[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8610]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           BUSINESS AS USUAL

  (Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker and Members, we have had 
another moment of silence, a moment of silence indicating that somehow 
we are concerned about what happened in Orlando, Florida. It is not 
good enough.
  How many times have we done this? Whether we are talking about Sandy 
Hook, where those babies were killed, or we are talking about North 
Carolina or we are talking about San Bernardino or Aurora, Colorado, we 
keep getting up with a moment of silence because we don't want to deal 
with what is really going on.
  This Republican leadership is pitiful. It is disgusting that they 
don't have the guts or the commitment to call it like it is and bring a 
bill to this floor to get rid of assault weapons. That weapon that 
killed those 50 people and harmed those other 53 is a weapon that is 
designed for war. Don't tell me about your hunting concerns. This AR-15 
has nothing to do with hunting. This is about killing. And so this 
leadership is spineless, it is gutless, and it deserves not to have the 
ability to get up on this floor and talk about responsibility or 
innovation----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California.--or any of this other stuff that 
they are talking about. I want to say over and over again, I don't care 
if my time is up, you stop me from talking if you will.
  The fact of the matter is, we should all be on this. Business as 
usual? I don't think so. We should have stopped everything this 
evening, concentrated on how we can get a bill to the floor.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. I know you don't want me to talk 
while you are waiting for your talking points from the leadership.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman is no longer recognized.
  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. * * *
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is prepared to recognize the 
gentleman from California.

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