Joe Crowley: “I had a wonderful speech I was prepared to read to you today, but, quite frankly, I'm outraged by the discussion that…”

“I had a wonderful speech I was prepared to read to you today, but, quite frankly, I'm outraged by the discussion that has taken place here. There is the discussion of 19 days left to get this legislation passed as though a gun is put to our heads that either we pass the Senate bill or this does not get extended. That's hogwash. That's not the way in which we should make legislation. The notion that 100 Senators came to the floor and passed this bill is hogwash. They hot-lined this bill. It went to the floor without debate. The only debate that has taken place on this issue has taken place here on the floor of the House of Representatives. Chairman Frank in cooperation with the ranking member on the minority have worked diligently to get a qualified bill to this floor, that New York wants, that our country wants and deserves. We should not allow a hole in the middle of Manhattan to lie as a monument to Osama bin Laden, because that's what we're doing by not allowing for a reset provision in this legislation. This is not about New York City. That provision is the Osama bin Laden protection provision. We should pass the House version of this bill and reject the Senate bill.”