House Republicans Plan Two Month Vacation, Leaving Key Bills Awaiting Action
House Republican Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced Friday that after next week, the House will stand in recess until November 13. His plan for a nearly two month vacation will undoubtedly allow more time for campaigning, but will leave several vital bills awaiting action.
Among the important legislation the House will likely not address before the November elections:
1. Violence Against Women Act re-authorization. Though a bipartisan Senate majority passed the a strong re-authorization bill in April, the Republican House leadership refused to allow a vote on the Senate version of the bill. The House passed a watered down version on a mostly-party lines vote, leaving victims to wait for House action.
2. The American Jobs Act. Republicans have been blocking President Obama’s jobs legislation for more than a year. Though House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) promised in 2010 that a GOP Congress would focus on job creation, he has blocked this bill’s immediate infrastructure investments, tax credits for working Americans and employers, and aid to state and local governments to prevent further layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public safety officials.
3. Tax cuts for working families. In July, the Senate passed a bill extending tax-cuts for the first $250,000 in annual income. The Republican House leadership has refused to consider the bill, holding it hostage to their demands for a full extension of Bush-era tax cuts for millionaires.
4. Veterans Job Corps Act. The Senate is currently considering bipartisan legislation to help America’s veterans find jobs. The Air Force Times reports that the Republican House has “shown no interest” in the legislation to support those who served the country.
5. Sequestration. A spokesman for Boehner said earlier this week that stopping budget cuts he voted for last August “topped our July agenda and remains atop our agenda for September.” While House Republicans have complained about the imminent spending reductions and passed a bill that would require President Obama to find offsets for spending cuts they don’t like, Republican Leader Canter could not name a single compromise he was willing to make to get a deal.
6. Farm Bill. Despite strong support for a 5-year farm bill from even conservative groups like the Farm Bureau Association — the House leadership has not scheduled a vote on the bill. The current law expires September 30. Without passage, 90 percent of the work of the Department of Agriculture could be defunded.
7. Wind tax credit. The Senate may act next week to renew an expiring wind energy tax credit. Despite bipartisan support — including from original author Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Examiner notes that the House is unlikely to pass the renewal. Despite GOP calls for energy independence, the expiration has threatened the wind energy industry and already led to job cuts.
These, in addition to drought assistance, postal service reform, addressing the Estate Tax, cyber security legislation, fixes for Medicare reimbursement rates and the Alternative Minimum Tax, and all 12 of the FY 2013 Appropriations Bills remain unaddressed.
Four years ago, Republicans objected when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) adjourned Congress for a five-week August recess without bringing up their energy legislation. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) shouted “Madame Speaker, where art thou? Where oh where has Congress gone?” Now, they plan a two month vacation, even if it means allowing vital programs to expire and working families to suffer.
CONNECT













10 comments on "House Republicans Plan Two Month Vacation, Leaving Key Bills Awaiting Action"
September 16, 2012 5:54pm
Thank goodness those Goppies are corrupt and want to get more government bucks to their friends. Otherwise, they would be happy to let the government die, and would be on vacation 365 days a year.
September 15, 2012 3:51pm
Just another example of the dysfuntional autocracy of a radically bi-partisan of Congress. In what other profession can you take a month off during the summer and come back for a few weeks and then decide to take off a couple more months at full pay? These callous folks are taking us all for a ride on our dime....and laughing all the way to the bank---all the while difficult, demanding and important governing issues need to be resolved. This is government by default--a partisan war of attrition.
With the economy being in a mess and budgets cut-back, the Congress should not be paid unless it performs --showing up is mandatory, along with demonstrated real Positive action and Results.....we need the power of oversight, review and pay for performance AFTER these folks get elected.
Only if public financing of elections ever gets real, and unlimited funding from vested interests and their pacs and lobbies becomes a thing of the past we will reclaim the purpose of representation in Congress. Until then Congress is locked into a politico-economic darwinian mess that can only result in more dysfunctional failure and radicalization.
September 15, 2012 9:32pm
Unfortunately we can't put referendums on the ballot for no pay for no perfromance. Unlike Calif with no budget, no pay.
September 15, 2012 3:31pm
How sad...if these morons had a REAL job, they would be fired....
September 15, 2012 2:51pm
You left off a very important policy/law, restructuring the Postal Service medical benefit payments of 75 billion dollars. This unrealistic congressional mandate was intended as a way to smooth the path for privatization. I am pissed at the 2008 Congress and Obama for not right this wrong when they had an abolute chance. However, the Postal Board of Governors and Postmaster kept it under wraps until the repugnants took control of t he house in 2010.
September 15, 2012 1:10pm
Hell! They're on vacation (from reality) anyhow. Who's gonna notice?!!
September 15, 2012 11:44am
Why do we care if they leave? They don't do anything but obstruct when they're there. Besides, their TEA might get cold.
September 15, 2012 11:08am
Just as well they are not there, they can't compromise on anything anyway! Better if some of them just go away forever!
September 15, 2012 10:12am
The People of America have to realize that the tea-party Republicans must be voted out of office because they are bringing Congress to it's knees. We need a Congress that will raise taxes on the rich, just as our great leaders of the past knew how to take care of business. We had a great economy and low unemployment in the 50's, 60's, and 70's when the top marginal rate for income tax was over 90%. We need many more tax rate brackets just as we had in the past, not less like the Republicans propose. We used to have 30 or 40 tax brackets, ranging from 4% to over 90%. That is what we need today. If they would consider a balance point of approx. $180,000. with people earning less paying less, and people earning more paying more; we could stretch the tax brackets to 20 or 30. This would help the income inequality that caused most of these problems. You see, when the income gap is to large, people at the bottom can't pay for anything, and the people at the top travel the world with their money and their buying. This doesn't do a thing for the American economy. We need 20 brackets from 3% for income from 0$ -$30K, 6% for $30K-$50K, 9% for $50K-$70K, 12% for $70K-$90K, 15% for $90K-$110K, 18% for $110K-$130K, 21% for $130K-$150K, 24% for $150K-$170K, 27% for $170K-$200K, 30% for $200K-$300K, 33% for $300K-$400K, 36% for $400K-$1Mil, 39% for $1Mil-$2Mil, 42% for $2Mil-$4Mil, 45% for $4Mil-$6Mil, 48% for $6Mil-$8Mil, 51% for $8Mil-$10Mil, 54% for $10Mil-$15Mil, 57% for $15Mil-$20Mil, and 60% for all income over $20Million. Now that is "Fair and Balanced". This simple move would do a great number of things for the economy. It would balance the budget. It would put millions to work in the rebuilding of the infrastructure. It would put the brakes on the runaway income inequality gap. But the one thing that it would do that the Republicans can't stand is; it would get President Obama elected to a 2nd term. Now these Greedy O
ne Percenters can't have that.
September 15, 2012 9:39am
I think this article should be widely shown and known, because it illustrates the rank hypocrisy of the Republicans who so loudly proclaim, in their multiplying millionaire-funded TV ads, that "the policies of the President aren't working."
Which policies? The ones sitting on a table or shelf somewhere that the Tea Party Republicans won't even bring to a vote? This is the most extreme and self-centered House I've seen in my lifetime, and I've seen a few. No wonder the public holds Congress in such contempt, but the Tea Party voters who sent these lazy shirkers to Washington are the creators of this insufferable gridlock posing as legislative action.
Votes do have consequences, so get out and vote, and at least retire some of these self-righteous nay-sayers so that Washington can address the serious problems of this nation, instead of taking 2-month vacations.
(What did they do to tire themselves so much that they need a rest? Oh, yeah, they actually voted to repeal Obama-Care more than 30 times. Phew! Worked real hard at that, and though it accomplished zero, hey, they went through the motions, didn't they? For that they deserve 2 months off so they can go out and campaign to hold their seats so they can be around if the President gets re-elected. At least they can prevent Obama from raising taxes on the 1%! Their sponsors wouldn't like that!)