On the recordJune 15, 2022
It is always good to be here in a nice empty Chamber, the definition of debate here in the people's House. But such is the way of our current process of debate. I always try to remind the American people that as they are no doubt all gathered around their living rooms watching C-SPAN, sitting around talking about the issues of the day that there are two Members of the House of Representatives here, and that this is somehow what debate looks like. We just passed an inauspicious milestone last week in which we had the 6-year anniversary of not having offered an amendment on the floor of the House of Representatives in open debate. Not one Member of the House of Representatives for the last 6 years has been able to go down to the desk and offer an amendment to change a piece of legislation. That is not what the American people think we do. They think we actually sit down here and offer an amendment and we debate and go through stuff, but that never happens. I think that really is kind of endemic of the problem why people are so frustrated with this town, but I think there is something deeper going on in our country, something deeper that merits focus. As the Marquis de Lafayette has famously said something along the lines of America is great because America is good. I believe that. But I am increasingly curious if all Americans do. We have a cultural problem in this country. We should be honest. We have been kind of fat and happy for a while.…
