[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 146 (Wednesday, November 13, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H8548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONGRESS SHOULD FINISH ITS WORK

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are about to take up a CR 
that keeps the government going until January 11. What they are not 
saying is that they are abdicating their responsibility to govern.
  The Republican leadership in Congress has achieved one of the worst 
legislative breakdowns in the Nation's history. Of the 13 fiscal year 
2003 appropriations bills, Congress will complete before the end of 
this session only Defense and Military Construction. Everything else is 
being carried over until the next year.
  A review of the past half century of legislative calendars shows 
nothing close to such nonfeasance. Even in 2000 when Congress approved 
21 continuing resolutions before completing its work December 15, the 
House at least had passed each of the 13 appropriations bills.
  What is happening now is we are simply abdicating our responsibility. 
The Republicans do not want to do anything. They simply want to wait 
until the new session of Congress. But the fact of the matter is that 
we have a responsibility to pass the budget, to pass the appropriations 
bills, to deal with them now, and to work between now in November as 
well as in December, not simply wait until the next session of Congress 
to address all of these issues.

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