On Tuesday, Matt Gaetz, the Republican congressman from Florida, announced an amendment to the House Rules package that passed Monday. This amendment would allow C-SPAN’s cameras to cover normal floor proceedings in the House of Representatives.
The amendment seeks to change from the “boomer-fied” fixed locations usually seen on C-SPAN, and requires no less than four cameras operated by the cable network to be operating in the House of Representatives. Gaetz believes that this amendment promotes broader transparency in Congress, and is a net positive for the country.
Karen Finney, a spokeswoman for Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign, praised the amendment on CNN. She stated, “I have to say, I never thought I would say this sentence. I agree with Matt Gaetz 100% on this one. I actually do think it was good for the country to have more of a view into what was happening, how it happened and frankly, how their own members were behaving throughout the process.”
C-SPAN cameras provided a window into House proceedings during the start of the 118th Congress. This allowed viewers to see conversations between Gaetz, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York during the lengthy process that led to Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s election as speaker on the 15th ballot.
Overall, this amendment is a step in the right direction for transparency in Congress. Gaetz’s amendment to the House Rules package is an effort to bring more accountability to the House of Representatives, and allow Americans to view the proceedings more closely. As CNN host Jake Tapper said, “Congressman Gaetz, we’re behind you on that bill.” This amendment is a positive move for the country that deserves support.
I’m not a big Gaetz fan mainly because I think he’s still young and has so much to learn but he does have decent ideas and this is definitely one of them. More transparency could return some trust back to the people. Gaetz also foster the proposal that politician should be banned from dogearing bills with unrelated agendas—Another one I agree with, but sadly it was dismissed.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
