H. Res. 190, Waiving a 2/3 requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern
House Floor Statement
April 10, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 4 minutes. I thank the gentleman from Washington for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to strongly oppose this undemocratic rule that will impose martial law on this House. Frankly, Mr. Speaker, this assault on regular order is appalling. The conference report was filed only a couple of hours ago, and here it is, hundreds of pages. Just a few minutes ago, the Committee on Rules met and reported the conference report to the floor.

I would only ask, have Members had the opportunity to read or review this conference report? Were Members briefed on the details of this conference report? How about an outline? Have they read the summary? The answer, sadly, is no.

I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, this is not the renaming of a post office we are working on tonight. This is not a Sense of Congress resolution commending a football team. This is the budget of the United States. This is a big deal, and we owe it to the American people to treat it that way.

I know there are even Members on the other side of the aisle who have grave concerns about hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy during a time of war, recession, and deficits. These are important issues, and they deserve to be debated fully.

For anyone who may have questions about what exactly is going on here, let me try to explain.

The majority has brought a rule before the House that forces Members to consider the conference report on the budget resolution on the same day as the report is filed. In other words, if this unfair rule is approved, Members will be voting on the conference report without having any chance to read and study the language.

Now, my friends on the other side of the aisle will undoubtedly say, "This is basically the same budget we debated and voted on a few weeks ago. Trust us, you do not need to see all the details,'' they will tell us. I would only say to them that over the past few years I have seen too many bills rewritten behind closed doors, too many important issues decided by a handful of Members and their staffs, to take comfort in their assurances.

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 mandates that a budget resolution be in place by April 15. Today is April 10. I would be delighted if someone could please tell me, what is the rush to complete the conference report tonight. We will be here in session tomorrow trying to finish the energy bill, as well as considering the conference report for the supplemental appropriations bill.

Why can we not wait at least 1 day before we consider this bill?

I would be more than happy to work through the weekend if necessary on a matter that is so important to our country's future. Even the distinguished Chair of the Committee on the Budget conceded during the Committee on Rules meeting just a few minutes ago that this process was indefensible.

Mr. Speaker, I fear that the leadership just wants to get this over with, to shove this mess through the House as quickly as possible before anyone has a chance to really study it.

If the majority has nothing to hide, then I urge every Member to oppose this rule. Let this House and the people we represent read the budget conference report. Let us study and understand it. Let us fulfill our responsibilities as Members of Congress. Let us do the job we were elected to do.

I would urge my colleagues to oppose this undemocratic rule. I would say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, out of respect for this House, both Democrats and Republicans, and out of respect for the American people, vote ``no'' on this rule.