Washington, D.C. –Since the start of this Congress, the House Rules Committee has been center stage. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the House Rules Committee and Chairman for the House Budget Committee Health Task Force, started a series today on the committee to provide listeners with a more in depth understanding of why this committee is so important. He is joined in the first episode of this series by House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole.

The All-Powerful Rules Committee 
Doctor In the House 
Listen here 

Highlights: 
Chairman Cole: “That's absolutely true. I mean, as you know, our main job is to shape the legislation… that enhances its prospect of being passed.” 

Burgess: “It all comes together. Well, an interesting part of your history is now the Rules Committee is not an exclusive jurisdiction. And I don't think it started with your chairmanship, but prior now you have members of Ways and Means, I'm on Energy and Commerce, you're on appropriations, and we both sit on the, we both sit on the Rules Committee.” 

Burgess: “When I first came here, the Rules Committee didn't even start meeting till 11, 12 o'clock at night. It was kind of a mystery. You had to go to the Capitol, the moon was out, the bats were flying around and then the Rules Committee comes in and meets. But now we tend to do things in the daytime.” 

Chairman Cole: “One reporter mentioned this to me that … [he] works for the Oklahoman and the largest newspaper in Oklahoma and has been there since the eighties. So we've known one another a very long time. And he made the point… He said, boy, the stuff your staff turns out is like not talking points. It's really good. And I said, well, the staff is good.”

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