Donna Edwards: “I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from New York. As of this morning, I was not prepared, much to my disappointment, to…”

“I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from New York. As of this morning, I was not prepared, much to my disappointment, to support this rule, but I do support the rule now and the ability of this House to move forward on this tax cut bill. It is sad that later on we're going to consider a bill that isn't just about an estate tax that benefits only 6,600 families. It's about what we do with Social Security for the long term, protecting the investment that all of our seniors, people who have invested in Social Security should be able to expect in the years to come. It is about the debt that's going to be saddled onto our children and our grandchildren. The underlying bill is so problematic in so many ways--and I'll have an opportunity to speak on my opposition to that bill--but I do stand here able to support a rule that allows me to take a vote as a Democrat, to speak to the values that I hold for working people and for working families and for our children and our grandchildren and their future.”