Quorum Quotes
The sarcasm refers to the power usually held by key committee chairmen and the influence of the White House on Congressional legislation—especially budgetary.
The speaker was having trouble with some of his own party members in passing the President's budget. The press wanted to know when he would bring the budget to a vote.
The Constitution sets the majority of each house as a quorum in order to conduct any business. Minorities, in order to obstruct proceedings, would often refuse to answer their names when a quorum call would made even though they were present in the House, Therefore they claimed they could not be counted towards a quorum. In those days there were always absences due to illness, transportation, family emergencies and the like. So the majority had to have most of its members on the floor at all times if the minority wanted too obstruct. The minority claimed it was their right under the Constitution, Reed said that interpreting the Constitution that way was tantamount to suicide for the House. He then changed the rule, and simply counted as present any member who was observed to be present, whether he answered a quorum call or not.
