The Most Closed Congress in History
By REP. LOUISE SLAUGHTER January 06, 2014
By now, many Americans have seen the headlines that this Congress is on pace to be the least productive in history. What is less well known is that under Republican control, we have also experienced the most closed session of Congress in history—a dubious achievement that has contributed to the historic gridlock and dysfunction that defined Washington in 2013.
Many have speculated on the forces that are driving the current polarization in Washington—from the rise of the Tea Party to the dominating influence of outside groups and a Republican majority in the House whose agenda is at odds with the views of the American people. However, it’s the manipulation of the legislative process itself that has enabled each of these forces to take root and grow.
In particular, the use of “closed rules” has excluded most House members from full participation in the legislative process. Under a closed rule, no amendments are allowed on the House floor. As a result, House Republicans are able to pursue a politically driven agenda without allowing commonsense amendments that could achieve bipartisan compromise.
This approach has also empowered the most extreme members of the House to pursue narrow policy goals at all costs, triggering a government shutdown, debt-limit brinksmanship and partisan stalemates that are seemingly the new norm.
While closing down the legislative process has become more common under the leadership of both parties over the last two decades, the current House GOP has broken all previous records. Over the last 12 months, the House has adopted 44 closed rules, making 2013 the most closed year on record. In fact, the House GOP passed as many closed rules in a single week in October as during the entire last year of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) speakership.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/the-most-closed-congress-in-history-101794.html
