Video: Sanchez Criticizes House Republicans as ‘Do Nothing’ Representatives

Congresswoman Linda Sanchez said residents in the39th Congressional District are anxious about the economy, worried about their jobs, andconcerned about their mortgage payments and if they can get them modified.
In an interview with LCCN staff May 1 Sanchez, who currently represents the 39th Congressional District, was asked what she thought about House Republicans. She said the Democrats in Congress have an agenda called ìMake it in Americaî which she said consists of 15 pieces of legislation that they believe, if it could be passed, would help a number of manufactures to stay in this country and allow them to compete with their foreign companies.î She accused the Republican of standing still, saying they have yet to introduce legislation that will provide jobs.
Asked her opinion about the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarding an $890 million contract for the construction of new light rail cars to a Japanese firm as opposed to an American company, She said, ìWhen we don’t give a contract like this to businesses in the United States it mean less jobs for workers in this country. Each job we create here has an overall effect on the economy, because the workers will spend their money locally, which will be an economic stimulus to the local communities.î She added, ìI just hope they use some American labor here in the states to construct the cars.î
Sanchez said ìWe need to do more to preserve manufacturing in this country and to attract it back from overseas. When consumers buy American made products, they are helping our local communities,î
Asked if the Democrats can take back the House of Representatives, she said there were about 25 seats that are ìin playîon the Republican side. ìIt depends on what kind of mood the voters are in this November.î She said she believes folks are beginning to regret sending the ìTea Partyî people to Washington. They were going to come in and fix everything. ìQuite frankly, they have made everything worse.î
The Congresswoman said they ran on a platform there was gridlock in Congress and Washington was broken. They were going to come in and represent the true interest in America and make things happen. Instead they arrived in Washington and are just standing there. They are not willing to compromise or to govern the country they way it needs to be govern They are so ideologically wedded to their position they are willing to play the game of brinkmanship and limp along from crisis to crisis. That is not the way to run a government. You wouldn’t run a business that way.î she asserted.
Sanchez accused the Republicans in Congress of crippling the country, allowing things to become desperate, before doing short-term extensions.î
Asked about student loans she said interest rates are getting ready to double. The Democrats introduced a bill to keep interest rates where they are because of cutbacks in Education on the state level plus increases in tuition and cost of books. The Republicans introduced a bill that said okay but we will pay for it by taking $12 million out of preventive health care for women, which she described as ìcompletely unconscionableî She said the ìTea Partyî Republicans came to Washington to fix things and instead are completely inflexible.î
On the question of ìObama Careî she said it depends on how the Supreme Court rules.
It’s a question of medical affordability; if certain provisions are cut down the other provisions may stay or the entire program can unravel. We just have to wait until the Supreme Court rules.
Asked about her new District, she said there are about 11 cities in the 39th district. Because of the redistricting, she will still represent 50 percent of her present district and will lose the cities of Southgate, Lynwood and Paramount but, in the 38th Congressional District she will pickup Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Pico Rivera, Montebello, South El Monte, part of Bellflower and the city of La Palma in Orange County,
She said there were three bills she is proud of including a bill approved by the Veterans Committee, which she is a member, prohibiting the in-crease of variable rate loans, making it possible for veterans to keep their homes and not lose them because of higher monthly payments. She said another bill she is proud of would prohibit insurance premiums for women to be higher than men who have identical policies. Another bill covers home care workers who were not covered by the minimum wage law. The bill will now allow them to be covered by the Minimum Wage Act.
Interviewing the congresswoman were LCCN Publisher Brian Hews, Randy Economy and Jerry Bernstein.