Pelosi Rips GOP for Skipping Town Without Passing Extensions
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Harry Hamburg/AP Photo
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lashed out at Republicans today after Congress adjourned and members left Washington without passing extensions for three economic measures set to expire at the end of the year.
“At kitchen tables across the country, families are making difficult choices: ‘Can we buy toys for our children during the holidays and still afford to pay the bills in January? Can we put gas in the car and still afford to put food on the table?’” Pelosi, D-Calif., asked in a new YouTube video. “Congress can take action to help those families today by making a firm promise: We will not go home for the holidays without extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.”
Pelosi, who has scheduled a noontime conference in the Capitol to express her displeasure over the partisan impasse to the media, said that Republicans should have committed to working through the weekend on a bipartisan solution.
“Republicans should join Democrats at the table to get the job done,” she said. “As one people, we must also reaffirm our commitment to giving voice to all Americans, not just the privileged few. Americans can’t wait. We must act now.”
The House concluded legislative business for the week Thursday afternoon and met for a brief pro forma session this morning before shutting down until Monday. The Democrat-controlled Senate also adjourned for the weekend, even though its leadership pledged to wait out Republicans. The difference is that this week the Senate rejecteded four alternatives to extend the payroll tax credit.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is responsible for setting the floor schedule, told lawmakers that after this weekend’s two-day break, the House would stay in session until all the business of the first session of the 112th Congress was concluded. Still, legislators aim to finish up business by next Friday, although Cantor said a weekend session was still possible.
Thursday, House Republicans proclaimed that they had reached consensus within their ranks on a measure to extend the payroll tax credit, unemployment insurance benefits and the SGR/Doc Fix. That mega-bill is expected to reach the House floor early next week, but a provision to force the president to approve the Keystone XL pipeline project is likely to doom the package from passing in the Senate or fromPresident Obama signing it.
House Republicans believe that all three measures should be paid for, but Pelosi disagrees on paying for the payroll tax cut extension because the extension “would have a stimulative effect,” she said, although she would not rule out striking a deal to finance it.
“We really haven’t even seen what the Republicans fully are putting into any pay-fors for the payroll tax bill. I don’t even think it needs to be paid for, because the stimulative effect of the bill is the best thing to do for America’s families by putting money in their pockets, which they will spend. To inject demand into the economy is very important,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference Thursday. “Depending on how you pay for it can dull some of that stimulative effect, but if that’s the way they want to pass it, then we are happy to sit down and find pay-fors for it.”
As for what Pelosi will do this weekend without any legislative business to conduct at the Capitol, the Democratic leader does not have a public schedule. An aide said she would remain at the Capitol all day Friday but would not elaborate whether Pelosi planned to fly back to San Francisco, remain in Washington or travel to some other place before the House returns for legislative business Monday.
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‘Can we buy toys for our children during the holidays and still afford to pay the bills in January? Can we put gas in the car and still afford to put food on the table?’” Pelosi, D-Calif., asked in a new YouTube video.
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She further added: “Can I buy me some more of that Visa stock? That was such a sweet deal and it would help me put more food on the table and buy more toys for my kids during the holiday.”
Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | December 9, 2011, 11:54 am 11:54 am
Sorry Nancy, according to USA TODAY, yesterday, the national gas price will end
this year as the highest on record. Obama promised that to us when running
for President, you should have listened. And Nancy, you know high fuel prices
trickle up the price of doing business on everything.
Posted by: deadwrestler | December 9, 2011, 11:59 am 11:59 am
Republicans bail as usual. They are bound and determined to screw America’s working poor and Middle Class every way they can. They (mistakenly) think they can do that and still blame the Democrats for it. America knows the truth. Next November, Republicans will not be in control of any branch of the government. They’ll be lucky if they have any representation at all after their stunningly damaging agenda gets more attention……..
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm
…the national gas price will end this year as the highest on record. Obama promised that to us when running for President… Posted by: deadwrestler | December 9, 2011, 11:59 am.
He did? When? Can you provide proof?
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
The only thing the democrats have offered to the show is raising the tax rate on citizens of the USA. The Republicans wanted to build a pipeline for oil that would put thousands of Americans to work. The democrats are out of their minds. If they can’t get their way they will hold up every thing that will start to put the country on the right track.
Posted by: Ricardoh | December 9, 2011, 12:30 pm 12:30 pm
Republicans are going for broke on destroying health care. This is a skirmish within that strategy. If health care survives their push to destroy it, they will be in political exile for 50 years. Destroying health care means destroying the one elected to make it happen, President Obama. Every move is to that end, regardless of short term political consequences like angering the middle class. If they don’t destroy Obama and health care, they themselves are destroyed. They’ve been going for broke in this way on every issue since the passage of health care. They’re not against it because it won’t work, they’re against it because it will work.
Posted by: sameagain | December 9, 2011, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
Sit and spin Nanny P. You’re irrelevant and made so by your own hand.
Posted by: TexBork2011 | December 9, 2011, 12:43 pm 12:43 pm
Posted by: sameagain—Health care will always survive for those that can afford it. All you have is the opportunity to get healthcare, actually getting it is still up to your individual talents and marketable skills.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
The Republicans wanted to build a pipeline for oil that would put thousands of Americans to work.
Posted by: Ricardoh | December 9, 2011, 12:30 pm.
TransCanada, the CANADIAN company that wants to build this pipeline, stated in their own paperwork filing that they would need to employ between 3500 and 4200 workers for this project. AND they stated that they would not guarantee these employees would be US citizens. Republicans are willing to screw 160 million Americans in order to help TransCanada and Big Oil transport dirty tar sands oil to the Gulf. Where it will be refined, then sold on the world market to the highest bidder, just like all the other product that goes there. How does that help the USA?
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm
Pelosi is sounding just like Obam. Blame somebody else for all your failures.She must have a sour taste in her mouth once she lost the presidency she enjoyed Obam’s first two years. Now she is just another bad vote for more handouts to get that vote.
Posted by: specialty57 | December 9, 2011, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
Our deficit is down to 15+ TRILLION, surely we can get it up to 16 or 17 with Pelosi as Spender in Chier…
Posted by: Toby3061 | December 9, 2011, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm
Searambler, glad you asked. During a June,10, 2008 interview with CNBC John Hardwood, then candidate spoke of gradual higher gasoline prices. You can find this on you tube also with the video of it and also Obama saying he wants to derail the coal industry even knowing it will raise electricity prices, right their on you tube. By the way 8700 Government employees of the armed services got their walking papers today.
Bad Christmas for those fine folks.
Posted by: deadwrestler | December 9, 2011, 1:04 pm 1:04 pm
My opinion is that Republicans have gambled on people FORGETTING the fact that they’ve done NOTHING and have made it a point NOT to do anything in order to cause Obama’s failure. Well, they are making the USA fail and THAT is their big mistake. They will pay dearly in the next election because of their greed and hatefulness. I pray that the right loses even in the places where they’re causing voter suppression.
Posted by: demNme5 | December 9, 2011, 1:06 pm 1:06 pm
Our deficit is down to 15+ TRILLION, surely we can get it up to 16 or 17 with Pelosi as Spender in Chief…Posted by: Toby3061 | December 9, 2011, 1:02 pm.
The Republicans control the House, and thus the federal purse strings. They have for almost a year now. We’re you sleeping?
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 1:09 pm 1:09 pm
Where it will be refined, then sold on the world market to the highest bidder, just like all the other product that goes there. How does that help the USA?
POSTED BY: SEARAMBLER | DECEMBER 9, 2011, 12:49 PM —-Why don’t you ask your loser unions that fully support the pipeline?
Posted by: whining liberal | December 9, 2011, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm
SNEWSOM2997 | DECEMBER 9, 2011, 12:47 PM posted: “All you have is the opportunity to get healthcare, actually getting it is still up to your individual talents and marketable skills.”
Yeah, too bad for those little kids with pre-existing conditions or the handicapped or wounded who don’t have “marketable skills”. The new Libertarian flavored GOP platform: Let the Invisible Hand of the Free Market determine which rich and healthy Americans can afford medical care.
Posted by: green.goddess | December 9, 2011, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm
snewsom2997.. Romney made ‘health care’, by which is meant a health care insurance program, work in MA. It can work nationally, but GOP is all sour grapes on it because it wasn’t their idea. They are totally in the tank against it with no way out. You know what happens if you’re in the tank too long though, all you can say is glub, glub, glub. Doing away with the health care bill is the lobbyists’, and therefore the GOP’s, number one survival priority. Obama was elected to get a health care bill through. By some miracle, he did it. Is America just going to roll over and say “Ok, get rid of it”? No way. The GOP is on a fool’s mission, but that’s what they do; play the fools for their corporate lobbyists.
Posted by: sameagain | December 9, 2011, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
No worries…The supreme court is going to toss the healthscam law down the toilet..
Posted by: gary | December 9, 2011, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm
Don’t mess with Nancy, she’s too tough, at least she exhibits some control over the democrats. The Speaker of the house is supposed to bring both democrats and republicans together to pass legislation that helps this country.
Boehner exhibits no leadership whatsoever; he kisses the butts of the tea party republicans so the House is in perpetual grid lock. I sincerely hope the good citizens of Ohio do us all a favor and vote him out of office.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 9, 2011, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm
Pelosi is a stupid cow with one to many face lifts
Posted by: jennifer | December 9, 2011, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm
Pelosi needs to shut up and get out. She forgot how they skipped town to avoid voting and how they passed health care behind closed doors. The lady thinks she is Obamas Angel
Posted by: Jim Rod | December 9, 2011, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
And Harry Reid said today, no matter what bill the republicans put forth, he will not let it come to the floor.
Green.goddess, why do you always throw in little kids and who knows what, the democrats are the ones throwing grandma of the cliff and scaring old people with lies.
Posted by: Lizzie | December 9, 2011, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
There is a reason why the dimocrats are called the flee party
Posted by: william | December 9, 2011, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
Well Nancy, how about you donate to charity those millions you and you husband made via insider trading? Why is/did the Dem from NY amend the ‘no Congressional insider trading bill’? Yeah, I know both Repub and Dems made money from it.
Posted by: deanbob | December 9, 2011, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm
“Republicans bail as usual. They are bound and determined to screw America’s working poor and Middle Class every way they can. “….That’s a huge generalization. Lets hear some specifics/proof.
Remember Bush’s tax cuts, cut the lowest tax rates the most. Is that how what you call getting screwed? These tax cuts produced the highest amount of Federal income tax revenue from 2006-2008. Maximum income tax collected is the objective of income taxes, right? Go to USTreasury IRS website to verify for yourself.
Posted by: deanbob | December 9, 2011, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
SAMEAGAIN, You must be just furious for Obama allowing big unions to be free of such a great Obamacare bill then? But then again they and thousands of others that are exempt pay a bunch of money to him and the dems. You really did not think Obam raised all that money from those $100 donations did you? The rest of us just might be stuck with this 2400 pages of nothing but hidden taxes and more regulations.
Posted by: specialty57 | December 9, 2011, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
Sure the Repubs controlled the House for over a year. Do they make law by passing bills? If that wee the case, our deficit spending (and possibly the nat’l debt) would be less already. BUT no. Harry Reid hasn’t -passed a budget in 3 years and won’t allow any House bills to be debated. Now that is the Republic at its best?
Posted by: deanbob | December 9, 2011, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm
Deadwrestler —- Thank you. I found a transcript of that interview:
HARWOOD: As difficult as this is for consumers right now, is, in fact, high gas prices what we need to let the market work, a line incentive so that we do shift to alternative means of energy?
Sen. OBAMA: Well, I think that we have been slow to move in a better direction when it comes to energy usage. And the president, frankly, hasn’t had an energy policy. And as a consequence, we’ve been consuming energy as if it’s infinite. We now know that our demand is badly outstripping supply with China and India growing as rapidly as they are. So…
HARWOOD: So could these high prices help us?
Sen. OBAMA: I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing. But if we take some steps right now to help people make the adjustment, first of all by putting more money into their pockets, but also by encouraging the market to adapt to these new circumstances more quickly, particularly US automakers, then I think ultimately, we can come out of this stronger and have a more efficient energy policy than we do right now.
What Obama said is a far cry from what you said: “…the national gas price will end this year as the highest on record. Obama promised that to us when running for President”. Are you advocating that the president or the government sets the prices for gasoline? Is that what you want? And while it’s true that the national average price for gas will set a record this year, it’s ALSO true that oil companies will be posting record profits for this year. Amazing how record profits goes hand in hand with record high prices. To try and imply that the president wants this or can control this is simply false…………..
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
II think Nancy is hot and she’s certainly tougher than Boehner. She also knows how to shake up Newt Gingrich. If she tells the House democrats to stay, they’ll stay. Who knows with sissy Boehner, if the tea party republicans want to go home he’s all for it.
It’s perfectly obvious that the republicans want to hold up this tax cut for us middle class workers and small businesses. The only reason is they oppose a 1.9% tax increase on millionaires.
That’s the way it is. Spin it anyway you want it comes out the same. The republicans should go home and stay there.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 9, 2011, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
I think Nancy is hot and she’s certainly tougher than Boehner. She also knows how to shake up Newt Gingrich. If she tells the House democrats to stay, they’ll stay. Who knows with sissy Boehner, if the tea party republicans want to go home he’s all for it.
It’s perfectly obvious that the republicans want to hold up this tax cut for us middle class workers and small businesses. The only reason is they oppose a 1.9% tax increase on millionaires.
That’s the way it is. Spin it anyway you want it comes out the same. The republicans should go home and stay there.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 9, 2011, 2:11 pm 2:11 pm
It’s always convenient to blame the “other guy”, when you don’t get your way.
Let’s see – will Nancy help save the country some money and stay in DC or use her “privilege” and fly to/from CA this weekend? I think Congress would be much better at deciding how to spend money if some of it was their own, rather than ours…
Posted by: computerguy | December 9, 2011, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
COMPUTERGUY
That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard all day. I think the President should do what Harry Truman did and order the Secretary of the Treasury not to pay them.
Posted by: tmferretti | December 9, 2011, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
Ricardoh: Germany is approximately 26% alternative renewable energy and are phasing out nuclear energy, we have what 11% alternative including nuclear. Yeah we’re heading in the right direction working towards a finite oil that goes up on the world’s open market to the highest bidder, you folks are delusional to think the price of gas is going to go down. Shortages make big profits, while other nations are going alternative renewable green energy and surpassing their goals, we’re still in the 20th century mindset and thinking nuclear is a safe option.
Posted by: phantomniter | December 9, 2011, 2:28 pm 2:28 pm
searambler wrote:”The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing. But if we take some steps right now to help people make the adjustment, first of all by putting more money into their pockets, but also by encouraging the market to adapt to these new circumstances more quickly, particularly US automakers, then I think ultimately, we can come out of this stronger and have a more efficient energy policy than we do right now. ”
.
oBama was only concerned that gas prices rose so quickly. His response was to want to put more money into people pockets (which he has not done unless you are an oBama crony). Automakers need to adjust? NOTHING in there about trying to lower prices. He was more than happy with the high price…. it just reflected bad on his high energy price policy that it went up so quick… because people noticed.
Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | December 9, 2011, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm
Greengoddess: Snewsom, basically is saying that because resources are finite in order to compete the best of the best are going to survive, he doesn’t like it, it’s the way our society and basically the world operates because there isn’t enough to go around. I don’t like his ideology but can understand his point of view.
Posted by: phantomniter | December 9, 2011, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Michelle Shu Jas: The republicans energy policy is fracking and destroying the environment for a finite fuel. They are old school 20th century mindset. They are literally dinosaurs in thought and ideology and people with outdated mindsets are their voters.
Posted by: phantomniter | December 9, 2011, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Posted by: green.goddess—Too bad life isn’t always fair, and the government cannot make it that way, all those kids, what 1% of the population, most people are healthy.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm
TMFERRETI II think Nancy is hot and she’s certainly tougher than Boehner.====OMG….LOL!!!!. So you are into the crypt keeper look?
Posted by: wact1 | December 9, 2011, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm
Posted by: sameagain—Romney didn’t make it work, he just made someone else pay for it, there is a difference. MassCare does not change the fact that doctors in Mass are accepting fewer patients, and the number of providers is deceasing, it did not lower the cost for care, all it did was make someone else pay for it. Most doctors in Mass Don’t even accept MassCare, or the Mass version of Medicaid. Doctors are not required to participate in those programs, and more and more doctors are moving to cash where it take $30-$50 for a visit, because the doctor doesn’t have to hire an army of paper pushers to do the paperwork.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 2:49 pm 2:49 pm
Posted by: phantomniter—Nuclear is the only option for clean cheap energy, a single reacto makes a few hundred pounds of waste a year, a coal fired power plant makes that much waste every hour, and it is just as hazardous, just in a different way. Solar cells need to be refined from ore, coal just gets burned, you have to dig up the ore with diesel, you refine it with coal, and you transport it with diesel, just burn the coal and you remove a lot of extra steps, because you have to bun the coal anyway. Windmills are made from carbon fiber, requiring horridly inefficient chemical processing. Wind, Tide, and Solar will not work until we find a way to store the energy, that doesn’t cost more energy to store, i.e. refrigerated hydrogen, or Hydrates. Is nuclear the only option, yes, unless you want to make electricity a rich poor thing.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 3:16 pm 3:16 pm
Let’s see – will Nancy help save the country some money and stay in DC or use her “privilege” and fly to/from CA this weekend? Posted by: computerguy | December 9, 2011, 2:19 pm.
My god you people are thick! Pelosi is no longer Speaker of the House. So she no longer has access to a government plane to fly her home. That privilege is now John Boehner’s. So will HE save the taxpayers some money and stay in DC, or fly home to Ohio? Admit it, you really don’t care. FYI, it was GW Bush who made the rule that the Speaker of the House gets the use of a government plane. Since the Speaker is second in line for the presidency, behind the VP, should something incapacitate the president. He did this after 9/11………
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm
Automakers need to adjust? NOTHING in there about trying to lower prices.
Posted by: Michelle Shu Jas | December 9, 2011, 2:30 pm.
I’ll ask you the same thing I asked Deadwrestler (and got no response from, so far). Should the president or Congress have the power to set the price of gasoline in America? It’s a simple question. Gas prices will set a record this year for highest average price for a year. Big Oil will set a record this year for highest profit in the history of everything. So, should the president or Congress have the power to set the price of gas? And if not, how is the president responsible for the high cost of gas today?
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
snewsom said, “Nuclear is the only option for clean cheap energy”.
And he’s right.
Posted by: Searambler | December 9, 2011, 3:28 pm 3:28 pm
Posted by: Searambler—NOOOO!!!!, they should be able to set the price of anything, things cost what they cost depending on the number of people seeking that good or service, and the amount of money people have to pay for it, and the amount of that good or service that exists. It will always be the highest bidder that gets the stuff. OF course I also won’t argue that the government can lower gas prices by any other means than reducing the gas tax, and health and safety regulations. As long as someone can buy x and sell it for x+1, and there is someone willing to buy it for X+1, that is what will happen.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
Phantomniter, I have to agree with Snewsom on this. I would say the republicans realize that wind mills and the such just do not work as of yet. Solyndra is a fine example and Obama and Chu should pay back every cent of tax money they blew. Especially after being warned not to hand out the money. But Obama takes the approach he is right and the ones that know are wrong. Yes colleges and reserch labs should be funded to research alternatives but handing out tax payer money on something that does not work or is not practical is like beating a dead horse. Another lesson learned by Obama hopefully. This easy come and easy go money is gone.
Posted by: specialty57 | December 9, 2011, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
Posted by: specialty57—There has to be some amount of gambling with R&D, the problem is that gambling with government money for R&D has become a business model and an end in and of its self, and not a means to to an end. I still believe that most R&D needs to take place in academia, and with entrepreneurs, if it works the private sector will fund it, if it doesn’t work the private sector will fund it, because there are diamonds in the rough.
Posted by: snewsom2997 | December 9, 2011, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Anything the Repubs can do to stop this Obama train we are on from going over the cliff is appreciated!
Posted by: Toby3061 | December 10, 2011, 10:29 am 10:29 am
Searambler, Had to work yesterday, hope you see this post,if not , I am sure we will
bump paths soon. No, to the President or congress setting gasoline prices. But it was
This President who put the clamps on drilling after the oil spill. Also Permits to drill
much harder to get from his EPA department. You can Google EPA and oil permits
and I am positive you can find more than enough information, that i have to back my claim. The Keystone pipeline would make a dent in prices and you know who claims
he will block this, and I believe we both know after the election this pipeline is
getting done no matter who wins. And you did not even mention the coal industry
which on You Tube, on the same page, has all video’s about Obama wanting to
put the coal industry out of business with high regulatory standards making it
less than profitable to continue. Which is my whole point in general. Regulations
do have an effect on price, such as summer blend of gasoline.
Posted by: deadwrestler | December 10, 2011, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm