[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       PROTECTING WORKERS' RIGHTS

  (Mr. CARNAHAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, it's no secret that my Republican 
colleagues really don't want to extend the payroll tax cuts and 
unemployment insurance. Republican Members have called it a gimmick. 
They've admitted the only reason they brought it up for a vote was that 
they didn't want to take the political heat for raising taxes on the 
middle class. But instead of coming up with an honest compromise 
designed to actually pass, Republicans have filed a bill with 
provisions that wind up actually hurting the middle class and many 
still struggling in this slow economy.
  Playing risky political games with our clean air, our clean water, 
raising Medicare premiums on seniors, that's not the way Americans 
expect us to govern, and designing a bill that can't pass is the type 
of political games that my Missouri constituents are fed up with. We 
need an honest bill now.
  I call on my Republican colleagues to stop the obstruction, stop the 
distraction, stop the games. Let's pass a real payroll tax bill now.

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