Charles Rangel: “I want to support some of what Mr. Barton has just said in terms of being critical about the manner in which this bill…”

“I want to support some of what Mr. Barton has just said in terms of being critical about the manner in which this bill, albeit it helps 3 rac{1}{2} million more children, how it got to the floor. And I also want to sympathize with him, having been the ranking member of Ways and Means when the Republicans were in charge, so I know what being excluded means. But I want to assure him that he was not excluded by the House leadership, not the House Democratic leadership and not the House Republican leadership. The criticism that so many people have about this bill is misfounded. This is not the House bill. For those that are so sensitive about legal immigrants not being covered, you had an opportunity when the bill was in the House to vote for the House bill. And I hope for political reasons when you get back home, that vote was recorded the right way. But the reason it is not in this is because this is not the House bill. And I want to tell Mr. Barton that I was invited to go into the back room, but the back room was on the Senate side and it wasn't controlled by the Democratic leadership but by those Republicans who demanded that it be their way or the highway. So you can debate all you want how you want to help or hurt the children, but don't be critical of the Democratic leadership in the House. Be critical of this bipartisan agreement on what? The Senate bill.”