[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 29, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010

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                               speech of

                       HON. STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 2009

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise to object to the process by 
which the majority has brought the continuing resolution to the floor 
of the House of Representatives. While we can all agree that it is 
sometimes necessary to adopt a continuing resolution to keep federal 
government programs running in the new fiscal year as the respective 
Appropriations Subcommittees finalize their conference reports, 
attaching the resolution to the conference report for appropriations 
for the Legislative Branch is inappropriate and a direct attempt by the 
majority to stifle debate in this House.
  Further, Madam Speaker, the majority's action in this instance is 
just one more swipe at the minority in a pattern that began at the 
start of this body's deliberation on Appropriations bills earlier this 
summer. It has continued to stifle debate throughout the process by 
restricting the minority's ability to offer amendments to these 
important funding bills. Over the summer months in which we considered 
all 12 appropriations bills, the majority's structured rules permitted 
the minority to offer just over 100 amendments, of which only 
approximately 50 per cent were on substantive issues directly impacting 
policy and/or program funding levels. That's just 50 amendments on real 
policy, impacting government spending on specific programs across the 
entire federal government.
  Following on this abysmal stifling of Republican amendments on these 
bills, Madam Speaker, next the majority has again found a way to 
prevent meaningful debate on the funding resolution which continues to 
keep the government open by attaching it to the conference report on 
the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. Since the conference report 
cannot be amended, there was no opportunity for another point of view 
in continuing the government's operations. Madam Speaker, this behavior 
is not merely frustrating, but it also works directly against the very 
backbone of our nation--a democracy with free and open debate on 
issues.
  It is my sincere hope that in the future, Madam Speaker, regardless 
of which party holds the majority in the House, we can change course 
from this current process and instead open these important spending 
bills, including the continuing resolution, to amendment through an 
open process.

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