Said the boss this morning, “Seems to me House Republicans should be holding a public event every day in Washington from now until the end of the Democrats’ vacation to call attention to Nancy’s anti-drilling intransigence and her refusal to hold votes on the issue.” From her lips to the leadership’s ear. Just across from Boehner’s office:
Washington, Aug 3 – House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to send Congress home for the rest of the summer without a vote on legislation to lower gas prices and move America toward energy independence.
In an urgent memo sent to GOP Members and staff Saturday (“A Call to Action on American Energy”), Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) hailed Friday’s action, which was led by Reps. Mike Pence (R-IN), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Tom Price (R-GA), and others, and encouraged House Republicans to return to the Capitol beginning Monday morning to help keep the historic effort going.
“It’s not a request we make lightly. But the American people are suffering,” Boehner and Blunt said in the memo. “The consequences of continued congressional inaction on gas prices are unacceptable. We’ve called on the Speaker to call Congress back into an emergency session this month and schedule a vote on the American Energy Act. We must continue to make a stand until the Speaker complies.”
More than a dozen Republicans have already committed to being there; Pete Hoekstra, leveraging the buzz the GOP got in the blogosphere on Friday for its use of new media, sent forth the good word this afternoon via Twitter. No word yet on what they’re planning, but if you’re not yet convinced that the wind is at their back on this, go read the transcript at Newsbusters of Stephanopoulos beating his head against a wall trying to get a straight answer out of Pelosi on why she won’t allow a vote on drilling.
Update: At least 30 Republicans are in now, says ABC. Sweeter still:
One House Republican says, “I’m a 25 year veteran of the U.S. Congress, and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
GOP members say they would not be holding this debate tomorrow, if the Democratic nominee had not modified his position on off shore drilling.
They believe that with Obama and his Republican opponent John McCain, appearing to be in “agreement” about off shore drilling, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi should recall the Congress from recess, and put an energy bill on the floor in August.
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