Nita Lowey: “I frankly am sad and disgusted that today we are called here at the last minute to debate a phoney rule on the same bill…”

“I frankly am sad and disgusted that today we are called here at the last minute to debate a phoney rule on the same bill designed by the Republican leadership simply as a pre-election gift to their right wing. This rule is a sham designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to give opponents of family planning a procedural advantage in a vote on their provision which was defeated on the House floor 2 years in a row. It is my understanding that after the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook) gets his antifamily planning vote, we will simply rise and discontinue debate on this important bill with its key education and health care programs. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote down this bogus rule. Because the Republican leadership could not get an agreement to bring up the bill under a fair rule, the bill did not come up. Week after week went by and still no Labor-HHS appropriations bill. Now, 1 day before target adjournment, the bill is brought up suddenly and under a fake rule that is not about policy, but about election year politics.”