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“STOP THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3640-H3641 on June 10, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STOP THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this evening I would like to talk about the battle of the bulge, or maybe it is a battle with the bulge. That is the emergency supplemental appropriations legislation that the Republicans seem to think will play politics with the lives of thousands and thousands and thousands of citizens in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and California, and 29 other States ravaged by flooding and other natural disasters.
Coming from the State of Texas, we well know the tragedy of natural disasters, whether it is hurricanes or floods or tornadoes. Most States in this Nation have had their share. Therefore, it seems much more than a crisis, but a literal shame that the Republicans have decided to play politics with a simple act, and that is, show them the money and get them the money. That is the call, and that is what we need to be doing in the U.S. Congress.
It is interesting that I stand here on June 10, 1997, for it was on March 19, 1997, that the President sent to this Congress, almost 3 months ago, the need for emergency disaster assistance and urged this Congress to act promptly. There is no hardness or difficulty to this legislative act. It is simply to pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that will provide $5.8 billion of much-needed assistance to people hard-hit and hit in the pocketbook, if you will.
In addition, it included $1.8 billion for the Department of Defense in related efforts for our peacekeeping needs in Bosnia and Southwest Asia. But yet, rather than send a clean supplemental appropriations bill, this Congress decided to load it down with ill-advised and unnecessary pieces of legislation.
For example, rather than emphasizing the need of those individuals over and over again by passing this clean supplemental appropriations bill, we would find in this particular legislative package the battle of the bulge. We would find elimination of the ability to use sampling in the census.
Someone might ask, why is that relevant? Why are we even having that in legislation without full discussion and understanding whether that is a positive or a negative? Frankly, that is a good question, because in fact it has been clearly shown that sampling is an accepted method of creating the census. Politics again, allegations that sampling benefits one group over the other, Democrats versus Republicans, and yet the real question is providing the dollars for those who are in need in the Dakotas and Minnesota, California, and 29 other States.
What else is in here? Questions under the Department of Justice, issues dealing with the environment. One would wonder why that was in there, and other matters that are extraneous to the actual needs of these citizens.
I would simply say that time is now overdue for clearly responding to the President's veto. He is serious. But more important, he cares about those, and we care about those who are in need of money to pursue the cleanup, the rebuilding, the rebuilding of lives and families. All we have to do is simply respond to the President's request, simple request coming 3 months ago: Pass a clean emergency supplemental appropriations bill. Stop taking away the ounce of prevention program, a program that helps communities work together to eliminate crime. Stop taking away money from the peacekeepers, the men and women in Bosnia who have given their lives for this country. Stop interfering with the environment by trying to undercut an environmental process with the Department of the Interior. Stop interfering with the Department of Defense with the dual-use technologies. All of these issues are in an emergency supplemental bill when all we want is the money for these people to rebuild their communities.
I would simply say it is time now to stop the politics and act quickly, swiftly, certainly more so than we have done over these last 3 months. Bring back a clean emergency supplemental appropriations bill. Let us deal with the people forthrightly in those areas that are in need, and then, if we must, have legislative discussions and hearings relevant to these other aspects of this bill, but let us stop the battle of the bulge, cut the fat and get down to the bottom line, serve the people who are in need and pass the emergency supplemental appropriations bill.
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