Do-Nothing Congress

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARNAHAN. Thank you. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his leadership on this issue as this Congress shuts down.

It was Harry Truman from Missouri who coined the term the ``do-nothing Congress'' in 1948. But that Congress was 10 times more productive than this Republican Congress of 2012. To call this Congress a do-nothing Congress is an insult to the do-nothing Congress of 1948. So we're leaving today, the earliest this Congress has ever left for a campaign in an election year in 52 years.

Look at how disconnected this Congress has been from the urgent needs of the American people. Thirty percent of the bills passed were for the purpose of attaching someone's name to a building. We voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act 33 times. The Republicans passed 30 jobs message bills that didn't do a thing to create jobs. They voted so often to restrict women's freedom and access to health care that one female Republican lawmaker said, Are you kidding me? How many times are we going to vote for this? And we have voted on the Romney-Ryan plan to end the Medicare guarantee and increase cost to seniors by $6,400. It's no wonder this Republican Congress has the lowest approval rating ever.

There are urgent priorities on the table that many have talked about here today: the middle class tax cuts, the farm bill, the Violence Against Women Act, responsible deficit reduction, and President Obama's jobs bill. This Republican wall of obstruction is wreaking havoc on this country. It's leaving a trail of dysfunction. And now Republicans are running for the exit door to cut their own political losses. They're shutting down this people's House without getting the work done. This Congress should be here. Our Democratic leaders have made it clear we're ready to do that work. People will be the judge.

I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his leadership on this order.

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