Press Release

This Congress should not leave for the holidays without extending the payroll tax holiday, extending unemployment insurance benefits, and fixing the Medicare physician payment rate. I am disappointed that Republicans insist on playing political games with these critical policies. I have said repeatedly that Democrats are willing to work with Republicans to move these policies forward as long as unrelated, controversial policies are not attached, and President Obama said yesterday that he would reject a package that includes the Keystone pipeline. With so little time left before the end of the year, I hope Republicans reconsider their position and work with us to address these issues.

For 35 years, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has served as a powerful voice for Latinos, helping to shine a light on their many contributions to this great country. The CHC has long served as a powerful advocate on behalf of the issues that matter most to Latinos, from immigration reform to civil rights issues to growing our economy. I congratulate Chairman Gonzalez and the entire CHC on reaching this milestone and wish them many more years of continued success.

I continue to be disappointed that House Republicans are wasting Congress's time on ideologically driven bills to erode federal protections for consumers and communities instead of working on a plan to create jobs. The REINS Act would undermine our ability to protect children from harmful toys, prevent asthma and lung ailments resulting from pollution, and ensure that our small businesses can compete fairly in the marketplace. At the same time, it would force Congress to play a larger role in the regulatory process, leading to even more gridlock in Washington. Economists have told us again and again that regulations have a negligible impact on unemployment, and in many cases they help create the conditions for private sector growth. Right now, we cannot afford the uncertainty Republicans are creating for businesses by attempting to bog down the regulatory process. We need to consider real job-creating legislation, like House Democrats' Make It In America plan and the President's American Jobs Act. I hope Republicans will stop focusing on placating their most extreme supporters and instead work with Democrats on policies that benefit all Americans.

Democrats remain committed to working with Republicans on an omnibus package. But as we have made clear, the final package must adhere to the budget agreement reached in August, and it must not include controversial policy riders. As we work to complete appropriations bills for the remainder of the fiscal year, we also cannot forget that we must continue working on a big, bold, and balanced deficit reduction deal. We must step up and meet our fiscal challenges, and to do so we will need all options on the table. I hope Republicans will work with us to get this done well before painful and arbitrary spending cuts take effect in 2013.

Seventy years ago this morning, our nation awoke to news that stirred hearts and steeled nerves to face the challenge of a generation. For the millions of Americans from every walk of life who answered the call to serve, the attack on our fleet at Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of a great struggle. On this anniversary we recall their heroism, their resolve, their perseverance toward achieving what President Roosevelt foretold would be their ‘inevitable triumph.’ We remember those who lie at final rest near the beaches they stormed and beneath the oceans they traversed in the service of our freedom. We honor the veterans in our communities who still bear the scars of that war and its stories of courage. Let us draw strength from their sacrifices that we may live up to their example in our generation by confronting America’s challenges through unity, determination, and an abiding faith that our greatest triumphs still lie ahead.

Democrats have repeatedly indicated that we are willing to work with our Republican counterparts to extend the payroll tax holiday. If it is allowed to expire at the end of this year, Americans will have less money in their pockets, threatening our economic recovery at a critical time. We should not leave for the holidays until Congress has extended the payroll tax holiday, unemployment insurance benefits, and fixed the Medicare physician payment rate. Republicans should not play political games with these critical policies, and I hope that they will work with us to take action on these items quickly.

I continue to urge the Republican leadership to work with us to avoid expirations of unemployment insurance benefits, the payroll tax holiday, and the Medicare physician payment rate. Unless we act, millions of Americans who are looking for work will lose the ability to support themselves and their families when unemployment insurance benefits begin expiring at the end of the year.

Our economy added 140,000 private sector jobs in November, the twenty-first consecutive month of growth, and we saw our unemployment rate fall from 9% to 8.6%. These are further positive signs for our recovery, but as long as Republicans continue to avoid passing a real jobs plan we will be unable to achieve the kind of significant job creation we need.