The Pelosi House of Representatives made history this week as it conducted its 1,000th roll call vote of the year. Never before in the history of recorded House votes has the House of Representatives moved at this pace, reports the Washington Post. The previous record was held by the 1978 House, which held 942 votes.
Some of the bills passed in the House have been stalled in the Senate by filibuster threats, like the Fair Pay Restoration Act. Others, like funding for stem cell research and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program expansion, have been vetoed by the President. Despite these challenges, the Pelosi House has achieved a boost in the minimum wage, increases to veterans’ benefits, and provided more affordable student loans.
The House has held an astonishing number of investigative/oversight hearings this year. Numerous hearings have been held into the conduct of the Iraq War. In the first two weeks of September alone, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid announced a series of thirteen hearings on the Iraq War.
Chair of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), has held hearings on many issues, including Blackwater USA and other private security firms in Iraq. House Judiciary Committee chair Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has investigated the firings of US attorneys and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ role the White House’s interference with the Justice Department. Other hearings include one on stereotypes and degrading images in the media held by the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, and one scheduled on the impact of the Global Gag Rule to be held by the full Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA).
