Maxwell Frost: “Mr. Speaker, the strength of a democracy is to be able to have full public debate on important national issues such as…”

“Mr. Speaker, the strength of a democracy is to be able to have full public debate on important national issues such as national defense. We stand for a strong national defense. Many of us in this caucus have a long history in that regard; but we also stand for the proposition that the American people can be trusted with the facts, and that there should be a full discussion on important issues of national defense. The majority has ignored that and ignored the past practices of this House of having a full airing of national defense issues, and having a bill that would be on the floor for several days, perhaps even a week. That is in the best tradition of this country. We stand for a strong America, and we stand for a strong and complete discussion of the issues that make America strong, not the kind of rule which has been presented today.”