Speaker Boehner & the Republican Caucus Have T-Minus 25 Legislative Days to Pass a Long-Term Highway Funding Bill, Avoid Government Shutdown & Much More
After last week’s Independence Day Recess, the DCCC thought Speaker Boehner might need a refresher on the long list of items he and his Republican Caucus need to get done before two fast-approaching deadlines: the August recess, and the end of the Fiscal Year.
Today, with approximately 25 legislative days remaining before the end of September, the DCCC dropped off copies of the below to-do list to Speaker Boehner’s office, as well as the offices of all One Term Wonders . This serves as a gentle reminder that with membership in the House majority comes a responsibility to govern effectively, and not from crisis-to-crisis.
“After months of misplaced priorities, procrastination, and ineffective governing, the clock is ticking for Speaker Boehner to pass some big ticket items,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC. “Whether it is passing a long-term highway bill, avoiding another shutdown, or ensuring that hundreds of thousands of jobs aren’t put at risk with the expiration of the Ex-Im Bank, Speaker Boehner and all Republicans have some major work to do. In an effort to be helpful, we’ve created a handy dandy checklist for Republicans to keep track of their progress, or more realistically, lack thereof.”
TO DO LIST:
Urgent – Must do in next 25 Legislative Days!
- Pass Bipartisan budget that Undoes Sequester …How?
- Admit that none of our hyper-partisan appropriations bills will be signed by President
- Call Leader Pelosi and ask to talk
- Admit that failure to lift sequester-level spending caps will harm: defense abroad, infrastructure, medical research, size of everyday Americans’ paychecks
- Negotiate (Just ignore the complaints from Tea Partiers)
- Pass long-term highway funding bill
- (Note to self: After last short-term extension, you said long-term was important & Republicans only needed more time to negotiate)
- Reauthorize Ex-Im Bank
- (Remember: Tens of thousands of hard-working Americans are employed at businesses that need Ex-Im Bank to compete)
- Pass bipartisan rail safety legislation –Positive Train Control needs to be implemented
- Reform flawed Bush-era No Child Left Behind bill
- (Change the subject when asked why Republicans are underfunding children’s education)
- Restore Voting Rights Act (???) – Delays are starting to get embarassing…
- DVR Fox News Presidential Debate – August 6th
- Note: Top Ten candidates will debate – this includes Donald Trump and Ben Carson!!! (Watch for damage control, try not to panic)
Don’t forget – lots to do next:
-Tax extenders
-Debt limit
-Middle-class jobs bill?
-Make sure we don’t shutdown the government…again
BACKGROUND:
Speaker Boehner: Short-Term Extension Of Highway Trust Fund Needed To Provide “Additional Time To Work” On Long-Term Agreement. On May 19, 2015, Boehner tweeted a link to his press release on the short-term extension of the highway trust fund, saying, “The House passed a short-term highway extension, providing additional time to work toward long-term agreement.” [Speaker Boehner Twitter, 5/19/15]
Speaker Boehner: ‘Thousands Of Jobs’ At Risk If Ex-Im Bank Expires. “Speaker John Boehner split sharply with his two top lieutenants and suggested Thursday the expiration of the Export-Import Bank could cost “thousands of jobs,” while signaling the institution’s charter should not be allowed to expire in June.” [Politico, 4/30/15]