Date: 2007-03-23
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

I am glad that she is a member of the Appropriations Committee because they spent a lot of time with this legislation. this emergency supplemental. It is probably going to be the last time that we have an emergency supplemental outside of the regular budget process. And speaking of the budget. Mr. Speaker. we are going to be debating the budget here on this floor next week. We are going to .have a great discussion about where our priorities are as Americans and the things that are important to the financial standing of the country and where we are going to make the kind of investments that we need to make on behalf of this great country of ours. It is also important to understand next week that is tied in with this bill that we are going to also consider the Wounded Warriors bill that is going to be coming up next week. which is 1538. for consideration before this House that I must add that passed Armed Services Committee this week with a unanimous vote. to make sure that we correct some of the issues that are dealing with our veterans. And we are going to deal with H.R. 1401. that is the Rail Security Act that will be coming up next week. This is serious business. and we have to be very serious about what we do here. And I want to make sure that this vote will be seen as one of the many. Now. we had a vote. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. about a month ago that folks criticized. the vote to say that we are against the escalation. against the Presidents escalation of troops in Iraq. Seventeen Republicans voted with the majority of the House Members on that. Obviously. 15 of those Republicans decided to vote against the binding resolution. Remember all those. oh. its nonbinding. it really doesnt mean anything. why are you doing this? Why are you spending a whole week of debate? Even the President said. oh. its nonbinding. And the President said at that time a binding resolution will be coming which will be the emergency supplemental. I want to know the House of Representatives stand on the binding resolution. Well. that message is clear today where we stand. And I think that in the Senate. with the passage of the legislation even has a shorter time line passed the Appropriations Committee last night than what the House is calling for. I think the issue of a time line and benchmarks are going to be in that legislation when it goes to the President. Now. the President is saying that he is going to veto it. Well. that is all a part of his right to do so. But I think the American people and Members of this Congress have to rise up. If the President is not willing to lead us in a new direction as it relates to Iraq. then we may need to lead the President. That is the reason why we have a democracy. That is the reason why we have an executive branch and a legislative branch. That is the reason why men and women who no longer can walk on two legs now paid the price for us to have this democracy that we celebrate here today. which I dont take lightly. That is the reason why this specialist here. that covers the page of Newsweek. paid with her legs. She is a patriot. So if Members or anyone has a problem with the way our democracy is working. then you have a problem with America. I am glad that I am free and able to stand here on this floor to say that what took place here today is a great testimonial to that democracy. And just because you said that you are going to do one thing doesnt necessarily mean that you have to follow through on it to show folks that you are tough. You have folks coming to the floor saying. well. by passing this emergency supplemental. it will waive the white flag. What white flag? Okay. Continuing to do the same thing expecting different results? The Speaker of the House- took the well here earlier. Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. and said there have been three other escalations of troops in Iraq and the same outcome is the fact that we lost more troops in the middle of the battle. in the middle of a civil war. and that did not turn the security situation around on the ground. What did the Iraq Study Group say? They said that diplomacy is going to be the number one key in dealing with this. What did Mr. MURTHA say. a decorated marine and chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee? This is a diplomacy issue. and we need to make sure that the Iraqi Government stands up not only on behalf of their country. but for the region and provide the kind of leadership that they deserve. For every day we are in Iraq. Mr. Speaker and Members. that is a day that a U.S. city will not receive the kind of appropriations that it needs to be able to provide the quality of life that the U.S. taxpayers deserve. It is another day that we wont be able to fully implement all the 9/11 recommendations and be able to provide the kind of funding to secure the homeland. It means that what we pay now on the debt that the Republican Congress and the Bush administration has given us. that we will not have enough money to pay down on that debt. just on the debt of the money that this country has borrowed. and which is more than what we invest in education. more than what we invest in homeland security. more than what we invest in veteran affairs. So I think it is important that this paradigm shift that took place here today is recognized as one of the great days of the U.S.House of Representatives and moving in a new direction.