[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9293-9294]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         OBSTRUCTION AND DELAY

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, our most pressing legislative items were 
nowhere to be seen on the House floor today. We had an opportunity to 
make headway on critical legislation, but Republicans have not provided 
action or

[[Page 9294]]

solutions, only obstruction and delay. Student loan interest rates will 
double on July 1 if Congress does nothing.
  After losing an estimated 28,000 construction jobs last month, 
Congress still hasn't passed a highway bill. The Republican leadership 
in the House refuses to bring the bipartisan Senate transportation bill 
to the floor for a vote, even though it would support 1 million 
construction jobs right away, including more than 8,000 in the State of 
Rhode Island.
  Our middle class families, our small businesses, and our students and 
manufacturers deserve greater certainty so they can better plan their 
lives and companies, grow jobs and strengthen our economy. Yet another 
day has passed without action to avoid sequestration or address 
expiring tax provisions or prevent rising costs for higher education. 
Instead, Republicans plan to waste more time this week with partisan 
anti-environment messaging bills with little or no hope of passage in 
the Senate and veto threats that have already been issued by the 
administration.
  We cannot let this become another wasted week. Our constituents 
deserve more. This Congress has to take action now, not delay until 
it's too late.

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