Political Quotes

“I have mixed feelings about our new rules package. We have a new president, new House, and new Senate, but we are beginning the new millennium with some of the same partisan divisions. My friends in the Majority want to pass a new rules package for the 107th Congress that does little to address the views and concerns of the Minority. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, despite all the talk about bipartisanship, little has been done in the House to modify committee ratios to reflect the Minority's gains in the last election, or even the gains made by Democrats in 1998. I believe all committees in the House should reflect the 51-49 percent split between Democrats and Republicans. While I was pleased to see that the Republicans are considering adding a seat for each party to Appropriations, Commerce, and Ways and Means, this will do nothing to achieve parity on these committees. In fact, if one member is added to both sides of the Commerce Committee, on which I serve, the ratio will still be 55-45. While I welcome new colleagues to these committees, the addition does nothing to achieve the parity the minority is seeking. The reality is that the House now has one of the smallest majorities in the history of our country. Committee ratios should reflect that small majority.”