Hecklers Disrupt Joint Deficit Reduction Committee Meeting

As members of the Joint Deficit Reduction Committee met Thursday to make opening remarks and consider proposed committee rules, hecklers outside the hearing room raised their voices high. 

The 12-member committee was dedicated to their looming task at hand - to reduce the federal deficits by $1.5 trillion by Thanksgiving - but a group of protestors outside the hearing room caused the meeting to come to a temporary halt as they shouted their imminent need for jobs.

In addition to the protestors outside the hearing room, three protestors garbed in bold, pink outfits touted “Tax the Rich!” signs and sat front and the center in the audience of the committee hearing room. 

As protestors raised their voices louder, committee co-chair Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) instructed staffers to close the door and for committee members to speak louder.

And that is exactly what they did. 

As each committee member addressed the need to reduce the deficit and create jobs for Americans, they all agreed that compromise would be a critical component of the committee’s task. 

“A successful final product that comes from this committee must include compromises on both sides,” committee co-chair Senator Patty Murray declared. 

“If this committee fails, it won’t be for lack of ideas. It will be for lack of political will,” Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md.) stated. “We need to bite the bullet and put our country first. Compromise is not a dirty word.”

The next committee meeting is set for Tuesday, September 13. 

Click here and here to see photos from today 

House Democrats Uncertain If Health Care Bill Will Reach Conference Committee

Leading House Democrats could not confirm Tuesday whether Congress will avoid reconciling the two legislative bodies’ health care reform legislation within a conference committee.

“We don’t even know yet if there’s going to be a conference,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) during a press conference Tuesday. “It’s not clear yet whether or not that’s going to happen.”

It has been rumored in recent days that Congress may seek to hold private negotiations with House and Senate leaders as an alternative to the conference, a possibility that critics charge will eliminate transparency.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) waved away such concerns.

“There has never been a more open process for any legislation in anyone who has served here’s experience,” the Speaker said.

When Will The Government Get Out Of The Auto Industry And How Soon?

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Serive

The U.S. federal government is working to construct an orderly exit from its involvement with the automobile industry, while stabilizing the auto giants and saving jobs, said Ron Bloom, a senior advisor at the U.S. Treasury Department.

Bloom testified today before the Senate Banking Committee, along with Dr. Edward Montgomery, White House Director of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers.
 
Committee Chairman, U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) explained that the hearing was unique. He said it was the first time it would have the opportunity to hear directly from Obama administration officials in charge of supervising federal assistance to the auto industry. 

“Let us remember-Not too long ago, it seems an American could walk a city block without sensing the strength of an American automaker’s brand. Their labels adorned buses, railcars, and aircraft. They dominated the U.S. automobile market,” said Dodd. “Today, those images have faded. For the first time, the domestic market share for Ford, Chrysler and GM has slipped below 50 percent, going form 66 percent in 2001 to just 47 percent today.”

Bloom explained to the committee that the restructuring process that followed both GM and Chrysler filing for bankruptcy has required “deep and painful sacrifices from all stakeholders,” including workers, suppliers, dealers and the communities that rely on the auto industry. 

The Obama administration made it clear in February that it’s auto task force wanted to handle the auto restructuring process in a commercial manner. That is to ensure that all stakeholders are treated fairly and that the government’s involvement doesn’t change how much they receive, according to Bloom.

Earlier today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D-Md.) held a press conference with colleagues and automobile dealers.

Hoyer said, “Two Sunday’s ago I was on a phone call with the White House who was helping us make our policy effective and I asked them, what money does it save the manufacturing General Motors or Chrysler if you shut down a dealership? Answer...zero.”

U.S. Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) was also present for the press conference and said the way things are being handled could be viewed as a “bailout for the big guys but a force out for the little guys.”