Randy Weber: “I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, when I testified before the Rules Committee yesterday on behalf…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, when I testified before the Rules Committee yesterday on behalf of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee Republicans, I expressed my frustration with the process that got us here. At nearly 3,000 pages, H.R. 4521 is a partisan package tossed together by Democratic leadership behind closed doors with no Republican input-- probably the only thing they lacked was the cigar smoke. As I stand before you today, Mr. Speaker, my serious concerns with the America COMPETES Act have only increased. After a back-room process last night, 261 out of the over 600 submitted amendments were made in order, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason why, Mr. Speaker. That is right. This week, we are going to consider 261 amendments to a 3,000-page bill. Frankly, the sheer number of the amendments reflects what happens when rank and file Members on both sides of the aisle are not given an opportunity to legislate in their respective committees. This is a stark contrast, Mr. Speaker, to the way we do business on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The fact that there are a dozen bipartisan Science, Space, and Technology Committee bills mixed up in this bag of poison pills only adds to the confusion. On that note, I want to be very clear. Just because this 3,000-page behemoth has bipartisan bills in it does not mean it is a bipartisan bill.…”