Do-nothing House of Representatives outdoes itself again
By: Angie Lauritsen, State Director of Nebraska For Us
For the third time since September, we have barely avoided the start of a government shutdown. All signs point toward dysfunction in the U.S. House of Representatives as the culprit for the multi-month saga that should’ve been resolved last summer.
Time and time again, far too many members of Congress—who receive taxpayer-funded paychecks—have found themselves more interested in playing games than they are in finding solutions to legitimate problems. Working class and middle income Nebraskans are expected to deliver at work every single day, and we should expect the same of those we send to Washington.
The House of Representatives has found itself unable to responsibly govern as the body is spinning its wheels rather than getting anything meaningful done. Without an on-the-record vote this most recent round, Nebraska For Us is worried about where Congressman Don Bacon stands on upcoming shutdown threats and harmful cuts.
Congressman Bacon has voted for a series of concerning cuts during this process, including food assistance for women, children and seniors, energy assistance which would raise costs on Nebraskans, access to affordable housing, funding for public schools, and access to early childhood education, to name a few. Continuing to appease colleagues who are trying to push these deeply unpopular cuts along will only exacerbate the problem the House has faced for the past year.
Yet again, the House has set arbitrary funding deadlines before we go through the same process all over again—March 1 and 8. Unfortunately, with the manner the most extreme far-right members of the House have conducted themselves, it’s reasonable to expect this is not the last time we’ll be dealing with threats to the programs listed above.
Consider the fact that the House only enacted 27 laws in all of 2023, a true sign of the chaos and paralysis that have kept members from getting much done. For reference, a similarly divided House passed nearly 250 bills that were eventually signed into law in 2022.
It is high time that Congress gets to work on actual issues facing working class and middle income Nebraskans. Nebraska For Us is calling on our representatives to support policies that help raise wages, expand the Child Tax Credit, increase access to affordable housing, protect Social Security and Medicare, and build a tax system that doesn’t overburden the people we advocate for. We’re not asking for much—just an expectation that we focus on getting things done for hardworking Nebraskans rather than the political games and dysfunction we’ve become accustomed to with this do-nothing House.
Angie Lauritsen is the state director at Nebraska For Us, a grassroots economic educational and advocacy program designed to lift up the voices of working class and middle income Nebraskans. She is a community leader and former elected official who has also worked in various local and statewide issue-focused campaigns.
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