Democratic freshman lawmaker: Congress not working enough

Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) said Friday that Congress is not working enough.

Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show,” Nolan, who served before in the House for three terms starting in the 1970s, told host Ed Schultz that lawmakers are working less now than they did the last time he was in Washington.

“Back when I served before, we worked 48 out of 52 weeks. This Congress is going to work, you know, 31, 32 weeks out of 52 weeks,” Nolan said. “We used to work four and five days a week. And we would be in committee in the morning. We would be in session during the afternoon and into the evening. And we got things done.”

Nolan said that time spent together would lead to lawmakers getting to know each other and learning how to better collaborate on legislation. The lawmaker, who beat Republican Chip Cravaack last election to return to Congress, has blamed fundraising in the past for the low legislative workload.

“Money has really corrupted the entire political process. The sad story, Ed, here is that the one with the most money generally gets the most votes,” Nolan said on Friday. “So people have come to the conclusion — and, quite frankly, understandably so, that there`s no sense running unless you're going to have at least enough money, and hopefully more than the other person that you're running against.”

Nolan also said Congress is not governing.

“Congress isn`t governing, in your opinion?” asked Schultz.

“No. You can`t run a business that way. You can’t run a country that way,” Nolan said.

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Reports: Oklahoma freshman threatened

Authorities are investigating death threats against Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), according to an aide to the freshman congressman.

Mullin’s chief of staff, Karl Ahlgren, said that Mullin and his family are being protected, the Associated Press reported.

Ahlgren said his office would have no further comment, according to the AP.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Shennell Antrobus told the news service that the agency is investigating, but would not specify the threat.

Mullin, the owner of a plumbing business, won the open race to replace Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), a Blue Dog Democrat who chose to retire.

Earlier this month, Mullin joined House Republicans who warned the Obama administration they would oppose any attempt to bypass Congress on the issue of gun control by issuing a White House executive order that limits access to guns.

Mullin accused the administration of trying to usurp the ability of Congress to write the nation's laws.

"Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to be the primary source of federal legislation, and I will fight to ensure that Congress does not abandon our responsibility to the American people by delegating our role in government to the executive branch, particularly regarding such an important issue as the Second Amendment," he said.

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