Stephen Horn: “for the first time in many months of considering closed rules democracy has won in the House of Representatives. The…”

“for the first time in many months of considering closed rules democracy has won in the House of Representatives. The vote of 191 for and 227 against the rule to consider the elevation of the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet status is a sign that sometimes the majority is willing to liberate this Chamber. As I said earlier today, America and we need to wake up. The people's house is not the people's house. By a 9 Democrats to a 4 Republicans party vote, a rule can be drafted which, if adopted, can prevent this House of Representatives, which has always been elected by the people, from freely working its will on behalf of the people. The average citizen thinks it is simply a matter of procedure. It is not. It is a procedure which denies us the right to do what you, the American people, want us to do. You want us to use our judgment in your behalf to decide, yea or nay, what is good public policy on issues which affect your lives. I am an original cosponsor of H.R. 3425, the legislation to redesignate the Environmental Protection Agency as a Department of Environmental Protection. That function would now have Cabinet status. The Secretary of the Department could at last see the President eye-to-eye. I favored this proposal for years. In fact, I favored it years before President Bush recommended it, and before President Clinton agreed and re-recommended it. But, Mr. Speaker, this is not simply a name change.…”