Norman D. Dicks: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I know as well as anyone that Members change their minds. I've…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I know as well as anyone that Members change their minds. I've heard a lot about that the last couple of days. But here we are debating essentially the same bill that we voted on yesterday. Many Republicans who voted ``no'' last night did so because they believed $1.043 trillion is too much spending. The bill before us tonight spends $1.043 trillion. I will be the first to say every Member is entitled to change his or her mind; however, I am eager to hear my Republican colleagues who voted ``no'' yesterday answer why it is okay to vote ``yes'' today. And I hope these Members will not hang their hat on the one fig leaf of change in the bill. The bill now includes a rescission of $100 million in emergency funding from section 1705 of the renewables DOE loan program. A rescission of emergency funds does not score as a reduction from the $1.043 trillion. Democrats voted ``no'' for two reasons: we strongly oppose taking funding from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program. This is a program that has proven to be a success in creating new jobs, and such a success that the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce of the United States have both called upon the Congress to not cut out this program because, one, the money is repaid, and it is creating jobs--something the majority has not done in the months that they've been in the majority. This is a jobs program.…”