Department Of Labor, Health And Human Services, And Education, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - July 18, 2007)

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Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to make a point here because I think what just happened on this House floor 5 minutes ago was extraordinary.

For a member of the Republican Party to get up and defend what has happened here and the investments that we're making I think exposes what's been going on here for the last several months, is that we have a fringe group, Mr. Chairman, of Members of this Congress who consistently get up and try to pin Members against each other, try to find specific programs and somehow expose somebody as somehow being irresponsible. And I think it's extraordinary what happened here, that we have an extreme group in this Congress that consistently tries to divide us when we're trying to get the people's work done.

This is the United States of America, and the gentleman from New Jersey benefits from the Federal court system that helps Wall Street thrive. It's the rule of law in this country that is funded by the taxpayer, courts, judges, buildings, the rule of law, and that allows Wall Street to benefit. That allows citizens in New Jersey to earn a good living and to pay taxes.

And we have Members from Texas, Mr. Chairman, the great investment that this country has made into that great State, NASA, the universities, Texas has benefited from those investments.

Members from the West, where the West wouldn't even exist, we have congressional districts that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the investment of the Federal Government to build dams. The Colorado River Basin Project--there wouldn't be congressional districts in the West if it wasn't for the Federal investment.

We're the United States of America, for God's sake, and let's stop trying to divide each other. Let's recognize that this bill has been supported unanimously from the Appropriations Committee, Democrats and Republicans, and I want to thank the distinguished Member from New York who put so much thought and concern into this bill, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Regula) and gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hobson), who have consistently tried to make investments and recognize that people in Alaska, kids in Alaska need help, and I'm okay with that. I've never been to Alaska but we have needs.

Let's stop trying to divide each other and stop the lectures of fiscal responsibility. The mess we're in is here because of $3 trillion in debt that our friends have borrowed from China and Japan and OPEC countries over the past 6 years; borrowed more money, Mr. Chairman, from foreign interests than every President and Congress before them combined.

So enough of the lectures on fiscal responsibility. We're here now. Let's make these investments. Let's compete in a global economy by making these investments. We're competing against 1.3 billion people in China, 1.2 billion people in India. We need to make these investments. We only have 300 million people in this country. They need to be educated. They need to be healthy, and they need to live in a clean environment. That's what this bill does.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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