On the recordJanuary 21, 2015
I need to remind this House that during the Democrats' time in the majority, there were two rules packages providing consideration of seven unrelated measures. In the 110th Congress, their first year in the majority, the rules package provided for consideration of five measures. In the 111th Congress, the Democrat majority provided for the consideration of two separate measures in the rules package. The Democrat majority went directly to the floor with these bills, with no committee consideration and without even allowing the Rules Committee to debate these measures or report an appropriate rule for consideration. In the 110th Congress, Ranking Member Slaughter and Democrats on the Rules Committee reported three additional closed rules, starting the Congress out with eight closed rules in the opening weeks. In the 111th Congress, Democrats reported out two additional closed rules, for a total of four closed rules in the opening weeks of that Congress. Unlike our Democrat colleagues, the Speaker and Chairman Sessions had provided the opportunity to have hearings before the Rules Committee. It is our goal to return to regular order now that our committees are organizing, but the false attacks by my colleagues do not stand up to the light of day when you compare our records. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), one of the preeminent defenders of life in this Congress.
