Roy Cooper: “The job of a Congressman is, simply put, to keep America number one. This Congress is failing at that job. Today, the…”

“The job of a Congressman is, simply put, to keep America number one. This Congress is failing at that job. Today, the Financial Times reports that, for the first time since 1872, America will soon no longer have the largest economy in the world. This is the headline: ``China To Overtake the U.S. As Top Economic Power This Year.'' We are losing our position to China, which is overtaking us some 3 years earlier than expected. Even more importantly, last week, The New York Times reported that our middle class, which used to be the world's richest, no longer is. This Congress simply must take responsibility for this. We must pass job-creating, pro-growth legislation. But this Congress has failed to do that. This Congress has failed to take up and pass major infrastructure legislation, immigration reform, and tax reform. We know how to solve many of these pro-growth problems, but this Congress is refusing to do so. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues should not blame anyone else for this mess. We are the largest body of elected leaders in this country. All we need to do to solve these problems is look in the mirror. ____________________”