David Obey: “in a democratic institution, when we have nothing else, the only protections that remain for individual Members and for…”

“in a democratic institution, when we have nothing else, the only protections that remain for individual Members and for the constituents that we represent lie in the normal processes of the House. We have just passed a bill in which 90 percent of the dollars contained in that bill were dollars that were never debated on their merits on the House floor. For the last year, this House has engaged in a process of refusing to allow the democratic process that is fundamental to this Nation to manifest itself on the floor of this institution. And as a result, we have never had an opportunity to debate the wisdom of, for instance, cutting the first responders below the President's budget or doing a number of other outrageous things that happened in this bill tonight. Because I take my institutional responsibilities seriously, I, in the end, most reluctantly voted for the bill that just passed, despite the fact that I am outraged by the process that produced it; I am outraged by the rigidity with which the White House has dealt with these issues; I am outraged that the White House, especially the Office of Management and Budget, have seemed to have determined that it is their way or the highway on all occasions.”