mr. speaker , the republican leadership has done it . 
they have turned the house of representatives into a banana republic . 
we have a bill on the floor today that had no hearings . 
it had no subcommittee markup . 
it was rushed through the committee without any attempt to find a compromise . 
a few hours ago , in the dark of night , the bill was rewritten . 
there is not one member who really understands everything that is in this bill or understands what this bill will really do . 
but there are dozens of cronies and special interest lobbyists smiling this morning because they know the fix is in . 
the republican leadership is so scared of open debate and the democratic process that they will not allow the bill 's provisions to be debated or amended . 
they only will permit one amendment to one of the most anti-environmental , backward , and intellectually dishonest bills that has ever come before the house . 
and that may not be the worst of it , because the republican leadership is trying to do all of this in the name of katrina . 
america watched with horror as this hurricane struck . 
the damage was immense , and so was our responsibility in congress to do all we can to help those who have been displaced rebuild their lives . 
but that is what makes this legislation so shameful . 
at a time of desperate need and profound responsibility , the response of washington republicans is crass opportunism . 
the bill will not help a single victim of katrina . 
it will do nothing to help lower gas prices . 
instead , washington republicans are using the devastation caused by the hurricanes to stampede congress into undermining our environmental laws . 
exploitation is an ugly word , but that is what this is . 
i would urge members to vote against the rule and , more importantly , vote against this bill . 
it is a shameful piece of legislation . 
it is the legislative equivalent of price gouging , and the american people deserve better , and we can do better . 
