[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2613-H2614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SHAMEFUL CIRCUMSTANCE WHICH NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED

  (Mr. HINCHEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, in the last several days, the Speaker of 
this House has launched an intemperate prejudicial attack on the 
President of the United States, demeaning himself and the office he 
holds by prejudging issues that may, in fact, come before this House. 
One can only conclude by these intemperate actions that the Speaker's 
basic intention is to draw attention away from the failure, his failure 
and the failure of the Republican leadership to address important 
issues that are of deep concern to the American people.
  Yesterday, we learned that the Speaker personally made it impossible 
to reach a bipartisan agreement on a broad-based tobacco bill. He, in 
effect, told the chairman of the Committee on Commerce that he could no 
longer cooperate with Democrats to put together a bill that would make 
it difficult for children to become addicted to tobacco, demonstrating 
once again how deeply into the pockets of tobacco this Speaker actually 
is.

[[Page H2614]]

  It is a shameful circumstance and one that needs addressing. We need 
to get on to the business of this House.

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