Alan Simpson: “Reclaiming my time, in fact, we were not wrong. Congress did not approve a national ocean plan. Now, we can argue about…”

“Reclaiming my time, in fact, we were not wrong. Congress did not approve a national ocean plan. Now, we can argue about it whether they should have or whether they shouldn't have or whether Chairman Pombo should have brought it up or shouldn't have brought it up, or whatever, but that is way the process works around here. There are things that aren't brought up that I think ought to be brought up. I have got a wildfire funding bill that hasn't been brought up. I think it ought to be brought up. That doesn't mean the administration can go out and say: Hey, that is the right thing to do. We are going to do it by executive order. That is the problem with this administration, that they have got a phone and they have got a pen if they don't get what they want out of Congress and Congress decides not to act for whatever reason. We didn't act on immigration. I think that was wrong. I think we should have. But guess what. We didn't. That doesn't free the President to say: Well, if you won't do it, I am going to do it. That is kind of what he did with the National Ocean Policy, and that is the problem we have here. That is why I oppose the amendment, even though it might be the right thing for us to do in the long run. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.”