VIDEO-HELIUM-Hank Johnson 'Imagine a world without balloons' - C-SPAN Video Library

00:00:00SPEAKER, LIKE A KID AT A CARNIVAL, I RISE IN SUPPORT OF H.00:00:05R. 527, THE RESPONSIBLE HELIUM ADMINISTRATION AND STEWARDSHIP ACT OF 2013.00:00:13MR. SPEAKER, I'M RELIEVED THAT AND I'M SURE THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE RELIEVED AS WELL THAT CONGRESS IS FINALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES OF THE DAY.00:00:27THAT IS WE GOT TO ENSURE ACCESS TO HELIUM FOR ALL.00:00:37SURELY THOSE HARMED BY SEQUESTRATION AND THOSE HARMED BY THE REPUBLICAN FAILURE TO APPOINT BUDGET CONFEREES APPRECIATE THE HOUSE SPENDING TWO FULL LEGISLATIVE DAYS ON THIS MOST CRITICAL ISSUE.00:00:51THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE FACT THAT 48 HOURS OF THIS HOUSE -- OF THIS HOUSE'S PRECIOUS TIME WAS NECESSARY TO PASS SUCH A NONCONTROVERSIAL BILL.00:01:04I'M PLEASED TO SUPPORT THIS BILL, WHICH SHOWS THAT THIS TEA PARTY CONGRESS WILL MAKE THE TOUGH CHOICE, TO KEEP CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAY PARTIES ON SCHEDULE AND GIVE INDUSTRIES THAT RELY ON HELIUM THE LIFT THAT THEY DESERVE.00:01:22IMAGINE, MR.00:01:23SPEAKER, A WORRELL WITHOUT BALLOONS -- A WORLD WITHOUT BALLOONS.00:01:31HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT THE INJUSTICE OF THERE BEING NO HELIUM FOR COMEDIANS, TO GET THAT HIGH PITCH VOICE THAT WE ALL HOLD NEAR AND DEAR TO OUR HEARTS?00:01:56IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT BALLOONS.00:01:59TODAY, THE HOUSE HAS CHOSEN TO SIMPLY FLOAT ABOVE IT ALL.00:02:04AND FINALLY WE ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND WE SHOULD ALL PAT OURSELVES ON THE BACK FOR THAT.00:02:11TOO OFTEN LATELY THIS BODY HAS SAT DEFLATED.00:02:15NOT FOR A LACK OF HOT AIR, MIND YOU, BUT SERIOUSLY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, UNLIKE A NOBLE ELEMENT, THIS HOUSE HAS FAILED TO ACT ON AMERICANS' REAL CONCERNS.00:02:30THERE ARE SERIOUS REASONS TO SUPPORT THIS, AND I DO LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING IT.00:02:36THE SUBSTANCE OF THIS BILL IS NOT THE FOCUS OF MY SARCASM TODAY, MR.00:02:41SPEAKER.00:02:42MY POINT IS THAT AMERICA WOULD BE MUCH BETTER OFF IF THIS TEA PARTY REPUBLICAN CONGRESS BROUGHT TO THE FLOOR ISSUES THAT MEAN THE MOST TO AMERICANS , LIKE APPOINTING A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TO WORK OUT A BUDGET WITH THE SENATE.00:03:00SADLY, REPUBLICANS ARE JUST BLOWING IN THE WIND AND CAN'T SEEM TO TETHER THEMSELVES DOWN TO TAKE UP SUCH AN IMPORTANT TASK.00:03:0930 SECONDS?00:03:11MR.00:03:12HOLT: IF THE GENTLEMAN NEEDS ADDITIONAL TIME I'M GLAD TO YIELD.00:03:15MR.00:03:16JOHNSON: ONE MINUTE.00:03:17THE CHAIR: THE GENTLEMAN IS RECOGNIZED FOR ONE MINUTE.00:03:19MR. JOHNSON: SADLY, REPUBLICANS ARE JUST BLOWING IN THE WIND AND CAN'T SEEM TO TETHER THEMSELVES DOWN TO TAKE ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT TASK.00:03:29THEY FLOAT OFF IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, UNABLE TO APPOINT CONFEREES TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE SENATE.00:03:36YESTERDAY, DESPITE THE GRAVITY OF THE MATTER, THE TEA PARTY REPUBLICANS COULDN'T EVEN AGREE ON THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE BILL, WHICH WAS NAMED THE HELP SICK AMERICANS NOW ACT.00:03:50WITH A TITLE LIKE THAT, I'M FLABBERGASTED, I'M HELIUM FLABBERGASTED THEY COULD NOT PASS THAT BILL.00:03:58YESTERDAY WE SPENT ALL DAY DEBATING THAT BILL, AND TODAY AFTER THEIR FAILURE TO PASS IT, THEY'VE DECIDED TO -- THEY HAVE PRETTY MUCH MADE A DECISION THAT SICK AMERICANS CAN WAIT.00:04:10WE NEED LAUGHING GAS BECAUSE OF THE INABILITY OF THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE TO DEAL WITH THE DIFFICULT ISSUES.00:04:19IT'S REAL SAD.00:04:20WE NEED SOME LAUGHING GAS.00:04:25THE SEQUESTRATION, WHICH IS DELAYING FLIGHTS, HARMING OUR ECONOMY -- 15 MORE SECONDS.00:04:35MR.00:04:36HOLT: I YIELD THE GENTLEMAN 15 SECONDS.00:04:37THE CHAIR: THE GENTLEMAN IS RECOGNIZED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 15 SECONDS.00:04:40MR.00:04:41JOHNSON: WITH SEQUESTRATION DELAYING FLIGHTS AND HARMING OUR ECONOMY, OUR NATION NEEDS A LITTLE GAS.00:04:46AND SAY WHAT YOU WILL, BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEST THING THAT WE COULD DO HERE.00:04:54SO I'D LIKE TO FLOAT A SIMPLE IDEA.00:04:56STOP WASTING OUR TIME.00:04:58LET'S GET TO THE BUSINESS THAT IS MEANINGFUL FOR AMERICANS.00:05:01AND I SUPPORT THIS BILL AND I YIELD BACK.00:05:03THE CHAIR: THE GENTLEMAN'S TIME HAS EXPIRED.00:05:06THE GENTLEMAN FROM WASHINGTON IS RECOGNIZED.00:05:07MR. HASTINGS: MR.00:05:08CHAIRMAN, I WANT TO ASK MY FRIEND FROM NEW JERSEY, I HAVE AT THIS POINT NO MORE REQUEST FOR TIME.00:05:14ONE MAY BE COMING, BUT IF HE'S PREPARED TO CLOSE I'M PREPARED TO CLOSE.00:05:19MR. HOLT: WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE MORE SPEAKER.00:05:21MR. HASTINGS: I'LL RESERVE MY TIME.00:05:23I MAY HAVE ANOTHER SPEAKER COMING.00:05:25I'LL RESERVE MY TIME.00:05:26THE CHAIR: THE GENTLEMAN FROM WASHINGTON RESERVES.00:05:27THE GENTLEMAN FROM NEW JERSEY IS RECOGNIZED.00:05:32. . . MR.00:05:33HOLT: I YIELD THREE MINUTES TO THE GENTLEMAN FROM NEW YORK, MR.00:05:36TONKO, WHO COUNTS AMONG HIS CONSTITUENTS MANY WHO WORK IN TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES AND LABORATORIES WHO DEPEND ON HELIUM AND UNDERSTAND THAT ALTHOUGH THERE ARE A LOT OF EASY JOKES ABOUT HELIUM, THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER.00:05:52IT'S A SERIOUS MATTER