Washington Times

May 1, 2001

Inside the Beltway

John McCaslin

Political tidbits and other shenanigans from around the nation's capital.

Cabinet slaughter

A furious tirade by a congresswoman against a member of President Bush´s Cabinet was so explosive and severe late last week it was unlike any witnessed by either party in recent decades, Capitol Hill veterans tell Inside the Beltway.

For Cuban-born Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez -- the unwitting target in the absence of Mr. Bush, who has proposed abolishing a $309 million public housing drug elimination program on grounds that it is ineffective -- it was a most unsettling and ungracious welcome to Capitol Hill.

Rather than describing Thursday´s verbal assault by the member of the housing subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, Ohio Democrat, a former county judge and prosecutor, we´ll allow excerpts of the transcript to speak for itself.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: Secretary Martinez, it´s nice to see you again. I enjoyed seeing you at the Wild Program for the Congressional Black Caucus, but I´m troubled. And I´m a former prosecutor, so I´m going to cross-examine you a little bit. I´d like short answers to my questions, please. Now I want to talk about the Drug Elimination Program. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which is my congressional district, the Drug Elimination Program has been significant in reducing crime and activity in public housing. In fact, I think it was created in the Reagan administration, the purpose was because there was concentrated living in public housing. You´ll agree with that right? Concentrated, densely populated?

Mr. Martinez: It was begun as an $8 million program to a few targeted housing authorities.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: No, answer my question. It´s densely populated living, is that correct? Public housing?

Mr. Martinez: Well --

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: Yes or no? Yes or no?

Mr. Martinez: I´m telling you that public -- in some places public housing has densely populated areas.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: High crime rate, yes or no?

Mr. Martinez: In some places yes and in some places no . . .

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: . . . What country have you been in the last 10 years? My next question --

Mr. Martinez: May I ask

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: No, no, no. You can´t, I´m going to keep going, no.

Mr. Martinez: I don´t get to answer. I don´t get to answer? . . . Do you want me to answer all the questions or just the ones you choose for me to answer?

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: No . . . I´m running the questioning, you´re answering. You answer my questions and don´t get smart with me because I´m not getting smart with you, sir.

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Marge Roukema, New Jersey Republican: I´m sorry, I´m sorry. I have never, ever, in my 20 years on this committee heard this kind of response to members of the panel.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: I´ve never heard this kind of response to members of Congress. I asked him a question.

Mrs. Roukema: Excuse me.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: He´s trying to make jokes out of my questions and I don´t appreciate it.

Mrs. Roukema: I beg your pardon, I did not hear any jokes.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: Look at his face.

Mrs. Roukema: If you want an answer, let him answer.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: I´ll tell him when I want an answer, Madame Chairwoman. You can´t run my questioning.

Mrs. Roukema: All right.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: Out of all respect to you, I´m asking the questions, and I´m getting the questions I want answered. Now, when you want to do your questions, then you do yours, but you can´t run mine. Now my question is, the purpose of police officers on the beat was so that the neighborhood people get to know the law enforcement folks. Is that a fair statement?

Mr. Martinez: Yes, ma´am.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: And so for you to terminate the Drug Elimination Program across the country . . . is irresponsible. And for you to terminate these programs in the administration, I wanted you to take back to the administration our frustration about the Drug Elimination Program, in light of the elimination of the COPS (President Clinton´s Community Oriented Policing Services) program as well. Could you do that for us, please, Mr. Martinez?

Mr. Martinez: I will do so. . . . And if you felt that I was, in my facial expressions, meaning some disrespect to you, I sincerely apologize. I did not mean to leave that impression.

Mrs. Tubbs-Jones: Thank you, and I accept the apology.

-- Anonymous, May 01, 2001

Answers

Stephanie carries Carl and Lou Stokes' portfolios here in Cuyahoga County. ANd extremely poorly I might add. She has demonstrated in her carreer an interesting talent for being in the right place at the right time and for having JUST LEFT the wrong place at the wrong time.

ANd since her constituency includes Fanny Lewis and the WHOLE black caucus hereabouts, she has a lock on her seat. Unfortunately.

C

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that she has a proven track record of being a fundamental orifice of the first effluent....

and NO I will NOT tell you what I REALLY think of her....

C, biting tongue and restraining fingers....

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2001