Pence on FOX NEWS - “Only in Washington, D.C. would you celebrate the second largest deficit in American history.”

Pence on FOX NEWS: “Only in Washington, D.C. would you celebrate the second largest deficit in American history.”

APRIL 13, 2010

 

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following remarks this morning on the Democrats' continued out-of-control spending on FOX NEW'S ‘America's Newsroom':
 
Bill Hemmer: ...Last hour, Martha interviewed Chris Christie; he's the Republican Governor of New Jersey. You know when he won a year ago it was a bit of an earth shake across this country. He's doing a difficult thing, he's taking on all these unions in New Jersey, trying to get them to cut back oh so much to try and balance the books because New Jersey, as small as it is, is a state that is driving up billions of dollars in debt every year. Here is his challenge to unions and I want to get you to react.
 
[Gov.Christie Clip: Should you have to pay a small percentage of that pension towards your health benefits and retirement, I think the answer is yes and I think most New Jerseyans would say the same thing. This year, Martha, $823 million in retiree health benefits, that's what it's costing the state. Just from retiree teacher health benefits. This is crazy and we can't afford it anymore.]
 
Bill Hemmer: He's trying to change this, can he or is it wishful thinking?
 
Congressman Pence: I think it's the right wish, and yes he can. The reason he can, Bill, is because his historic election in New Jersey, Governor McDonnell's historic election in Virginia, Scott Brown's historic election in Massachusetts, all give evidence to the fact that the American people are tired of the borrowing, the spending, the bailouts, and the takeovers, and they're saying enough is enough. They want to see leaders like Governor Christie, like my own Governor, Mitch Daniels in Indiana, who are willing to do the hard thing, who are willing to lead and make the decisions necessary to put our fiscal house in order.
 
Bill Hemmer: I think what we're finding here - and you were watching the segments throughout the morning here - is that Americans believe they're going to be paying more money in taxes. It's a question of when and by how much. Correct?
 
Congressman Pence:  Look, many people were born in the morning but not yesterday morning.  We saw this massive ObamaCare business passed, which despite what was promised, it was a deficit spending bill because of things that they left out and because entitlements always cost more than they're projected.  I think we've got about a $13 trillion national debt right now. It's remarkable to me that this administration is actually boasting that this year's deficit was not going to be as large as we expected. Only in Washington, D.C. would you celebrate the second largest deficit in American history. The American people know there's only one choice; you're either going to produce leadership that makes the hard choices like Governor Christie is prepared to make, like Republicans in Congress are prepared to make, or you're going to see higher taxes or inflated dollars, which is another form of taxation.
 
Bill Hemmer:  ...What's the chance that Washington, between now and November, does something that helps the struggling business owner, that help the unemployed?
 
Congressman Pence: Well, you have to ask the political handicappers that question, and I'll tell you, the American people know what's necessary to get this economy moving again. It's fiscal discipline in Washington, DC, first, and then it's fast acting tax relief for working families, small businesses, and family farms. John F. Kennedy did it, Ronald Reagan did it, George W. Bush did it after the towers fell. You do across the board tax relief, you embrace fiscal discipline in Washington, DC., like I say, get government under control, get government out of the way and America will come roaring back.
 
Bill Hemmer: I don't hear any of that out of Washington.
 
Congressman Pence: You don't. What you're hearing is more borrowing, more spending, more deficit, more takeovers. They got this financial services bill that is actually a permanent bailout bill. In a very real sense, the fact that this administration is celebrating a $1.3  trillion deficit proves that this Administration, this Congress, just doesn't get it.
 
Bill Hemmer: Would you give them the benefit of the doubt and say, listen, it's better than going in the other direction, which is the direction we've been headed for two years?
 
Congressman Pence: The only reason the deficit is better, frankly because apparently T.A.R.P. is not costing as much as they thought it would. It isn't any reflection on fiscal discipline in Washington.
 
Bill Hemmer: Banks are paying back the money they owe. The reason I ask you about the elections in November, do you think the really difficult decisions on tax hikes will come after November's vote?
 
Congressman Pence: Well, the president put together this bipartisan commission to deal with the long term cost of government entitlements. They're not required to report until after the elections. So my bet is that we're going to see discussion of a value-added tax, we're going to see discussion of alternative taxation proposals but it's all going to come after election day. The American people are not going to be fooled. Bill, I'm going just going to tell you, the American people get it, they know we have to put our fiscal house in order, and I believe the Congress is either going to get the message before election day or the message on election day.
 
Bill Hemmer: Mike Pence, Republican from Indiana, nice to see you in person, thank you for your time today. To be continued, as we say. Until November. Thank you sir.
 
NOTE:  To watch the interview online, click here.