The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE AND FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, 2004” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2112-E2113 on Oct. 21, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT FOR DEFENSE AND FOR THE
RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, 2004
______
speech of
HON. NICK J. RAHALL, II
of west virginia
in the house of representatives
Friday, October 17, 2003
The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3289) making emergency supplemental appropriations for defense and for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes:
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Chairman, when Mr. Bush told the American People he was against nation building, no one, including me, thought he was talking about America. Let me at the outset make clear my support for our valiant soldiers who are pursuing our enemies in Afghanistan, and who are securing the peace in Iraq. But the bill before us today, just as it ignites the Iraqi economy and keeps Iraqi kids out of more debt--
it costs America's great great grandchildren more long term debt, while America herself crumbles.
Mr. Chairman, let us look at this bill's priorities and all of the unanswered questions it raises. There is plenty of money in here for Iraqi health care, but not one dime of the $1.8 billion American Veterans need for their health care, which the majorities in this Congress seem hell bent on ignoring. Why is that? The White House won't fund the No Child Left Behind education initiative, but we're supposed to pay Iraqi teachers' salaries. Why is that? President Bush says he needs more than $4 billion for water infrastructure when there are people throughout rural America who lack public water service. Why is that? The President wants $856 million to upgrade three Iraqi airports, a seaport and rail lines, while Amtrak is starved for funds and our ports remain vulnerable to attack. Why is that? The White House has a paltry underfunded proposal for road-building at home but wants to spend millions building roads and bridges elsewhere. Why is that? The President wiped out the COPS program at home, and now he wants to pay more than $3 billion for Iraqi law enforcement. Why is that? The President is seeking $5.7 billion to rebuild and expand Iraq's electric grid just as millions of Americans are regaining power lost to Hurricane Isabel, and Congress is grappling with the causes of August's blackout in the Northeast. Why is that?
The President needed the coalfields of West Virginia last election, but today his priorities lie in the oilfields of Iraq. If we can help Iraq pump oil, we sure ought to help America burn coal.
To those who would suggest we should rebuild Iraq at a time when we cannot rebuild America, I say that doing so costs our economy, costs us tax revenues in lost production, and costs American workers jobs as our infrastructure crumbles. The surest way to not be able to help Iraq, if that is the President's goal, is to further hurt America. To shortchange America's infrastructure. Meanwhile, by failing to win the support and aid of the world community, the task of rebuilding Iraq became America's responsibility alone.
And, who pays for these government contracts in Iraq? They are being paid for, by the working men and women in West Virginia, and throughout our Nation. Is that fair? President Bush's friends are getting a double-dip giveaway. First, they get huge tax giveaways, putting more of the tax burden on middle and low-income families like many of my constituents in West Virginia. Is that fair? Then, the President's friends and campaign supporters, such as Halliburton and Bechtel, strike it rich with no-bid contracts. Is that fair? There are, according to the Washington Post, currently more contractors in Iraq than there are soldiers from any force of our allies. Is that fair?
And where, oh where, have all our allies gone? Can this Administration not swallow its pride, can it not make a more conciliatory effort to enlist the World in the rebuilding of Iraq? Mr. Chairman, if we have to pay $87 billion for Iraq, why don't we do the wise thing and roll back the colossal tax giveaway to America's richest 1%, those making over $337,000? If we defer that giveaway to those making over $337,000, we could pay for the entire $87 billion. We have far too many unavoidable needs right here at home.
Several weeks ago, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) identified real shortcomings on a nationwide basis. The ASCE report said we are failing to maintain even the substandard conditions of our transportation infrastructure. It described our national roads system as ``poor,'' and our national bridges and transit systems as
``mediocre.'' The ASCE report also identified needs in my home state of West Virginia regarding roads, bridges, water infrastructure, schools, and education.
Right in my own district of Southern West Virginia, I can point to pressing infrastructure needs: Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg is 35 years old, and in need of a new terminal. The upgrade is expected to cost $15 million. Where is the federal grant for Greenbrier Valley Airport? Greenbrier Valley Airport's parking apron, used, for housing aircrafts, also needs a $10 million upgrade. Due to lack of funding availability, this project has already been broken into six phases in the hope of completing it. But where are the federal grants for these phases?
In Raleigh County, just one of our wastewater projects is going to cost $6.8 million to serve 3,300 citizens in Glen White and Lester. This is a matter of public health, of bringing in new jobs, of fueling the economy. Where is the federal grant for that program? In Nicholas County, $7.3 million is needed for a water project to serve 562 customers who presently have no water service at all. Where is the federal grant for them? West Virginians are told by this President and this Congress that we can't afford federal grants!
Nationwide unemployment levels remain unsteady. We have 42 million uninsured Americans and rising health costs for those individuals who actually are insured. State budgets in disarray. Attempts to buy homeland security on the cheap while we incur record level deficits. Meanwhile, the Bush administration tells us that we can't afford to pay for all of our needs at home. Not when we're investing in other countries, rather than our own. Well, Mr. President, this land is your land, but you should know this land is also our land.
We have an economic stimulus package that we could pass right now to provide much needed jobs and get us out of this so-called ``jobless recovery,'' which is no recovery at all. I'm talking about reauthorizing the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st century, and fully funding it at the $375 billion that the Bush administration's Department of Transportation says is needed to maintain our economy. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that every billion dollars that we invest in our infrastructure provides 47,500 good-paying construction jobs. However, the Bush administration proposes that we spend almost $130 billion less over the next six years than what President Bush's own Department of Transportation identified as infrastructure problems.
Mr. Chairman, we're fighting two wars at the moment. Like most Americans, I supported our effort in Afghanistan, and I voted in favor of it. I still support it. But, President Bush lost interest in our enemy in Afghanistan because he had this other war that he wanted to fight in Iraq. Now, we're faced with a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan along with a bill for Iraq. And, mark my words, this will not be the last time the administration comes calling for cash for Iraq. Estimates are that it will cost us more than $400 billion.
With that amount of money we could afford to provide seniors with a meaningful prescription drug benefit under Medicare. But, Mr. Speaker, we won't be able to afford it because of the lack of priorities. Not when priorities are to finance Mr. Bush's war, and his rich friends' profit-making ventures. As I said at the outset, Mr. Chairman, I have total support for our troops. It is my hope that in the following hours and days we can fix this bill. Fix its priorities, putting the American soldier first, and getting the American taxpayer some relief. But, when we have so many great needs here at home that are being ignored, we need to focus on needs at home first. Then let us see how we can best serve America abroad.
____________________
