Labor, Health, Education and Welfare Subcommittee. Later, he served as House Minority Leader from the 97th Congress through 103rd Congresses. Michel voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Michel's toughest re-election was probably during the 1982 midterms, when he was in a tight race due to dissatisfaction over U.S. President Ronald Reagan's economic policies and the 1982 recession. Reagan travelled to Peoria to campaign for him. Michel voted in favor the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in August 1983. In March 1988, Michel voted against the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to uphold President Reagan's veto). Michel stirred a controversy in 1988 when he recalled enjoying and participating in blackface minstrel shows as a young man, and said he missed the shows. He also compared the removal of racially offensive words in songs such as "Ol' Man River" to the Soviet re-writing of history. He later apologized for having given offence, explaining that he was honestly attempting to understand and accept changes in U.S. culture. In the early 1990s, Newt Gingrich and other young, aggressive conservative congressmen criticized Michel for being too easy-going and not fighting hard enough for Republican goals in the House. Supporters said Michel's practice of socializing with Democrats over a game of golf or cards resulted in deals that moved bills through the legislative process. It was also noted that Michel's voting was nearly as conservative as Gingrich's. During negotiations with the Democrats who held majorities in the House and Senate, President George H. W. Bush reached a deficit reduction package which contained tax increases despite his campaign promise of "read my lips: no new taxes". Gingrich led a revolt that defeated the initial appropriations package and led to the 1990 United States federal government shutdown. The deal was supported by the President and Congressional leaders from both parties after long negotiations, but Gingrich walked out during a televised event in the White House Rose Garden. Michel characterized Gingrich's revolt as "a thousand points of spite". In 1993 Michel gave the rebuttal to President Bill Clinton's first State of the Union speech, criticizing the economic policies of the newly inaugurated president. "The Clinton spin doctors have even given us a new political