Miscellaneous
“Today, for the first time in history, the United States Postal Service is set to default on its obligations because House Republicans refuse to take action on bipartisan postal reform legislation. The Senate passed a bill, by a bipartisan vote of 62-37 in April, that could have prevented default and preserved the Postal Service. Unfortunately, as we head into the August district work period, House Republicans refuse to address this matter at all and are once again walking away from the American people on a critical issue.
Wanted to make sure you all saw this quote from Republican Rep. Richard Hanna, which perfectly sums up the state of play on Capitol Hill right now, as Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to pass middle class tax relief—even though both sides agree on the need for it and the Senate has already passed a bill.
“I thank the Gentleman from Colorado [Rep. Perlmutter] who has been so involved and so eloquent in expressing the grief that his constituents share and all the members from Colorado on either side of the aisle who have come together to share this grief.
Over the last 19 months in the majority, House Republicans have wasted time passing GOP messaging bills that appeal to their conservative base, rather than working towards bipartisan compromises on critical legislation. Meanwhile, the Senate has passed multiple pieces of legislation with strong bipartisan votes. House Republicans continue to choose confrontation over compromise, refusing to take up any of these bills and putting American families and businesses at risk. Here’s a look at how House Republicans are refusing to govern for the middle class:
Just wanted to make sure you saw these twin editorials in yesterday’s New York Times. The first chides House Republicans for their continued refusal to accept the Senate’s bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, leaving LGBT, immigrant, Native American, and student victims vulnerable. The second makes it clear who is to blame for delaying much-needed postal service reforms.
“I join in mourning the tragic loss of life in Colorado this morning. The families of the victims, the many injured, and all those in Aurora are in my thoughts and in my prayers. It is in times like these that Americans have always rallied together as one community and one family, and we do so again today. I commend the heroism of our first responders from local and federal law enforcement and area hospitals, who have done an outstanding job in the face of great difficulty.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) announced today that House Democrats have begun using open tools on POPVOX.com that enable citizens and organizations to publicly weigh in on specific legislation before Congress. Whip Hoyer issued the following statement:
“I’m pleased to announce the start of our third annual Member Online All-Star Competition – an online competition between Members of the Democratic Caucus to gain Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and YouTube subscribers. Social media is critical to having an ongoing dialogue with the public, and over the course of the contest, House Democrats will work to engage with even more constituents and get our message out to millions of Americans. Last year’s competition resulted in over 57,000 new fans, followers, and subscribers, and I know this year will be even more successful.”
Mr. Speaker, this is a sad day for the House of Representatives. It is an irresponsible day for the House of Representatives. It is a day in which the Majority party asked us to take an action that has never been taken in the history of America - never once holding a cabinet officer in contempt of the Congress.
As we head into tomorrow, we here in the Democratic Whip Press Shop wanted to make sure you saw this article from The Hill noting the trepidation from Senate Republicans over the contempt vote.