Press Release

I commend Ranking Member Rahall and other Transportation Committee Democrats for unveiling a bill today that will promote job creation and help more families Make It In America by requiring that infrastructure projects use American-made products. In order to create jobs and remain competitive in the global economy, we need to revitalize our roads, runways and bridges. At a time when too many Americans remain out of work, there is no reason why the materials to build these projects should not come from right here at home, in a manner consistent with our international obligations.

On World AIDS Day, we remember those who we have lost and recommit ourselves to the unfinished work of treating and saving the lives of the millions living with the disease. It is also a day to draw strength from the great strides we have made as a nation and in concert with our international partners in the fight against global HIV-AIDS. During these times of challenge and uncertainty, we must not lose sight of our ongoing commitment to expand access to treatment and prevention and to fund research for a cure. The money we spend each year on programs like PEPFAR, ADAP, and the Global Fund has saved countless lives and reaffirmed America as a beacon for hope in Africa and around the world.

While the Republican sponsors of the two bills before us contend they will create jobs, their claim is spurious. Economists have told us again and again that easing regulations has a negligible effect on job creation. The only thing these bills will do is make it harder for federal agencies to protect Americans through safety standards and environmental protections. One of the bills adds 35 pages to what is currently a 45 page law, and is likely to add 21 to 39 months to the rulemaking process. Agencies will be tied in knots and leave businesses without the certainty they need.

I oppose the Senate Republicans’ payroll tax proposal because it will further strip federal employees of wages and benefits. Federal employees have already stepped up to the plate and are helping to put our nation on a sounder fiscal footing, accepting a 2-year pay freeze which reduces the benefits they would have received by $60 billion over ten years. It is not appropriate to once again call on federal employees to contribute while not asking everyone else to contribute their fair share. It is also ironic that at a time when we need to grow jobs, Republicans are proposing to reduce them, taking our economy in the wrong direction.

Before we adjourn for the year, there are a number of important items we must address. The most pressing is the expiration of unemployment benefits at the end of December. Should Congress fail to act, millions of Americans who rely on emergency unemployment compensation will begin to see their payments disappear in starting in January. 2.1 million will have lost their benefits by the middle of February and over 6 million by the end of 2012.

I rise in strong opposition to this misnamed bill, which would promote neither democracy nor fairness in the workplace. The right of workers to organize and bargain collectively for better and fairer conditions has been protected by our laws since the era of the New Deal.

All of us who serve in this House know that we could not do the work we do without the help of our extraordinarily able and motivated staffs. They work long hours with pay below their counterparts in the executive branch and in the private sector. Many are young, in their twenties and thirties, with an energy and passion for public service that gives all of us great hope for the future.

“America, and the principles for which it stands, have been well-served by Congressman Barney Frank during his over three decades of service in the Congress. He has brought an exceptional intellect, political courage, common sense, a wonderful wit, and a love of country and of the People’s House to his service. He will be greatly missed...