(Mr. Blunt asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Blunt: Mr. Speaker, let me say when we left here last night, I have left the House frustrated, I have left the House encouraged, I have left the House proud, I have left the House not so proud. I have never the House ashamed before.
Now what I just heard here this morning, I don't agree with it, the idea that somehow we have massively violated the traditions of the House and the only penalty is we will be more careful in the future.
I decided for 4 years when that vote would quit as the whip. That was my job. We never stopped the vote until the Clerk handed the person the piece of paper that said what the vote was, and the vote on the piece of paper was 215-213.
The remedy for the House that would solve this problem is to let the vote stand. A majority of this House voted that illegal immigrants would not receive these benefits. That is what the vote was about. All you've got to do is go back to committee, amend the bill and come back to the floor.
You lost the vote. I didn't hit the gavel. I didn't speak over the Clerk who was trying to read the vote. The Chair did. The Chair decided the vote was over. It doesn't matter what that board says. What matters is what the tally was.
A week of violations of the principles of the House culminated last night in such an excessive way that Republicans walked off the floor, and it was a deserved walkout. And I am ashamed of the House.
