House GOP votes in favor of proposal that weakens Congress' outside ethics watchdog

[C_Felix]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/02/polit...thics-committee-amendment/index.html?adkey=bn


I'm curious as to who the members are who had to "spend a fortune to get their good name ‎restored so I think there's been an abuse."

 

[thaiboxerken]

Of course they did.....

 

[BDBoop]

All hell is breaking loose on twitter, so that's fun.

 

[The Don]

The swamp isn't being drained, instead one of the few culverts that used to control the level of the swamp is being blocked by the GOP to increase the size and depth of the swamp and make it even more hospitable for the creatures living therein

No doubt it'll all be Obama/Hillary's fault....

 

[uke2se]

The swamp isn't being drained, instead one of the few culverts that used to control the level of the swamp is being blocked by the GOP to increase the size and depth of the swamp and make it even more hospitable for the creatures living therein

No doubt it'll all be Obama/Hillary's fault....

"The swamp" never referred to corruption. It referred to liberals and liberal ideas.

 

[WilliamSeger]

Yep, Making America Great Again will be much easier without ethics oversight slowing down the process. With everyone focused on what the Boy King means by his latest 140-character fortune cookie, they've got business to attend to. Literally.

 

[Armitage72]

I was on my way here to create a general Congressional Shenanigans thread that would have included this.

Also, they plan to gut the ability of federal agencies to implement new regulations.

The incoming House majority plans to schedule a vote on the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (REINS Act) soon after new members are sworn in next Tuesday. A top priority of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the leading lobby group for big business, REINS would fundamentally alter the federal government in ways that could hobble federal agencies during periods when the same party controls Congress and the White House — and absolutely cripple those agencies during periods of divided government.
Many federal laws delegate authority to agencies to work out the details of how to achieve relatively broad objectives set by the law itself. The agencies do so by drafting regulations that interpret and elaborate upon these statutes and which have the force of law. REINS, however, effectively strips agencies of much of this authority.
.
.
Under its terms, a new regulation that has an “annual economic impact of $100 million or more,” which is less than 0.0006 percent of the U.S. economy, must be approved by Congress within “70 session days” or it does not go into effect.

Continuing to prove that government doesn't work by preventing government from working.

 

[Aepervius]

don't worry I am sure our resident republican will come up with an excuse on why both this changes were needed.

 

[The Don]

don't worry I am sure our resident republican will come up with an excuse on why both this changes were needed.

The rationale is there in the article, apparently the independent body investigated claims from politically-partisan organisations which meant that (unnamed) people had their good names dragged through the dirt had had to spend (unspecified) huge sums clearing their names against these baseless claims.

It has absolutely nothing to do with GOP representatives wanting to get their noses in the trough and everything to do with reaching across the aisle to reduce partisanship........

.....and if you believe that I have a very attractive bridge across the East River for sale

 

[alfaniner]

So, what are you left with when you "drain the swamp"?
Alligators. Snakes. Worms. Muck.

 

[Aepervius]

So, what are you left with when you "drain the swamp"?
Alligators. Snakes. Worms. Muck.

I think you misread/misheard him. He meant "rain the swamp" as in, let-it-rain.

 

[alfaniner]

I think you misread/misheard him. He meant "rain the swamp" as in, let-it-rain.

Or perhaps, "reign"?

 

[Aepervius]

Or perhaps, "reign"?

Even better. "I will reign the swamp". Sound likie a catchy pirate tune.

 

[alfaniner]

Even better. "I will reign the swamp". Sound likie a catchy pirate tune.

I have a vision of Boss Nass from The Phantom Menace.

 

[Donal]

I predict the silence from certain members here will be deafening. Or, if they do join the conversation, it will be to redirect and bog down the conversation with logical fallacies.

I also predict the media will stop talking about this after today

 

[alfaniner]

WTF?
Complete about-face. The proposal has been withdrawn.

House Republican leaders have pulled a proposal that would gut its independent ethics panel, amid widespread criticism of the plan, multiple lawmakers tell CNN.
The decision comes less than two hours after President-elect Donald Trump criticized the timing of the vote, which was scheduled for the first day of the new congressional session.

 

[WilliamSeger]

Ryan sez: "I have made clear to the new Chair of the House Ethics Committee that it is not to interfere with the Office’s investigations or prevent it from doing its job." Even though the change was specifically designed so the HEC could control what can be investigated and what can be published, Ryan has told it not to interfere. So there ya go -- no problem!

ETA: Ah, so the Boy King wants to postpone this and instead get Ryan busy on those tax cuts for the rich and killing health care for the poor.

 

[Upchurch]

WTF?
Complete about-face. The proposal has been withdrawn.

Clearly, it was Obama's idea to begin with, amirite?

 

[seayakin]

House Republicans Back Down on Bid to Gut the Ethics Office

 

[Garrison]

WTF?
Complete about-face. The proposal has been withdrawn.

House Republican leaders have pulled a proposal that would gut its independent ethics panel, amid widespread criticism of the plan, multiple lawmakers tell CNN.
The decision comes less than two hours after President-elect Donald Trump criticized the timing of the vote, which was scheduled for the first day of the new congressional session.

More than a little concerning that he only seems to be bothered about the timing rather than the intent of the vote.

And yes it has been withdrawn but two concerning questions remain. How could House Republicans think this was a sensible idea? And allowing perhaps they aren't that stupid is there something else they are trying to sneak through with this measure as nothing more than a decoy?