[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  VICE PRESIDENT CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS WHEN IT COMES TO HIM BEING A 
                     MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, for the last 7 years, Vice President Cheney 
has perfected the art of meaningful oversight and avoiding any 
accountability to the American people. But who would have ever thought 
that such a defiance would lead the Vice President to the absurd, 
claiming that he is not a member of the executive branch. That's right, 
Cheney does not want to play by the established rules of safeguarding 
classified national information. He is now saying that he is not 
actually a member of the executive branch.
  If the Vice President is not a member of the executive branch, 
shouldn't he be forced to turn over information to the congressional 
Democrats requested regarding his secret energy task force? After all, 
Cheney used executive privilege as an excuse for his secrecy.
  Also, why should the office of the Vice President receive funding 
through the bill that funds the executive branch? That bill is actually 
on the floor today, and the House Democrats will offer an amendment to 
remove funding for the Vice President's office from this bill. House 
Democrats are not going to support the Vice President's latest attempt 
to avoid any accountability to the American people.

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