As House Democrats prepare to execute a plan that would allow them to bring to the floor emergency troop funding bill without having so much as a committee hearing – or any opportunity for Republican amendment for that matter – consider  these quotes from House Democrats when they were in the minority in the House of Representatives. Yesterday’s outrage is often today’s hypocrisy.

• From House Democrats’ 2006 manifesto: “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. … Bills should be developed following full hearings and open subcommittee markups, with appropriate referrals to other committees.”

• Then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in an October 20, 2006 letter to Republican leaders: “We must restore bipartisanship to the administration of the House, reestablish regular order for considering legislation, and ensure the rights of the minority, whichever party is in the minority. The voice of every American has a right to be heard.”

• Here’s Rules Committee Democrat Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) on July 12, 2005:  “Closed rules are an affront to our democracy. We should stop it now. My outrage and the outrage of all on [the Democrat side] of the aisle is as much about process as it is about policy. Pure partisan politics never produces sound public policy.”

• Another Rules Committee Democrat, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), on June 15, 2006: “The American people want to hear practical, well-thought ideas from their elected representatives. … These proposals and ideas deserve to come to the floor. They deserve to be debated, and they deserve a vote. … Congress is part of this government. In fulfillment of its responsibilities, this House should … bring real policy to the floor.” (Floor Remarks, 6/15/06)

• And, Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), from the very first week of this Congress: “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.”

First, it was our allies, now it’s our troops. Who will be the next victim of Speaker Pelosi’s strong-arming tactics?

Tagged as: War In Iraq, War on Terror
Posted 30 Apr 2008

Just hours after the House Republican Conference released its latest video on the Pelosi Premium, the Associated Press reports this troubling news:

 “Retail gas prices set new records Friday on their seemingly relentless march toward $3.50 a gallon, and diesel prices pushed further above $4 a gallon. Crude futures, meanwhile, surged to a new record of $117 a barrel.”

A year ago today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – then the Minority Leader – said “Democrats have a plan to lower gas prices …”

Not only are gas prices today $1.11 higher than the day Speaker Pelosi was sworn in, they are on a “seemingly relentless march toward $3.50.” A barrel of oil now costs $111 a barrel, up from $70 last year. This certainly isn’t the change Americans were promised.

Tagged as: Economy
Posted 18 Apr 2008

As job growth is slowing, the housing crunch persists, and gas prices continue to hit record highs, the American people look to Washington for results. However, the American family and our sluggish economy took a major blow yesterday. Not on Wall Street, but on the floor of the U.S. House. In an unprecedented move, Speaker Pelosi changed the rules through which trade agreements are considered – essentially killing the US-Colombia free trade deal.

During yesterday’s floor debate, Leader Boehner said: “This action today is nothing short of political blackmail.”

He’s right. It was. And editorial boards and experts from across the nation took notice of Speaker Pelosi’s politically-driven move.

Appearing in today’s Boston Globe, former New York Times reporter and Harvard expert Edward Schumacher-MatosWhat Colombia needs is the continued economic growth that is overcoming both social ills and the violence. The [US-Colombia] free trade agreement promises that, just as it promises growth for American workers.” wrote:

“Even the Speaker’s hometown San Francisco Chronicle said: “…Pelosi is playing politics by pandering to free-trade foes. Instead of accepting the usual fast-track process of voting up or down on the treaty within 90 days, she plans to rip up these rules and sidetrack the matter. … It’s not hard to guess why. She’s clearing the field of a painful Democratic dilemma: backing wider trade that unions fear will threaten their jobs.”

Under the headline ‘Pelosi’s War’, an Investor’s Business Daily editorial highlighted the danger of the US not supporting a strategic South American ally. “…Pelosi’s craven altering of House rules to kill off Colombia’s trade pact brings that danger to the Andes. If war breaks out, her name will be on it.  … Pelosi’s move leaves Colombia, an ally, in limbo and uncertainty. She may think her clever maneuver was done in a vacuum, but it wasn’t. In Venezuela’s capital of Caracas, where Hugo Chavez holds forth, and in the jungles of Colombia, where drug terrorists hide out, Pelosi’s move was watched closely. … Now, thanks to Pelosi’s bid to shunt Colombia off to trade limbo, the potential for war in a tinderbox Andean region — over any border incident or FARC terrorist attack — has been heightened.”

The New York Post took particular interest in the Speaker’s strong-armed tactics in ‘Pelosi’s Putrid Sellout,’ which read: “…Pelosi has an interesting way of dealing with the…issue of free trade: She cheats. … That’s precisely what House Democrats, at Pelosi’s insistence, did yesterday. … Big Labor said no - so Pelosi & Co. simply clicked their heels and snapped to attention.”

The Oklahoman (Pelosi’s ploy: Colombia deal succumbs to politics), The Mankato (MN) Free Press (Democrats miss value of free trade), The Marietta (GA) Daily Journal (Pelosi putting politics before country on trade), and The Cherokee (GA) Tribune (Passage of free-trade bill vital to our interests) all took aim at Pelosi’s harmful actions as well.

Tagged as: Economy
Posted 11 Apr 2008

Today the President will send the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement to Congress for its consideration. This agreement levels the playing field for American workers and will help our slowing economy, but House Democrats are having none of it. Perhaps a quick read of America’s newspaper editorials will change their mind:

Los Angeles Times: “Approve pact with Colombia.” (Editorial, 4/8/08)

Investor’s Business Daily: “Pass the Pact.” (Editorial, 4/7/08)

Washington Post: “As we have said, the proposed pact is good policy for both Colombia and the United States.” (Editorial,3/31/08)

The Wall Street Journal’s John Fund: “The Colombia agreement is another example of when politics must take a back seat for a larger good. We certainly know how Hugo Chavez is rooting for the congressional vote to turn out.” (Op-Ed, 4/7/08)

Philadelphia Inquirer: “Exports to Colombia could increase by more than $1 billion if Congress approves the agreement. Increasing U.S. exports means more jobs for American workers.” (Editorial, 4/8/08)

Orlando Sentinel: “Congress should waste no time in approving Colombian trade pact.” (Editorial, 4/8/08)

Charleston (SC) Post and Courier: “It would be both wrong and contradictory for Congress to block the free trade agreement that the Bush administration has negotiated with Colombia. The argument put forward by Democrats, that the government of President Alvaro Uribe has not done enough to protect human rights, is not convincing.” (Editorial, 4/8/08)

Chicago Tribune: “U.S. goods would be cheaper to buy in Colombia. That can only help to create jobs right here.” (Editorial, 4/8/08)

Tagged as: Economy
Posted 08 Apr 2008

For restless taxpayers and Americans fed up with a broken Washington, there was a genuine gleam of hope in January of this year when House Republicans called for an immediate earmark moratorium.
And despite much inaction by House Democrats, Speaker Pelosi recently told The Washington Post that “I’m not sure that I see a scenario in which there would be earmarks this year.”

However, not long after making that statement, Speaker Pelosi had an apparent change of heart about working with Republicans to get Washington’s fiscal house in order. The Associated Press reported just last week that “[Speaker] Pelosi has quietly shelved the idea of a [Republican-led] one-year moratorium on so-called earmarks….” Quite a change of heart, leading some to believe that the Speaker caved to pressure from the ‘Pork King’ and her bacon-hungry freshman Democrats.

But, the Speaker’s earmark doublespeak – which is not new to the American people [insert energy, taxes] – did not go unnoticed. In fact, editorial boards from across the country had some very colorful thoughts about Speaker Pelosi’s lack of leadership on this issue.

The Nashua (NH) Telegraph said “Democrats fall short on earmark reform. In 2007, when the Democrats were swept into majority positions in both houses of Congress, party leaders pledged to cut the number and cost of congressional earmarks in half. They failed. Instead, these costly pet projects are being tacked onto appropriation bills at a record rate, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday officially backed away from efforts to impose a one-year moratorium.”

A ‘Failing Grade’ is what the Beaver County (PA) Times gave House Democrats, adding: “House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced last week that a proposal for a one-year moratorium on so-called earmarks has been dropped.”

The Ventura County (CA) Star told readers “Pork stays on menu. Last fall, the newly ascendant congressional Democrats promised a thorough reform of earmarks or, failing that, a one-year moratorium on them. That was then and this is now…

Meanwhile, the Speaker’s hometown paper, the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote: “[Speaker] Pelosi recently dropped the idea of a moratorium on earmarks, although she told reporters, ‘It’s always an option. It can always be put back on the table.’ It belongs back on the table. Congress should be doing what it can to assert fiscal responsibility and address public cynicism about the way power is wielded in Washington.”

And to underscore the fact that House Democrats are part of the problem, not the solution, in fixing a broken Washington, CBS Evening News profiled Rep. Jack Murtha’s (D-PA) muddied earmark trail. CBS reports that Mr. Murtha has earmarked $2 billion of America’s hard-earned taxpayer dollars since 1992 to fund wasteful Washington spending all while receiving generous campaign contributions from his earmark recipients. “What’s good for Murtha and his home district isn’t necessarily good for America’s taxpayers.… His most notorious project is the government agency that the government doesn’t want: The National Drug Intelligence Center, also in Murtha’s hometown. Every year the White House tries to close it because they already have a Drug Intelligence Center. But Murtha keeps the duplicate open using half-a-billion dollars in earmarks,” the report adds.

Tagged as: Democrats Abuse of Power, Earmarks
Posted 07 Apr 2008

Yesterday a bipartisan group of 25 state attorneys general wrote House leaders urging a vote on the Senate-passed FISA bill (S.2248). In their letter, the AGs stated that passage of the bipartisan Senate-passed FISA bill would “ensure our intelligence experts are once again able to conduct real-time surveillance. … With S. 2248 still pending in the House of Representatives, our national security is in jeopardy.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans have penned another round of op-eds demonstrating our firm committment to passing this bipartisan legislation to combat terrorism and keep America safe.

Rep. Trent Franks (AZ), wrote a column for Townhall.com entitled ‘Democrat Leadership Must Stop Politicking with America’s National Security.’ “House leadership has repeatedly chosen to exploit America’s national security for the sake of political posturing, and they continue to jeopardize the ability of our intelligence community to fulfill the most fundamental purpose of our federal government, to provide for the common defense,” wrote Mr. Franks.

Rep. Tom Feeney (FL), wrote an op-ed – subheadline: “Democrats are putting special interests first” – that appears on Floridatoday.Com. Mr. Feeney argued, “What the American people deserve is safety, and it is time for obstructionist Democrats to stop playing politics for their wealthy contributors [trial lawyers] and start acting responsibly to protect our families and children.”

Rep. Charlie Dent (PA), who’s been one the most outspoken House Republicans on this issue, penned an entry on The Hill’s Congress Blog entitled “There Are No More Excuses.” A member of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Dent wrote “It has now been sixteen days since the Protect America Act expired. And for all that time, we have had a bipartisan solution in hand. This entire episode is a perfect example of why Americans are frustrated with a broken Washington.”

Tagged as: General
Posted 05 Mar 2008

USA Today reports that House Democrats will unveil their fiscal 2009 budget on Wednesday. If budgets are about priorities, then Democrat proposal speaks clearly about how little they value fiscal responsibility. As USA Today says succinctly:

Democrats “want more domestic spending. They want fewer tax cuts. And they reject savings in Medicare.”

Remember when Democrats claimed to be the party of fiscal responsibility? It wasn’t that long ago when Speaker Nancy Pelosi “promise[d] fiscal restraint,” professed that Democrats “love tax cuts” and are “committed to addressing the long-term challenge faced by Social Security and Medicare.”

Tagged as: Democrats Abuse of Power, Tax Relief
Posted 04 Mar 2008

This week, Democrat leaders adjourned the House after another unproductive week while forbidding even a single floor vote on the bipartisan Senate FISA bill, legislation they know would pass with overwhelming support. The stakes remain high for our national security – we are less safe because the Protect America Act has expired and our intelligence community is being asked to do its job with one hand tied behind its back. House Democrats continue to defy the bipartisan will of a majority of Congress and are putting the interest of the trial bar before the national security of the American people.

House Republicans have been at the forefront in getting this critical message out from coast-to-coast. Check out some of the op-eds House Republicans have written and placed in recent days below.

Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): Democrats miss chance for unity on security

Mexia Daily News: Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX): Securing Our Country With Better Intelligence

Jackson Citizen Patriot: Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI): Congress blocks us from listening in

The Washington Times: Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) and Rep. Pete King (R-NY): A big bouquet for al Qaeda

Austin American Statesman: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX): We can’t play waiting game when it comes to U.S. security

Lehigh Valley Express-Times: Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA): Surveillance Act Extension Vital to US Security

Cincinnati Enquirer: Rep. John Boehner (R-OH): House must update foreign surveillance act

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO): Immunity necessary to protect America

Los Angeles Times: Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): No 4th Amendment for terrorists abroad

New York Post: Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL): Dems’ Dereliction

Wall Street Journal: Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), with Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO): Hard of Hearing

Tagged as: Homeland Security, War on Terror
Posted 29 Feb 2008

It has now been nearly 3 days and 12 hours since our nation became significantly less safe and our intelligence officials went blind to new terrorist plots.

This turn of events is the direct result of House Democrats’ irresponsible decision to allow the Protect America Act to expire, thereby depriving our intelligence officials of the critical tools they need to effectively track terrorist movements. After coming together on Capitol Hill last week with a unified and clear voice on this critical issue, House Republicans are fanning out across the country, putting it plain to the American people that their security is at risk because of the loss of these vital intelligence capabilities.

The impact of this grassroots effort is already being felt. As The Hill points out in its lead story today: “Freshman House Democrats from New Hampshire to Arizona are under assault for a decision by Democratic leaders not to pass Senate legislation that would have reauthorized expanded wiretapping powers for national intelligence agencies.” The story goes on to point out that “Republicans are honing their message in congressional districts around the country.”

Here are just a few examples:

Charleston (WV) Daily Mail: “Capito blasts House over expiring eavesdropping law.”

“Of West Virginia’s five-member congressional delegation, only Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito have vouched support for extending a law that grants the government authority to intercept foreign communications passing through the United States. ‘We didn’t do anything today of much substance,’ Capito said Thursday. ‘We had time to talk and make sure we come upon an agreement. Now we’ve got a loophole that will prevent us from the most optimum way of collecting intelligence in this rapid day of communications. I can’t believe we’re leaving here without finishing this business.”

Sioux (IA) City Journal: “King: FISA expiration will damage foreign intelligence”

“Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King contends the lapsing of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will cause the U.S. to miss out on important information to track terrorists. ‘We will lose two-thirds of our intelligence gathering capability … We will have missed intelligence,’ King said, since FISA expired overnight when Congress failed to extend it earlier this week. … The expiration, King said, is a terrible step for the nation.”

The Altmore (AL) Advance: “House Democrats allow Protect America Act to expire”

Rep. Jo Bonner writes in an op-ed: “As Members of Congress return to their congressional districts this week, terrorists will not stop plotting deadly attacks on our homeland. It is the responsibility of Congress to update the laws that govern our intelligence community. We are a nation at war, and by allowing this legislation to expire, the Democratic majority has undermined the ability of our intelligence officials to protect us.”

Tagged as: Homeland Security, War on Terror
Posted 20 Feb 2008

Will Democrats explicitly accept or reject House Republicans’ call for an immediate earmark moratorium? So far Democrats have turned their backs on our offer, and they have resorted to tired Washington rhetoric to deflect attention away from the issue, rather than clearly and publicly embrace it or reject it.

Recall that in July 2006, The Wall Street Journal reported: “Breaking with many Democrats” then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi “also spoke out against earmarking billions of dollars for home-state projects, a practice she calls a ‘monster’ that hurts Congress. ‘I’d get rid of all of them,’ she says. ‘None of them is worth the skepticism, the cynicism the public has . . . and the fiscal irresponsibility of it.’”

How times have changed. Today, Speaker Pelosi’s hometown paper calls hers the Party of Pork, saying that “Democrats are on the wrong side of an issue they once so passionately championed.” It’s not hard to figure out why. Washington is broken, and in order to fix it, we must rid Washington of wasteful, pork-barrel spending like hippie museums, monuments to Members of Congress and the Murtha, Inc earmark factory.

Given the choice to join House Republicans in this most critical task and take the sensible bipartisan course to reform, Democrats have once again sided with the broken earmark status quo and opted for playing coy, trying misdirection while trying to claim the dubious mantle of “fiscal responsibility.”

As Rep. Mike Pence said in the House GOP Weekly Radio Address last week, “By challenging Speaker Pelosi and the House majority to join us in ending earmarks as usual in Washington, D.C., House Republicans have thrown down the gauntlet of reform.”

It’s time – past time, actually – for Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats to clearly and unequivocally accept or reject our proposal for an immediate earmark moratorium.

Tagged as: Earmarks
Posted 06 Feb 2008