The Climate Crisis

Once again, House Republicans are wasting the Congress’s time on a bill that has nothing to do with creating jobs or dealing with the pressing issues that confront us before the end of the year. The Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act is based on the same failed claim that deregulation will lead to job growth. Economists from both sides of the aisle strongly disagree and have said the link between regulations and unemployment is negligible, and they further add that many of our regulations help businesses compete on a level playing field. This farm dust bill is merely a smoke screen for Republican inaction on legislation that is actually important and would have significant bearing on millions of Americans. Even worse, the bill’s definition of ‘nuisance dust’ is overly broad and makes it easier for mining, smelting, excavation, and industrial operations to pollute in rural communities.

This Congress should not leave for the holidays without extending the payroll tax holiday, extending unemployment insurance benefits, and fixing the Medicare physician payment rate. I am disappointed that Republicans insist on playing political games with these critical policies. I have said repeatedly that Democrats are willing to work with Republicans to move these policies forward as long as unrelated, controversial policies are not attached, and President Obama said yesterday that he would reject a package that includes the Keystone pipeline. With so little time left before the end of the year, I hope Republicans reconsider their position and work with us to address these issues.

I continue to be disappointed that House Republicans are wasting Congress's time on ideologically driven bills to erode federal protections for consumers and communities instead of working on a plan to create jobs. The REINS Act would undermine our ability to protect children from harmful toys, prevent asthma and lung ailments resulting from pollution, and ensure that our small businesses can compete fairly in the marketplace. At the same time, it would force Congress to play a larger role in the regulatory process, leading to even more gridlock in Washington. Economists have told us again and again that regulations have a negligible impact on unemployment, and in many cases they help create the conditions for private sector growth. Right now, we cannot afford the uncertainty Republicans are creating for businesses by attempting to bog down the regulatory process. We need to consider real job-creating legislation, like House Democrats' Make It In America plan and the President's American Jobs Act. I hope Republicans will stop focusing on placating their most extreme supporters and instead work with Democrats on policies that benefit all Americans.

It’s been nearly a year since Republicans took the House majority and they pledged to focus on Americans’ top priorities: creating jobs and growing our economy. But instead of working with Democrats on a bipartisan basis to put Americans back to work and address the deficit in a meaningful way, Republicans have led an unproductive year and focused on the wrong priorities.

While the Republican sponsors of the two bills before us contend they will create jobs, their claim is spurious. Economists have told us again and again that easing regulations has a negligible effect on job creation. The only thing these bills will do is make it harder for federal agencies to protect Americans through safety standards and environmental protections. One of the bills adds 35 pages to what is currently a 45 page law, and is likely to add 21 to 39 months to the rulemaking process. Agencies will be tied in knots and leave businesses without the certainty they need.

After nearly eleven months in control of the House, Speaker Boehner and his fellow Republicans have proposed a surface transportation bill that purports to create jobs. Unfortunately, they have not been clear about the investments they propose or how to pay for them. Democrats have had a jobs plan on the table for over a year – the Make It In America plan contains a number of investments in our roads, rails, airports, and seaports that will create jobs right away and boost our economic competitiveness over the long term. President Obama’s American Jobs Act also contains specific infrastructure proposals to create jobs—yet Senate Republicans blocked consideration of that measure.

Today’s jobs report shows that we need to take action on jobs immediately. But after more than 300 days in the majority, Republicans have done little to address job creation despite their repeated claims that they would focus on Americans’ top priorities: creating jobs and growing the economy. However, Republican rhetoric doesn’t match their actions.

Today, Leader Reid offered unanimous consent, which essentially adopted the agreement we made in very tough negotiations over the debt limit and an agreement that emergencies like natural disasters needed additional headroom. There was an agreement that we would have additional spending if we were faced with a disaster. In the House debate, clearly everyone understood that we were faced with the disasters.