Republicans Talk About Jobs, Education and Health Care, But Do Nothing to Improve Them

Pelosi: 'Republicans Talk About Jobs, Education and Health Care, But Do Nothing to Improve Them'

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, Caucus Chairman Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, and Congressman James Oberstar of Minnesota at a news conference to decry Republican's failure to enact legislation that addresses the needs of everyday Americans. Below are Pelosi's remarks:

"Thank you very much to our distinguished Whip Steny Hoyer, for calling us together this morning. Thank you for all of the work you have done to unify House Democrats around core Democratic principles and putting together an excellent piece of work about the work that needs to be done, and has not been done in this Republican Congress.

"In 1948, President Harry S. Truman called a special session of the 80th Congress because the rhetoric the Republicans had adopted in their convention platform did not match the reality of their actions in the Congress. Sound familiar?

"But when the Republicans did not deliver legislation to match their words, Truman called them the 'do nothing' Congress. Today's Republicans are much like those of 56 years ago. They talk about jobs, education, and health care, but do nothing to improve them.
"Let's judge this 108th Congress on what it has done and what it has not.
"When Americans lost 3 million jobs, including many due to outsourcing, what did this Republican Congress do? Nothing.
"When 3.8 million people lost their health insurance, what did this Republican Congress do? Nothing.
"While gas prices soar and wages fail to keep pace with inflation, what does this Republican Congress do? Nothing.
"So just what did the 'do nothing' Congress do?

"In addition to diminishing opportunity in our country, they passed new tax cuts for people making more than $1 million per year. They began to dismantle Medicare with a cruel hoax of a prescription drug bill. And they underfunded the No Child Left Behind law by about $9 billion each year. Again, they are diminishing opportunity. In fact, they are making matters worse for most Americans.

"If this Republican Congress thinks that is a job well done, then they are in complete denial about the needs and aspirations of the American people."