Speech

“I urge, I myself am personally going to vote ‘no’ on this legislation, but in doing so, salute the Chairs and Ranking Members of the committee for taking us way down the road on this issue. It’s just that crucial balance between security and liberty that I do not think has been struck in that bill. So, for my own part, it will not have my support. Thank you Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.”

“And I’ll end where I began. The most important part of all of this, is this issue of jobs, jobs, jobs, and the fairness in our budget to promote jobs and to reduce the deficit for the success of America’s families. The choice is clear: job killer Ryan-Republican budget bill, job creator Van Hollen substitute bill. I urge my colleagues to support the Van Hollen bill and yield back the balance of my time.”

"...Thank you for letting us honor you on your birthday. And I thought it would be fun if we had some of our former colleagues who had served with Lindy share their toast in her honor. And I want to start with another Ambassador, former Member of Congress, Margaret Heckler..."

“So again, we’ll be hearing from our other colleagues, but I just wanted to point out a few who are up here and recognize that everybody has a very strong interest in getting this done. You have come to the Hill, you’re the cavalry that has come to take the Hill for this very important cause. We can try to maneuver internally all we can to try to convince our colleagues, as Congresswoman Maloney has done, Congresswoman Lee, Congresswoman Matsui, Congresswoman DeLauro, and so many other Members of Congress, but without the outside mobilization we cannot get the boldest common denominator to get the best possible legislation passed."

“With that, I thank the gentleman, again, for his leadership on putting forth a balanced, fair proposal to reduce the deficit, to avoid sequestration, which we didn’t, but as a counter to what the Republicans are putting forth. And more than a counter, it’s about leadership, it’s about what is possible if we can work together in a bipartisan way to get the job done for the American people. I thank you Mr. Van Hollen and yield back my time.”

“Today, on the floor of the House we will have a very clear choice: we have the choice to support the bipartisan legislation that has passed in the United States Senate, it passed with a 78-22, 77 percent of the Senate voted for this legislation. A majority of the Republicans in the Senate supported this legislation. All of the women in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans alike, support the bipartisan legislation, that I hope we will have an opportunity to vote on today on the floor of the House."

“When Rosa Parks was a little baby, her mother sang her the hymn, ‘Oh Freedom, Let It Ring.’ She would hear that hymn in church too as she grew up. It became the anthem of her life, and the mission of her life. As Rosa Parks would say years later: ‘I’d like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be free, too.’"

“Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentle lady for yielding and for her leadership as the senior Democrat on the Rules Committee. Today, we have an interesting discussion. We are debating the rule that will enable us to bring to the floor the Violence Against Women Act. As part of the debate on the rule, [Democrats] are asking to [vote] ‘no’ on the previous question, which will enable us also to not only vote on the Violence Against Women Act, but enact completion, to go onto voting on a proposal that the Democrats have to resolve the sequester issue."