Estate tax/wage bill dies in Senate

A bill to both slash the estate tax and raise the minimum wage failed in the Senate on Thursday shortly before the August recess. Facing an uphill battle in this year's elections, Republicans sought to get their estate tax bill passed by tying it to the popular increase in the minimum wage. The ploy failed though when the bill didn't get the votes required for passage.

Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) described the poor record of the 109th Congress during Senate debate on the bill:

For the last 19 months, congressional Republicans have done nothing for the people. The little they have done on behalf of special interests and the well-connected has made America less safe and middle class life more difficult.

Look at their record. This Congress will be remembered more for interfering in the Terri Schiavo affair than it will for trying to solve America's health care crisis.

On every major issue, the Republican Senate has been missing in action.

Mr. President, we have 136,000 troops in the middle of a civil war in Iraq. Over 2,500 of our soldiers have died in this intractable war, over 18,000 have been wounded, many of them grievously, over $300 billion of America taxpayer money has been spent.

Has the Republican Congress done anything to turn this situation around? No. In fact, they've made the situation worse by rubberstamping President Bush's failed policies and allowing him to "stay the course" - even as the evidence suggests we desperately need to change it.