Mar 8, 2001
I oppose this multi-trillion-dollar tax plan that benefits mostly the wealthy. Without the context of a budget, it is impossible for us to foresee what vital programs will be sacrificed. We do know, however, that under the President's…
John Joseph Moakley
The Public Record
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April 4, 2001
Mr. Speaker, to listen to my Republican colleagues singing the praises of this bill, one would think it was going to change the lives of millions of Americans the minute the ink was dry.…
— John Joseph Moakley
Most widely reported
by number of sources- Mr. Speaker, the rule we are considering today adds another Republican broken promise to that ever growing heap. The Republicans promised to let the American people have their say in Government by granting 70 percent open rules. They are breaking that promise. Republicans promised to consider every single contract item under an open rule. Mr. Speaker, they are breaking that promise also. I guess, Mr. Speaker, legislating is not as easy as it looks. In their hurry to finish the contract and begin the April recess, the Republicans forgot to put the civil RICO amendment offered by the gentleman from California [Mr. Cox] in H.R. 10. They also made a series of mistakes in the committee report which would have opened all sorts of points of order. But they decided to throw away the old bill and come up with a new one that has never seen the inside of a congressional committee room. That way they protect the bill from all types of points of order. Once again, the Republicans sang the praises of a deliberative democracy. Where is that chorus now, Mr. Speaker? It certainly was not in committee. In fact, the amendment this rule adds was not even considered by a congressional committee. It had no hearing, and it was never reported out. How is that for sunshine? Mr. Speaker, this restrictive rule will keep the people's representatives from improving this bill by capping the time allowed for amendments.2 sources1995govinfo.gov
- Mr. Speaker, this is the second rule we have granted for this bill. The first time around we said 10 hours was not enough. We said that the drop dead time was a lousy idea, and no one believed us. Now, here we are again, 2 weeks later, taking up rule No. 2 that still will not do the job. There are still at least 99 preprinted amendments that we cannot possibly finish in 6 hours. The floor schedule for this week is unusually light. There is no reason to shut down the amendment process, particularly when we are considering an issue as important as this one. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule. We have plenty of time. Let us open up this rule and give members a chance to fix this bill.2 sources1995govinfo.gov
- Mr. Speaker, this rule waiving the two-thirds requirement for same day consideration of a bill will finally enable the House to bring up the omnibus appropriations bill. After 6 months of waiting for my Republican colleagues to pass the 13 appropriations bills, we are finally going to be able to bypass their Appropriations Committees and get our Government back on its feet. Federal workers won't have to worry about being furloughed; military retirees won't have to worry about their benefits; and students headed for college won't have to wait any longer than they already have for their student loans to be processed. I support this two-thirds rule, Mr. Speaker, because I wouldn't do anything to slow the appropriations process any more than it already has been but I believe my Republican colleagues have behaved very irresponsibly on this budget and I hope next fiscal year will be different. The American people have suffered from their political games and it is no way to run a government. But this rule doesn't go far enough.2 sources1996govinfo.gov
govinfo.gov
Mar 8, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I urge defeat of the previous question. If the previous question is defeated, I will offer an amendment to the rule to require that Congress first adopt the budget resolution for fiscal year 2002 before the House takes up this…
Dec 15, 2000
at long last, the end is in sight. Today's Omnibus Appropriations bill contains all the major unfinished business remaining this session. It contains the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill the Commerce-Justice-State…
Oct 26, 2000
Mr. Speaker, this rule really makes a mockery of the legislative process. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose it, not only for the substance of the bill, but also for the process by which it is being brought to the floor. Just to give…
Oct 11, 2000
Mr. Speaker, once upon a time, not too very long ago, this House passed two very forward-thinking amendments. One would have lifted the American embargo on food and medicine going to Cuba. It passed the House by a vote of 301-116. The…
Oct 6, 2000
the bill before us contains technical corrections and clarifications to the H1-B visa legislation which passed the House by voice vote on Wednesday and the Senate 96 to 1. This bill will increase the H1-B visa fee which will be used to…
Sep 28, 2000
Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, something happened last night in conference that will force me to oppose this rule and oppose it very strongly. Despite the fact that many people in the Northeast are currently facing what promises to be the…
Sep 28, 2000
I am talking about what is not in the bill, and what is not in the bill is going to help protect the lives and safety of the people in the Northeast. Two years ago, we had an elderly couple freeze to death because they did not have money…
Sep 26, 2000
Mr. Speaker, you can easily have a voluntary program which, if people are satisfied with what kind of health insurance coverage and prescription benefit coverage that they have, if they are happy with that, they can continue that. If you…
Sep 21, 2000
Mr. Speaker, this veterans health care bill is bipartisan, and it deserves all of our complete support. Many parts of our country have far fewer veterans hospitals than they actually need; and veterans who live in those areas, particularly…
Jul 20, 2000
Mr. Chairman, our policy prohibiting Americans from visiting Cuba is really a relic of the Cold War. Forty years ago, it might have been a great idea. Today it is not. My colleagues are offering a great amendment, one that will open…
Jul 19, 2000
Mr. Speaker, as the distinguished dean of the Massachusetts delegation noted, H.R. 4118 raises legitimate security issues. However, the bill puts forth the worst possible recommendation on how to deal with these issues. Mr. Speaker, the…
Jul 19, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the bill for which this rule provides consideration addresses some very valid security concerns in Cuba. However, Mr. Speaker, I think they could be addressed in a better way. I believe the best way to engage Cuba is first to…
Jul 12, 2000
Mr. Speaker, we all agree the marriage tax is unfair. It punishes people for getting married just when they are thinking of starting a family, and it really needs to be abolished. The question is how to abolish it. There is a Democratic…
Jul 12, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I think, yes, the Washington Post editorial said it all titled ``A Phony Issue.'' Again I will quote: ``Congressional Republicans have scheduled votes this week on a sizeable tax cut mainly for the better off, which they…
Jun 28, 2000
Mr. Speaker, American seniors are having a very hard time today, and the House could really do something about it. Today we could have passed a Democratic bill to make sure that every single senior citizen gets help with their expensive…
Jun 28, 2000
Mr. Speaker, this bill has come to the floor through such a convoluted, twisted process I am surprised that it is here at all. Mr. Speaker, this all started 2 months ago when an amendment to lift the American embargo on food and medicine…
Jun 21, 2000
This debate is going to be constrained today in the House. It is being held at an unusually early hour, with little notice to Members, except at 11 o'clock last night; and the debate itself is constrained by this rule to 2 hours, although…
Jun 20, 2000
Mr. Chairman, I favor very much the amendment of the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Mollohan). I hope it passes. But, Mr. Chairman, the VA-HUD appropriations bill that we are considering is really seriously underfunded. It is…
Jun 19, 2000
H.R. 2778 would direct the National Park Service to study the Taunton River in Massachusetts to determine if it should be added to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The 70-mile river is threatened by an alarming rate of residential and…
Jun 15, 2000
Madam Speaker, the bill for which this rule provides consideration funds two sets of programs, the veterans programs and the housing programs. While it does a relatively good job funding most veterans programs, and I really applaud the…
Jun 8, 2000
Mr. Speaker, do my colleagues know where their Committee on Rules was last night around midnight at the witching hour? When everybody else was nestled all snug in bed, the Committee on Rules was at work, under the cover of darkness…
May 18, 2000
Some of my colleagues are alluding to things that happened many years ago. We are talking about some atrocities that happened as recently as March of 1999 by two major generals; other atrocities in 1998 in Colombia. So some of the…
May 16, 2000
Mr. Chairman, this bill really hides an inability to govern behind procedural changes, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it. This bill changes our current budget resolution from a concurrent resolution to a joint resolution. The…
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