H 5490 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 24, 1995

Mr. Speaker, if you have no fear of

the truth, do the right thing.

UNITED STATES-JAPAN AUTO

fDISPUTE

(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, as the

New York Times recently reported, it

is a steep, nearly insurmountable uphill journey to Japan for United States

autos and auto parts. It is also an expensive journey, as rigged prices in

Japan serve as significant nontariff

barriers to higher sales of our goods in

that country.

In my hometown of Toledo, OH, the

world-renowned Jeep Cherokee is manufactured having a factory price of

$19,100. By the time that Jeep Cherokee

clears customs, passes through Japan’s

Byzantine distribution system, is

checked for compliance with 238 regulations and is inspected in no less than

3 places, the sticker price of the same

Jeep Cherokee in Nagoya is $31,372, a

52-percent markup.

Japan claims to be one of the world’s

greatest competitors. This label seems

to be true in every market except their

own. The Clinton administration is

right to keep its foot on the accelerator of the unfair trade practices of

Japan.

Open up your market, Japan. It is

long overdue.

(Mr. KINGSTON asked and was given

MEDICARE REFORM

fpermission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, even

though the third largest expenditure of

the national budget is the interest on

the national debt, there are still Members of Congress and the Senate and

the administration who are debating

the need to balance our budget. I think

this is clearly irresponsible, particularly in view of what we want to do for

the future of America, for the future of

children, students, senior citizens and

so forth.

These same people are debating the

need to change Medicare, even though

the administration has told us that

Medicare is going to be out of money

and broke within 6 years. The Republican Party is trying to transform Medicare. If you want to help senior citizens, you need to save Medicare.

We are working on insurance reform,

trying to make insurance more affordable and more accessible. We are working on some Medicare options so that

senior citizens can keep their choice of

doctors, so senior citizens can join a

health maintenance organization if

they choose to, if they can get better

care.

We are trying to cut down on the

fraud and abuse in the Medicare system

which has driven up the price of it. The

average cost payout has gone from

$4,700 to $6,300. I hope that the Democrats will join the Republicans in trying to save Medicare rather than partisan grandstanding.

MEDICARE AND THE FEDERAL

fBUDGET

(Mr. FORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in reference to the budget that is before the

House and the Senate, and to say as we

look toward the Medicare cuts that

many of the new Republican majority

in the House have indicated that they

want these Medicare cuts for the purposes of giving huge tax cuts to the

well-to-do in America. I think when we

look around and we really study what

these Medicare cuts are all about, $289

billion, we are basically saying that we

are going to increase those premiums

on the elderly population of this Nation, those recipients of Medicare.

Yes, we ought to reform Medicare.

Sure, we ought to look at some type of

national health care plan for this country. Sure, those things should happen.

But to say like the new Republican majority that we want to cut the Medicare Program for the well-to-do in

America, to give them a tax cut, that

is wrong, it is mean to the elderly.

We should not let that happen. We

ought to take the budget that we have

before this House and the Senate and

move over the next 7, 8 to 10 years to

try to bring about a balanced budget,

but let us not do it with the elderly

population and the Medicare Program.

PERMISSION FOR CERTAIN COMMITTEES AND SUBCOMMITTEES

fTO SIT DURING 5-MINUTE RULE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent that the following

committees and their subcommittees

be permitted to sit today while the

House is meeting in the Committee of

the Whole House under the 5-minute

rule:

Committee on Agriculture; Committee on Banking and Financial Services;

Committee on Commerce; Committee

on Economic and Educational Opportunities; Committee on Government Reform and Oversight; Committee on the

Judiciary; Committee on National Security; Committee on Resources; and

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding

that the minority has been consulted

and that there is no objection to these

requests.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?

Mr. SKAGGS. Mr. Speaker, reserving

the right to object, and I do not intend

to object, the majority has consulted

with our ranking members on these requests and we have no objection.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?

AMERICAN OVERSEAS INTERESTS

There was no objection.

fACT OF 1995

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 155 and rule

XXIII, the chair declares the House in

the Committee of the Whole House on

the State of the Union for the further

consideration of the bill, H.R. 1561.

b 1043

IN THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole

House on the State of the Union for the

further consideration of the bill (H.R.

1561) to consolidate the foreign affairs

agencies of the United States; to authorize appropriations for the Department of State and related agencies for

fiscal year 1996 and 1997; to responsibly

reduce the authorizations of appropriations for United States foreign assistance programs for fiscal years 1996 and

1997, and for other purposes, with Mr.

GOODLATTE in the chair.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The CHAIRMAN. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Tuesday, May

23, 1995, amendment No. 10, offered by

the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. BURTON], had been disposed of and the bill

was open for amendment at any point.

Eight hours and ten minutes remain

for consideration of amendments under

the 5-minute rule.

Are there further amendments to the

bill:

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. SMITH OF NEW

JERSEY

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

The Clerk read as follows:

Amendment offered by Mr. Smith of New

Jersey: In title XXI (relating to authorization of appropriations for Department of

State and certain international affairs functions and activities) insert at the end the following new chapter.

CHAPTER 2—GENERAL LIMITATIONS

SEC. 2121. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING FOR ABORTION.

(a) IN GENERAL.—

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of

law or of this Act, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act for population assistance activities are authorized to

be available for any private, nongovernmental, or multilateral organization that,

directly or through a subcontractor or

subgrantee, performs abortions in any foreign country, except where the life of the

mother would be endangered if the fetus

were carried to term or in cases of forcible

rape or incest.

(2) Paragraph (1) may not be construed to

apply to the treatment of injuries or illnesses caused by legal or illegal abortions or

to assistance provided directly to the government of a country.

(b) LIMITATION ON LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.—

(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of

law or of this Act, none of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act for population assistance activities are authorized to

be available for any private, nongovernmental, or multilateral organization that