Press Releases
December 12, 2012
“Everything's on the table. That doesn't mean we're for what's going to be on the table, but we need to have a full consideration of the whole gamut of things that are creating this issue and that can solve this issue. We need to not go over the fiscal cliff. We need to come to an agreement, and the President, I think, is working hard to get there.”
December 5, 2012
When I say everything needs to be on the table… I want everybody to put their cards on the table and tell me what they’re going to do. … Now there’s some things we are absolutely not going to do… we’re not going to voucherize Medicare, we are not going to privatize Social Security. We believe very strongly that we need additional revenues if we’re going to get our country on a fiscally sound basis.
December 5, 2012
“All I said yesterday was … we need a balanced package and we need to all come to the table honestly, realizing we have differences of opinion, but also realizing this is a math problem. It shouldn't be a philosophical problem or ideological or partisan problem, it's a math problem. We have to get America on a fiscally sustainable path and in order to do that, we’re going to have to have a balanced package. We’re going to have to look at additional revenues.”
December 4, 2012
Today, I signed the discharge petition filed by Rep. Tim Walz that would bring to the Floor an extension of tax cuts for 98% of Americans and 97% of small businesses. These middle class tax cuts were extended by the Senate in July, and the House ought to take action immediately to provide certainty to families and small businesses that their taxes won’t go up on January 1.
November 30, 2012
“Everybody believes we ought not to go off the cliff. Sequester is not a good idea, and if we went off the cliff it would have substantial adverse effects on the economy. Nobody wants to go over the cliff including, in my opinion, [Speaker] John Boehner. However, we ought not to hold hostage middle-class tax cuts.”
August 22, 2012
“CBO’s update of its Budget and Economic Outlook released this morning couldn’t paint a clearer picture of our fiscal challenges. If Congress fails to resolve the so-called ‘fiscal cliff’ by the end of this year, according to the CBO’s projections, the first half of 2013 will plunge us back into recession and sharply increase unemployment.
August 2, 2012
"What Leader Cantor has done and what the Republican party in the House of Representatives have done is once more snatched delay and defeat from the jaws of victory. The Senate passed a bill which would give 98% of Americans assurance that they would have no tax increase January 1. The Republicans have now deep-sixed that, unfortunately. They know full well that the bill they passed yesterday will not pass the Senate."
August 1, 2012
“Once again, Republicans have pursued confrontation over compromise. By rejecting a bill on which there was clear agreement that extended middle class tax cuts, Republicans snatched delay from the jaws of victory. The President supports extending middle class tax cuts, and the Senate has passed it. We all agree that we want to make sure middle class families do not see a tax increase next year. But Republicans want to hold the middle class tax cuts hostage to additional tax cuts for the wealthy.
July 26, 2012
“The Senate’s passage of a tax cut extension for middle-class families and nearly every small business in America must be a signal to House Republicans that they can no longer hold middle class tax relief hostage in return for tax breaks for the wealthiest 2%. After yesterday’s vote in the Senate, House Republicans are now the only ones standing in the way of keeping tax rates low for earnings up to $250,000 – something that should be done without delay.
July 25, 2012
“This afternoon, the Senate took a major step toward providing certainty to middle-class families and small businesses that their taxes will not go up next year. Its passage of a bill to extend tax cuts on income at or below $250,000 will spare 98% of families and 97% of small businesses from a tax increase. Now it is up to the House of Representatives to act. The Republican leadership owes it to the American people to pass this bill on the Floor immediately.
July 24, 2012
“The tax legislation introduced by House Republicans today shows that their priority is protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% and that they are willing to hold tax cuts for the middle class hostage unless they have their way. The Republican bill is a far cry from what most Americans and small businesses are asking for: an extension of rates on income below $250,000, which will cover 98% of families and 97% of small businesses.
July 18, 2012
We write to request that the Ways and Means Committee schedule a mark-up of the Republicans’ proposed tax legislation before it is considered by the full House. The looming expiration of current tax policy deserves a full and fair consideration of alternative approaches, with members of both parties allowed to offer amendments.
July 18, 2012
“The American people ought to know the full extent to which the budget sequester would be disastrous for our economy and security. That is why this bill is so important. The sequester was never intended to take effect – it was an irrational deterrent meant to force both sides to the table and still ought to be viewed as an unacceptable alternative to inaction on the part of Congress.
July 11, 2012
“Millions of people are going to lose protections they now have and insurance companies are going to be put back in charge if this were to become law. But Republicans know this isn’t going to become law – it’s not going to pass the Senate and the President’s not going to sign it. So once again we are spending time… doing things for political purposes, not for policy purposes, and not addressing the creation of jobs which is our number one priority.”
July 11, 2012
“The Republican party continues to pursue its message and not substance. This is the 31st time we've voted on repealing the health care bill and it's the 31st time that it will fail. Everybody knows that the President is committed to it – he’s not going to sign that bill if it passes; but they also know the Senate is not going to pass that bill. It's about politics and not policy. Very frankly, if it passed and if it became law, literally millions of millions of Americans would lose benefits they already have - young people would be kicked off their family's insurance policy; pre-existing conditions would now be used by the insurance company to keep children from getting health care insurance; seniors in the ‘donut hole’ would be again placed in a position where they may not be able to afford prescription drugs they need to keep their life healthy.
July 9, 2012
I commend the President for standing up for middle-class families by calling for Congress to act swiftly in extending the middle-class tax cut. This is an area where Democrats and Republicans ought to be working together. Instead, Republicans have held hostage the prospect of continuing a lower tax rate for middle-class families in return for tax cuts for the wealthy.
June 14, 2012
Today, we heard President Obama lay out a plan for America’s economic future to provide businesses with certainty, to create jobs for the middle class, and to pay down our debt. The American people understand what’s at stake this year: the progress of our economic recovery and the potential for a new generation of prosperity. The path laid out by the President is the right way to further our recovery, as demonstrated by the success of our auto industry after Democrats took action to prevent automakers from going bankrupt.
June 5, 2012
CBO’s Long-Term Budget Outlook makes it abundantly clear that our long-term structural problems should be just as concerning as the looming fiscal cliff, including the budget sequester, facing us at the end of this year. CBO’s report is a warning that we must get our fiscal house in order by achieving big and balanced deficit reduction that includes both spending and revenues. Cutting domestic spending alone won’t work, and it will require both parties working together. I still believe this is a goal we must pursue in Congress this year – and one that is achievable. Doing so would provide certainty to businesses that have been holding back investment and could constitute the single greatest stimulus to our economy and job creation.
May 10, 2012
“I opposed this appropriations bill for several reasons, chief among them that it is not consistent with the bipartisan agreement reached in August on spending levels. Breaking that agreement is just one more sign that this House Republican conference is simply unwilling to compromise or work with Democrats to find solutions to our challenges.
February 22, 2012
Sustaining our economic recovery depends on American businesses, especially manufacturers, remaining globally competitive and able to continue investing in innovation and job growth. The President's proposal would lower the business tax rate by broadening the base through elimination of those loopholes that distort business decision making. It also goes hand in hand with House Democrats' Make It In America comprehensive jobs plan by providing incentives for manufacturing and research that will help us retain our role as the world's innovation leader. When we help manufacturers make their products here in America, it in turn helps create opportunities for more of our people to Make It In America.
November 17, 2011
Today, the House passed a conference report that adheres to the Budget Control Act and still contains a number of good investments. It demonstrates that responsible Republicans and Democrats can work together to pass legislation to fund the government in line with past agreements and meet our shared responsibility to the American people.
December 2, 2010
I am very pleased the House has passed this bill, which is needed to prevent a tax increase on middle class families. If we fail to resolve this issue, starting on New Year’s Day families across America will see their taxes go up. That won’t just mean less money in Americans’ paychecks—it will reduce spending, which will harm job-creation and our entire economic recovery. This bill prevents a tax increase on our middle class and will help create jobs.
June 25, 2010
It appears Republicans can't take yes for an answer. Next week we anticipate bringing a budget to the Floor that cuts spending below the President's budget.
May 24, 2010
Democrats are committed to strengthening fiscal responsibility, as shown by our enactment of statutory PAYGO and creation of a bipartisan fiscal commission.
April 15, 2010
Today, the conservative group Citizens Against Government Waste reported on the earmark reforms undertaken by Congress since the Democrats won the majority in 2006.
