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From the Speaker of the House...
Following media coverage
of the comments of Pres. Barack Obama on Friday, this is U.S. Rep. John
Boehner’s message to House members and staff:
Dear Colleague,
Our economy is not creating enough jobs, and the policies coming out of
Washington are a big reason why. Because of Washington, we have a
tax code that is stifling job creation. Because of Washington, we
have a debt crisis that is sowing uncertainty and sapping the
confidence of small businesses. Because of Washington, our
children are financing a government spending binge that is jeopardizing
their future.
Since the moment I became Speaker, I’ve urged President Obama to lock
arms with me and seize this moment to do something significant to
address these challenges. I’ve urged him to partner with
congressional Republicans to do something dramatic to change the fiscal
trajectory of our country. . .something that will boost confidence in
our economy, renew a measure of faith in our institutions of
government, and help small businesses get back to creating jobs.
The House this week passed such a plan. . .the Cut, Cap & Balance
Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support.
Along with Majority Leader Cantor, I have also engaged the president in
a dialogue in recent days. The purpose of this dialogue was to
see if we could identify a path forward that would implement the
principles of Cut, Cap, & Balance in a manner that could secure
bipartisan support and be signed into law.
During these discussions – as in my earlier discussions – it became
evident that the White House is simply not serious about ending the
spending binge that is destroying jobs and endangering our children’s
future.
A deal was never reached, and was never really close.
In the end, we couldn’t connect. Not because of different personalities, but because of different visions for our country.
The president is emphatic that taxes have to be raised. As a former small businessman, I know tax increases destroy jobs.
The president is adamant that we cannot make fundamental changes to our
entitlement programs. As the father of two daughters, I know
these programs won’t be there for their generation unless significant
action is taken now.
For these reasons, I have decided to end discussions with the White
House and begin conversations with the leaders of the Senate in an
effort to find a path forward.
The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate have not been
participants in the conversations I and Leader Cantor have had with the
White House; nor have the Republican leaders of the Senate. But I
believe there is a shared commitment on both sides of the aisle to
producing legislation that will serve the best interests of our country
in the days ahead – legislation that reflects the will of the American
people, consistent with the principles of the Cut, Cap, & Balance
Act that passed the House with bipartisan support this week.
I wanted to alert you to these developments as soon as possible.
Further information will be coming as soon as it is available. It
is an honor to serve with you. Together, we will do everything in
our power to end the spending binge in Washington and help our economy
get back to creating jobs.
Sincerely,
John Boehner
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