On the recordApril 15, 2010
There is a lot of rhetoric that has gone on around this financial reform bill. I appreciate so much the chairman of the committee engaging me for 30 days to try to reach a bipartisan agreement. We voted a 1,336-page bill out of committee in 21 minutes with no amendments. We did so with the understanding--at least it was my understanding--that the best way to reach a bipartisan deal was to vote a bill out of committee--we knew it was going to be a party-line vote--to not stiffen opposition by having a bunch of amendments debated and maybe get people pulled further apart. Then what we would do is try to seek a template for a bipartisan bill before it came to the floor.
