Abstract

Undemocratic Process

The author claims that Republicans violated U.S. Congressional rules by removing from a bill an amendment which had already been approved in order to avoid embarrassing President George W. Bush. There has been much comment about the take-no-prisoners approach of the Congressional Republican leadership in cramming through the Medicare prescription-drug benefit this past November 22. But it was not the worst case. A far more chilling episode, little remarked and with even graver portent for the future of the democratic process, occurred on November 12. A small group of leading Republicans ordered stripped from this year's Treasury Transportation appropriations bill an amendment (already approved) that prohibited the use of Treasury funds to enforce controls on travel to Cuba. They did this behind closed doors and before the conferees had even met to consider the disposition of the amendment. But how could that happen? The measure had been approved on the floor of the House in September by a bipartisan vote of 227 to 188 and in the Senate in October by a 59-to-36 vote, with a number of key Republicans voting in favor. By Congressional rules, it should have moved forward to the President's desk with the rest of the bill, for him to sign or veto. Why did it not do so? Because the President had put out the word that he would veto any measure that weakened controls on travel to Cuba. Would he really have used the veto? We'll never know. In order that his bluff not be called and that he not be forced to put his money where his mouth had taken him, he had his minions in Congress remove the amendment.