For Immediate Release: December 12, 2023

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives is ending the First Session of the 118th Congress with virtually no accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Families and seniors are struggling this holiday season with high prices on basic goods making it harder for them to pay for food and keep a roof over their heads, and the House is heading home without passing a single bill to alleviate these concerns. Instead of rolling up their sleeves and working on these core kitchen table issues, the House has wasted time manufacturing one crisis after another this term, starting with 15 rounds of votes to secure a Speaker and now ending with a baseless impeachment process against President Biden.

Our country has real problems that need to be addressed. We have shocking levels of wealth inequality with the rich getting richer while working families’ wages fail to keep pace with inflation. We have increasing levels of child poverty and homelessness that can be solved with smart investments. We have a two-tier tax code that taxes working families but not billionaires. The House’s repeated attempts this year to use “must pass” legislation – the debt ceiling and funding bills to keep the government open in 2024 – as leverage to slash programs that help communities thrive is maddening. The same members working to make it more difficult for the IRS to go after wealthy tax cheats are seeking drastic cuts to food programs for women and their babies.

We call on the House to take their responsibility as elected leaders seriously as we move to the Second Session of the 118th Congress. They must begin to work on behalf of their constituents and the American people. As always, the high cost of inaction falls hardest on the most vulnerable.

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Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working to achieve equity and justice for everyone. Grounded in Gospel values and the Catholic social justice tradition, NETWORK transforms our society by shaping federal policies that achieve racial, economic, and social justice; serve the common good; and honor the dignity of all.