Richard K. Armey: “as we said earlier, on June 18, the President of the United States sent up here a request for legislation to create a…”

“as we said earlier, on June 18, the President of the United States sent up here a request for legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security which we all recognize to be a daunting task. On the very next day, on June 19, this body enacted resolution 449, which established the Select Committee on Homeland Security and the procedure by which we would act upon the President's request. In just these few short weeks, all 12 of our standing committees have acted and have acted judiciously and comprehensively, with a sense of focus on this Nation's security that demands and commanded our respect. The Select Committee on Homeland Security was privileged to have the work of these 12 different committees and to work with that work, and I hope with all of my heart that that which we brought before this body tonight justifies the quality of commitment that we saw in our colleagues on those 12 committees. We will vote on that in a minute, but one thing is for certain. By the time we take a final vote tonight, every Member of this body will know: I had my say, I had my influence, I had my input, and I have a part of what we produced here.”