Thomas E. Petri: “the debate on this bill provides a perfect example of why it is so much harder to pass legislation than it is to defeat…”

“the debate on this bill provides a perfect example of why it is so much harder to pass legislation than it is to defeat it. Here is a piece of legislation coming to the floor of this House that was worked on in the spirit of bipartisanship with total cooperation between the parties, but because some Members are not satisfied that everything that they want is included, they are going to vote against it, even though not a single word has been spoken on the floor against any provision in the bill that is before us. It is a good bill and it should pass on its merits, but Members would like to add more and do it their way. We cannot do it everybody's way and get anything done. It is easier to stop things than to pass it. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of a good bill. I would like to speak very briefly about a provision in the bill that makes a minor change to the statute governing the Federal TRIO programs in a way that will end the unfair disadvantages faced by the University of Wisconsin's 2-year colleges in applying for student support services grants.”