House GOP Leader: “Let’s show the American people we understand the pain they are under and show them that we are willing to tighten our belt.”

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today delivered remarks on the House floor urging Democrats in the House to support a GOP proposed spending freeze that would keep the federal government running for the rest of the fiscal year without the massive spending increases Congressional Democrats are seeking or the 9,000 earmarks currently contained in the $410 “omnibus” spending bill.  The full transcript of Boehner’s floor speech follows:

“Let me thank my colleague for yielding and suggest that this continuing resolution we have on the floor today shouldn’t be for the next four or five days.  It really ought be to be through the end of this fiscal year which is September 30 of this year.  I know there are a lot of members that have a lot of other issues that they’d like to include in this, but the fact is that American families are hurting, small businesses are hurting around the country, our economy is hurting.  And I think we could help our economy, we could send a strong signal to the American people by extending this spending freeze through September 30.  

“Let’s show the American taxpayers that we get it.  Let’s show investors in our American economy that we get it.  Because clearly the bill that’s been under consideration both here in the House and now in the Senate has a $30 billion increase over last year’s spending, and includes nearly 9,000 earmarks.  And the way to put all of this to a stop is to just have a spending freeze.  Let’s show the American people we understand the pain they are under and show them that we are willing to tighten our belt.  

“So when we have our opportunity to offer our motion to recommit at the end of this process, there will be an extension of that date through September 30 with some increases for those in police departments and the FBI and other law enforcement jurisdictions, and something that I think is a responsible way forward.  I would encourage my colleagues to support the motion to recommit and I yield back.”

NOTE:  In a February 27, 2009 letter, the entire House Republican leadership team urged the President to veto the bloated “omnibus” bill and pledged to work with the President to sustain his veto and produce a better bill if he does.