Legislative Program

Floor Speech

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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to politely offer a viewpoint. I believe that we do not view that the issue was discrimination. We have the viewpoint that, earlier in the week, we brought forth a bill that passed 40-2 in the Committee on Armed Services, and that bill was brought forth to the Rules Committee, and we held hours and hours and hours and hours of hearing that Republicans and Democrats were not only welcome to attend, but did attend. The debate that we had on the issue was very full and was brought forth not only at the Rules Committee, but also on this floor. A decision therein was made. There was an opportunity for our Members to vote, and that is exactly what they did.

And I am sure the gentleman would want every single Member to vote and have time to think about that vote until the time that the vote closed, and that is exactly what happened.

So a characterization that this was discrimination would not be, in my opinion, fair or correct, from our perspective.

And I appreciate the gentleman allowing me a chance to amplify that every Member of this body is entitled to their vote, and every Member of this body, without questioning, in my opinion, that vote, should be afforded that opportunity.

So I stand on behalf of Republicans to say that we followed processes; we are following procedures; and we are following the opportunity for a Member of Congress to vote as they choose, and try not to impugn or to test that with applying the word ``discrimination,'' which I feel is not accurate under our intent.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

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Mr. SESSIONS. Will the gentleman yield?

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Mr. SESSIONS. Thank you very much.

First of all, let me state this: I am a Republican. We do not discriminate. We attempt to follow the law, and the gentleman knows that.

We make laws, and those laws can be subject to interpretations of what is and what is not, but we follow the law, and the gentleman knows that. And we follow the law, and my party follows the law.

Secondly, the decision had previously been made the night before. We were not trying to do that today. It was, once again, allowed under the rules because the gentleman accurately--whether it is appropriate or not, that is up to him--brought forth, under an open rule, a limiting amendment.

But we had decided this the night before. And when people recognized what had happened, that this was a vote that had happened the night before, off of a committee vote out of the Committee on Armed Services that was 40-2, there were people who then recognized what they were doing.

It is not unusual to have people vote and then change their vote. I have done that also. But the rules were followed despite, perhaps, different procedural ways in which a person is in the Chair.

So I will tell you, I respect the gentleman, and you know me well.

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Mr. SESSIONS. I would not stand up here if I were for fear of one second of not being able to understand you and you understand me. I understand you.

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Mr. SESSIONS. And I thank the gentleman.

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Mr. SESSIONS. I will concur that I, in fact, did offer in the bill a self-executed portion. Not trying to take advantage of the gentleman, it had nothing to do with the draft. So I will agree that I did take a piece.

And to save this body, because a number of people who did vote for it in committee--which became a voice vote--did wish to change their opinion. But it had nothing to do with the draft, sir.

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Mr. SESSIONS. I would ask an indulgence. It had nothing to do with discrimination. It had to do with a new policy.

And it is true that I did rule and put a self-executing rule in that did answer the question about the desire of the committee to handle this issue, and I did it accordingly. I thank the gentleman.

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