On the recordFebruary 18, 2011
I rise in opposition to this amendment. Timothy McCarthy, who was the Secret Service agent who stopped the bullet that would have killed one of the greatest Presidents we've ever had, Ronald Reagan, would have deserved a step increase. Dr. Collins, who has mapped the human genome system to be able to deal with pancreatic cancer and breast cancer and who could go outside and get a job anywhere, would deserve a step increase. The FBI agent who is tracking down and working to find al Qaeda and terrorism and radicalization would deserve a step increase. Lastly--lastly--some Members of this Congress have employees who have done such a good job--many of them are perhaps on the Appropriations Committee--they would deserve a step increase. If you vote for this, you can never give any of your employees a step increase for the rest of this year. This is a bad amendment. I urge its defeat.
