Last month, Congress made history by passing the CARES Act — the $2 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief package — by voice vote. Last week, the House safely, albeit briefly, returned to extend several programs. Otherwise, however, Congress has been eerily silent.
No doubt individual members have been busy working via Zoom and conference call — I certainly have. But Congress needs to lead by example and return to full session, following the House rules for amendment and debate. The House was expected back in D.C. on May 4, but now Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has a new plan.
Even before we passed “Phase 3.5” of Congress’ coronavirus response package, Pelosi started working on “Phase 4.” This interminable “recess” period enables a select cadre of leadership to hammer out the next coronavirus deal with minimal input from most of the country’s elected representatives.
Every representative should provide input and be able to offer amendments, but Pelosi would rather bypass the legislative process and continue shunning regular order.
Keeping the House from convening takes the heat off the negotiations and relegates most of Congress to an open checkbook for whatever emerges from behind closed doors. Without returning to full legislative session, members of Congress don’t have as much of a voice in the hastily written trillion-dollar bills with flaws that amount to legislative malpractice.
Rapid stimulus funding has overtaken deliberating the substance of these bills; that must change.
Given the cracks we’re starting to see in the CARES Act, it’s only responsible for Congress to deliberate more carefully before approving another wave of spending. For example, states have asked the federal government for more money. But the reality is Congress already funded state and local governments to the tune of $765 billion. That includes $260 billion for?unemployment insurance, $150 billion for coronavirus relief, $175 billion for?hospitals and?health?care?providers, $50 billion in?increased Medicaid funding, and hundreds of billions of dollars in K-12 and higher education funding, mass transit funding, programs for children and families, public housing, economic development grants, Justice Department grants, and election security grants.
In my home state of Ohio, that has translated to roughly $4.5-billion, with more on the way.
More than additional funds, states need flexibility to use money already appropriated. It seems that governors and legislatures know their needs better than D.C. central planners. Ohio, for example, has reformed pension obligations, funded them, and created a rainy-day fund. Other states effectively commit fraud by promising defined benefits and failing to fund them.
States not only know their own needs better than D.C., they already have access to bond markets to fund additional needs and can pay risk-appropriate rates on the debt rather than socialize decades of poor decisions across all other states and taxpayers. These budget-busting relief packages have been implemented with no process for debate and amendment and that needs to change before Congress creates even greater distortions to the federal budget.
The country’s relationship with Congress has been purely transactional for a long time. Over the years, a faltering Congress has delegated away many of its powers — except the power of the purse. This pandemic further highlights the extent to which Congress has disempowered itself. House leadership enjoys greater influence at the expense of the institution itself while diminishing the role of individual members.
As the Senate returns to work, Pelosi is keeping House members home — and out of the negotiations. The American people, and every member of the House, should insist on fully functional representation.
Make Congress work again!
This opinion piece appeared in Fox News.