VOA常速英语2007-Bush Says Congress is Not Getting Its Work Done

President Bush is criticizing the Democratic led Congress for failing to approve legislation to fund the government. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Democrats¹ say the president is blocking a bill that would expand health coverage² for poor children.

President Bush says Congress is not getting its work done. "The House of Representatives has wasted valuable time on a constant stream of investigations³. And the Senate has wasted valuable time on an endless series of failed votes to pull our troops out of Iraq," he said.

Since taking control of Congress earlier this year, Democrats in the House have investigated the Justice Department's firing of several prosecutors⁴. Senate Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to force the president to set a timetable for the withdrawal⁵ of U.S. troops from Iraq.

President Bush says they should have been passing appropriations⁶ bills to fund the federal government.

Democrats are now considering combining appropriations for the Defense⁷ Department and Veterans' Administrations with labor⁸, health, and education spending. If they do, the president says he will veto what he calls a three-bill pile-up. "It is hard to imagine a more cynical⁹ political strategy than trying to hold hostage funding for our troops in combat and our wounded warriors¹⁰ in order to extract $11 billion in additional social spending," he said.

The president says Democrats are trying to raise taxes in legislation on farming, energy, small businesses and a program providing health insurance for poor families.

Mr. Bush says he supports expanding that health insurance program but not as much as Democrats want because he says that would move more people off private insurance and into government-run programs.

The president has already vetoed that legislation once. Democrats are pushing it again with changes sought by some Republicans to ensure that wealthier families and undocumented illegal immigrants are not eligible¹¹.

California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez says Republican lawmakers are blocking much-needed help for poor children. "Republicans in this body just can't take yes for an answer. Even after addressing their concerns in this revised bill, many of our colleagues still insisted on standing¹² with President Bush instead of with working American families," she said.

White House officials say Democrats are more interested in using the issue of children's health care to denigrate¹³ the president than they are in finding a solution.