WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the day Gallup reported that the American people’s confidence in Congress has fallen to a record low, House Republicans launched a renewed push to highlight and enact “read the bill” reforms demanded by the American people.  House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has posted on America Speaking Out an idea originally authored by Rep. John Culberson (R-TX) to prohibit the House from considering any bill that has not been publicly available via the Internet for three days. 

           “One of the reasons why Americans have such little confidence in Congress is because of the practice of rushing massive, expensive bills to a vote without giving lawmakers or the American people time to read them,” Boehner said.  “This is the people’s House: ‘read the bill’ should not be just an afterthought – it should be the first and only thought.”            “Read the bill” reform is the first plank of the transparency initiative House Republicans released last fall.  In September, Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) filed a discharge petition to force a floor vote on bipartisan three-day public review legislation authored by Reps. John Culberson (R-TX) and Brian Baird (D-WA).  To date, the petition has garnered 182 signatures – including five rank-and-file Democrats – 36 short of the 218 needed to secure a vote on the floor.  Leader Boehner, a co-sponsor of the Culberson-Baird measure, has pledged that Republicans would implement “read the bill” reform should they earn back the majority.

           “Everywhere I go, taxpayers want to know why they don’t give Congress and the public enough time to read and understand these enormously costly bills,” Rep. Walden said. “This is a no-brainer.  It’s time to let the sun shine in and change how the House operates.”

           “At a time when record high spending bills are passing the House, this resolution would give Members of Congress and the American public a chance to read legislation before a vote,” Culberson said. “This resolution will enhance public participation in our democracy and help restore the public trust in government by raising the level of transparency, order, and discourse.”

           NOTE: Americans are fed up with Congress passing bills no one has read.  Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders have rushed hugely consequential and expensive legislation through the House without giving the American people time to review the measures.  Here are just five high-profile examples:

• Trillion-Dollar ‘Stimulus.’ In one of the most infamous displays of brazen partisanship, Democratic leaders posted the text of their ‘stimulus’ bill in the dark of night well past midnight only to turn around and force members to vote on it less than 12 hours after it was made public.
• ‘Cap-and-Trade’ National Energy Tax.  House Democrats passed a national energy tax bill loaded with special-interest giveaways no one had discovered because a 300-page, never-before-seen amendment to their already massive 1,200-page bill was unveiled at 3am the day of the vote.
• $500 Billion Omnibus Spending Bill.  When trying to beat a path out of Washington last December, Democratic leaders rushed a 2,500-page, half trillion omnibus spending bill to the floor with less than 24 hours notice and just an hour of debate.
• DISCLOSE Act.  At the last minute, Democratic leaders produced a new 46-page manager’s amendment to their 84-page campaign bill that was chock full of backroom deals and carve outs for special interest groups.
• SCHIP.  The Democrats brought their flawed State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill – which shortchanged low-income children and expanded coverage to illegal immigrants and adults – to the House floor for a vote less than 24 hours after it had been unveiled.

Reps. Gene Green (TX-29), Frank Wolf (VA-10), and John Culberson (TX-07) today expressed strong support for the Senate NASA authorization bill’s inclusion of funding for a NASA-owned heavy lift vehicle capable of traveling to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The President’s budget proposal released on February 1 cancelled the Constellation program and instead proposed funding for space transportation solely in up-and-coming private companies.  Congress strongly rejected this, citing concerns of terminating a program in which taxpayers had made a $9 billion investment and relying on companies without proven capabilities.  In the following months, Members of Congress worked with industry experts and with NASA and the Obama Administration to reach a compromise:  Immediately develop a heavy lift vehicle and continue funding for the Orion, the deep space crew capsule.   

The catalyst for compromise came in the form of a bipartisan letter signed by more than 60 House Members and led by Rep. Green, Rep. Wolf, Rep. Ruppersberger and Rep. Culberson.  The letter called on President Obama to support the immediate development of a heavy lift architecture – as opposed to waiting until 2015 – allowing the United States to continue the elite astronaut corps, preserve an irreplaceable workforce, protect the defense industrial base, and ensure that the U.S. will travel beyond low-Earth orbit within the decade.

Today the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee passed a bill that authorizes the immediate development of a heavy lift vehicle.  The new direction for NASA’s human space flight program will utilize the engineering and technology advancements accomplished through Constellation and keep the United States at the forefront of space exploration.  Now, the House Science and Technology Committee must act quickly to ensure NASA immediately develops a heavy lift vehicle and continues investment in the Orion. 

Rep. Gene Green:

“Ensuring that our nation remains at the forefront of human space exploration is a top priority of mine.  I believe that this compromise is an important step toward maintaining America’s preeminence in science and technology, especially space exploration.”

Rep. Frank Wolf:

“I was pleased to see the Senate embrace our compromise proposal, which ensures continued American leadership in space.  Last month, 62 members of the House representing 18 states sent a strong message to the president urging his support for this compromise.  I am pleased that the Senate sent a similar message today.” 

Rep. John Culberson:

“I could not be more pleased to see that the Senate answered our call to protect the taxpayers’ investment and ensure that the United States remains the leader in human space exploration.  This was a team effort, and I want to thank Reps. Wolf, Green, and Olson as well as my other colleagues who have worked tirelessly to protect NASA’s human space flight program.”

I am deeply disappointed that the Obama Administration has issued a new offshore drilling moratorium.  These moratoria directly reflect this administration’s underlying agenda, which is punishing our domestic oil and gas industry.

The American people need to know what caused this disaster and what should be done to prevent another spill.  But we should respond in a thoughtful and deliberate way that protects jobs while enhancing safety.  The administration’s approach is ham-handed, poorly written, and punitive to the honest, hardworking people who have been put in limbo by the prohibition on oil and gas exploration.

The most troubling aspect of the moratorium is it’s devastating effect on jobs and the economy.  The previous moratorium was struck down in federal court for being “arbitrary and capricious,” and the only logical conclusion is that the president and the Interior Secretary are willing to sacrifice jobs and ignore the courts to advance their agenda.  I will continue pushing legislation that overturns this moratorium.

• An amendment to require a report from the Attorney General on the participation and costs of “Operation Streamline” – a successful border enforcement program that has dramatically reduced crime and illegal immigration along parts of our southern border. The amendment also asks the Department to report on potential costs of expanding the program to every judicial district along the U.S. – Mexico border.

This amendment passed on a voice vote.

• An amendment to prohibit funds for space partnerships with China. The President’s recently announced national space policy calls for greater international cooperation in space.  While I support cooperation, we must be cautious when it comes to China, who’s space program is run wholly by its military.  My concern is that the President’s policy creates the possibility of the United States and American companies contracting with the Chinese military.

This amendment was defeated on a 4-9 party line vote.

• An amendment to prohibit the administering of “Miranda Rights” to “enemy belligerents” in the custody of the Department of Defense or intelligence agency officials.  It is appalling to me that our soldiers and law enforcement officials are required to grant Constitutional rights to foreign combatants who seek to kill Americans.

This amendment was defeated on a 4-9 party line vote.

• An amendment to prohibit funds for the Department of Justice to participate in legal challenges to the recently passed immigration law in Arizona. The federal government has failed to secure our southern border.  Rather than spend time and resources suing Arizona, we should focus on securing the border and fixing our broken immigration system.

This amendment was defeated on a 5-8 vote, with one Democrat supporting the amendment.

In addition to these amendments, I voted in favor of amendments offered by my Republican colleagues that would have saved billions of taxpayer dollars by freezing spending and prohibiting trial lawyers from engaging in certain class action lawsuits.  Unfortunately, these amendments were also defeated on party line votes.

As Congress moves through the appropriations process, I will continue fighting for fiscal and Constitutional conservatism.

Alternatively, Republicans have offered a budget resolution that cuts spending and achieves a budget surplus within 10 years.  Speaker Pelosi and Budget Committee Chairman Spratt have refused to allow debate on this proposal, let alone bring it up for a vote.

Congressional Budget Office data show that increased spending levels have played a major role in producing record deficits.  I voted against $2.3 trillion of spending under the Bush Administration and have voted against nearly $7 trillion since President Obama took office.  As a dedicated fiscal conservative, I will continue working to put our country on a path of fiscal responsibility.  We cannot continue to mortgage this country’s future by accumulating debt and passing the bill to our children and grandchildren.

The bill does not adequately address the problem of “too big to fail” firms, leaving the door open to future bailouts.  Meanwhile, the legislation does nothing to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Government Sponsored Enterprises which are responsible for the majority of taxpayer money lost in the bailout.  As the Wall Street Journal has noted, “[Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac,] and other government entities were responsible for more than $2.7 trillion in subprime and Alt-A exposure.”  Their reckless behavior precipitated the financial crisis. 

Real reform must address this problem, not exacerbate it by increasing the government’s role in the market.  House conservatives have crafted legislation that would phase out taxpayer subsidies of Fannie and Freddie, resolve large failing firms through bankruptcy, and hold both Wall Street and the federal government accountable.  I believe these reforms are necessary to end the era of bailouts and usher in new era of responsibility.

Violence along the U.S. –Mexico border is an increasingly serious threat to our national security.  Today, Congressman Culberson and a bipartisan group sent a letter to President Obama urging him to send the National Guard to protect our Southern border.  The text of the letter is below:

April 28, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

As you know, violence in the vicinity of the U.S.-Mexico border continues to increase at an alarming rate.  We believe that this violence represents a serious threat to the national security of the United States as well as a serious threat to U.S. citizens that live along the 1,969 mile long border.   We strongly believe that it is imperative for your Administration to promptly take the necessary steps to prevent this violence.

We urge the Administration to take action to address this growing national security threat on our southern border.  Without swift and decisive action, it is our fear that this violence will only increase in severity and scope.  We urge you to deploy the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, as has been requested by a number of border state Governors and Members of Congress.   We ask that any National Guard troops that are deployed should be provided with very clear guidance of proper rules of engagement and should be armed and allowed to defend themselves if fired upon or attacked.

As you know, the level of violence along the border continues to increase.  Since January 2008, nearly 5,000 homicides have been committed in Juarez, Mexico, making it one of the most violent cities in the world.  In 2009 alone, 79 U.S. citizens were killed in Juarez, Mexico.  On March 13^th of this year, Lesley Enriquez, a U.S. Consulate employee, and her husband Arthur Redelf, a ten year veteran of the El Paso Police Department, were killed when Mexican drug gang members fired a number of rounds at their vehicle.  That same day, Jorge Alberto Salcido, the husband of a U.S. Consulate employee, was killed when cartel members shot at his car at a separate location.

On March 27, 2010, Robert Krentz, a longtime Arizona rancher, was found shot dead and slumped over in his all-terrain vehicle with the engine still running.  Following the murder of Mr. Krentz, his assailant was tracked to the U.S.- Mexico border and there is evidence that he crossed the border into Mexico.  The day before the killing, Mr. Krentz’s brother had called the Border Patrol to report a caravan of illegal immigrants who were ultimately caught carrying 280 pounds of marijuana. 

Additionally, our Border Patrol and law enforcement agents along the border are facing a growing threat to their safety.  Assaults against Border Patrol agents increased 46 percent from 752 incidents in 2007 to 1,097 incidents in 2008.  Recent analysis from the El Paso Sector Border Intelligence Center warns that retaliatory actions against law enforcement officers could occur in the border region.

 At the same time, we urge the Administration to provide the Border Patrol with the support it needs, both in terms of tangible resources such as state-of-the-art technology and equipment, as well as ensuring that agents are not disciplined or prosecuted for performing their duties or defending themselves against attacks.

We stand ready to work together with you and your Administration on these important issues to ensure the safety and security of all Americans in the border region and throughout our country.

Sincerely,

John Culberson

Member of Congress

With that in mind, I have some serious concerns about this bill.   In its current form, the bill would codify government policies which have sent billions of taxpayer dollars to Wall Street firms.  This bill would also restrict access to credit for families and small businesses, which would further damage our weakened economy.  It would also create broad new authority for government bureaucrats to regulate major sectors of the economy, many of which have never taken a dime from the taxpayers.

In this era of expanding government and exploding deficits, we need to focus on fiscally responsible solutions that protect taxpayers and the free market.   This bill ignores the principle causes of the financial crisis and creates a burdensome new regulatory system that will increase costs for businesses and consumers.   Congress must address the root causes of the recent financial crisis, close regulatory gaps, and fix the misguided policies that contributed to the housing crisis and subsequent credit crunch.  This includes winding down mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ending bailouts of failed financial institutions that helped precipitate the crisis, and strengthening oversight of credit rating agencies.  Private sector financial institutions should never rely on taxpayer contributions to stay afloat.