Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I guess, as they always try to say, you start off with something positive. So I will start with positive. I agree with the gentlewoman from New York: they need to get out of the building business. They have proved totally incompetent. I agree completely. But then let's get back to the bill. Let's get back to what we have talked about. What is amazing to me in this whole rules debate, and I am sure will happen in the general debate on this bill, is there is going to be a lot of reasons given to vote ``no'' and to say this due process or this employee or that. But the bottom line is, when you look at the evidence, I understand we all have constituencies that have different opinions, but at the Veterans Administration there is only one constituency that matters, and that is the veteran who has served, who is to be served, and to have their dedication honored. To actually come before this body and advocate for a bill that can't pass the Senate after it has been watered down, that can't move forward, to advocate to say that we are making every excuse in the world like, You are going to make them at-will employees at the VA--I heard this last night. No, you are not. There is still the same hiring programs. It is just that, if you do something wrong, there is going to be a process to actually remove you. Frankly, Mr. Speaker, if the Secretary at the VA can't do the things he should do, then maybe he should be removed.…”