House Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday refuted the idea that Congress has had one of the least productive sessions in history, and said House members have done their job this year.
“The House continues to do its job,” he said. “It’s time for the Senate to get serious about doing theirs.”
“The House has continued to listen to the American people and to focus on their concerns,” Boehner told reporters at a GOP leadership press conference. “Whether it’s the economy, whether it’s jobs, whether it’s protecting the American people from Obamacare — we’ve done our work.”
Boehner said the burden of congressional inaction should be placed on the Senate, and blamed them for the backlog of major bills that still need approval.
“If you look at the number of bills passed by the House and the paltry number of bills passed by the Senate, you can see where the problem is,” said the speaker.
However, the House has not considered several major bills that have been passed by the Senate, including the immigration reform bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
This year, the 113th Congress has passed 55 bills, such as the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy victims, seven less than the 112th Congress.
The House is scheduled to work only seven days between now and Jan. 7. According to the 2014 legislative calendar, House members will work 113 days, which is less than the 126 days worked in 2013.
Clare Kim