Boehner: Americans Need Certainty, Not More Tax Increases

While addressing reporters at the Republican National Committee (RNC) Tuesday morning, Speaker of the House John Boehner insisted that Americans need certainty about what is going on in Washington for the economy to improve. 

On Monday, President Obama presented his American Jobs Act to Congress, which will provide jobs for Americans and be paid for by permanent tax increases. 

“As a former small businessman myself, I can tell you we have a different approach to creating jobs than our friends across the aisle,” Boehner told reporters.

Boehner then went on to explain how he spoke to thousands of people and employers over the August recess who were seeking greater clarification of legislation in Washington. 

“They want some certainty about what is happening in Washington, certainty about what the tax rates are going to be, certainty about what their healthcare costs and commitments are going to be and certainty about the regulatory onslaught that they are under, ” Boehner stated. “These are the kind of things that need to be addressed if we’re going to create the kind of environment where employers will feel comfortable in adding more employees to their company.”

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Boehner Mocks Democrats' Manufacturing Agenda

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) took issue with Congressional Democrats’ recent attempts to pass legislation aimed at spurring America’s troubled manufacturing industry, casting the move as too little too late.

“Finally after 18 months of moving their job killing policies now they want to go out and talk about their manufacturing agenda,” Boehner said during his weekly press conference Thursday. “Well, if they are serious about their manufacturing agenda, why do we want to raise taxes on manufactures when we want their jobs to remain in America?”

The “Make It In America” strategy currently being pursued by House Democrats includes legislation that would require a four-year analysis of the manufacturing sector, the expansion of clean technology production and tackling the trade deficit.

Boehner characterized the move as a sign of desperation.

“As we head into August, a time when Congress normally talks about its accomplishments, the Democrats are divided, they are distracted and frankly, they are … desperate,” Boehner said.

Boehner declined to discuss reports regarding his campaign to become House Speaker following the 2010 mid-term elections.

Pence: Leaked War Documents an Outrage

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

Chairman of the House Republican Conference Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) expressed outrage Monday over the 90,000 leaked Afghanistan war documents.

The documents, Pence said, were “leaked in a clear violation of the law, it was an outrage and ought to be an outrage to every American.” 

The New York Times, Britain’s The Guardian, and Der Spiegel of Germany all agreed to publish a select number of the war documents which were made public on Wikileaks, a public whistleblower website. Pence criticized the news syndications for publishing the documents, saying that the “publication of those documents was wrong.”

“When we are dealing with national security some things need to stay classified,” Pence said. “I am a champion of reporters’ privileges, but leaking information that compromises national security should not be protected.”

Pence criticized the deadline that President Obama set on troop withdrawal in Afghanistan. “The Taliban are using the president’s deadline as a recruiting tool,” Pence said. “We need to finish the job.”

Hoyer Hints That Congress May Not Delay August Recess To Achieve Health Care Reform

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) suggested that if Congress misses the August deadline put forward by the Obama administration for a completed health care reform bill, postponing Congress’ August recess may not be the most effective step.

“I don’t think it’s a question of staying another week, it’s a question of seeing whether or not we can get to consensus,” Hoyer said during a pen and pad session with reporters Tuesday.

“I don’t think staying in session is... necessary to continue to work on getting consensus,’ Hoyer added.

Following the August recess, Congress will not be back in session until early September.