Dan Webster: “This rule provides for ample and open debate, allowing our colleagues from across the aisle to offer their legislative…”

“This rule provides for ample and open debate, allowing our colleagues from across the aisle to offer their legislative proposals to this bill. Furthermore, the underlying bill addresses two critical concerns, if you listen to speeches made in this Chamber every day, of every Member of this House: unemployment and dependence on OPEC oil. As I have stated, 20,000 shovel-ready jobs can be created with the approval of this infrastructure project. Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline will also serve to increase oil imports from our friend and neighbor in the north, Canada, while driving down our dependence on oil from countries that, quite frankly, do not share our ideas about democracy and freedom. Most important, this bill does not force the President to approve this job-creating infrastructure project. It simply asks him, requires him to make up his mind after coordinating with all of the appropriate stakeholders. I ask my colleagues to join me today in voting in favor of this rule and passage of the underlying bill. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the resolution. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.”