REP. COBLE SPEAKS ON MEDICARE PHYSICIAN PAYMENT REFORM ACT OF 2009
Washington,
Feb 25 -
Mr. COBLE. I thank my friend from Texas, and thank him for elevating me to the esteemed status. I am not sure I deserve that.
Mr. Speaker, I don't want to be a prophet of gloom and doom, but there are many people in this world who every night retire, prior to sleeping, with one thought in mind, and that one thought is destroy America. The PATRIOT Act has served as a useful impediment to thwart that effort of destruction, and it must not be allowed to expire.
The majority has had over a year to reauthorize the three expiring provisions, but we failed to do so. In 2005, Mr. Speaker, I chaired the Crime Subcommittee of Judiciary, and we oversaw nine hearings to thoroughly examine all of the intelligence-gathering provisions of the PATRIOT Act. The Republican-led Judiciary Committee completed these and additional full committee hearings, a full committee markup, and floor consideration to reauthorize nearly one dozen provisions, all prior to the August recess. The current majority, Mr. Speaker, has conducted only one subcommittee hearing, a markup, but still hasn't brought a commonsense bill to the full House floor.
Again, I don't want to promote gloom and doom, but time could be running out on us because one of these days, one of these people who retire with that, before they fall asleep with the one desire to destroy America, they may result in success. We need the impediment to stand thoroughly against this effort, and that impediment, among others, is the PATRIOT Act.
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