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Saturday, January 8, 2011

THE HILL: A Sad and Shameful Way to Begin the 112th Congress By: Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR)

On Wednesday, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives approved its rules package for the 112th Congress. I opposed the package for several reasons, but above all because it sends a message of exclusion and indifference to my constituents, the nearly four million U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico.

Under a rule adopted by the last three Democrat-controlled Congresses, the representatives from the five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia were given a single, extremely-narrow privilege on the House floor. We were permitted to vote on amendments when the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole, a parliamentary device designed to allow greater participation by members in debate. Notably, the rule provided for an automatic revote to be held on the exceedingly rare occasion where our votes affected the outcome.

The constitutionality of this rule was confirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in a 1994 decision. And the rule did not impede the work or impair the efficiency of this House in any way.

Nevertheless, in a move that is difficult to describe as anything other than callous and petty, the Republican rules package deprives my fellow delegates and myself of this small but — to us and those we represent — meaningful privilege.

The Republicans’ action does damage, in both the moral and practical sense, to the House and to this country. The moral harm is clear. As the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, I represent nearly four million U.S. citizens, far more than any other member of this chamber. Together, the delegates from the other U.S. territories and the District of Columbia represent over one million people. Our constituents are an integral part of the American family. They pledge allegiance to the same flag as their fellow Americans in the 50 states.  They fight — and many of them have died — in defense of our nation. Poignantly, as Republicans were approving their rules package, the Department of Defense was preparing to announce the names of the first two American soldiers killed in Iraq in 2011, both of whom were members of the Puerto Rico National Guard. What does it say about the Republican leadership that it is perfectly willing to allow men and women from Puerto Rico to defend our nation in uniform, but absolutely unwilling to give their duly-elected representatives any voice on the House floor?

The Republicans’ action has adverse practical consequences as well. Our limited vote promoted responsible and transparent government — and the decision to eliminate it undermines these values. By compelling us to take public stands on important issues, our vote enabled our constituents to better evaluate both our governing philosophy and the quality of our representation. I believe that Republicans, like Democrats, genuinely seek to make government more open and more accountable to the people. That is why I am hard-pressed to understand why they have taken a step that does precisely the opposite.

The Republican rules package dishonors and demeans Americans living in the territories and the District of Columbia. It says to them: your voice does not matter. You are not important. And you do not count.

What a sad and shameful way to begin the 112th Congress.