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Speeches

“So, in terms of spending cuts, we’re on the record having voted for about $1.6 trillion. In terms of entitlement reform, over a trillion dollars already, and more savings to be gained in further discussions on the subject. A strong down payment. What is missing are two elements that the President has put forth in his budget: growth, investments in infrastructure. Yes, the President has called for investments in infrastructure – to build the infrastructure of America and to create jobs, to grow our economy. And where are the revenues? Where are the revenues? Regardless of the cuts, or the changes in entitlements, more demanded in terms of what seniors would have to pay into Medicare and at what age that would happen, while the Republicans refuse to touch one hair on the head of the wealthiest people in our country..."
December 11, 2012
“The American people want us to work together. We are in agreement on this subject. Why? Why, my Republican colleagues, can we not vote on something where we have agreement? Where we have fairness? That will work to create jobs, to reduce the deficit, and will again, have fairness. This is the heart of the matter that is holding us here as the public watches – what is this about? This is about the $250,000 line that the President said in the campaign that he would honor and that this legislation today brings to bear."
December 4, 2012
“It is fitting that the “[Thomas] P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building” will stand alongside the office building named for Tip’s dear friend, colleague, and partner in public service: former President and House Minority Leader Gerald Ford. As Speaker Boehner indicated, they’ll be neighbors. Indeed, reflecting on their long partnership, President Ford once said: ‘Tip O’Neill [is] an outstanding political leader and patriot who always carried the torch for the Congress and the American people.’ Carrying the torch. This statement captured the essence of Tip’s success: his extraordinary leadership; his unflinching patriotism; his belief in the common good; his devotion to the unending fight to ‘form a more perfect union.’"
November 28, 2012
Today, we honor the legendary leadership of Speaker Tip O’Neill. We’re all happy to do that. We honor his lifetime of leadership and service to our great nation. What a great patriot he was. This belief in the promise of equality and opportunity for all. His dedication to progress for all Americans..."
November 14, 2012
“We still have work to do to continue the American recovery. If the Republicans had cooperated at all with President Obama in the last two years, we’d be much farther down the road to recovery. We cooperated with President Bush but they would not offer an ounce of cooperation to President Obama and our economy has paid the price. We have reaped the benefits of some of what happened in the two years when we were in the majority and President Obama, in the first two years of his term. But so much more could have been done with some cooperation from the Republicans'
September 21, 2012
“But if you need only to see how we differ, just look at the Ryan-Romney-Republican budget. Their blueprint says we’re going to end Medicare, we’re going to make seniors pay $6,000 more as we end Medicare and we’re going to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country. That’s not fair. That’s not balanced. But that is what would happen if the Republican bill were to become law, it would enact the Ryan bill.'
September 13, 2012
“Mr. Speaker, this Republican Majority is prepared to adjourn the House of Representatives to leave for the August District Work Period without accomplishing what the American people have sent us here to do. They want us to create jobs, they want us to reduce the deficit, and they want us to give a middle income tax cut, which the President has suggested and the American people overwhelmingly support. Instead we have no jobs agenda, no tax cuts for the middle class, no farm bill, no Violence Against Women Act, no cybersecurity strategy, no balanced, bipartisan plan to prevent the sequester. The only thing the Republicans have done is to increase the uncertainty that threatens another debt crisis and undermines our economic growth.'
August 2, 2012
'The bill provides for fairness to the middle class and ends uncertainty, as I mentioned. The Republican alternative, which says: 'not only do we want to give 100 percent of the American people a tax cut, we want to give a bigger and better tax cut to people making over $250,000 year.' Two percent of the American people. In order to do that, we greatly increase the deficit, we would incur borrowing from other countries including China, and to top it all off, in order to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in our country, we have to increase taxes for the middle class in order to pay for it. If you make over a million dollars a year the Republican tax proposal will give you a tax cut of $160,000 on average. And on average America's middle-income families would have to pay $1,000 more in taxes...'
August 2, 2012
'To make far-reaching progress and 'turn the tide,' action was needed and required from parliaments worldwide. On behalf of Members of Congress I want to welcome the many parliamentarians who were with us at this conference. Thank you for joining us because for our countries to be able to act, our legislative bodies must make a decision to move forward. And many have. Even in these difficult fiscal times, cutting back on our HIV/AIDS investments is a false economy that costs us more in the future in lives and in resources. HIV/AIDS is still adapting and so must we - to turn the tide together.'
July 27, 2012
'In the words of this resolution, the Congress: 'honors the resilience of the community of the City of Aurora and the State of Colorado in the face of such adversity.' May you feel the support, love, and prayers of our nation. May those tragically taken from us be honored and remembered. May time heal our grief.'
July 26, 2012