Charles Skelton: “I have no idea why we are considering this bill, because all the majority had to do was not raise a point of order on…”

“I have no idea why we are considering this bill, because all the majority had to do was not raise a point of order on the appropriations bill. I do not want to say this is a cynical gesture, but it is. We are considering this bill because the majority is not serious about taking care of the troops and their families. 24,000 families will do without because the other bill will have a point of order raised on it. All they had to do on the other bill, the appropriations bill, was not to raise a point of order and 24,000 military families would have their housing in 2005. While this stand-alone bill is fine on its merits, it is going to die in the Senate. It will go nowhere. What we wanted to do was raise the privatized housing cap in the Military Construction Appropriations Act. That is legislation that the Senate cannot ignore. And all we had to do was just not raise the point of order and those young families would have their housing. I cannot argue against the words of this measure, but we should not be deceived.”