Steny Hoyer: “I am a big fan of Martina McBride. I do not know if the gentleman is familiar with her. She is one of the great country…”

“I am a big fan of Martina McBride. I do not know if the gentleman is familiar with her. She is one of the great country music singers in America, and she has a song, the title of which is 'I know you can hear me, but are you listening.' And I know you may hear me, but I want you to be listening as well. As the gentleman knows, as he is a long-time distinguished member of the Committee on Rules, we are very hopeful we will start this session off on the right foot and that the minority will be given, as your minority asked when you were in the minority, for the opportunity to offer amendments and substitutes so that our perspective can be considered as well as the majority's perspective. We think that serves the American people well. We think it is what you asked for when you were in the minority. We believe we gave it to you most of the time. You are correct, not all the time. But we would hope, and this bill I think is not one of the very contentious bills that we will take up perhaps during the session, but we would hope that that opportunity would be afforded the minority.”