AUTHORIZING REMOTE VOTING BY PROXY AND PROVIDING FOR OFFICIAL REMOTE COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS DURING A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO A NOVEL CORONAVIRUS; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 94
(Extensions of Remarks - May 19, 2020)
Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING REMOTE VOTING BY PROXY AND PROVIDING FOR OFFICIAL REMOTE
COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS DURING A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY DUE TO A NOVEL
CORONAVIRUS
______
speech of
HON. GUY RESCHENTHALER
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Friday, May 15, 2020
Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Res. 965,
which is nothing more than a power grab by my Democrat colleagues that
would upend over 200 years of precedent and have serious constitutional
and institutional repercussions.
Across our nation, millions of Americans go to work every day to help
their communities and defeat the COVID-19 outbreak. They expect their
elected officials to do the same. But under the proposal put forth by
House Democrats, 20 members would control Congress, while the rest stay
home and cede their votes.
Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution states, ``a Majority of
each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may
adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance
of absent Members.'' At a time when traveling took days to weeks,
rather than mere hours, our Founding Fathers recognized that while
inconvenient, being physically present was necessary for good
governance. And despite recent legislative sessions, which prove
Members of Congress can conduct regular business in a safe manner,
Democrats want to recklessly alter the U.S. House of Representatives as
our founders designed it.
In addition to throwing out 230 years of tradition, H. Res. 965
stifles the voices of tens of millions of Americans. As long as these
rules are in place, House leadership will control every step of the
legislative process. Rank and file members will be cut out of lawmaking
completely, in turn denying the people they represent a seat at the
table.
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Rules Committee Ranking Member Tom
Cole, and Administration Committee Ranking Member Rodney Davis put
forward a detailed plan for how the House can continue operations
during this crisis. House Republicans stand ready to find bipartisan
solutions that ensure members can fulfill their constitutional duties.
But the resolution proposed by House Democrats is not the answer.
Mr. Speaker, our country has faced serious challenges since its
founding, including the Spanish influenza. For the first time in our
history, a single party is taking advantage of a crisis to jam through
unprecedented and unconstitutional changes that will forever alter this
institution. I strongly oppose H. Res. 965, which will devastate our
democracy and silence the People's voice.
____________________