Pence Responds to Democrat Leadership Claims of Not Being Afraid to Postpone August Recess

Pence Responds to Democrat Leadership Claims of Not Being Afraid to Postpone August Recess

JULY 23, 2009

"I'm always in favor of Congress sticking around long enough to get the right thing done but if the Democrats are talking about staying in session so they can find some way to cobble together a government takeover of health care paid for with a trillion dollars in new taxes on small businesses in this country, I think most Americans would just as soon we went home"
 

To view this clip, click here.
 

Transcript below:
 
Scott: We'll talk about that possibility with Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, he's the House Republican Conference Chairman, the third ranking Republican in the House. What do you think about that? A lot of Americans would say, you know, most Members of Congress get enough vacation. What do you think if the idea of making you guys, men and women, stay there in Congress and work on the President's plan?
 
Rep. Pence: Hey, good morning Jon, well look, a year ago House Republicans held the House floor  the entire August recess you remember, to demand that we got an up or down vote on lifting the ban on offshore drilling.  I'm always in favor of Congress sticking around long enough to get the right thing done, but to be honest with you, if the Democrats are talking about staying in session so they can find some way to cobble together a government takeover of health care paid for with a trillion dollars in new taxes on small businesses in this country, I think most Americans would just as soon we went home.
 
Scott: Well let's listen to what the President had to say about deficit spending in his health care problem (sic) last night.  I want to get your reaction.  Take a listen.
 
President Obama: So let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit.  If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out of pocket costs will continue to skyrocket.  If we don't act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day.
 
Scott: What do you think about those points?  The President seems to be saying that health care in this country is causing the federal budget deficit to balloon.
 
Rep. Pence: Well, it's absolutely right.  The cost of entitlements of government run health care are an enormous part of our long term structural debt in this country, Jon.  That's why we can't understand why the President wants to expand the federal government's role in our health care economy. Even the Congressional Budget Office, which I hasten to add is headed up by a Democrat, appointed by the Democrat leadership in the House and Senate, the Congressional Budget Office just came out and said the President's plan will add to the budget deficit and it will do nothing to control the rising cost of health care in this country.  I know the Administration asked the head of the CBO to come down to the White House on Monday to talk about their findings.
 
Scott: He got called on the carpet, didn't he?
 
Rep. Pence: Well, I sure hope he didn't get called on the carpet.  That would have been profoundly inappropriate if an Administration asked an independent agency of the Congress to come down onto the carpet.  I hope it was just an informational exchange, Jon, but all I'm saying is the Democrat led Congressional Budget Office said that the Democrats health care plan will not control costs of health care and it will increase the deficit.  You know, the President said last night this will not increase the deficit, I think he said, and "I mean it".  Well, I grant the point that the President may mean it, but Americans know that a takeover of our health care economy is going to mean higher deficits, higher debt, and as the Democrats are pushing, higher taxes.
 
Scott: It seems that the longer this thing goes and the more Americans find out about what the details are, the less popular this becomes.  Is that perhaps why Congressman Clyburn wants to, you know, keep the House in session and get it passed?
 
Rep. Pence: Well there is no question that the only ration explanation for why we are only going to take a couple of weeks to consider a fundamental transformation of 18% of the American economy is because obviously the people that are advancing this government takeover want to give the people the balance of the month of August to see what's really in this bill.  Look, Republicans want to do health care reform.  We've been advocating health insurance reform for years.  We can do some modest changes that will lower the cost of health insurance for families and small businesses, but that's not what they're trying to do here.  They're trying to finance a trillion dollar government takeover of health care that the net result of which is going to be tens of millions of people are going to lose health insurance through their employer, and millions of Americans with those higher taxes on businesses are going to lose their job.
 
Scott: Real quickly, Congressman, we're just getting word from our Capitol Hill producer that the House Energy and Commerce Committee is not going to meet today, they're not going to mark up.  What does that say to you as a Member of Congress?
 
Rep. Pence: Well you know, it says to me that they might not actually have the votes.  As the Speaker reportedly said yesterday in the news, you know I expect, Jon, they'd be meeting and finishing up the bill, and we'd be moving it to the floor.
 
Scott: In other words, bad news for the President and his plans?
 
Rep. Pence: Well no, what it means is good news for the American people.  What I expect is going on right now is that tens of millions of Americans, maybe many that are viewing right now, are starting to pick up the phone, type an email, send a fax, and telling them, look we want health care reform, but please don't pass this government takeover with this trillion dollar co-pay tax increase on the American economy in the worst recession in 25 years, we don't need a trillion dollars in more taxes to pay for government run health care.
 
Scott:  Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, Republican, and the Conference Chairman for the Republicans, thank you.
 
Rep. Pence: Thank you, Jon.

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For additional information, contact:

The House Republican Conference Press Office at (202) 226-9000 or
Matt Lloyd (matt.lloyd@mail.house.gov)
Mary Vought (mary.vought@mail.house.gov)