Congressman Charles Bass

August 2, 2012

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Charles Bass (R-NH-02), Robert J. Dold (R-IL-10), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL-03), and Steven LaTourette (R-OH-14) spoke at a bipartisan press conference to stress the importance of Congress coming together to address the looming fiscal cliff.

"All of the great decisions that have been made in American history have been made by people who have great principle but are willing to compromise," said U.S. Rep. Bass. "Compromise is not a capitulation of principle - it's getting the nation's business done. Right now, America is calling out for us to get beyond the fights of our own parties and start talking about real solutions to avoid the fiscal cliff. That is how we can make our nation strong, vibrant, and prosperous for our children and grandchildren."

"We are facing the most predictable crisis facing our nation in decades," said U.S. Rep. Dold. "We are here today not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans so that we can urge Congress to seek common ground and move our country forward. We need to put people before politics and progress before partisanship so that we can put a bipartisan plan in action and address the fiscal cliff facing our nation. I am proud to stand with my colleagues here today as we are committed to working together."

"Time is running out for us to avoid going over the fiscal cliff," U.S. Rep. Lipinski said. "Both parties are going to have to stop playing political games and start working together to reduce the deficit, before it's too late. We showed the kind of leadership that will be necessary when we introduced and voted for legislation based on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles plan. Now we need more of our colleagues to step up and join us in the search for common ground."

"People need to stop fighting over table scraps. Everyone's most important issue has to be where we find ourselves on this fiscal cliff," said U.S. Rep. LaTourette. "We can't do it alone. It's going to take the leadership of the two parties, Governor Romney, President Obama to link hands and jump together, and understand that we got into this mess together and will have to get out of it together."


For video of this morning's press conference, please click above or visit: http://youtu.be/uSkP-Ps97tg

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