Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO SUSPEND THE RULES -- (House of Representatives - August 03, 2007)
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the gentleman from Florida yielding me time, and I do know that we are here today, among other things, to seek immediate resolution from the United States Congress to help the wonderful people of Minnesota in their time of grief by authorizing money that will be spent to immediately rebuild the bridge that collapsed over the Mississippi.
All Members of this body watched the horror the other night as we saw not only the collapse but also the heroism of men and women, first responders and others, as they joined in to help the people of Minneapolis-St. Paul as they struggled with this.
I would note that the committee action, regular order, has taken place to make sure that this bill would be before not only the Democrat majority but also we as Republicans participated in each of these activities.
The gentleman stood up and talked about how great and wonderful and what normal and regular things happen around here, but these are not normal times.
Once again today, here we are on the floor of the House of Representatives almost as a new low, I would say, Mr. Speaker, being asked to debate a rule on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and we don't even have a copy of the bill. So I would like to ask the gentleman from Florida, can we please see a copy of the bill?
I yield to the gentleman from Florida.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. This matter is under suspension. My friend on the Rules Committee and I were there when it passed out of the Rules Committee on suspension, and that requirement is met.
Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I don't understand this. This new Democrat majority that comes to town, talks about open and honesty, ethics above reproach, all the things that they would do differently than what the Republicans have done, and they have not lived up to that.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SESSIONS. I would yield to the gentleman if he will answer the question: Where is the copy of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that we're doing the rule on today that we're expected to vote on today?
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Thank you for yielding. It is in the hopper. The minority members of the Intelligence Committee have the measure.
Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, I would yield to the gentleman from California.
Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding, and I see we're joined here by a very distinguished member of the House Committee on Intelligence. I think we have been, for literally months, trying to make in order the legislation that has been introduced by our friend from Albuquerque (Mrs. Wilson), and we believe that that, in fact, is the answer to this problem.
The President of the United States, in the news conference that he held with Mike McConnell about an hour ago, made it crystal clear that he is going to ask the Director one question: If he gets legislation that emerges from this body, will it, in fact, enhance our ability to make sure that foreigners on foreign soil who are trying kill us, if the legislation provides them with the tools to intercept those conversations and prevent them from having the ability to attack the United States of America?
Now, my friend from Dallas has just very correctly said, can we see the legislation that we're expected to vote upon today if this suspension rule is made in order that will do exactly what the President has said is necessary to ensure the safety and the security of the American people?
Mr. SESSIONS. I thank the gentleman from California for his words.
Mr. Speaker, this Democrat majority has simply not lived up to the words that it spoke when it became the new majority. And it was a campaign promise that is reiterated on a regular basis all through this Chamber and all the committees. Most disappointing among these is the forgotten promise that Democrats promised to be the most open, honest and ethical Congress in history.
And I will now quote Speaker Pelosi from page 24 of A New Direction for America, and I quote, ``Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute.''
I further quote the distinguished chairman of the Rules Committee, Louise Slaughter, on November 12, 2006, just a week after election. She said, ``My fellow Democrats and I have long felt that the Rules Committee was failing its major obligations. We publically argued that it was being used to shut down the legislative process for partisan purposes. But now that the Democrats will control the committee we will have a chance to change all that.''
Mr. Speaker, they have not changed it. They've made it worse.
We do understand right now, as we speak, we have a copy of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that evidently has only now been given to the minority.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. You know, Mr. Speaker, we talk about this genuine desire to solve the problem, but the fact of the matter is we're about as close as midnight and noon in our thoughts and beliefs as parties for doing that.
I hearken back to just a few days ago in the Rules Committee, where some of the questions from my good friends on the Democrat side are: Well, what about the constitutional rights of some of these people who live in other countries who are known terrorists, what about their constitutional rights? And we need to take those into account.
Mr. Speaker, it's amazing how we're sitting here debating something that's in the best interests of this country, and some people are more concerned about the terrorists' rights than they are about protecting this country.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 1/2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier).
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