Dreier Reacts to Democrats’ Announced Plan To Trample On Minority Rights

March 28, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas, CA), House Rules Committee Ranking Republican, raised serious concerns today about reports that the Democratic majority plans to rewrite House Rules to undermine the minority's right to offer a motion to recommit (MTR). A MTR returns a bill to committee, and provides a last opportunity to amend a bill. Republicans made the MTR a guaranteed minority right when they came into the majority in 1994, and never altered the minority's right to offer it.

“On the campaign trail, Democrats said they would run a different kind of House, and now we know what they meant. They want to undo guaranteed minority rights we gave them, reverting to the draconian ways of their previous majority,” Dreier said. “Planning to kill the last opportunity to amend bills on the House floor shows that the Democratic leadership will stop at nothing to deny Members the ability to participate in the legislative process.”

Republican MTR’s have been adopted with bipartisan support seven times so far this year. This, despite the fact that the Democratic‑controlled House Rules Committee has reported out closed rules, denying any amendments for the most significant pieces of legislation considered thus far on the House floor including the Iraq supplemental appropriations bill.

“Bipartisan passage of our motions to recommit is clear evidence that there are ways to improve legislation, regardless of how hard the new Majority seeks to shut Members out,” Dreier stated. “Perhaps the Democratic leadership is more concerned with winning than keeping their promises on fairness and minority rights.”