Joe Morelle: “I need to say, as someone who served on the House Rules Committee for 4 years, that we clearly could have put on the…”

“I need to say, as someone who served on the House Rules Committee for 4 years, that we clearly could have put on the floor and made in order an amendment to strike this provision from the bill that had been passed by the Senate. Most people who took social studies in elementary school understand the bill has to pass the Senate and the House before it is sent to the President. Had we had the opportunity, we would have voted on an amendment. I guarantee it would have passed this House and you would have had the full support of Democrats to strike that provision, and then we could have sent it back to the Senate. We weren't forced to do this last week. There was an amendment made in the Rules Committee that the Rules Committee Republicans rejected, which would have made in order an amendment that would have stripped this provision from the bill. That should have been done and could have been done. People made a conscious decision, on the other side of the aisle, not to include that amendment and make it in order. We shouldn't have to be here today trying to mop up the mess that has been created.”