[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




``DO-NOTHING'' CONGRESS REPUBLICANS HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH FROM TRUMAN'S 
                                  TIME

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, back in 1948, President Truman dubbed 
the Republican-led House the ``Do-Nothing Congress.'' He came up with 
the name because the House barely ever met.
  Would you believe that as bad as the 1948 Congress was, the 
Republican-led Congress of 2006 is worse? So far this year we have only 
been in session 22 days, and we are only scheduled to hold votes on a 
total of 97, which is 11 days less than the ``Do-Nothing Congress'' of 
1948.
  There is so much to do, gas prices and all the rest, but here in 
Washington the House Republicans seem content just to ignore our 
Nation's problems. Maybe they are satisfied with the work they have 
already done on behalf of their special interests for the election.
  There is another thing this group has in common with the 1948 
Republican ``Do Nothing Congress.'' Consider this comment from 
President Truman in 1948: ``Something happens to Republican leaders 
when they get control of the government. They have a hard time hearing 
what the ordinary people of the country are saying, but they have no 
trouble at all hearing what Wall Street wants.''
  It is time for the 2006 Congress to do something about the problems 
of the people in this country.

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