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Last night debate on the first of twelve spending proposals came to grinding halt when House leaders in the majority shut down the chamber for fear of having to vote on amendments to prevent further wasteful government spending. Members of Congress attempting to offer amendments to the $65 Billion Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriation bill quickly found themselves shut out of the process with “Take It or Leave It” as their only option to this legislation which includes a staggering 12% funding increase over last year.

“Congress should not be a rubber stamp when it comes to spending taxpayer funds,” said Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge). “Now is the time to put our financial house in order, to exercise real fiscal discipline and reduce the burden that runaway wasteful spending places on hardworking Americans.”

Last week Members of Congress were promised by House leaders that if they filed an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriation bill by close of business Monday, they would be allowed to offer their amendment on the House floor. Over 138 amendments were filed to this bill which spends over $65 billion in taxpayer dollars. That works out to one amendment for every half a billion dollars spent in the bill.

But a new House rule issued at 1:34 A.M. last night prohibits the House from considering 93 (two-thirds) of these amendments which would have saved billions of taxpayer dollars. Some of those amendments included prohibiting funds for ACORN, reducing funding for the Department of Commerce by $100 million, per the President’s request, ensuring that any savings generated from limiting the funds of this bill would have gone to reducing the record deficit, scaling back the size of the funding increase by .05% to 11.5% and preventing the nationalization of the American auto industry.

Earlier this year, the Speaker promised the House in her New Direction for America, that “Every person in America has a right to have his or her voice heard. No Member of Congress should be silenced on the Floor. Bills should generally come to the Floor under a procedure that allows open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternatives.”

The new House procedure issued last night eliminates the right of dozens of members of Congress to have their amendments considered in the House of Representatives. “It’s a major setback for bipartisanship and sets a bad precedent for the next eleven appropriation bills, and how more than $1 trillion in taxpayer funds will be spent,” Posey said. “It’s painful to see so many Americans intentionally disenfranchised like this.”