Pelosi Chooses Secrecy Over Openness
by Rep. Patrick McHenry
Posted Jan 09, 2007
The more things change, the more they stay the same. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved to shut out Republican ideas in the first hours of Democrat control, bringing the Democrats' 100-Hour Agenda to the House floor shrouded in secrecy. This means legislation affecting a broad range of national policies is being written behind closed doors by a
select few in the Speaker's inner-circle.
This is not altogether surprising given the Democrats' record during 40 years of majority control before the Contract with America swept them from power. Those 40 years were plagued with consistent, systematic efforts to usurp the rights of the Republican minority and their constituents. But it takes a special kind of hypocrisy for the Democrats to campaign on “openness” then govern by padlock.
More importantly, the dangers of making decisions of national consequence outside the regular legislative process should be noted—especially within the realm of national security.
Today, without any meaningful debate, House Democrats will vote to fundamentally alter
America's national security apparatus by implementing some—but not all—of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. If you will remember, the Democrats campaigned on a promise to implement 'ALL' 9/11 Commission recommendations, a pledge which fell by the wayside—less than one week in power.
According to the 9/11 Commission, restructuring congressional oversight of intelligence agencies is critical to prevent future terrorist attacks. The commission recommended that the House and
Senate each create a single committee to authorize and appropriate funds for the intelligence community. However, the Democrats' plan to create a subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee falls woefully short of the Commission's explicit recommendation.
By neglecting the normal legislative process—including the thoughtful deliberation of Republican and Democratic members of Congress—Speaker Nancy Pelosi virtually guarantees catastrophic mistakes will be made. Some of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations—like declassifying the
annual intelligence budget—are unwise, if not altogether dangerous.
More.
by Rep. Patrick McHenry
Posted Jan 09, 2007
The more things change, the more they stay the same. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved to shut out Republican ideas in the first hours of Democrat control, bringing the Democrats' 100-Hour Agenda to the House floor shrouded in secrecy. This means legislation affecting a broad range of national policies is being written behind closed doors by a
select few in the Speaker's inner-circle.
This is not altogether surprising given the Democrats' record during 40 years of majority control before the Contract with America swept them from power. Those 40 years were plagued with consistent, systematic efforts to usurp the rights of the Republican minority and their constituents. But it takes a special kind of hypocrisy for the Democrats to campaign on “openness” then govern by padlock.
More importantly, the dangers of making decisions of national consequence outside the regular legislative process should be noted—especially within the realm of national security.
Today, without any meaningful debate, House Democrats will vote to fundamentally alter
America's national security apparatus by implementing some—but not all—of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. If you will remember, the Democrats campaigned on a promise to implement 'ALL' 9/11 Commission recommendations, a pledge which fell by the wayside—less than one week in power.
According to the 9/11 Commission, restructuring congressional oversight of intelligence agencies is critical to prevent future terrorist attacks. The commission recommended that the House and
Senate each create a single committee to authorize and appropriate funds for the intelligence community. However, the Democrats' plan to create a subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee falls woefully short of the Commission's explicit recommendation.
By neglecting the normal legislative process—including the thoughtful deliberation of Republican and Democratic members of Congress—Speaker Nancy Pelosi virtually guarantees catastrophic mistakes will be made. Some of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations—like declassifying the
annual intelligence budget—are unwise, if not altogether dangerous.
More.
powered by performancing firefox
No comments:
Post a Comment