Congress has earned the single-digit approval ratings the American people are giving them. Compared to past decades, the House is in session the fewest days and has passed the fewest bills. Even worse, Congress shut down the government. To celebrate, the House is on a six-week break for the elections.
People tell me all the time that they wish Congress would do something. Traditionally, Democrats would do something progressive, Republicans would do something conservative, and something would be worked out before becoming law. What has changed is that the tea party philosophy of doing nothing has taken over.
Doing nothing does not lead to smaller, less or better government. It means Congress cedes its power to the administrative branch and bureaucrats writing regulations. The other two branches of government and the special interests keep working, even when the House takes several months off.
Among the few bills that have passed the House, many are repackaged bills that have already been approved. These are also messaging bills that were introduced without any chance of becoming law.
It takes 218 votes for a majority vote in the full House; there are more than 218 Republicans. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership usually calls up bills that only get a majority of Republican Caucus votes. Under this so-called “Hastert Rule,” the tea party caucus in the Republican Party can stop a bill that a full majority of the House would approve.
There is a majority of the full House that wants to work together. The few times Speaker John Boehner allowed for bipartisan majorities, major laws were passed. Here are four key examples. The House:
• Reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act (PL 113-4). This bipartisan bill passed the House 286-138 with 199 Democrats voting in favor; 61 percent of Republicans opposed it.
• Approved relief for victims of Hurricane Sandy (PL 113-2), the second-costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The Sandy Relief Package passed the House 241-180 with 192 Democrats voting in favor and 79 percent of Republicans voting against it.
• Ended the government shutdown, with 198 Democrats voting in support but 62 percent of Republicans voting to continue the shutdown.
• Prevented the U.S. credit default (PL 113-83); 193 Democrats voted in favor, and 88 percent of Republicans voted in opposition.
Even more rarely, the House will pass a bipartisan bill with nearly all Republicans and Democrats in support. The best example is reform of Veterans Affairs. Sadly, it took a major crisis to get even this bill moved.
When people of different views can argue and then work together, many good ideas are brought into action. America moves forward. When the “party of no” runs things, nothing runs. And the danger is that delayed action on important issues makes problems worse. There are many matters to be addressed, such as repairing thousands of aged roads and bridges, immigration reform, extending a backstop for terrorism insurance and fighting new forms of terrorist groups.
In American history, we have many examples of Congress working through difficult times. In social media, there are “Throw-back Thursdays” where people post nostalgic photos. Maybe the House can have a “throw-back” end-of-session where we can actually legislate like President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neill. Or maybe we can at least let the majority of the House have a chance to vote up or down on legislation and not let the tea party caucus veto measures before they even hit the floor.
By not doing anything, Congress cedes authority to President Barack Obama. Instead of criticizing his every move, maybe Congress should show up for work like an equal branch of government. Like a popular Georgia home improvement company says, we need more doing.
U.S. Rep. David Scott, a Democrat, represents Georgia’s 13th District.
