WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Saturday claimed credit for Democrats for progress in Washington and accused Republicans of obstructionism.
Reid, delivering the Democratic Party's weekly radio address, said the new Democratic leadership in Congress has taken steps to enact ethics reform, raise the minimum wage and extend health insurance to "thousands of children of working class parents."
He said Democrats passed the recommendations of the Sept. 11 Commission "after Republicans had let them languish for five years."
Reid noted the Senate has approved an energy bill and a funding measure for embryonic stem cell research -- which President George Bush vetoed -- but said Republicans have tried to obstruct legislation, including immigration reform.
"With that bill, we had a rare chance to make progress on one of the country's top problems," said Reid. "The overwhelming majority of Democrats voted to move forward on a bill even President Bush supported, but just a handful of Republicans joined us.
Reid said Republicans are even blocking bills they support.
"The ethics reform bill passed by a vote of 96-2," he said, "but now Republicans are blocking it. The (Sept. 11) Commission bill passed with heavy Republican support, but they are also blocking this critical legislation."
