Session: 123456789101112131415161718         Page 580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617 of 617

support your chairman, young man.” I said, “Mr. Chairman, how can you say that? Yesterday, when you introduced the motion to create a new sub-committee for mass transit, don't you remember how eloquently, how forcefully I spoke in support of your position?” And he said, “Yes, but you are not constant in your affection.” (laughs) That's a terrific line. (laughs)

Well, anyway I got off the Banking and Currency Committee as a result in my fourth term. There was a change in jurisdiction of a whole host of committees, and Banking and Currency lost mass transit, and so I wanted to leave Banking and Currency for Ways and Means. Ways and Means was going to be expanded. It was going to be expanded from 25 members (it was the smallest committee there was as a full committee) to a regular-sized committee, something like 38 or more. Actually it would be one of the smaller large committees, but it was going to be expanded so as to put new members on it, get the blacks on and women. It had been one of the most powerful and most restricted committees in terms of getting on, and they wanted to keep it that way. It may be that they only had 15 on it. I can't remember how many. But it was a very small committee. Okay. They didn't even have sub-committees. They just sat as one committee and did everything. That's the only committee in the whole Congress that sat as a full committee without any sub-committee breakdown.