DEMOCRATS’ PROMISES: OPEN, FAIR & BIPARTISAN OPERATION OF HOUSE FLOOR

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #84: Protect Minority Party Rights
Promise: On the introduction of then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s “Minority Bill of Rights” in June 2004: “Pelosi's document, which she vows to honor if Democrats regain the majority, says: ‘Too often, incivility and the heavy hand of the majority’ have silenced Democrats and choked off ‘thoughtful debate.’ She called on the majority to let the minority offer meaningful amendments and substitutes to important bills.” – “Pelosi Seeks House Minority 'Bill of Rights,’” Washington Post, June 24, 2004

Broken Promise: “As the decision to dump the promise of an open process to muscle through the first 100 hours agenda shows, it’s a lot easier to vow fairness to the oppressed minority when you are it.” – “Hard Work Begins Now for Democrats,” Washington Post Column by Ruth Marcus, January 20, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #85: Allow Open, Full & Fair Debate
Promise: “Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a substitute.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 24

Broken Promise: “Democrats are wielding a heavy hand on the House Rules Committee, committing many of the procedural sins for which they condemned Republicans during their 12 years in power. So far this year, Democrats have frequently prevented Republicans from offering amendments, limited debate in the committee and, just last week, maneuvered around chamber rules to protect a $23 million project for Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.).” – “Dems Bend Rules, Break Pledge,” The Politico, May 17, 2007

Broken Promise: “But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.” – “Democrats to Start Without GOP Input,” Washington Post, January 2, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #86: Give the Opposition a Voice
Promise: “‘We intend to have a Rules Committee … that gives opposition voices and alternative proposals the ability to be heard and considered on the floor of the House,’ he said.” – “Hoyer Says Dems’ Plans Unruffled by Approps Logjam…,” CongressDaily PM, December 5, 2006

Broken Promise: “And this is one where we just don’t want 1,000 amendments being offered on the floor no matter how good the ideas may be without careful consideration and scrutiny of every single one that gets proposed. And so I would very much ask that we have a very structured process in this.” – Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Rules Committee Hearing on H.R. 65, June 6, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #87: Promote Respect for Compromise
Promise: Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY): “I want us to work together.” – “Bent Over the Rules,” National Journal, June 16, 2007

Broken Promise: Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY): “Republicans are very unhappy in the minority. But sometimes there is a grade school mentality. I wish they would grow up. We are trying to address national problems. If they want to hang across my apron strings, I will drag them across.” – “Bent Over the Rules,” National Journal, June 16, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #88: Deliver an Open Legislative Process
Promise: “My fellow Democrats and I have long felt that the Rules Committee was failing in its major obligations. We publicly argued that it was being used to shut down the legislative process for partisan purposes and was refusing to promote serious ethical standards in the House. But now that Democrats will control the committee, we have a chance to change all that.” – “NY Will Be Standing Higher on Hill,” Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY) Op-Ed by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), November 12, 2006

Broken Promise: “…Democrats this year have brought a greater percentage of bills to the floor under a totally closed rule that prevents members of the minority from offering amendments…” – “Dems Bend Rules, Break Pledge,” The Politico, May 17, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #89: Institute a Five-Day Work Week
Promise: “‘Next year, members of the House will be expected in the Capitol for votes each week by 6:30p.m. Monday and will finish their business about 2pm Friday,’ Hoyer said.” – “Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work Five Days a Week,” Washington Post, December 6, 2006

Broken Promise: Of the 21 weeks in session through June 22, 2007, only six have included full five-day work weeks. – Office of the Clerk Web Site

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #90: Offer More Open Rules
Promise: “…the rule that we are considering today is open, and that means that any germane amendment offered by any Member, Democrat or Republican, can be debated and voted on by this body. It is the way a deliberative body should act. Now let me assure my friends on the other side of the aisle that this is not the only open rule that you will see in this Congress. This is the return of the House of Representatives as a deliberative body.” – James P. McGovern, Congressional Record, Feb. 8, 2007, Page 1354

Broken Promise: As of June 22, 2007 the Rules Committee has yet to report another open rule, except for general appropriations bills. – Rules Committee Web Site

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #91: Adhere to Limits on Voting Times
Promise: “Floor votes should be completed within 15 minutes. No vote shall be held open to manipulate the outcome.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 24

Broken Promise: “Asked Wednesday night whether Democrats would keep the time limit [on the Iraq supplemental vote], Hoyer paused, then pointed out that many votes can run a few minutes longer for various reasons. ‘I won’t guarantee it,’ Hoyer replied.” – “Hoyer Won’t Rule Out Extending War Vote,” The Politico, March 22, 2007. But in fact Democrats have held open votes to change the outcome. On June 26, House Democratic leaders held open the vote on an amendment by Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) to allow a Democrat to change his vote and secure the necessary votes for passage. – Roll Call Vote #574, June 26, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #92: Allow Committees to Work Their Will
Promise: “Bills should be developed following full hearings and open subcommittee markups, with appropriate referrals to other committees.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 24

Broken Promise: The following bills moved to the floor without ANY committee consideration at all:

• H.R. 1 – Implementing 9/11 recommendations [Rules Package]
• H.R. 2 – Fair Minimum Wage Act [Rules Package]
• H.R. 3 – Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act [Rules Package]
• H.R. 4 – Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act [Rules Package]
• H.Res. 35 – Intelligence Oversight Authority [Rules Package]
• H.Con.Res. 63 – Disapproving of the President’s decision to deploy more troops to Iraq
• H.R. 1905 – D.C. House Voting Rights Act
• H.R. 1906 – Estimated Tax Safe Harbor Act
• H.R. 2237 – Redeployment of Troops from Iraq
• H.R. 2206 – U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, & Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act
• H.R. 2207 – Agriculture Disaster Assistance & Western States Emergency Unfinished Business Appropriations Act
• S. Amendment to H.R. 2206 – U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, & Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #93: Allow 24 Hours to Review Bills
Promise: “Members should have at least 24 hours to examine bill and conference report text prior to floor consideration.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 24

Broken Promise: The following bills moved to the floor with less than 24 hours notice:

• H.R 1 – Implementing 9/11 recommendations [Rules Package]
• H.R. 2 – Fair Minimum Wage Act [Rules Package]
• H.R. 3 – Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act [Rules Package]
• H.R. 4 – Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act [Rules Package]
• H.Res. 35 – Intelligence Oversight Authority [Rules Package]
• H Res. 296 – Supporting the goals and ideal of National Eosiniophil Awareness Week
• H.Con.Res. 63 – Disapproving of the President’s decision to deploy more troops to Iraq
• H.R. 1905 – D.C. House Voting Rights Act
• H.R. 1906 – Estimated Tax Safe Harbor Act
• H.R. 2237 – Redeployment of troops from Iraq
• H.R. 2206 – U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, & Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act
• H.R. 2207 – Agriculture Disaster Assistance & Western States Emergency Unfinished Business Appropriations Act
• H.R. 2560 – Human Cloning Prohibition Act

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #94: Report Rules Before 10p.m.
Promise: “Rules governing floor debate must be reported before 10p.m. for a bill to be considered the following day.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 24

Broken Promise: Rules for the following bills were reported AFTER 10p.m. and considered on the floor the following day:

• H.Con.Res. 63 – Disapproving of President’s decision to deploy more troops to Iraq– rule reported February 12, 2007, at 10:40p.m.
• H.R. 1591 – U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act - rule reported Thursday, March 22, 2007, at 12:30a.m.
• H.R. 1433 – District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 – rule reported Thursday, March 22, 2007, at 12:30a.m.
• H.R. 2082 – Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2008 – rule reported Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at 10:50p.m.
• H.R. 2237 – Redeployment of troops from Iraq – rule reported May 9, 2007, at 10:50p.m.
• H.R. 2206 – Troop Readiness, Iraq Appropriations – rule reported May 9, 2007, at 10:50p.m.
• H.R. 2207 – Agricultural Disaster Assistance Appropriations 2007 – rule reported Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at 10:50p.m.
• H.R. 2206 – Iraq Supplemental – rule reported on legislative day of May 23, 2007, Thursday, May 24, 2007, at 7:45a.m.

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #95: Allow Committees to Provide Full Input
Promise: “Pelosi and Hoyer pledged they will allow committees to do their work and be more open about allowing Republicans to offer amendments on the floor.” – “Pelosi Leads Dems to Early Victories,” San Francisco Chronicle, January 19, 2007

Broken Promise: “The contrast between old and new is less evident in the way Congress goes about its lawmaking. In the first three months of the new Congress, the House frequently circumvented committees and adopted closed rules preventing floor amendments. Procedural shortcuts often limited the minority party's participation in the deliberative process.” – “Is Congress on the Mend?” New York Times, April 28, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #96: Allow the GOP to Offer Amendments
Promise: “‘The principle of civility and respect for minority participation in this House is something we promised the American people,’ [Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi] said. ‘It’s the right thing to do.’ Pelosi pledged to restore ‘minority rights’ – including the right of Republicans to offer amendments to bills on the floor…” – “Pelosi’s All Smiles Through a Rough House Transition,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 21, 2007

Broken Promise: “It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. House Democrats, having chafed and screamed for years about being frozen out of decision making by Republicans, are starting out their rule by … freezing out Republicans.” – “The Wrong Start,” Roll Call Editorial, January 4, 2007

Broken Promise: “Now that Republicans have shown they can use new House rules against the new Democratic majority that wrote them, the Democrats want new rules. Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Tuesday that during the upcoming two-week recess he will craft changes in the pay-as-you-go spending rules adopted in January (H.Res. 6) so that the GOP can no longer blindside the majority … ‘We don’t think that is appropriate,’ Hoyer said. ‘We don’t think that serves the legislative process, and we’re going to address that.’” – “House Democrats Will Move to Curb GOP’s Use of Motions to Recommit,” Congressional Quarterly, April 10, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #97: Allow Amendments Representing All Viewpoints
Promise: “… things are different now, and under the Democratic administration here in the Congress, we are trying to make sure that all points of view have an opportunity to be heard on the floor.” – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Congressional Record, June 6, 2007

Broken Promise: “Democrats in the House of Representatives lost a chink in their good-government armor Friday, pressuring a fellow Democrat to drop an eco-friendly effort to restrict taxpayer-funded congressional car leases. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, had hoped to require House members to lease hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles if they wanted taxpayers to foot the bill. But other Democrats told Cleaver on Wednesday to withdraw his amendment, minutes before he was to present it to the Rules Committee — the first step in sending it to the House floor. ‘We set ourselves up for looking ugly on this,’ Cleaver said. ‘Those are the things that happen when you rush on legislation and fail to have a dialogue.’” – “Cleaver’s Green Initiative Falls into Gray Area for Democrats,” Kansas City Star, June 22, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #98: Treat Members Fairly and With Respect
Promise: “It is long past time that this House started living up to those ideas and practices; that they started putting honesty and integrity … ahead of everything else.” – Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Congressional Record, January 4, 2007

Broken Promise: Rules Committee Democrats, led by chairwomen Louise Slaughter (D-NY), refused to comply with the Committee’s customary and longstanding practices in refusing to withdraw a proposed amendment from Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) on the delegate voting bill at his request and then refusing to provide a copy of Kirk’s letter – a committee record – to the minority. As The Hill reports: “When the issue of the withdrawal of the amendment was being debated by the committee, the ranking member (David Dreier, R-Calif.) attempted to obtain a copy of the letter [asking to withdraw the amendment] ... and the majority willfully refused to produce a copy of the letter after repeated requests.” – “Dust Up Over Delegate Voting,” The Hill, January 25, 2007. House Democrats condoned these practices in voting against a privileged resolution calling on the Rules Committee to prevent future occurrences. – Roll Call Vote #54, January 24, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #99: Restore Democracy in the “People’s House”
Promise: “Every person in America has a right to have his or her voice heard…Respectful of both the wishes of the Founders, and the expectations of the American people, we offer the following principles for restoring democracy in the “People’s House,” guaranteeing that the voices of all the people are heard.” - Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “A New Direction For America,” Page 23

Broken Promise: “The new Democratic House majority has an ambitious plan for its first 100 hours in power, from increasing the minimum wage to strengthening ethics rules to having the federal government negotiate prescription drug prices. Unfortunately, its plans don’t include getting those provisions passed in the democratic fashion that the Democrats promised to adhere to once in the majority.” – “A Fairer House; But Not Quite Yet,” Washington Post Editorial, January 3, 2007

DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #100: Promote Bipartisan Cooperation
Promise: After President Bush gave his 2007 State of the Union Address outlining an ambitious new health care proposal, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid called on the two parties to work together in a bipartisan fashion: “Tonight, we welcomed President Bush’s overtures of bipartisanship and we hope to begin working with him to move our country in a new direction.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Press Release, January 23, 2007

Broken Promise: On the morning after President Bush’s State of the Union Address, the Washington Post reports on the reaction to his health care proposal among Democrats: “But the most surprising and encouraging development is that a President who for six years has only nibbled around the edges of health-care issues has weighed in with some bold ideas to expand coverage, rein in costs and bring some fairness to the tax code. Given that, you’d think Democrats would have welcomed a politically courageous proposal …. But instead, they’ve shifted reflexively into partisan attack mode, mischaracterizing the impacts of the proposal and shamelessly parroting the propaganda from the labor dinosaurs at the AFL-CIO.” – “Bipartisan Cooperation on Health Care is Dead on Arrival,” Washington Post Column from Steven Pearlstein, January 24, 2007