Pelosi Celebrates Small Business Vote, Slams GOP On Variety Of Issues

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appeared giddy during her weekly press conference on Thursday over the fact that her chamber passed an important bill aimed at providing relief to small businesses.

Earlier in the day, the House passed the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, legislation that will provide small businesses with credit from a $30 billion trust, by a vote of 241-182.

"Small businesses are the creators of jobs in our country, they're the creators of capital...but they need credit," said Pelosi.

The Speaker then went to work on responding to criticism waged by Republicans over aspects of a financial regulatory reform bill making its way through conference.

"For too long now, Republicans in Congress have favored Wall Street over Main Street," she said.

Pelosi also blasted Republicans over a statement made by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) earlier in the day, in which he apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward during a hearing in the House for what he referred to as a "shakedown" by the White House on BP's earnings.

"I think that Mr. Barton's comments fit comfortably among the leadership of the Republicans in the House of Representatives...He is not alone in his association with sympathy for the oil companies," said Pelosi.

The Speaker also condemned the GOP for voting against a defense authorization bill that passed the House last month.

"Their mantra: 'defense, defense defense; it's our first responsibility. We all care about it.' Nine Republicans voted for it, because it had 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in it. Over 160 Republicans did not vote for it," Pelosi said.

Pelosi Touts Legislation To Spur Job Growth, Crack Down On Outsourcing

by Miles Wolf Tamboli-Talk Radio News Service

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) focused on job creation in her weekly news conference Thursday. In the briefing, Pelosi presented information about a new jobs bill, the name of which seems to explain itself well.

The American Jobs, Closing of Loopholes, and Prevention of Outsourcing Act is "about creating jobs, preventing outsourcing of jobs overseas, [and] closing loopholes of corporations and wealthy individuals from avoiding U.S. taxes," according to Pelosi.

The bill will tax fund managers' income and make it harder for large corporations to evade taxes. It also provides unemployment insurance to those who have lost their jobs "through no fault of their own."

The bill is expected to reach the House floor by Tuesday. Pelosi explained that the goal of putting off the vote is to increase transparency by posting the proposed bill on the internet in time for it to be seen.

"We are very proud of what is in it," said Pelosi.

Pelosi mentioned that the House will again be taking up the COMPETES Act and HIRE Act, which would spur job growth by allocating funding towards research and giving businesses that hire unemployed individuals tax cuts respectively.

House Determined To Create Jobs, Says Top Democrat

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News Service

On the same day President Barack Obama traveled to Buffalo to talk about the need for increased job creation, his top lieutenant in the House said her chamber is intensely devoted to doing just that.

During her weekly press briefing Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lauded last month's report by the Labor Department, showing that nearly 300,000 new jobs were added to the economy, primarily in the private sector, and said reforming Wall Street will lead to even more job growth.

"Never again will recklessness on Wall Street cause joblessness on Main Street," said Pelosi alluding to a tough financial regulatory reform bill being debated in the Senate. "[Democrats] are on the side of the middle class [and] the Republicans are on the side of Wall Street," she added.

With the House having passed its energy bill late last year, the Speaker said she was "optimistic" about the odds of a similar bill in the Senate passing. Pelosi praised the legislation for its measures to create jobs as well as lower the country's dependence on foreign oil.

Doctors For America Rejoice Following Passage Of Health Care Reform

By Laurel Brishel Prichard University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

Advocacy group Doctors For America expressed their excitement Monday over the passage of sweeping health care reform legislation the previous day. The doctors joined together from across the country in D.C. for a march and rally to congratulate the Senate and House for their work on health care reform.

“This legislation will go further and do more to fix the problems of the health care delivery system in my state then anything that I have seen proposed in the 27 years I’ve been here in the Senate,” said Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) during a news conference for the association. “This is a great day for our country.”

The doctors, who wore patient identification bands to help associate themselves with their patients that are struggling with the cost of health care, will continue to urge the Senate to pass the reconciliation, which Bingaman says will be passed this week.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) warned that many new programs will have kinks in the beginning, but that health care reform is a monumental achievement for the nation.

“What you are seeing happen here is the beginning of an enormous change, it is not a change that is all done,’ said McDermott “We have to keep coming back and working on it just like we did with Medicare.”

The new reform should be treated like Medicare, according to McDermott, which has been amended every year since its enactment in 1965. One of the amendments that McDermott and Doctors For America pressed hope to create is a program to help future doctors, dentists and nurses with the ever rising cost of school for those fields.

“This bill tells all Americans who are suffering with chronic conditions, whose insurance companies set a lifetime or annual cap on their benefits, that those days are over this year,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL.) said.

Pelosi Congratulates Fellow Democrats Following Health Care Victory

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) congratulated her fellow Democrats early Monday morning following the passage of sweeping health care reform legislation.

“This happened because we had the leadership of the President of the United States,” said Pelosi during a post-vote press conference. “It happened because, in the House, our leadership worked not as a team, but a close partnership.”

Pelosi also expressed her gratitude for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who will be tasked with securing 51 votes in his chamber to pass the reconciliation package approved by the House Sunday night.

Sunday’s vote marks the latest legislative victory for Pelosi, who has previously passed the House's version of health care reform, cap and trade legislation and the jobs bill.