Republican Outrages
Recently, House Republicans have spent time playing the blame game and attempting to distance themselves from the devastating effects of the upcoming sequestration, designed to force Congress to enact a long-term plan to restore our nation’s fiscal health. But a look at the not-so-distant past shows that sequestration was approved with 174 Republican votes and House Republican leaders were praising the process just a year ago, even claiming credit for the majority of the deal:
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Yesterday, Republicans left town without completing work on a number of critical items, including giving certainty to American families that they will not see their taxes increase in January. Republicans chose confrontation over compromise by rejecting a bill already passed by the Senate that provides all Americans with a tax cut for income up to $200,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a couple.
“Mr. Speaker, we are now at some point and time going to conclude four weeks in session with little to show for it. Over the past month, the Republican Do-Nothing Congress has continued its relentless pursuit of message over substance.
“Mr. Speaker, this week’s middle class tax cut debate is an unnecessary sequel to December’s fight over extending payroll tax cuts. Republicans campaigned on a pledge to seek bipartisan solutions to our pressing challenges, but, when faced with a bipartisan agreement in December, they chose to walk away. And they appear ready to do so again this week.
Extending tax cuts for the middle class is a concept that both parties agree on, yet Republicans refuse to compromise to provide economic certainty to American families. So far this Congress, the GOP has created a record of obstruction, ignoring critical bipartisan Senate bills. Instead of working across the aisle, House Republicans have wasted time on political messaging bills that protect the wealthiest in the country while ignoring the issues facing the middle class.
Wanted to make sure you all saw this quote from Republican Rep. Richard Hanna, which perfectly sums up the state of play on Capitol Hill right now, as Republicans refuse to work with Democrats to pass middle class tax relief—even though both sides agree on the need for it and the Senate has already passed a bill.
Lately up here on Capitol Hill, the GOP has engaged in quite a bit of revisionist history on the sequester, hoping the American people will conveniently forget that 174 House Republicans (including all of the senior leadership) voted for a measure that Politico said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was “the chief Republican architect of
“We thought the bill was constitutional. The Supreme Court has said it’s constitutional. It's within our powers and we think the American public can be more secure today than they were yesterday with the assurance that they're going to have access to affordable, quality health care.”
Looks like Republicans have given up trying to hide their true priorities. While Americans and businesses are facing economic uncertainty, Republicans are now admitting that they’re slowing down the legislative process on purpose in the hopes of postponing debate on critical items until after the election, when they hope things will be more in their favor.