Political Quotes

“And I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. Mr. Speaker, the underlying measures that are in this combined rule are matters of substance that do need to be addressed, and I will get back to it in a moment. Several of my colleagues will join me today in recognizing a historic moment in this particular body in this great country of ours. Madam Speaker, let me recognize that tucked inside this rule is the majority's 83rd and 84th closed rules of this Congress--and we are just in May--with more to go. {time} 1130 That is a historic number because it makes the 115th Congress the most closed Congress ever. My Republican friends have made history for all the wrong reasons. But we should not let this milestone go unrecognized right from the very beginning, because it is a sad point in this Chamber's history. It is why we have ignored virtually every major issue the public cares about. It is why this Congress can't get anything done. It is why we are so dysfunctional. It is clear to me that the majority has turned a deaf ear, which is absolutely shameful. Please know this: 1,793 amendments offered by Members of this body have been denied. When I came to Congress in 1992, there was an echo chamber from the right talking about the Democrats' closed rules. Quite frankly, at that time, I did not understand that dynamic.…”