House GOP Parties While Forcing Clerk to Read Legislation Aloud

By Jonathan Allen | July 23, 2009 6:59 PM | | Comments (0)

A handful of House Republicans forced a clerk to read much of a 54-page motion aloud to a nearly empty chamber Thursday evening as their GOP colleagues escaped to attend an annual "beach party" thrown by Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio.

After about half an hour, they withdrew the first motion and offered a second one, prolonging the process to roughly 45 minutes.

A Boehner spokesman said in an e-mail that he was "headed down now" to the party at Cantina Marina as the clerk labored to finish a task that is typically dispensed with in seconds by unanimous consent.

Republicans are angry at Democrats for using what they say are extraordinarily heavy-handed tactics to limit the GOP's role in the legislative process.

"We forced the reading of the [motion to recommit] to protest the un-democratic rules the Democratic leadership is insisting on for the appropriations process, which do not allow Republicans the opportunity to step in the way of their out-of-control spending spree," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said. "Boehner will vote on both the [motion to recommit] and final passage."

More from CQ Politics

Categories: House, Legislation, Slice of Congressional Life

Tags: Boehner

Post A Comment


(for verification only; will not be published with your comment)