Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .
VICTORY!
We won our first vote in the House yesterday!
The rule not to amend the so-called lobbying reform bill with provisions that would have regulated Downsize DC . . . passed!
Narrowly. The final tally was 216 to 207. And the vote was held open for a long time, which likely means there was a lot of arm twisting right up to the end.
We think your messages to Congress made a difference. We sent 12,303 total messages on this issue — 6.351 of them in just the past 3 days! Thank you!
When we started Downsize DC people on Capitol Hill told us we were needed for close votes just like this one.
Does this mean we’re out of the woods? Not yet. The Senate has already passed a version of this bill that does regulate Downsize DC. So now the fight moves to the conference committee, where we need to make sure the House version of the bill prevails. We’ll aim our attention in that direction next week. Meanwhile . . .
It would be instructive for you to read the rule that was passed yesterday. It’s only one paragraph long, but it is one of the most convoluted paragraphs ever written in the English language. It’s a perfect example of the surreal way Congress does business. You will also notice that the reading of the bill is waived, several times, in the course of this one Salvador Dali paragraph. Unfortunately . . .
The way Congressional materials are posted on the Internet is also surreal, so the link to this rule may not work by the time you click on it. And if you search by the House Resolution number (783) you’ll get something else with the exact same number. Why? Congress moves in mysterious ways. But give it a try. You may laugh. You may cry. You may do both at once. Here’s the link.
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Thank you for being a DC Downsizer!
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.