Pelosi Counters GOP Accusations

By Philip Bunnell

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) held a briefing Friday and countered many of the claims made by House Republicans in another briefing held earlier in the day.

“It’s been day 185 of the Republican majority in the Congress and we have still not seen one jobs bill come to the floor,” said Pelosi.  “This is obviously reflected in jobs number this morning.”  The Democrats, on the other hand, “have put probably twenty job initiatives on the floor and the Republicans have rejected every one of them,” declared Pelosi.

The former Speaker of the House also pointed to the number of bills signed into law during the Democratic majority versus the Republican majority as an explanation for the dismal unemployment numbers.

House Republicans had held a briefing a few hours earlier where they claimed to have passed nine job creating initiatives, all of which were ignored or stalled in the Democrat controlled Senate.

Pelosi described the cuts proposed by the GOP as “austerity measures” several times, and cautioned that things would only get worse if “we continue down a path that is cost shifting to the states in order to reduce the federal budget.”

The California Democrat was very critical of the catch 22 that GOP cuts would allegedly produce.  Pelosi said that CEOs told her that “they will create jobs when they have customers.”  However, Pelosi warned, “when you fire a policeman, a firefighter, and a teacher, and a public worker because of austerity programs, you are not only hurting the safety of your neighborhoods, the education of your children … you are reducing the number of consumers.”

Pelosi did say that she was “optimistic that we can come together.”  Striving for a tone of conciliation, the Minority Leader said that “I don’t like to have a situation where we’re saying, well, you need our votes so you better have this in the bill.”  An issue like the deficit, “a big deal,” should rise above partisan bickering, said Pelosi.

Labor Secretary, Congressional Democrats Demand Action On Unemployment Insurance

By Kyle LaFleur

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis joined Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders Wednesday to show their support for extending unemployment insurance.

“In no recession have we ended federal extensions with an unemployment rate as high as ours is today,” said Solis during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

Unemployment insurance expired Tuesday and if left on its own would run out, leaving two million American’s and their families without benefits.

“The word is insurance,” said Pelosi, “This is something that is not only good for these families, it’s the right thing to do in a downturn in our economy.”

House Republicans have vowed to vote against extending the bill, leaving many Democrats upset. 

“Where, I ask, is the moral outrage at policies that are going to allow million dollar bonuses to the Wall Street money manipulators and then give them a tax break so they do not have to pay their taxes but deny unemployment benefits to two million unemployed Americans?” asked Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D). “Where is the sense of moral outrage?”

Clyburn Up For New "Assistant Leader" Position

By AJ Swartwood

A Democratic Caucus source indicated Tuesday that the position of Assistant to the Leader will now be known as simply Assistant Leader, pending a vote in the Democratic Caucus elections Wednesday.

That post, which is expected to be filled by current House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), would be the third ranking position in the party and would act as a compromise to a Democratic party that is grappling with a shift in power to the House Republicans. Although details on the position’s responsibilities are limited, it was created by party leadership to avoid a potentially divisive struggle for power in the soon-to-be-minority Democratic party between Clyburn and current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who is also seeking to be second in House Party leadership as Minority Whip. 

Current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will likely retain the Democratic Party Leadership role as the Minority Leader. But, despite Pelosi’s declared intention to seek the Minority Leadership, nothing is confirmed until the caucus officially nominates and votes on her bid to become the House Minority Leader. Pelosi has expressed her plans to give Clyburn the number three position in the House leadership.

“Should I receive the privilege of serving as House Democratic Leader, I will be very honored to nominate our outstanding colleague, Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, to serve in the number three House Democratic position,” said Pelosi in a letter sent to House Democrats.

Gibbs: Putting Off Tax Vote Won't Hurt Democrats This November

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs defended members of the Democratic party on Thursday for leaving town without voting on extending a series of Bush-era tax cuts.

When asked during today’s briefing whether not voting will hurt Democrats at the polls this fall, Gibbs replied, “I don’t think a candidate needs a vote to express what they support.”

Earlier in the week, Democratic leaders were thought to be on the precipice of holding a vote on the issue, despite knowing they lacked the required amount of support. Most Democrats agree with the White House’s desire to extend tax cuts only for Americans making $250,000 or less per year. But Republicans and centrist Democrats have called for extending tax cuts for all taxpayers, regardless of income level.

Senate Democrats officially abandoned their efforts last week, and yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced that his chamber would take the issue up in November, after the midterm elections.

In a speech delivered at the American Enterprise Institute on Thursday, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) accused Democrats of creating uncertainty by punting on the tax vote.

“We could not get a simple up or down vote,” he said. “We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We’ve run out of road. It’s time to do what we say we’re going to do.”

Gibbs, however, said Democrats were prepared to vote, but the GOP stood in their way.

“I think we could’ve [held a vote] but Republicans weren’t interested.”

Pelosi Clarifies: No Tax Breaks For The Rich

During her weekly press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) elaborated little on the issue of extending tax cuts, saying the “only thing I can tell you is the tax cuts for the middle class will be extended this Congress.”

That statement prompted some reporters to question whether or not Pelosi was possibly considering supporting tax cuts for all Americans - a position supported by nearly all Republicans.

Politico’s Jake Sherman wrote that Pelosi’s comments left “open the possibility that cuts for people making more than $250,000 could be extended at some point, too.”

However, a spokesman for the Speaker clarified her remarks in a statement released hours later.

“The Speaker has made her position abundantly clear and has repeatedly said that she supports President Obama’s middle class tax cuts. The Speaker is opposed to extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent because they add hundreds of billions to the deficit and do not create jobs,” said spokesman Nadeam Elshami.

“As the Speaker said during her news conference today when asked whether she’s open to an extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy, she responded: ‘not for the wealthy, no.’”

Pelosi’s number two in the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), made news earlier in the week when he told reporters that he would be willing “to discuss alternatives so we can move forward.”

Hoyer, however, quickly made it clear that he would not support furthering tax cuts for the nation’s top earners.

“Unfortunately, the reports of my answer implied a willingness to support an extension of Bush policies. That is incorrect.”
 
Pelosi did not say when she expects a vote on keeping the tax cuts alive to occur. If neither chamber can get a vote lined up in the next two weeks, then the issue will likely have to be taken up after the November elections.