Boehner Statement on Privileged Resolution to Condemn Abuses by Democrat-Controlled Congress

Via email:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) expressed disappointment today concerning Democrat leaders' decision to deny rights to the opposition in an unprecedented manner never witnessed under previous House majorities, Democrat or Republican. Republicans offered a privileged resolution on the House floor to protest actions taken yesterday by the Democrat-controlled House Rules Committee:

"I'm disappointed we've had to offer this resolution. Last night President Bush addressed this Congress in a spirit of healing and bipartisanship. The leaders of both parties have reached out to each other in similar ways since the beginning of this year. We've all pledged to look for ways to cooperate. We've extended the hand of friendship to each other in hopes of working together for the common good.

"Unfortunately, the hand of friendship is being slapped away by the actions of the Majority. You simply can't talk about cooperation at the same time you're circumventing the rules of the House to shut the other side out. The fact is the Majority has been talking about bipartisanship and openness in public, while practicing precisely the opposite in the way it runs the House.

"This resolution is not about a simple procedural disagreement. The Rules Committee incidents referenced in this resolution are only the latest symptoms of a disturbing pattern of disrespect for the rules and procedures of the House. Since the start of this Congress, major pieces of legislation have repeatedly been moved to the floor without committee debate or vote.

"We've already seen the consequences of this unfair procedure. A bill increasing the minimum wage was rammed through the House without committee debate or discussion. Only after it had passed did most members learn American Sam oa had been exempted from the minimum wage hike by the Majority for fear it would hurt the Sam oan economy.

"Today legislation has come to the floor - again without debate or due deliberation - that many members of the House believe is blatantly unconstitutional. The bill would give Delegates representing four U.S. territories the right to vote on the House floor. This measure is full of inequities that should have been debated and vetted by members on both sides of the aisle in committee and elsewhere. For example, under the bill, Delegates could vote with their Democrat leadership to raise federal income taxes on the American people - even though the territories they represent are exempt from those same taxes. Similarly, the Delegate from American Sam oa could vote for labor laws, such as a minimum wage hike, that exempt his constituents but apply to all other Americans.

"The incident in the Rules Committee yesterday is just the latest incident in this pattern. Never before - not under a Republican majority, nor under a Democrat majority - has a Member been rolled and disrespected in the manner Members witnessed yesterday in the Rules Committee. When the rules of the House are trampled to advance a partisan agenda, it's the American people who lose. And when this happens, members on both sides of the aisle we have an obligation to speak up and speak out."

Following is the text of the privileged resolution, H.Res. 93:

Whereas at approximately 11:30 a.m. on the 23rd of January, 2007 the Committee on Rules began consideration of a special order of business providing for consideration of H.Res. 78;

Whereas the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) submitted an amendment to the Committee for its consideration;

Whereas during the recess of the Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) submitted a letter to the Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules requesting that his amendment be withdrawn from further consideration;

Whereas that letter was date stamped in the customary practice of the Committee;

Whereas it has been the long standing practice of the Committee to not further consider amendments that have been so withdrawn;

Whereas the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) made a motion to report a special order of business providing for consideration of the amendment by Mr. Kirk despite its withdrawal;

Whereas when the issue of the withdrawal of the amendment was being debated by the Committee, the Ranking Republican member attempted to obtain a copy of the letter from the Majority and the Majority willfully refused to produce a copy of the letter after repeated requests;

Whereas the wrongful refusal of the Majority to produce a copy of the letter under debate constituted a breach of the dignity and integrity of the Committee's proceedings; therefore be it

Resolved, that the House of Representatives disapproves of the actions taken by the Committee's Majority and directs the Chairwoman of the Committee to undertake practices to prevent future occurrences.