Political Quotes

“I thank our ranking member, Mr. Pallone, for his leadership on the committee and for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act. This is legislation that I wrote, together with Congressman Mike Rogers, going back to when we first introduced it in 2006, in order to better help our country prepare for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack--all of the things that are really unthinkable; but in a post-9/11 era, we had to be prepared, and we developed this legislation. So it pleases me enormously that we are now reauthorizing it. Right now, the American people are left wondering what the heck the Congress is doing--why we can't come together, why we can't work in a bipartisan way and develop consensus. Do you know what? On this bill, we are, and I am very proud of that. Developing and stockpiling appropriate countermeasures is essential for the safety of the American people, and these programs encourage American companies to invest in areas of critical need. The bill before us today includes new provisions, which I think really enhance what we did originally, provisions that highlight the important needs of our Nation's children. Children are not just little adults. They need special care and medical attention.…”