[ Thank God we have Speaker Pelosi in the house ! ]
Pelosi's Power Move Leaves House Republicans Fuming
http://www.truthout.org/010609T
House Democrats are poised to approve new rules that will
significantly increase their authority while taking the bullets out
of
the few legislative weapons Republicans have in the lower chamber.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has approved the changes from the
last Congress, when House GOP members frustrated their Democratic
counterparts by winning over two dozen amendment battles on the
floor.
Pelosi's move has set up a divisive mood on the first day of the
111th Congress, which Republicans say runs counter to the tone set by
President-elect Obama.
Republican leaders intend to fight the rules changes, which would
curtail their ability to delay legislation by forcing Democrats to
take politically difficult votes.
"This is not the kind of openness and transparency that
President-
elect Obama promised," the GOP leaders wrote Monday in a letter to
Pelosi.
Republican leadership aides say the changes will make it easier
for the Speaker to run the House and protect vulnerable House
Democrats.
But Democratic leadership sources dispute the GOP
characterizations, noting that Republicans will still have an
opportunity to offer an amendment to bills on the floor, though they
won't have the ability to invoke an arcane rule that would in effect
kill the entire underlying measure.
Democrats say GOP assertions that Republicans would not be able
to
offer a "motion to recommit" are false. They say they are removing
the
"Catch-22" that Republicans have exploited to force embarrassing
votes
on issues such as gun control and illegal immigration.
The rules package also calls for the end of six-year term limits
for committee chairmen. This move is not popular with younger
members,
but panel chairmen have been pressing for the change since Democratic
leaders surprisingly kept the six-year limits intact in their rules
package for the 110th Congress.
The change means that House chairmen could be in their posts
until
they retire or die.
The six-year limit was initially adopted after House Republicans
took control of the lower chamber in 1995. That ended the seniority-
based system that Democrats had embraced for decades.
Democratic aides argue, however, that term limits under
Republican
rule meant that the committee member who raises the most money would
be rewarded with a chairmanship.
Seniority was a factor in the awarding of GOP committee
chairmanships between 1995 and 2006, though fundraising is seen as
vital on both sides of the aisle. For example, the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican
Congressional Committee will apply political pressure on members who
are lagging in their committee dues.
Democrats were scheduled to meet Monday evening to discuss the
rules package before an anticipated vote on Tuesday. Democratic aides
at press time said there could be changes made to the package before
the vote.
Republican leadership aides expect that their members will
strongly contest the rules package.
Opposition tactics could include offering motions to adjourn and
walking out of the House chamber.
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