Steny Hoyer: “in point of fact, it was also dishonest. Because, as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has pointed out, the vote…”

“in point of fact, it was also dishonest. Because, as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has pointed out, the vote yesterday was not on this issue; it was, in fact, on issues of import which we have debated on this floor at some length and was on the issue of whether or not we were going to fund in this bill the fixing of computers in the Federal Government so that they would be compatible with the change of the century. Those were substantive issues. They have both been struck on this floor today by one Member because of the rule we adopted. I regret that it appears that the rule was specifically fashioned to facilitate this kind of demagoguery, this kind of threat, this kind of intimidation on the Members of this House. Now, as every Member knows, I have been for this process and have been sometimes among 20 people, 30 people voting for the cost-of-living adjustment because I thought the American public deserved an honest response. The American public is not surprised that when we vote on this, sometimes half, maybe sometimes two-thirds, vote against the cost-of-living. And the American public is not surprised when, guess what, almost every Member who voted no on the ECI takes the money, takes the money, leading to further disrespect for this institution and the individual Members who they thereby perceive as dishonest with them. I love this institution and respect it. It is in fact the people's House.”