Press Release
“With the swearing-in of the 113th Congress today, I am hopeful that the House can refocus on the issues that matter to our constituents: creating middle-class jobs, reducing deficits, and keeping Americans safe. After two years of the least-productive Congress in modern history, with little progress made on our most pressing national challenges, the 113th Congress must do better. This means doing more to help our businesses compete, expand, and create well paying jobs through House Democrats’ Make It In America plan. It also means getting serious about restoring fiscal discipline to Washington in a way that ends uncertainty for businesses and families by ceasing to lurch from one crisis to the next without significant progress. We can and must do better, and a spirit of bipartisanship ought to guide us forward to achieve real results for the American people.
"While I remain disappointed that the House Republican leadership did not allow a vote on the Hurricane Sandy supplemental legislation last night, I am relieved that Speaker Boehner has agreed to move forward with a vote on flood insurance this week. It is unfortunate that the Speaker has decided to wait two weeks before having the House vote to approve the bulk of the relief for victims of Sandy, but we will hold him to that promise so that families and business-owners have assurance that help is on its way.
“The report released this morning by the Institute for Supply Management shows new gains for America’s manufacturing sector, including in sector employment, and confirms that manufacturing remains a bright spot in our economic recovery. After a brief contraction in November, manufacturing grew once more last month, and the December 2012 report confirms that our economy overall continued to expand for the 43rd consecutive month.
“I was shocked last night and deeply saddened that we didn't put the [Hurricane Sandy] relief bill that was passed through the United States Senate in a very strong bipartisan vote on the [House] Floor last night...”
“Today House Republicans continued their attack on hardworking federal employees by bringing to the Floor a bill that would extend the pay freeze on civilian federal employees for another year. I strongly oppose such a move – which, fortunately, has no chance of passing the Senate – because middle-class federal employees have already contributed nearly $90 billion toward deficit reduction through reduced pay and pension benefits at a time when other groups have not been asked to contribute.
"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.
"On this day, 150 years ago, our nation took a major step forward toward ending the evils of slavery and achieving the new birth of freedom which President Abraham Lincoln promised. When the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on New Year's Day in 1863, it ushered in a new American era that brought the country closer to the ideals of its founders. I join in celebrating this important anniversary and all that we have achieved as a nation - through struggle and sacrifice - to build on that proclamation by making our union more perfect through greater equality, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all our 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.”
“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.