JOHN LINDER: “Mr. Speaker, I am amazed at the statement that the gentleman from Michigan makes. He talks about the spigots of special…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am amazed at the statement that the gentleman from Michigan makes. He talks about the spigots of special money flowing. That is a quote from the gentleman from Michigan. The gentleman from Michigan takes 57 percent of his money from political action committees, and most of that political action committee money comes from labor unions. Well, guess what? Some of us kind of agree with the gentleman. Maybe there ought to be an amendment that addresses that union money the gentleman gets and that PAC money he gets. But the gentleman from Michigan, in my opinion, stands in front of all of us and says, hey, what is this open rule? What do you mean, somebody else besides me has amendments? What do you mean, somebody else on this floor may be entitled to their opinion on what this bill should or should not contain? If it is what I agree with, let us have a closed rule. That is the only thing we ought to debate. But the gentleman is telling me that Scott McInnis from Colorado wants to prevent contributions in a swap to ride on Air Force One? Why should Scott McInnis be allowed to offer an amendment on that? I say to the gentleman from Michigan, it is all fine and dandy when the gentleman gets his bill heard, or when he gets his amendment, but I happen to be one of those 270 amendments.”