House Committee on Education and Labor
U.S. House of Representatives

This week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) finally admitted what was obvious to most Americans: for the first time since modern budget rules were enacted in 1974 Democrats in Congress will not pass a budget for the next fiscal year.  

This failure of leadership could not come at a worse possible time: without clarity on how Democrats plan to get our fiscal house in order, families and small businesses fear record tax hikes will be imposed to help pay for the Democrats’ reckless spending and record debt. This uncertainty is keeping job creators on the sidelines and hurting our economy. 

Instead of taking the time to pass a budget that can get spending under control and spur economic growth, The Hill reports today on one senior Senate Democrat who would rather take the time to pass card check:   

“Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) suggested Thursday that Democrats might attempt to move ‘card-check’ legislation this year, perhaps during a lame-duck session. Harkin, the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, strongly disputed that the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA, or ‘card-check’) was dead in the Senate.

“‘To those who think it's dead, I say think again,’ Harkin said on the liberal Bill Press radio show. ‘We're still trying to maneuver,’ the Iowa Democrat added, explaining that if Democrats can't move the bill in its entirety, they might try to pass key parts of the union-organizing legislation individually.” 

Michael O’Brien, “Harkin hints ‘card check’ bill could move during lame duck session of Congress,” The Hill, 06.24.10  

After taking more than a year to pass a government takeover of health care, the opportunity for Congress to act on commonsense solutions to create jobs and get spending under control is slipping away. The last thing the American people need is Congress wasting time on Big Labor’s job-killing card check scheme.

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