Discharge Petition on Bipartisan Border Security Measure
Posted by Nick on March 26th, 2008
On March 14th, Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA) introduced a discharge petition in effort to bring the bipartisan Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act to the House floor for a vote. Originally introduced by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), H.R. 4088 further strengthens America’s borders while ensuring employers verify that their workers are legal citizens. Since its introduction, the SAVE Act has been stalled in eight House committees awaiting consideration.
A “discharge petition” is a legislative tool provided under official House rules by which a bill can be forced onto the House floor for a vote if a majority of House Members sign a petition in support of it. Under House rules, Members have the right to circulate a discharge petition as a defense against heavy-handed or unfair tactics by the leadership of the party that controls the House. The Democratic leadership in the House has refused to allow the bipartisan border security bill to come to the floor for a vote. But if a sufficient number of House Members sign the Drake discharge petition, the Democratic leadership will be forced to allow it to come to the floor for a vote.
Today inNational Review Online, Rep. Peter Hoeskstra asks why Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership refuse to allow a vote on the bi-partisan Senate-passed FISA bill:
Pelosi’s Vacation Alibi
Why won’t Speaker Pelosi simply allow an honest up or down vote on the bipartisan Senate FISA bill?
By Peter Hoekstra
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives Democrat leadership was in a panic as it faced another lengthy congressional recess without House action to fix a serious problem with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that is hampering the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor the communications of foreign terrorists. In February, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set off a firestorm of criticism when she adjourned the House for a one-week recess without taking action on a bipartisan Senate bill to fix the FISA problem and allowed legislation providing a temporary fix to expire. House Democrats feared more criticism if they left town again without appearing to take action on this issue…
Rep. John McHugh (R-NY), Military Personnel Subcommittee Ranking Republican:
“It is clear today that we have moved toward a better situation in Iraq, and that is principally because of the work of our men and women in uniform. Their dedication, commitment and sacrifice over the past five years have been a model to the nation, and we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our service personnel and their families. I am looking forward to General Petraeus’ testimony before the House in early April. I am hopeful we can continue to safely and responsibly bring our troops home without negatively impacting the security of the region.”
…Ultimately, Iraq is a microcosm of a larger war the United States and Great Britain are waging against Islamist terrorism and extremism. The battles on the streets of Iraq have a direct relevance to the national security of the U.S. and its allies, and to walk away from this front line of the war against Islamist terrorism would significantly increase the terrorist threat to the West itself.
This is a long-term conflict that must be fought to ensure the security of the free world. America’s recent success in Iraq demonstrates that this is a war that can and must be won.
…Iraq’s presidential council approved a law Wednesday that paves the way for provincial elections, giving a major boost to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation on the fifth anniversary of the war.
The move came two days after Vice President Dick Cheney visited Baghdad to press Iraqi leaders to overcome their differences and take advantage of a lull in violence to make political progress.
Audio from the March 13th press briefing can now be found on the House Republican Leader Podcast. If iTunes is installed on your computer, you can click here to subscribe.
As the House prepares to vote on the Democrat budget resolution, let’s take another look at what the plan would mean for hard-working Americans:
* It raises taxes by $1.265 trillion over five years and $3.911 trillion over 10 years, or more than $3,135 per household annually;
* It includes 17 reserve funds that could be used to raise taxes by hundreds of billions more;
* It increases discretionary spending by 8 percent and does not terminate a single wasteful program;
* It completely ignores the impending explosion of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid costs; and
* It does nothing to reverse the “hollowing out” of our defense forces.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, during an appearance this morning on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, emphasized the difference between the majority’s budget and the alternative that he supports:
Analysis of the Democrats’ budget by Heritage’s Center for Data Analysis reveals the U.S. economy will suffer huge losses in GDP, job creation and personal income if implemented. In Hensarling’s 5th congressional district in Texas, that means a tax increase of $1,848 per person and an additional loss of $1,770 in income. The budget would cost his district 2,197 jobs for a whopping $251 million.
Over the course of the past month, I’ve watched as House Democratic leaders have chosen partisan politics over the safety and security of the American people. The latest FISA proposal from the House Majority is no exception, and it’s dead on arrival.
By outsourcing critical national security decisions to unelected judges and their trial lawyer allies, House Democrats have made it clear that they have no intention of giving our intelligence officials every tool they need to protect us. Their latest proposal would also hand over valuable national security oversight to a new commission charged with handling matters which already fall within the responsibilities of the existing House Intelligence Committee. And it would leave patriotic third parties exposed to unfettered and costly lawsuits at the hands of trial lawyers who are counting on the Democratic majority in Congress to block real FISA modernization.
It has become clear that trial lawyers are dictating national security policies to this Democratic Congress. This is a reckless, dangerous practice that has been openly opposed by their House Democratic colleagues. It’s time for rank-and-file Democrats to demand that their leaders to put our national security first and allow an up-or-down vote on the bipartisan Senate FISA bill. This latest proposal from House Democratic leaders is a sham, and it is clearly unacceptable to the U.S. Senate, the President, and the American people.
Boehner Offers Privileged Resolution on Stolen Ethics Vote
Posted by Nick on March 12th, 2008
One of the few tools available to the minority party, the privileged resolution calls into question actions affecting the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, and the integrity of its proceedings. When brought before the House, privileged resolutions take precedence over all other proceedings except motions to adjourn.
Last night, the Democratic leadership violated its own rules while holding open a roll call vote for the purpose of reversing the outcome in order to pass a flawed “ethics” scheme. The privileged resolution offered by Republican Leader Boehner today outlines the hypocrisy by Democratic leaders and their failure to live up to the ethics rules they put in place.
Democrat Opposed to Faux “Ethics Reform” Silenced by His Own Party
Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on March 11th, 2008
Tonight, House Democrats began debate on the Pelosi/Capuano “ethics” sham by refusing to allow one of their own members to speak – Rep. Neil Abercrombie, Democrat from Hawaii.
Rep. Abercrombie just happens to oppose the scheme, which would create an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy between Members of Congress and entities such as the Department of Defense and the FBI that exist to fight corruption at the highest levels.
Audio from today’s Republican Leadership stakeout can now be found on the House Republican Leader Podcast. If iTunes is installed on your computer, you can click here to subscribe.
