Continuing Appropriations and Surface Transportation Extensions Act, 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. SESSIONS. I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today is a historic day, also, as two of the stalwarts of this House of Representatives perhaps are here tonight to argue as chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee on behalf of not only themselves, their committee, but also the teams they represent. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) perhaps will be on the floor tomorrow, I don't know, but tonight I will be here, and I would like to recognize the service that Mr. Obey has given the United States Congress. I have been with Mr. Obey over a number of times in the last 14 years up in the Rules Committee. I have seen him very early in the morning and very late in the day. Mr. Obey has presented himself not only in a professional manner, but represented his party and its thoughts very well. It would be my hope I would be able to offer a warm hand and extension to him to say: Job well done, sir.

Also, on my side, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) will be on the floor in just a few moments as they present this final spending package, the CR. Mr. Lewis has been a very dear

friend of mine over the years. He has been very gracious about hearing the activities I believe are important, including those of the gentlewoman from Wisconsin who sits in the chair tonight as the Speaker pro tempore, for issues related to sight, retinal issues, and the ability we have to create a better life for those who have lost their sight. Mr. Lewis has been very responsive to not only this Member but also to others in this body in dealing with health issues, understanding that research and development is a key part of technology in medical breakthroughs for people who count on us making wise choices with how we spend people's money.

So I would want to extend to both of these gentlemen thanks for a job well done, knowing that tonight they will be ready to go home for Christmas and the holidays.

Madam Speaker, the Republican Party finds itself in the position where we are here on the floor just a few days before Christmas. The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) has outlined the exact need of not only this administration but, I believe, forthrightly, the American people and certainly this Congress, the ability to make sure that we act responsibly, that we provide the funding that is necessary. The President of the United States has asked for this. The President of the United States has a constitutional authority to move forward, and I believe that that is a rational argument.

The Republican Party finds itself in a circumstance where we have attempted, for quite some time, to bring to the attention of the majority what we believe is an overriding need to cut the amount of spending that is taking place by the United States Congress. I believe it has created excessive not only spending, a bloated government, and an inadequate ability by the free enterprise system to get out of the way of government; that a government that is empowered to roll over the free enterprise system and individuals who are in the marketplace perhaps, also. In the scheme of things, the Republican Party is worried about the future of this country and what our children and our grandchildren will have to pay with a monster debt that looms over us.

I recognize, I think the entire country recognizes, that this debt, the doubling and tripling of debt that is underway, came as a result of a political opportunity with the Democratic Party by the President, the House, and the Senate to collectively determine that they were going to go and increase spending in a dramatic basis.

The Republican Party, through myself as the Rules Committee person, recognizes that we, once again, are here on the floor of the House of Representatives at the late hour, even though I believe what is inevitable is here with this continuing resolution to say, We believe there should have been a better effort on behalf of this majority to substantially review not only the excessive spending but to put into place those stopgap measures which would prove to the American people that Washington, D.C., does get it.

What we need to get is this: as we loom and roll forward in the future, another debt limit opportunity vote that means that we will have to take the tough votes here on this floor and raise that debt limit so that we are as responsible as we are tonight, what has been described by Mr. Polis, about making sure the government funds itself.

The Republican Party believes we should have immediately last year when we recognized not only continued unemployment, massive debt, have done something about stopping the spending. We spend about $4.5 billion too much every day, more than what comes in. And that $4.5 billion is important. When you add it all up, it amounts to about 40 percent of all of the spending going to debt.

So we don't have to yell and scream. We have to succinctly come to the floor. We have to protect the turf that we believe is best for the American people, and that is, I will tell you, on January 5 when we elect a new Speaker and the Republican Party becomes the majority, we pledge ourselves to having not only the ideas about how to turn this country around, but I believe we will have the guts to make tough votes. And we will ask the American people to listen and look at every single vote we make.

Today, we are kicking the can down the road. Today, I guess we are ready to go home. The Republican Party is here to say, We disagree. We think every dollar and every penny that is being spent to the detriment of the future of this country is a problem. So that's what we are doing here today.

I appreciate the gentlewoman not only for her efforts of tireless sitting in the chair today, but I also recognize our leaders, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis). I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) and wish him the very best of holiday seasons.

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