Political Quotes

“This rule, in fact, provides quite deliberately the minimum time that it is legally possible to give a bill on the floor of the House. The rule gives 1 hour. That is the minimum that is allowed under the basic rules, so this is part of an effort to suppress debate and discussion on this bill. We will get to the substance, but I want to talk here about the outrageous procedure. It is one more example of this majority running absolutely roughshod over the notion of open debate and democracy and fairness. This is, once again, a rule as we say in previous weeks where to achieve their political purpose, to make sure that their political message is unadulterated, the majority sacrifices the right of the American people to have free debate. For example, the gentlewoman from Utah talked about the amendment that was adopted in the Senate. She said people felt that the life exception for the mother was not done right so the Senate straightened it out. Many of us raised that same point here in the House, and why did we not straighten it out here in the House? Because they had the same rules the last time. The rule did not allow that amendment.”