GOP House members seek appropriations commitments
Republicans would like Democrats to agree to expeditious consideration of supplemental spending bill and individual action on all 12 appropriations measures.
House Republican appropriators Monday wrote to House Appropriations Chairman David Obey urging him to quickly take up a war supplemental spending bill and commit to committee action on all 12 of the fiscal 2011 appropriations bills.
"We ... respectfully request that you expeditiously schedule a full Appropriations Committee markup of a clean emergency supplemental funding bill and allow this critical legislation to be considered through the traditional regular order process on the House floor," the letter said.
Democrats on the spending panel chalked up the letter to political gamesmanship.
"It's a political year, and this is a political letter that tries to rewrite history and the requirements of House rules," said Ellis Brachman, Democratic spokesman for the panel.
The letter came after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said last week that he expects the House to consider the fiscal 2010 war supplemental spending bill before the Memorial Day recess.
Panel Republicans emphasized they want the supplemental bill to be clean because must-pass spending legislation typically attracts provisions that might not be able to pass on their own. They are seeking a pledge from Obey to act on the 12 annual appropriations bills under the traditional open-rule process.
Some Republicans have questioned whether Democrats want to complete the appropriations bills, which generally become vehicles to debate the contentious issues, before the November elections to protect members from taking difficult votes.
Last year, House Republicans criticized Democrats for limiting amendments to appropriations bills to meet a deadline for House passage by the August recess. Republicans claimed the use of the structured rule for spending bills was unprecedented, excessive and clamped down on the minority's right to represent its constituents. Democrats responded that similar rules were used by Republicans when they were in the majority.
The requirement for an open rule "will allow each and every member of the House the opportunity to debate and amend these measures, and will restore their voices to the legislative process," the letter said.