[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H837-H838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRIES

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the majority leader asserted in his comments 
that the document in question was the property of the House.
  Was, in fact, the document that the Speaker had to read the property 
of the House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The message is part of the proceedings of 
the House and can be used by the House for archival and printing 
purposes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, an additional question.
  Mr. Speaker, after the President had spoken the State of the Union 
and delivered that to the Congress of the United States, at the end of 
that session, I moved that that document be enrolled in the House 
proceedings of last evening.
  Am I to understand from the ruling that that document was 
specifically the document that would have been enrolled?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The motion was adopted.
  Mr. HOYER. Yes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. And the document was printed.
  Mr. HOYER. That document did not exist according to the assertion of 
the Republican leader. It was destroyed.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The message is part of the proceedings of 
the House and can be used by the House for archival and printing 
purposes. The gentleman has addressed the printing of the document.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I don't think that answered my question.
  My question was: Was the document that was destroyed or torn apart, 
the document that was to be enrolled by the House pursuant to my 
motion?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The House is able to use that document and 
other materials to fulfill the order of the House.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, to clarify, was that document provided 
from the President to the Speaker of the House a document of the House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. It is part of the proceedings of the House 
and can be used by the House for archival and printing purposes.
  Mr. McCARTHY. So to be clear, your answer is: That is a document of 
the House, and the President provides one to the Speaker for the House, 
and the President provides one to the President of the Senate, the Vice 
President, for the Senate?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The document was printed as a document of 
the House upon order of the House.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, is it allowed to destroy a document of the 
House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will not provide an advisory 
opinion. The Chair is not going to give advisory opinions.
  Mr. McCARTHY. But to be clear, it is a document of the House, much 
like any historical document that has been provided to the floor of 
this House.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is engaged in debate, and the 
gentleman is free to engage in debate on the resolution at the 
appropriate time.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the resolution is not on the floor, I don't 
think.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, no, the gentleman is correct. It was her 
intention.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Who seeks recognition?
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask for clarification. Obviously, the 
Parliamentarian--I think we ought to clarify this issue.
  If the document has been torn apart as is alleged, and as we know it 
was, that document, presumably, is not the document that was enrolled 
by the House pursuant to my motion last night.
  I know it is not in the possession of the House. I know that for a 
fact. But there is, pursuant to my motion, a document that has been 
enrolled, the President's address in the State of the Union.
  So I simply want to make the point to the Parliamentarian and to the 
Speaker, that the document that--I have been here for a long period of 
time. Numerous times, numerous times, I have had in this drawer a copy 
of the President's speech that is delivered by the communication staff 
of the White House.
  Mr. Speaker, is that to be presumed----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Respectfully, the gentleman is engaged in 
debate. This issue is more properly addressed in the format of 1-minute 
speeches.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, you clarified that is a document of the 
House. Can you clarify that is not a document for the Speaker, but a 
document for the House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The document is used as part of House 
proceedings and can be used for archival and printing purposes.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Further parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California will his state 
his parliamentary inquiry.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Did the Speaker have any history in past State of the 
Unions where that document provided to the Speaker has not been 
enshrined into the Record?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Respectfully, the Chair will not act as a 
historian.
  Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas will state his 
parliamentary inquiry.

  Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, in 2009, the majority leader, now Mr. Hoyer, 
led a formal rebuke of South Carolina Representative   Joe Wilson 
defending ``the rules of the House and enforcing the traditional 
decorum of the Chamber.''
  At the time, Mr. Hoyer said: ``This House cannot stay silent. What is 
at issue here is important to the House and of importance to the 
country.''
  My parliamentary inquiry is----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Respectfully, the gentleman is engaged in 
debate. The House may address this during 1-minute speeches.
  Mr. BRADY. Is the Speaker of the House----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is engaged in debate.
  Mr. BRADY. Mr. Speaker, I asked for a parliamentary inquiry, and the 
question is this: Is the Speaker ripping up

[[Page H838]]

the President's State of the Union speech on national TV considered the 
proper decorum of the House?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will not give an advisory opinion. 
The House may address this matter in the format of 1-minute speeches.

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