Political Quotes

“I have a great deal of respect for my friend from the Appropriations Committee. He is an excellent legislator and tremendous Member. I am, though, going to point out the record of the Democratic majority the last time they were here and in control of what happened on the floor. In the 111th Congress, the final 2 years of Representative Pelosi's time as Speaker, the House never considered a single bill under an open rule--not one bill. That is the definition of a closed process. Under Republican control, the House has returned to consideration of appropriations bills under an open process, with 22 open rules. We had no open rules on appropriations when my friends were in the majority. This year alone, the House has considered 404 amendments during the appropriations process, and 189 of them offered were by our friends on the other side. When you actually compare the record overall, frankly, I think the comparison is much to the advantage of Republicans. So we are trying to deal with complex issues in a relatively short period of time. I know the Congress will be back in session in September. We will be working on the appropriations process in the lameduck again, so there are going to be ample legislative opportunities, but we are in a crisis situation, which we are in this case. We are trying to respond thoughtfully and expeditiously. We are trying to put resources toward the problem.…”