| WASHINGTON, D.C. –
On the House floor this morning, House Republican Leader John Boehner
(R-OH) delivered remarks highlighting Democrats’ relentless spending
binge and the Majority’s unprecedented move to shut down GOP amendments
designed to challenge runaway spending in Washington. Fair and open
debate was a key component of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) “New
Direction” document distributed in 2006 that remains on her website today. Boehner’s remarks as prepared follow:
“Madam Speaker, three years ago, the Democratic leadership, promising a so-called ‘New Direction,’ made these promises: “Quote,
‘Every person in America has a right to have his or her voice heard.
No Member of Congress should be silenced on the floor.’ Quote,
‘Respectful of both the wishes of the Founders, and the expectations of
the American people, we offer the following principles for restoring
democracy in the ‘People’s House,’ guaranteeing that the voices of all
the people are heard.’ One of those principles was that - quote,
‘Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows
open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that
grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives, including a
substitute.’ “Today, the Majority is breaking
its promise. Why? Because the Democrats in charge of Congress just
can’t spend taxpayer money fast enough. This is bad for taxpayers who
already are paying too much. It’s even worse for future generations
who will inherit the Democrats’ mountain of unsustainable debt. “Americans
want Democrats to stop the spending and start keeping their promises –
like helping to create more jobs. Where are the jobs the
Administration and Democrats in Congress promised? Where are the
jobs? The American people deserve better, and Republicans will
continue to demand it. “This is the most
dangerous credit card in the world: the congressional voting card.
Republicans won’t stand for the ongoing abuse of this credit card,
because our children and their children will pay the bill. “We
have important work to do here in the House, such as the defense
authorization bill for our troops. Republicans are working with our
Democratic colleagues to get this bill done in a bipartisan way. But
we also have the responsibility to protect taxpayers from Washington’s
out of control spending. “We take that
seriously as well, and we will never yield in our effort to protect
taxpayers – and future generations. I move that the House do now
adjourn.” | 
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