John Tierney: “I just would note the irony in this particular amendment coming from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. For a…”

“I just would note the irony in this particular amendment coming from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. For a group that repeatedly talks about States' rights and the Federal Government telling States what they can and cannot do, this would seem to me to be the ultimate example of that. For those States that like to have some ability to exempt themselves from Federal programs or Federal requirements and impose their own set of priorities, for instance, if a State chooses to focus on reporting requirements instead of on-site inspections, it may well want to assess civil fines when there are intentional violations of those requirements. This, of course, would prohibit the State from having that kind of flexibility; it is ironic, and just a bit amusing on this side of the aisle to see how everyone who supports States' rights or would want to support them and vote for this amendment. However, a vote for this particular amendment would appear to be a vote against that flexibility and a vote against States' rights.”