Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules
Floor Speech
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Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gen tle lady for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, when the so-called supercommittee failed last year to overcome the obstruction of the Tea Party Republicans and their leader, Grover Norquist, to achieve a fair and balanced plan for deficit reduction, economic growth, and job creation, I said it would take a decisive national election in order to settle the matter. I believe President Obama's victory on November 6 was very decisive and pretty definitive.
During the campaign, President Obama very clearly laid out his vision, and the American people strongly affirmed his position. The President won all but one of the swing States, 62 percent of the Electoral College, and carried the popular vote by more than 4 1/2 million votes. Democrats added to our numbers in the House and Senate and captured a House popular vote by more than a million votes.
In February 2010, President Obama began the process to reduce our deficit by establishing the Simpson-Bowles Commission. Since that time, many bipartisan groups have made recommendations on how to reduce the deficit, and they have all been in agreement: We need a balanced deal that requires shared sacrifice from all Americans, including the wealthy.
In 2011, we began to reduce the deficit, but we did it entirely through spending cuts, over $1.5 trillion, and have asked nothing of the most fortunate.
In 2012, the American people spoke. It is time for balance and shared sacrifice, and the first step is to allow the Bush tax cuts for income over $250,000 to expire. But that is a debate for another day. Now we must do what we agreed on, extend the tax cuts for everyone on their first $250,000 of income.
The proposals put forth by the Republicans since the election and their refusal to extend the middle class tax cuts, which we all agree should be extended, are just more of the same obstructionism.
The time for posturing is over. It's time for our House Republicans to accept the express will of the American people and get beyond their pledge to a special interest lobbyist here in Washington, D.C.; although, frankly, I fail to see how voting to cut taxes violates a pledge to never raise taxes.
We need to defeat the previous question.
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