[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 69 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3726-H3728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I
rise to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges
of the House.
The form of the resolution is as follows:
Whereas, Father Patrick Conroy has served honorably as House Chaplain
since May 25 of 2011 when he was then appointed by Speaker John Boehner
in consultation with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi;
Whereas, Father Conroy had been re-appointed and approved by the
House of Representatives on three separate occasions, most recently
January 3 of 2017;
Whereas, on April 16, 2018, the Nation's first Jesuit, and only the
second Catholic, Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
submitted his resignation before the full House;
Whereas, this resignation was forced by Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of the
House of Representatives and Members of the House Republican
Conference;
Whereas, the Speaker's team said ``. . . the decision to remove the
Chaplain was his, Speaker Ryan's;''
Whereas, the lack of notification of his forced resignation or
adequate explanation provided by Speaker Paul D. Ryan is not reflective
of the integrity of the House of Representatives;
Whereas, on November 6, 2017, during debate on the GOP tax scam, the
Chaplain led an opening prayer asking God to bless Congress and for
Congress to guarantee that there are not winners and losers under the
new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans;
Whereas, this prayer reflects the core values of many Americans, in
particular people of the Catholic faith, including care and concern for
the poor and the marginalized;
Whereas, on April 9, 2018, Pope Francis published his third apostolic
exhortation entitled ``Gaudete et Exsultate'' or rejoice and be heard
which states that Christians must care for the poor, the sick, and the
immigrant;
Whereas, under the GOP tax bill, more than 80 percent of its benefits
flow to the richest 1 percent and the corporate special interests,
ignoring the needs for struggling men and women and children;
Whereas, this prayer has been reported to be the chief reason for
Father Conroy's forced resignation by the Republican Congress;
Whereas, the dismissal of Father Conroy following this prayer shows
Republicans' true refusal to embody the values of faith and charity in
their legislative work;
Whereas, Father Conroy's forced resignation is concerning to a number
of Members of both sides of the aisle;
Whereas, the House of Representatives would benefit from being guided
by a Chaplain with a commitment to caring about those most in need;
Whereas, the rights of Members of the House of Representatives were
undermined when the leader of one party made a unilateral decision to
dismiss the Chaplain;
Whereas, this forced resignation has compromised the dignity of the
House of Representatives by politicizing the Office of the House
Chaplain;
Whereas, the circumstances behind his resignation compromised the
integrity and dignity of the House of Representatives:
Resolved, that there is hereby established a select committee to
investigate the actions and motivations behind the resignation of the
House Chaplain. The select committee shall be comprised of six Members,
of which three shall be appointed by the chair of the Committee on
Ethics and three by the ranking member of the Committee on Ethics;
The select committee shall investigate the motivations and actions of
the Speaker behind the resignation of the Chaplain.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will now recognize the gentleman
from New York to offer the resolution just noticed. Does the gentleman
offer the resolution?
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I offer the resolution just noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Womack). The Clerk will report the
resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 856
Whereas, Father Patrick Conroy has served honorably as
House Chaplain since May 25 of 2011 when he was then
appointed by Speaker John Boehner in consultation with
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi;
Whereas, Father Conroy had been re-appointed and approved
by the House of Representatives on three separate occasions,
most recently January 3 of 2017;
Whereas, on April 16, 2018, the Nation's first Jesuit, and
only the second Catholic, Chaplain of the United States House
of Representatives submitted his resignation before the full
House;
Whereas, this resignation was forced by Paul D. Ryan,
Speaker of the House of Representatives and Members of the
House Republican Conference;
Whereas, the Speaker's team said ``. . . the decision (to
remove the Chaplain) was his (Speaker Ryan's);''
Whereas, the lack of notification of his forced resignation
or adequate explanation provided by Speaker Paul D. Ryan is
not reflective of the integrity of the House of
Representatives;
Whereas, on November 6, 2017, during debate on the GOP tax
scam, the Chaplain led an opening prayer asking God to bless
Congress and for Congress to guarantee that there are not
winners and losers under the new tax laws, but benefits
balanced and shared by all Americans;
Whereas, this prayer reflects the core values of many
Americans, in particular people of the Catholic faith,
including care and concern for the poor and the marginalized;
Whereas, on April 9, 2018, Pope Francis published his third
apostolic exhortation entitled ``Gaudete et Exsultate'' or
rejoice and be heard which states that Christians must care
for the poor, the sick, and the immigrant;
Whereas, under the GOP tax bill, more than 80 percent of
its benefits flow to the richest 1 percent and the corporate
special interests, ignoring the needs for struggling men and
women and children;
Whereas, this prayer has been reported to be the chief
reason for Father Conroy's forced resignation by the
Republican Congress;
Whereas, the dismissal of Father Conroy following this
prayer shows Republicans' true refusal to embody the values
of faith and charity in their legislative work;
Whereas Father Conroy's forced resignation is concerning to
a number of Members of both sides of the aisle;
Whereas, the House of Representatives would benefit from
being guided by a Chaplain with a commitment to caring about
those most in need;
Whereas, the rights of Members of the House of
Representatives were undermined
[[Page H3727]]
when the leader of one party made a unilateral decision to
dismiss the Chaplain;
Whereas, this forced resignation has compromised the
dignity of the House of Representatives by politicizing the
Office of the House Chaplain;
Whereas, the circumstances behind his resignation
compromised the integrity and dignity of the House of
Representatives:
Resolved, that there is hereby established a select
committee to investigate the actions and motivations behind
the resignation of the House Chaplain. The select committee
shall be comprised of six Members, of which three shall be
appointed by the chair of the Committee on Ethics and three
by the ranking member of the Committee on Ethics;
The select committee shall investigate the motivations and
actions of the Speaker behind the resignation of the
Chaplain.
{time} 1145
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution presents a question of
privilege.
Parliamentary Inquiry
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary
inquiry.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, does, in fact, the Speaker of the House have
the right to remove the Chaplain?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's inquiry does not relate to
the pending proceedings. The matter that is before the House at the
present time is a question of privilege.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, is it correct that the Chaplain is elected by
the whole House to be the Chaplain of the House of Representatives?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair is not going to respond to the
matter as expressed by the gentleman.
As stated, the issue before the House presently is the question of
privilege just offered.
Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
Are we in the position where the House will be unable to speak to the
issue of removing the official, i.e. the Chaplain, elected by the whole
House?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is no longer recognized. The
gentleman has not stated an inquiry that relates in a practical sense
to a matter before the House.
Motion to Table
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. McCarthy moves that the resolution be laid on the
table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, this 15-
minute vote on the motion to table will be followed by a 5-minute vote
on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal, if ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 215,
nays 171, answered ``present'' 3, not voting 39, as follows:
[Roll No. 166]
YEAS--215
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Banks (IN)
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Bergman
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Blum
Bost
Brady (TX)
Brat
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comer
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Curtis
Davidson
Davis, Rodney
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donovan
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Dunn
Emmer
Estes (KS)
Faso
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Foxx
Frelinghuysen
Gaetz
Gallagher
Garrett
Gianforte
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith
Grothman
Guthrie
Handel
Harris
Hartzler
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Higgins (LA)
Hill
Holding
Hollingsworth
Hudson
Huizenga
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jordan
Katko
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger
Knight
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Latta
Lewis (MN)
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
Marshall
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Messer
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Newhouse
Norman
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Posey
Ratcliffe
Renacci
Rice (SC)
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney, Francis
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce (CA)
Russell
Rutherford
Sanford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smucker
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Yoho
Young (IA)
Zeldin
NAYS--171
Adams
Aguilar
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brown (MD)
Bustos
Capuano
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Crist
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doyle, Michael F.
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Espaillat
Esty (CT)
Evans
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Gomez
Gonzalez (TX)
Gottheimer
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hanabusa
Hastings
Heck
Himes
Hoyer
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kihuen
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Krishnamoorthi
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee
Levin
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham, M.
Lujan, Ben Ray
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meehan
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Halleran
O'Rourke
Pallone
Panetta
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Reed
Rice (NY)
Rosen
Ruiz
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Shea-Porter
Sherman
Sinema
Smith (WA)
Soto
Speier
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Vargas
Veasey
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Yarmuth
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--3
Joyce (OH)
Rooney, Thomas J.
Taylor
NOT VOTING--39
Black
Blackburn
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Butterfield
Courtney
Davis, Danny
Denham
Doggett
Garamendi
Gibbs
Gowdy
Harper
Higgins (NY)
Huffman
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (GA)
Jones
Kuster (NH)
Kustoff (TN)
Labrador
Larson (CT)
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren
Napolitano
Noem
Reichert
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Sanchez
Scott, David
Sewell (AL)
Shuster
Sires
Vela
Walz
Wilson (FL)
Young (AK)
{time} 1204
So the motion to table was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated against:
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, due to my attendance at an event off
the Capitol Hill campus, I was unable to make rollcall vote No. 166.
Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner: No. 166
``no'' On Motion to Table.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I was not present for rollcall vote
166. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on the motion to
table H. Res. 856.
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, April 27, 2018, I
missed rollcall vote 166, a Motion to Table H. Res. 856, a Privileged
Resolution offered by Mr. Crowley of New York to create Select
Committee to investigate the motivations and reasoning behind the
forced resignation of the House Chaplain. I stand in full support of
the Crowley resolution regarding the Speaker's decision to
[[Page H3728]]
forcibly push the House Chaplain Father Conroy to resign.
If I had been present for this vote, I would have voted: ``nay'' on
rollcall vote 166.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I was not present for the
following votes because I chose to remain in my congressional district
in Miami for an important district event.
Had I been present, I would have voted: ``No'' on rollcall Vote No.
162, ``no'' on rollcall Vote No. 163, ``yes'' on rollcall Vote No. 164,
``yes'' on rollcall Vote No. 165, and ``no'' on rollcall Vote No. 166.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, during the week of Monday,
April 23, 2018, I missed rollcall votes 148-166. Had I been present for
these recorded votes, I would have voted as listed below: Rollcall Vote
148: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote 149: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote 150: ``nay,''
rollcall Vote 151: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 152: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote
153: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 154: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote 155: ``aye,''
rollcall Vote 156: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 157: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote
158: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 159: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 160: ``aye,''
rollcall Vote 161: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote 162: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote
163: ``nay,'' rollcall Vote 164: ``aye,'' rollcall Vote 165: ``aye,''
and rollcall Vote 166: ``nay.''
____________________