http://www.mrctv.org/blog/when-boehner-tries-sneak-bills-congress-rep-uses-500-yard-dash-stop-him
When Boehner Tries to Sneak Bills by Congress, this Rep. Uses a '500-Yard Dash' to Stop Him
Barbara Boland | April 23, 2015 3:57pm ET
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Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has put an end to a number of bills that Boehner planned on sneaking past Congress – and his ingenious method involves a 500-yard dash.
Much to the chagrin of the American public, members of Congress rarely vote on the hundreds of bills that are passed per year.
Most Congressional bills are passed in a nearly empty chamber, and Massie explained to the Young Americans for Liberty at the University of Cincinnati, members of Congress like to use voice votes to pass unpopular bills.
There’s two reasons Congress loves the voice vote: the first is that because there’s no record of who voted, they can’t be held accountable when the bill passes.
The second reason is that Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) has sole discretion to decide if there is a “quorum” (218 congressmen) present in the room sufficient to take a voice vote. Massie says frequently there’s only ten congressmen present. All Boehner has to do is squint and say that there’s a quorum present and he may hold a voice vote.
As long as no one requests a recorded vote, Boehner is free to do this.
When Boehner Tries to Sneak Bills by Congress, this Rep. Uses a '500-Yard Dash' to Stop Him
32.1K
Shares
TwitterFacebookMore
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has put an end to a number of bills that Boehner planned on sneaking past Congress – and his ingenious method involves a 500-yard dash.
Much to the chagrin of the American public, members of Congress rarely vote on the hundreds of bills that are passed per year.
Most Congressional bills are passed in a nearly empty chamber, and Massie explained to the Young Americans for Liberty at the University of Cincinnati, members of Congress like to use voice votes to pass unpopular bills.
There’s two reasons Congress loves the voice vote: the first is that because there’s no record of who voted, they can’t be held accountable when the bill passes.
The second reason is that Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) has sole discretion to decide if there is a “quorum” (218 congressmen) present in the room sufficient to take a voice vote. Massie says frequently there’s only ten congressmen present. All Boehner has to do is squint and say that there’s a quorum present and he may hold a voice vote.
As long as no one requests a recorded vote, Boehner is free to do this.