[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 15718-15719]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                A SORRY DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE

  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a sorry day in the history of 
the House. Repetitious, unnecessary, unwise votes set about to 
obfuscate the business of this body was the order of the day. We set a 
record for the number of votes cast in a single day, but we also set a 
record for irresponsible, mischievous and obfuscatory behavior. It was 
a sorry use of the time of this institution.
  The time of this institution is a public resource during which we are 
supposed to do the Nation's business. We

[[Page 15719]]

are supposed to conduct that business on the floor, in the committees 
and in our offices. No opportunity was made available for the Members 
of this body to do that. The institution has not been helped by that 
behavior, nor has its reputation been helped.
  I say that if this kind of behavior persists, we will fall lower in 
the respect of the American people, as very well we should.
  Yesterday was a sorry event. The business of the Nation was 
obfuscated. The necessary actions that need to be taken on important 
concerns of the Nation, like health care, like the economy, like the 
budget, like some 12 or 13 appropriations bills that need to be 
addressed, were not done.
  There are hundreds of items upon which the committee and the Congress 
could well be using its time. Yesterday we could not because of 
willful, obfuscatory and mischievous behavior by Members of this 
institution. It is time to bring that to a stop.

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