Katie Porter: “Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves at this moment in the middle of a very highly structured and organized disinformation…”

“Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves at this moment in the middle of a very highly structured and organized disinformation campaign by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and yet some of the criticisms that have been leveled I want to admit to. The gentleman from Texas and earlier the gentlewoman from New York said that it is not right that a bill like the Labor-HHS bill, or any other appropriation bill, comes to the floor without the chance of the House to shape that legislation on the floor. I agree with that. I regret that this bill has not been taken up on the floor. I think it is a failure of process, and I accept the criticism that has been leveled in that regard. I would say to the gentleman from Texas that the bill was shaped in the subcommittee and in the full Committee of Appropriations and that my colleague from Wisconsin was invited to an informal conference which we had to have in the absence of passing the bill on the floor. He refused to participate and his voice was not heard. But the criticism is a valid one. Yet there is so much today that is not valid, so much that is disinformation. This bill in total is the same as the President's budget. It is equal to the President's budget in education, it is higher than the President's budget in health and human services, and it is somewhat below the President in labor. But it is equal to the President's budget, overall.…”