Barney Frank: “Mr. Chairman, this is astonishing. What the gentleman is saying is we do not need any of this because if a motion comes…”

“Mr. Chairman, this is astonishing. What the gentleman is saying is we do not need any of this because if a motion comes up in a bill that has an unfunded mandate we defeat it. Has this been a charade? No, it has not been a charade. I mean, is the contract unnecessary? Is this superfluity? How can you argue that we do not need this whole bill and argue that we do not need this amendment because, after all, if it comes up we will vote it down. That stands the whole process on its head. I am surprised that the gentleman thinks that the whole thing we are talking about is illogical. Given the logic of a need for an unfunded mandates bill, applying it to appropriations bills makes the most obvious sense. The gentleman from California [Mr. Beilenson] is correct.”