May 2, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4483

COMMUNICATION FROM THE HONORABLE FRANK TEJEDA, MEMBER OF CONGRESS

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following communication from the Honorable FRANK

TEJEDA, Member of Congress:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Washington, DC, April 11, 1995.

Hon. NEWT GINGRICH,

Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Rayburn House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: I write to notify you

formally pursuant to Rule L (50) of the Rules

of the House that a member of my staff has

been served with a subpoena issued by the

District Court of the State of Texas. After

consultation with the General Counsel, I

have determined that compliance with the

subpoena is consistent with the privileges

and precedents of the House.

Sincerely,

FRANK TEJEDA,

fMember of Congress.

FAITH IN CONGRESS RESTORED

(Mr. WELLER asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, for the

past 3 weeks, I have been traveling

around my district and the one message my constituents relayed was by

keeping our promises through the Contract With America, the Republican

majority is working to restore the

long, lost faith the American people

have in Congress.

This message is clearly reflected in

the recent Wall Street Journal poll.

For the first time in this poll’s history,

a majority of Americans approve of the

job Congress is doing. In fact, just last

September, this same poll showed twothirds of the American people disapproving of the liberal Democrat Congress that preceded us.

Mr. Speaker, the message is ringing

loud and clear: The Republican majority has led to a different Congress.

Through hard work we have proved

that politicians can keep their promises. My constituents tell me they like

what they see, and I will continue to

make sure that we stay on the same

track and keep our promises.

Mr. Speaker, I include the Wall

Street Journal poll for the RECORD.

[From the Wall Street Journal, April 28,

1995]

WASHINGTON WIRE—A SPECIAL WEEKLY REPORT FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’S

CAPITAL BUREAU

(By Ronald G. Shafer)

Clinton shows renewed political muscle in

the Oklahoma City aftermath.

Buoyed at least temporarily by his handling of the bombing, he edges Dole in a 1996

matchup in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC

News poll, a reversal from recent surveys. He

is preferred handily over Gramm or Wilson.

The gap over Dole widens slightly when

Perot or Powell are added as independents;

they cut into GOP support more than Democratic.

Clinton scraps plans to discuss Russia in a

Sunday speech. Instead he will highlight two

perceived policy strengths by linking his new

crusade against terrorism and longstanding

efforts toward Mideast peace. On Monday, he

will help kick off a $10 million drive by

Emily’s List, a women’s political group, to

get Democratic women to the polls in 1996.

Gender gap: In their matchup, Clinton gets

a 14-percentage point edge among women,

while Dole has an 11-point edge among men.

Dole holds firm as the GOP front-runner as

Gramm fails to catch fire.

Dole is favored by 58% of Republicans and

strict independents as the GOP presidential

hopeful, far ahead of No. 2 Gramm at 14%. If

Powell is added as a GOP choice, he surpasses Gramm as second behind Dole. The

public shows a strong interest in independent candidates, with over a quarter of those

polled picking such alternatives when offered the choice in matchups.

Some GOP social conservatives, disillusioned that Gramm doesn’t give more attention to their issues and distrustful of Dole,

consider endorsing Buchanan. The Alexander

campaign, trying to rub in Gramm’s difficulties, sends the Texan’s campaign an express

package consisting of a life preserver labeled: USS Gramm.

The GOP Congress wins high marks, but

backing on issues is shaky.

For the first time ever in the poll, a majority of Americans—47% to 40%—approves of

the job Congress is doing; by contrast, twothirds disapproved last September. House

Speaker Gingrich wins 45%–36% approval, reversing previous negative views. The public

cites Gingrich’s positions on issues as his

best attribute—but about as many disagree

with his views as agree.

The favorable ratings may temporarily reflect the GOP House’s first 100 days, says

Democrat Peter Hart, who conducted the

poll with Republican Robert Teeter. Americans by 48% to 37% think Republicans will go

too far on welfare overhaul. By 47% to 43%

they favor government education and training programs to aid inner cities over private

initiatives as pushed by the GOP.

Combating street crime and violence is the

issue that needs the greatest attention from

the federal government, the public says.

Dole’s age: While 65% of the public don’t

think the 71-year-old senator’s age would affect his ability to be president, just 18% prefer a candidate from the World War II generation and only 1% think the 70s is the best

age for a president. Two in five older Americans feel Dole would be less able to handle

the presidency.

Moscow mission: Aides seek ways to promote Clinton’s May trip to Russia at a time

when relations are cooling. One idea: Clinton

writes a letter to leading columnists explaining the bigger issues at stake, like nuclear

disarmament. Some 46% of the public approves of his handling of foreign policy, up

from 37% last month.

Vietnam revisited: Americans by 70% to

22% think the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to fight in Vietnam. Those who

think so are evenly divided over whether it

was a well-intentioned mistake or fundamentally wrong and immoral.

Shaky confidence? Despite a surge of optimism picked up by some other polls, only

24% of those in this survey expect the economy to get better over the next year. That is

down sharply from 31% at the end of last

year and the lowest reading since October

1993.

Tax overhaul? Yes. Flat tax? Not so fast.

Two-thirds of poll respondents say the current income-tax system is unfair. And 51%

back a ‘‘complete overhaul,’’ up from 37%

last July, a sign that the tax-reform debate

resonates with the public. But by a three-totwo margin, the public favors graduated

rates to a single flat rate; even self-identified Republicans do so.

Some Clinton aides predict the GOP taxoverhaul push could go the way of the president’s health-care plan: Applause for the motives and unceasing complaints from likely

losers. The administration tries to attack

GOP proposals without appearing to defend

the status quo. One possibility: A push for

simplification.

The public strongly prefers taxing wage

and investment income equally; the GOP favors lower taxes on investment income to

encourage saving.

Minor memos: Foul mood: Only 40% of

Americans call themselves Major League

baseball fans, down sharply from 56% in July

before the baseball strike with a big drop

among young adults. * * * Was Sen.

D’Amato polled? The public by 31% to 25%

has a positive view of Simpson trial Judge

Lance Ito, while 26% are judiciously neutral.

SPECIAL ORDERS

fThe SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.

HASTINGS of Washington). Under the

Speaker’s announced policy of January

4, 1995, and under a previous order of

the House, the following Members will

be recognized for 5 minutes each.

previous order of the House, the genThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

ftleman from Kansas [Mr. ROBERTS] is

recognized for 5 minutes.

[Mr. ROBERTS addressed the House.

His remarks will appear hereafter in

the Extensions of Remarks.]

previous order of the House, the gentleThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

fwoman from Ohio [Ms. KAPTUR] is recognized for 5 minutes.

[Ms. KAPTUR addressed the House.

Her remarks will appear hereafter in

previous order of the House, the genthe Extensions of Remarks.]

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

ftleman from Illinois [Mr. DIAZ-BALART]

is recognized for 5 minutes.

[Mr. DIAZ-BALART addressed the

House. His remarks will appear hereafter in the Extensions of Remarks.]

previous order of the House, the genThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

ftleman from Maryland [Mr. MFUME] is

recognized for 5 minutes.

[Mr. MFUME addressed the House.

His remarks will appear hereafter in

the Extensions of Remarks.]

IN HONOR OF SENATOR JOHN C.

fSTENNIS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. MONTGOMERY] is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, former

Mississippi Senator John C. Stennis died on

April 23 at the age of 93. He retired from the

Senate in 1989. In the passage of time, we

sometimes forget events and accomplishments, but we will not forget Senator Stennis.