Providing for Consideration of H.R. 37, Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act; Providing for Consideration of H.R. 185, Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015; And Providing for Consideration of H.R. 240, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, if you trample on democracy and discard regular order, you can run a remarkably efficient House of Representatives.

This rule is an abomination of procedure, wrapped in another abomination of procedure, all wrapped up in a third abomination. It deals with three bills, but one of those bills contains 11 bills. Add it up. One rule, 14 bills.

Let's look at the 11 Financial Services bills. Eleven bills, zero amendments allowed. Why? We are told that, well, all 11 of those bills have gone through the committee without controversy or gone to the floor without controversy. Not true.

One of those bills extends until 2019 when banks have to comply with an important part of the Volcker rule. Has that extension to 2019 ever been voted on in committee? No. Has it ever been discussed on the floor? No.

And when the Rules Committee was asked, can we have an amendment to deal with this new matter, which has never been subject to a markup or a discussion on this floor, the answer is ``no.'' Why is that?

Because we need to improve Dodd-Frank.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman 15 seconds.

Mr. SHERMAN. The Financial Services bill contains quite a number of noncontroversial provisions that will improve Dodd-Frank, and we could improve our economy today and have a bill on the President's desk by the end of the month.

But no, the majority has structured this to force Democrats to vote against nearly a dozen good provisions so that they can say, look at those Democrats; they won't help the economy.

They are playing politics instead of legislating. It is morally wrong. Vote ``no'' on the rule.

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