Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment, which would have devastating impacts and consequences for minority and low-income populations. Under Executive Order 12898, agencies already must account for the impact of rulemaking on both of these communities. The amendment, which makes no accommodation for minority populations, would override existing protections while the underlying bill would override every law protecting the public interest in the rulemaking process. In short, these sweeping policy changes would be a nightmare for vulnerable populations and endangered communities. That is why the AFL- CIO, along with 70 other public interest groups, opposes this amendment and the underlying bills. I listened to the list of supporters rattled off by the other side for this bill. They were all trade groups that would benefit financially from this bill. No academics or others of objective opinions were mentioned, and I think the public should note that. My colleague from Illinois, Representative Bobby Rush, offered an amendment to this bill specifically to protect these communities by promoting environmental justice. If the majority was serious about protecting these communities, they would have accepted the Rush amendment instead of attempting to mislead the public through a gotcha amendment such as this.…”