Deborah Koff Ross: “Mr. Speaker, we are often asked how we got the name Blue Dog Coalition if we are just simply a group of fiscally…”

“Mr. Speaker, we are often asked how we got the name Blue Dog Coalition if we are just simply a group of fiscally conservative to moderate Democrats. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, ironically, after the Republicans took control of Congress in 1994, we were a group, which I wasn't yet a part of, I came here in 2000, but the conservative-moderate movement in this Congress was a group of Democrats that, you have heard the phrase 'yellow dog Democrat,' well, the Democrats to our left were choking us blue and the Republicans to our right were choking us blue, and we found ourselves in the middle, which is where we believe America is and where we are trying to bring our country, or at least our Congress as we try to restore fiscal discipline to our national government. But on this accountability measure, if you think with me, Mr. Speaker, no business in our country could succeed financially if it failed to fully report to its shareholders on how it is spending its money. However, that is exactly how our Federal Government has been operating for the past 6 years.”