the last book I ever read (Jimmy Carter: The American Presidents Series: The 39th President, 1977-1981, excerpt two)

from Jimmy Carter: The American Presidents Series: The 39th President, 1977-1981 by Julian E. Zelizer:

When Speaker O’Neill watched the debates over the complex five-volume proposal and the number of people handling the bill, he knew right away it spelled trouble. Despite his uneasy relationship with Carter, O’Neill decided to save the president’s bill by using the powers of the speakership that had been produced by congressional reform in the early 1970s. The Speaker assembled an ad hoc committee to handle the legislation and, as a resuilt of O’Neill’s efforts and leadership, the energy measure passed the House relatively intact in August 1977.