Rich Neal: “Mr. Leader, most of us are institutionalists here, and we have great regard for this body, and I think we're all a bit…”

“Mr. Leader, most of us are institutionalists here, and we have great regard for this body, and I think we're all a bit discouraged when the regular order does not proceed, and my friend, the minority leader, spoke eloquently of what he feels to be a process that's been limited. But the concern that many of us have is that for 6 years at the Ways and Means Committee, the minority could not pass one amendment. Not one amendment passed in what should be the most deliberative committee in this House, and there were no protestations from the other side that were ever raised. In this instance here on the housing bill, there were two Republican amendments that were accepted. The vote was 30-5, I believe, or 35-5. So there was a process. Actually, people got to talk at the Ways and Means Committee who disagreed with the outcome of the bill, and I understand how the minority feels in this instance. But I wish that there had been some voices raised during those years about what was happening to shut down the process in the Ways and Means Committee, and Mr. McCrery has moved vigorously to change the tone, as Mr. Rangel has included him in everything at the committee level.”