Darlene Hooley: “Mr. Speaker, this is ridiculous. We are here tonight to consider one of the most important resolutions that we will take…”

“Mr. Speaker, this is ridiculous. We are here tonight to consider one of the most important resolutions that we will take up this year in Congress, the budget. This is the blueprint for everything we do. And we do not even get a chance to read it before we vote on it. As a member of the Committee on the Budget, I have spent a lot of time addressing the concerns on this budget, and we spent an entire day from early morning until early the next morning on the budget process looking at amendments. We knew what we were voting on. We had a chance to debate it. Yet, tonight when we are voting on final passage of the budget of the United States, members of the Committee on the Budget and Members of the House have not had a chance to see the product they are voting on. This process is wrong. Members deserve a chance to review this document before voting on it. If leadership is determined to consider this resolution before the approaching recess, that is fine. Give us a day, give us a half a day, give us some time to see what is in this budget. I have a responsibility to my constituents just like everyone does to consider measures carefully, to know what is in that measure before we vote on it. Yet, I cannot thoughtfully consider this legislation because I have not had a chance to review it. This is an awful process.”