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An altercation Friday in the House Rules Committee, which prompted one Republican to storm out of a meeting, led the lawmaker to charge that the actions of the panel’s chairwoman have shown she is no longer capable of leading. During a meeting to discuss the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, an exchange between Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) turned rancorous after Slaughter cut off the Texas lawmaker. Accounts differ regarding what led to the dust-up. According to Sessions, Slaughter gave his speaking time to another member seeking recognition, but not the lawmaker whom Sessions wanted to speak. Sessions claims that, after he asked whether he was in control of his time, Slaughter replied, “You are in control of your time, but I control the committee.” Upon hearing this, he stormed out of the room. However, according to a transcript shown to The Hill, Slaughter tried to yield to a lawmaker who had been trying to speak and inquired as to whether Sessions would permit Rep. Robert Andrews (D-N.J.) to speak. “In my nine years on the committee no member who sat on the committee or came before the committee has ever been treated with discourtesy at all,” Sessions said in an interview after the incident. “The facts are obvious — she showed blatant disrespect for a member of the committee.” Unlike other panels, Rules Committee members are allowed unlimited time. When the committee was under Republican control, Democrats criticized it for operating secretly and, at times, under cover of darkness. Despite this criticism, a spokeswoman for former Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) said no member ever walked out of a meeting as a result of another panel member’s actions. Sessions said Slaughter’s reign as the head of the panel has been marked by a lack of patience and a caustic attitude, making her ineffective as the leader of the committee. “She no longer has the capacity to serve as chair [woman] of the committee,” he said, adding that while he was uncertain what action he would seek against Slaughter, he indicated that he would discuss with Dreier, the committee’s ranking member, what course of action would be appropriate. A spokesman for Slaughter said that it was a misunderstanding and that since two members were both seeking time, she was simply trying to maintain order. “At no point did she take his time away,” Slaughter spokesman John Santore said. “There was no misunderstanding … she took his time,” said Dreier spokeswoman Jo Maney. “This is a pattern of behavior … this is a committee that spends a lot of time together and she is destroying the comity of the committee. “It’s just sad,” she added. |
