[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          DO-NOTHING CONGRESS

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my Republican friends 
what they have accomplished here in the House this year. We have been 
here almost 8 months, and we have yet to pass any meaningful 
legislation into law.
  Republicans will list off countless bills that they have passed here 
in the House. Some of them are actually recycled from last year. We do 
not actually have to vote on them again, but because Republicans do not 
have any new ideas, they have to bring up old bills that have already 
been passed but have yet to be signed into law.
  House Republicans will blame the other Chamber. They will say they 
have passed all sorts of legislation but because the other Chamber does 
not see things their way, they cannot come to a suitable compromise. 
House Republicans can pass all sorts of legislation, but unless it 
becomes law it is meaningless.
  Let me remind my Republican colleagues that they control the White 
House, the Senate and this House. Yet Congress is being forced to work 
without a budget because Republicans could not come to an agreement 
amongst themselves.
  At the end of this week, Congress adjourns for 6 weeks. Yet 
congressional Republicans cannot point to one congressional 
achievement. Talk about a do-nothing Congress.

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