Statement by Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in opposition to H.R. 4078, The Regulatory Freeze for Jobs Act
July 25, 2012
“Despite the best efforts of Republicans in Congress, our nation has made significant progress over the last several years protecting the health and well-being of Americans.
“Democrats passed legislation ensuring that Wall Street plays by the rules.
“Democrats modernized food safety laws so Americans can feel secure in the knowledge that the food we put on the dinner table won't make our families sick.
“Democrats passed legislation to protect the privacy of Americans’ sensitive health information.
“But all of these laws are still in the process of being implemented. They cannot fully to go work for the American people until they are finalized.
“Republicans are determined to keep these vital health and safety protections from reaching the finish line.
“GOP is supposed to stand for ‘Grand Old Party’. Today, GOP stands for ‘Gut Our Protections’
“I released a report today called “Protection Rejection: GOP Abandons Consumer, Health, and Safety Measures”.
“It describes the safeguards that would be jeopardized under this misguided legislation.
“If you’re a wounded veteran needing home care, it will be harder for your family to take time off work to care for you.
“Family members were finally going to be able to take up to 26 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a wounded veteran. But the implementation of this new law will be stopped cold by this cold-hearted Republican bill.
“The bill prevents new fuel economy standards, increasing our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and forcing families to pay more at the pump.
And as we approach the 2-year anniversary of the end of the worst environmental disaster in the history of our country – the BP oil spill - this misguided Republican bill would stop new safety standards for the blowout preventers on drilling rigs that could prevent future spills. This makes no sense.
“Republicans say this is about cutting red tape, but it’s really nothing more than a red herring – an desperate attempt to distract from the GOP’s abject failure to spur job creation in this country. There are so many red herrings in this bill, we should put an aquarium here on the House floor.
“We must not allow this Republican regulatory ‘freeze’ bill to set consumer protections back to the Ice Age. There’s simply too much progress at stake.
“I urge my colleagues to tell the GOP to stop gutting our protections, and I urge a ‘no’ vote on this bill.”
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