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House Republicans Tuesday lost their fight to retain the
minority’s ability to force potentially embarrassing floor votes when the lower
chamber voted 242-181 to pass the rules package for the 111th Congress. Most Democrats supported the power consolidating package
with the exception of six members who crossed the aisle. Reps. Ed Pastor
(Ariz.), Brian Baird (Wash.), Maxine Waters (Calif.), Lynn Woolsey (Calif.),
Michael Michaud (Maine) and Walt Minnick (Idaho) opposed the rules changes.
Republicans cried foul on the floor Tuesday afternoon,
charging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with setting a divisive tone on
the first day of the 111th Congress, in contrast to President-elect Obama's
message of inclusion and unity.
“It sets the stage for even more closed, bitter, rancorous
debate,” Rules Committee ranking Republican David Dreier of California said
during the debate over a package that eliminates the six-year term limits for
committee chairmen, makes exceptions to the pay-as-you-go rule and renews the
House lawsuit against former White House counsel Harriet Miers and President
Bush’s chief of staff Joshua Bolten.
However, one of the most contentious issues included in
the rules package is a revision to the way Republicans may amend a bill before
final passage. The passed rules package allows Democrats to remove the GOP’s
ability to offer a “motion to recommit” a bill “promptly,” which in effect
kills the underlying legislation.
Democrats argue
that Republicans will still have the opportunity to offer amendments to legislation
in the final stages, i.e. “forthwith” - they just won’t be able to use that
amendment for political gimmicks, according to Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).
“Members have said on the other side, they want to be able to offer an
alternative. Nothing in this proposal diminishes their ability to offer an alternative.
They are fully able to offer an alternative as an amendment. What they are
losing is a legislative Ponzi scheme,” Frank argued.
But Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the former minority whip,
shot down those claims and listed a number of instances when the minority party’s
use of motions to recommit “promptly” led to “improve legislation, not kill it.”
“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,” Blunt said during
the debate leading up to a vote on the minority party’s alternate rules package
that failed along party lines.
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