[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16002]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          DO-NOTHING CONGRESS

  (Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, the Republican do-nothing Congress is 
unwilling to tackle the issues of importance to the American people. At 
a time when hardworking Americans are finding it more and more 
difficult to make ends meet, at a time when a weak economy is creating 
very few jobs, at a time when gas prices are at record levels, the 
Republican do-nothing Congress has frittered away scarce time on 
meaningless and divisive proposals that were never even intended to 
become law.
  No wonder the American people are so disgusted with Washington. There 
is so much that this Congress should be doing, and yet the House 
Republicans refuse to act. We could raise the minimum wage for the 
first time in 9 years and give 7 million Americans a pay raise.
  We could give the Federal Government the ability to negotiate 
prescription drugs on behalf of America's seniors in order to fill the 
gap in coverage that millions of seniors will soon face in their drug 
coverage. We could finally go after Big Oil and guarantee the American 
consumer is not to be gouged at the pump.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a lot we could do. The problem is Republicans 
are out of ideas. It is time we lead America in a new direction.

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