I rise in support of the words of the majority leader and the majority whip. Many of us have been frustrated lately by the glacial pace of activity in the House of Representatives. The Senate is supposed to be the cooling saucer, but, these days, the House is where jobs bills and other important measures go to die. They are dragging out negotiations on a highway bill that would put millions to work. They refuse to even allow a conference on a bipartisan Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, even though the Senate produced a bill with 68 votes. They have refused to act at all on a bipartisan bill that cracks down on China's unfair currency practices--something which their own party's nominee for President claims to support. Why the stalling? Well, we got our answer in the pages of Politico 2 days ago. Eric Cantor, who controls the floor schedule in the House, has decided to forgo legislating in favor of politicking full time. Despite all the major challenges this Congress faces--despite the crisis of confidence that may hit our markets in the fall due to uncertainty over the looming fiscal cliff--Eric Cantor has declared a moratorium on any serious legislating until after the fall elections. The House of Representatives is like a computer that has been turned on sleep mode, and it does not plan to be rebooted until after November. This is a breathtaking admission by the No. 2 Republican in the House.…
On the recordJune 7, 2012
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