Statement by Congressman Dan Kildee on Speaker Ryan Blocking Amendments

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) issued the following statement today after reports that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (WI-01) and House Republican leaders have decided to limit amendments and debate on future House appropriations bills:

“As the incoming Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan called on Congress to ‘open up the process’ and ‘let people participate’ in our legislative process. Yet the Speaker’s actions speak louder than words. After recent embarrassing setbacks, the Speaker is now seeking to limit debate and obstruct the legislative process in the House. Speaker Ryan’s actions to choke our democratic process are disgraceful and fly in the face of what our Founding Fathers envisioned when they designed our system of government. “One can only imagine that the Speaker’s reversal is due to the fact that we have seen Republicans torpedo their own appropriations bills over amendments seeking only to pander to the most extreme voices. Terrible poison pill amendments introduced by Republicans that have supported flying the Confederate battle flag or allowed for discrimination against LGBT Americans. Republicans in Congress have the wrong priorities – these are not the concerns of the American people. Meanwhile, Flint families in my district still do not have access to safe drinking water – and Congress under Speaker Ryan’s leadership has not done its job to help them. “Speaker Ryan’s move to obstruct the legislative process is exactly why Americans have such strong negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress. My constituents are sick and tired of such political gamesmanship.”

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