Political Quotes

“I want to clearly state today that I believe the current rules and structure of the ethics process should and need to be improved. The procedures of the Ethics Committee are not perfect, and I firmly believe this House should make modifications to those procedures to better protect the integrity of the House and the faith of the American people. However, this House must act carefully and deliberately in making any improvements, and it must be done in a bipartisan way. That is not happening. No consideration of a bipartisan reform proposal is permitted on the floor tonight. The House floor is shut down to any debate. No alternative is allowed to be considered. No amendment may be offered. No respect is offered to the concerns expressed by both Democrat and Republican Members of this House. In 2005, at the beginning of the 109th Congress, Democrat leaders decried House rule changes that were written only by Republican leaders. Democrats demanded bipartisanship and a fair say in the rules that governs the ethics of House Members.”