 |
“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Assault on Taxpayer Privacy Was No Mistake; Democrats Will Hold Republicans Accountable
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the Republican assault on taxpayer privacy and the need for the Republican leadership to give Members time to read the bills on which they are asked to vote:
“This extraordinary invasion of privacy did not have the majority support of either chamber. It was a ‘Saturday night massacre’ on Americans’ privacy made possible only by the Republicans’ willingness to abuse the rules of the people’s House.
“The Republican leadership forced through a so-called ‘martial law’ rule that required a same-day vote, preventing Members of Congress from having enough time to read legislation that spent hundreds of billions of dollars and was thousands of pages long. This arrogance of power is part of a pattern of abuse. In the 108th Congress alone, the leadership proposed same-day votes nearly 30 times.
“The assault on taxpayer privacy was not a simple mistake, and Democrats will not let Republicans sweep it under the rug. Therefore, I have informed Speaker Hastert that while Democrats insist that the taxpayer persecution provision be deleted, we will only agree to a unanimous consent procedure tomorrow if Republicans also agree to limit the use of martial law rules.
“To prevent future instances of hasty and dangerous decision-making, the House of Representatives must obey current rules that require that Members of Congress have a minimum of three days to read legislation before voting on it.
“To ensure that government operations are unaffected, I have also informed the Speaker that Democrats support passage of a continuing resolution to fund government agencies through December 8, and an agreement to vote on legislation to delete the taxpayer persecution provision on December 6, after the rest of the spending bill can be examined.”
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
