Maxwell Frost: “Mr. Speaker, last week, congressional Republicans were caught using a September 11 Presidential photo as a fund-raising…”

“Mr. Speaker, last week, congressional Republicans were caught using a September 11 Presidential photo as a fund-raising prop for their political campaigns. It was a particularly shameless sparing of political war profiteering, one that did an immense disservice to the President, as well as to the country. Unfortunately, Republican leaders have not learned their lesson, and they are trying to do it again today by confusing the public with this rule. So let me speak very plainly about the question posed by the vote on the rule today. If we want to increase America's national debt and write a blank check to keep raiding the Social Security trust fund, then vote ``yes'' on this rule. If, on the other hand, we believe we should be honest with the American people and sit down together to work out a bipartisan plan to stop raiding Social Security, then vote ``no'' on this rule. That will force the Republican leaders to stop playing politics with the war, and then we can overwhelmingly pass a bipartisan emergency spending bill crafted by the Committee on Appropriations. Under this rule, the Republican leadership attempts to sneak through a provision paving the way for raising the debt ceiling, without a straight up-or-down vote on the issue. They are attempting to shield their weak-kneed Members from having to vote on putting us deep in debt.”