In a widely televised inaugural speech this afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) reiterated his commitment to “openness” and fair debate in the 112th Congress, even as his new majority prepares to bar Democrats from offering any amendments to the health care repeal legislation and is forgoing the normal process of debating the measures in committee before they’re brought to the floor:

BOEHNER: We will do these things that restores and respects the time honored right of the minority to an honest debate, a fair and open process. And to my friends in the minority, I offer a commitment — openness. Once a tradition of this institution, but increasingly scare in recent decades, will be the new standard. There are no open rules in the House in the last Congress, in this one there will be many. And with restored openness, however, comes a restored responsibility. You will not have the right to willfully disrupt the proceedings of the people’s house, but you will always have the right to a robust debate and an open process that allows you to represent your constituents, to make your case, offer alternatives, and be heard.

Watch it:

Just yesterday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) — who was also sworn-in today — hinted to reporters “that the GOP will not allow what’s known as an ‘open rule.” “It’s a straightforward document,” Cantor said of the legislation that would repeal the largest reform of America’s health care system. “It reflect what most people inside the beltway and outside the beltway want.” The New York Times also confirmed last night that the health repeal legislation “will not be subject to amendments, nor will Republicans have to abide by their own new rules that compel them to offset the cost of new bills that add to the deficit; the health care repeal and tax cuts are not subject to this new rule.”

When the House first passed reform in November 2009 and then again in March 2010, Republicans insisted that they should be able to offer unlimited amendments to the legislation on the House floor and argued that all parts of the bill must first be debated in the appropriate committees of jurisdiction. Watch a compilation of their demands here.

Last night, during a debate on the GOP’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act with Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN), MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell asked Roe if he would be following the example of some of his colleagues and opt out of his own government-sponsored health care insurance. Roe responded that he is not enrolled in the Congressional health care plan, called the FEHBP, since he receives coverage through Medicare, another government-run program:

O`DONNELL: Congressman Roe, would you be delighted to vote for repeal of the congressional health care plan? And do you participate and use the government-run congressional health care plan for you and your family?

ROE: I do. And it`s the only option I had. Let me also mention about –

O`DONNELL: Oh, it`s not the only option you have. You can opt-out of it and you can buy your own private insurance. It`s not mandatory for you to take it.

ROE: Well, Lawrence, which I did until I got here. Now, I`m on Medicare. ….

O`DONNELL: So, Congressman, we can just pause for a second. Can we just pause for a second? You are on the pure government-run health care plan called Medicare, which you are pleased with?

ROE: Was that we think a public option is a good idea until you reach the age of 65, and then you have no public option. I mean, you have — the only things you have is a public option. You don`t have a private alternative. And you can`t go out and buy your own insurance. I would argue –

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As Alex Seitz-Wald observed in December, of the eighty-plus incoming Republican congressmen, all of whom ran campaigns railing against the Affordable Care Act, and the hundreds of incumbent GOP lawmakers, ThinkProgress has been able to identify only five who are willing to put their money where their mouth is and turn down government health care for themselves. This translates to just 2 percent of the 242 GOP House members of the 112th Congress. Moreover, those who have turned down their congressional health plans are either covered by other government programs, such as veterans benefits, or are wealthy, like Walsh, and can afford to pay for their own coverage.

After winning the House in the November midterms, Republicans — who have long complained about Democratic stewardship of the lower chamber — promised to run the House in an open and transparent process, allowing the minority party to offer amendments on legislation and permitting time for fair debate. But as Democrats now prepare to offer counter amendments to the GOP’s health care repeal bills, the GOP is walking back its pledge. As the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reported yesterday, incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) is suggesting “that the GOP will not allow what’s known as an ‘open rule’” which would allow Democrats to introduce a series of potentially embarrassing amendments. “It’s a straightforward document,” Cantor said of the legislation that would repeal the largest reform of America’s health care system. “It reflect what most people inside the beltway and outside the beltway want.”

But ironically, the procedural move also contradicts what Republicans wanted from Democrats throughout the health care debate. When the House first passed reform in November 2009 and then again in March 2010, Republicans insisted that they should be able to offer unlimited amendments to the legislation on the House floor and argued that all parts of the bill must first be debated in the appropriate committees of jurisdiction — which the GOP’s repeal bills would bypass:

- REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): “I ask each of you to vow to never let this happen again. This process, this defiance of our citizens. It’s not too late to begin to restore the bonds of trust with our nation and return comity to this institution.”

- REP. DAVE CAMP (R-MI): “And the Physician Payment Bill…that legislation has not been through the Committee on Ways and Means, we had not had an opportunity to review that in open hearing in committee, to offer amendments, to go through it line by line...so this is legislation that’s coming straight to the floor.”

- REP. JOE BARTON (R-TX): “This is a process that corrupts and prostitutes the system…We are about to unleash a cultural war in this country if we use this process and don’t allow the legitimate differences to be debated and hopefully moderated and compromised…. I mean, officially, I’m asking for an open rule.”

- REP. DAVID DREIER (R-CA): “Yes, we will be actually having a vote today. But without an open debate, the opportunity for amendments, or the chance to fully analyze the legislation we still don’t have full transparency or accountability.”

Watch a compilation:

Dreier — the incoming chairman of the Rules Committee — defended the GOP’s strategy last night on Fox News’ On The Record. Challenged by host Greta Van Susteren, “And so what’s the story? You promised that there would amendments to the rules, and right out of the box, you’re not doing it,” Dreier insisting that the bill was just one sentence long. “Greta, let me just tell you the commitment that was made. The commitment was made that we would repeal the job-killing health care bill,” he said. Watch that exchange here.