House Proceeding 07-09-09 on Jul 9th, 2009 :: 1:59:30 to 2:04:55
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1:59:23 to 1:59:43( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: requirements. the chair: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas rise? >> on behalf of the gentleman from california, i have an amendment at the desk. the chair: the clerk will designate the amendment. the clerk: part b, amendment number 5, printed in house report number 111-193, offered by mr. culberson of texas. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 617, the gentleman from texas, mr. culberson, and a member opposed will each control five minutes. the chair recognizes the

1:59:30 to 2:04:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John Abney Culberson

1:59:44 to 2:00:05( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: gentleman from texas. mr. culberson: as the designee of mr. lewis i'm pleased to offer this amendment today to give the house the opportunity to keep funding for multilateral assistance at last year's level. in fact, increase trying to keep it as close to inflation as we can.

2:00:06 to 2:00:26( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: i would prefer as a fiscal conservative to cut far more at this time of record debt, record deficit of increasing unemployment, but we want to give the liberal majority some opportunity to cut somewhere. and if we will not cut foreign multilateral assistance simply by keeping the level of funding

2:00:27 to 2:00:48( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: at last year's level, plus a little 1% bump, where will we cut? in our personal lives if we have a financial downturn, we -- someone in the family loses a job, if there's been a financial hardship some time in your personal lif if there is as a business you have suffered a

2:00:49 to 2:01:09( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: dramatic downturn in sales, if you lose money, if your income is reduced, and all of us in our private lives, in the private sector understand that you start to cut expenses. and the first thing to go, for example, in the private sector certainly, is discreationary dollars in advertising, for

2:01:10 to 2:01:31( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: example, or in a personal life. as much as i might like to have a swimming pool or to expand the house, you just don't do it when your income is reduced. and the united states of america is in a similar situation. the nation is hurting. unemployment is climbing. we have lost a record number of jobs under the new liberal leadership of this congress, the

2:01:32 to 2:01:52( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: -- our new liberal administration in the white house, the -- this congress, this president has spent more money in less time than any congress in the history of the united states. in the first six months of this year, under the budget adopted by this new liberal majority, the amount of debt created in the first six months of this

2:01:53 to 2:02:14( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: year exceeds the amount of debt created from the time of george washington to president george w. bush. the national debt now exceeds $11 trillion. the deficit exceeds $1 trillion. we as a nation are on a path to become argentina if we don't stop spending money.

2:02:15 to 2:02:35( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: so those of us in the fiscally conservative minority have offered in the appropriations committee multiple amendments. we have offered amendments on the floor to the limited extent we can under these very restrictive guidelines. we in the conservative minority have offered amendments to cut 5%, 1%, 10%.

2:02:36 to 2:02:59( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: on every bill on every occasion we searched for some way, somehow that the liberal majority might try to save some of our kids' money. it hasn't happened yet. i haven't seen a cut yet the liberal majority will agree to. this amendment today is simply to title 5, mr. chairman, multilateral assistance, asking

2:03:00 to 2:03:21( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: that we keep funding at 2009 levels. this is in fact the 2009 spending level is a 16% increase over 2008. and the programs, the international organizations that are included under title 5, include global environmental facility, clean technology fund,

2:03:22 to 2:03:42( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: there's even a new and completely unauthorized climate technology fund and strategy climate fund that cost a total of $300 million. these have not been approved by congress. these are just stuck into this bill and i know there are a lot of noble good things accomplished by our foreign aid

2:03:43 to 2:04:03( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: bill. one near and dear to my heart is our support for the state of israel. i personally support mr. weiner's amendment. i think saudi arabia can certainly afford tow their own, pull their own weight. our good friends in israel, i think one of the reasons god blesses the united states of america is that america is the sword and shield of israel. and we he an obligation as a

2:04:04 to 2:04:24( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: nation to stand friends around the world and help them. but at a time o economic downturn, at a time when so many americans are losing their jobs, at a time when we as guardians of the u.s. treasury have an obligation to try to save money everywhere we can and follow dave ramsay's advice of don't spend money you don't have, don't borrow money to pay off

2:04:25 to 2:04:45( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: borrowed money. this amendment is offered today in all sincerity as an effort to try to hold the line. if we won't cut here, mr. chairman, where will we cut? if we won't cut spending for multilateral assistance to foreign aid, which all or constituents get f. we won't cut at the edges in money that we don't need to spend at this

2:04:46 to 2:04:56( Edit History Discussion )

John Abney Culberson: level for foreign assistance, where will we cut? are we not going to save any money anywhere, folks? this is a $500 million cut --