On Tuesday night, Republicans took more House seats than in any year since 1938. As Republican Leader John Boehner stated, this is not a time to celebrate. Republicans are being entrusted with restoring job growth, limiting the size of government and balancing a federal budget that has grown out of control.
One in ten Americans are out of a job, and the American people’s opinion of Congress is at perhaps the lowest level ever. Republicans have been returned to power in the House, but it is a second chance that comes with great responsibility.
We want to restore the American people’s faith in government — one that is limited to its Constitutional role and that responsibly spends taxpayer dollars. This work is going to begin even before the 112thCongress is sworn in early next year.
In just over a week, current members of the House and the newly elected members will meet on Capitol Hill. Those who will participate in the next Congress will vote on the rules governing both our own party and the House of Representatives. These rules will be a clear indication of how we want to move the country forward and restore trust.
I believe one of the critical ways we restore trust is by continuing the moratorium against earmarks. The explosion in earmarks during the latter years of the Republican majority showed that we had lost sight of what it means to be fiscally responsible.
Republican Whip Eric Cantor and several prominent members of the House Appropriations Committee have publicly stated their wish to extend the ban on earmarks. Also, I know that many incoming members are also concerned about how earmarks have eroded the will of Congress to hold back government spending. Earlier this year, I pushed my colleagues to adopt the moratorium, something I had done personally two years before.
One of the things about Speaker Pelosi’s Congress that most infuriated voters was the practice of pushing through massive bills with little or no time to read and understand them. When we considered the cap-and-trade bill last year, Democratic leadership added 300 pages to the bill only hours before members were supposed to vote on it. Republican Leader Boehner was forced to use much of his debate time just reading the bill out loud on the floor. It was the first time many members became aware of the actual content of the bill being debated.
The healthcare bill was over 2,000 pages long, and I took the time to read the complete text. However, some of my colleagues, including Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), publicly stated that they didn’t bother reading the bill. This is unacceptable; it’s our job to know what is in the legislation that we are considering, and Republicans have committed to rules requiring a bill to be finalized and publicly available for three days before the House votes on it.
I think another way we restore trust is to cite the Constitutional authority for legislation. When a reporter asked Speaker Pelosi what constitutional authority allowed Congress to mandate insurance coverage, she snapped back, “Are you serious?”
I believe that Congress needs to seriously consider the supreme law of the land when we pass a bill. The Republican Pledge to America requires a clear statement for each bill and also why the federal government, and not state or local authorities, should be taking on this responsibility.
There is a lot of work to be done, especially when it comes to restoring the federal government to its proper place in our nation. This work starts with how we run the House of Representatives.
The House should be a place where each member is responsible and can contribute, not just leadership. Republican rules should focus on opening up the committee and floor processes to allow for amendments and real debate. A transparent and constructive process will create better bills.
The American people have given Republicans a second chance. If we don’t get things right, I am certain that voters will hold us accountable. The founders intended the House to be the body of government closest to the people. We must do our best to listen closely over the next two years.
Rep. Joe Pitts represents Pennsylvania’s Sixteenth Congressional District.