Blunt Objects to Majority's Rules Changes

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt today spoke on the House floor objecting to the rules changes passed by House Democrats. The new rules repeal term limits for committee chairman, consolidate power in the hands of a few and attempt to silence Republican input on key policy debates, in addition to making a mockery of the Democratic leaders' promises of presiding over an open Congress.

Blunt's remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

"Mr. Speaker, I think we in the Minority are here today as victims of our own success. We used the motion to recommit as one of the very few tools left to the Minority to improve legislation before its passage.

"The Majority would have you believe that our use of this long established rule destroys the legislative process. But in reality, that was done by the Majority long before a bill even came to the floor. During the last Congress, they brought legislation to the floor that never saw a subcommittee, a committee or even the light of day before a vote.

"To prove that Republicans used the promptly motion to recommit during the last Congress in an effort to improve legislation, not kill it, look at a few examples.

"Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann offered a promptly motion to recommit on housing legislation that would make illegal immigrants ineligible for financial assistance. Democrats pulled the bill, reintroduced it incorporating Mrs. Bachmann's motion and the legislation passed.

"When the House debated legislation to reauthorize and expand Americorps, Congressman Randy Kuhl offered a promptly motion that barred murderers and sex offenders from receiving grants under this program. Once again Democrats pulled the bill, but it came up again just six days later and failed on its own merit - not because of Republican motions to recommit.

"And one more example would be Congressman Pete Hoekstra's attempt to create an estimate on the impact of gasoline prices on our national security. This time Democrats didn't pull the bill. They defeated the motion, passed the underlying bill and a few days later passed Mr. Hoekstra's motion to recommit.

"You see, the Democrats call this century-old tool that sends a bill back to committee for revision a gimmick or abuse. But last Congress the only gimmick we saw was what Democrats called a fair and open legislative process."

SOURCE House Republican Whip Roy Blunt

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