A GUIDE TO THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN DYSFUNCTIONAL, OBSTRUCTIVE & DISTRACTIVE 113TH CONGRESS

To:  Interested Parties

CC:  Speaker Boehner and House Republicans

Fr:   Democratic Leader's Press Office

Dt:  December 19, 2014

Re:  A GUIDE TO THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN DYSFUNCTIONAL, OBSTRUCTIVE & DISTRACTIVE 113TH CONGRESS

WHAT THEY DID:

• Shut Down The Government – for 16 days, taking $24 billion out of our economy and costing 120,000 American jobs.
• Voted to Repeal, Undermine and Dismantle the Affordable Care Act – over 50 times in the Republican-controlled House.
• Under Their Leadership, Support for Congress Plummeted – to historic lows: 14 percent, the lowest annual average in Gallup's history.
• Reached Historic Levels of Do-Nothingness – producing the least laws in decades and making the earliest departure from Congress to the campaign trail in 54 years.
• Passed a Resolution in Favor of a Lawsuit Against President Obama – caving into the demands of extremists Republicans and ignoring the will of the American people who had no "appetite" nor supported Republicans' lawsuit against the President.
• Recklessly spent millions in taxpayer dollars – $2.3 million defending discriminatory DOMA; $1.5 million on Benghazi hearings. 
• Ignored Multiple Intelligence Reports Finding No Wrongdoing in the Benghazi Attacks – including GOP-led investigative reports.
• Filed a Lawsuit Against President Obama Creating a Pathway to Impeachment – even after two law firms dropped the frivolous yet perilous case.
• Repeated the Threat of Impeachment and Censure.
• Abandoned Americans' Priorities to Pass the Middle Class Jumpstart Agenda.
• VotedRepeatedly to Deport DREAMers.
• Welcomed the Threat of Another Republican Government Shutdown – with Speaker Boehner declining to remove it off the table.

WHAT THEY FAILED TO DO:

• No Bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform –deliberately snubbing the American people's priorities.
• No Increase in the Minimum Wage –even as65 percent of Americans want Congress to #RaiseTheWage immediately!
• No Restore of UI Emergency Benefits –even though nearly 5 million Americans have lost their benefits since December 28, 2013.
• No End to Discrimination – Fail to Pass ENDA, even though the legislation overwhelmingly passed the Senate.
• No Steps to Fight Dark Money in Politics – even as 88 percent of Americans want to end its influence in our elections.
• No Action to Combat Climate Crisis – even though61 percent of Americans believe it must be addressed instantly.
• No Equal Pay for Equal Work – despite of the fact42 percent of working women cite equal pay as their top issue.
• No Refinance of Crushing Student Loans – ignoring the80 percent of Americans want to be provided with access to lower their crushing student loans
• No Investments to Build Roads and Bridges – even as75 percent of Americans want Congress to make investments to building roads and bridges.
• Nothing on the Voting Rights Act, no background checks legislation, and no paid sick leave.