David Obey: “I have served in this House a good many years. I am proud of that fact. But I am absolutely appalled and chagrined at…”

“I have served in this House a good many years. I am proud of that fact. But I am absolutely appalled and chagrined at the incredible abuse of the legislative process which is occurring here tonight. This is, I think, perhaps the most destructive action I have ever seen any Members of this institution take. We are supposed to cast informed votes. There is no Member of this House, including the main sponsor of this proposal, who can tell you what it is you are going to be voting on tonight. What has happened is that, in my view, I have never seen more irresponsible, more reckless, more anarchic conduct than I have seen displayed on this proposal. Eight hours ago you rammed through this House a proposal which partially opened the Government so that taxpayers could get at least some of the services for which they have already paid. Then the phones started ringing. Member 'X,' Member 'Y' and Member 'Z' said, 'Man, I am getting heat. You didn't cover this program. You didn't cover that program. You didn't cover that program.' So you started putting together a laundry list of proposals to fix what it is you did just 8 hours ago. Now, that laundry list has grown into a phone book, and you are taking a whole list of programs and you are providing for some funding levels for them, I guess mostly at the conference level, but there is not a single Member here who has any table showing what program level or what programs will be funded at what levels.”