Maxwell Frost: “I rise as one of the 435 Members of the House of Representatives who oppose terrorism. I will vote for this motion even…”

“I rise as one of the 435 Members of the House of Representatives who oppose terrorism. I will vote for this motion even as I make clear that none of us condones acts of violence committed against the people of the United States. But, Mr. Speaker, none of us should condone the transparent political charade being put on by the Republican leadership here today. The Republican leadership refuses to allow this House to pass a bipartisan HMO reform bill. Doctors and patients support it, Democrats, and as many as 20 rank-and-file Republicans have supported it. But the insurance companies and big HMOs do not want it, so the Republicans cannot find time to let us pass a real patients' bill of rights. Neither can the Republican leadership find the time to allow the House to raise the minimum wage for working families. They cannot even find the time to send to the President the centerpiece of the Republican agenda, the huge tax plan that would risk Medicare and prevent us from paying down the debt. But the Republican leadership is turning procedural handstands to make time for this vote today.”