Date: 2013-06-06
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentlelady for her knowledge. and I thank the gentlelady for laying out something that. as you said. nonlawyers would say. Were going too much. But I think they understand when you have a role as given to you by the bar license and a role that you would not play with lightlybut I think the other point is. as I told you. I didnt want to highlight Mr. Holders tenure. But hes been around since 1976. Let me just say that hes had many times to disabuse this officer role. and he has not done so because of his integrity. Im glad you mentioned now National Security Adviser Rice and use that as an example. Let me congratulate her and use that as an example of a very fine public servant and outstanding diplomat. In this instance. there is not a morsel of evidence that she would manipulate the Benghazi talking points. What an enormous tragedy. Who would want to see our fallen diplomats lose their lives and their families? Let me just say this: We want the truth. but we also juxtapose that as something to suggest that let us hold our words until we know what the facts are. I just want to say very quickly that all of what youve heard us discuss is what has been absorbing the time of a place that should be talking about making right on the Affordable Care Act. Now. I know that thousands in California are just getting rebates back because of the Affordable Care Act. I know that small businesses are getting dollars back because of the Affordable Care Act. I know that seniors are now getting preventive care because of the Affordable Care Act. children are getting preventive care. women are getting preventive care. but youre only hearing the bad news. Why? Because were too busy making charges about perjury. I would rather you have the testimony. Lets have hearings to get people to come forward to tell America how the Affordable Care Act is making it better for them. Let me tell you what else were not taking any time to do because were suggesting that the Attorney Generalwith no evidence whatsoeveris perjuring himself. In a couple of days. the parents of America. the children of America will be facing a 6.8 percent increase in the interest rates that our children will have to pay who are now coming out as 2013 graduates. But were talking about General Holder. about whom Ive given you a list. He has been a fighter against consumer fraud. human trafficking and crime. and theres been no evidence of perjury. Instead of us meeting to have a compromise. to prevent the clock from ticking on July 1 and kicking up the interest ratesthis is a nightmare. If you want to see a nightmare. go from $4.174 to $10.109. That was the bill that was passed by our Republican friends. and then the automatic increase is $8.000. This is what our young people are going to be feeling the brunt of as theyre trying to pay for college loans. Could we get together and work on that? I think we could. Then. of course. we have heard dead silence about what were going to do about reasonable gun legislation. I hope the lights of the Chamber dont turn off or the sound go out because it looks as if were trying to take away guns. No. Every one of us holds up the banner of the Second Amendment. What were saying is can we at least know who has them. There are some who are putting forth mental health laws. I am a strong supporter of it. Let us help individuals who are suffering. but at the same time with regards to automatic weapons of any kind. there needs to be. minimally. closing the gun show loophole. And then those who are far more sophisticated than what these pictures may show. from my perspective. the kind that was used in Sandy Hook. we can do better as the American people. Maybe we can also do something that we can all come together on. What about a simple gun storage law. you know? We dont have it. And there is a series of children that have killed their siblings or their grandparents or their parents by having a gun lying around not locked. because theres no law. no requirement. Some States have it. Weve done it and done a good job in bringing down that loss of life in Texas. Ill be introducing legislation. Ive been working with the General and the Department of Justice to ensure that we find a good balance. But theres a lot of work. Sequestration is literally closing down teachers and child care units and cutting off civilians at military bases and stopping ICE enforcement officers and Customs and Border Protection and numbers of others are put on furlough because of sequestration. Couldnt we get rid of H.R. 19? It says eliminate sequestration. go back to the budget or at least go to conference and treat the American people with respect so the services that you need are not shut down because of sequestration. Why are we talking about perjury from the top legal officer where there has been no proven evidence that anything that he said in the Judiciary Committee was contradictory to what happened to Mr. Rosen? Theres no proof. He recused himself. Hes not involved. Theres no indictment. no intention of indictment on the premise of what this particular issue was about. the leakage of national security matters. And so my plea today is that we can do better. We can do better by our youngsters. In essence. we can stop the bleeding. We can do better by our children for health care. We can do better by better gun laws. We can do better by getting a better budget. We can do better by serving the American people. We can do better by building you new roads and bridges and infrastructure. fixings the dams. stopping the flooding. All I want to say. Mr. Speaker. as I close. and I thank you. is to thank you. Mr. Holder. for your service. Do not resign. And to my colleagues. lets get to work to help the American people. I believe that will in fact be our finest hour. I yield back the balance of my time.