On the recordMay 21, 2014
The question before the House is: Should the House now consider H. Res. 590? While the resolution waives all points of order against consideration of the bill, the committee is not aware of any points of order. All of the relevant committees have included earmark statements in their reports filed with the House, so there is no violation of the House earmark rule. That said, I know my friend is using this point of order to debate an important issue--and I have said this earlier--that he passionately cares about. So I am glad that he has had that opportunity. But in order to allow this House to continue with the scheduled business for the day, I urge Members to vote ``yes'' on the question of consideration, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, when Speaker Boehner became the Speaker of the House, he made a pledge that he would allow the House to work its will on major issues. This is a major issue. This is a major issue. If my friends want to know why the majority of the American people think that this place is dysfunctional, this is the reason: we can't get a vote on an issue as important as the war in Afghanistan. Now, there is really no excuse. It is germane. We spent a lot of time working with the Parliamentarian to make sure it is germane to satisfy the concerns of the majority. We did that. It is bipartisan. It is bipartisan.…
