[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 28 (Thursday, March 6, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESS SHOULD GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

  (Ms. ESHOO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, according to the Congressional Management 
Foundation, it costs our Nation's taxpayers approximately $280,000 to 
fly House Members to Washington each week when the Congress is in 
session. In the past, there has been a busy floor schedule and Members 
have been working in order to earn their keep.
  Today is Thursday, March 6, and it may be the 105th Congress but so 
far, I think, it is the pretend Congress: Pretend we are meeting, 
pretend we are legislating, pretend we are busy, pretend we are 
working. This is not a source of pride to me, nor can it be to so many 
of my colleagues. All the American people want is to have their country 
work, and it cannot work if we do not work.
  We passed the armored car reciprocity amendments, we sent best wishes 
to the people of Nicaragua, and we even mustered a handful of Members 
to come to the floor to listen to the President of Chile, but nothing 
is being done about campaign finance reform, health care for our 
Nation's children, and so many other things.
  Mr. Speaker, let us stop wasting the taxpayers' dollars. Let us get 
down to business. Let us go to work for our great Nation.

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