House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says “it’s a tough budget, transparent budget….” When asked about entitlement in today’s hearing. Pelosi adds that “out educating” and “out building” are key components to sustaining a competitive future. The “So be it” doctrine is what got the country in the position that it’s in now and this seems to be the theme the Republicans want to stick with. However Democratic House warns will be essentially digging ourselves into a deeper depth crisis. Pelosi says Obama has been a creator of jobs since day one and will continue to do so.
All in all it appears to be another interesting round with a new shiny set of boxing gloves. I can only anticipate the response that is brewing from the ever so vibrant contenders the Republican Party. Now that the budget is on the table, there are a lot of fist and accusations flying from both sides and I can tell you that no one’s holding back on this fight. Here are the remarks and Q&A’s from today’s hearing.
Leader Pelosi’s Opening Remarks:
“Good afternoon. It is my honor to be here with my colleagues, Congresswoman Betty Sutton, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Congressman Henry Cuellar, as we welcome some very special guests—Bret Brown, firefighter from Lorain, Ohio, who returned to duty thanks to SAFER grants extended by Democrats in the last Congress; Pete Perez, firefighter from Camden, New Jersey—I told him his Congressman Rob Andrews is speaking on the floor right now or he would be with us—and one of 60 firefighters recently laid off from the Camden Fire Department, 60 firefighters; Henry Cuellar of Texas I mentioned; Marshall Thielen, an active duty police officer from Fairfax County, and all of the brave police officers and firefighters from Camden, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.
I know that Congressman Pascrell is particularly excited about such a representation from his great state of New Jersey. “As we take the oath of office—all of us who serve the public, we take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States—with that, inherent with that, is our first responsibility to protect the American people. Preserving the safety of our neighborhoods is one of the ways we do that.
“Making families less safe by throwing police and firefighters off the job fails to uphold that responsibility – and it isn’t going to reduce the deficit. The Republican spending bill would have resulted in 3,000 fewer police officers, officers on the beat in your neighborhood, and 2,300 fewer firefighters nationwide. But again, it is not just about the jobs, that is very important. It is about what those jobs do. They protect the American people, the safety of our neighborhoods. “That’s why Democrats – led by Congressman Bill Pascrell and Congressman Weiner – took action to keep police officers and firefighters on the job. We were very pleased with the results of those amendments.
We just have to make sure that it prevails as the process goes forward. “Democrats are proud of the responsibility we have to protect our communities. This GOP bill, in so many other respects, goes too far. The legislation would destroy American jobs while harming middle class families, young adults, seniors, children and our veterans—destroying 800,000 private and public-sector jobs, according to a study released this week by the Economic Policy Institute.
“When you are firing teachers—and thousands of teachers will be laid off as a result of this bill that is this floor—when you are firing teachers, you are increasing class size. My grandchildren in public school, my granddaughter said, ‘I am going to have to change schools.’ I said: ‘Now, why is that?’ She said, ‘The classes, that the teachers are fired, the classes will be bigger, and my teacher is having a hard enough time managing the boys in our class at this class size.’ Even a child knows that you learn more if your relationship with the teacher is more direct and the class size is what it should be. Hurting our schools and our students – our future, our future workforce and that threatens America’s innovation to keep America number one.
“So we agree with our President who said we must ‘out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world’ to keep us number one. Those are our priorities, and it is job-creating, economically stabilizing for our country. “But Speaker Boehner and the Republicans say, well if there are 800,000 jobs lost on this or in the conversation before a couple hundred employees lose their jobs, ‘So be it.’ You heard that: ‘So be it.’ Those three words could be the Republican platform not only for today, but for decades: ‘So be it.’ With their commitment to lowering taxes for the wealthy, protecting the assets of the very rich and the special interests, they have clearly said that is their top priority. If it trickles down, as is their philosophy, the trickle down philosophy, okay.
But if it doesn’t: ‘So be it.’ And so with this bill, 200,000 young people pushed out of Head Start: ‘So be it.’ Several thousand teachers laid off: ‘So be it.’ It is just the way it is. But it isn’t the way it should be. “And we are here to say over and over again: ‘Show us the jobs.’ We are in our sixth week of this Congress and not one piece of legislation has been put forth that will create jobs. Thanks to Mr. Pascrell and Mr. Weiner yesterday, we were able to save some jobs that were going to be lost. “Time and time again, they have demonstrated their commitment to do only what helps the rich at the expense of working families, and even the police and fire fighters who keep us all safe, regardless of our economic status.
And if the middle class is hurt in the process with their policies, they say: ‘So be it.’ The American people – and the Democrats – have a different message: ‘Show us the jobs.’ Where are the jobs? Send in the jobs. Any other song you want to sing about it? “Democrats will continue to measure every proposal that is put before us as to whether it meets three tests. Does it create jobs? Does it strengthen the middle class? Does it reduce the deficit?
The Republican ‘so be it’ fails on every score. “We must, and will, stay focused on the top priorities of the American people: the creation of jobs, the growth of our economy with investments in the future. “With that, I am very pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio, Congresswoman Betty Sutton—a real fighter for jobs for working families in our country even before she came to the Congress. Congresswoman Sutton.”
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