GOP Blog Archives for May 2009
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence released the following remarks for the Indianapolis Energy Summit:
The latest from the Nationwide Energy Summit:
Rep. Patrick McHenrty, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Rep. John Mica and Rep. Jason Chaffetz, members of the House Subcommittee on Information, Policy, Census and National Archives sent a letter to the U.S. Census Bureau regarding it's partnership with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN.) ACORN played a huge role in voter registration fraud during the 2008 presidential campaign. Here is the letter:
Here is a transcript of this morning's Leadership Press Conference:
Roll Call today featured a photo from yesterday's National Energy Summit, including House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, Leader John Boehner, Rep. John Shimkus and Rep. Fred Upton.
House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence spoke said America is a "nation of prayer":
Rep. Ed Whitfield (KY) released a statement today, calling on Congress to come "clean" about coal:
“The reality is, implementing a cap and trade program before carbon capture and storage technologies are available would have a devastating impact on the U.S. economy,” Whitfield said. “In my home state of Kentucky, coal not only provides 92% of our electricity, but creates tens of thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars in revenue. It is essential that as we move forward to produce cleaner energy we balance the need for cleaner fuel sources versus the need for protecting jobs in the U.S. and keeping our country competitive in the global market place.”
House Republicans today introduced the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which aims to stop the transfer or release of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States. House Republican Leader John Boehner said this:
By Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA) The “Smith Family” has an expensive house, a new car and they’d never purchase their chic clothes off the discount rack. If they want it, they buy it. Problem is, by the middle of April the Smith Family had spent all of the money they were going to earn during the entire year. Huge bills are piling up. What will the Smith Family do? Well, if the Smith Family is anything like the Obama administration, Daddy Smith will hold a news conference and announce that the family is prepared for “tough choices.” “From now on, the Smith Family will save money by cutting out sliced fruits such as strawberries and bananas that go on top of our morning cereal,” Daddy Smith will announce solemnly. “Also, we no longer Super Size at fast food restaurants. Instead of buying 50 new designer shirts for each of the kids, we’ll bite the bullet and only get 49.” This sounds at first as if it might amount to serious savings over the period of a year. But then Daddy Smith gets a question. “Aren’t these cuts less than one half of 1 percent of your total spending for the year?” the questioner asks. “And isn’t it true that 50 cents of every dollar you spend this year will go on your credit card and you personally will never pay it back?” “How dare you, sir!” Daddy Smith thunders. “The house, the car, the clothes – they are the change we’ve been waiting for! These aren’t expenses; they are investments in our future. These investments will give my children the tools to earn the money they’ll need to pay for all these things I’m doing for them.” “But aren’t things getting worse?” the questioner continues. “Last year, your unpaid credit card charges were the biggest ever. This year’s is four times that. How is that sustainable?” “We can’t just do these investments willy nilly,” Daddy Smith responds. “Besides, the people who lived in this house before broke a lot of stuff. It’s not my fault. I inherited this mess, if you think about it. But I don’t want us to get too far off point. I invited everyone here today to discuss the fact that we’re seriously cutting back. We’re making tough choices. We’re changing …” “Not so fast, Dad,” says Nancy, one of the Smith children, accompanied by brother Harry and several others at a rival, impromptu news conference of their own. “We need that fruit for our cereal. It’s good for us; it’s nutritious. It might cost more in the short term but it will save us in the long term by keeping us healthy and avoiding costly doctor’s visits. And Super Sizing at hamburger joints gives the family more value for its dollar. We get lots more food and drink for only pennies more. It’s wasteful not to Super Size. Any idiot can see this cut is irresponsible and poorly thought out.” “And about that trim of the clothes budget,” Harry butts in. “That’s a nonstarter. I’m sure there are lots of wasteful items that we can cut before we slash our fashion options back to the point where we’re the laughingstock of the middle school. Geez, Dad, why don’t we just write ‘We’re poor’ in giant letters on our foreheads?” “Besides,” says Nancy, “we can just spend less on our home security system. Who needs that anyway? Now that we live here all the neighbors will promise to play nice!” Daddy Smith looks distressed, not wanting the neighborhood to see such an unseemly family squabble. “OK, kids,” he says. “No cuts this year. We’ll just add it to your tab.”
From Rep. Dave Reichert's office: Two former Sheriffs, Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-08) and Congressman Brad Ellsworth (IN-08), joined forces today on the floor of the House of Representatives to call for a moment of silence to honor those law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. May 10-16 is National Police week, where thousands of officers and their families visit to Washington, D.C. pay tribute to fallen heroes.
What Does $3,100 Mean to the Average Family?
by Rep. Erik Paulsen (MN) Small businesses have created about two of every three net new jobs in the U.S. since the early 1970s, yet they are currently under assault in Washington as a misguided Congress seeks to raise their taxes during these difficult economic times. Last Friday, I held a listening session with small business owners from across the Third District to discuss the best way to create jobs. (You can read about the story HERE). During the event, I heard directly from over a dozen small business owners and employees about the various challenges they are facing when it comes to growing jobs and investing in their business. • Mike Sowada, who owns VISI Incorporated in Eden Prairie, noted that taxes are hindering his growth, and that access to capital has become difficult. These factors contributed to his business recently being forced to delay a multi-million dollar project. • Steve Wise, of Cass Screw Machine Products in Brooklyn Park, raised concerns over the tax structure, which penalizes a business that desires to save profits for a rainy day. • Paul Robinson, who owns Sterling Critical Products in Bloomington, said the current credit markets are hindering growth, noting that if he had the ability to purchase the technology requested by current and prospective customers, he could likely double his workforce by the end of this year. While we covered many additional issues during the discussion, there was one consistent theme: small businesses need help. Unfortunately, the recently-passed budget pours salt in the wound by raising taxes by over $1 trillion – largely on the backs of small business.
House Leader John Boehner's crew has done a great job rounding up relevant quotes again. This time, they tackled "news of misplaced stimulus spending." In a press release, the office writes that "the government is borrowing 50 cents for every dollar it spends this year."
Rep. Roy Blunt is promoting the House GOP's Health Care Solutions Group, which will advocate alternatives to the Democrats’ healthcare proposals that could put bureaucrats between patients and doctors.
U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement today in response to the release of the 2009 Social Security and Medicare Trustees report, which highlights the deteriorating financial condition of the Medicare and Social Security programs: “The American people know we cannot borrow, spend and tax our way back to a growing economy. Our nation’s entitlement programs are quickly going bankrupt and yet President Obama has not offered a plan to preserve Medicare and Social Security for our children and grandchildren.
“Instead the Administration and Democrats in Congress would rather pass a government-controlled health care plan that will deprive roughly 120 million Americans of their current health care coverage and lead to federal bureaucrats denying critical care for patients. Taking money from seniors to pay for a government takeover of health care is an irresponsible prescription for reform.
“The American people want this Congress and this President to practice fiscal discipline and reform. We ought to do so by getting serious about real entitlement reform and an overhaul of health care that puts patients in front of politics."
House Republican Leader John Boehner appeared on Fox News to speak on how House Republicans will cut government waste and keep Americans safe. Find key talking points below the video:
Washington Post:"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (Calif.) assertion at a press conference this morning that the Bush administration and the Central Intelligence Agency misled her and the Congress regarding the treatment of suspected terrorists adds further fuel to the fire on an issue that has been on a low boil for weeks.
Asked whether she was accusing the CIA of lying to her during a 2002 briefing on the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques," Pelosi said: "Yes, misleading the Congress of the United States, misleading the Congress of the United States. I am."House Leader John Boehner responded to Pelosi’s testimony: “I think the problem is that the Speaker has had way too many stories on this issue. And as I said earlier, I think she’s posed more questions than she has provided answers. And at the end of the day, I know what these briefings are. I was not a member of the leadership at a time when these briefings occurred, so I can't relate the extent of these briefings. But other members in our conference were in these briefings. And when you look at the number of briefings that the speaker was in, and other Democrat members of the House and Senate, it’s – it’s pretty clear that they were well aware of what these enhanced interrogation techniques were. They were well aware that they had been used. And it seems to me that they want to have it both ways. You can't have it both ways.”
House Republicans begin a week of Energy Summits across the country tomorrow in Pittsburgh. After last week's mark up of the Waxman-Markey "cap and tax" bill, Republicans will promote alternative policies to lower energy prices for American families during the summits. Here are the details for tomorrow:
By Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) ACORN, the left-wing political advocacy group, is helping to recruit census takers as a member of the Census Bureau’s Partnership Program. This is an organization that has proven to be very adept at using government forms to commit fraud. So the idea of putting millions of census forms in its hands seems misguided, to say the least. This week, my Republican colleagues and I on the census oversight subcommittee sent a letter to the Bureau asking it to reconsider ACORN as a partner. According to the Bureau’s guidelines for participation, partners must not “distract from the Census Bureau’s mission.” If the Bureau believes that ACORN’s reputation reflects positively on the Bureau’s mission, then we’ve requested that it defend that position in writing to the Congress. The integrity and accuracy of the census is worth defending. Census results guide the distribution of billions in public funds and determine the apportionment of districts at all levels of government. Robert Groves, President Obama’s appointee to head the Census Bureau, will have his confirmation hearing this Friday, May 15th. Mr. Grove
Rep. Steve King (IA) has called for a new Member of Congress to replace Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He called Pelosi an "enemy of naitonal security." Watch King on Fox News today:
CNSNews hit the Hill to ask Congressmen what they thought about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's statement that the CIA "mislead the Congress of the United States." In this clip, Democrat Congressmen Sander Levin (MI), Albio Sires (NJ) and Walt Minnick (ID) are not eager to talk to reporters about the subject. Republican Reps. Trent Franks (AZ), Brian Bilbray (CA) and Phil Roe (TN) were more friendly:
U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, made the following statement today after President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the United States Supreme Court:
“While Speaker Pelosi may view the CIA misleading Congress as a ‘distraction,’ this is a serious matter of national security.”
by Rep. Gregg Harper (MS)
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