Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the rule under which we are considering this bill today.  Frankly, I find it incredibly disappointing how this Congress has handled the AIG situation, and now the Majority is simply repeating the same mistakes that led us here.
 
As we all know, the 1,100 page stimulus package was made public in the dead of night just hours before the vote.  No one could have read it except those who crafted it behind closed doors.  It didn’t go through regular order.  No committee hearings were held.  No alternatives or amendments were permitted.  And now we find yet another reason why the Majority didn’t want it exposed to close scrutiny.
 
Apparently, the majority quietly stripped out language passed in the Senate that would have blocked these outrageous bonuses funded with taxpayer dollars. 
 
And who is responsible?  First, no one would take responsibility or seemed to have an idea who did it.  Then, Senator Dodd admitted that he stripped out the language at the behest of the Administration.
 
And now Congress is making the same bad mistake by passing another piece of rush legislation, introduced in one day, hasn’t been considered in committee, and hasn’t had the proper scrutiny.  This is not how the American people want to see Congress acting.  They want full, fair debate, with allowance for better alternatives.
 
That’s how we should be working.

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