Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, many years ago there was a rule adopted called the Holman rule. It allows the arbitrary and capricious cutting of a salary if you don't agree with what the person does. It is somewhat like if the Speaker of the House, who didn't like a vote of one of the Members, could cut their salary to $1. Now, there are a number of citizens who would probably like that, but in fact it would be unfair, capricious, and undermining of our democracy. Punishing someone for a difference of opinion is the antithesis of American democracy. For years, however, Republicans have made it their policy to vilify Federal workers. The Holman rule is their tool of choice. They use it as an instrument of political vengeance to cut the salaries of specific Federal officials who don't share their partisan agenda; not for misfeasance or malfeasance, but because they didn't agree. In the past 2 months, Republicans used the Holman rule to advance 64 amendments targeting individual Federal workers. Fifty-five of those were voted on. Two were withdrawn, and all 53 were defeated. What it is is essentially pandering to their rightwing, to allow their rightwing to pretend that they are doing policy. Every one of them has been defeated by over 250 votes.…”