Post by bot on Jan 11, 2014 0:51:59 GMT -5
First Week of 2014 and House Republicans Continue Focus on Political Messaging Bills
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Last month, 1.3 million Americans lost access to emergency unemployment insurance, an important program helping struggling families – including 20,000 military veterans – as they continue to search for work. While our economy is improving, too many Americans are still searching for a job and without Congressional action, an additional 72,000 Americans will lose their unemployment benefits each week. The top priority of Congress should be an immediate renewal of unemployment insurance, but Republican leaders refuse to take action on this critical issue. House Democrats will continue to call for this to be brought to the House Floor for a vote.
This week, House Republicans returned to the same focus on political messaging bills that led to the Do-Nothing Republican Congress of 2013. During the first week of 2014, House Republicans ignored the calls of Americans across the country and did not address any critical issues, including renewing unemployment insurance, passing a farm bill that protects crucial nutrition funding, raising the minimum wage, passing comprehensive immigration reform, or bringing up job creation legislation. It’s extremely disappointing that Republicans, instead, continued to waste time on legislation that attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act continues to provide access to quality, affordable health care and benefits to millions of Americans. Starting on January 1, more than 6 million Americans enrolled in new health coverage, and American families had access to new health benefits, including up to 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions who can no longer be denied health coverage. In the new year, I hope that House Republicans will end their obsessive focus on undermining this law, and instead work on the long list of unfinished critical legislation.
Sincerely yours,
STENY H. HOYER