House Proceeding 07-15-09 on Jul 15th, 2009 :: 0:07:30 to 0:10:45
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0:07:26 to 0:07:46( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: after that debate, the chair will put the question of consideration to wit, will the house now consider the resolution? the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. but first the house will come to order. will members, especially to the chair's right, please take

0:07:30 to 0:10:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jeff Flake

0:07:47 to 0:08:07( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: their conversations to the cloakroom? the gentleman from arizona. mr. flake: i thank the chair. you know, we're going through an appropriations process.

0:08:08 to 0:08:28( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: we'll do two bills this week. traditionally appropriation bills have been open rules. they come to the floor, members are allowed to offer as many amendments as they'd wish, striking funding, moving funding around, making a policy point. that has been the trition of this house. the house is not in order. mr. gingrey: mr. speaker, the

0:08:29 to 0:08:50( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: house is definitely not in order. the speaker pro tempore: members will please take their conversations are to the cloakroom. the gentleman is entitled to be heard. the gentleman from arizona. mr. flake: mr. speaker, it is sometimes pointed out that it hasn't alws been this way, that appropriation bills hasn't always been open, and that there's no reason why they

0:08:51 to 0:09:11( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: should be. but i would remind the house, mr. speaker, that over the past 20 years we've gotten into a practice of loading up and larding up the appropriation bills with all kinds of connelly directed spending. the chairman of the appropriations committee likes

0:09:12 to 0:09:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: to say that when he chaired the appropriations committee in 1992 when the labor-hhs bill came through there was not one congressional earmark, not one. that's just less than 20 years ago. not one congressional earmk. i think in the past couple of years there's been an upward of 2,500 earmarks in that bill.

0:09:34 to 0:09:55( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: and the bill we'll address the bill, the energy and water bill, there are literally hundreds of earmarks. now, one would like to think that the appropriations committee would vet these earmarks, would actually check them out to see if they're meeting federal purpose, if money is being wasted, if it's maybe looks bad, looks like it's tied to campaign

0:09:56 to 0:10:16( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: contributions or whatever, but they don't. they don't have the time or the resources or perhaps the inclination to do so. and so all we have is this forum here on the floor. and when you bring an appropriation bill to the floor under a closed rule, a restricted rule or structured rule and deny members the

0:10:17 to 0:10:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: ability to offer amendments, then you've shut down this place in a way that is simply not right. in this bill for this bill there were 103 amendments submitted. now, because you have to prefile your amendments, a lot of members will offer more amendments than -- they'll submit more amendments than they intend to offer on the floor just to protect their

0:10:38 to 0:10:45( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Flake: place. so the majority party knows that we would never have offered 103 amendments on the floor. we will have time to do it.