Tom Price

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and her leadership on this issue. The issue we are talking about is House Resolution 78, H. Res. 78. As the gentlewoman mentioned, it was just brought up as a possibility that we would be voting on it this week this past Friday. I would venture to say, Mr. Speaker, that in your race and I know in my race and I doubt in anybody's race around this Nation, save possibly the elections in the territories, did anyone ever address the issue of Delegates voting on the floor of the House of Representatives. I can honestly say I don't know of anybody who used that as an issue that they ran on in November. We all appreciate that the American people were interested in change when they voted in November, but I'm with you: I don't think that the American people were interested in this kind of change, this kind of change that I believe to be unconstitutional. When I go to schools, middle schools and high schools, around my district and I talk to students and we talk about the process of government, oftentimes I will ask them a question: Can we make any law we want in the House of Representatives? Can we make any law in Congress we want? Sometimes you will get some folks that say yeah; but most often the young men and women and boys and girls in my district and I know across this Nation know and understand and appreciate that the guiding principles that we follow here are defined in the Constitution. I know that it is challenging sometimes for people to be held to make certain that they follow the Constitution, because there are some really stiff rules in this Constitution. But one of the ones at the very beginning, article I, is about the legislative branches, as you well know, Mr. Speaker, and I believe article I was about the legislative branch because the Founders knew the incredible importance of the representative branch of government, the legislative branch of government. And section 1 is about all powers being vested in the House and Senate. Article I, section 2 states: ``The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second year by the people of the several States.'' It didn't mention anything about territories, Delegates from territories. I am so pleased, and we are really aided by the representation in the committees by the Delegates from the territories, by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, by the Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa, and by the Delegate from the District of Columbia, but clearly they do not represent States. In this Chamber, Mr. Speaker, when we gather as a Committee of the Whole or as the House of Representatives, it is clear that the Founders and that our Constitution states that an individual to vote in that instance must be a Member of the House and a representative of the State.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of H.R. 511 introduced by Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, which says that we ought to pledge the faithful support of Congress to members of the United States Armed Forces serving in harm's way. Madam Speaker, there are a lot of things we can disagree on on this floor of the House, but cutting funding for our troops ought not be one of them. As many others have done, I have also visited Walter Reed and talked to the brave men and women who have served there, not just from my district, from my State and around the Nation. And when I ask them, is there anything that we can do for you, the vast majority of them say, Congressman, just let me get back to my unit. Madam Speaker, that sense of duty, that sense of honor, that sense of commitment and that sense of patriotism is something we in Congress would do well to emulate. This resolution says that members of the United States Armed Forces have served honorably in their mission to fight terrorism and protect the greater security of the United States, that these members of the Armed Forces and their families have made many sacrifices. This resolution, Madam Speaker, deserves our support.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, what if I were to tell you that non-Members of the House of Representatives were about to be given a vote right here in the House? You would say no, can't happen, right? Well, hold on, because it's about to happen and it's about to happen this week. This week is a remarkable week; it should be a time of great anticipation, the State of the Union, we've got incredible and remarkable challenges that face our Nation. But at home, when I go home, people are kind of wondering out loud, what's going on up there in Washington? There is skepticism about the Six for '06, you know, the things that the Democrat majority adopted in their vaunted first 100 hours, albeit under an unfair process and with no input from either their new Members or the minority. Really a clear abuse of power. But the explanation was, well, we ran on these issues, everyone knew they were coming, they endorsed them in the election. Now, regardless of the truthfulness of that statement, most folks just kind of shake their head, and most in the press have given the Democrats the benefit of the doubt, and that's all right. There is a basic sense of, you know, it's tough to believe that they would violate so many principles coming right out of the chute. And then yesterday we had a suspension bill; that is a bill that is brought to the floor of the House that requires a supermajority, two- thirds, in order to pass. And by tradition, it is brought to the floor because it has got an overwhelming amount of support, with the full knowledge of both the majority and the minority. And yesterday, a bill that virtually everyone here supports, removing Federal pensions from Members of Congress who are convicted of a felony, was brought to the floor and amended or changed twice within a few minutes before even reaching the floor. Now this is fairly esoteric stuff; however, it is important because it demonstrates the unfair process, the abuse of the rules and the abuse of power. And now we have another in what seems to be this daily event of power-hungry Democrat majorities to give non-Members of the House a vote on this floor. It is a move that they tried the last time they were in control, a move that generated some interesting headlines-- ``Have the Democrats No Shame?'' ``The Democrats' Greedy Power Grab,'' ``Power Grab in the House.'' And these are from the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post, not this year, but in 1992. Now the issue is whether or not to allow non-Members of the House of Representatives, specifically the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, and the Delegates from Guam, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and American Samoa the privilege to vote during the Committee of the Whole on this floor of the House. Mr. Speaker, this is outrageous; it is an incredible, phenomenal move in both process and in substance. Once again, now becoming the routine, this bill, scheduled to come to the floor of the House tomorrow, has had no committee hearing, no debate, no opportunity to amend, no democracy. I assure you, this is not the kind of change that the American people voted for last November. The Constitution states that the House shall be composed of, quote, ``Members chosen by the people of the several States,'' not Delegates representing non-State territories. It is an unconstitutional power grab, a plan that runs roughshod over the constitutional principle of one person, one vote. One of these territories has 57,000 residents, compared to the 650,000 in my district. These individuals could vote to raise your taxes, Mr. Speaker, without paying taxes themselves. Clearly the plot by the Democrats is to slip this through during the week of the State of the Union when they think no one is paying attention. This is an unconscionable action, it is a violation of trust and a clear abuse of power. Under the Democrat plot and logic, they could seat and allow anyone that the majority desires in the House. Who's next, Mr. Speaker? Howard Dean? Does he get a vote in the House? The American people are disgusted with this level of arrogance and abuse of power. The oath that all of us took just a few weeks ago, we all pledged to uphold the Constitution of the United States; this proposal belies that oath. I urge my Democrat colleagues to regain some sense of propriety, some sense of history, some sense of rectitude. When you trample on the Constitution, when you use the Constitution as a doormat and not the foundational document of our wonderful representative democracy, you do great harm to our Nation.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, thank goodness that the 100-hour agenda is over. Maybe now we can get down to doing some real work on behalf of the American people. The celebration by our friends on the other side of the aisle is for a victory of form over substance. In just 2 weeks, they have passed a watered-down 9/11 Commission recommendations package, killed working- class jobs by imposing an unfunded mandate upon small businesses, limited choice in health care by forcing the government to fix prices and decrease the availability of medicines for seniors, pulled a bait- and-switch by misrepresenting their promise to cut student loan interest rates while offering no real relief to students; and finally, amazingly, fostered greater reliance on foreign oil by raising taxes on domestic oil production and exploration. The American people know the difference between campaign rhetoric and good policy, and they demand that the majority honor an open, honest and fair legislative process, one that produces positive, principled and bipartisan solutions. The American people expect no less and deserve more than has been delivered so far.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Further parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the prior order of the House, would it be in order to call up H.R. 475 at this time?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Further inquiry, Madam Speaker.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the prior order of the House, regarding H.R. 475, is it correct that it allows for just 15 minutes of debate on each side, that is, 30 minutes total?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Is the Chair aware of any other legislative business that we are doing today?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Is the Chair aware of any further legislative business that we are doing today?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Further inquiry, Madam Speaker.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. We do indeed understand the majority's desire to have a 5-day workweek, but is 30 minutes of work on a Friday considered a full day?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today the majority party will increase taxes on American oil companies and, hence, on all Americans. And they will increase our dependence on foreign oil. This will complete the sixth item of the majority party's initial agenda. This is the sixth time, but certainly not the last time, that Democrats will put forth a policy that fills a sound bite, but not sound policy. And according to a Democrat clock that stops and starts when it is politically convenient, they will be completed within 100 hours. While those from across the aisle will pat themselves on the back, this is no cause for celebration. Adopting legislation without allowing consideration by any committee, or even a single amendment, is not a reason to celebrate. Applying the rules of the House only when they serve your purpose are no rules at all. And a blatant disregard to follow through on promises made in November shatters the trust of the American people and is no reason to celebrate. This is the people's House. It thrives when ideas are wrestled with and challenged. The best ideas and solutions then rise to the top. Mr. Speaker, the American people are watching. Doing anything less is no reason to celebrate.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on this vote that just occurred, when the clock expired, the yeas were ahead of the nays and the majority of the Members were voted. According to H. Res. 6, a recorded vote by electronic device shall not be held open for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of such vote. Would the Speaker agree with me that this vote then was in violation of the rules?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Further inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Can the Speaker tell me how often the majority party will hold open votes on issues regardless of the result?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, under what rule are we considering H.R. 6?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Further inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Does the rule under which we are considering H.R. 6 allow any amendments to H.R. 6?

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, because of the rule being adopted on the floor, I demand the question of consideration.

Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.