Setting The Record Straight On The Economic Recovery Package

As Chair of the House Rules Committee, I must clear up untruths regarding the economic recovery package.

We've heard a lot of noise across the aisle about how partisan the development of the bill was --- that Republicans were blocked from being involved. This is entirely false. In fact, this was one of the most open processes a bill this large has had in over a decade.

They are being disingenuous, or worse. These are the facts:

The bill, as it came to the Rules Committee, the last stop before the floor vote, already incorporated 12 Republican amendments. The Rules Committee then added the 11 amendments: 6 Democratic and 5 Republican, in addition to a complete Republican substitute, and a motion to recommit. They were unable to muster the votes necessary and lost on bipartisan votes. House Republicans may have come together to vote against the final bill, but they split on their own amendments with 40 to 60 Republicans voting with Democrats. Some Republicans even voted against their party's alternative bill, and it failed on the floor.

The Republican alternative didn't have a final price tag, consisted entirely of tax cuts, and would actually raise taxes for 26 million American families. In two years, the Democratic bill would create 3.6 million jobs. The Republican substitute: 1.2 million - a third as many as the Democratic bill that passed the House.

President Obama even met with House Republicans more times in two weeks to discuss this legislation than President Bush did with House Democrats in two terms.

The Republicans were certainly allowed in the process, but they wanted to obstruct.

(Cross-posted at Daily-Kos here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/2/12/121339/879?new=true)

Comments

[julzb]

The House has been working on this bill long before Obama was in office I know because Louise talked about it publicly back in October. I think the Republicans just look like a bunch of Sore Loosers and they are having a temper tantrum. I agree with Obama-face it "you lost I won" Now you can pictch in an help and be apart of the solutions or you can look like idiots pouting. He gave them a life line and 3 took it. Sad. Don't any of them have a mind of their own in the house or are they a bunch of followers? Sounds like high school dramma doesn't it? They can send trillions to Iraq in a flash but god forbid they build a school in the USA and that is to all of them. We need to keep replaying what Obama said in his inaug speech "they will judge you on what you build not distroy". I say the reppublicans no votes showed me they don't give a rats ass about my children just their grand standing personal interests.

[RTIII]

Dear Rep. Slaughter,

you HAVE to explain this math:

"The bill, as it came to the Rules Committee, the last stop before the floor vote, already incorporated 12 Republican amendments. The Rules Committee then added the 11 amendments: 6 Democratic and 5 Republican, in addition to a complete Republican substitute, and a motion to recommit."

All you've done is confuse. PLEASE explain!

Thanks
RTIII

[RTIII]

P.S. I posted this a WHOLE DAY previous - back when people were actually paying attention to this thread. H uf P os' edito rial behavior has become atrocious! SIMPLY outrageous. ...not sure I'll keep putting up with it.

-frown-
.

[zanzig]

Thank you Rep Slaughter for clearing that up. I think the President needs to entirely drop this term "bipartisan" since it is obvious that the Republicans have hijacked it to mean "bending to our will", and resurrect the term from the Annenburg Conference when Gov Schwarzenegger and Mayor Bloomberg celebrated post partisanship. In their discussions it was clear that compromise was NOT the be all and end all of political idealism, and it would be useful to remind the Republicans of this.

[Eres]

The Republicans should have been blocked from being involved. The problem, and ultimately the reason the stimulus will fail, is because once more Democrats caved and gave the GOP another pound of the American's public's flesh.

[paixa3]

That is the truth. I would listen to them and mostly IGNORE everything they propose. Essentially, give them nothing. They did the deed, they can pay the price....just like wall street and the banks.

[NewRadical1]

Sorry, Obama. Times have changed since Lincoln was president. These days if you reach out an open hand to your political adversaries, they will grab it between thumb and forefinger and apply pressure until you bend to their will.

This is progressive thinking vs. tribalism. Tribalists only respect agression. Who has the biggest club. Open your hand and they will howl with glee and again assert dominance and cast you as weak.

In Lincoln's day, they were all statesmen. Now, it is progressive America vs. the remnants of tribalism. Voters need to cast them out once and for all in 2010 so they won't gum up the works.

[JimR]

Statesmen, my behind! Don't kid yourself, they were ruthless back then, too.

[super]

Hopefully Obama has come to realize by now that you can drag a partisan republican to the bipartisanship water, but you can't make him/her drink it!

[Shortyfuse]

Thank you Rep. Slaughter
I think you know and Obama will learn as the American people have , Republicans are Corporate Whores. If andy Democrat joins them they will be seen as Corporate Whores also. This includes Obama , who could be the death of the Democratic party if he does not start acting like a Democrat instead of letting the Corporate Media and their Corporate Whores whip up on his base .
Now if he is trying to prop up the two party system, he can forget it. How about they Democratic Party and a centrist party instead.

[joebaggadonuts]

I appologize for putting this here, but it's the closest fit. Chrysler is assuming that we will get used to selling only 10 million cars/year in this country. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aC0pK6pJhCNE&refer=us

I think that if we did things right, we could sell the usual 16... if they were electrics hooked up to a smart grid.

[Brittanicus]

Stripped from the Stimulus--Thanks to Nancy and Harry! Where is there loyalty? Certainly not for the legal American Worker?

BOMBARD WASHINGTON WITH PHONE, EMAIL, FAX--SHOW YOUR DISGUST!

The legal American Worker ONLY commitment in the Stimulus bill has been compromised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev). That means illegal aliens will be able to take advantage of Construction and other employment.

What we now know is that while billions of American taxpayer dollars are going to be spent, there is no assurance that the jobs created will go to American workers. The two amendments that had been accepted by the House Appropriations Committee were stripped without discussion or debate. The American people have repeatedly voiced their support for employment verification (E-VERIFY) and yet we find that once again special interests have won.

DEADLINE--NOW!

Now all we are left is a bill that places illegal immigrant interests above those of hard working American families. E-Verify MUST BE PERMANENT, TO STOP THIS TRAVESTY OF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS AND WE MUST END CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON.

Contact Pelosi: [phone]
Contact Reid: [phone]

Washington Switchboard for your Senator or Congressman at [phone]

Other honest information at JUDICIALWATCH, NUMBERSUSA, AMERICANPATROL & CAPSWEB

[historymatters]

I'm sure, Congresswoman Slaughter, that you are not surprised at the hypocrisy and bald-faced lying that your Republican colleagues engage in routinely.

Thanks for spelling out the facts for everyone!

[DavidEBrown]

Thank you for this clarification. The public needs more facts like these and less posturing.

[cdub1991]

Why aren't the Democrats shouting these sort of details from the rooftops? Why do they ALWAYS have to allow the Republicans to control the conversation? I know it's partially because they are better at lies, but I've watched this for decades and I'm tired of it. Has nothing been learned?

[research]

The MSM is conservative

[joebaggadonuts]

Supporters of the Republiscam party have bought and paid for Rush's product, the Dittohead brigade. They bought and paid for many other talking heads to deliver voters to their side. Under the Bush Administration they were not even shy about using government officials for this task.

Does that answer your question?

[jaglon]

Thanks for the information, Congresswoman.

[midia]

Dear Honorable (insert PA representatives here. It took a long time to email my representatves. The email servers must be overloaded!),

I, my son and grandson will be in fiscal trouble if you vote to pass any so-called stimulus bill. The federal government has a mandate to protect our country, not be robbers of our futures, which this bill represents.

Stop punishing me for earning money by working hard and taking it away from me and my family with taxes headed for others who do not work, are losing their homes due to irresponsibility, or can not pay their medical bills because of a flawed government­/insurance system. The non-stimul­us-related spending in this bill is outrageous. I can not trust the federal government.

Let me spend my money in the way I see fit. The federal government ought not decide how "American" I am by mandating a "better" way to spend my hard-earned money. This bill being negotiated in congress is what that represents. I am of the strong opinion that the free market will recover quicker without federal help. In the past, a fast recovery had been hindered by federal intervention. Do not rob me and my family of a fast economic recovery.

I pray you will vote American and not Democrat, Republican, or another party line.

God's Blessings and Wisdom to you.

Best Regards,
Mike S

[Bill Davis]

Amen Mike!

[jmpurser]

For the last 30 years, with a brief exception in the late '90s we've funded this country by stealing from the next generation. This package is without a doubt the most justified time in that period for deficit spending. Were you complaining for the last 30 years or just now?

[joebaggadonuts]

Joe the Plumber could have written that, Mike midia. Thanks for the memories.

[uncleentropy]

If you do "not trust" your US government, then you should consider relocating to another country that has a high standard of living and little or no government funded infrastructure.

Good luck with that.

[paixa3]

So YOU actually trust the government? Best to you on that one.

[super]

In case you've been sleeping the last 8 years, Mike, your son's and grandson's fiscal futures have already been mortgaged to pay for the Iraq war. What we're talking about now is your great-grea­t-grandchi­ldren's futures, which are in any case non-existent because global warming will take care of them.

[bayside]

We are in this mess because of republican policies..We have to go another direction. I have a idea ask progressives for their input . You know the ones that he is making pay for his decisions..