National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
Floor Speech
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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Chair, I rise today to shed some light on an amendment that was offered by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) last night which the House will vote on later today.
The gentleman from Iowa came to the floor at approximately 11:30 p.m. last night and under the open rule offered an amendment prohibiting any funds from the Homeland Security bill to be used for ACORN and ACORN-affiliated community organizations. Besides the fact is that it is clear that ACORN or ACORN-affiliated community organizations are not eligible for funds from the Homeland Security appropriations bill, because as far as I know, ACORN is not in the business of homeland security.
In addition to going after ACORN, the gentleman from Iowa in his amendment goes after 300 organizations. Let me quote from Ranking Member Norm Dicks' eloquent words during debate last night:
You're asking this House to vote on something that you haven't verified, and you don't know what these groups are all about.
The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), ranking member of Homeland Security appropriations, also asked a good question when he asked for specific information on what was the wrongdoing of these organizations. The gentleman from Iowa's response was that he didn't know.
So, Mr. Chair, to highlight the ridiculous nature of this amendment, the gentleman from Iowa is asking this body to vote on an amendment to beat up on ACORN and ACORN-affiliated organizations and cannot produce a single item of evidence for the record of wrongdoing by these organizations in his amendment.
Mr. Chair, one of the organizations listed, and the reason I take certain umbrage to this amendment is that it's an organization in my own district, is known as Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change are people who are known to me. They work hard every day. They work on foreclosure. They work on trying to get people to vote. They work with poor people in particular.
Let me read from their Web site to describe to you what they actually do:
Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change is a new nonprofit committed to building power in low-income and moderate-income neighborhoods through community organizing, civic engagement, political mobilization, and education. NOC is a member-funded and member-run organization that takes on the social and economic justice issues that impact our community the most. Whether it's huge issues like health care and bank reform or a small neighborhood concern like getting a stop sign installed at a dangerous intersection, NOC members work together to apply their collective strength and get things done.
This is a good, decent civic service organization, Mr. Chair, and I resent them being slandered in the way they were last night.
So how did Minnesota Neighborhoods Organizing for Change get on the gentleman from Iowa's hit list? Well, they used to be an affiliate of ACORN. Now they're an independent organization. So I guess there is guilt by association.
Also, Mr. Chair, since the gentleman from Iowa wants this body to talk
about ACORN, a community organizing group, on the Homeland Security bill, I think it's fair to talk about ACORN.
The House, in 2009, voted to defund ACORN. I voted against that defunding amendment because it was unconstitutional and based on politics of fear and guilt by association. It was a good vote, and I'm proud I voted that way, because a Federal court, Mr. Chair, in December 2009, found the House ban on ACORN grants unconstitutional, and I'm proud I was not on the side of that unconstitutional vote.
Finally, the GAO, in a study released in June 2010, found, quote, no evidence of ACORN mismanaging Federal funds. Again, we held this organization up for ridicule and destruction, and we, the Congress, were wrong.
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