C SPAN 1995

And you wonder why if we don't have the support, watch people when they walk down the street and watch people when they walk down the street past a homeless person. And if you notice, people walking down the street won't stop and look at the homeless person. They just keep going. They don't even look down because they're afraid that their eyes are going to meet going to meet. And I submit, it's not that they're afraid of seeing the homeless person. They see the homeless person, they're afraid that the homeless person will see them. That's what they're afraid of because they are too ashamed. They are too embarrassed to admit even to themselves that they are capable of marching past homeless people, their brothers and sisters, and leaving them on the street and not doing anything. That's why people can't look down. That's why people can't bear to see it. So, the American people have been with us. What we have needed is the leadership to bring the American people forward to this cause. And I'm proud to be able to say that I serve a president, President Clinton and a secretary, secret secretary Henry Cisneros who have provided that leadership. And it's not just in rhetoric. The president was supportive when he first took office. He ordered the first federal report task force on how to finally address homelessness. It was called Priority Home. It was a federal report that recognized the problem in a way it had never been done before. It talked about 7 million people homeless. Talked about things like prevailing poverty, like jobs that don't pay. So, the president was there with moral support and with the use of the bully pulpit. But even more, the president was there with the resources. And in two and a half years, you've seen the homeless budget at HUD go from $500 million to $1.6 6 billion dollar and that's a pro that is directly a result of this president's leadership and this secretary's leadership secretary Henry Cisneros who made fighting homelessness the number one priority of the department at HUD and thanks to them we have the announcement today $900 million over 800 100 projects will be announced, 200 cities, 50 states throughout the nation. And that's a result of what the president and the secretary have done. And I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank the HUD staff who has over the past few months been working in very difficult surroundings. so difficult that someone even turned off the mic when you went to talk about the situation at HUD. But they've been working under very tough circumstances, literally talking about the elimination of the department with a suggestion that what HUD does isn't relevant. Well, what HUD did in this application, president and the secretary got the funding and they made it happen. What the people who work at HUD every day did was they took this competition national competition. 3,000 applications came in. More than twice as many applications came in on this one than ever came in before. And with less staff, they got it done in half the time. That's what they did. And with this kind of partnership and this kind of energy and this kind of feel, I believe we're going to make real product and real results and real differences in people's lives. Thank you for allowing me to be part of it. It's now my pleasure to introduce a woman who is here at the House of Ruth who really sums up what it's all about and who sums up the individual's courage to work their way out of homelessness and through whatever situation they're in. And we can all be a part of that. We can all be a partner and help that. But it really comes down to the individual and the amazing amount of courage uh and strength that people like the people who are at the House of Ruth go through. And without further ado, please give Teresa a warm welcome. Thank you. >> Good morning everyone. I'm Teresa and I live at the House of Ruth Transitional Home. Today's announcement by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development represents the award of badly needed resources to places like the House of Ruth all over the country. But it also represents much more. It's a clear message from our n pardon me from our nation's leaders that they believe in people. Through my experiences, at times very tough, I have known many different people who have become homeless for as many different reasons. When I had nowhere else to turn, I went to a crowded emergency shelter. It was an environment that was very difficult to cope in. Many people with different problems and different needs, including substance abuse from which I am recovering. Thank you. After two weeks in the emergency shelter, I was referred to the House of Ruth Transitional. House of Ruth and other programs in the continuum of care provide the necessary supportive environment for people like myself to move out of homelessness and into self-sufficiency. My housemate and I, Corvalis Hodgeges, who is here with me today. Corvalis are both working and preparing to move out on our own. Despite my difficult times, every time I see a homeless person on the street, and Andrew talked about this or meet a homeless person under different circumstances, I have the same thoughts. I think that person is somebody's baby. If homelessness hasn't affected some of you directly or personally, perhaps thinking in those terms can personalize it for you. Ask yourself, how did somebody's baby end up like this? Every homeless person in America is somebody's sister, brother, child, mother, or father. This is why today I'm very proud to welcome on behalf of the House of Ruth, the man who has made reducing homelessness and its pain in America his number one priority. I give you the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Henry Cisneros. >> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Please Thank you. Please sit down. Thank you, Teresa. >> Teresa, thank you very much. Teresa's living inspirational proof that homelessness is not a permanent condition. She's proof that with help, people can lift themselves out of homelessness to self-sufficient, productive lives. This young lady who has lived on the streets in various American cities and with the help of the house of Ruth through a shelter now to transitional housing is now working for the Sheran Corporation. She is living proof of what we must all be about. Let us recognize her once again. Teresa, I'd like to add my thanks to those of Assistant Secretary Cuomo, to our guests today, Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsen, to the three mayors of cities who are with us here today, Mayor Schmoke of Baltimore, Mayor Campbell of Atlanta, and Mayor Marian Barry of Washington DC, as well as to the mayors and others who are gathered around the country and hooked in by satellite Today, I want to thank Senator Patty Murray for joining us, a senator from Washington State, a strong supporter in the United States Senate, and Congressman Gan Green of Houston, Congressman Ken Benson of Houston, and Congressman Mike Ward of Louisville. Once again, let's say thank you to all of these folks for their support and for their presence here today. I'd also like to thank all of you who are here today and acknowledge that many of you in this audience are daytoday workers in the field of homelessness providing real services. Thank you all for what you do and thank you for being here today. The House of Ruth has a special place in my recollection of our work at HUD because in the first week that I was secretary, I came over here Thursday night after having taken office the previous Friday and visited for several hours with some of the women who were residing here and then join some of the volunteers. This was uh January of 1993, dead of winter. some of the volunteers who go out on the streets during the nights of the winter months and take hot fluids, hot tea and sandwiches and very importantly blankets to the homeless people of the Washington area. That visit here was very important for me. I have had as a mayor some previous work experience with homeless persons. But to listen to a woman in this very building who described how it is that she ended up in a Washington park asleep kicked by someone in the middle of the night who knocked out her teeth as she slept. A homeless woman sleeping in a Washington DC park. I listened to others describe the difficulty of shaking an addiction or of finding work. And then I went with the volunteers, young people from this this area who come in during the nights and drive a van labeled the House of Ruth and know exactly where to go in the District of Columbia to parks over in the Capitol Hill area or to street benches over on K Street where they know particular people by name are going to be for the night. And I remember going down with them into the stairwell below a Capitol area, Capitol Hill area church. And there was a man who ordinarily couldn't be coaxed out of his place to come to warmer shelter for the night. But for the fact that this night was so cold that the broken leg that he had suffered was causing him exceedingly difficult pain on that evening because of the cold. Other people who normally didn't ask for any assistance were more than willing to take blankets that night. And then we ended up in front of the Justice Department where a woman who was about 7 months pregnant was sleeping with her brother on the lawn of the Justice Department of the United States. And then over by the Federal Trade Commission near a subway grate where a group of Gulf War veterans served in this country's military were betting down for the night. And it struck me here in the monumental center of the capital of the United States in the shadow of the institutions that we think of as the great protectors of American society. the Justice Department, defender of equality and freedom for people, the Federal Trade Commission, the Commerce Department, places like that, ded Federal Reserve Bank where a lady with soores on her legs was spending the night. And here in the shadow of the institutions dedicated to the wealth of America are people who live in those conditions, live without housing. Some weeks later, the president asked me about our work at HUD and I told him how impressed I was with what I had seen of homelessness and that we intended to make this our first priority. He gave us the full go-ahad. And I want to make very clear here today that our presence here today to to announce the largest grant in the history of the United States for homeless providers of $900 million is because the president of the United States said yes, that should be your first priority and put together the budget to make it happen. That's exactly the way it happened. And over the course of the intervening years, as I have described to him circumstances that we have encountered, time after time, he has said, "Put the priority on it and make something happen." When Yetta Adams died across the street from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, across the street from the department that is dedicated to housing and homelessness, a woman dies on the streets of America cities in the winter of 1994. Or when I visited New York City and housing works, a very aggressive group of homeless services providers in New York City took me down into the subway system. Not to the subway platforms, but off the platforms down into the tunnels, back beyond the tracks where encampments of homeless people are. Thousands of people living in the greatest city in the world in these subway tubes or tunnels with the filth and the soot and the insects and the rats and the and and the and the lead from the uh from the from the rails and the lack of heat and diseased conditions. Americans living in those conditions. And every time I described those things to the president, he said, "Do something about it." And so today we have 250 plus certificates at work trying to coax people out of the subway tunnels in New York City. We said then and we say today the department whose name begins with housing and urban development housing must address itself first and foremost to those Americans who are most unhoused. The homelessness as homeless as our first priority. It is our first priority. It will continue to be. But talking about homelessness and witnessing homelessness is not enough. What we must do is put together competent effective solutions. Joe Califano when he was secretary of HW once said, "It is not sufficient to be compassionate. It is necessary that we also be competent." And what we have lacked in this field of homelessness is a real paradigm, a model for how we can address the problem. And we're blessed that Andrew Cuomo, who is the assistant secretary responsible for homelessness, has not only a deep personal interest, but the kind of competence in his management skills and experience that have allowed him to do something about this issue. From the very beginning, literally from the first couple of weeks that we were on the job, Andrew began to tell us about his success with what he called the continuum of care, acknowledging that onethird of the people who are homeless suffer from mental illness. Another third of people who are homeless suffer from addiction problems and the other third have a complex of problems of which homelessness, lack of shelter, is only the visible symptom. The reality is that people suffer from a complex of problems that we must address if we're going to do more than just provide meals and shelter for the night. The reality is what we must connect services. Connect outreach for the streets to shelters. Connect shelter to mental illness treatment and medication to addiction services to transitional housing and permanent housing. And I want before all of you who are the experts in this field, the providers and the workers in this field to have you join me in thanking Assistant Secretary Andrew Cuomo for the very competent job he has done in bringing compassion to bear on the problems of the homeless. Andrew, please stand and let us let us recognize you. As a result of the priority placed by our president, by the commitment made by the Congress, by the competence brought by Andrew Cuomo and his team, today we are making a difference. Today, we're marking a milestone in awarding $900 million in homeless assistance funds to over 228 different communities in all 50 states in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The competition for this money has been very stiff. Over 3,000 applications were received. It was a tough job to wade through them. For some $2.9 billion in funds, let me compare $2.9 billion in demonstrated needs, people who say they could use these monies and put together topflight applications against $900 million of funding available. Don't let anyone tell you the need is not great. There is much more to be done, but $900 million is an important start and we must remember that as we go forward. These are very difficult times. I want to thank members of the Congress, Democrats and Republicans, who made it possible in 1993 and 1994, to be able to come up with the money that makes these announcements possible in 1995. Democrats and Republicans both. But I also want to say for those who question whether or not homelessness continues to be a priority, for those who question whether the federal government's role continues to be appropriate or whether or not housing needs are critical in the country, that some of the decisions being considered in the Congress today will only increase homelessness in the United States, we must stand for housing budgets that are strong enough to keep people in housing and homelessness funds that are strong enough to be able to provide preventative care as we go forward in the weeks and months. ahead. Today is a critical day, not only in the sense that we're announcing $900 million worth of homeless assistance, but also in that the Congress of the United States meets. The House Appropriations Subcommittee will meet today to vote deep cuts in housing assistance to poor people. our HUD budget, which last year was about 28 billion dollars, we believe just based on the staff work and the rumors about what kinds of measures they will take will drop from 28 billion to something about 20 or below $20 billion from 28 to something less than 20 as a result of actions that will be taken today. The largest reductions are likely to come from public housing, but they will also come from other aspects of housing programs. It's reported, for example, that the subcommittee will vote to raise rents for people who live in public housing at a time that we're encouraging people to stay, to work, to watch their uh to pay back some of their rents. At the same time that rents are increasing will be increasingly difficult. The indications we have is that they will eliminate FHA's ability to build affordable housing, some 90,000 units of which were built last year. Ladies and gentlemen, we're here to stem the tide of homelessness, not to watch homelessness grow because the Congress of the United States votes cuts in housing programs that are essential for our country. We have millions of poor Americans who are literally right on the verge of losing housing and we cannot by the actions we take in America. This is not a game. This is not statistics. This is not some abstract discussion. This is real people living in America and real circumstances and they need the help of their government so that we do not have more people pushed to the streets. so that we not do not have more people end up homeless and then have to deal with the problems of homelessness over the long haul. What is being debated today fundamentally is the role of the United States government in addressing itself to Americans in need. The president has defined a role of caring and compassion for the United States government. Today's priorities and announcements are evidence of that philosophy of government. What is being debated is a philosophy of government that that that goes beyond an abstraction to touch people's lives. Yes, we can do it. Government can do good things for the American people. Over the last generation, not only have we seen our government put people into space, walk on the moon, and we saw last week the tremendous effort of technology that resulted in the space shuttle matching up with the Soviet space station. We've also done more complex things like clean up rivers that used to catch fire and turn around entire neighborhoods. We've done things like clean streams and rivers and taken immense strides and creating a more equal society. I know that we can end the problem of homelessness in the United States if we put our minds and our resources and our political wills to the task. It can be done. This is not a technologically or politically insuperable problem. We can, as our president says so frequently, we can do better. We can do better than having pregnant women sleep on the lawn of the Justice Department in the nation's capital. We can do better than having people sleep in subways in the center of wealth for the world. We can do better than children having to grow up in shelters. And the experts tell us today the fastest growing segment of the homeless population is women with children. Shelters are wonderful places to save people, but they're no places to raise children. We can do better than that in the United States. And so today, we make a down payment on solving a problem, but it is only a down payment. More resources must come. The political will and resources must be strengthened and continue to continue to work on homelessness. And most importantly, we must stand behind the president's efforts to bring together all of the elements of an urban strategy, earned income tax credit, and Head Start and youth programs and national service and training programs and yes, housing programs so that we do not have to have Americans sleeping on the streets for lack of the resources or the will or the programs. We can do these things and together we will do these things. We can and we will. It is my pleasure now to ask Andrew Cuomo to join me as we make the presentation of checks to some of the guests who are present here today and then continue with conversations over satellite by some of the communities that are here in another capacity. We'll start with the state of Maryland where the lieutenant governor will receive a check for some $25 million. Maryland submitted an application that is a truly unprecedented statewide comprehensive coordination of communities. Baltimore and Maryland both did well as a result of understanding what the continuum of care is all about. We have a check for Maryland >> victory. Thank you. Thank you. It is a a real joy to stand here with you today. Uh certainly with Henry Cisneros who's been such a leader and also I have to admit with my brother-in-law Andrew Cuomo who is a great leader in homelessness and has provided a terrific home for my sister Carrie Kennedy Cuomo. But I do want to congratulate the Clinton administration for putting a priority on homelessness. That shows vision and compassion. And in this political climate, it also shows courage. It shows what we need to do as a people that we really are going to be judged on what we do for the least of our brethren. And with the Clinton administration leadership, we're going to be judged well. The question then is how do we respond to that leadership? Washington has said under President Clinton that we care about homelessness. And in fact, a few months ago, Andrew Cuomo came to Maryland, talked about what the Clinton administration wanted to do. He talked with government officials. He talked with community activists. He talked with people who were homeless. And he said, "We want to help. And we're not going to help in the old ways by telling you what to do, but by helping in the new ways, by listening to what is needed at the state level. And in doing that, he provided Maryland with a real challenge. A challenge of could we work together? Could we respond? Could we put away what has traditionally stopped people from working together, our own turf, our own jurisdictional pride, and decide that together we can do better. Together we can have a better homelessness problem. And we did it. For the first time ever, the secretaries and the cabinet worked shoulderto-shoulder. For the first time ever, 19 of Maryland's 24 counties, plus the city of Baltimore, under the leadership of Maymoke, came together and said, "We want to solve the problems of homelessness. We don't want to just talk about it. We just don't want to beat our breast. We want to do something." And because of that, Maryland has received the most money that has ever received for the problem of homelessness. One of the 10 top states. Congratulations, Maryland. But we understand that today is just the beginning. We got the check. Thank you. But we understand that getting the check and getting the money isn't enough. That really solving these problems requires the vision. It requires courage. Requires compassion and competence. And what I saw over the last few months of people working together shows that as we all know government is a reflection of our life together. It is a way that we can solve our most solemn problems and it is a way that we do take care of those who are most vulnerable. And when we have a people such as ourselves, people with intelligence, with commitment, with energy, with people such as those who are in the audience today, we will solve that problem. We will help people who are most vulnerable. We will provide the housing, but we'll also provide that important continuum of care. Drug abuse services for those who need it, mental health services for those who are necessary, jobs, training for those who most are in need of help because we believe that we will be judged on what we do. And we believe, as John F. Kennedy said, our problems are created by man and they will be solved by men and women working together. Thank you very much. >> The District of Columbia has a challenge unlike any other city in the United States. It is the nation's capital and as such people come to the nation's capital that wouldn't come to another city of 600,000 or which is what the district uh as a city government has. People come to the monumental center to the government district, to the downtown from all over America because they believe problems can be solved here or they have heard of its services or they just want to be at the center of the nation and so they come here and bring problems from other places to the District of Columbia. The district government has done an extraordinary job over the course of the last two years in putting in place a renewed commitment to homelessness under its partnership effort and with the full commitment of Mayor Marian Berry. It is my pleasure today to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the District of Columbia, a unique partnership between the district government, its business community, and the federal government together. And today we are making an allocation of some $11 million to add to the substantial resources that the district has already committed and that have been committed through the partnership to really make a difference in homelessness here in the nation's capital. Mayor Marian Barry and the District of Columbia 11. >> Thank you very much. Uh Mr. secretary. First of all, let me say good good afternoon. I want to thank uh one of HUD's greatest secretaries, Henry Cisneros. I've known him over the years as mayor and now as secretary with a vision of progress and and help and hope for America's homeless and American general. Let's give our secretary a great round of applause for his his tenacity, vision. Glad to be joined by my fellow mayor Smoke and Campbell and to Lieutenant Governor and particular to Andrew Como. He and I were together about a week or so ago. Uh I want to thank the secretary for having this announcement here in Washington DC and here at the house of Ruth. Uh now with standing out other difficulties, we are operating what I would consider a model program. Uh what the government has done is got out of the business itself of managing our continuum of care and turned it over to something called the community partnership which is a collaborative between the government uh and the nonprofit private sector. That collaborative has $21 million from HUD over three-year period and about $10 million of our own money to look at homelessness from A to Z. And the person who operates that is uh Sue Marshall. I want her to stand. Sue, she's done a fantastic job. And Sam Harvey is the chair. I saw Sam some place here. Why don't you stand where Sam Harvey who's the chair of the community partnership. We're making a difference. And then to be here at the house of Ruth, this building was formerly a school. It was turned over to the house of Ruth. And out of the 11 uh.3 million of the money the secretary that we're getting uh the house of Ruth will get over $600,000 of that money to expand its existing kids child care programs for homeless children by acquiring and rehabilitating buildings adjacent to their current site. uh we need to have u positive environments for our children uh and our mothers of the children. You all saw Teresa when she stood up and probably many of you uh think that maybe she's an exception but there are hundreds of Teresa in Washington. Hundreds in America who have given an opportunity to help themselves would do so. We ought not to be mindful that the homeless can be stereotyped a certain way. So, I want to thank Teresa for giving us inspiration, giving her a round of applause and our roommate. It makes me feel good to know it's happening here. And again, uh this is a a great day in America and certainly in Washington. We appreciate uh the money. We're going to use it wisely and capably and competent, but we also have to have a philosophy about homelessness, too. We can't see it as somebody else's problem. People you can hide under the bridges and on the the grates of America. Just yesterday, I was at a place called Luther Place, a church here in Washington, uh, which is, uh, developing something called the N Street Village, where they're going to spend $17 million, most of it privately raised with the exception of about $5 million from HUD to create permanent and transitional housing for a whole bunch of homeless people and an ideal and model emergency shelter. Just think, Mr. secretary. If every church and every synagogue, every temple in America would do half of what Luther place did, adding to what the government is doing, overnight, we could begin to relate this problem. My Bible teaches me that we should be about the business of clothing the naked, uh, feeding the hungry, and giving shelter to those who don't have shelter and counseling those who in prison. As the secretary said, in America's greatest and richest city, Washington, we should not have what we see here uh on the streets of Washington. And so, I'm proud of this grant. We're going to use it wisely. Uh we hope to come back again and see some results in another year where people have been relieved of some of the suffering and pain because way I look at it, uh if by if but for the grace of God, there go I any of us in this audience could be in need of this help. Again, Mr. Secretary, thank you very very much and God bless all of us. Let's keep working to liberate homeless in our lifetime. >> We'll now leave this program because the US House of Representatives is returning to session. You can check our C-SPAN program schedule highlights to learn when this program might reair in its entirety. The House has been in recess for the past 40 minutes. They've debated several bills, including those dealing with US trade with Cambodia and Bulgaria. Several recorded votes are expected later on those bills debated earlier today. Expected first, a resolution to add a Republican seat to the Ways and Means Committee. Congressman Greg Laughlin of Texas would potentially fill that seat. Yeah, you know where the phone is. There are no construction. So I don't know there was some thought. So Sorry. >> For what purpose? Gentleman from Massachusetts. Rise. >> Is the motion at the desk? >> It's on writing at the desk. >> Clerk will report. Mr. Frank moves that the House do now adjurnn. >> Question is on the motion. Those in favor will say I. >> Those opposed will say no. >> In the opinion of the chair, the eyes have it. >> Mr. Speaker's not pressed order. A quorum is not present. >> The gentleman the gentleman's motion would not be in order that you do not need a quorum. Does the gentleman ask for the and the and then Mr. Speaker in favor? >> All those in favor of the A's and will rise. Sufficient number sufficient number having arisen. The A's and NAS are order. >> Those in favor those in favor of the motion will vote I. Those opposed will vote no. Uh the voting will be by electronic means. Go number one. Thank you. Wow. I Surely Come on. Hello. Yes. I don't I wanted to see Let's go. No, I didn't know that. Oh my goodness. Yeah. The whole Hello. Yeah. Yeah. What's going on? The House of Representatives is voting on a motion to adjourn offered by Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts. This is the sixth motion offered by the Democrats today. The House of Representatives later is expected to move on tonight to a Ways and Means resolution to add a Republican seat to the Ways and Means Committee. Right now, we're going to talk to Elizabeth Palmer of Congressional Monitor about the relationship between Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives. >> Elizabeth Palmer, it's the first recorded vote of the day and it's a vote to adjourn. What in the world is going on? Well, as anyone who's watched C-SPAN in the last two weeks knows, the Democrats are angry, and this is one of the tactics they can use to postpone action, take up time, generally just just, you know, put a finger in the eye of the Republicans. Um, the the Republicans today are moving to put another Republican onto the Ways and Means Committee without adding a Democratic seat to that panel. Uh the Democrats are furious and as you know the week before the Fourth of July recess managed to bump two bills off the agenda by by this sort of tactic prolonging adding votes, motion to reconsider votes. Lots of time spent doing virtually nothing. >> There have been a few suspension bills on the floor already today. What have we learned from what we've heard about uh how the rest of the day will go? >> Um that's still a question mark though. I think that the motion to adjurnn was a pretty good sign that the Democrats aren't really willing to give up yet. There are recorded votes ordered on all four of the suspensions. So, there'll be four votes at a minimum after this. On each vote, there also could be a motion to reconsider the vote on the motion to sus to suspend the rules and pass the bill. So, there could be up to eight votes on that. It depends on how far the Democrats want to push it. >> And a journal vote, I believe, has been requested. >> That's correct. the journal vote just to approve the journal of uh the last day they were in session. >> Is there any chance at all that the Democrats will receive an additional seat on the Ways and Means Committee? >> You know, the last time they did this, they did it over a vote and they managed to to persuade the Republicans to revote the issue. Uh I don't see that happening this time. I think both sides are pretty much entrenched into their point of view. I don't see them winning, but I see them making the Republicans pay a little bit for this new seat on the Ways and Means Committee. >> As you and I are talking live, uh the Democrats have been caucusing as well. Uh obviously, they're moving toward the floor to vote. Any information from that caucus. So, >> we were not able to talk to anyone uh right before this vote. However, when the motion to adjurnn was made, the leadership was on the floor. Clearly, they had a little script in front of them. They were talking amongst themselves. They have obviously devised a campaign. I think that the motion to adjurnn is a sign that they're taking the war on that they're going to continue with these votes and you know drag the session out. Another thing we heard not sure quite who's invited but there's a White House dinner from members of Congress tonight which could put a spoke in the Democrats wheels. Who knows? >> We saw Mr. Frank actually offer this motion to adjourn. What role does he play in the leadership uh chain? Since going back a little bit for history's sake, the person who's in the chair during this is Mr. Walker. And he was what they called the floor watcher for the Republicans. He looked for every little weakness, every in the Democratic armor to try and stop them or or cause them problems or force a vote on something. Mr. Frank and and several others on the Democratic side have adopted this role for themselves, and that's why Mr. Frank made the motion to adjourn. >> Help us get this in perspective. Earlier, there were several suspension bills on what is generally referred to as non-controversial issues on extending most favored nation status to uh some countries, Cambodia, uh for one. Those are not normally recorded votes. Correct. >> Sometimes they are. It's a good opportunity for members to get whipped on certain issues. Describe that for us. Whipping is a vote count. Uh if you want to know later on in the week, energy and water's coming up. how are my members going to vote on it? You can have a vote on a relatively non-controversial bill that you don't have to worry about. You don't have to worry about the count on it and poll the members as they come into the voting place to see how they're voting, how the votes are falling. Um, it's not unusual, but it is unusual to have votes on all four suspenders and a motion to adjurnn and a journal vote. Clearly, this is this is the the Democratic war is ongoing. somewhere on the agenda today or tomorrow is the continuing appropriations consideration for foreign operations. Will we see that at all tonight? >> Um, according to sources that you and I have both talked to, uh, they're going to do a new rule last week, excuse me, two weeks ago when this whole thing blew up, they went back to the rules committee and got a closed rule so they could cut off some of the Democratic tactics. Uh, that rule might come up tonight. They might debate that and they might vote on it. I don't think they're going to have time to get to the bill itself, but who knows? I mean, this is a very fluid, ever moving situation. Depends on how angry the Republicans get at all these votes. They may decide to keep them in all night again. >> Any predictions from you? >> Uh, no. I hate to predict this house, especially with this going on. It'll be interesting. The key question will be once the committee resolution dealing with putting Mr. Laughlin, the new Republican, on the Ways and Means Committee is approved, which it of course will be. Will the Democrats continue with the delaying tactics? As of yet, we don't know what the answer to that is. And that probably could drive a lot of what happens this week. >> I just saw the House Chaplain walk by heading toward the chamber. Does that mean anything? >> Uh maybe some members need counseling. I don't know. >> Betsy Palmer, thanks a lot. Thank you. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh my god. Mr. B, Mr. Caler. 39. The nays are 234. The motion to adjurnn is not agreed to. Chair lays before the house the following communications. >> The honorable the speaker house of representatives. Sir >> clerk will will suspend. The house will be in order. The House will be in order. Conversations in the aisle should take be taken off the floor. The House will not proceed until we have order in the chamber. Clerk will report to communications. >> The honorable the speaker house of representatives. Sir, this is to inform you that representative Greg Laughlin is no longer a member of the Democratic caucus. Signed sincerely, Vic Fasio, chairman, Democratic caucus. The speaker's rooms, Washington, DC, June 30th, 1995. The honorable Larry Comb, chairman, permanent select committee on intelligence. Dear Mr. Chairman, this is to advise you that Representative Greg Laughlin's appointment to the permanent select committee on intelligence has been automatically vacated pursuant to clause 6B of rule 10 effective today. Signed, N. Gingrich, Speaker of the House of Representatives. The speaker's rooms, Washington DC, June 30th, 1995. The Honorable Bud Schustster, chairman, committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Dear Mr. Chairman, this is to advise you that Representative Greg Laughlin's election to the committee on transportation and infrastructure has been automatically vacated pursuant to clause 6B of rule 10 effective today. Signed sincerely N. Gingrich, speaker of the House of Representatives. >> What purposes gentleman from Ohio rise? By direction of the Republican conference, I call privileged resolution and ask for his immediate consideration. Clerk will report the resolution. House Resolution 183 resolved that the following name member be and he is hereby elected to the following standing committee of the House of Representatives committee on ways and means Mr. Laughlin of Texas to rank following Mr. Portman of Ohio. Mr. >> Speaker, gentleman from Texas. >> I have a privilege motion. >> I have a privileged motion, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to clause three of rule 16, I raise the question of consideration. >> Support the motion. >> Pursuant to clause three of rule 16, Mr. Dogget raises the question of consideration. House >> the question is shall the house now consider the resolution. Uh those in favor will say I. >> Those oppos WILL SAY NO. >> NO. >> In the opinion of the chair the nose haven't. >> I would ask Mr. Speaker I would ask for that the y and requested. Those in favor of the and will will rise. Sufficient number haven't arisen. The y's and nays are ordered. The voting will be by electronics means those in favor vote yay. Those opposed will vote no. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Let's go. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh my god. again. The House voting now on whether to begin debate on the Laughlin resolution concerning the Ways and Means Committee. Right now, we're over on Capitol Hill. The Democratic leader, Richard Gart of Missouri, is holding a news conference concerning this Ways and Means issue. who are now going to join that event already in progress >> and shield their three Republican freshmen from having to vote for what they even will admit will be unpopular Medicare cuts if they really believe in cutting Medicare and in what they're doing. Why are they afraid and why are they shielding people from voting for these programs? What is it in essence that the Republicans have to hide with regard to Medicare? If they can provide the details of their plans to cut Medicare in Saturday's Washington Times, what is preventing them from laying out their plan to the American people? Uh we are going to obstruct this evening the procedure. Uh, I don't know how long it will last, but we certainly are going to argue the points that we've been arguing with regard to selling a committee seat on ways and means. We also believe that it is incumbent upon the Republicans to come clean with the American people. Tell them what they want to do with Medicare. Lay out this plan in detail. Give people the information they need about what will happen in their lives so that they can assess and be part of the decision-making on what happens to Medicare. It is basically fundamentally wrong to be stacking committees to do things the American people don't want to do. And it's fundamentally wrong to lot not let the American people even know what they're wanting to do in cutting Medicare and student loans and school lunches before they try to do it. Like to call now on Dave Bonner, our whip. >> Thank you, Dick. David Bonner from Michigan. And as the leader has has said, we are here tonight to demonstrate our opposition to the unfair and unjust procedures in which the Republicans are now engaged in order for them to stack the committee of the ways and means of in the House of Representatives. Some of us are wearing this button, not for sale. This house is not for sale and seats on important committees are not for sale. And if you ever doubted the fact that what was going on here is in fact a sale, all you have to do is look at the comments that have been made and referred to by our leader with respect to Mr. Laughlin getting a seat on Ways and Means so he could be a shield for three freshman Republicans uh who have districts that are 51% or less. This is about Medicare and this is about providing tax breaks for the wealthiest people in our country. And don't let anybody fool you or pretend that it isn't. That's what this is all about. And we are here to say that our folks back home are not interested in paying, as the Washington Times have been indicated on Saturday in a piece in the front page of their newspaper, $110 a month in premium payments, up from $46 a month in order for the wealthiest people in our society to get tax uh tax breaks. Uh we are demonstrating our concern today. Our caucus is united in our position and uh we hope to take this fight uh to the floor until the Republicans understand that these ratios have to come in line. What what they said was just and fair. For years they have been saying if you have 53% of the House of Representatives then you get 53% on the committee that the ratios in the committees should match the ratios in the full house. But what is happening is that they are overreaching. Uh they're being greedy. Uh they're being uh uh hypocritical in in their grab for power here. And uh the American people are going to be the losers and the seniors and working folks are going to be particularly losers. Vic Fasio, our caucus chair. >> Thank you, David. I've just come back from Sacramento, California, where I had meetings on the Medicare issue with a number of groups. Hospitals concerned about where they will find additional savings, seniors concerned about increasing deductibles and co-ayments. And I can tell you the people of Sacramento are just as concerned about these mysterious Medicare cuts as the people of Omaha, Nebraska, Mr. Christensen's district, Las Vegas, Nevada, Mr. Enson's district, or Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. English's district. And I'm sure the Republican leadership fully understands that these three new marginal members who've been marching lock step with their leadership are going to have to decouple on the Medicare issue because on Medicare you can lose your election. These are people who have been put on a committee to advantage their reelection opportunity and are now with the addition of one more member who willing to vote to cut Medicare are put in a position where they can have their cake and eat it too. Taking the stand of course against Medicare as long as the votes are there to put it out of committee. The cuts that we know are coming. Now, many people in this country have not taken cognizance of this yet because in fact, the Republican party wants to make sure nobody knows what these cuts are all about until a brief two-week period sometime late this fall. People don't know what's going to happen to them or the providers they depend on because the Republicans have decided that secrecy, not sunshine, is really their solution. It's about time that they start leveling not just about Medicare, but where are the cuts going to be in the farm bill, where are the cuts going to be with student aid and student loans. There are big plug numbers in this budget resolution, and in fact, there are no details for people to focus on. The American people know that something is happening here, and if we can get the Republicans to come clean, perhaps they'll rise up in time to prevent it. I'm afraid the Republican strategy is just the opposite. They want to hit him before they know it and hope that they never get a chance to raise their voice in opposition. Barbara Canelli, vice chair of the caucus. I've been a member of the Ways and Means Committee for a number of years. It's an important committee. It's a committee that makes decisions that affect the people across these United States. And when I make these decisions as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, they just don't come to you. uh when you're working in tax reform or healthcare or any number of subjects, Medicare, you have to study, you have to work, you have to talk to people, you have to go to hearings, I've always said that I do more homework on the ways and means committee than I ever did in graduate school. So, I certainly would hope that Mr. Laughlin has not traded this time of analysis, this time of study, this time of listening to the people in his own district and people across the United States because our decisions affect everybody. I hope he hasn't traded that type of decisionmaking to go on the Ways and Means Committee. I've known Greg a long time since he came to Congress and I've been very friendly with him. You know, we always say here, my good friend, well, Greg and I have been good friends and I know how much he wanted to go on the Ways and Means Committee. I've been on steering and policy and I knew how much Greg wanted to go on that committee. But yet when I see that top paragraph, I couldn't quite have imagined, you know, they're not going to love him as much as they love their own. You just don't. When you take somebody in like that, you have your own. And it's just very hard for me to imagine that he would say, "Yes, I'll do whatever you want in Medicare to get on that committee so that you can let newer members not have to vote for Medicare cuts." It just doesn't wash that these Medicare cuts can't be so bad that you have to have this kind of really intricate strategy to make sure that people that they really care about don't have to vote for these Medicare cuts that they claim will only be made to save Medicare. I'm afraid when we're having this kind of deep strategy going on and these kind of movements, these Medicare cuts are going to hurt an awful lot more than any Republican I've heard admit. questions. >> How long will this go on? >> Wait, we're not sure. >> That's a disinterested question. >> Yeah, I understand. >> Passing on >> past the cocktail hour for sure. Uh we we we don't know. Um it depends on on how long the Republicans want to stay in session this evening, but uh there will be a series of procedural votes and uh on on the this question. Uh it's important question. It's more than just about tactics in the House of Representatives. It's about whether or not your mother or your father, your grandparents are going to get uh whacked in Medicare in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy folks in our society. And we really feel that this really gets to the basic heart of what our party is about, who we represent. Uh so we we you know we we don't know exactly when it will when it will end but they have already taken off things of their schedule. As you probably know they took the foreign operations bill out and whether they'll go go to the uh suspension bills we're not quite clear yet on. >> Are you planning on extending this beyond tonight? >> As Dave just said this is a very important issue. We're now at the heart of the matter in what is going to happen in this country because of the Republican uh control of the House and the Senate. What we're talking about here is the future of Medicare. The cuts that they're talking about are the deepest, most far-reaching changes and cuts in the Medicare program in the history of the program, which now extends over 30 years. And earlier today, Mr. Army in a meeting with the press made some very disturbing but consistent statements with what he said in the past. He said something to the effect that he didn't like the idea that when he hits 65 he has to sign up for Medicare. He said that the American people don't like being made dependent on Medicare. I've heard him say in other meetings that I've been in with him that uh the the American people never wanted this program >> and never wanted social security >> that these were foisted off on the American people. >> Now we're down to the heart of the matter. I I say to you that the real agenda of the Republican party >> is the agenda they had in 1937 when social security was founded and in 1965 when Medicare was founded and that's the >> question is on the motion motion to table those in FAVOR WILL SAY I >> those opposed will say no. >> In the opinion of chair the eyes have it. Speaker, >> I ask for a recorded vote. >> On that, the gentleman askked for recorded vote. Those in favor recorded vote will stand. Obviously, a sufficient number have arisen. The vote will be by electronic means. Those in favor will vote I. Those oppos will vote no. Yeah, that's what I get. Hello. Heat. What's You got question. Where is it? Get back. Happy birthday. Jack. Jack. All right. How's it going? Just to bring you up to date on what's happening right now on the floor of the House of Representatives. Members are preparing to move on to debate a resolution concerning the appointment of Congressman Greg Laughlin, a Republican of Texas, to the House Ways and Means Committee. This is another procedural vote, one of several that have already taken place or will take place over the next couple of hours. Concerning the resolution, the House has agreed to move on to it and begin debate at some point. Congressman Watt of North Carolina has asked that the House reconsider that vote, the vote to move on to the Ways and Means resolution. Members are now voting on whether to table Mr. Watt's request. A little bit later, we hope to talk with Congressman John Boehner, a Republican of Ohio and chairman of the Republican Conference. Several other procedural votes could take place tonight, and we're hearing from the Republican leadership that tonight's session could go well into the evening. Heat. Heat. Remember to leave the members of the chamber. If not on this vote, the A's are 222, the nays are 179. The motion to table the motion consider is approved. Speaker, >> the gentleman from North Carolina. >> I have a privileged motion at the desk. >> Clerk will report the motion. >> Mr. Watt moves to lay the resolution on the table. >> The question is Question is on the motion to lay the uh resolution on the table. Those in favor will say I. >> Those opposed will say no. >> Clearly the nos have it. >> Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. >> Gentlemen, gentlemen will request a recorded vote. Those in favor recorded vote will rise. Obviously, a sufficient number have arisen. This vote will be by electronic means. Those in favor will vote yay. Those oppos will vote no. Rockstar. Here we go. Heroes. Our heroes. Thank you. Again, members of the US House of Representatives taking another procedural vote concerning the resolution which would place Representative Greg Laughlin, a Republican of Texas, on the Ways and Means Committee. Again, here's what's been happening this afternoon. The House has approved a motion to move on to that resolution, but then Representative Watt had asked the House to reconsider that vote. The House then voted to lay Mr. Watt's request on the table, and now Mr. Watt has come up with his own tableabling motion to actually table or set aside the original resolution. That's where we stand at this point. This is the latest in a number of procedural votes. We may see several more of these tonight. The Democrats explaining that they uh may be doing this uh for more of this evening. This issue dates back to about two weeks ago when the Republicans announced that Mr. Laughlin would be placed on the Ways and Means Committee, creating an extra seat for the Republicans on Ways and Means. The Democrats at that point had asked for their own extra seat to preserve the ratio that stood. That request has been denied. It is not part of this resolution. And that event and those events two weeks ago led to an all night session uh a week ago or two weeks ago on Wednesday. So that's where we are at this point in the US House. I don't understand. Hey, Frank. Okay. Don't worry about Come on. What's up? What are we going to do? There you go. Heat. Heat. in the game. Change camera recorded. anything. Same track. On this vote, the A's are 178, the N's are 220. 29. The motion to lay the resolution on the table is not agreed to. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. >> I gentle from Massachusetts objects. >> Gentleman from Texas. >> I move to reconsider the vote. >> Mr. Speaker, >> Mr. Mr. >> I move to the motion to reconsider on the table. >> Gentleman from Ohio moves to lay the motion to reconsider on the table. On that motion, the the uh questions on the motion. Those in favor will say I. Those opposed will say no. >> No. >> In the opinion of the chair, the nose have it. Mr. Speaker, I ask for the yays and nays. On that, the gentleman asked for the yays and naysay. Those in favor of the ys and nays will stand. Obviously, sufficient number have arisen. The vote will be allowed by electronic means. Those in favor will vote yay. Those those opposed will vote no. Thank you. Heat. Heat. 1 2 3 4 Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Are you guys ready? Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hallelujah. Carolina. Heat. Heat. See how That's it. Come here. members of the chamber changed their voice. Chamber will be recorded. Are there additional numbers to be recorded? All time has expired on this vote. The y's are 230. The nays are 180. The motion to table the motion to reconsider is agreed to. The gentleman from Ohio is recognized for one hour. Mr. Speaker, the house is not in order. Gentleman from Ohio is correct. The house will be in order. Members, engage in conversation. We'll take those conversations off the floor. Gentleman from Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 minutes for the purposes of debate only to the gentleman from Missouri, the minority leader, Mr. Jeart. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. >> Gentleman's recognized. Mr.