Press Release
When I say everything needs to be on the table… I want everybody to put their cards on the table and tell me what they’re going to do. … Now there’s some things we are absolutely not going to do… we’re not going to voucherize Medicare, we are not going to privatize Social Security. We believe very strongly that we need additional revenues if we’re going to get our country on a fiscally sound basis.
“All I said yesterday was … we need a balanced package and we need to all come to the table honestly, realizing we have differences of opinion, but also realizing this is a math problem. It shouldn't be a philosophical problem or ideological or partisan problem, it's a math problem. We have to get America on a fiscally sustainable path and in order to do that, we’re going to have to have a balanced package. We’re going to have to look at additional revenues.”
Today, I signed the discharge petition filed by Rep. Tim Walz that would bring to the Floor an extension of tax cuts for 98% of Americans and 97% of small businesses. These middle class tax cuts were extended by the Senate in July, and the House ought to take action immediately to provide certainty to families and small businesses that their taxes won’t go up on January 1.
I am extremely disappointed that Senate Republicans blocked ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today. Its ratification would enable the United States to play a leading role in helping other nations set policies that expand opportunities for their own citizens with disabilities. Modeled after the bipartisan Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities represents a major step forward for individuals throughout the world living with disabilities and hoping for increased accessibility, equal opportunity, and greater independence. I was proud to have worked with former Rep. Tony Coelho and others, including former Republican Sen. Majority Leader Bob Dole, to pass the original Americans with Disabilities Act, and I strongly urge Senate Republicans to reconsider today’s vote and allow this treaty’s ratification.
Tomorrow, on World AIDS Day, we renew our commitment to fighting this terrible disease and helping to improve the lives of those millions affected by HIV-AIDS worldwide. Together, the United States and other nations have made great advances in treating HIV-AIDS and raising awareness about how to prevent infection. Our commitment to research and the discovery of advances has not waned, and we must not rest until HIV-AIDS no longer threatens communities here in America and around the world.
Today House Republican leaders released the legislative schedule for 2013. We must use these scheduled days wisely - not to pursue partisan agendas, but to work together on behalf of the American people. Our nation still faces a number of challenges that we will need to continue addressing next year. We must remain focused on creating jobs, growing the economy, and pursuing a responsible, balanced plan to reduce the deficit. I hope we will set politics and partisanship aside and work together to keep our country moving forward.
“Everybody believes we ought not to go off the cliff. Sequester is not a good idea, and if we went off the cliff it would have substantial adverse effects on the economy. Nobody wants to go over the cliff including, in my opinion, [Speaker] John Boehner. However, we ought not to hold hostage middle-class tax cuts.”
I am deeply honored to have been elected by the Democratic Members of the 113th Congress to serve another term as our party’s Whip. Our Caucus’s strength comes both from its diversity and from our unity as we stand up for the values of fairness and equality we share as Democrats.
Today, the full Senate is considering the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a landmark treaty that will strengthen the rights and freedoms of individuals with disabilities throughout the world – and which was reported favorably by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July. The Disabilities Convention draws heavily on the Americans with Disabilities Act, which Congress passed in 1990 with broad bipartisan support, and the Convention has already been championed by an array of leaders from both parties. Its ratification will send a strong message that the United States is committed to the human rights, equal opportunity, and full inclusion of all who live with disabilities in our country and every other. I was proud to have helped lead the effort, along with former Rep. Tony Coelho and others, to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act, and I join in calling on the Senate to agree to the Convention’s swift ratification.
For 17 years, Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been a dedicated public servant and a tireless advocate for the people of Chicago. He has made a real difference in his community and across the country, fighting for important issues such as minority health and voting rights. I wish him well and continue to keep him, Sandi, and their family in my thoughts and prayers.