House Suspends Recess, Returns To Washington For Jobs Vote

The House of Representatives is returning from their August recess this week to take up a bill aimed at preventing teacher and other government employee lay-offs.

The decision to suspend the recess was spurred by the Senate’s passage of sister legislation last Thursday through a close 61-39 vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has cast the move to return to D.C. as an urgent step to maintain vital services and prevent a “double-dip” recession.

House Republicans are displeased by the impromptu session. In a statement released last week, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) accused Democrats of taking up the $26 billion bill in an effort to appease interest groups.

“The American people don’t want more Washington ‘stimulus’ spending – especially in the form of a pay-off to union bosses and liberal special interests,” Boehner said. “Democrats should be listening to their constituents … instead of scampering back to Washington.”

Democratic leadership claims the bill will ultimately create and save 290,000 local government jobs.

The House will formally come into session Monday, but a vote on the legislation is expected for Tuesday.

Boehner Tees Off On Obama Over Oil Spill, Spending

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) today blasted President Barack Obama's address to the nation Tuesday night and his administration's handling of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

"The tragedy unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now," said the President during his prime-time address from the Oval Office.

Boehner harshly criticized the President's motives; "I don't think President Obama should exploit this crisis by imposing a national energy tax."

"Using this tragedy in the Gulf Coast as an excuse to have a national energy tax...is not the right thing for the country and we should put a stop to it," he added.

The top House Republican continued, showing his strong opposition to the administration's recent health care reform and economic stimulus legislation.

"Under the President's watch, Democrats have become 'spend-aholics' who can't restrain themselves...Democrats have lost every shred of credibility when it comes to managing taxpayer dollars."

According to Boehner, the President has "so far overreached, and so fast, that he's lost the confidence of the American people."

Boehner Claims Recovery Act Played No Role In Lowering Unemployment

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) refused Friday to attribute November’s small drop in unemployment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“We’re encouraged that the rate dropped slightly, but I don’t think it has anything to do with the stimulus bill at all,” said Boehner during a morning press conference.

According to the Department of Labor's Burea of Labor Statistics, November’s unemployment rate was 10 percent, a slight decrease from October’s 10.2 percent.

Boehner pointed to the 27,000 construction jobs lost in November as evidence for the Recovery act’s failure to bolster employment.

“I looked at numbers yesterday on construction employment and you can see where the stimulus bill has passed, but the line has continued to run downward uninterrupted ever since,” said the Minority Leader.

Added Boehner, “You can argue that the line could have gotten worse had it not been for the stimulus on construction jobs, but other than the money that was in there for infrastructure, the other ... $740 billion in this bill had nothing to do with putting people back to work.”

$80.9 billion in Recovery act funds has been reserved for improving the U.S. infrastructure.

“They may have saved some government jobs,” Boehner quipped. “I will admit that.”

Boehner Blasts Scozzafava Endorsement

Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) weighed in on the upcoming special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional district, taking issue with Republican Dede Scozzafava’s decision to endorse Democrat Bill Owens as opposed to conservative third-party candidate Doug Hoffman.

“This lady clearly has an agenda that is different from most Republicans. She was out there promoting herself,” Boehner said during a pen and pad session with reporters.

Scozzafava dropped out of the race Saturday after facing fierce competition from Hoffman, whose supporters charged that Scozzafava was too moderate on social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.

“We’re doing everything we can to help Doug Hoffman in this race and we hope he wins,” Boehner remarked.

The election, which takes place Tuesday, will fill the seat of Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), who was appointed by President Barack Obama as Secretary of the Army.

GOP Alternative Will Not Bar Discrimination Based On Pre-Existing Conditions

The alternative health care reform bill being pitched by House Republicans will not prevent insurance providers from barring clients based on pre-existing conditions, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday.

Instead, the bill aims to increase high-risk pools on a state-by-state basis.

“We do encourage more states to have high-risk pools,” said Boehner during a pen and pad session with reporters. “It is a place where people with pre-existing conditions will have an opportunity to get affordable health insurance.”

According to Boehner, the Republican plan will likely not provide tax-incentives for those who purchase their own insurance either, citing the presumably high-cost as the prohibitive factor.

In addition to the alternative bill, Boehner and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) outlined the party’s strategy for combating the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will include a 12-hour online town hall and a campaign spear-headed by Republican women members.

“Our goal is to make this as difficult as possible to vote for,” Boehner remarked.