Charles Rangel: “Mr. Chairman, I do not think we really are that far apart. As the dean of the New York delegation, I cannot thank this…”

“Mr. Chairman, I do not think we really are that far apart. As the dean of the New York delegation, I cannot thank this House enough for responding to the strike that the terrorists made against our great city and, therefore, our great country. And God knows I do not run from any defense of this great Republic that has meant so much to so many, not only here but the dependency that we have in the free world. We stand united in telling the President of the United States that now, especially during Memorial Day, please depend on the support of the American people as expressed by their representatives in the House of Representatives. So let that flag fly high today, and let all of us salute it by saying, make no mistake about it. The work of the Committee on Appropriations, the bringing together of the diversity, but coming out ahead is one of the most magnificent feelings of bipartisanship and certainly support of the President of the United States in our collective war against terrorism. What we are talking about today is why would we jeopardize the fine work of this committee by including provisions that have nothing to do with our patriotism, nothing to do with the war, and nothing to do with our support of the President that has guided us this far.”