Maxwell Frost: “for months now, Republicans have held hostage some of the foremost priorities of the American people. Key national level…”

“for months now, Republicans have held hostage some of the foremost priorities of the American people. Key national level needs like education, veterans health care, and highway construction have all been put on the back burner. The hard legislative choices and spending decisions that had to be made were delayed so that Republicans could ensure their success at the polls. Well, now that the election is over, we have returned to Washington to finally finish our budget for fiscal year 2005, and I am certain that my Republican friends will come down to the floor, pat each other on the back, and proclaim this giant $388.4 billion spending bill a great success that finishes their work for the year. But, Mr. Speaker, this bill does not even come close to accomplishing what our constituents expect from this Congress. Republicans in this House just returned from the campaign trail where they promised to create more jobs and more economic opportunity. They promised they would do all they could to keep our homeland safe. They promised they would work hard to provide Americans with affordable health care and lower prescription drug prices, and they promised they would balance the budget. However, their record tells a very different story. This Congress has failed to act on job creation.…”