Michael Burgess: “Let me just say at the outset, Mr. Cole has probably had the hardest job in Washington the past 4 years. Being the…”

“Let me just say at the outset, Mr. Cole has probably had the hardest job in Washington the past 4 years. Being the ranking member of the Rules Committee is a difficult position. He has done it extremely well, so I know he is going to excel as the chairman of the Rules Committee during this term of Congress. Clearly, Mr. Speaker, the American public spoke with a clear voice. They want the Nation to go in a new direction. They want a path away from tax-and-spend politics advanced by the Democrats in the last Congress. In this rules package, we have laid out how we intend to accomplish just that. The era of legislating for the few at the expense of the many is over. This new majority today begins this serious task in ways that will make this Congress more transparent, more accountable, and more accessible to the public and the Members that serve the institution. This majority will implement voting procedures on the floor so that recorded votes can be conducted in a straightforward manner, rather than what we have seen over the past 3 years that literally strands Members of Congress on the floor for hours when they cannot do any other work in their committee or anywhere else. Mr. Speaker, I believe our friends in the previous Congress squandered their opportunity by focusing on the politics of division instead of what we were all sent here to do, and that is the people's business.…”