Charles Rangel: “here we are again, once again fighting for the dignity of millions of Americans who worked every day of their adult…”

“here we are again, once again fighting for the dignity of millions of Americans who worked every day of their adult lives, paid into a trust fund, believing if there ever was a need, that their Congress, their Members would respond to it. The compensation that we are offering in this legislation is so meager that it is almost embarrassing to have to fight to get it, and the whole concept that maybe the President believes that if they are given assistance, they would rather not look for a job but rather have these checks. But I think I want America to know that as long as good people want to work, as long as they don't have money to pay their bills, as long as oil prices are up, education, health care, as long as these good people cannot survive and begin to lose their dignity and their pride, as long as these great Americans, middle Americans find themselves in this position, that we on our side will continue to fight no matter what you do. So you can attack us on parliamentary grounds, you can talk about PAYGO, you can talk about suspension, you can go get a veto, but the American people should know that we are not going to give up. We are not going to give in, and that we will prevail. So whatever tactics, language, rhetoric you come up with, at the end of the day when the family says I know I can depend on our Congress, they will be asking: And how do your congressmen vote on this issue?”