290 House Bills Waiting for Senate Approval
The list includes some major bills -- such as the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the U.S. Postal Service Financial Relief Act -- and some minor ones, like the Star-Spangled Banner Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act and the Shark Conservation Act. The legislation touches on everything from security, health care and food safety to naming post offices.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blames the GOP for the Senate's lack of productivity, the Hill newspaper reports.
"The Speaker believes that the filibuster has its place, but clearly Senate Republicans are taking what was once a rare procedural move and abusing it to the detriment of progress for America's working families," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill told the Hill.
Democrats in the Senate have a solid majority, and until recently, had 60 members who voted with their caucus -- enough to bypass a filibuster. However, with the exception of the recently-passed jobs bill, Republicans have typically uniformly opposed the Democrats' agenda.
The House typically puts together a list of bills stalled in the Senate every year, an aide to Pelosi told the Hill, but this year's list may be the biggest ever.
Even as Pelosi pins the blame on Republicans, House Democrats have appeared frustrated with both their Senate counterparts and the White House, prompting some to question whether there was a "feud" between Pelosi and President Obama. In response to the question of a "feud," a House leadership aide told CBS News last week that there is definite frustration with the Senate.
