New York, NY - Congressman Charles Rangel released the following statement after Republicans in The House of Representatives agreed to allow the passage of the bipartisan Senate bill that will prevent a tax increase on 160 million Americans while Congress continues to work for a year-long solution:
 
“I am pleased to hear that the Republicans in the House of Representatives have finally agreed to work with President Obama and the Democrats to extend the payroll tax cut for 160 million American workers and unemployment benefits for 2.3 million people looking for work, and ensure access for 48 million seniors to their doctors even after January 1st of the New Year. This is a victory for the American people.

We have a moral obligation to the American people living with fear and economic insecurity to show true leadership and come up with real and sensible solutions that will help get America back on track. Instead, House Republicans have decided to put on a political farce that began the day President Obama took office. The American people deserve better. They need us in Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to help America get back to work. In the New Year, I hope my Republican Colleagues would continue working with us for a long-term agreement, instead of placing their political ideologies before the best interest of the American people and without holding them hostage and risking the financial future of our nation."