Kendrick Meek

reclaiming my time, can the gentleman say that again because I just want to make sure that the American people and not only the American people, but the Members who represent them on both sides of the aisle understand what is going on…

let me just say what Mr. Delahunt is saying makes so much sense, but I can tell him the reason why we have reams and reams of paper about how government is not working now is the fact that we are governing under a culture of corruption…

I hope he yields to us for the time we are yielding to him because we only have about 6 minutes left.

I must say that never before in the history of this country has there been leadership, all of these issues of cronyism and corruption, never before at these levels in the history of this country. It is not the Kendrick Meek report, the…

I would like to thank Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Wasserman Schultz and to thank the Democratic leadership for allowing us to have the hour. We would also like to say it is pleasure and honor to address the House of Representatives…

He had the opportunity to resign and then the next day he was indicted. Go ahead.

Well, do not ask me. I mean, look at what the 9/ 11 bipartisan commission said. I was watching Tim Russert, one of the respected reporters here in Washington, DC, at NBC. And he had the chairman, who is a Republican, past Republican…

This working group that we have plays a very important role in making sure that the Members know that we in the minority party here in this House know exactly what they are doing and what they are not doing. And I can tell you that it is…

Now, wait, wait, wait, Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Can you please say that one more time? I am sorry, Mr. Speaker.

Before you give the Web site out, Mr. Ryan, I want to say that for every time we have pointed out a culture of corruption and cronyism and incompetence, they are still at work doing it.

Well, he could not go to the Jordanian embassy when he was here in Washington because if he went to the Jordanian embassy they would have arrested him on the spot. The embassy is Jordanian ground, just like our embassy is in Jordan…

The gentlewoman is 110 percent right. I would say, and I will even give credit to some of our colleagues on the Republican side, the few within the conference, that agree with making sure that we carry ourselves in a responsible way. In…

But, meanwhile, say it again before we close. Just read what you read about the contracts, just in case some Member went and picked up some coffee or something.

Ms. Wasserman Schultz, you have local contractors. You have local contractors that are saying they are not getting work. They are saying they are not getting work.

It is a culture of corruption and cronyism and incompetence. It is just that simple. It is just that simple. Mr. Speaker, we can outline this thing as much as possible. I mean, we can go into tomorrow morning if the rules would allow it…

reclaiming my time, here in the 30- Something Group, we believe in third-party validators. We believe in making sure we share with the American people and also with the Members of this House, Mr. Speaker, because sometimes there are a lot…

And it is setting us back. My message for the majority and also for the President is get passionate about the right issues. You want to get passionate about some of the actions in the White House, it is happening right there under your…

I know the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) is standing by there, but I want to just share this with you. I have one message for the majority and for the President: Get passionate about the right issues. We are all passionate…

Well, there is nothing more evident than the truth as it relates to this budget, and I mentioned earlier about holding the clock open and violating the spirit of the rules of the House when there is a 15-minute vote called. It is customary…

I know you have a point there. I just want a point of clarification. Point of clarification. I did speak correctly, Mr. Speaker, when I said that the chairman, the past chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Republican, was not only…

what is going to happen is that historians are going to look at this moment right now in the U.S. Congress; they are going to look at this very moment, as we are on the floor right now, and the Rules Committee, they are meeting behind…

If the gentleman will yield, even more, not only was he removed as chairman; he was taken off the committee. I think he was taken off the committee as it relates to being the chairman. I am not just talking about being off the committee…

let me just say real quick, the gentleman said, when it passes the House floor tomorrow, and I think the reason why you said that, because I know personally that the gentleman has watched on 3, 4, 5 major votes, that 20 minutes into the…

I want to thank the Members for joining us here this hour. I look forward to being back on the floor, all of us, in one more hour when my colleague claims his hour so that we can continue sharing good information not only with the Members…

Yes, that is the bottom line. Some Member is going to make a career decision tomorrow because somebody told him to vote for something that they did not want to vote for in the first place. We are going to make the right decisions…