Alcee Hastings: “Mr. McGovern, my distinguished friend from Massachusetts; my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the State of…”

“Mr. McGovern, my distinguished friend from Massachusetts; my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from the State of Washington; and I were in 6 hours of hearings yesterday on something called border security, anti- terrorism, and illegal immigration, and we came here this morning at 7 a.m., ostensibly to pass out the rules necessary to hear that bill. Until 15 minutes ago, I was on this floor of this House waiting to hear that bill. I ask my colleagues in the majority: Where is this terribly onerous, atrocious bill? Why do you not pull it? The reason that we are not taking it first, rather than what we are now patching up as pensions, and caution to America, what we are about to see is protection of CEOs with their golden parachutes while workers and their pensions are getting a brass shaft. But that is not my point I want to make. What I want to say is we are getting ready to create fear and confusion, and there is substantial confusion on the majority side in light of the fact that they are shifting from this bill to that bill and not dealing with the things we need to do and get on out of here. We do not need to do this immigration and border security bill, and I hope that your confusion led you to the same conclusion and that you will pull that sucker. Mr. McGOVERN. Well, let me thank my colleague from Florida for that eloquent and accurate statement and assessment of where we are here. And, Madam Speaker, let me thank my friend from Washington (Mr.…”