A Guide to the House Republican Do-Nothing Congress: 113th Congress Edition

WHAT THEY DID

• SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT: After lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis, the Republicans shut the federal government down for 16 days – taking $24 billion out of our economy and furloughing more than 800,000 federal workers.
• VOTED TO REPEAL THE ACA: The GOP voted nine times this year to delay, defund or repeal the patient protections and budget savings included in the Affordable Care Act – bringing the total to 46 dead-end votes in a Republican-controlled House.
• UNDER THEIR LEADERSHIP, SUPPORT FOR CONGRESS BOTTOMED OUT: The average approval rating for Congress in 2013 plummeted to 14 percent – the lowest annual average in Gallup's history. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 51 percent say THIS Congress is "one of the worst" congresses ever. Also a majority of Americans now view the Tea Party unfavorably – a shift from when the "movement was fairly neutral in 2010… today they hold a more negative opinion than ever."
• REACHED HISTORIC LEVELS OF DO-NOTHINGNESS: House Republicans have outdone themselves in one area: inactivity. In the first session of the 113^th Congress, the GOP-led House saw fewer bills signed into law than in the first session of the 112^th Congress, the previous Do-Nothing-ist Congress in history.

• LAWS

57: Bills that have made it to the President's desk for his signature. (12/11/2013)

80: Bills signed into law in the first session of the 112^th Congress.

CONSISTENTLY IGNORED THE PRIORITIES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

Polls throughout the year have shown the American people overwhelmingly name jobs and the economy the top issues facing our country, support immigration reform, and increasing the minimum wage; yet, House Republicans failed to pass a single job creation bill, failed to take a single step toward immigration reform, and refused to raise the minimum wage for millions of American workers

• NO JOBS BILL

THE ECONOMY & JOBS #1 ISSUE FACING AMERICANS

Gallup: The economy and unemployment and jobs named #1 and #2 most important problem facing the country (August, September, October & November 2013)

CBS News: Economy & Jobs named the top concern for Americans (May, September, October, November 2013)

• NO IMMIGRATION REFORM

SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

Public Religion Research Institute: 63 percent support (11/25)

Partnership for a New American Economy: 71 percent support (11/7)

CBS News: 78 percent support (7/24)

AP-GfK: 63 percent support (4/16)

• NO MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE

SUPPORT FOR INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE

Wall Street Journal/NBC News: 63 percent support (12/11)

Quinnipiac: 69 percent support (12/10)

Gallup: 76 percent support (11/11)

Hart Research: 80 percent support (7/23)

Pew/USA Today: 71 percent support (2/21)