Washington, D.C. – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Committee, highlighted House Republicans’ failure to address pay disparity, unemployment or other top priorities in their rush to force premature approval of the Keystone XL pipeline during this morning’s floor debate. Grijalva has been a leading voice in urging House Democrats to sustain President Obama’s impending veto of the bill and published an op-ed making that case to his colleagues in The Guardian on Wednesday

You can watch Grijalva’s full remarks from today’s debate at http://bit.ly/1IySQGt.

“We have not dealt with unemployment benefits that the American people need that have lapsed for more than a year,” Grijalva said. “Millions of Americans are suffering from a low minimum wage and income disparity, but we are not helping them. Women in this country earn seventy-seven cents to every dollar for their male counterparts. We are not dealing with that, trying to end that disparity. Instead, they are forcing Keystone through without the proper approval process. . . . My colleagues have a chance to take an important stand today on behalf of taxpayers, the environment, Native American communities and the rule of law by supporting President Obama’s veto.”

The bill passed 266-153, giving Democrats enough votes to sustain a presidential veto. Republicans would need two-thirds of voting members to override.