By Kristina Wong - 08-16-14 06:00 AM EDT
Republicans in their weekly address pointed the finger at the Democratic-led Senate for inaction on bills passed in the House on everything from jobs to education.
"We’ve passed bill after bill to help our struggling economy, save taxpayer dollars, lower the cost of gas and groceries, and help every child get a good education," said Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who delivered the weekly video address.
"But Democrats in the Senate have essentially decided to do nothing. Our bills are piling up on Harry Reid’s desk, collecting dust," he said.
Collins said of the bills that have been signed into law, more than 75 percent of them have originated in the House, and that Senate Democrats have not acted on more than 340 of them passed by the House.
"Many of them have bipartisan support, including most of the 43 jobs bills that are stuck in this do-nothing Senate," he said.
Collins said Americans that he spoke to in Blue Ridge, Georgia, are frustrated with the "status quo."
"They wish Washington would stop meddling in things that aren’t broken, and start fixing the things that are. They think there’s too much talk, and not enough action on real solutions. Those I talked to want to know, why can’t our leaders just do their jobs?" he said.
"I know how they feel, because my Republican colleagues in the House and I have made the American people’s priorities our priorities," he said.
Collins also blasted Democrats for leaving for August recess without passing an immigration bill, as House members did before they left.
"Even when it comes to a crisis like the one on our southern border, House Republicans passed a common-sense solution, and Senate Democrats left town without doing the hard work to pass their own," he said.
"That’s just irresponsible – there’s no other word for it," he added.
Collins said in recent weeks, Republicans have also "led efforts to enact job training legislation that helps people get back to work," have "given veterans stuck in an outdated federal bureaucracy timely access to the care they need," and prevented major highway projects from being shut down.
"President Obama enjoys complaining about Congress, but the fact is, his own party controls the Senate, and they need to get to work," he said.
"So if they’re truly interested in making progress, the president and his party have a lot of catching up to do," he said.
"Republicans aren’t going to slow down; we’re going to keep passing common-sense solutions to help American families, and we’re going to keep the pressure on Senate Democrats to do their job," he said.
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