GOP Senator Puts Secret Hold On Bill Restoring Public Access To Presidential Records

[Hissyspit]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/20/coburn-hold

GOP Senator Puts Secret Hold On Bill Restoring Public Access To Presidential Records

In Nov. 2001, President Bush signed an executive order that historians called “unprecedented” and “would turn the 1978 Presidential Records Act on its head by allowing such materials to be kept secret ‘in perpetuity.’”

In March, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), along with Republican Reps. Russell Platts (PA), Lacy Clay (MO), and Dan Burton (R-IN) introduced a bill that would “nullify” Bush’s 2001 order “and restore public access to presidential records.” The bill passed the House with a 333-93 vote and the Senate Government Affairs Committee agreed in June to move its version to the floor for a vote, but the bill was stalled when an anonymous Republican senator put a hold on it:

A fight over White House secrecy has taken a new twist, with Senate officials confirming Wednesday that a Republican senator is secretly blocking a bill that would reverse President Bush’s 2001 executive order allowing ex-presidents to seal their records indefinitely.

- snip -

If Coburn is the Senator blocking the bill from coming to a vote, it wouldn’t be the only bill that he is currently blocking. Last month, Coburn placed a hold on a suicide prevention bill for military veterans that was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

You can contact Coburn’s office here or call it at 202-224-5754.

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[L. Coyote]

1. K & R

[fasttense]

2. I heard on Thom Hartmann that republican senators have 85

holds on legislation in the Senate right now. Talk about obstructionism. Just another easy way to prevent the people's work from getting done.

From saying they will filibuster to putting holds on badly needed legislation, the outnumbered republicans sure know how to prevent progress.

[ashling]

3. I should know, but how can they do this?

I forgot what rule allows them to do this?

[ThomWV]

5. I Would Very Much Like To See An Answer To This Question that Ashling Has Posed.

Thank you for asking the question. I too had to wonder how a member of the minority party could stop any legislation from going forward other than by filibuster on the floor, but that would be a matter for the full Senate. So I'm much interested in knowing how this can be.

[Rex]

4. Well of course the GOP is blocking our access to OUR documents!

We paid for them, but if the truth came out the Repukes would be run out of town on a rail! And that is putting it mildly. No, better to keep their dirty secrets out of the public light.

Hey Congress critters, the longer you keep us suspicious of government activities, the more we will distrust our own government as a nation.

Think of national unity and security and come clean.

[me b zola]

6. It's the "ownership society"

The imperial publicans own everything and are the arbiters of which of public documents we can view.

[Rex]

7. They need to be brought down; the truth shall set us free.

or at least I dream that.

[me b zola]

9. I share that dream

:hi:

[Rex]

10. I think many, many of us here do.

:hi:

[Hissyspit]

8. kick