Despite Democratic assertions that the 110th Congress would be the most open in history, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) had plans to deny televised coverage of the Iraq supplemental appropriations conference.
Initially, Obey OK’d only a photo-op at the meeting’s start and otherwise intended to keep cameras out, citing precedent as reason to deny video footage of the conference meeting.
However, Obey reversed his decision yesterday afternoon and said he would allow video coverage.
{mosads}Obey’s office did not return calls for comment.
Steve Chaggaris, chairman of the Executive Committee of Correspondents for the Congressional Radio-Television Correspondents’ Galleries, was uncertain as to why Obey changed his mind, but a letter Chaggaris wrote yesterday may have influenced the chairman’s decision.
In the letter, sent at noon yesterday, Chaggaris questioned Obey’s reasoning to keep cameras out based on precedent. Chaggaris noted that there was no space constraint in the meeting room, HC-5, and that previous meetings have been open to media.
“Not only does this create an uneven playing field for the press that covers the U.S. Congress — giving full access to some journalists — but the Executive Committee feels your action, based on precedent … does not live up to your own Speaker’s post-election promises of transparency and that this Congress would be ‘the most open … Congress in history,’” Chaggaris, of CBS News, wrote, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Chaggaris said that the public should be permitted to see the conference of the Iraq war’s supplemental funding bill.
“In addition, today’s conference committee meeting is about the Iraq war, which was arguably the issue that propelled your party into the majority during last year’s elections,” Chaggaris wrote. “Shouldn’t the American public be allowed to see how the new Democratic Congress wants to spend taxpayers’ money on this war?”
Chaggaris was delighted when he heard cameras would be allowed.
“He reacted to the letter in a positive way, in our eyes,” Chaggaris said.