On the recordFebruary 25, 2016
I want to turn the attention of my colleagues to another issue of justice, and that is the fair existence of and respect for the three branches of government. This involves vets and nurses and schools and school teachers and families across America. It is a process that the Congress goes through every year. We call it the budgeting process; and it is an act of Congress and the administration, we hope, working together. That is the time that the Congress works on the plan for the American people; and it is, of course, the time when the President works on the plan for the American people. It includes reports like this, an economic report of the President. It includes the budget, which is the roadmap for the American people. Let me be very clear. We are all elected; but there is one person--in this instance, one man--that has been elected by all of the people, and he has submitted a budget. I would not ever imagine in my tenure in Congress that we would have this Congress overlook a 41-year tradition for the American people, on their behalf, whether you are for it or against it: the right of the representative of the President, in this instance, Shaun Donovan, the President's Budget Director, to make his presentation before the United States Congress. If I were not standing on this floor, Mr. Speaker, I might simply break down and cry, because I love this institution.…
