*Fiscal Cliff
"[T]his piecemeal approach is going to be dragged out over a long period of time and you've just done a litany of adverse consequences as a result of shutting this government down that apparently our Republican friends did not anticipate.
ICYMI, USA Today weighed in on the GOP’s dangerous debt ceiling games:
“As was the case during the last debt-ceiling debacle, in 2011, playing politics with the nation's creditworthiness is irresponsible and unnecessary.”
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Earlier this week, Democrats and Republicans reached a bipartisan agreement that extended middle class tax cuts and delayed the arbitrary spending cuts which were scheduled for early January. Our work, however, to restore our nation's fiscal stability is not over.
“There is, of course, a time for partisanship. There is a time for making our political points, and that time has been and it will be again. That time is not tonight.
"Thank you very much, Madam Leader. The 112th Congress has about 46 hours left to go. This Congress unfortunately has been most known for an unwillingness to compromise, an unwillingness to come together to act on behalf of the American people.
"President Obama is correct: the time for immediate action to avert the fiscal cliff is here. If Congress does not act, in just a few days middle class families will see their taxes go up, arbitrary spending cuts will begin to take effect, and a number of additional critical items like unemployment insurance will go unaddressed. ...
“We could be considering [the Senate] bill today and passing it so every working American and indeed every American would know that their taxes would not increase on the first $200,000 [for] individuals, or $250,000 as families. One hundred percent of Americans would not get a tax increase on that income. We could be working on that and passing it today.”
“We are in Pro Forma session. Pro Forma session is a session without substance or solutions.
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, House Republicans wasted time on a partisan proposal instead of working with Democrats to reach a balanced, bipartisan agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. Instead of continuing negotiations with President Obama on a responsible solution that includes both spending cuts and new revenue to restore our country’s fiscal sustainability, House Republicans attempted to hold a vote on partisan legislation that would
“I thank the Leader for her comments, I certainly agree with her. Last night’s vote showed us that resolving the challenge that confronts us with the fiscal cliff cannot and will not be done with a partisan vote. It showed us that we must work together in a bipartisan way and that we must preclude going over the fiscal cliff by a balanced agreement that Republicans can support, that Democrats can support, that the President of the United States will sign, and that can pass the United States Senate. It is absolutely incumbent upon us to do that.