Alan Grayson: “Apparently, we are no longer satisfied with writing the laws. We have now taken it upon ourselves to execute them as…”

“Apparently, we are no longer satisfied with writing the laws. We have now taken it upon ourselves to execute them as well. This discredits the institution, not only within the Federal Government-- complicating our constitutional relationship with both the executive and the judicial branches--but also in the eyes of the American people. We must not allow the House to be degraded this way. Even when the facts of the bill are examined, this measure fails. The bill states that the environmental impact statement satisfies NEPA. That environmental impact statement, however, was for a different project--the Keystone XL Pipeline as proposed in 2009, a pipeline that would have terminated in the Gulf Coast. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair has heard sufficient argument. The argument that the gentleman is making is proper for the merits of the proposed legislation but not on the question of privilege. The Chair will rule. The gentleman from Florida seeks to offer this resolution as a question of the privileges of the House under rule IX. The resolution proposes a special order of business with regard to a specified legislative measure. Specifically, it mandates that a measure not be considered by the House because it is unconstitutional and violates a rule of the House. To qualify as a question of privilege, a resolution must affect the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, or integrity of its proceedings.…”