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House GOP Leadership’s ‘Knife in Back’ to Hurricane Sandy Victims

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Leader's Press Shop

Turning their backs on the communities ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, last night the House Republican leadership made an unconscionable decision to adjourn the 112th Congress without allowing a vote on the Sandy relief bill.  Despite strong, bipartisan action in the Senate, the House GOP leadership is ignoring pleas of families and small businesses trying to rebuild—and their representatives:

GOP Rep. Peter King:  “The conduct of the Republican leadership was disgraceful; it was indefensible; and it was immoral…We have a moral obligation—as Republicans, as Democrats, as Americans; I spoke to Governor Christie, Governor Cuomo, we’ve been in constant contact with Mayor Bloomberg.  We cannot believe that this cruel knife in the back was delivered to our region…Don’t walk out in the dark of night and ignore us.” [House Floor, 1/2]

With the National Flood Insurance Fund set to run out of funds as soon as January 7th, a look at the numbers shows the consequences of this choice are dire:

5 to 12: Number of days estimated until the National Flood Insurance Fund exhausts its borrowing authority

139,394: Number of Sandy-related claims to date for FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Fund

12,166: Number of those claims closed

$9.7 billion: Amount of new borrowing authority provided in Senate-passed supplemental

More numbers you need to know about this dereliction of duty:

2: Hurricane Sandy’s ranking as the second most costly natural disaster in American history, only behind Hurricane Katrina

 

65: Days since Sandy came ashore New York and New Jersey

10: Days after Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana that Congress passed over $62 billion in aid

 

$60.4 billion: Amount of disaster relief that overwhelmingly passed in the Senate for the victims of Hurricane Sandy

$0: Amount of aid House Republican Leaders passed for Hurricane Sandy victims

 

17.5 million: People who were directly affected by Hurricane Sandy

651,000: Homes damaged or destroyed in New York and New Jersey

463,000: Small businesses that were impacted in New York and New Jersey

 

$4: Amount taxpayers save in future damage for each dollar in mitigation spent now

Breezy Point

Photo Credit: AP

Posted in Gulf Coast, In the News, What's Happening | Leave a comment

Promise Made, Promise Kept On Middle Class Tax Cuts

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Faiz Shakir

Late on New Year’s night, the House voted in a bipartisan manner to pass tax relief for middle class Americans and help grow the economy. House Democrats and the President kept their promise to protect 98 percent of families and 97 percent of small businesses from any income tax increase. The bill, for the first time in 20 years, achieves significant new revenue — approximately $620 billion — by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share.

The legislation could not have passed without the support of Leader Pelosi and 171 other House Democrats who voted for it. Here are a few of the highlights of that bill, according to a White House fact sheet:

• Permanent extension of the middle class tax cuts
• Most progressive income tax code in decades
• Extension of Emergency Unemployment Insurance benefits for 2 million people
• Extension of renewable energy incentives, the Research & Experimentation tax credit and the Production Tax Credit
• Restores the 39.6 percent rate for high-income households, as in the 1990s
• Capital gains rates for high-income households return to Clinton-era levels
• Reduced tax benefits for households making over $250,000 (for singles) and $300,000 (for couples)
• Raises tax rates on the wealthiest estates
• Extends tax cuts for 25 million working families and students
• Ensures seniors’ continued access to their doctors by blocking a scheduled 27 percent cut in Medicare physician payments
• Extends the farm bill through the end of the fiscal year, averting a sharp rise in milk prices at the beginning of 2013

Leader Pelosi hailed the passage of the bill as a “victory for the middle class” and also “for the President and Vice President who campaigned on protecting the middle class – and kept their promise to the American people.” She added, “With the passage of this measure, we strengthen the principle that we must have equal parts revenue and spending cuts as we work to reduce our deficit.” Watch her floor speech here:

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House Democrats File Discharge Petition To Force Vote On Middle Class Tax Cuts

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Faiz Shakir

Moments ago, Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) filed a discharge petition to bring up the Middle Class Tax Cut legislation.

Because Speaker Boehner and House Republicans have thus far refused to bring up the legislation for a vote, Democrats are organizing a petition to force them to do so.

You can track the members of Congress who sign the petition HERE.

Republicans have insisted on holding middle class tax cuts hostage to tax breaks for the wealthy few. On July 25, the Senate-passed legislation to ensure taxes would not go up on middle class families. It has been 132 days since the Senate passed this bill, and there are only 28 days until these middle class tax cuts expire. If Congress does not take action, an average family of four would face a $2,200 tax increase.

Leader Pelosi said on the House floor, “We only need a couple dozen Republicans to sign the discharge petition. Each one of them holds the key to a $2000 tax cut for the middle class. Either sign the petition, urge the Speaker to bring the bill to the floor, or explain to your constituents why you do not want them to have this $2000 tax break.”

Posted in Economic News | Leave a comment

Washington Post Fact-Check Calls Boehner’s Small Business Tax Claim ‘Incorrect’

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Leader's Press Shop

As he continues his campaign to protect the wealthiest from paying their fair share in taxes, Speaker Boehner repeatedly references a small business mantra that simply isn’t true:

“The problem with raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans is that more than half of them, are small business owners.” [11/9]

“Raising taxes on the so-called top 2 percent — half of those taxpayers are small business owners who pay their taxes through their personal income tax filing every year.” [11/28]

Today, the Washington Post thoroughly debunks Speaker Boehner’s “misfire” on the small business impact of the wealthiest paying their fair share:

The result, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, is that only 3 percent of all “small businesses” paying taxes would be affected by Obama’s plan to lift marginal tax rates on families making more than $250,000 and individuals making more than $200,000. (See page 25 of the JCT report.)

By any measure, Boehner’s statement last week was incorrect. Only a relatively small percentage of small-business owners would be affected by a tax increase…

There is a huge difference between reporting half of all small-business owners and half of all small-business income. Boehner needs to be much more careful in how he makes his case against higher tax rates. [12/3/12]

The Post’s Glenn Kessler awards the Speaker “3 Pinocchios” and concludes, “By any measure, Boehner’s statement last week was incorrect.”

While Congress and the Obama Administration work on a balanced agreement that will create jobs, grow the economy, and reduce the deficit, we can vote now in the House on the middle class tax cuts in order to give families and small businesses peace of mind and certainty during this holiday season.  If Republicans don’t schedule a vote on the middle tax cuts, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has said she will lead a discharge petition to force them to do so.

Posted in Financial Reform, In the News | Leave a comment

Republicans Break From Leadership To Support Middle Class Tax Cuts Bill

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Faiz Shakir

Last updated: Wednesday, December 5, 4:58 pm

In July, the Senate voted to pass a bill that would extend middle-class tax cuts and allow the tax benefits for the wealthiest 2 percent to expire. The House has refused to allow a vote on that bill. As Leader Pelosi said at the time, “Make no mistake: with the Senate’s action, House Republicans are the only roadblocks standing between the middle class and a tax cut bill that the President will sign.”

Following the successful re-election of the President, and strong gains by Democrats in the House and in the Senate, the public sent the clear and unambiguous message that they are in favor of increasing rates on the wealthy to help reduce the deficit and grow our economy.

Now, some members of the House Republican caucus are breaking ranks and supporting the Democratic position:

Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK):

“[H]e made the case that Republicans would strengthen their position by joining hands with President Barack Obama now to give most taxpayers what he calls ‘an early Christmas present’ of ensuring their taxes don’t go up on Jan. 1. … ‘I think we ought to take the 98 percent deal right now.’”

Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA):

“I have to say that if you’re going to sign me up with a camp, I like what Tom Cole has to say. … Tom presented a very thoughtful, articulate position.”

Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL):

“Tom Cole is talking about passing the ones that are out there so there could be more certainty, and I think that would be a positive step,” he said. “Let’s make sure we aren’t raising the taxes on the vast majority first.”

Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC):

“[He would] be willing to pass the Senate bill to ensure 98 percent of taxpayers don’t get hit with a hike. ‘I would probably vote for it at that point,’ Jones said.”

Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX):

Separately, Representative Kay Granger of Texas is endorsing Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole’s call to extend all tax cuts for middle-class earners as “just the right thing to do.”

In addition, Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) indicated he’d be supportive of a middle class tax cuts bill. “No question, if we go over the fiscal cliff and Congress allowed it to happen because we would not let taxes go up on the top 2 percent, that is not a battle we are likely to win,” he said. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) said, “I wouldn’t have a problem with letting those tax rates [on the wealthiest] go up,” provided they are coupled with spending cuts.

Moreover, “another senior Republican lawmaker, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters” that the Senate bill could pass his chamber if it got to the floor. Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC) said the same thing.

On Monday, Dec. 3rd, ABC’s Jon Karl reported that two senior Republican members told him they were pondering a plan to allow the middle-class tax cuts bill to pass.

As Leader Pelosi said, “this should be not be a cliffhanger.” We need a House vote on the middle class tax cuts now.

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New Poll: Americans Call for Wealthiest to Pay Fair Share

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Leader's Press Shop

As Democrats work towards a balanced agreement that will create jobs and grow the economy to reduce the debt, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released this morning shows that a majority of Americans believe that agreement should ensure the wealthiest pay their fair share.

 60 percent of Americans support increasing taxes on incomes over 250 thousand dollars a year when addressing the fiscal cliff.  [Washington Post, 11/28]

And while Democrats and Republicans continue discussions on a bipartisan, balanced approach, we must provide certainty to families during this holiday season by extending the middle class tax cut immediately.  The drumbeat for action is growing louder, with Republican Congressman Tom Cole yesterday making it clear where he stands:

 “I think we ought to take the 98 percent deal right now,” [Congressman Cole] said of freezing income tax rates for all but the top 2 percent of earners. [Politico, 11/27]

We call on Republican leaders to join him—and today protect jobs by sending the middle class tax cut, already approved by the Senate, to the President’s desk.

Posted in Fiscal Responsibility | Leave a comment

4 Key Charts On Today’s Jobs Report

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Faiz Shakir

The Department of Labor announced today that our nation’s economy added 171,000 jobs in October. 184,000 jobs were added in the private sector alone. Indeed, the private sector has shown steady growth:

private

This Bureau of Labor Statistics chart shows we’re on the right path:

path

As Steve Benen of the Maddow Blog points out, the unemployment rate has steadily ticked down over the course of President Obama’s first term:

maddow

As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes, the challenge of this current economic recovery has been greater than recent recessions. We have been digging ourselves out of a deeper hole:

cbpp

As Leader Pelosi said this morning, “Today’s jobs report is a clear sign that our economy continues to move in the right direction, but we have more work to do to strengthen the middle class. The month President Obama took office, our economy lost 800,000 jobs; now, we have seen 32 straight months of private sector growth. We must keep moving forward.”

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The House Democratic Plan To Replace The Sequester

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Leader's Press Shop

In 2010, the House Republicans took us on a destructive path that would greatly harm our economy by almost defaulting on our nation’s debt for the first time in history.

To stave off this dangerous course, Congress passed the bipartisan Budget Control Act (BCA) in Aug. 2011 with the support of 174 Republicans. Both Speaker John Boehner and Budget Chairman Paul Ryan hailed it as a good deal. The BCA did two primary things: 1) It instituted an immediate $1.2 trillion in spending reductions over 10 years, and 2) It established a “supercommittee” to find additional ways to reduce to deficit by at least another $1.2 trillion.

The “supercommittee” failed because Republicans refused to compromise and stood in the way of a balanced approach to reduce the deficit that would include both revenues and spending cuts. So, as the Budget Control Act dictated, an automatic sequestration plan would result. Speaker Boehner said he felt “bound” by that sequestration because it was in the agreement to which he consented. That sequestration would go into effect this January if no action is taken by Congress. Thus far, House Republicans have been unwilling to step away from their Grover Norqust-inspired tax pledge to find a reasonable compromise – and to this day are insisting on protecting the wealthiest Americans from paying their fair share.

Unlike the House Republicans, Democrats have a responsible plan to replace the sequester. Here are the details of a plan that our ranking member on the Budget Committee, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, has previously laid out:

– Eliminate automatic spending reductions for both discretionary and mandatory programs scheduled for fiscal year 2013
– End the direct payment program for agricultural producers
– Increase tax liabilities of some taxpayers with an adjusted gross income greater than $1 million by creating a new minimum tax amount (Buffett rule)
– Eliminate oil and gas subsidies for big five producers

As Mr. Van Hollen noted, the Democratic plan reduces the deficit “without hitting working families,” while the Republican proposal “finds savings by shredding the safety net for hundreds of thousands of low-income children, women, seniors, and other Americans.”

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#DoNothingGOP Shelves Rep. Betty McCollum “Like a Binder”

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Leader's Press Shop

For the eight time this recess, House Democrats took to the floor of the House this morning to call on Republicans to return to work on behalf of America’s women, middle class and seniors. The House GOP ignored Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s calls to return to work to pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and cut her microphone. The Hill reports:

“Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) gaveled in the session, and as expected, he quickly gaveled out after presiding over a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. He was interrupted only by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who tried but failed to get permission to speak. Democrats have been using the twice-weekly pro forma sessions since late September to call for a resumption of work, arguing that uncertainty over tax policy and pending cuts under the sequester demand that these issues not be resolved at the last minute in December.”

Rep. McCollum expressed her disdain with the way the GOP refused to recognize her request to speak:

Here’s video of what transpired on the floor:

Republicans left Washington with a long list of unfinished business – creating jobs, extending middle class tax cuts, passing a bipartisan Farm bill, acting on the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act, and working to prevent the draconian cuts to domestic and veterans’ programs required by the sequester. Recessing earlier than any Congress in 50 years to campaign to keep their jobs, House Republicans know they can’t defend their record of voting six times to end Medicare as we know it and raise premiums on fifty-nine percent of Medicare beneficiaries. House Democrats stand ready to act with real solutions. It’s time for House Republicans to take responsibility – the clock is ticking.

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Speaker Boehner Has Wasted $1.5 Million To Defend Discriminatory DOMA

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Leader's Press Shop

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi observed today that Speaker John Boehner has racked up nearly $1.5 million in taxpayer-funded legal bills to an outside law firm to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):

“For more than a year, Speaker Boehner and Congressional Republicans have committed valuable taxpayer dollars to defending discrimination and preserving inequality – only to lose case after case in their effort to uphold the Defense of Marriage Act. There is nothing effective or efficient about this utter abuse of the people’s trust or the public purse; it is simply wasteful and wrong, and Americans deserve better.”

Speaker Boehner likes to say that Congressional Republicans are focused on ensuring taxpayer dollars are “used efficiently and effectively.”  Reality proves otherwise.  

It is unconscionable for Speaker Boehner to continue stand on the wrong side of history and waste taxpayer dollars in this reprehensible fight to appease Tea Party conservatives.

DOMA LEGAL BILLS
FY 2011
April 25 – May 31  $147,491.00
June 1 – July 31  $358,736.58
Aug. 1 – Sept. 30  $195,977.99
Total FY 2011  $702,205.57
FY 2012
Oct. 1 – Jan. 31  $246,157.38
Feb. 1 – May 31  $234,345.42
June 1 – 30  $96,051.01
July 1 – Aug 15  $169,237.35
Total FY 2012  $745,791.16
TOTAL BILLED    $1,447,996.73




Current as of 10/9/12
Source: Committee on House Administration Democrats

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