Joe Crowley: “Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to tell the human side of this story, to tell the story of Lieutenant Martin Fullam…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to tell the human side of this story, to tell the story of Lieutenant Martin Fullam from my district. Five weeks or so ago I got on a train in New Jersey to come down to work and Martin was there with his wife. They were coming down because there was going to be a meeting and a hearing over on the Senate side, and they wanted to be there. You see, Martin was a 30-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, and right after 9/11 he went and he work on the pile; and like so many others, he became sick, one of the first to be diagnosed with World Trade Center disease. He had to have a lung replaced or otherwise he would have died. And when I asked him what does he think about, as he kind of fought for his breath sitting in that train station, he said the only thing I think about is making sure that my medical bills are paid so my family doesn't have to worry about it. That's all we are asking. So I say to you that if this is an entitlement, you should have your mouth washed out with soap because you lie, Mr. Speaker.”