Ed Markey: “I thank the gentleman. I thank him for his great work on this bill. Despite the best efforts of Republicans in Congress…”

“I thank the gentleman. I thank him for his great work on this bill. Despite the best efforts of Republicans in Congress, our Nation has actually made significant progress over the last several years protecting the health and the well-being of Americans. Democrats have passed legislation ensuring that Wall Street plays by the rules. They can't continue to turn it into a casino where the rich clean up on the way up and the poor get cleaned out on the way down. Democrats modernized food safety laws so that Americans can feel secure in the knowledge that the food we put on the dinner table won't make our families sick. Democrats passed legislation to protect the privacy of Americans' sensitive health information. But all of these laws are still in the process of being implemented. That's what's bothering the Republicans here today and all of their supporters across the country. They cannot go fully into effect to work for the American people until those regulations are finalized. Republicans are determined to keep these vital health, safety, and consumer protections from reaching the finish line to offer protection for ordinary families. GOP used to stand for ``Grand Old Party.'' Now GOP stands for ``Gut Our Protections.'' I released a report today, called, ``Protection Rejection: GOP Abandons Consumer, Health, and Safety Measures''--across the board. It describes the safeguards that would be jeopardized under this misguided legislation.…”