Democrats Focus on Jobs, Continue to Urge GOP to Work Together On Balanced Agreement to Pay America's Bills, Reduce Deficit
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, I was disappointed that Republicans wasted time on their “Cut, Cap and End Medicare” bill, bringing it to the House Floor for a symbolic vote, even though they knew the Senate would reject it. This bill is an extreme proposal that attempts to balance the budget by ending Medicare and drastically cutting Medicaid, while preserving tax breaks for the wealthy. The bill also increases our chances of default, which would have a real impact on American families. Failing to pay America’s bills would drive up the cost of mortgage payments and credit card interest, increase the price of food, gas and utilities and could result in retirement savings losses.
We must take action quickly to avoid these catastrophic consequences of default. Now that the Senate has rejected the “Cut, Cap and End Medicare” Act, I hope Republicans will work with Democrats on a big, comprehensive agreement to reduce our deficit that includes both revenues and spending cuts. This is an opportunity to do something meaningful to reduce the deficit, but we must take a balanced approach that will ensure we pay our nation’s bills, reduce our deficit and protect the middle class, seniors and the most vulnerable among us.
Tomorrow marks 200 days since Republicans took the House majority and unfortunately they have been more focused on their partisan agenda than on actually helping to create jobs. While Republicans still haven’t put forward a comprehensive jobs agenda, Democrats are working to advance our Make It In America agenda, a plan to support job creation by providing an encouraging environment for businesses to innovate and make products in the U.S. This is an agenda that both Democrats and Republicans can, and have, supported. Moving forward, I hope Republicans will work with us to take action on this agenda so that we can help put Americans back to work and ensure the middle class can Make It In America.
Sincerely yours,
STENY H. HOYER