Bush takes swipe at Congress’s productivity

Ahead of his departure for Crawford, Texas, President Bush on Thursday took a swipe at Congress for investigating his administration but failing to pass legislation.

“As a matter of fact, I would hope Congress would become more prone to deliver pieces of legislation that matter as opposed to being the investigative body,” Bush told reporters. “I mean, there have been over 600 different hearings, and yet they’re struggling with getting appropriations bills to my desk.”

{mosads}The administration in recent weeks has made a point of noting how much effort the Democratic majority spends on oversight.

The president also took a shot at Congress when asked whether he would support a gasoline tax increase to improve the country’s infrastructure.

He rejected the idea of a tax hike, saying that Congress instead should “revisit the process by which they spend gasoline money in the first place.”

Bush criticized the way the “Public Works Committee” is conducting business, a reference aimed at the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

“From my perspective, the way it seems to have worked is that each member on that committee gets to set his or her own priority first, and then what’s ever left over is spent to a funding formula,” the president said, adding that this is “not the right way to prioritize the people’s money.”