For those looking for some context for tonight’s debate on the Omnibus, consider then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) floor comments on December 6, 2004:
Lacking the support of a majority of this body, this assault on taxpayer privacy was possible only because of the Republicans’ repeated willingness to abuse their power. My colleagues, as we all know, the rules of this House mandate that Members be given a minimum of 3 days to review legislation. That is a rule of the House. Yet the Republican leadership frequently resorts to the use of martial law to push through legislation by requiring a same-day vote. In the 108th Congress alone, the Republican leadership proposed same-day votes nearly 30 times. This excessive use of martial law rules subverts the will of Congress by denying Members the opportunity to examine critical legislation, thus allowing egregious measures such as the taxpayer privacy persecution provision to pass. It was only caught in the Senate because they had more time to review the legislation. [Congressional Record, Page H10903]
