United States Manufacturing Enhancement Act of 2010

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Mr. DOGGETT. The Republicans do, indeed, have a moratorium. It's a moratorium on cooperation. It's a moratorium on voting for good bills they say they're for. It's a moratorium on reality.

They never miss an opportunity to let their rigid ideology get in the way of us doing something for America, and that's what's happening here today. We reach out a hand on a bill they say they're for and they slap it back.

Let me say just a word about openness in government, which has a lot to do with earmarks and this bill, because it's too often good talk but little meaningful action.

In the past, this very piece of legislation to spend or reduce hundreds of individual tariffs for specific businesses has been a troubling example of government in the shadows. As in previous Congresses, when I first attempted to learn more about what was in this bill, I found it an impenetrable process. Even my efforts as a member of the committee of jurisdiction to determine specifics about this bill were initially thwarted.

True to its name, the Sunlight Foundation shed light on this opaque process. In 2008, it took on the laborious task of creating a database to improve the public's ability to understand who would benefit from the bill, at the request of which lobbyist, and for which corporation.

This year, the Ways and Means Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Levin, has built upon the Sunlight Foundation's laudable work, substantially changing the secretive process of the past that governs the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill.

I'm pleased to have worked with the Sunlight Foundation and Chairman Levin to make this official database a reality. Now any citizen can look up the details of this bill, learn who the winners and losers were, and see who pushed them over the finish line. Today we have not only a new name for this legislation, but we have a new process involving public participation and understanding in its development.

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Mr. DOGGETT. This is just the latest example of public access in this Congress. With the encouragement of the Sunlight Foundation and other public interest groups, we must continue building on such success, arming citizens with the tools they need to make informed decisions.

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