Date: 1995-07-10
Speaker: GREG LAUGHLIN (republican)
Chamber: H

to our party. Mr. LAUGHLIN saw fit several weeks ago to change parties here in the House of Representatives. and we are glad to have him on our side of the aisle. As a result. about a week and a half ago. the Republican conference did in fact vote by unanimous vote to place the gentleman from Texas on the Committee on Ways and Means. To my colleagues on the other sido of the aisle who appear to have some chagrin over the fact we are placing Mr. LAUGHLIN on the Committee on Ways and Means. I would point out that today Republicans hold about 58 percent of the seats on the Committee on Ways and Means. It has been since 1923 that the majority party has had less than 60 percent of the votes on the Committee on Ways and Means. Historically. that percentage has been a 60 to 40 split between the majority and minority on the Committee on Ways and Means. Even after we add Mr. LAUGHLIN .to the committee. we will still be slightly less than the 60 percent that has been the historical average over the last 70 years. As a matter of fact. in 1955 when the Democrat Party took control of this House. and they happened to have 232 Members. the same amount that Republicans have today. they had a 6040 majority on the Committee on Ways and Means. I would further point out that in December of this year. when the Republicans took control of the House. it was the decision of the Republican leadership that there should in fact be a 60 to 40 split on the Committee on Ways and Means again. After that decision was made. the minority leader. in consultation with the Speaker and the majority leader. and. frankly. after much whining about it. we decided that to ease their pain in terms of the number of Democrat members who were going to lose their position on the Committee on Ways and Means. that we would change from the 60 to 40 split that we had decided on. in order to add just a Democrat member to their side of the aisle on the Committee on Ways and Means. dropping that percentage down to well less than 60 percent. So I would remind all Members that it has been a longstanding tradition and precedent of the House that each party respects the rights of the other in appointing its own Members to standing committees of the House. What has gone on tonight in the politicization of this process by the minority party I think makes a sad day for this institution. While the minority party may think they are scoring political points or are somehow engaged in some highly principled moralistic action. I think the facts speak otherwise. Perhaps the saddest part of the charade tonight is that the minority party seems to have no concern that their dilatory tactics hurt not us in the maJority. but instead grind to a halt the consideration of the peoples business here in the peoples House. To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. let me be perfectly clear. We will not see this institution or this Nations business grind to a halt because of the childish temper tantrum by somne Members on the other side of the aisle. We will do what is necessary to assure an orderly consideration of the peoples business here in the peoples House. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.