Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
Floor Speech
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2007)
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Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Chairman, I had not intended to speak on this matter, but the rhetoric has gotten my attention enough that I thought I should share with the American people as well as my colleagues my early experience in public affairs.
I will never forget running for a school board, and people were talking about the Federal Government's beginning to get involved in education. I remember saying to those people, let us be very, very careful about going to Uncle Sam to finance our schools when traditionally that is the highest of State responsibilities, and they cooperate with local districts to provide for our schools and control them.
Uncle Sam then gave only 10 cents on the dollar for education, and those who gave the 10 cents wanted to tell us more and more what to do in our local school districts.
All these years later, I must say it's like 50 years later, we continue to want to tell people what to do in their local schools, and we're now giving them 90 cents on the dollar. Those who are talking about free gifts for people who are providing for educational activities, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, eventually the folks who are sending their children for school, one way they will pay for that education, one way or another. For you could, in those days, I'm not sure what the figure is now, but in those days you could take every family that made $100,000 or more, and anything above that $100,000, tax it 100 percent, and you could run the government for 30 days.
The people are not stupid. They know, as you're playing games with them suggesting, oh, Uncle Sam has a free lunch here some way, the folks that you're talking to are having to pay the bills in the final analysis regardless, because all those rich people, you tax them 100 percent, and they will not run your government more than 30 or 60 days. And who pays for the rest of it?
Another point that is very important, in my view, the rhetoric that suggests that the Federal Government should do everything centers around the reality that the Federal Government has a responsibility to provide for the national defense, make an effort to provide security and freedom in the world, and then make sure our local government and our State governments are healthy. They are not healthy if you so discourage industry that they leave the country in order to be able to get their work done and produce the products that we need. Those rich oil companies that you're talking about, they're leaving the country. The light bulbs we were talking about earlier, they're all made in China. It's about time we recognize that Uncle Sam does not have every answer.
I'm going to vote ``no'' on this bill, in spite of what the gentleman from California said earlier. I have the privilege of being the ranking member on the committee, but I'm going to be voting ``no'' because it is about $2 billion over the President's budget request, and the agencies around know they don't need as much money as you folks want to spend on them.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
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MOTION TO RECOMMIT OFFERED BY MR. LEWIS OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
Mr. LEWIS of California. I am in its present form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. LEWIS of California moves to recommit the bill, H.R. 3093, to the Committee on Appropriations with instructions to report the same back to the House promptly with a deficit neutral amendment to provide:
(1) additional funding for Department of Justice immigration law enforcement capabilities (including investigative, prosecutorial and incarceration programs); and
(2) funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program at the level authorized pursuant to section 1196 of Public Law 109-162.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, the motion I have at the desk is a motion to recommit to recognize the fact that right now this country faces a crisis on its borders.
Illegal immigration not only affects those of us who represent States on the border, it is a pervasive problem across the country. The Homeland Security Appropriations bill that passed the House earlier this summer included significant increases for more Border Patrol agents and other border protection efforts.
The homeland security bill represents an important piece of our immigration enforcement system, but it does not fund all of it. It is this bill that funds prosecution and incarceration of the most violent criminal aliens, such as drug dealers, human traffickers and gang members. It is this bill that provides critical assistance to State and local law enforcement agencies that are on the front lines of the immigration problem.
As we increase our border enforcement efforts in the Department of Homeland Security, we must make sure that the Department of Justice has the funds it needs to fully prosecute and incarcerate all of the criminal aliens arrested by the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In addition, until the Federal Government is able to secure its borders, we must provide our local governments with sufficient resources to reimburse them while they protect our communities.
Because my colleague from California, DAVID DREIER, former chairman of our Rules Committee, has been most involved in this issue and is on the point of our attempting to find a solution in California, I yield the balance of my time to Mr. Dreier to round out this discussion.
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