On the recordJuly 19, 2011
The sponsor of the bill mentioned some House rules. I think he is well aware that you can always waive House rules by majority vote. Thank goodness you cannot just waive the Constitution of the United States. Our Founders made it difficult to get bad ideas into the Constitution. Again, I want to make it clear, this is not your garden-variety balanced budget amendment. This is manipulating the Constitution of the United States itself in a way that makes it easier to cut Medicare, easier to cut Social Security, and easier to cut education than it is to cut corporate tax loopholes for the purpose of reducing the deficit. With that, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), a member of the Budget Committee. Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, the bill on the floor right now is a political gimmick. It is a stunt. It is not a serious effort. But this bill does reflect Republican values. This Republican bill protects the wealthiest Americans. This Republican bill pummels seniors and the middle class. And, no surprise, this bill panders, even grovels to the Tea Party extremists. This bill will end the Medicare guarantees. This bill will kill jobs. And, thank goodness, this bill will never pass the United States Senate. This bill will never become law. The Republican majority is wasting precious time as the clock ticks and ticks closer to default and economic disaster.…
