Silence Falls On House Floor

There’s a sound right now that hasn’t been heard on the House floor in quite some time: silence. The energy protest that House GOP members launched as Congress adjourned over the summer was put on hold today. There will be no speeches on the darkened floor of the chamber calling for offshore drilling and a comprehensive energy package. It’s a stark reminder of the weight of the financial crisis. Issues that drove the political agenda just days ago have quickly moved to the shadows.

At a press conference today, Minority Whip Roy Blunt told reporters that “the members here behind me today were going to be here to talk about energy on the floor today, but the events of the last few days, particularly the meeting last night, has appropriately focused our immediate energy on that topic -- the topic of what do we do about the financial markets? How do we respond to the meeting that Leader Boehner and I and Mr. Bachus were in last night with the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate.”