Congress Replied

On June 23rd, I sent an angry letter to my Republican Congressman asking why he and the rest of the GOP in Congress refuse to listen to 90% of their constituents and fix the major gun control loopholes in this country. (I posted the rant, with additional snark and comments, here.)

Today, I received a response from his office:

Thank you for contacting me about the "sit in" protest conducted on the House floor by some members of Congress. I appreciate your comments and the opportunity to respond.

The U.S. Constitution grants the House and Senate power to set their own procedures.  Members of the House vote on an extensive rules package at the beginning of each Congress.  These rules govern how this historic institution of 435 U.S. Representatives deliberate on legislation and how its members are expected to conduct themselves. 

Legislating in the House is often a frustrating and tedious task, even in the best of times.  However, when I first came to Congress, under Speaker Pelosi, my colleagues and I in the minority party were shut out of the legislative process; significant legislation was written behind closed doors and rushed to the floor with no opportunity for amendments or time to read the bill.

In contrast, the House today offers lawmakers avenues to introduce legislation, offer amendments, and the schedule affords ample opportunities for one-minute speeches or blocks of time for several hours to persuade their colleagues or the public on their priorities. Current House rules even provide that a bill must be made public for at least three days before it can be voted on. 

Of course, it still takes a majority of duly elected members in the House to pass legislation.  If impassioned members of Congress don't see sufficient progress on their proposed legislation, that does not justify breaching House rules and decorum, and disrupting scheduled legislative business. 

It should be noted that the Senate had already vote down proposals like those advocated by members conducting the "sit in".  In the House, the same proposals were debated, voted on, and defeated at the Committee level. The claim made by some that the House-or Congress in general-has not allowed a vote on this issue is inaccurate. 

Thank you again for contacting me. I appreciate having the benefit of your views.  If I may be of service to you in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 Rolling my eyes too much to write a response right now. Later... XP