Jerry Nadler: “My Republican friends seem to be under a misconception about the bill. They keep saying that it unconstitutionally…”

“My Republican friends seem to be under a misconception about the bill. They keep saying that it unconstitutionally removes money from the Treasury without appropriation. It does no such thing. It removes not a dime from the Treasury. None of this money is the government's money to start with. The government sues some group or company for malefaction, for damaging people. A settlement is reached. Under the terms of that settlement, the bulk of the money goes to the Treasury, and there it stays. A small proportion of that money goes to an organization that attempts to make somewhat whole the victims of the corporate malfeasance that caused the lawsuit in the first place, but no money is removed from the Treasury. On the contrary, money is placed into the Treasury, money from the corporate malefactor. Some money from the corporate malefactor, a small proportion, goes to an organization that tries to help make not whole but a little better the victims of the malefaction by the corporation in the first place. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”