Rule Changes by the Majority

Floor Speech

Rule Changes by the Majority -- (House of Representatives - January 7, 2009)

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. We had two Members, Madam Speaker, speak this morning on the issue in the Gaza Strip. I tend to agree with my colleague on this side of the aisle, Mr. Poe, and tend to disagree with my colleague on the other side of the aisle, the Democratic Member, Mr. Kucinich.

But I did want to point out something, the analogy between what he said and what happened on the floor of this House yesterday in regard to changing the rules package. Mr. Kucinich said, in regard to the proportionality and Israel's response to Hamas and the Gaza Strip, we ought to abide by the rule of law, rather than the rule of force.

Well, I would say the same thing to the Democratic majority in regards to the rules change yesterday. You have a 40-vote margin, and you come in and you change the rules, and all of a sudden you weaken your PAYGO initiative so that you can declare spending an emergency to avoid PAYGO.

You said when you took control in the 110th that this business of holding a vote open for 3 1/2 hours, breaking arms to change a vote, should never occur. You wanted to eliminate that, and now you say that's okay; we can do that.

I would say to my Democratic majority, despite those rules changes, for the sake of the American people, I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle come to recognize the need to include all voices in the legislative process.

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