WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Rules Committee, called on House Republicans who have declared support for a “clean” funding bill to “put your voting cards where your mouths are” and vote on a procedural motion to bring the Senate’s “clean” funding measure to the House Floor. These House Republicans who have said they want to end the government shutdown have an opportunity to vote with House Democrats to re-open the government. Representative Slaughter has offered numerous motions in the Rules Committee as well as on the Floor of the House to allow a vote on the Senate bill, but House Republican leadership, backed by the Tea Party, has continually blocked the vote.

From Rep. Slaughter’s Floor speech today:

“Words are no longer enough. Those members of the Majority who claim that they want to end the government shutdown get the opportunity today to stand up and vote. As I said the other day when we had the same opportunity, I would like them to put their voting cards where their mouths are.”

For video of Rep. Slaughter’s remarks, click here.

The Washington Post reported on this strategy earlier in the day with the headline “Moderate Republicans could help reopen government right now if they wanted to.” From the article:

“It’s worth reiterating that all of those “moderate” House Republicans who say they want to vote on a “clean CR” funding the government — but can’t, because the House GOP leadership won’t allow such a vote — could probably help reopen the government right now if they really wanted to. They could certainly do a lot more to help bring this about.

According to the Huffington Post’s latest count, at least 22 House Republicans want a vote on a clean CR.

Democrats on the House Rules Committee point out that there is a procedure by which those Republicans could actually help bring about such a vote. It turns on what is known as a “previous question.” The idea is that before the House votes to bring up the piecemeal measures that are getting considered today, there is first a full vote on the “previous question,” which is effectively a vote to proceed with the majority’s agenda (in this case, the piecemeal bills). If those moderate Republicans were to vote No, along with all House Dems, on this procedural vote, adding up to a majority, this would shift control of the floor to the ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee, Rep. Louise Slaughter.

At that point, the Dems could offer its own amendment to the “rule,” which would in this case be an amendment to bring up the Senate “clean CR bill.” It would get a vote, and if those moderate Republicans made good on their public statements in favor of a clean CR, it would pass the House. Today, Rep. Slaughter will again call on those moderate Republicans to join Dems in this procedural move, as she has vainly done for days now.”