Transcript of House, Senate Democrats Press Conference Calling on Republicans to Stop Governing By Crisis, Take Action to Protect & Create American Jobs

House and Senate Democrats held a bicameral press conference today to call on Republicans to stop governing by crisis and instead take action to protect and create American Jobs. As Republicans' reckless inaction on the Export-Import Bank and the Highway and Transit Trust Fund continues to threaten hundreds of thousands of American jobs and economic growth, the House and Senate Democratic Leaders urged irresponsible Republican Leaders to end their dysfunction and join Democrats to put American jobs first. Below is a transcript of Leader Pelosi's opening and closing remarks, as well as a question and answer session.

Leader Pelosi's Opening Remarks.

"Thank you very much, Leader Reid. I accept your compliment on behalf of the House Democrats and, I know, the Senate Democrats as well, whose courage made the Affordable Care Act possible. When we planned meeting today about jobs, little did we know that it would only be a short time after the Supreme Court announced its decision on the Affordable Care Act. For the second time, the Affordable Care Act has been upheld by the Supreme Court, with the Chief Justice writing the decision -- saying that the Affordable [Care Act] was passed to strengthen health insurance markets, not to destroy them. He went on to say many other reinforcing, encouraging statements about its worth. There wasn't even a dissenting opinion, as I understand -- or so far we haven't seen it.

"So it's a great day for the American people, especially coming in the week as we prepare for the Fourth of July. Because on that day, we commemorate what our Founders said: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- a healthier life; the liberty to pursue your happiness without being job locked or policy chained; start a business, change jobs, be self-employed, follow your aspirations. That's good for an individual; it's good for a country. What's good for our country is for us to have a strong economy, and to have it be driven by middle class economics.

"So, I associate myself with the remarks of Leader Reid when he talks about the highway bill. It's long overdue, with all of these extensions. It's impossible to plan, and to do the right thing by the infrastructure and transportation of our country. I hope that the Republicans, when we come back after the break, will be ready to review the President's proposal. The Senate, in a bipartisan way, passed a highway bill this week. Everybody is ready for this except, apparently, the Republican Leadership. The American people are certainly ready for this; in fact, their hopes are riding on our getting moving on a transportation bill.

"As the Leader mentioned, there are many jobs that depend on the Ex-Im Bank -- 1.5 million since 2007. And again, we have a deadline, June 30th deadline, and no action; [July] 31st deadline for the highway bill. Show us the bill. It's important to note that, when the President took office, we were in a terrible situation, brought to us by Trickle-Down economics. And with the President's approach of Middle-Class economics we were able to, what, create millions of jobs over sixty straight months of private sector job creation -- some if it from the auto industry, where it was on its heels at the time, and reinvigorated by actions of Congress and the President of the United States; the market under seven [thousand], it's now flirting with 18,000; unemployment was 10 percent -- it's now more like five-and-a-half; the deficit was $1.4 trillion -- it's now under $500 billion, a 70 percent decrease. The list goes on. And of course, apropos of this morning's decision, 17 million Americans having quality affordable health care.

"So, much has been done, but we still haven't had the full recovery -- because we really need to have [the] bigger job investment that when the Republicans took the majority they stood in the way of. So, we're calling on the leadership to pass a highway bill, to pass the Ex-Im Bank, to bring us to the table to debate a budget that enables us to do right by the American people, again, to return to a Middle-Class Economics versus the Trickle Down. I'm very excited about today. We're very encouraged by it all, but we know more must be done for working class families in America. We know the solutions: highway bill, Ex-Im, a budget -- appropriations bills that promote growth, reduce the deficit and create jobs. With that, I'm pleased to yield to the senior Member of the Appropriations Committee in the United States Senate, Deputy Leader Richard Durbin."

Leader Pelosi's Closing Remarks.

"If I may, Mr. Leader, I want to just return to the health care decision this morning once again, again thanking you for your great leadership and courage and masterful work as a virtuoso legislator, to get that job done. But you remember the night the bill passed, the President called us and he said: "I'm happier tonight than I was the night I was elected President of the United States.' And we said: "Mr. President, we're pretty happy tonight, for what it means to the American people. But if you were not elected President of the United States, we would not have been able to have this victory tonight.'

"So as we recognize the work that it took in the House and in the Senate to get the job done, let us also recognize the leadership of the President of the United States. And I know, having heard his remarks this morning, how happy he is about that. But again, if you're ever in the trenches in a fight, you want Harry Reid down there in that trench as well."

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