“We’re really excited, we just a saw a tremendous vote on the JOBS Act. This vote today of nearly 400 votes – we’ll get the final tally in a minute – what it really demonstrates is that we are able to set aside our differences when we want to and come together to produce results that people want to see.
“What this bill does is it provides a real shot in the arm to entrepreneurs, small businessmen and women, removes red tape, allows small businesses an easier time to go about starting up, as well as retaining and creating jobs. The President asked us in his State Of The Union address to send him a bill that helps business startups. The JOBS Act does just that. The vote was very strong.
“What we’ve seen on the other side of the Capitol is Senator McConnell and Senator Toomey have been terrific in making public statements towards supporting this bill. I hope that Leader Reid on the other side of the Capitol can act with dispatch and follow the President’s request, so we can get the President this bill for signing as quickly as possible. It’s what the economy needs, we’ve got to get growth going again and we do that through business startups.”
Q & A:
“I think the problem is the Congressional performance in producing results has been brought into question. What we’re trying to do is to regain the confidence of the people that sent us here. By having a win like this I think we can demonstrate that we really can work together. So it doesn’t help to denigrate any time that we do actually work together and produce a result, like today, because you probably have to look far and wide to see when that actually happens in such a deliberate and civil manner.
“We went about this bill by reaching out across the aisle, as you know many Democratic members were involved in this process. I met with Steve Case who was the President’s appointee to the Jobs Council that actually focused on these issues of entrepreneurship and starting up businesses again. It is with that process that we came forward with a product that reflects all views and it allows us to come together. So I would hope that Leader Pelosi could work with us in this same vein in accomplishing even more as we go forward to help get this economy growing again.”
“That’s not rhetoric, that’s fact. The [30 House-passed bills] are over there. We’re obviously frustrated, as are the American people, that we can’t see the Senate act enough in terms of trying to remove the difficulties that entrepreneurs and small businesses are having. We want to make it easier for them. Just as my colleagues have said, this bill today makes it easier for startup businesses to happen again in America. We need to be a startup country again. We are the envy of the world when it comes to our capital markets and the opportunity that we provide to the people of this country. That’s what America is. We’ve got to do that again, and we’re asking Leader Reid to join us in that.”
“The President has endorsed this JOBS Act. If we want to act with dispatch so that small businesses and startups can get going again, it seems to me the simplest way forward is to listen to the President on this one and listen to the overwhelming bipartisan majority in the House. Let’s join together and do something for entrepreneurs and small businesses once and for all to get this country back to work.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
JOBS Act Press Conference
March 8, 2012
