Political Quotes

“I have been a member of the House for 32 years and a member of the Rules Committee for 30 of those years, always in the minority until now. I have probably spoken out on the House floor against closed rules more times than any other Member of this body. But even as a member of the minority, I have always believed that there were certain issues such as this that should be decided under a restricted or closed rule. To the best of my recollection, the resolutions establishing the rules of the House have been considered under a completely closed rule--with a straight up or down vote. This rule will allow Members the opportunity to vote on nine separate portions of the rules package. This is certainly a much more open process than any that I have seen in my 32 years. I think the minority should appreciate that the Republican majority chose to open up consideration of this rules package instead of following the traditional closed process that the Democrats embraced and promoted when they controlled the House.”