Muddled GOP Demands '6% Employment'

House Republicans won't stand for any new regulations until the employment rate drops to 6%, thus putting unemployment at 94%. At least that's what a typo in a new bill suggested—they meant unemployment, the Hill reports. Democrats spotted the error, and the bill's sponsors rushed to correct it. And of course, in the process, "another mistake was made," GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx reported on the House floor. That second mistake cited H Res 783—a nonexistent measure. Lawmakers meant to write 738.

The errors sparked much amusement, frustration, and general Congressional dawdling, Politico reports. Democrats resisted going through the error-correction procedure, thus highlighting the mistakes; Republicans then attacked Dems for wasting time. "The fact that the Democrats are making a crusade out of a typo shows their lack of commitment to serious debate," said a Congressional aide. Dems, meanwhile, teased Republicans, who often complain that Democratic bills are too long. "My, my, my how carefully the Republicans read bills," said Rep. Steny Hoyer. (More typographical error stories.)