On the recordMay 17, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it's now been 866 days since I arrived in Congress, and the Republican leadership has still not allowed a single vote on serious legislation to address our unemployment crisis. That's zero votes to address our Nation's most pressing emergency. That's zero votes to address the sequester policies that are making our job crisis immeasurably worse. Yet yesterday, the Republican Congress took its 37th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Speaker, this was not only a colossal waste of valuable time that could have been spent focusing on jobs legislation, it's a further step in the wrong direction. By expanding access to health care, the Affordable Care Act gives Americans more disposable income, creating more customers for our businesses and, in turn, more jobs. It's time to bring the American Jobs Act to the floor. It deserves a vote. Investigate Benghazi; investigate the AP leaks; investigate the IRS; but, Mr. Speaker, don't forget our focus, our crisis. Our mantra should be: jobs, jobs, jobs. ____________________





