Austin Scott: “let me just say that my major concern is that we need not continue this abdication of our responsibility to the Senate.…”

“let me just say that my major concern is that we need not continue this abdication of our responsibility to the Senate. This is the second bill in a row that we have said let the Senate take care of it. The people of this country elected us in the House of Representatives to take care of some business as well. The other point is that I would like to have a voice before we cut education, which this will do. I would like to have a voice before we cut veterans care and appropriations for our veterans who served in our wars, and particularly low income energy assistance, particularly at this time of cold weather. We will have none of that, none of that if we move in this direction. We cannot start this year by consistently setting a pattern of abdicating our responsibility here in the House of Representatives and keep saying let the Senate do it. Is that what we are going to do when we go back and we campaign and when the people ask 'What did you do on that vote? Did you have a say?' No, we just voted to extend the shell, let it go over there to the Senate, let them do the work, and then they just pass it back. So I urge the Members to let us take another look at this and let us do the will of the people and let this House of Representatives stand up and be the House that we are out there on the campaign trail telling people send me to the House of the people and let me do the people's will.”