Rob Andrews: “the legislation before us has great merit. It would stabilize the student loan program, and I intend to work as hard as…”

“the legislation before us has great merit. It would stabilize the student loan program, and I intend to work as hard as I can to see that it is enacted. However, another piece of legislation that has great merit and bipartisan support is, in my judgment, being arbitrarily withheld from the floor. The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) has worked very hard on this. She has had the active cooperation of the chairman of our committee and the subcommittee chairman, for which I commend them both. However, as she said just a moment ago, the minority has only certain rights. She and the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller) have worked diligently throughout the day and, frankly, in days prior to this, to try to bring this legislation before the body. In my judgment, an arbitrary and unreasonable decision has precluded them from doing so. In the few hours that remain before this vote is scheduled for floor consideration, there is an opportunity to do something about that. I would urge the Speaker and the leadership of the majority party to take that under advisement so we can move forward two pieces of meritorious bipartisan legislation.”