{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-1998-12-17-pt1-PgH11752", "1998-12-17", 105, 2, null, null, "FURTHER LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H11752", "H11752", "[{\"name\": \"Richard K. Armey\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Sam Johnson\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Martin Frost\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Duncan Hunter\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "144 Cong. Rec. H11752", "Congressional Record, Volume 144 Issue 153 (Thursday, December 17, 1998)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 153 (Thursday, December 17, 1998)]\n[House]\n[Page H11752]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                      FURTHER LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM\n\n  (Mr. ARMEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1\nminute.)\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Texas\n(Mr. Armey) is recognized for 1 minute.\n  There was no objection.\n  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I do have a couple of Members that have been\nanxious to speak. With the indulgence of the minority, I would like to\nyield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Johnson) for brief remarks.\n\n                              {time}  1530\n\n  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on\nseveral remarks that have been made here. But before I do, let me just\nsay that our fighting men are fighting for our constitutional privilege\nto do just exactly what we are doing here today. It is the Constitution\nthat we are following. That is why we are doing it.\n  The remark was made that we did not remove any generals during a war.\nI kind of recall MacArthur was removed by a Democrat administration\nduring Korea, which I fought in. It did not bother the war effort at\nall.\n  I also remember when I was a POW in Vietnam that there were people on\nthe Democrat side that called for our President's impeachment. That\nprocess may have started. I am not sure how that happened, but some of\nthose people may even be here today.\n  When our president, George Bush, attempted to get involved in Desert\nStorm, every single Democrat leader voted against it.\n  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, may I just intercede with a thought. I have a\ncouple of other Members here who have been waiting. They want to speak.\nI would hope, and I am sure that we all would agree that we perhaps\ncould allow these Members to speak, but perhaps we could be brief and\nthen conclude the day's business.\n  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?\n  Mr. ARMEY. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.\n  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I voted with the President. I did not vote\nagainst him. I voted with the President on that matter.\n  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield\nfurther, let me just make another point. I think the President has just\nsaid that this military action that is currently going on could be\nopen-ended, so we do not know when it is going to end.\n  Furthermore, most of the veterans' organizations around this country\nsupport us continuing. I have not seen a war in the past of any sort,\nwhether it is a limited conflict or a total out war, that has stopped\nthe Congress of the United States from doing its business. We can look\nback in almost any case, even the Civil War, where they were on the\ndoorsteps of this building.\n  I would suggest that it is important that we carry out the\nresponsibilities of this Congress under the Constitution of the United\nStates and get on with it.\n  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, who was a\nprisoner of war for 7 years, much of which was spent in solitary\nconfinement. I know from previous discussion during those difficult\ndays he was sustained by his knowledge that God was in his heaven and\nCongress was in session doing the Nation's business.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Duncan\nHunter), another gentleman who served in Vietnam.\n  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the majority leader for\nyielding to me.\n  Let me just say, it is something that happens regularly here in the\nHouse that two parties, both in good faith, can look at the same facts\nand come to totally different conclusions. I have come to a totally\ndifferent conclusion from the esteemed minority leader and others who\nfeel that troops will be demoralized if we do not stop this\nconstitutional process. I think just the opposite. From talking with\nthem and with a number of people who are veterans, I have come to the\nconclusion that they will be demoralized if we do stop this\nconstitutional process.\n  There is one term that I think is common to both this House and to\nour military. That term is duty. We refer to it often, and it is clear\nnow that our uniformed people are carrying out their duty in difficult\ncircumstances to defend the liberties and security of this country.\nThey are doing that so we can perform our duty. Our duty is to carry\nout the Constitution.\n  With respect to other nations that are watching this process around\nthe world, they have been watching the Committee on the Judiciary on\ntelevision for the last many months. We do not hide our internal\nproblems and our internal debates. They are always out there for the\nworld to see. I think that is a sign of strength, not a sign of\nweakness.\n  I think we would be sending the message to not only our military\npeople but to others around the world. If we hold up on our\nconstitutional duty because of this strike, then we are sending the\nmessage that somehow there are political implications in the timing of\nthis strike. I think it helps the President's authority and I think it\nhelps the credibility of this House, and I think it helps the morale of\nour armed services if we continue to do our job.\n  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, I think we have had a very good example of\nthe kind of debate we might be able to have and the kind of debate we\nshould have.\n  I want to personally, if I may, thank the gentleman from Missouri\n(Mr. Gephardt), the minority leader, and the gentleman from Michigan\n(Mr. Bonior), the minority whip. I would like to thank the Speaker-\nelect, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Livingston), and the other\nMembers who have spoken for their demeanor, their presentation, the\nprofessionalism by which we have had this sampling of the kind of\nimportant debate we should have and can have tomorrow.\n  It is my hope that we can reach agreement, or by other parliamentary\nmatters available to us we can find a way to extend an orderly, serious\ndebate of such a grave nature on such a grave matter tomorrow. Again,\nlet me that all the gentlemen who participated.\n  Mr. Speaker, I believe that concludes any proceedings for today.\nTomorrow we will proceed at 9 a.m. under the regular order for debate\ntime of 1 hour. If perhaps we can find a better way to extend that, it\nis my hope we can do so.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-1998-12-17-pt1-PgH11752"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 47.8984999936074, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}