Press Release
“Today, House Republicans wasted more time as they passed yet another anti-regulation bill that will do nothing to create jobs or grow the economy while rolling back critical protections for consumers and the environment. With little time left on the schedule, we ought to be taking action on the middle-class tax cut extension the Senate passed yesterday. House Republicans should pass that bill immediately, so we can extend tax cuts for families and small businesses on income under $250,000. Passing the Senate bill would give certainty to 98% of families and 97% of small businesses that their taxes will not increase next year.
“I join in marking the twenty-second anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990. I was incredibly proud to lead the effort in Congress to pass this landmark legislation and see it signed into law. Since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act has enabled more than 50 million people with disabilities to participate more fully and more equally in our society.
“This afternoon, the Senate took a major step toward providing certainty to middle-class families and small businesses that their taxes will not go up next year. Its passage of a bill to extend tax cuts on income at or below $250,000 will spare 98% of families and 97% of small businesses from a tax increase. Now it is up to the House of Representatives to act. The Republican leadership owes it to the American people to pass this bill on the Floor immediately.
“This morning it was announced that over one million Medicare beneficiaries have saved money this year thanks to the Affordable Care Act, with the average senior saving $622 so far this year on prescription drugs. Affordable Care Act provisions, including closing the Part D ‘donut hole’ coverage gap, are resulting in real benefits and savings for seniors. More than 5.2 million seniors and others on Medicare have now saved a total of $3.9 billion on prescription drugs since the Affordable Care Act first came into effect.
“The tax legislation introduced by House Republicans today shows that their priority is protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% and that they are willing to hold tax cuts for the middle class hostage unless they have their way. The Republican bill is a far cry from what most Americans and small businesses are asking for: an extension of rates on income below $250,000, which will cover 98% of families and 97% of small businesses.
“Today’s report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office makes it very clear: the Affordable Care Act is controlling the growth of health care costs and contributing to deficit reduction. The CBO report attests that House Republicans’ latest attempt to repeal health reform would leave an additional 30 million Americans uninsured and increase deficits $109 billion over the next ten years as well as an even greater amount – roughly 0.5% of GDP, or $1.5 trillion – over the following decade.
“I join in mourning the tragic loss of life in Colorado this morning. The families of the victims, the many injured, and all those in Aurora are in my thoughts and in my prayers. It is in times like these that Americans have always rallied together as one community and one family, and we do so again today. I commend the heroism of our first responders from local and federal law enforcement and area hospitals, who have done an outstanding job in the face of great difficulty.
“I was disappointed that Senate Republicans blocked legislation today that would have ended tax breaks for companies shipping jobs overseas. The Bring Jobs Home Act, one of the bills House Democrats added to our Make It In America jobs plan last week, would eliminate deductions for moving expenses when companies outsource and would provide a tax credit to those businesses that bring jobs back home. This type of reform is necessary to stop encouraging the export of jobs and instead help manufacturers hire workers here to produce goods we can export across the world.
“I am deeply disturbed that Speaker Boehner would falsely charge President Obama with putting politics ahead of the challenges facing middle-class Americans still out of work and their families, and not caring about their situation. He should look very carefully at the history this Congress of the House over which he presides. It tells the story of Republicans walking away again and again from their responsibility to extend unemployment insurance, keep payroll taxes from rising, maintain low interests rates for student loan borrowers, protect Medicare for seniors, and pass comprehensive jobs legislation – like Democrats’ Make It In America plan – that will help put more Americans back to work.
“Infrastructure is critical to attracting manufacturing businesses and improving U.S. economic competitiveness, which is why I’m pleased that President Obama announced that projects modernizing and expanding five major ports will be expedited. Upgrading our port and freight infrastructure is a central component of House Democrats’ Make It In America jobs plan, with a number of bills aimed at helping manufacturers more easily move their goods to market and revitalizing our aging port and freight facilities.