Washington
(Feb 3)
In an appearance this afternoon on Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) discussed President Obama’s $3.8-trillion job-killing budget proposal that spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much from our kids and grandkids. In addition to the President’s job-killing budget, Boehner noted that the Administration’s proposed debt commission is just a “cover for raising taxes.” Boehner noted that the Democrats’ costly, job-killing agenda continues to cause employers to “sit on their hands” and not get the economy moving again. He also reiterated that Republicans have stood on principle and have offered better solutions on health care, energy, the budget and putting Americans back to work. Following are highlights of Boehner’s appearance and video of the interview:
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BOEHNER ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S $3.8-TRILLION JOB-KILLING BUDGET THAT “SPENDS TOO MUCH, TAXES TOO MUCH, AND BORROWS TOO MUCH”:
“Well Neil, actions speak louder than words. And while the President came to our retreat and talked about fiscal responsibility, trying to find ways to curb spending, you know, two days later his budget comes out and we’ve got a budget that spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much from our kids and our grandkids. And while they haven’t talked a lot about health care, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are still scheming and plotting trying to find some way to pass their massive government take-over of the health care system.”
BOEHNER ON THE PRESIDENT’S DEBT COMMISSION AND IMPORTANCE OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY TO GETTING OUR ECONOMY MOVING AGAIN:
“What [President Obama’s debt commission] is, is it’s a cover for raising taxes and the last thing that this economy needs right now are tax increases. Listen, when we got the budget balanced in the late '90s, we did it by holding the line on spending here in Washington, and making sure that there was enough money left in the economy, so that the economy could grow. And when you look at the number of jobs that were created in the late '90s and all the new employees it created as a result, federal revenues swelled. And we were able, in fact, to balance a budget. We need to get on a solid plan to bring fiscal responsibility to Washington and the only way that’s going to happen is if we work together in bipartisan way to, in fact, make it happen.”
BOEHNER ON HOW DEMOCRATS’ COSTLY, JOB-KILLING AGENDA IS CAUSING EMPLOYERS TO “SIT ON THEIR HANDS”:
“It’s the policies that are coming out of this Administration and the liberals here in Congress, that I think, are holding back employers. They don’t know what to do, they don’t know whether this health care plan is going to pass with all these new tax increases that are in that plan. They don’t know what the tax rates are going to be come the end of this year. Until there is some certainty out there in the marketplace, until employers feel more comfortable about what their future looks like and what Washington is going to do to them, I expect them to continue to sit on their hands.”
BOEHNER ON REPUBLICANS’ COMMON-SENSE ALTERNATIVE TO DEMS’ GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF HEALTH CARE:
“Neil, listen, you know as well as a lot of people that Republicans offered a number of plans. But when we had the bill on the floor here in the House, we offered our plan, which are eight or nine common-sense steps that we can take to make our current health care system work better. Allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines, dealing with junk lawsuits, helping those with preexisting conditions -- these are common-sense ideas that we could work together on. But what we don’t have are the other 100 boards, commissions, mandates that will set up this huge bureaucracy in the federal government, so that the government can takeover all of the decisions about our health care. Which is what the American people are saying no to, and in Massachusetts, it’s not just health care they said no to, they said no to all these job-killing policies.”
BOEHNER ON REPUBLICANS STANDING ON PRINCIPLE AND OFFERING BETTER SOLUTIONS:
“Neil, the American people sent us here to deal with the problems that we face in our country. Over the last year Republicans have stood on principle against those policies that we disagree with coming out of this Administration and this Congress. But each and every time we’ve offered what we thought was a better solution. Solutions rooted in the Republican principles of empowering people, making sure that we keep freedom in America, and we do have big problems that we have to resolve.”