Mark Takano: “I appreciate the final comments that the ranking member made, I believe in good faith and sincerity, and they were words…”

“I appreciate the final comments that the ranking member made, I believe in good faith and sincerity, and they were words of generosity. But I have to rebut some of the claims that he has made. While I spent 6 years of my time in Congress in the minority, and in the minority on this committee, I can tell you that the minority staff and I, and other members of the minority, did offer amendments in good faith, but we never did so in order to derail or to obstruct passage of important and meaningful legislation. Therefore, the ranking member, while he was chairman, can point to many great pieces of legislation, including the Forever GI Bill and numerous other bills. It was a very productive Congress in the last Congress because the minority worked with him. Look, bipartisan spirit means that the minority also works in good faith. Ms. Brownley, in order to bring the Deborah Sampson Act to the floor under suspension, made some significant concessions, for which there was nothing offered in return. Mr. Barr's amendment on crimes against children has been offered on the floor as a motion to recommit, interesting enough, to Ms. Brownley's bill on childcare on the floor. That bill was voted down. It was voted down on the House floor, and I can only believe that this very same legislative language was offered as an amendment to the Deborah Sampson bill in defiance of the House already expressing its will on that bill.…”