Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose the closed rule providing for the consideration of both H.R. 1206, the No Hires for the Delinquent IRS Act, and H.R. 4885, the IRS Oversight While Eliminating Spending Act of 2016. Mr. Speaker, when we began this Congress, we were told that it would be the most open Congress that we have had in our great Nation. The general public does not quite grasp, at least I believe, the significance of rules being closed or rules being open. When there is an open rule for whatever the subject matter is, then every Member of the House of Representatives has an opportunity, if he or she chooses, to make potential amendments to the subject matter that is before the House. My colleagues on the other side have chosen a different tack. I might add, at other times--in my opinion, wrongly-- Democrats have done the same thing, and that is to have closed rules and shut out the rest of the people who may have interesting and necessary proposals with reference to whatever the subject matter is. In this particular instance, we are now numbering, with these two bills, 55 times that we have come here to the floor with closed rules.…”