On the recordFebruary 8, 2012
I want to thank my very good friend from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Woodall) for the time. As he mentioned, we both sit on the Rules Committee. Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 540, and the issue we are talking about is whether or not the American people can trust us. Today, Congress has a job approval rating of--what?--10, 11, 12 percent. The American people are pretty sick of us, and I don't blame them. Ms. Slaughter has been working on the STOCK Act bill for over 6 years, which is commendable. Yet it's unfortunate that it never came to the Democratic Congress when it had control. That's very unfortunate that she was never able to move it forward. If anything, as we move forward here, I am amazed that 13 percent of folks actually approve of the work we're doing. I can't believe there is even 1 percent. It was only about a year ago that I was one of those people who was disappointed in this body, but my parents always taught me that, if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem. So, sure enough, I ran for Congress, and the people of Florida's Fifth Congressional District put their trust in me to represent them. One thing I promised the folks back home is that I was never going to use my service in the House of Representatives to enrich myself, which is why I turned down the congressional health benefits. That's why I introduced my bill, H.R.…
