[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7389]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

  (Mr. HERGER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend from Washington, 
and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings) the chairman of the 
ethics committee, for his efforts to resolve the regrettable impasse 
that has prevented the committee from organizing. He has made a 
thoughtful and good-faith attempt to clear up any misunderstanding and 
resolve any perceived concerns.
  But this was rejected out of hand by our friends on the other side of 
the aisle. Why? Because their concerns are neither real nor 
substantive. They want the committee to be in limbo. They are creating 
an issue for political purposes without any positive ideas about how to 
resolve the very serious challenges facing our Nation. Negativity and 
political attacks are their only strategy.
  Mr. Speaker, this is wrong. Let us move forward constructively and 
stop abusing our ethics process for purely political gain.

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