[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        MOST PRESSING LEGISLATIVE ITEMS WERE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, some of the most pressing legislative items 
were nowhere to be found on the floor this week. We had an opportunity 
to make headway on critical legislation. Unfortunately, the leadership 
provided no action, not solutions, not action, only obstruction and 
delay.
  First, student loan interest rates will double on July 1 if we do 
nothing, and we have done nothing.
  Secondly, after losing 28,000 construction jobs last month, Congress 
still has not passed a highway bill, notwithstanding the fact that the 
Senate passed a bill with 75 percent of its Members in support, half of 
the Republican Conference in support, but it's nowhere on this floor as 
construction jobs languish and people look for work.
  Speaker Boehner is now saying we might have to wait until November, 
even though it would create thousands of construction jobs. It seems to 
be ``my way or no highway.''
  Third, we're headed for a fiscal cliff if Congress can't achieve a 
serious deficit reduction this year, and we've seen appropriations 
bills this week that break the budget agreement.
  This has been another wasted week by a do-nothing Congress, and we're 
about to begin a weeklong recess once again. Congress could do better. 
Congress must do better. Americans expect Congress to do better. It 
ought to take action now, not delay until it's too late.

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