North Carolina Congressman First to Receive ‘Do-Nothing’ Report Card

by James Parks, Oct 16, 2006

This morning, union members served notice they will not let members of the “do-nothing” 109th Congress hide their failure to support America’s workers. The AFL-CIO is compiling report cards on some members of Congress and how they voted on jobs and wages, retirement security, health care, tax fairness and education, among other issues.

The first report card, released today to union members in Asheville, N.C., covers Rep. Charles Taylor (R-N.C.), who voted with President Bush 90.91 percent of the time and for working families only 15 percent.

Working families have a choice in this election. The AFL-CIO has endorsed Taylor’s challenger, former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler.

State AFL-CIO President James Andrews says the Republican-controlled Congress and Taylor have let workers down:

The 109th Congress recessed last month for November’s elections having earned a reputation as a “do-nothing Congress” for good reason. This “do-nothing Congress”’ has turned a blind eye to working people’s most basic interests. From health care to retirement security to a decent minimum wage rate, this Republican-led Congress has failed to enact legislation on issues of top-priority for America’s working families. The 109th Congress might well be remembered more for what it didn’t do for America’s workers than what it did.

With the mid-term elections right around the corner, it’s important that we hold our elected officials accountable for the votes they cast for or against the priorities of working families. As Congressman Taylor embarks on his final stretch to rally voters, we will not allow him to sweep his poor working family record under the rug.

On the issue of health care, for example, Taylor voted for Medicaid cuts that will lead to higher co-payments for 13 million people by 2015 and to lower benefits for 1.6 million people, while doing nothing to extend health care coverage for the millions of uninsured Americans. Currently 1.4 million people are uninsured in North Carolina and 46.6 million lack insurance nationwide.

On trade, after promising to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Taylor failed to register his vote, then offered several conflicting explanations of what happened. Taylor also refused to support a bill to stop currency manipulation by the People’s Republic of China.

You can check out how often your members of Congress voted with President Bush here and check the AFL-CIO’s Congressional Voting Record site to see how your representative and senators voted on working family issues.

And don’t forget to check out the AFL-CIO Political Action Center at www.votenov7.org, where you can register to vote, learn about working family issues and download candidate comparison fliers.

If you’re not a union member, join Working America, the AFL-CIO community affiliate, and join the fight for good jobs, affordable health care, quality education and secure retirements.

This portion of this website is paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, 815 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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