Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1473, the FY2011 Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act. American families in each and every one of our congressional districts are relying on Congress and the White House to avoid a government shutdown and agree on a budget that funds the government for the rest of the fiscal year. While this bill is far better than H.R. 1, the Republican's FY2011 continuing resolution that passed the House earlier this year, I am voting against H.R. 1473 because far too many people will be adversely impacted by the cuts it will make. Compared with the draconian cuts proposed under H.R. 1, H.R. 1473 provides additional funding for many programs that people in Hawaii and across this country rely on for support--including Head Start, community services, and public broadcasting. H.R. 1473 also invests in our economic future by supporting Race to the Top and funding key science and energy R&D programs. This legislation is also a better bill than H.R. 1 because it doesn't include legislative riders that defund the Affordable Care Act or prohibit funding to Planned Parenthood. I fundamentally disagree with these riders on a substantive and procedural basis. Members of Congress should have the opportunity to debate and vote on these issues separately and deliberately on their own merit rather than have them be rammed through an appropriations measure. But H.R. 1473 falls short in many respects.…”