David Skaggs: “I do not know what may have happened in the hearing room yesterday, it is an unfortunate scene, obviously, but it is, I…”

“I do not know what may have happened in the hearing room yesterday, it is an unfortunate scene, obviously, but it is, I think, not coincidental that the day before we are to take up floor consideration of this legislation next week, there will be a hearing in a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight at which the National Council on Senior Citizens has been called to testify. They have become essentially the favorite whipping group of many who are masquerading a new piece of anti-first-amendment legislation, a gag rule for nonprofits and many other people in this country. The National Council for Senior Citizens have really been the whipping group for their effort to silence people who want to participate in the political life of this country. Interestingly, the National Council has received a questionnaire, as did previous witnesses called before this subcommittee on the so-called Istook-MicIntosh-Ehrlich proposal, a questionnaire that calls them to account for all of their political activities over the last 5 years, State, Federal, and local, and all of the political activities of any organizations that may be affiliated with them.”