Gregory Meeks: “This is the United States House of Representatives, the United States of America. This is an institution that I am proud…”

“This is the United States House of Representatives, the United States of America. This is an institution that I am proud to be a Member of, and there comes a point in time in our lives when we just simply must do the right thing, keeping our priorities straight. This is a political body, but this is not a political issue. It should not be. It was not political when every man and woman went out to save and to sacrifice their own lives, in essence, on 9/11. They went out there not because they were Democrats or Republicans, they're black or white, they're from here or there. They went out there because this is the United States of America. This is the people's House. There comes a time for us not to be political but to take care of our own, and that's what this is all about. Our own are sick. Our own are dying. And we, in the people's House, need to come to their aid and come to their aid now.”