Bob Wise: “Welcome back, Mr. Speaker. First day of Congress everybody is back. Kind of like the first day of school, bringing your…”

“Welcome back, Mr. Speaker. First day of Congress everybody is back. Kind of like the first day of school, bringing your book bag, your pencils, your agenda, our schedule for the upcoming semester, but there is one problem. You look at the schedule and the schedule does not reflect what you may have heard in the district about what people think ought to be done. You know, while I was home and participating in town meetings, and particularly a lot of talk shows, there are two questions that came up a lot. Why is there going to be a train wreck, and when the train wreck comes on October 1, because the Federal budget has not been approved and the 137 appropriation bills have not been approved, what is going to happen? That is No. 1. And No. 2 is, when is there going to be some real congressional reform? Two questions: Why is there going to be a train wreck and when is there going to be true congressional reform? What is going to be the first bill that this House takes up today to deal with that? It does not deal with the train wreck and it does not deal with congressional reform. The one bill that is going to pass and get sent to the President is a bill that keeps Congress operating. To heck with the rest of the Federal Government, to heck with law enforcement, to heck with the veterans, to heck with sending out the Social Security checks, the heck with health care, the heck with all of that. Keep Congress operating. Keep the Congress budget intact.”