Hochul speaks for Dems on House floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIVB) - Newly-elected Congresswoman Kathy Hochul found herself at the center of the deeply-divided debt showdown on Capitol Hill.

She was delivering the House Democrats' final argument against the Boehner bill when she learned a hard lesson about House rules: when you're time is up, it's really up.

Rep. Hochul said, "And you know my constituents are hurting in upstate New York. Some of them in a time of huge corporate profits, can barely afford to fill the gas tanks to go to their minimum wage job at the dollar store. There is one value that we share and that's fairness. It is fundamentally unfair. [Time of the gentlelady has expired.] I will finish very briefly. [House members boo loudly, cutting Hochul off.] [Time of the gentlelady has expired. The gentleman from California.]"

The Congressman from California was then interrupted by applause for Hochul, which he joked about, saying he was glad his colleagues on the opposite side of the room applauded him before he even spoke. Her fellow Democrats gave her a standing ovation. Unlike the Senate, the House has long-standing rules that limit the time for debate.