Marcy Kaptur: “I thank the gentleman. Now the new ``leadership,'' I put leadership in quotes, of this institution is turning cartwheels…”

“I thank the gentleman. Now the new ``leadership,'' I put leadership in quotes, of this institution is turning cartwheels over one another trying to push this through real fast, real fast. I just love it. Where is the new Committee on the Budget? Where are the new Members who said that they were going to finally balance the budget of our country? What a joke. Instead of a Contract With America, this Congress is falling over itself to pass a new contract with Mexico. Who is kidding who? Members like myself understand the power of Wall Street, and megabanks, and multinational corporations. We understand the power of the media to keep this crisis under wraps at their bidding and hope the taxpayers miss this one. Last week in Washington over a dozen Members of Congress held a major press conference here in the Press Gallery. There had to be over 100 press people. The rooms were overflowing. I asked my friends around the country, ``How much did you read about that in your newspapers?'' Who was it that made the telephone calls from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, that suppressed the press releases and the messages that we tried to get out to the people of the United States? I have a hunch who it was. We understand the power of the White House. We understand the power of the leadership here in this Congress. We do not like it, but we understand it. We know they want to slip this baby through with as little public scrutiny as possible.”