Republicans Must Stop Putting The Tea Party Ahead Of America’s Economy

United States Senate Democrats ^ | 3/26/12 | Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

[mdittmar]

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the transportation jobs bill and legislation to repeal subsidies for big oil companies raking in record profits. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Tens of thousands of bridges and millions of miles of roadways across the country are in a state of disrepair.

But, rather than putting Americans to work fixing those roads and bridges – and repairing crumbling train tracks, highways and sidewalks across the nation – House Republican leaders are pandering to the Tea Party.

As if putting the Tea Party ahead of efforts to repair our nation’s crumbling infrastructure wasn’t bad enough, House Republicans are risking 2.8 million jobs in the process.

I was disappointed to hear last week that House Republican leaders will pursue a three-month extension of the Highway Bill. They should be voting on the two-year transportation bill passed on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote by the Senate.

Their short-term Band-Aid bill is no solution. Communities and contractors need certainty – especially going into the summer construction season – that their projects won’t grind to a halt in three months because the House once again refuses to act.

The American people will know who to blame if chaos in the House Republican caucus costs us almost 3 million jobs. One week remains until thousands of projects around the country lock their gates and lay off their workers.

It is time for House Republican leaders to do the responsible thing: take up the Senate-passed transportation bill, which is strongly supported by Senate Republicans.

The American people are watching, and time is wasting.

While House Republicans are squandering precious time and risking American jobs, the Senate will move forward with a bill to repeal billions in subsidies to big oil companies.

Last year, Big Oil raked in $137 billion in profits – more than ever before – but still received billions in taxpayers-funded giveaways.

Even with domestic oil production at its highest level in almost a decade, prices at the pump are rising.

Oil companies are making money hand over fist. When the price of a gallon of gas goes up by a single penny, quarterly profits for the five major oil companies go up by $200 million.

Yet this country continues to give taxpayer dollars to some of the most profitable corporations in the world – corporations that don’t need our help. It’s time to end this careless corporate welfare.

The only real way to bring down prices at the pump is to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil. That will take additional responsible, domestic oil exploration anhgd smart investments in clean energy technology.

The Senate will vote this evening to advance the Repeal Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act.

This legislation ends more than $2 billion a year in tax breaks for Big Oil. And it invests the savings in the clean energy industry, where it will grow our economy and create jobs.

Repealing wasteful subsidies won’t cause oil and gas prices to rise. But reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil will cause prices to fall.

I hope my Republican colleagues will join Senate Democrats and repeal subsidies for Big Oil. It is time we worked together to move this nation toward its clean energy future.

But if Republicans continue to stand up for oil companies making record profits, one thing will be obvious: Republicans care less about bringing down gas prices than about helping big oil companies that don’t need the help.

Congress should pass this legislation quickly, before another taxpayer dollar is spent on wasteful handouts to Big Oil.

The Senate must also move quickly to reform our postal system. And in the coming weeks the Senate must reauthorize of the Violence Against Women Act, pass additional job creation measures and take up a crucial cybersecurity bill.

The Pentagon says passing cybersecurity legislation is the single most important action Congress can take to improve national security. That’s why I will bring a bill to the floor very soon.

Bipartisan efforts to craft comprehensive cybersecurity legislation have been ongoing for several years, but the time to act is now.

It is time for Republican colleagues who have been involved in this effort from the start to sit down at the negotiating table and help us settle on a final approach. The next few weeks will set the path ahead.

Both parties agree this legislation is a priority. And Senators interested in getting involved should act now, before time runs out.

As always, I hope Democrats and Republicans will be able to work together to forge a path forward.

[mdittmar]

You post Harry Reid without a Barf Alert?

It would be redundant.

[muir_redwoods]

This guy is in violation of the stopped clock rule. He’s always wrong.

[Joe Boucher]

You an over the road trucker?
If so I can not imagine how mad you may be at how things are as you are losing your ass what with fuel and insurance prices?? Intrest on your rig etc.

[Eleutheria5]

You mean, America should charge off the cliff first, and drag the TEA party after?

[madison10]

Sure. We’ll take advice from the Democrat Senate. Yeppers. The Republicans should get right on it.

[MamaTexan]

ROFLMAO!

This man is BEYOND help if he can't see the TEA party has had to pretty much force republicans back to the right every inch of the way.

[Publius6961]

Republicans Must Stop Putting The Tea Party Ahead Of America’s Economy

This from the leader of the party who bought himself reelection by massive infusions of taxpayer cash; who locked all opposition from the legislative process for years; who had no problem putting the liberal "food stamp" party ahead of America's cultural and financial health.

Democrats Must Stop Putting The Destruction Of America, Its Institutions and the vast majority of working taxpaying Americans ahead of the "transformation" of America!

[Feckless]

The Demonrats must stop putting Mao and Lenin above the American people.

PS: F U , Dingy Harry

[Publius6961]

This man is BEYOND help if he can't see the TEA party has had to pretty much force republicans back to the right every inch of the way kicking and screaming...

There. Fixed it for you.

[af_vet_rr]

That’s hilarious that he thinks the Republicans are putting the Tea Party ahead of everything else. If that was truly the case, then the pro-gay rights, pro-abortion, and pro-gun grabbing Romney wouldn’t have so much support. I don’t see a lot of Republican members of Congress endorsing Romney’s opponents.

[chris_bdba]

How about if you go first and quit putting your stupid ideals before the American people who I might remind you are the tea party.

[LomanBill]

Sit on it and spin, Harry.

   

 

" Uhhhh, that's not ours either! "

---Weiner, Obama, Reid, Perry, Pelosi, Frank, Pritzker and Associates, LLLP.

 

 

Follow the....

http://www.campaignmoney.com/finance.asp?type=in&cycle=08&criteria=pritzker&fname=penny

 

Billionaire business mogul Penny Pritzker is a member of one of America’s richest families and was the Finance Chair for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.  It was Pritzker that led the prolific, and illegal, fundraising that helped power Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.  She was the chair of Chicago-based Superior Bank’s board for five years.  Pritzker was into subprime lending before it became all the rage starting in around 2000.  Prtizker's chairmanship was to concentrate on sub prime lending, principally on home mortgages, but for a while in subprime auto lending, too, after the Pritzkers' bank acquired its wholesale mortgage organization division, Alliance Funding, in December 1992. Back then they called it "predatory lending." Superior Bank went belly up in 2001 with over $1 billion in insured and uninsured deposits; 1,406 depositors lost much of their life savings.  This collapse came amid harsh criticism of how Superior’s owners promoted sub-prime home mortgages. On Nov. 1 [2002] the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. pointed the finger at Ernst & Young, Superior’s auditor, in a fraud suit filed in federal court here.  But that action came two months after a group of Superior depositors accused the bank’s owners and directors, including two members of the Pritzker family, of racketeering....

[snip]

...Pritzker is chairman of Classic Residence by Hyatt, luxury senior living communities in 11 states; chairman of The Parking Spot, which owns and operates off-airport parking facilities in nine cities; chairman of the credit data company TransUnion and chairman of Pritzker Realty.  She also sits on the board of Global Hyatt and plays a role in numerous non-profit groups, including serving as chairman of the Olympic village portion of Chicago’s bid to win the 2016 Summer Games. 

 

http://www.theobamafile.com/_associates/PennyPritzker.htm

 

 

 

Nudge nudge nudge...

 

[redhead]

Snorted hot tea right through my nose holes. Sheesh... Dingy Hairy Reid is a BAD mormon.

[GVnana]

LOL!

[GVnana]

LOL!

[W. W. SMITH]

Can some one stuff enough socks in Harry Red’s mouth so as to preclude his talking as well as breathing.