President Welcomes Lawmakers From Recess With Rebuke, List Of Bills To Act On

Washington, D.C.(AHN) - President George Bush welcomed lawmakers coming back from a week-long Memorial Day recess with strong words of rebuke on Sunday. The President gave a rundown of legislation he said Congress failed to act on immediately.

"I hope Members of Congress return rested, because they have a lot of work left on important issues and limited time to get it done," President Bush said in his weekly radio address, according to a transcript from the White House.

"Congress needs to pass a responsible war funding bill that puts the needs of our troops first, without loading it up with unrelated domestic spending," he added. "Congress needs to support our military families by passing an expansion of the GI Bill that makes it easier for our troops to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses and children."

The Senate passed two components of the war funding bill before going on recess on May 22. The sections concerned provisions to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as domestic spending, including $11 billion for unemployment benefits and more than $50 billion for educational benefits for veterans.

The White House requested $108 billion for the wars and has repeatedly expressed opposition against expanding unemployment benefits. It also supports the GI bill sponsored Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), which Democratic senators rejected over a similar measure penned by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA).

The President also criticized the House for "blocking a vote" on the Colombian Free Trade Agreement, and the Senate for having "stalled the nomination" of Steve Preston as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Provisions of the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement were finalized in July 2006. Most Democrats oppose enacting the treaty with a nation known for its bad record on human rights. Many unions are also worried about how opening up trade will affect employment and the currently weak U.S. economy.

The House voted 224-195 on April 10 to delay a vote on the treaty after the President sent it to Congress despite warnings from House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) that the directive from the White House to act on the agreement within 90 days was "a breach of protocol."

"In all these areas, Congress has failed to act," President Bush said. "The American people deserve better from their elected leaders. Congress needs to show the American people that Republicans and Democrats can compete for votes and cooperate for results at the same time. You sent your representatives to Washington to do the people's business, and you have a right to expect them to do it - even in an election year."