U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following statement today after Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR-02), Rep. John Culberson (R-TX-07) and Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA-03) began circulating a discharge petition that will require the Democrat Majority to give Members of Congress, and the American public, 72 hours to review legislation before it is brought up for a vote in the House of Representatives:

I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort to bring some transparency back to the legislative process.  Members of Congress should read every major piece of legislation before casting their vote.  Congress and the American people deserve three days to read the bills.  This discharge petition is a critical step in the right direction.  I am proud to support the effort of Representatives Greg Walden, John Culberson and Brian Baird.

President Obama and Speaker Pelosi promised to bring transparency and accountability back to Washington.  Over the last nine months this promise has been broken time and time again.  It began with a flawed stimulus bill that the American public and House Members were not afforded time to read, and continued with the vote on the Democrats’ national energy tax.  The American people are losing confidence in the work of their elected leaders as bills running longer than a thousand pages are rushed to the president’s desk without an opportunity for Members to learn what they are voting on.  We have a responsibility to do better.