ICYMI: Hensarling on CNN's American Morning
On the status of negotiations-
“Unfortunately, since the president has been elected, unemployment has either been at, near, or above 9 percent. So we have to help struggling American families. By in large, everyone in Congress has agreed we need to extend this temporary payroll tax holiday. Here is where the debate is. The Senate wants to punt the ball; they want to do a 60 day extension. House Republicans, frankly, this is one of the few times we have agree with the president, we want to extend it for a full year. That is what the American people asked for; this is what the president asked for. House Republicans stand ready to work over the holidays, like many other Americans have to do, to get this done.”
Why a 2 month extension is bad policy-
“Talk to the people who actually have to do this. People need to get outside the beltway and talk to the small businesses who are actually responsible for this and say it is totally unworkable. Once again, it’s Washington not listening to the people who actually create the jobs.”
On what will happen next-
“Well again, the House will appoint people to something known as a conference committee, which again since the dawn of the republic, is how we work out differences. The question is, will democrats show up to negotiate this in good faith? I hope they do. This can be worked out in a couple days. We can do what the president asked us to do. Again, the question is, are you going to do it for a full year or are you going to punt the ball down the road like Washington does so often. Are you going to give Americans something that works?”
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For additional information, contact:
House Republican Conference Press Office (conferencepress@mail.house.gov)
