Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF MOTIONS TO SUSPEND THE RULES -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2006)
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Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding and I thank her for her leadership on the Rules Committee in one of probably the most frustrating jobs on this Hill, because we have not had open debate.
Dana Milbank wrote about that this morning. Dana Milbank quoted DAVID DREIER. DAVID DREIER criticized Democrats yesterday for not having alternatives. DAVID DREIER's Rules Committee prevented the Democrats from offering any amendments to yesterday's commission bill. How ironic.
Mr. Speaker, I adopt the comments made by the distinguished gentleman from Mississippi who was right on point, in my opinion. I truly hope the American people are watching today because, if they do, they will see why this Republican Congress is the do-less-than-the-do-nothing Congress of 1948, which is failing to address the priorities of the American people. That is what the gentleman from Mississippi was talking about.
Let us look at the facts. This do-less-than-the-do-nothing Republican Congress is projected to be in session just 93 days prior to leaving for the elections. The do-nothing Congress met 111 days. That is 17 fewer days in session than the do-nothing Congress of 1948, which was famously derided by President Truman. Now, if we had done a lot of work in those 93 days one could say, well, we did not need to meet as much because we did a lot of substantive work. Let us look at the record.
Today on this House floor, we have the time to consider a bill recognizing the 225th anniversary of the American and French victory at Yorktown, Virginia, during the Revolutionary War. That was a critical juncture in our history and deserves recognition. Yet, we have still failed to enact a budget. We do not have a budget. Now Mr. and Mrs. America probably know that the budget year begins just 4 days from today, but we have not enacted a budget for the American people.
Today on this House floor, we have time to consider a bill congratulating the Columbus Northern Little League Baseball Team from Columbus, Georgia. I think they are world champions. They are deserving of recognition. I do not resent the fact that we are doing that. God bless them. Congratulations. Yet, this Republican-controlled Congress has failed to enact the recommendations, as was pointed out by the gentleman from Mississippi, of the 9/11 Commission.
One of our most important responsibilities is keeping America and Americans safe. That is what the 9/11 Commission was about. Republicans and Democrats came together. Governor Kean, former Republican governor of New Jersey, and Lee Hamilton, distinguished former Member of this body, a Democrat, came together and made recommendations, said we can make America safer, but they have given us Fs and Ds on our performance.
Today on this House floor, we have time to consider 12 post office renamings. I am sure that every American is concerned about the name of their post office. Me, too. Yet we have failed to enact a long overdue increase in the Federal minimum wage which has not been raised since 1997. People in America, the richest Nation on the face of the earth, 6.6 million working 40 hours a week and living in poverty, but we can rename 12 post offices.
We failed to enact real immigration reform to keep our borders safe, failed to address the fact that 46 million Americans have no health insurance. Yet we rename 12 post offices. And we have failed to enact legislation that moves us toward energy independence, a security issue, an economic issue and an environmental issue.
The truth is, Madam Speaker, this Republican Congress is failing the American people, and the fact that the Republican majority is here today asking us to consider noncontroversial bills while key priorities go unaddressed is the clearest evidence of that failure.
I go around this country and Americans tell me they want a change. They want to move in a new direction.
As Tom Mann, a congressional scholar at the Brookings Institution, and Norm Ornstein, one of the most respected congressional scholars in America who works at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, ``This Congress hit the ground stumbling and has not lifted itself into an upright position. The output of the 109th Congress,'' they went on to say, ``is pathetic measured against its predecessors.'' Republican and Democrat.
Mr. Speaker, this Republican rule is nothing less than a mission of failure and ineffectiveness. Even our Republican colleagues have a hard time denying that. Let me quote JACK KINGSTON from Georgia, who has been such a prominent part of the Republican leadership, who said it best earlier this week. I quote Republican JACK KINGSTON, part of the Republican leadership, ``It is disappointing where we are, and I think Republicans need to be up front about this. We have not accomplished what we need to accomplish.'' If I were in church, the people would say ``Amen.''
It is time, Madam Speaker, for a new direction in America.
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