Barney Frank: “This is a perfectly reasonable bill, and I support it. However, I do want to comment on what seems to me the poignancy…”

“This is a perfectly reasonable bill, and I support it. However, I do want to comment on what seems to me the poignancy that this great House of Representatives, this Chamber that represents the American people, in the middle of the week, in the middle of what will be a short session because it is an election year, cannot find anything more important to do with its time. Actually, there is one interesting thing about this law. We will get to see some foreign money. We will get to see it only when we print it for them, and then we will send it right back. Unfortunately, our economic policies and our approach to trade and globalization mean that we do not see much other foreign money. We have not been very diligent about trying to promote other ways in which we could get something from globalization for the people here, but at least we will get to wave at the money as we send it overseas. I did want to, though, particularly join in one sentiment expressed by the gentleman from Delaware. I very much agree with him: This is an example of where the public sector can do the job better than the private sector.”