Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2996, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2996, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010 -- (House of Representatives - June 25, 2009)

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Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I come to this side of the well because I fear the distance between us has grown so great that we can no longer hear each other from the chasm that divides us. It's time to stop talking at each other and start listening to one another.

When I first read this rule, I wasn't so much angry as I was deeply saddened. I was saddened by what we have allowed this institution to devolve into--little more than a Third World dictatorship. And we are all to blame because we have all allowed this to happen.

We can point fingers at one another ad nauseam, claiming, We did this to you; you did that to us; et cetera, et cetera. Unfortunately, pointing fingers has never solved a problem.

I was also saddened because the Rules Committee had it within their grasp, within their power to pull us back from this precipice that we find ourselves on. But they chose not to. They took a pass.

As I said at the Rules Committee hearing last night, History is replete with people who found an excuse to do the wrong thing. It takes a little courage to do the right thing.

It's time for us to stand up and show the courage to do the right thing--not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Members of Congress. It's time to restore this House to the time-honored traditions of open debate, which we inherited from those who came before us, when Members had the right and the ability to represent their constituents.

I find it ironic that around the world people hope for, pray for, even die for the simple right to have their voices heard. They look to us not because they want to be Americans, but because they want for themselves what we have, or at least what we had--the right to be heard. Yet here, in this penthouse of democracy, we are going exactly the opposite direction by trying to silence all opposition.

We all know this rule is wrong. We all know it damages this institution. I know in my heart that Mr. Hoyer, the majority leader, knows this rule is wrong. I know in my heart Mr. Obey, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, knows this rule is wrong. I know that Ms. Slaughter, the chairwoman of the Rules Committee, knows this rule is wrong.

Yet here we are, all in the name of expediency, silencing the voices of the Americans who elected us to Congress to speak on their behalf. We are sacrificing what is right to just get the job done.

There will come a time when Republicans will once again become the majority party. We don't know when that will be. It might be 2 years, it might be 10 years, it might be 20 years. But it will happen--and we all know that. I will tell you that members of my party will want to use the actions today, your rules, as a precedent--a precedent to shut you out of the process, a precedent to silence your voices, a precedent to deny your ability to represent your constituents, a precedent to take the easy road instead of doing the hard work of democracy.

I want you to know here today that I won't be a part of using this precedent against you. I will stand up for your rights as a minority when you find yourselves in the minority. It's the very heart of democracy. And I'll do it because I care more about the integrity of this institution than I do about sticking to an arbitrary schedule scratched out on some piece of paper.

I fear, I truly fear that you know not the damage that you do to this institution with these rules.

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