Virginia Foxx: “I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding and for shepherding this bill through the committee. I am especially…”

“I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding and for shepherding this bill through the committee. I am especially grateful to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lankford) for his tireless efforts on behalf of this legislation; not only I, but the people of this country owe him a great debt of gratitude. I also want to commend him for employing such a wonderful staff. They have been a real pleasure to work with and have been devoted to getting this legislation passed. I want to recognize the efforts of Chairman Issa and his staff at the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, including his eloquent comments today. They have provided my office with five-star service. Finally, I want to recognize my esteemed Democrat colleagues, Loretta Sanchez, Mike McIntyre, and Collin Peterson. I am very grateful for their support and wise counsel. They realize that this legislation does not stop the Federal Government from adopting regulations. And I am, frankly, shocked at the allegations by some of our colleagues on the other side who say this is going to stop the Federal Government from regulating and putting in commonsense rules and regulations. If you look up the definition of ``straw dog'' in the dictionary, the arguments against this legislation this morning would fit the bill. Every year, Mr. Chairman, Washington imposes thousands of pages of rules and regulations on America's small businesses and local governments.…”