Wendy Sherman: “I rise to deal with one aspect of this bill, and that is that it does not impose, as I would like it to, a $25,000 limit…”

“I rise to deal with one aspect of this bill, and that is that it does not impose, as I would like it to, a $25,000 limit on the amount of postage spent by any one committee in any one year. That would be $50,000 a Congress or $25,000 as an annual limit. After all, in the 107th Congress, encompassing 2002 and 2001, the average amount spent by the highest-spending committee was $6,807. In fact, in looking at the entire history of this House, I cannot find an example where any committee prior to the 108th Congress ever needed to spend more than $10,000 on postage. A $25,000 limit seems like it provides plenty of room, particularly for a country that faces the kinds of fiscal problems that we face. And yet, why would I even think it necessary in a House where no committee had until the 108th Congress spent even $10,000 on postage, why would I think it necessary to come to this floor to seek a $25,000 annual limit? The reason is that one committee, and this could be the opening of Pandora's box, decided in the 108th Congress to engage in a program of mass mailings in selected Members' districts.”