Democrats End of Year Disarray
As we approach the end of the year, which means the end of the 117th Congress, both the House and Senate are left with major pieces of legislative work incomplete. Democrats control the process in both the House and Senate, and one-party rule has led us to this stalemate.
First, the National Defense Authorization Act is still being negotiated. This is the single most important piece of legislation to come out of the Armed Services Committee, and it has passed with bipartisan support every year for the past six decades. It is crucial in advancing American military strength, maintaining a competitive advantage over our adversaries, and supporting our selfless servicemembers and their families. Both chambers passed their respective versions earlier this year, yet negotiations are still taking place. Our military men and women deserve more urgency on this paramount legislation.
Additionally, Congress must provide full-year funding for the federal government, which is arguably Congress’ primary responsibility. The annual appropriations legislation affects nearly every facet of daily lives, our economy, and is essential for our government to operate. Although the House Appropriations Committee has completed all 12 of the appropriations bills, Democrats, who control the Senate, have caused these efforts to stall. It’s critical that Democrat leadership stop operating in a partisan manner and work together to advance this necessary funding.
Our federal government is currently funded under a short-term continuing resolution. This has been used throughout the year as a way for Democrats to kick the can down the road to avoid a government shutdown. Continuing resolutions only operate on Fiscal Year 2022 spending levels and do not keep up with 40-year high inflation. Sadly, this important business has been left for the last two weeks of this Congress.
Good governance is important and under Democrat one-party rule in Washington, this has fallen by the wayside. As Republicans, we are committed to returning to normal order in the United States House of Representatives. This means allowing the normal committee process, including authorizations and oversight, to proceed. We will have robust debates on legislative initiatives that truly matter to Oklahomans, such as inflation, the crisis at the southern border, and American energy production.
In our Republican Conference meeting last week, we agreed to change to numerous rules and provisions. We will reopen the Capitol Grounds and the House to the public, allowing you to return to Washington and participate in the legislative process. We have also made significant changes to the suspension calendar. The suspension calendar allows the House to pass non-controversial bills in an expedited fashion. Sadly, this year, Democrats drastically expanded its use to pass large and even partisan legislation. Under a Republican Majority, we will prevent legislation from going on the suspension calendar if it exceeds $100,000,000. Furthermore, we will require that this legislation be released at least 5 days before receiving a vote. These changes will return the suspension calendar to its intended use ensure members can fully read and understand all legislative proposals.
We are quickly approaching the end of this legislative session. By refusing to negotiate with Republicans in a meaningful way, we are looking at passing critical legislative items in the 11th hour. While I remain optimistic that we will find legislative solutions to these issues, I am deeply frustrated by the process. I am hopeful that under a Republican House Majority we can get our House and country back on track.