Press Releases

Hensarling Opening Statement at Committee Organizational Meeting


 

Washington, February 2, 2017 -

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) delivered the following statement at today’s meeting to approve the Committee’s rules for the 115th Congress:


I wish to welcome all Members – new Members and returning Members – to the Financial Services Committee for the 115th Congress.  While we know there are profound philosophical differences separated by this aisle, and numerous policy disagreements we have had, I think we all can agree that this Committee is very important to the lives of our constituents, very important to having a healthy economy and providing opportunities for working families who still lack opportunities. So I want to emphasize that, as Chairman, I look forward to working with all Members over the coming months to find solutions that can truly benefit the American people and their families. 

Before we begin today’s business, I do want to take a few minutes to share with Members about how I believe, once again, our Committee should go about its important work. 

Number one, I have served in the Minority before.  I did not particularly enjoy the experience. I have also served with a president of the opposing party.  But at all times, I believe that I respected the rules of the House as applying equally to all Members, as they should in the 115th Congress. And I certainly have always accepted the president of the other party as my president.

I expect we will have a spirited debate, as we have traditionally in this Committee, as we go about our work.  But I hope – and particularly those of us who just came from the National Prayer Breakfast – that our exchange of ideas will be worthy of the American people and that virtue will win out over vitriol in our proceedings. 

As your Chairman, it remains my goal to fairly and impartially enforce the rules and traditions of the House and the rules and traditions of this Committee.  I want to ensure that the Minority may exercise their full rights and have their fair opportunity to have their ideas considered at hearings and markups.    

To protect all Members’ right to speak and to offer amendments as part of this robust debate, I will work to ensure that the Committee goes about its business in a fair but efficient manner. 

I do want to remind all Members that when my predecessor Chairman Frank was in office, if he subjectively thought that some members were being dilatory, he did not hesitate to call the question and end debate. I hope that will not be necessary in this Congress, but I stand ready to do exactly what Chairman Frank did when the other party was in power. Similarly, all Members have the right to make points of order to enforce the rules and to ask parliamentary inquiries, but they do not have that right for dilatory purposes. At that point, such points of order and parliamentary inquiries will not be in order.  Again, I look to the precedent of Chairman Frank.

I look forward to working with all Members to make sure that the tenor of our debate is respectful, and that we do not question the integrity, the patriotism, or intentions of another Member, or of the President or Vice-President, or any witness who appears before us.  As your Chairman, House rules have given me the responsibility to maintain decorum on the Committee’s behalf. This is the essence of decorum and I take this responsibility very seriously.   So I simply remind all Members that if you wish to be treated in a respectful way, please respect others.

Part of decorum involves how we question our witnesses.  I fully intend to protect all Members’ rights to ask very pointed questions to our witnesses, or to ask yes-or-no questions as many on our side of the aisle have done to representatives of the previous Administration.  I can’t promise my friends on the other side of the aisle that you will fare any better than we did with that Administration, but nerveless, it is your prerogative to ask yes-or-no questions.

I also remind Members that last Congress, when some on the other side of the aisle thought we had questioned the truthfulness of an administration witness, specifically Treasury Secretary Lew, the Ranking Member requested – and I provided – extra time for the witness to respond.  I will now call this the “Lew Protocol” and it will be in order and enforced in the 115th Congress. 

To return to markups for the moment, I wish to remind all Members that there are messaging amendments and non-messaging amendments. Please don’t confuse one with the other.

If Members wish to receive fair and thorough consideration of the amendments, I would offer them the opportunity to work with us in advance of the markup.  Again, it is totally within your option. The laws within this Committee’s jurisdiction can be lengthy, technical and complex. When offered for the first time at markups, there is not reasonable time to analyze the amendments to decide if they are acceptable.

Even though we may have sharply different views on some issues, our Committee still has a strong record of bipartisan success. I hope we can all take pride in that and I hope that is something that will continue. 

Over the last two years, nearly 60 Committee bills passed the House on suspension and over 30 bills were enacted into law.  Again, I stand ready to work with all Members, regardless of party, to advance the cause of freedom and opportunity, and I look forward to a productive 115th Congress.

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