Date: 1982-06-22
Speaker: WILLIAM J. COYNE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. Ronald Reagan made an observation on the similarity of politics to the profession of show business in a 1975 Time magazine article. He said: I finally figured out this politics. Its like show business. You start with a big opening act. coast. and close with a great crescendo. It seems that we must now ready ourselves for the "coasting" period as President Reagan approaches the middle of his term. For those 2.5 million people thrown out of work since Congress went along with the administrations "big opening act"-last summers tax and budget resolutions. measures which made Reganomics official Federal policyI fear the coasting will be all downhill. While the administration may have a "great crescendo" ready for 1984 or thereabouts. many people in my own city of Pittsburgh cannot afford to wait. The latest unemployment rate for the fourcounty Pittsburgh area shows a rise to 11.1 percent from 9.9 percent earlier this year. For the longterm unemployed. including those out of work in the severely depressed steel industry. the benefits are beginning to run out. Yet the administration continues to oppose an extension of those benefits to 52 weeks. As I have made clear to this body before. I favor an extension of unemployment conpensationassistance which can often make the difference between keeping a home or defaulting on a mortgageto 65 weeks. But the administration and its supporters in Congress are working to prevent even a minimal extcasion to 52 weeks. I am especially concerned that during this coasting period. the administration appears to be unaware of the disastrous effect its economic policies have on certain industries. By its failure to come to the aid of the ailing housing industry. for example. the administration literally prevents whole crafts from contributing to our economy. I would like to share with my colleagues the results of a recent survey on unemployment in the construction industry conducted by the AFLCIO Building and Construction Trades Department. Here are the results for Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh. Pa. Percent Union: unemployed Asbestos workers................ 20 Boilermakers ................ 60 Bricklayers .................. 65 Carpenters ................... 48 Cement masons................. 60 Floor coverers ................. 25 Iron workers ................................. .. 20 Laborers .................... 40 Operating engineers............. 23 Painters............................................... 50 Plasterers .................... 77 Plumbers ........................................ .. 33 Roofers ................................................. 75 Sheet metal workers.............. 20 Steamfitters .................. 25 Nearly 8 out of every 10 roofers and plasterers are out of work: 6 out of every 10 bricklayers and cement masons are jobless. For those who labor in the construction trades. the depression is not something associated with Herbert Hoover. It Is more closely linked with Ronald Reagan. Mr. Speaker. I have strongly opposed most of the economic proposals offered by the Reagan administration. I opposed its budget proposals for fiscal 1982 and 1983 because I feared that a combination of deficit spending and cutbacks in economic development programs and housing construction could lead to a stalled economy. The Reagan administration and I have a clear philosophical difference on how the Government should be run. While I do not expect the administration to relent on its basic supplyside approach to Government. I urge it to take three immediate steps to halt the devestation that is becoming the norm in certain sectors of the economy. First. the administration should drop its opposition to an extension of unemplpyment benefits. We cannot relegate some people to the economic scrap heap while others. fortunate enough to gain from the newly enacted tax breaks. are living better than ever. Second. the administration should bow to the will of the bipartisan majority of the Congress and approve the $3 billion emergency housing assistance contained in the fiscal year 1982 supplemental appropriations bill. This mortgage assistance will help bring life to the depressed housing industry by stimulating the construction of thousands of new homes. Third. I ask the administration to join me in expressing strong opposition to the Federal Reserve Boards tight money policies. We cannot have economic recovery without the stimulative effect of lower interest rates. For those in the construction industry. the most important action the Government could take would be to bring down the interest rate to 10 to 12 percent. Mr. Speaker. we cannot afford to coast much longer. Robert Georgine. president of the AFLCIO Building Trades Department. has made an astute observation on what can happen if we do: As a result of this rampant lack of Jobs. many building tradesmen are laying down their tools and leaving the industry altogether. The loss of such valuable human resources Is irreparable. When our nation finally faces up to its needs in housing. mass transit. and energy supply facilities. where will we find the vast number of skilled workers to do the jobworkers and apprentices who are now being discouraged from work. ing in the industry. For a mighty industrial nation to face the prospect of a lack of capacity in the construction industry is a sober thought indeed. It is a prospect I hope the administration considers long and well as it plans economic policy in the coming months.