Tense Exchange Derails House Committee After Democrat Accuses Republican of Anti-LGBT Bigotry: ‘I Think It’s Self-Evident’ (msn.com)
Story by Alex Griffing • 1h ago
Reps. Marc Pocan (D-WI) and Andy Harris (R-MD) derailed a Transportation-HUD Appropriations committee markup on Tuesday after Pocan took a jab at Harris who was looking to strip funding for a transitional housing program at a LGBT Center.
Pocan, who is a co-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, pressed Harris on why he was singling out funding for the LGBT Center as one of three earmarks he wanted stripped.
“I’ll take my time back, I got the answer,” Pocan said after a back and forth. “I’m taking my time back. You know there’s a saying; ‘How do you show you’re a bigot without saying you’re a bigot,’ I’m just saying there’s a saying.”
“I didn’t hear ya, I didn’t catch that. You did not accuse me of bigotry did you?” Harris shot back.
“No, I said a saying. There’s a saying. How do you show that you’re expressing bigotry without saying you’re a bigot right? That’s all I’m saying, it’s an interesting saying. I’ll continue,” Pocan doubled down.
“I request that the last set of the gentlemen’s words be taken down. I’m sorry, I request the chair take down the words it’s not a motion I request the gentleman’s words,” replied Harris becoming more animated.
“I know it’s a little warm outside and a snowflake can melt but this is a little bit ridiculous,” Pocan hit back as laughter broke out in the committee room.
The exchange continued until the chair eventually called for a recess:
Rep. Marc Pocan:
Madam chair I’m going to save you some time, because I actually respect the members here even members that don’t respect me. Because clearly when you accuse a group of grooming kids for having a support group you don’t know what the fff-hell you are talking about. I will take back saying ‘how do you know you’re a bigot without saying you’re a bigot,’ because I think it’s self-evident and I don’t need to put the words out there.
Rep. Andy Harris:
And chair, I ask that those words be taken down because the gentleman did not move to take down his words he merely moved to explain them.
Rep. Marc Pocan:
I said I would take down my words. Perhaps his eyes are so tired from reading so many websites that his ears don’t work.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), who had earmarked the funding for the LGBT center in her district, slammed the removal of the funding. “This cruel and unjust decision is not rooted in any legitimacy, but instead in bigotry and hatred,” she wrote on Twitter. Roll Call noted on Tuesday that the stripping of the earmarks was out of the ordinary for the committee as “Each party traditionally picks which of their earmarks they want to fund within the budget set by committee leadership.”
Watch the full exchange above. |
