WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement regarding the President's refusal to seriously address the so-called "fiscal cliff":

"The President is crossing the country holding photo ops and making bold ultimatums on the fiscal cliff, but the American people need him to get serious and do something to avoid this crisis. If you want higher taxes, more spending, and bigger government – and you can get away with it by blaming the Republicans – then you are happy to go over the fiscal cliff. President Obama and his left-wing allies want to go over the fiscal cliff and apparently believe they can get away with it by blaming House Republicans.  If they didn’t, they would offer serious proposals and sit down with congressional Republicans to solve the problem.

“I don’t like coming to this conclusion, but with every passing day, it appears to be the case.  

"We face a debt crisis of epic magnitude, and House Republicans have passed legislation to avert this crisis and get our fiscal house in order. We cannot and will not further jeopardize our children and grandchildren's future. President Obama may try to lay the blame for this crisis at our feet, and that may work in the short term.  But House Republicans cannot be held hostage to a plan that ruins our economy and further erodes our freedom.   

"It is said that President Obama is fond of poker and Abraham Lincoln.  As the President plays his political hand in the coming weeks, he may want to remember that he may fool most of the people this time, but he can't fool them all of the time.   I am confident that if the President wants to take us over the cliff, the American people will realize that it was he who was driving the car."

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