Date: 1981-12-11
Speaker: ST GERMAIN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. the Banking. Finance and Urban Affairs Committee has completed Its round of six grassroots hearings on the economy. We have heard nearly 400 witnesses in St. Paul. Minn.. Seattle. Wash.. Tucson. Ariz.. Chicago. Ill.: Atlanta. Ga.. and Providence. R.I. These witnesses have come from every walk of lifesmall business people. workers. the unemployed. senior citizens. neighborhood organizers. farmers. It Is by far the most far reaching series of hearings ever attempted by the committee and the 400 witnesses heard In just a little over 6 weeks Is a record for the committee. if not for the entire Congress. These grassroots hearings have had a substantial impact on the members who have participated In these long Sessions since October 19. I commend the members who have been willing to make these trips to sit through hours of testimony without a break. This has been arduous. but I am convinced that It Is one of the most worthwhile efforts undertaken by the committee. With 400 witnesses representing diverse areas of the economy and coming from widely separated regions of the Nation. It Is difficult to generalize. but there were at least four major areas of concern that cropped up time and again: First. The loss of Jobs and the inability to find alternative employment In a sagging economy. Second. High interest rates that have devastated the businessman. the worker and the farmer. alike. Third. The high cost of energy. Fourth. The inability of hard pressed local communities to find the revenues to fill the gaps left In servIces by Federal budget cuts. .The despair over the loss of jobs or the fear of Impending unemployment has dominated many of these hearings. The stories are many from Seat. tie to Providence. but this excerpt from the operator of a sawmill In Georg~ia Is typical. Sitting In the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta. she told us: Yesterday was a cold day In the mountains of North Georgia. It went down to 27 degrees which Is not normal for this area. I had men standing around a barrel fire bcgging me to put them to work. I have no work for them. I cannot buy logs to cut lumber because I cannot sell the lumber. My loggers are standing there In their underwear and mackinaws freezing to death saying find us some trees to cut. I cannot find money to buy logs to set the lumber on my yard. I do not have that kind of money. I cannot borrow It because the money Is too expensive. If I could. who Is going to loan the woman money to set the lumber on a yard. God knows when she Is going to sell It. We take this lightly because we hear people saying I cannot f Ind a job. You say there are ads in the papers. I have men begging me to work. but because the interest rates are so high that people cannot afford to buy my lumber that goes into their furniture. I cannot put people to work. We have. I guess. In this area. In the mountains. these are proud people. They do not want welfare. They do not want food stamps. They want a job to support their families. They have little tiny kids. To them Christmas means a doll from Santa Clause. It takes money to buy those dolls. Nobody gives them away. These men see Christmas time coming. Workers all over this Nation see Christmastime coming and for all taoo many It Is a Christmas without hope for the new year. Mi. Speaker. unfortunately. some In the Congress have deridedand attackedthe Idea of a committee taking the time and making the effort to hear people. to monitor conditions through the eyes of individuals in local communities across the Nation. Some of these attacks have been a direct Insult to the people who have come to these hearings to describe their situation and to explain their views to the committee. They were not politicians. or sophisticated experts. just plain people. They did not deserve the charge of "Politics" leveled at them by some Members of Congress and some elements of the Republican Party. Mr. Speaker. these attacks are sad. Indeed. particularly when they come from Members of Congress who are elected to represent the people. The calls continue to come from news media In various parts of the country. Inquiring about the attacks. So someone. who apparently fears the Idea of a committee listening tothe people. continues to distort the purposes behind these hearings. Mr. Speaker. there Is nothing sinister about a committee of *Congress going to the people and I am sorry If Members of the opposition party appear so fearful about having people respond to the policies that party has Imposed on theNation. The Banking. Finance and Urban Affairs Committee has wide jurisdiction over economic issuesmonetary policy. housing. urban affairs. economIc stabilization. to name Just a few areas. Under the Jurisdictions assigned by the House and by various statutes. the committee Is charged with monitoring the economy. We have no choice. Of course. we could. as some of our colleagues suggest. gimply monitor the economy through the expertsthe 0MB bureaucreats. the Federal Reserve. the trade associations. the Government economists - and the others who constantly parade before the Committees of Congress to explain why their economic projections of last year missed the mark. Or we could. as this committee has decided to do. Include the people In the exercise. to let the workers. theseniors. the small business people. the local communities have a voice to monitor the economic policies and conditions through the eyes of the people. I make no apologies for the decision to Include the people. I do resent the false charges which were exaggerated in the hopes presumably that controversy would help Intimidate prospective witnesses and diminish the credibility of the hearings and destroy the efforts of people who had come before the committee in a sincere effort to tell their story. Many of these charges are nothing but crude attempts to sabotage a legitimate hearing of the Congress. Mr. Speaker. I want to make it clear that the Republicans on my committee were invited to all the hearings. they were kept informed throughout and their staffs were included. Happily five members of the minority did participate. I wish more had seen fit to Join us. The Repubicans on the committee did ask for particular witnesses. Without exception. they were placed on the witness list and this was true even when their witnesses were not announced to us until minutes before their appearance. No witness recommended by the minority was refused. Republican staff was Present at each hearing and as far as I know they were extended every courtesy. and every opportunity. to participate In the hearIng activity Beyond the fact that these hearings Involved a record number of witnesses and that they were outside of Washington. they were handled no differently than any other hearing of the committee. Nothing different and the minority maintained all. the same rights that they have In hearings conducted In the Rayburn Building. Mr. Speaker. it Is surprising that the Republicans charges of politicsunsubstantiatedhave gained attention among the press corps. Some of the press corps have seemed more concerned with the charges th~an the substance of the hearings. But that. too. is the nature of the city of Washington and once again illustrates how Important It is to hold hearings outside of this charged atmosphere where political paranoia Is not so widenipread.*