[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1686-H1687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REPUBLICANS SHOULD RECONSIDER SHAMEFUL TACTICS

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I serve on the Committee on House Oversight. 
It was said that this legislation was brought to the committee. Let me 
disabuse any of my colleagues on the theory that this got any kind of 
thoughtful consideration in committee. It certainly will not receive 
any thoughtful consideration on the floor under the procedures that 
have been devised by the majority.
  A bill was noticed to the members of the committee less than 24 hours 
before we marked it up in committee. We met, we offered some 
substantive amendments; they were rejected on a straight party line 
vote, and without

[[Page H1687]]

further discussion, this bill was adopted. It was supposed to come to 
the floor this Thursday.
  We thought it was going to come to the floor with a motion to 
recommit so we could have offered McCain-Feingold. However, the 
Republican majority was even afraid of that procedure, limited though 
it was, so they have now devised a procedure which will allow not one 
single suggestion other than that which has been written in the back 
room by the Republican majority.
  What a travesty. Not only will we not get campaign finance reform, 
but we will have a procedure that will further denigrate the democratic 
process that this House likes to pride itself on.
  Mr. Speaker, I would hope that cooler, more rational heads would 
prevail, and that the Republican majority would reconsider this 
shameful process that they are foisting on the American public.

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