[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 5579]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MONKEY BITE BILL

  (Mr. BISHOP of Utah asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House we passed a 
monkey bite bill, and whether one agrees with me that we spent millions 
of dollars to create a bureaucracy that does not solve the problem is 
insignificant.
  What is significant is one considers the time we spent last year and 
this year. It is arguably the case that we have spent more time on this 
floor talking about monkey bites than we have in talking about a $400 
billion spending package.
  The President was exactly right last night when he said Americans 
will work their way through the situation, but history will judge 
whether the actions of this House have hindered or helped Americans in 
that quest to work their way through this situation and, indeed, the 
verdict may be mixed. But history will not forgive us if we abdicate 
our responsibility to be representatives of the people and know the 
details of the bills that come to the floor.
  History will not forgive us if we simply declare an emergency and 
then wave our hands as billions and billions of American tax dollars 
just simply pass us by. Shame on us.

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