Bob Barr: “Mr. Chairman, the consummate cleverness of the amendment's proponent is obvious once again. His first amendment was a…”

“Mr. Chairman, the consummate cleverness of the amendment's proponent is obvious once again. His first amendment was a killer amendment, pure and simple. It trained its cross hairs on the heart of the bill and made no bones about it. This one is a little bit different. It trains its cross hairs on the heart of the bill, but it kills it with a silencer. Yet the result would be the same. The fact of the matter is, Mr. Chairman, it is the prerogative, the authority, the responsibility, and the sole jurisdictional power of the Congress of the United States to determine the reach of Federal laws, Federal benefits, Federal regulations. I matters not whether that power is attempted to be usurped by a State court, a State legislature, or the citizens of a State by referendum. The fact of the matter is they cannot do so. They should not be allowed to do so. And for any Member of this body to stand up and say on behalf of my 20 constituents, I am going to abrogate that responsibility to the citizens of a State, is an absolute outrage and an irresponsibility. It is a derogation of their duty as a representative of the people to protect the integrity of Federal powers, Federal jurisdiction, Federal laws, benefits and responsibilities. This amendment is a killer amendment. It may be sugar coated, it may have a silencer on it, but the effect is just as deadly.”