Bishop lays into Demos

Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, led a GOP attack on Democrats Thursday contending they are wasting time and avoiding meaningful debate on big issues such as health care by considering only minor bills on the House floor.

That came as the House debated a bill to authorize permanent funding for a network of Chesapeake Bay trails and waterways.

Bishop, ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, led a parade of Republicans who complained that was the only bill of significance that Democrats brought to the floor this week, while they said Democrats were thwarting a wide open debate of a variety of health care reform bills.

"This is like dej?vu all over again, because last year, instead of talking about energy issues which were primarily on the minds of the American people, we brought up this particular bill," which passed the House but not the Senate, Bishop said.

"And it's apparently the same thing we are doing this year when health care is primarily on the minds of most people," Bishop said, as a chorus of Republicans repeated a similar theme.

He added, "I don't know if I appreciate flying back four hours (from Utah) just to do this bill this week. Nonetheless, it is the only one we're going to have here even though there are significant issues we should be discussing."

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the parks subcommittee, shot back, however, saying Congress met this week largely to hear President Barack Obama address a joint session of Congress about health-care reform to further debate on it.

Bishop said the Chesapeake Bay bill also has a serious flaw. He wanted a five-year sunset built into it, which that program had in versions in previous years. He offered an amendment to add the sunset provision, which he said would help potential Senate passage, but it was voted down on a voice vote.

"Without my amendment, taxpayer funding will continue year after year with no safeguard in place for taxpayers," Bishop said.

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