WASHINGTON – Illinois Democrats in the U.S. Congress hold the majority over Republicans in the state’s delegation 11 to 7, but overall in Congress, Democrats are vastly outnumbered. Tuesday, one Democrat staged a protest when the GOP leadership pushed an effort to ban livestreaming from the House floor.
In defiance, Congress member Jan Schakowsky (D-9) livestreamed, saying that the Republicans might set into place “terrible punishments” for livestreaming, including waterboarding:
She also wrote the following:
As their first action in the new Congress, House Republicans chose to serve themselves and forget about their constituents. Last night, they met behind closed doors and rigged the rules in their favor. They hoped that they could completely gut the Office of Congressional Ethics without the American people and House Democrats taking notice. Faced with overwhelming opposition, they were forced to withdraw that change.
Now, Republicans have come up with unconstitutional rules to punish Democrats for practicing their right to free speech after the anti-gun violence sit-in this summer. Further, the Republican rules package will make it easier to take away healthcare and slash Social Security’s and Medicare’s earned benefits.
Rather than ‘draining the swamp,’ Republicans are feeding the hungry alligators. Democrats won’t be silenced and won’t be stifled. We will fearlessly stand for freedom of speech and resist their dangerous agenda.
And the Democrats fiercely want to regain the majority in 2018?
