Bush vetoes bills, claims "Congress is not getting its work done"

[ProSense]

Bush: Congress is not getting its work done:

Democrats quickly fired back. Jim Manley, senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said, "Taking advice from President Bush about fiscal responsibility and getting things done for the American people is like taking hunting lessons from Dick Cheney. Neither is a very good idea."

Bush: Congress ‘Wasted Time’ Trying To End Iraq War

Fact is, important bills are being passed by Congress with veto-proof majorities. Bush has vetoed two key bills and Republicans have blocked, are blocking others.

Kerry on Senate passage of Passenger Rail Act:

“For 150 years, trains have connected America’s cities and served as much needed economic stimuli for communities across the nation. In recent years a Republican Congress stood in the way of investing in and modernizing our railways. On Tuesday, the Senate reversed this trend, fully funded the Northeast Corridor, and took steps to ensure that years into the future passenger rails will continue to get Americans where they need to go in a quick, safe, and efficient manner. This Act is a smart economic investment for our state,” said Senator Kerry. “I’m proud to be a co-sponsor and will continue to work to improve passenger rail service throughout Massachusetts and across the country.”

Roll Call (70 - 22) (another veto-proof majority):

NAYs ---22
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Craig (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Senate reverses Bush’s budget cuts.

By a 75-19 vote, the Senate gave bipartisan approval to a huge health and education spending bill that will likely be the first of the fiscal 2008 spending bills Democrats will ship to the White House to start a veto battle involving the budget for almost every domestic agency.

Roadblock Republicans in action:

In August, the Senate unanimously passed their bipartisan disaster relief bill (S. 163). However, Republicans in the Senate are blocking the bill from moving to the President’s desk by refusing to appoint members to a conference committee to negotiate differences with a disaster assistance bill passed by the House of Representatives.

H.R. 2: A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage. Senate roll call, 94 - 3

AMERICA COMPETES ACT (PDF): Senate roll call, 88 - 8.

Ethics Reform Bill signed into law in September.

Senate passes SCHIP - 67 - 29

Bills vetoed by Bush

H.R.976 : An act to amend title XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes. 10/3/2007: Vetoed by President.

S.5 : A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research. 6/20/2007: Vetoed by President.

Bush's nerve: worst president ever desperately trying to project failure onto Congress



Oops! Edited to add minimum wage bill.