Members of Congress deserve chance to consider bills without all the rush
Not surprisingly, Congress has a different take on common sense.
Americans expect their representatives to insist on a reasonable amount of time to read and scrutinize a bill before voting, especially when such legislation could cost taxpayers trillions and hamstring economic growth for future generations. Just look at the last 12 months:
* Last October, the $700 billion Wall Street bailout bill was rushed through Congress. No one envisioned at the time that this Treasury could use repaid bailout Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) monies as a revolving slush fund, rather than paying down the public debt (since the $700 billion was borrowed money in the first place).
* In February, a 1,073-page, $1.1 trillion (interest-included) stimulus bill was hurried through Congress with less than 24 hours to scrutinize and evaluate future effects. This lack of scrutiny resulted in a stimulus bill that allowed AIG to pay lavish taxpayer bonuses and ultimately failed to produce the necessary jobs to fuel our local, state and national economy.
* In June, House Democratic leadership added 300 pages of unseen text to an already 1,200-page cap-and-trade bill scheduled to be voted on hours later. My colleagues and I predicted that energy prices would increase dramatically, to the denials of the majority. Three months after the vote, the Obama administration was forced to release a government report estimating cap-and-trade could cost American households $1,761 more per year in energy prices.
Since 2006, the House has been controlled by Democrats, and under the House rules, Democrats have been allowed to push forward their liberal agenda. However, all Americans -- Republicans, Democrats, and independents, should be extremely concerned by the continued practice by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her House Democratic leadership of voting on bills that have had little to no public scrutiny. That is why Republicans and even some Democrats have taken the extraordinary step of signing a discharge petition in Congress to force a vote on H. Res. 554, requiring a bill to be public for a minimum of 72 hours before legislation is voted on.
This petition is timely because of the circumstances surrounding the ongoing health care reform debate.
I know from my own town hall meetings there is significant opposition to the introduced version of HR 3200, as many agreed it would lead to a government takeover of health care. Congress and the American public deserve adequate time to review any bill and decide whether it's good for America, or just another big-government lemon.
After repeated taxing, spending and borrowing bills, now is the time for Congress to fix this problem. It's common sense to inspect a purchase beforehand, and not after the fact. When we are dealing with taxpayer dollars, shouldn't the American people have at least 72 hours to inspect a bill and voice their concerns to Congress before there is a vote?
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, represents the 22nd Congressional District.
