privilege of knowing dorothy height for some four decades. that does not mean i saw her regularly during those four decades, but i saw her frequently during those four decades.

and she always exuded the positive, constructive approach she took to solving problems, bringing people together. the historian taylor branch rightly called dr. heights brothers and sisters in the civil rights movement, and i quote, the modern founders of democracy. today we honor the legacy that she leaves behind. what a wonderful, long, productive, constructive, important life we honor in dorothy height. dorothy height was an extraordinarily gracious human being. i never failed to leave her side in meeting her where i did not feel better. feel better about the relationships that i had with her, but that she had with others, as i saw her interface with others in the room and the

crowd, in the meeting. dorothy height was and is a giant. "the washington post" had on its front page today a very large picture of dorothy height. it was appropriate that in the nation's capital, dorothy height would be given such prominence. not for her death but for the life that she lived, the contributions she made. we are all better for dorothy height's life. we are all freer for dorothy height's life. we were lifted as a society by dorothy height and those with whom she worked from a segregated society where the perception was that some americans were not equal to other americans. that was contrary to the premise articulated by thomas jefferson, but not lived out by

thomas jefferson and our founding fathers. the premise was accurate, but their practice was not. martin luther king jr. and dorothy height and john conyers and john lewis who serves with us, jim clyburn, our whip, and so many others called america's attention to the fact that it was not living out the reality of its promise. not just to african-americans, but to all americans. dorothy height showed extraordinary courage and conviction in the face of bigotry and discrimination and like so many in this body who faced bigotry and discrimination, they did not allow that to poison their soul. they did not allow that to diminish their relationship even with those who they saw as oppressors. to that extent, the

above the conduct directed at them, to change that conduct by love and positive encombagement. dorothy height is a perfect example -- engagement. dorothy height is a perfect example. young and old participating in this society which unfortunately too often we see today falls into anger and competition rather than civility and discussion. i'm wore owed about the anger that i see in -- i'm worried about the anger that i see in society today. in some respects not justified at the level that we find it. yes, there's room for disagreement. but dorothy height shows us that notwithstanding the fact that there may be disagreement, notwithstanding the fact that there may be people who do not treat us as we would want to be treated, that the way to solve

that is to do so constructively, civilly with debate that states the facts and the truth but does not evolve into hate and division. so i'm pleased to join my colleague, john conyers. i came to congress some 30 years ago. we talked about making martin luther king jr.'s birthday a holiday, not a holiday to play but a holiday to recognize the contributions made then and the work that needs to be made now. john conyers had me out in front of the capitol on january 15 or close to that time every year, and i was so proud to stand with him and say to america, let us recognize those who as taylor branch has said are the modern founders of democracy.

thank you, mr. chairman, for your leadership. thank you for bringing this resolution to the floor to recognize an extraordinary, wonderful, lovely person whose spirit enriched us all and enriched our country, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from illinois, mrs. biggert. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. mrs. biggert: thank you. i thank the gentleman from for yielding. i had to come down to the floor just to support this resolution. i served as the co-chair of the 107th women's caucus, along with juanita mill der mcdonald. as -- millen der mcdonald. the first name that appeared on

our list was dr. dorothy height. and we had that event over in one of the hotels near the hill. and it was the most interesting thing i had been to. dorothy height was in her hat, as she always wore her hat. we all arrived in our hats and i still have that hat hanging on my coat hangar here in washington, and every time i see it i think of her. here is a person who had such dramatic effect on our country, such a strong personality, but everything she did was with great -- graciousness and really think of the times that she saw as her 98 years and what transpired in this country and i think that juanita millender-mcdonald would have been the first one down here, too, if she had not also passed

on. so that was a great year and it started off with a great event to have this wonderful person, dorothy height, be the speaker at our first event. she did that with such grace, such gentleness and yet she always was very strong on her beliefs and how she -- i would call her a change agent but did so with the civility that we don't often see. almost the white glove mentality and the hats and the type of person she was. i just wanted to come down and say i really support that resolution and thank you for doing it. and i would yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, we have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: i'm prepared to close, madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is

recognized. mr. poe: i want to once again voice my support of this resolution. dr. height died at 88 and most person influtional in my life was my grandmother who lived to her late 90's as well. chairman conyers would like to know that she was a roosevelt democrat, never forgive me for being a republican. but once we got past that, she made a lot of comments that influenced me and made a lot of statements that were true then and they're true now. she said that there was nothing more powerful than a woman that has made up her mind. i think that definition fits dr. dorothy height. she made up her mind about two issues, civil rights and the equality of women in our society. so today we honor her. i support this resolution.

i urge its adoption. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from michigan is recognized. mr. conyers: madam speaker, i'd like to close by thanking all the presenters, particularly singling out my dear friend on the judiciary committee, judge poe, who's done a very good job here. it occurred to me that dorothy height has already received so many awards, commendations, citations during her lifetime that if the distinguished president of the united states were to ask us what further could be done, i'd recommend that there be some kind of

event, bipartisan obviously, but one that draws in americans who may not have participated in the struggles and the experiences that distinguished dorothy height's long career. and that might be a wonderful way for her to be remembered as she no doubt will in the course of history as more and more historical books are written about her contribution going all the way back to the 1930's. and i'm happy to close this óóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóóó wswswswswswswswswswswswswswswswñ

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one hand it does not know what the other hand is doing. when the state department and nasa, nasa will go in to cancel who this test km i just got off of the telephone with the armed services committee -- >> this test. i just off the telephone with the armed services committee. we were talking about the future defense needs of the country. you have allowed in this the flexibility of continuing.

testing for that solid rocket motor. this will be important for the future of us getting out of the low-earth orbit, by building the heavy-lift vehicle, but this will be critical to the solid- rocket loaders that protect this country's national security in the submarines and the missile silos, and so forth. i want to thank you for that. we have this with a billion dollars -- $726 million over the president's request. and if such recessions was going to be here, -- senator sessions was going to be here, he would be happy to hear this.

he has interest in this from armed services, and his space center in alabama. >> there are classified discussions that we cannot go into right here, with respect to this initiative. but i would say, this is absolutely essential for the national security that this goes forward. and i think that every member understands what i am talking about. and i hope very much that this will be retained. we will have to fight for this. thank you again, for your contributions to this committee. you are always substantive and

we appreciate this. >> i reflect this as well and i appreciate working with you. there has been some discussion over the last few months about whether the budget would be marked up. i am have the that you were moving forward to engage in this debate, to provide a solid budget document. i am concerned about the budget that is going to be proposed. we have not seen the marked up and i am looking at the charts, trying to understand what you are trying to do. if i understand this correctly, it will be very similar to the budget proposal of the president and most of my remarks will come from the president's proposal. those of the concerns that i will raise. all helped that we will be able to make some difference. as i am looking at the proposal, we have more spending, more debt, more deficit, and

more government. and there is less in terms of the smaller the economy. the congress must stop the idea that we should spend our way out of recession. we have to deal with the difficult issues that we face. when i talk about this -- i will be focusing on this with the report that did not get a lot of attention because this came out during the health care bill, with the final actions on the health-care debate. this did not a lot of congressional or national attention for the report on the budget. what did this report say about the budget? by 2010, the deficit will be 5.6% and will never be lower throughout the budget window.

this cannot be sustained. the debt that is held by the public would grow from 7.5 trillion, or 53% of gdp, to 90% of the gdp at the end of 2020. five trillion dollars more than under the assumption from the baseline. if we have the current posture, this would be five trillion dollars better. the interest would quadrupled between 2010 and 2020, from one -- 1.4% gdp. there will be more spending. the government will grow. i know in the budget i can see no entitlement reform, there is none. the amount of discretionary spending as the ranking member has indicated, this is

represented by a $4 billion reduction in the international account. there is a feeling about the freeze in the budget. i hope that as we see the marked up, that they will back this frees up with spending that would be enforced. this is a freeze at levels that have been increased by about 17% in the last two budgets. we have blown the discretionary spending. a 17% increase, when americans are tightening their belts. what has happened in congress? we have blown -- we have blown this up by 17%. i am happy that we are freezing this. i am happy that we are not talking about another 7 or 8%.

we have to do better. in addition, there is less growth. looking at this report -- i wish this was getting more attention. the estimates are that the proposals of the president would lower the output relative to the baseline assumption by about 1.4% on average. we will have a smaller economy as we are facing the growing debt and growing spending. the supply side effect of the policy will lower the output between 2016 and 2020. this would result in a smaller stock of domestic capital as a consequence of the increased deficits, and this will become stronger over time as this accumulates. each year, between 2010 and 2020, this would reduce national savings.

as i have indicated, i think that we have to do a lot better. and i appreciate some of the steps. i want to work with you to strengthen them. you mentioned that the middle- class tax cut. yes i have the that you have identified these as metal mask -- middle-class tax cuts. we have debated all over them since this time, whether we were taxing the wealthy. we have now said that $619 billion were tax cuts for the middle class. i am glad that you will reflect those tax cuts. that does not mean that tax rates will go down. we will keep them from going up. the credit and the responsibility for that effort should be placed appropriately. on paygo i share my opinion with the ranking member.

i wish that this was protecting -- this would not provoke spending increases with the tax policy but we will allow for tax relief in a different ruling so we would have more flexibility for tax relief, and did not have to subject all of this to those provisions. i understand the argument for those who do not want to see these efforts to cut taxes be given a more favorable treatment. and i would remind everyone vapid -- i have not gone back to count the votes in this congress but we may have waived this more than honored at this as this has been moving forward. i hope that this pattern does not continue. the chairman indicates the reconciliation and this causes me concern. there was the $2 billion reconciliation last year.

and what we got from this reconciliation was a 2.6 trillion dollars increase in spending. i not want to read debate this legislation. the proposal was able to be implemented because of the structure. i know that i am holding my time and i look forward to working with you and others. i hope that we can go somewhere on this and we can start the process with regard to meaningful reform as we continue the resolution of the budget. >> thank you, and thank you for your work on this committee. we cannot have a better member of the committee, i serve on three committees with her. and to everyone, she is a major

player, and the middle name -- no one is more focused on this than the senator from michigan. >> thank you for putting together a budget that is solid, focusing on the values and priorities. thank you for the wonderful work. i want to thank all judd gregg -- i want to thank judd gregg when he comes in. i appreciate his fairness and his leadership. i was wanting to take you back. i feel compelled to take us back to 2001, when i first joined the budget committee. we were talking about the largest surpluses in the history of the country, because of the republican -- because of the president and the democrats,

focusing on innovation and investing in people and families. we have balanced the budget and created 23 million jobs by focusing on priorities the middle class families care about. at that time, we heard from the other side that deficits do not matter. we heard that the tax cuts, that we were concerned about, killing to the most wealthy americans, it was all right to put those in place without paying for them. i remember that you propose an alternative, and if we had done that, we would not be here today. you suggested that we take the surplus and that we divide this into a third. 1/3 to invest in middle-class tax cuts, business, and the growing economy, to invest in

the people with innovation and education, health care and jobs, and also to pay the deficit going forward on social security. this was the democratic proposal at the time. as i hear people who supported the policies that got us in this mess, they are now coming forward. we hear this on every amendment, we will hear about the deficit. i want to remind everyone that in 2001, there was another choice. i think this would have taken us to a much better place for the country and i was proud to support this all along with you. before going forward, i want to join with my colleagues. we may not agree, we probably will not on the debates in terms

of the budget cuts, whether you why the chairman or ranking member. i genuinely enjoyed working with you. these are things that were very important in michigan. the reality is this. in terms of where we have been, in terms of the problems that obama inherited last year, and going forward, that last year, the economy was on life-support. we were going over the cliff because the tax policies and spending policies -- there were tax cuts for wealthy americans, medicare and prescription drug coverage not paid for. we are hearing this over and over again from the vice president that the deficits do not matter. we were close to a catastrophe,

coupled with no oversight on wall street. we have now gone backwards. obama came into office with 800,000 jobs being lost every month. we put in place the recovery act. i have a different view of this. one thing i am grateful for his you continue the tax credit that is actually creating jobs in michigan, with 14 different companies that are investing in manufacturing, and they are making american products and creating jobs. we have approximately 150 companies that receive this tax credit for creating jobs in the recovery act, along with a number of important provisions. it would be great to say that the government was borrowing money and there was no money for the private market. there was no credit.

this is just beginning to warm up. if it was not for the recommendation of every conservative and republican economist, that we would go into this to create opportunities for growth, i would hate to see where we were. one year ago, this was almost a hundred thousand jobs lost per month. i do not think that we get out of this unless people go back to work. the debt is going to continue to grow unless people go back to work and contribute to the tax base. that is why we are where we are. i am happy for your focus and the focus of president obama. and the focus on jobs to get people back to work. unfortunately, during the last eight years, the policies that

were advocated for by the republican colleagues, the bush budget and incorporation that outsourced jobs -- this was helping businesses that create jobs that are good at home. the budget of george bush ran up huge deficits. this budget is responsible in cutting deficits for the children and grandchildren. this budget is going to help america's schools leave the world to invest in the children. this focuses on the great american middle class and the small businesses that create the majority of the jobs in this country. i am thankful for your efforts to invest in those areas and i also want to say i am appreciative to you for including the national export

initiative of president obama, which is also about jobs, because this will create more markets for manufacturers and agriculture. i appreciate the fact that the budget includes funding for trade enforcement, so that the trade enforcements are honored. i want to thank you for something that is important to me. continuing the commitment of 475 million for the great lakes. i appreciate the leadership in this issue. we have serious challenges, there is a fish that is 100 pounds coming up the mississippi river that could destroy the great lakes. i am happy for your willingness to support my amendment.

these are choices about investments in the future. i believe that there is a budget process that is pointed -- that is focusing on creating jobs, focusing on the middle-class families, supporting the small businesses and continuing to clean up everything that we have been left with. >> we will go to sen ensign. thank you for your commitment to the work of this committee. >> i would add compliments to both of you. many committees do not work the way -- there has a lot of difference in the velocity of this committee. we have serious debate in a way that is constructive on this committee. this does not give personal, and i can attribute this to the way that we worked together.

your handling what we do in the committee and once we go to the floor, you handle this in a professional manner. i want to address a few other things. there is a little bit -- there are few things that were left out. i was against much of the spending that happened under president bush. the prescription drug bill with the farm bill or some of the other spending. we have to go back and look at exactly what happened. these will republican congress is with bill clinton that got us to the balanced budgets, and the surplus. we were holding line on spending as the economy grew. in 2001, which were questionable on the economy but then we had 9/11. this took one trillion dollars out of the economy. we have to understand this in

the context of the surplus. and then we have the war, and obviously, we were spending a lot of money on war. i criticized the bush administration. i criticize the republican congress for doing this. this is in the past. we are in a situation with the devastating impact on the economy last year. this is in the past. as legislators, what are we going to do? what are we going to do right now for the future of the united states. the actual future of the country is on the line. this is not 10 years away. 10 or 20 years from now, there will be a budget problem. we are looking at over a $200 billion interest payment on the national credit cards. this is money that cannot go to

education or health care or anything else that we wanted to. we are talking about one trillion dollars in interest payments on the debt. those numbers to not include the increase in interest rates on treasury notes, the other countries -- if we are downgraded by the rating agencies, if we are downgraded and we are going to the place, a banana republic with the rating agencies, when this happens, interest rates skyrocket on what other companies will be charging -- other countries will be charging. how do we start this catastrophe, this may be upon us. this is one reason that the commission has serious work to do. we have a responsibility. we cannot wait for several years. we have to get serious.

a few billion dollars is not going to do this when you are talking about a trillion-dollar and deficits, as far as i can see. this is like a family that says, we cannot afford the interest payments today, but we will continue to spend money, adding to the family credit card, and eventually we will be in bankruptcy but we're not going to do anything were set the priorities. the state government and the local government, across the board, family businesses, families are tightening their belts. the only place that is not kidding a tighter delta's washington. i am certain that -- it is great to see young people learning about the government and being close and personal. they were asking me about helping the schools.

i said, i would love to do this and we will try to do this in the supplemental. we are borrowing from their future, the money that we will be sending to the states. somebody has to pay for this money with interest and those young people who are standing before me by the great deal of will have to pay this. they will not have the same kind of america because of the debt burden. i do not care if this is all local or state government, or the federal government. too much debt is going to destroy you. and this is where we are going. in the old testament, the talk about too much debt. we are in this situation and we have to make serious choices. it is better to get reelected if you are giving money away. it is very difficult to say that

we will cut spending. but unless this congress and the committee gets serious, not two years from now, three years from now, starting right now about cutting spending, we will not do this. we can go back and forth with the blame game. all the responsibility belongs to us for the future of the the state. we have work to do and i hope that we can make some serious choices. >> we will go to sen. cardin. it is great to have someone of your background and knowledge on this committee. >> thank you. i want to repeat the comments that have been voiced on both sides of the aisle. i congratulate the leadership of this committee. conrad has done a great job under very difficult economic circumstances to bring forward a

budget that i think reflects the right priorities during difficult economic times. judd gregg has conducted himself with great professionalism and the quality of the debate as a model for what we should be doing in the united states senate. it is a pleasure to serve on this committee. this is not true, too often, in many of the committees. i want to agree with you on a couple of things. i agree that the deficit is a serious situation and we have to look forward to deal with this. your budget has done this. this has taken the deficit that we currently have, and has reduced debt by two-thirds over the next five years and you have done this by taking difficult steps, including freezing domestic discretionary spending, living up to the pay-

as-you-go rules. the ninth lot of things that people would like to see but are not high-priority. when you are asking for us to do, we can achieve, and we can reduce the federal deficit. i want to take exception with things that he said. i don't want to look back. i don't -- i want to look forward. i was one of the democratic votes to get this in balance. we did not get a single vote from the republicans. this was tough medicine. this cost several members of their seats. but we balance the federal budget. it was the responsibility to do this. and we brought in a surplus situation. i did not vote for the policies that led to these deficits.

i did not vote for a war that was not paid for. i accept responsibility for solving the problem. that is why i thank you for the budget that you brought forward, to deal responsibly with the budget deficit. this is how we get out of the economic problems. by protecting the environment, by improving education. these are the priorities that we should be able to deal with. we are -- we need to be competitive as we balance the budget. i want to thank you for working with my staff, there are a lot of priorities here that are very important to me. i am the chair of the water life -- the wildlife committee. there is the great lakes program. he is the ranking republican on

that. you have made water quality as a priority. and this is good for jobs. you have increased the revolving funding, this is $3.5 billion. we are not only going to stop this -- this happened in my state of maryland. river road became a river, and there was major flooding that cost people their water service for several weeks. and there is money for the chesapeake bay program. i am wanting to read-authorized the water financing act. i thank you very much for including them. i also want to say that we are all interested in reducing the cost of health care. i brought this to their attention that the disparity --

dealing with this will reduce health-care costs. hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent because we did not deal with health care in this country. congress is elevating the center for minority health and disparity, to institute. this budget that has come for provides the resources to make this a reality. this is the right thing to do and this will save money. we are making certain that this does -- that the salary cap does not become reality. this is hurting the people who need support the most, you have done this. one last that want to mention. for the eight years of the bush administration, the budget was flat. this is to help small businesses, the engine of job growth in america. this is where we will get the activity that we need for

creativity and innovation. last year, the offer was accepted to raise the budget by $180 million. this year, you have increased the numbers by 75 million and i thank you for that. that will be important for the economic success of helping small business. this speaks about jobs and fiscal responsibility, and i thank you for your leadership. >> would you like to have additional time? you will only be recognized if you have something nice to say about the chairman and the ranking member. [laughter] >> charles grassley, i have the highest regard for you.

he has demonstrated to me, in times when this was very difficult to keep his word, he kept his word to me on something absolutely essential. i will tell you. rarely do you see somebody with that kind of basic honor. >> i will yield to more time. this is very kind of view. i would like to express accolades and everyone else has for the senator from new hampshire. he gives public service a good name and when someone like this all the tires, i wish you were not retiring. you are entitled to whatever life that you want, from here on out. the public service will be harmed because people like you

another round. one year ago, when the committee met to mark up the budget resolution, we were confronted with an irresponsible budget. during that time, we heard about the deficits and debts and how they were inherited from the previous administration. these claims -- the congressional democratic majorities played a leading role in the deficits that obama inherited, and as was predicted, obama was charting a course to double and triple his inheritance. one year later, is there a budget that will reduce spending and reduce the deficits? in nothing so. just the opposite. this budget repeats the mistakes

of his last budget. this is like groundhog day. we have rising deficits, debt for as far as the eye can see. this comes from less than 6% of the economy, and this will be 90% by 2020. this is an alarming increase from the average of 0.2% after world war two. the deficit never drops below 700 billion. we will have three budget speech over one trillion dollars in deficits. the trillion-dollar deficit will be normal. and this is, of course, unsustainable. this is a ticket to the problems experienced in greece. the budget last year was claimed to be inherited. but this budget is from

president obama. and the people that pass this in this congress, which will be the majority party. the obama budget doubles publicly-held federal debt. this is more than 4% of the gdp. a few years ago, this was burdening us and our children, and this would push up interest rates and retard the economic growth. this would be debt that would take the nation many generations to recover from. these statements were made when the annual deficits were 1/5 what they currently are under this budget. we never saw deficits of one trillion dollars every year, when you referred to the

crippling of the debt of a few years ago. and now we have had two consecutive budgets from this president that would increase taxes and spending, and increase the debt. there will be a mountain of debt left to the children and their grandchildren, and i fear that the federal reserve chairman and the key adviser on fiscal policy gave us an honest assessment of how this administration and the congressional democratic leadership are wanting to deal with the fiscal problems facing the nation. to make up for the lotus levels of spending and deficit in history, they are laying the foundation for the american value-added tax. some people have said much of the same thing in congress. if the president is wanting to give new layers of taxation, the

issue should be taken before the american people when he is running for reelection. the american taxpayer has best to make up for their inability to do what every american household is doing. to live within their means. we should keep the taxes low and reduce government spending, and reduce the deficit. these actions must be taken if we have any chance of providing the same level of economic prosperity for future generations. >> thank you. we may disagree on the analysis of the history and how we got here, but again, one thing we do not disagree on is one thing that i want to say publicly. this is how much i appreciate the seriousness of all that you bring to your job, and the decency that you bring to your job. >> those are kind words.

>> thank you, and thank you for all the energy that you bring to this committee. and also, the background, dealing with complex financial matters. you have made a significant contribution. >> i want to begin by applauding your continued leadership as the nation begins to recover from the worst economic downturn of our lifetimes. i also want to wish judd gregg very well on his last budget procedure. we are going to miss you. 13 months ago, the budget resolution for the current fiscal year, the economy was in peril. 700,000 jobs are lost by americans every month. the stock market was at a level unseen in the decade. bank lending had frozen.

economic anxiety was through the nation. obama was two months on the job. we are not of the woods just yet. but before returning to the work that needs to be done, we should remark on the progress that we have made over the last year. the recovery act is supported -- has supported 2.8 million jobs. this is beginning to reverse the unemployment. indeed, climate -- the decline in unemployment has been halted. and the rate is below 10%, although in rhode island, this is just under 13%. as the economy has stabilized, consumer and investor confidence has recovered. much of what has evaporated from portfolios has been made that.

on the day that this was signed into law, the dow jones was 752. today, this was 11,000. it did require borrowing, to counteract the inherited meltdown. tightening the belt is the wrong analogy in the middle of an economic contraction. if we follow this advice, we would be in the second depression. in addition to the economic gains of the last few months, i would be remiss if i did not remember health care legislation. the primary economic anxiety for many families in order island and across the country is obtaining and retaining health insurance coverage for their loved ones. the affordable health care law will make certain that the citizens in the most prosperous nation of the earth have access to health care coverage.

many parts of the country suffered through recession- level of one and. again, unemployment in an island is called 0.6%. the recession started earlier for us, and the suffering has been deeper. i am happy that there is a jobs reserve fund that will provide us with flexibility in creating new legislation and extending a system for the unemployed. mother nature hitler violence very hard recently, with the greatest flooding since 1815. 3000 people are out of work because of this storm. and the damage to the homeowners and businesses at the state and local government will reach into the hundreds of millions. we are a small state and these are big numbers. i will offer an amendment to expand the reserves to cover mitigation legislation.

i hope that my colleagues will support the language, to provide assistance to the flood victims in my state. this will complement many of the budget priorities of president obama. this will help maintain the tax credit and shield and a class americans, and provide for investments with education and health care. this follows a request of the president for the non-security discretionary spending for the last -- the next three years. as americans we examine the budget, so should we. i hope that they will see this as a way to cut spending and make the government run more efficiently. does so happy to be on the task force that was established on this committee. i look forward to exploring the efficiency opportunities as the

work of the task force continues. i want to end on a very cautionary notes on those who try to frame the budget as irresponsible. a conversation about who is responsible is something i would like to have. president clinton left president bush an annual budget surplus. a budget trajectory that would eliminate the federal debt and leave a completely dead-free america by 2009. we could be going into the second year of a debt-free america. the irresponsible policies of the bush administration changed all that. 1.3 trillion dollars of tax cuts to the wealthy, the prescription drug benefit for the former -- big pharma and regulatory failures that led to financial collapse that put us where we are today. those are ready to engage in

that conversation but i would like to put the rhetoric aside and work together on a constructive budget with the appropriate attention for revenue. we have to do our best to restore prosperity and balance to the budget. i once again commend you for your leadership, and i look forward to working with you through the budget process. >> i want people listening to know that they made a powerful presentation to the caucus on the flooding in and violent. and i want for them to know that the history of this body is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the affected states when they have a disaster. and clearly, rhode island has a very serious natural disaster.

you made one of the most impassioned presentations on a national disaster hitting a state that i have heard in 24 years. this has been heard by the colleagues and this will be responded to. >> i thank you. >> the next senator -- i had a chance to welcome him to the committee when he was not here. and i want to say how much we appreciate you joining this committee, with your fiscal responsibility that has made an impression on your colleagues. i deeply appreciate the fiscal responsibility that you have brought to the united states senator. you were a mayor in alaska and you know what it means to balance the budget. this takes tough choices. we have started the process of making tough choices.

i am happy we have brought the deficit down. this was almost 10% of gdp, this was 10% which people say is what is necessary to stabilize the debt. i am swift to say that we have to do more. there is no stronger ally in getting that permission -- the commission put in place then the senator from alaska. >> once you have been a mayor, you have to learn that everything has to be balanced out at the end of the day. nothing is moving downstream. the 84 the chance to serve here in the committee. i am happy to have the opportunity -- to talk about the proposal that is rooted in fiscal discipline and it cuts wasteful spending, as it provides middle-class tax

relief. we are on the pathway of fiscal health, and at the same time investing in programs that will lead to economic growth to get the americans back on their feet. they expect us to do to w. of things in terms of fiscal responsibility. reduced government spending and cut the deficit in a way of that tax dollars go into the pockets of the hard-working americans. like the small business owners. in the long run, americans expect for us to reduce the deficit so that their grandchildren have a more promising fiscal future. right now, they need immediate relief, but like most of these proposals, the economy will extend a helping hand to people who were just trying to make a living and also cut the deficit. when i first got to washington, we were facing the greatest economic crisis since the great

depression. it was difficult to go back to explain why another car dealership was shut down or another neighbor was facing foreclosure. they were frightened by the amount of red ink that they saw from the federal debt. 13 trillion dollars did not suddenly appear with this administration. this is the result of years for not paying for two wars and trying to prevent the economy from turning to depression. in 2009, 800,000 jobs have been lost. unemployment was 8.8%, one of the highest in two decades. we are slowly getting out of this devastating fiscal crisis. we have gains of 162,000 jobs, to move the economy in the right direction.

the package that this -- that was signed by the president would allow thousands of alaskans and millions of americans to go back to work. and congress passed the first of several bills, that was hiring workers and jump-starting infrastructure projects in my home state of alaska. the proposal cuts spending and includes $671 billion in the foreign deficit reductions and this also cuts taxes for the middle class and the energy programs that will lead the foundation for the long-term economic security. as a member of the veterans affairs committee, the state with the highest number of veterans per-capita, we're happy to make the service members the top priority in how they treat the widows and the orphans, and

also offset the penalties to the service members that encourages them to work against each other. and the veterans administration should provide the highest quality of care. a 7.4% increase in services for the veterans. we have the highway transit and highway safety programs. this provides 200 million for the service programs that serve 45 communities in alaska. alaska is unique, with the most rural communities in the nation. we recognize the bureau of rural waters, to overlook the industrial systems. many natives are facing a financial crisis. we have $4.4 billion in the

indian health services, with 255,000,004 tribal safety and justice programs. i am happy to be working with -- working for a strong, fiscal course. and we will allow them to maintain their hard-earn money. we must enforce fiscal discipline and cutting the deficit -- it is clear that america is cutting back on track. of the $750 billion that was authorized, $148 billion will be cancelled by the proposal. $180 billion has been repaid, to cut the deficit. i support making the long-term changes necessary to reduce the federal debt. tomorrow, there will be an amendment directing troubled

asset relief program money with about $40 billion set aside for small-business lending. this is about providing tax relief for the hard-working middle-class families. thank you, to the ranking members, for your opportunities to serve on the committee. >>-if you very much for your comments. i want to thank camps for bringing his perspective to this. i just wanted to include today by saying that others have given their analysis of how we got to where we are today. i believe that if we look back over the last decade, we had a loose fiscal policy under the control of the congress and the president of the united states. the debt doubled during the previous administration, and

that was during the good times. we had a very loose monetary policy under the control of the federal reserve. it is very unusual and -- in economic history to see simultaneously, an overly-loose fiscal policy in the overly- list monetary policy. on top of everything, we had deregulation. this was a way that led to no oversight. we have the risky financial instruments, and i think of the derivatives that led to the complete bankruptcy of aig, and the need for a federal bailout which, had this not been done, and this was done by the previous administration, the troubled as a relief program was done by the previous administration. if aig was not rescued, we would be in a global depression today.

if the steps -- the steps that were taken by the federal reserve to provide liquidity -- i believe that we would be in a global depression today. economic history will confirm this. but the responsibility for the loose fiscal policy, this did not happen during the watch of this administration. they inherited a doubling of the deficit that took place. there was the decline that started in the previous administration. they inherited a deficit of 1.3 trillion dollars. they added to this to provide liquidity to prevent a complete collapse. if we read economic history, and what was done, what was done

with the federal reserve was absolutely imperative to avoid a global financial collapse. and so, i believe that there was widespread responsibility with the overly-loose fiscal policy under the responsibility of the federal reserve, the fiscal policy under the control of congress, and the control of the federal reserve to create the place where the bubbles would form. and they were not just housing bubble. we certainly have this, but we have the energy bubble, where we went to $100 per barrel. weaheat was $20 a bushel. bubbles were forming and bursting, and when they do, there is enormous economic wreckage. this administration got stuck

with cleaning this up. where i would fault of this administration is not in the deficits in the near term. they inherited those. they inherited the devastation of bubbles bursting. i would not fault them in the near term. i would say that this is the second five years of the budget. because the deficit is coming down in the first five years, this is not sharply enough. the budget that i will propose today brings this down more sharply in the first five years. i would fault them in the second five years. the fiscal commission is critically important. i would applaud them for coming forward with the fiscal commission after the proposal to have a statutory commission -- this did not get the super- majority vote necessary.

that is where we are. i believe that the steps that were taken by the previous administration -- the following steps by this administration and the federal reserve -- this was very essential to avoid the financial collapse. this is also true -- we have to focus on the deficits and the debt like a laser. the question before us, what is the right timing to make this to have it. and not believe that that is this year. the we have 10% unemployment, 7% under-employment. one of every six workers is unemployed or under-employed. if we were changing now, we

could have the double-dippers session. and i believe that this would be a disaster for the deficits and the debt, increase unemployment, but i also believe very deeply that we have to change very soon. i do not believe that this is the time. but after this, this will be the time. and we have to take on both the spending side of the equation, which does have to be dealt with, and we have to take on the revenue side as well. the harsh reality is that the revenue structure in this country this inefficient, it does not allow for the full, competitive strength of the united states and it is also not fair. we do not have a fair distribution of the burden.

and so i would say to my colleagues, this is the time. we have to put in place a plan that will make sense for the economic reality of this year, and then we will have to change to aggressively go after the deficit and the debt. this budget is attempting to do both. welcome. it is good to have you here. will you the deep and gratitude for your devotion to committee health centers, and to add to the sea has led to a very substantial adjustment in the community health centers, not only in the budget from last year, but the health care bill. this will pay dividends for the people in this country for many years to come. this would not have happened without you. >> that you very much.