Date: 2011-06-03
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Thank you very much. Madam Speaker. When we finish what sometimes may seem a complicated debate. where both sides can seemingly make sense when we have the time to reflect upon the weeks work or the work and philosophies of the different political perspectives in this House. I believe it is very important to communicate with your colleagues. so let me be as clear as I can be. As I heard my friends on the other side of the aisle. one after one. claim that the Libyan war was the Presidents war. well. today. on June 3. 2011. the President of the United States happens to be President Obama. Yet if you look at the Constitution of the United States. which provides provisions for the separation of powers. there is a section that articulates that the Congress. irrespective of any Presidential person in place. declares war. So I would ask my friends on the other side of the aisle: Would they have been as quick to rise to the floor on the Iraq war. which could be called the "Bush war"? or the continued 10year plus war in Afghanistan the "Bush war"? When we discuss these issues for the American people. we have to be true to ourselves and the Constitution. There was a reason the Founding Fathers separated out the right to declare war. That reason. of course. was to protect you. the American people. When we send men and women into battle. it should be a deliberative process. but we should also have the right to defend ourselves. The initial attack in Afghanistanthat was the first actwas in response to the heinous and horrific attack of al Qaeda on the soil of the United States. From my perspective. the immediate response of President Bush was legitimate. The question becomes: What came afterwards? The Congress was never given the chance to declare war. Subsequently. there was a statutory discussion and vote that gave unending opportunities and authority for the war to go on and on and on. Buried in the Afghanistan decision was the authority to go on and on and on. The sad part about it was that we did not go on in Afghanistan. We distracted our troops and went into a war that saw the large numbers of our soldiers lose their lives in a war that had actually never been declared by the United States of America and the United States Congress. We have something today in 2011 called the Arab Spring. But I dont think Americans understand that. and they. frankly. believe that we cannot promote democracy everywhere in the world. Policymakers understand the crucialness of what is going on in the Arab area as it relates to the geopolitics. the political structure of the world. But I know what Americans of goodwill do understand: the slaughter of a people. The slaughter and the misuse of power in Bahrain. the misuse of power in Egypt. the gruesome misuse of power to the extent that a mutilated body of a 13yearold boy can be dumped in their parents home in Syria. and. yes. the violence in Libya. Americans understand that and I understand it. So I applaud the President of the United States for going in in Libya to stop the horrific violence. He went in in coalition with our NATO troops. That same action occurred under President Clinton. going in with NATO. taking the lead in this instance. in the slaughter of Muslims in Kosova and the horrible wars in Bosnia. I happened to have been able to go on an initial inaugural mission into Bosniathe former Yugoslaviaand Croatia. and I walked the streets of Sarajevo and I saw mothers who had not seen their sons for 10 or 12 years and asked us where they were. It was a violent time. So the Libyan action by the President was an appropriate one. He happens to be a Democratic President. I applaud his action. But the Constitution is not labeled by Democratic or Republican. It has no provisions to exempt if you happen to be a Democrat with a Democratic President. So my values argue for consistency. and that is adhering to the Constitution. I believe Resolution 292. Mr. BOEHNERS resolution that was crafted in the last 24 hours. was a nice statement about a report. But I dont vote on actions on the floor out of contempt and dislike for anyone. Let me be very clear. I applaud President Barack Obama for the courage that he has taken in moving forward to establish Americas mark as a believer in democracy and justice and encouraging the people in the Arab States to stand up for their rights and to object and reject the oppressiveness of their regimes. and I hope that NATO becomes strategic in what theyre doing so that we can be successful. But if we are going to be true to the Constitution of the United States that is. in fact. part of the document that we hold true. then we must hold any Commander in Chief to the same standard. The War Powers Resolution asks that the President of the United States come to the Congress within 60 days. The constitutional provision in article II requires that the Congress declare war. One could argue that we have not declared war on Arab States and weve not declared war on Libya. Were at war. Were at war because al Qaeda declares that they are at war with us. So it is a dicey circumstance. I. instead. voted for the action to occur under the War Powers Resolution that was just occurring today. a vote that we lost. a vote that I would have voted for under President Bush. under President Reagan. under President Carter. and with the opportunity. under President Clinton. as the wars proceeded to a long extent of time. However. we are dealing now in the backdrop of a failed resolution. But I voted because it is necessary to be consistent as to whether you believe the Constitution and the authority of the Congress and the separation of three branches is a valid one to protect the rights of the American people. And I believe that. But my message to General Qadhafi is this: If you have any sense of human dignity left. you will stop the murderous attacks on your people. I am sensitive enough to offer my sympathy to you for the loss of your family members because I believe in the value of human life. War is ugly. But every effort of peace that we have made has been one that youve ignored. Every effort that we have made. every step that we have taken toward peace you have ignored. You have arrogantly insisted on the world stage that youre in charge. while your country is in a state of confusion and disaster. You have opened the doors to the confusion and the violence of terrorist cells. al Qaeda and other neerdowells who desire no good to you or your people. Youve allowed groups to. in essence. begin to spark so that the continued frustration of world leaders in trying to bring resolution continues. but. more importantly. the violence of all falls on the backs of innocent women and children. young boys and families in Libya. I feel a kinship to the Libyan people. as a human being and as someone whose heritage started on the continent of Africa. But the one good thing about America is that we care about all people no matter what background they come from. no matter what country. I know that because Ive had the privilege of representing the United States in South and Central America. in Asia. on the continent of Africa. in the Mideast and Europe and other places maybe not mentionedbecause we care. Mr. Qadhafi. I beg of you. as an African who has met with the President of South Africa. who knows that the African Union would like for you to cease and desist this violent attack on your own people. stand down. And I would ask. as I have asked before. leave the country. Let us find the kind of government that might. in fact. move Libya forward. And if your people decide that you should stay. then you should have a reformation and a change not only of mind but of heart. The violence does not get you anywhere and it is both insane and absurd. So I would hope that as this vote was taken. that it is not in any way. as was evidenced by the discussion in the debate by the Republicans. it is not Mr. Obamas war. He is the President of the United States and the Commander in Chief. and it was a determination to go in to stop the murderous acts of those who were killing innocent people. Read your early history. The early Founders of this Nation in the Revolutionary War against Great Britain had other countries come to the aid of this little. tiny. baby series of States that called themselves the United States of America. It has been the world order for centuries that big countries or those who are able will go to the aid of those who are not able. And this vote today should not in any way deny the respect that is owed to the President of the United States. This is a vote premised on the Constitution and reflecting the desires of the American people. that we do not live in a dictatorship and that if youre a Member of the United States Congress. come here and do your job. And our job is defined by the Constitution. I believe that our duty was partly handled today. and I would encourage our President. as he has done over the stages of the Afghan war and now the continued redeploying in Iraq of our soldiers. and I would add that we are in an engagement of discussion that gives us the roadmap for redeploying or moving toward a resolution in Libya. I would also join in the debate that Ive just made on the question of Libya with the need for the immediate review and designation of time for redeployment of our troops out of Afghanistan. and the President has indicated that he expects that that redeployment will begin in July 2011. My plea to the President is. as we look at these economic times. when America is crying out for jobs. when the middle class feels splashed and unattended to. when others believe our jobs are not creeping offshore and overseas. but fleeting and flying and literally by way of speed that is faster than sound. it is time now to find the mutual courage to say to the people of Afghanistan that we have provided a duly elected government. a parliament. We have laid down our lives. We have built up the Afghan national security forces. which I was introduced to in the many times that Ive been into Afghanistan. all parts. including Kabul and Kandahar and places beyond. I know there are good people there. So Id ask the President of the United States to ramp up the redeployment. bring home 50.000. 100.000 troops and begin to let those troops rebuild their lives. Invest in military readiness and preparedness and find a closure to the presence of United States boots on the ground in Afghanistan. To President Karzai. I ask you to stand up and be counted. to initiate policies that would end the poppy growing and heroin production. to allow girls and boys to go to school. to produce your teachers and lawyers. doctors and scientists. generals. captains and leaders of government. I would ask President Karzai to provide the funding and resources for your Afghan national security forces. I would ask him to weed out the Taliban that is destroying his own people in the mountains of Afghanistan. And. yes. I would ask whether or not it is even possible that all of us could claim the value of peace. and by doing that. it would not be noncourageous to stand up and accept the fact that we have won in Afghanistan and weve won in Iraq. and we thank our soldiers. And so Im on the floor today thanking my colleagues because last week we voted 419 votes to declare a National Day of Honor for our returning troops from combat areas. more than weve ever done in any other war. and to celebrate them all over America. So I am not asking for America to leave any battle place with her head held down. Our Vietnam vets. during a very tumultuous time and a war that we disagreed with. should have been welcomed home for their service. for their duty. for the reason that they took up armsnot of their own accord. but because a President called them. I believe America learned her lesson as she focuses on trying to help our returning combat veterans with jobs and education and health care. We know that we should honor them. So with the amendment that I passed on the floor. 419 votes. I hope the American people will call their Congressperson and thank them. but also ask that that proclamation be declared and that we have a National Day of Honor to welcome our soldiers home from all around the world in combat places. As we welcome them home. I think it is extremely important to recognize that America has a number of concerns. Those concerns are the tragedies that we face. the horrific loss of life in Joplin. Birmingham. Tuscaloosa. all the flooding that has gone on. People in the United States are suffering. So what does it mean to raise the debt ceiling? What it means to raise the debt ceiling is not what Americans believethere they go again. spending. spending. spending. What it actually means is that were saying to working Americans and middle class Americans. we feel deeply about your inability to pay your mortgage. to pay tuition costs. If you have one or two credit cards with those old interest rates of 19. 20. 21 percent that weve been able to bring down somewhat because of legislation weve passed. we understand that. If you dont have a job. if someone in your life doesnt have a job. we understand that. We understand folks that dont have a job. but they dont have a job. a home. a car. a place to live. The debt ceiling actually is the ability to pay our bills. It is not the ability to spend and find ways to spend money unnecessarily. it is the ability to create the jobs that America is crying out for. The 9 percent is not a reflection so much of the President of the United States not desiring and working hard to create jobs. Let me remind my colleagues that it was Democrats and the President that helped to. in essence. provide a safety net for the automobile industry. A lot of people complained about that. But we were in the middle of the fight not to pay special interests off. we were in the fight to save the auto industry of the United States of America. It was the right thing to do. Two big reasons: one. the infrastructure of automobile building was car dealerships across America that had thousands. millions of workers selling American cars. You let that industry collapse. and you would let. in essence. some small town in America literally have no economy. It might have been that the car dealership was the largest business in that small area. Ill add three. The second is we obligated the industry to pay us back. and we have been paid back. We. the United States taxpayers. have been paid back. And you know what else? They have actually brought jobs back to the United States of America. If I wasnt in this very august place. I would say hallelujah. celebrate. applaud: jobs have been brought back to the United States. Ford. of course. did not take those resources. We applaud them. Some of you are buying some new smart cars by GM. Some of you are buying new smart cars by Chryslerbetter gas mileage. got a new attitude. We gave the American innovative genius the opportunity to survive. We allowed inventiveness to thrive. We built on Henry Fords genius. and we let it spread around. And as well. as we developed jobs for monies that the taxpayers invested. and we put the right kind of restraint for you to be reinvested. The debt ceiling means that it allows us. the government. to create jobs for you. You turn the economy and invest back. We then provide the protection for you through jobs or maybe unemployment insurance or maybe Social Security or maybe Medicare. or maybe when youre at your lowest end. When you have lost loved ones in a natural disaster that you cannot comprehend. it is the cause of the Federal Government to be able to pay the bills. to be able to come to a place where there is no fire station. no houses of worship. no hospital. no schools. no homes. for us to come and to be of help. I dont know how we can abdicate our responsibilities. I dont know how we can frivolously play with raising the debt ceiling. I dont know how Republicans can put on the floor of the House a bill under suspension. which requires a twothirds vote. to make a joke of helping the people in Joplin. in Alabama. up and down the Mississippi and whatever other disaster may come. How do you make a joke with that? How in essence do you in the face of the frustration of those who have suffered? I have not experienced a tornado. but I have experienced and walked the streets during hurricanes. I have seen in my own town the pain. I have come up to doors and knocked on persons doors where someone has laid dying because they have just gone through a process where all the lights are out and theyre on oxygen. Ive seen seniors in homes that cannot be repaired. Ive seen people lose items that can never be replaced. And so that is what your Federal Government does. And do you mean to tell me we would make a mockery of raising the debt ceiling so that America can simply pay her bills? There is a value to reducing the deficit. And might I just say something with all good intention. It is always the person who has got money in their pocket. whos got a wallet full of credit cards that they can pay for. that can smile when youre talking about Social Security and Medicare and has an uncaring spirit. Because it doesnt matter to them. It is the philosophy that has not made this country great. the philosophy of "Ive got mine. you get yours." Young people. I have gotten my college education. I dont care whether you can go to college or not. I dont even care if you get a job. "Ive got mine." Thats not what this Nation is all about. I will not tell the people of Missouri. Alabama and places around. "Im okay in Houston. My house is still functioning. the hurricane season hasnt hit me yet. so Im not going to worry about your tragedy." Is that America? Is that how we built the greatness of this country? Did we ignore our returning troops coming home from World War II? Or did we say to them. "Were giving you the GI Bill"? The Democrats gave the second GI Bill. President Truman gave the first. We gave with President Obama the greatest GI Bill in the history of America except the one that was passed by President Truman. We said that we care. We built on the values of a country that always rises to the occasion. And because of that. those people who desire goodness and greatness. they look to the United States of America. I am glad. regardless of whatever faith we believe in. whatever our background is or whoevers our neighbor. that were a country that cares. And I will tell you just if you follow what your grandmother says. being a good Samaritan will always come back to you. Being kind to someone will always come back to you. Therefore. I believe that it is imperative that we lift the debt ceiling for America to pay her bills. I am tired of smashing the middle class. I am tired of leaving them on their own. I am tired of them watching jobs go overseas when we have such a brilliant population of innovative. creative. loving people. We overcame some of the hills and valleys in America. We went through the civil rights movement and the era where those who were of a different color suffered under the devastating indignity of segregation. America rose to the occasion. It is not perfect. but we recognize the value of equality of all. Youre not relegated to the back of the bus. Youre not dismissed from hotels and restaurants. You are open and allowed to travel on Americas transportation modes. You even can be accepted into colleges on your own merit and not on quotas. And yes. if you apply for a job. the laws at least protect you. that no matter what your background. that youre given an equal opportunity. America has traversed some of those difficult valleys. We respect women and a womans equality. We are able to say that women can be pilots and Presidents and Senators and doctors and heads of organizations and engineers and train conductors and anything a little girl can admire and aspire to be. Thats the kind of America that is understanding of the crisis that these people face. And Im sorry that the debate on the debt ceiling has been characterized as Democratic and Republican and these are the deficitcutters and these are the wildeyed spendingspreers going into the shopping malls of America and grabbing things off shelves. It is important to note that one of the greatest Presidents that we have admiredmy little girl used to call him GrandpaRonald Reagan asked Congress to lift the debt ceiling in 1983. not because he was a spendthrift but because he understood the responsibility of paying Americas bills. And. my friends. I remind you. can we not pay Americas bills? I want to discuss how we do that. how we lift the condition of Americans. We do it like weve done it before. We make it in America. Now I like one part of it that says. We make it in America. Everybody needs to have a chance to make it in America. The young people that are graduating in 2011 should have the right to make it in America. By the way. might I just say. congratulations to all of the graduates across America. From the preschooler thats going to kindergarten. to the elementary child that puts on the robe and is inspired. to the middle school and to the high school graduates of whom I will go home to this weekend and greet any number of high school graduates in my constituency who are making that first leap of faith. to the college graduates who are feeling so empowered to graduate in such a great Nation. to those who are getting graduate degrees. our new lawyers and doctors and business persons. our physicists and chemists and biologists. the geniuses that will go into the laboratories of America. Congratulations to all of you. That is why I believe it is important to make it in America. The Democrats have launched a major initiative. I wish we could get our friends to join us in a real jobs bill. of which the President of the United States has committed to introducing a real jobs bill. to make it in America. Many of us in our hearings will ask the witnesses that represent the United States Government. we want you to buy America and make it in America. And Im not an isolationist. I believe America has been enormously generous in buying goods from other countries. proud of them. Were glad to help developing nations. Were glad to support microcredits and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation that allows investments overseas. but we dont want our jobs to be taken overseas. I dont want to see teenagers with doubledigit unemployment. particularly in the African American community. I dont want rural communities to suffer because of the lack of employment. I dread this coming summer when theres no money for summer jobs for young people who are trying to save for going into school in the fall. Sometimes the only resources a family has may be the summer job of a teenager. But we have always encouraged teenagers to learn how to work in the decorum of the workplace. Just look what were doing now. For that very reason. can I give a challenge to this Nation. can I give a challenge to the businesses. can I give a challenge to corporate America: Bring some young people. maybe unpaid. to be able to be interns. City governments. maybe unpaid. bring some young people into your offices. Teach them something else but hanging out on the streets. Let them see an adult role model working. But we might not have to have that kind of plea if we could make it in America again. In the 18th Congressional District in Texas and all around America. were going to be honoring the individuals who have manufacturing businesses. I would ask you. colleagues. to go and shake the hand of a manufacturer whos making something. whos struggling to keep the doors open. whos making a widget or a gadget. Thats what were talking about. Solar panels. Wouldnt it be a shock if we went across America and began to make our own solar panels. our windmills of course. that create wind energy. Unfortunately. I hate to tell you that that equipment. that kind of technology we get from overseas. If I wasnt on the floor of the House. I would hold my head down. When has America needed to depend on someone else. something that was their idea or that they could make better? Again. as I said. I dont mind being part of the world family. where we share and we buy items and we help develop economies. but not to the point where all our jobs. like I said. are taking wings and flying away. What kind of America is that for our young people that are graduating in 2011? So I want us to focus on building buses. building submarines. and major aircraft carriers. building bridges. freeways. improving dams. building the rails. or the trains for highspeed rail. of which I am an avid supporter. and requires an investment in this country to be able to be fiscally conservative as well as to ensure that we use our energy resources right. To have an energy policy as well that speaks about all of the energy resources. to do them effectively. as the President has articulated. and to make sure that if we are using fossil fuels. whether its oil or gas. that we are doing it here in the United States and that we are in fact doing it safely and securely. That we appreciate wind and we make the equipment or the kind of technology right here in the United States. Solar. that we make all of our panels. Natural gas. that we do it safely and securely. and that we create jobs that way. That we bring down the cost of energy. That we stop calling upon the American people to take $5 out of their pocket and put a few ounces. if you will. of gas in their car. That we begin to recognize the pain of America. and the way that we recognize the pain of America is that we begin to go aggressively toward the American people with solutions. And the demagoguery of raising the debt ceiling. and Im not going to vote on it unless you burden it down with draconian cuts that will end Medicare as we know it on all seniors. eliminate Social Security. destroy Medicaid and throw it to the winds so that disabled children suffering from autism or those who have other diseases cannot be taken care of. thats not the America that has made us so great. It is one that pulls up our pants and puts on our shoes. pulls up our skirts and gets empowered by the joy of work and helping others. And when we did that. we were able to invest in this Nation. I will not vote on a debt ceiling increase that destroys Medicare as we know it. And I will not vote on a debt ceiling increase that destroys Social Security. or Medicaid. or violates the premise that this country owes a debt of gratitude to veterans and returning soldiers. Thats what my friends on the other side of the aisle are trying to sell the American people. a bill of goods. A bill of goods that the philosophy that is anti to President Reagan. who asked for the increase in the debt ceiling himself. that we cannot count and speak at the same time. I believe America is greater than that. We can bring down the debt with a very meticulous plan over a period of time. the same way you save for college or plan to bring down your debt. or stop using credit cards. We can do that. But at the same time. we can pay Americas bills. And we cannot leave one American alongside of the road. languishing and reaching out for help. and we say there is no room at the inn. Where is the America that is a Good Samaritan? Where is America that sent young men to war. World War II. and if you talk to any of that generation they say. I didnt know all the facts. but I was glad to be part of what America was standing for. helping those who were languishing alongside the road. We have had any number of conflicts. and some that I have agreed or disagreed with. but the premise was. whether we had the agreement of the American people on the premise of that conflict. it was to help someone along the road. I am now calling in a clarion cry for Americans to help America. I am calling on this Congress for this Congress to help America. I am calling on the President. as a friend of the American people. to help America. And to do that. whatever is heard that will now come behind me. and disjangled chords will sound attractive. and it will be about who is going to burden our grandchildren and the longterm debt. but it will not be infused with values by many of our faiths. Those of us of a Christian faith and many other faiths have an element of the document under which they worship that talks about the Good Samaritan and charity and love. And albeit that you are asking why on the floor of the House. it is because the infusion of those tenets were part of the design of this Nation when we organized around the concept of forming a more perfect Union. And when the Declaration of Independence said that we seek to pursue happiness. we hold these truths selfevident that all of us are created equal. we dont abandon that just because it happens to be June 3. 2011. We are able to keep those values. and those values have kept this country on a straight and productive path. All the noise that comes sometimes in a confused sound to the ears of the American people. if as Members of Congress we can declare our commitment to helping the American people and keeping the values of the American people in place. and that of our faith. that is to help. to love. and to present charity to those who are in need there is no limit to the greatness of America. And there is no limit to the restoration of making it in America. both in terms of our success and survival. and then in terms of making things that we need and putting America back to work. Madam Speaker. I am grateful for being yielded this time by the Speaker of the House. and I am grateful for the opportunity to live in a Nation where disagreement does not result. in this century and even in the past century. of taking up arms against each other. I am grateful that maybe in the debate that we have on the floor of the House at some point my colleagues can hear not disjangled sounds of discord and disrespect and dislike. but they can actually hear the chords of reason. my friends. that to pay for our bills as you pay for yours. we must do the right thing: raise the debt ceiling. and to be able to preserve Medicare as we know it. and not to destroy it as it is being destroyed by the budget proposals of the Republican Party. It is necessary. if you will. to be able to come together and to listen in one voice. finally. that we act to help America. With that. Madam Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time.