Press Release

Today Republican Leaders released the 2011 House voting schedule. Our nation will still be facing a number of critical challenges that we must confront together next year. We will work to address the top concerns of the American people during the next Congress, including creating jobs, growing the economy, and balancing the budget in the long-term. We hope Republicans will work with us on those issues.

I am encouraged by the fact that a bipartisan majority – nearly two-thirds – of the president’s bipartisan fiscal commission supported the report put forward. Though the commission has ended its work, our national conversation about returning America to fiscal balance has been energized by the commission’s efforts and I expect that conversation to proceed. A bipartisan consensus is forming around a balanced approach to deficit reduction that makes hard choices on both the revenue and spending sides—an approach that includes putting our entitlements on more stable footing; responsible spending cuts that take all parts of our budget into account, both non-defense discretionary and defense; and fair tax simplification that also raises revenue.

Today we learned that America’s economy added 39,000 jobs last month. Just as importantly, our private sector expanded again, adding jobs for the 11th straight month. Nevertheless, with millions still out of work and an unemployment rate still near 10%, these numbers are discouraging and show that we have a long way to go before our economy has returned to health. Congress has much more work to do to foster job growth, a responsibility that is clearly shared by both parties. For Americans in every district we represent, the stakes are too high to fail to cooperate on consensus, job-creating solutions, such as the Make It In America agenda, a plan to rebuild manufacturing jobs.
 

I am very pleased the House has passed this bill, which is needed to prevent a tax increase on middle class families. If we fail to resolve this issue, starting on New Year’s Day families across America will see their taxes go up. That won’t just mean less money in Americans’ paychecks—it will reduce spending, which will harm job-creation and our entire economic recovery. This bill prevents a tax increase on our middle class and will help create jobs.

I am pleased to announce that Rep. Jim Matheson will join the Democratic Whip team in the next Congress. He will join the current Whip team that is staying in place. Rep. John Lewis will serve as our Senior Chief Deputy Whip, and our Chief Deputy Whips will continue to serve our caucus: Rep. G.K. Butterfield, Rep. Joe Crowley, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Ed Pastor, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Rep. Maxine Waters.

The report released today by the President’s bipartisan commission is a positive contribution as we work to address the deep deficits and debt confronting our nation. While job creation and growing the economy remain our top priorities in the near-term, we must balance that with a long-term plan to reduce the deficit. The threat posed by the deficit to our economy and hard-working families is real, and the solutions will not be easy. But Members of Congress and the American public must have the courage to take the tough actions necessary to move the budget toward balance. While I may not endorse every single specific proposal in today’s report, putting these options on the table is an essential step before we can have an honest discussion about how to return to a fiscally sustainable path.

I am disappointed Republicans chose to play politics with a bill that enjoys strong bipartisan support and would increase access to school meal programs, improve the standards of food provided, and help reduce childhood obesity. The real purpose of this motion to recommit was to delay this bill from being signed into law.

Today, the House passed the Help HAITI Act, an important piece of humanitarian legislation that continues America’s constructive response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti early this year. Following the earthquake, more than 1,000 Haitian orphans were brought to the United States by adoptive American families; the bill we passed today ensures that those children, just like all other children adopted from abroad, will have permanent resident status. For the adoptive parents who generously took Haitian orphans into their homes, the guarantee of permanent resident status means that their children will enjoy a full range of legal protections and will no longer be stuck in legal limbo.