Maxwell Frost: “I support passage of bankruptcy reform, and so, in order for it to pass before the adjournment of the 106th Congress, I…”

“I support passage of bankruptcy reform, and so, in order for it to pass before the adjournment of the 106th Congress, I will vote for this rule and for the conference report. But the reason the Republican leadership has been forced to resort to this kind of parliamentary game is because the Republican majority in this Congress has left unfinished the agenda that matters most to the people of this country. It is October 12, and there is not an end in sight to this Congress, and there is little hope left that the real American agenda will be finished. Thus, in order to pass legislation which has overwhelming bipartisan support, the Republican leadership has resorted to using tricks and games, rather than regular order. Were this situation not so sad, it would be laughable. For 2 years Democrats in this body have asked the Republican leadership for the opportunity to address the issues that matter most to Americans: real Medicare prescription drug coverage, real help for America's schools, a real and meaningful Patients' Bill of Rights, an increase in the minimum wage, campaign finance reform, saving social security and Medicare, paying down the national debt. These are real issues that matter to real people. But in those 2 years, what have my Republican colleagues done? They have brought forward legislation that does everything but what the American people want.”