Washington DC U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions today joined his House Republican Rules Committee colleagues in sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urging her to honor C-SPANs request to cover all health care negotiations. We are concerned that in the rush to pass an unprecedented and unpopular experiment with our nations health care Congress execution ... has fallen well short of the mark set by you and President Obama" Sessions and his colleagues wrote in a letter to Speaker Pelosi.
We believe that the American people deserve to know and to understand the contents of the proposed 2000-plus page legislation.
To achieve this common-sense goal we also believe that the peoples House can live up to the lofty ideals supported by you and the President by honoring C-SPANs request to cover all future negotiations - including any Rules Committee deliberation on the health care overhaul legislation before it is sent to the House floor for a final vote."
Rules Committee Ranking Member David Dreier (R-CA) Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) also signed the letter to Speaker Pelosi.
Since 1999 Sessions has been a member of the House Rules Committee which is tasked with providing transparency and due process in House deliberations.
Sessions is a cosponsor of H.RES. 869 to increase transparency in the legislative process by placing cameras in the House Rules Committee one of only a few House committees without cameras. He is also a cosponsor of H. RES. 847 to prevent secret health care legislation deals behind closed doors and to ensure a full and open debate.
To read more about Sessions transparency and accountability priorities
click here.
The letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi is available online here and follows below:
January 7 2010
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
H-232 The Capitol
United States House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515
Dear Madam Speaker:
On January 21 2009 his first day in office as President of the United States Barack Obama promised the American people a new era of openness in our country" in which transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones."
The Presidents stated commitment to unprecedented transparency and openness echoed your own earlier claims when you promised the American people that your leadership team would personally oversee the implementation of the most honest most open and most ethical Congress in history."
We the Republican members of the House Committee on Rules agree wholeheartedly with these noble goals. In fact as the minority partys representatives on the Committee tasked with providing transparency and due process in House deliberations we have offered literally hundreds of failed motions over the last three years in pursuit of these goals.
Unfortunately we are concerned that in the rush to pass an unprecedented and unpopular experiment with our nations health care Congress execution of these stated principles has fallen well short of the mark set by you and President Obama.
Despite President Obamas pledge as a candidate that negotiations on any healthcare reform would be broadcast on C-SPAN both the House and Senate sent versions to the floor that had been hammered out behind closed doors. In the House in particular the floor proceedings that were broadcast were nothing more than a formality. Unfortunately your decision to drastically restrict the amendments allowed for consideration meant there was little real debate for the public to see.
But there is still a chance to make this right. We believe that the American people deserve to know and to understand the contents of the proposed 2000-plus page legislation. To achieve this common-sense goal we also believe that the peoples House can live up to the lofty ideals supported by you and the President by honoring C-SPANs request to cover all future negotiations - including any Rules Committee deliberation on the health care overhaul legislation before it is sent to the House floor for a final vote.
As you pointed out President Obama may have made many promises on the campaign trail he hasnt kept. But this is one that can be made good with your help.
In the absence of your support for moving the measure sponsored by Congressman Dent (H.Res. 869) and 75 other members (including us) to increase transparency in the Rules Committee with live broadcasts on the internet we believe honoring C-SPANs basic request is the absolute minimum the majority must do on behalf of keeping the American people informed about a process that will affect every health care decision made by every American family doctor and small business for decades to come.
Sincerely
David Dreier
Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Pete Sessions
Virginia Foxx
