HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, May 15, 2008 - House Republicans began rolling out an agenda of reforms yesterday, the first phase of a larger GOP effort to demonstrate to Americans that Republicans will deliver the change they deserve.  After the GOP Conference meeting this morning, House Republican leaders discussed the agenda that puts the focus directly on the most critical issues facing our nation today:

REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH):

“There’s 172 days left until the election and Republicans are committed to delivering the change the American people want and frankly deserve.  Yesterday we began that process by rolling out the American families agenda.  Issues that will help American families be able to get through rising prices of food, rising prices of healthcare, how to take care of their aging parents.  But we’re going to continue over the next several weeks to roll out the rest of our agenda  and whether the issue is energy, whether it’s health care, whether it’s security, whether it’s taxes and the economy, Republicans want to ensure that American families get the changes that they deserve.” (AUDIO)

REPUBLICAN WHIP ROY BLUNT (R-MO): 

“We’re going to spend the next five and half months talking what Republicans are for and what we would do if we were given the chance to lead again.  And really those things all fall into four categories.  Securing our neighborhoods and our country, healthcare driven by choice, patients and competition, pro-growth and pro-family tax policies, and energy independence.  We’re particularly concerned now as we go toward the Memorial Day holiday and  summer driving season that the Democrats have done absolutely nothing to fulfill their promise that they were going to do something about gas prices. They had a plan, had a commitment, apparently they really didn’t have either a plan or a commitment.  Gasoline is $1.45 a gallon higher today than it was the day Nancy Pelosi became Speaker.   

“We’ve got ideas, we want to do things that bring more energy supply to the country that bring energy independence.  We’re calling for a gas tax holiday paid for by an earmark moratorium and we can do that right now.  Glad the Democrats did hear our discussion over the last few weeks over not continuing to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  That’ll make a difference about four five cents a gallon at the gas pump.  A gas tax holiday would make a difference of eighteen cents a gallon at the gas pump.  Something families begin to see.  We’re going to be talking about this agenda, we’re going to be talking about where they’ve failed to deliver but more importantly we’re now ready as we move into the last five and half months this election discussion, we’ll talk about what we’ll do if given a chance to lead.  And everyday they had the country in a different direction on health care policy, on tax policies, on national and neighborhood security and certainly on energy and any effort we need to make toward energy independence.” (AUDIO)  

REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN ADAM PUTNAM (R-FL):

“Yesterday the House Republican Conference laid out the agenda that American families deserve.  And today we continued that process of rolling out the ways we intend to fix Washington that is clearly broken.  And deliver the change that America’s students deserve, America’s veterans, America’s families.  They deserve solutions to be coming out of this town.  It’s a narrative that’s more important than who’s in or who’s out, who’s on top, who’s out of favor.  It’s a story about how to solve the problems that Americans are talking about around their kitchen tables every morning and every evening as they look at $4 gas, rising health care costs and concerns about how to pay for a good college education.” (AUDIO) 

REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE VICE-CHAIR KAY GRANGER (R-TX):

 “You know, one of the most important things about our agenda for families and the changes they deserve have to do with just the changing family and families are different today long before when it was mom and dad at home and 2.4 children.  Often times, most often now it’s mom and dad both at work, sometimes holding down more than one job.  Sixty percent of the mothers with children under the age of six are in the workforce so they’re juggling their jobs, their families’ future and making decisions about can we take a few days off before school starts again when it’s going to cost me $60 to fill up our car.  So what we did is address the issues of today’s families.  

“Today’s families where in many cases because when people are living longer, we have people taking care of their children and their children’s grandparents because they’re helping make decisions for their parents about where they can still live alone or whether they need to enter assisted living or a nursing home.  They’re very concerned about that care so it’s are my children safe at school and is my mom safe in a nursing home and making those decisions all together.  Cost of living, health care, are my kids safe.  And when you talk about whether my kids safe, are they safe at school, are they safe from gangs, are they safe on the internet.  In developing this agenda, we talked to those families, we talked to them on a very regular basis and said what keeps you up at night, what are your worries and our solutions address those worries.” (AUDIO)