Congressman Boehner delivered a major speech on jobs and the economy today where he outlined plans – including an “aggressive spending reduction” – to get our economy moving. You can watch Boehner’s full remarks here courtesy CSPAN.org.
The Associated Press quoted Boehner arguing that, “Endless spending sprees, entangled tax structures and bureaucracy run amok” are all “outgrowths of a tired, bloated and broken Washington.” Boehner believes that “employers are afraid to invest in an economy stalled by the president’s economic stimulus package and hamstrung by uncertainty,” and that “‘[t]he prospect of higher taxes, stricter rules and more regulations has employers sitting on their hands…’”
Part of the solution, Boehner says, is “a fresh start focused on unshackling small businesses, unleashing the entrepreneurship of our people and helping families across this great nation realize the American Dream.” Boehner then outlined five key steps President Obama can take to help get our economy going and creating new jobs:
#1: CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING TO HELP CREATE NEW JOBS
>> “House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Tuesday called on President Barack Obama to fire Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and top economic adviser Larry Summers, extend the Bush-era tax cuts and commit to an ‘aggressive spending reduction program.’” (Boehner Calls on Obama to Commit to ‘Aggressive Spending Reduction’, Roll Call, 8/24/10)
>> “Boehner, the House minority leader, called on the Obama administration once again to extend Bush-era tax cuts and freeze federal spending at 2008 levels.” (Boehner: Fire Geithner and Summers, Politico, 8/24/10)
>> “‘Republicans on the House Budget Committee, led by Congressman Paul Ryan, have already identified $1.3 trillion in specific spending cuts that could be implemented immediately. These are common-sense steps – like canceling unspent ’stimulus’ and TARP bailout funds – that put the brakes on Washington’s out-of-control spending spree. Republicans have also proposed establishing strict budget caps to limit federal spending on an annual basis. If we reduce spending from current levels and impose a hard cap on future growth, we can save taxpayers more than $340 billion and we can make sure this is the last Washington spending spree of its kind.’” (John Boehner at City Club: Fire the Obama economic team, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/24/10)
#2: STOP THE TAX HIKES ON FAMILIES & SMALL BUSINESSES
>> “‘One of President Obama’s predecessors once said that ‘an economy constrained by high tax rates will never produce enough revenue to balance the budget, just as it will never create enough jobs,” Boehner said. ‘That president was John F. Kennedy. So let me be clear: Raising taxes on families and small businesses during a recession is a recipe for disaster — both for our economy and for the deficit. Period. End of story.’” (Boehner to Obama: Don’t raise taxes, The Hill, 8/24/10)
>> “An excerpt … ‘We will not solve our fiscal challenges until we cut spending and have real economic growth – and we won’t have real economic growth if we keep raising taxes on small businesses.’” (Boehner: ‘19 months of government-as-community organizer have failed’, Human Events, 8/24/10)
#3: VETO JOBS-KILLING BILLS PASSED DURING THE “LAME DUCK” SESSION OF CONGRESS
>> “Boehner, who could become House speaker if the GOP recaptures a majority this November, also urged Obama not to let Democrats use a post-election, lame-duck session of Congress to ram through controversial measures. Those could include a carbon-tax scheme that would drive up energy costs, Boehner said, and a union-election system that could deprive workers a right to vote on union membership in private.” (John Boehner at City Club: Fire the Obama economic team, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 8/24/10)
#4: STOP OBSTRUCTING GOP ATTEMPTS TO REPEAL HARMFUL OBAMACARE MANDATES
>> “Boehner is also calling for elimination of the so-called 1099 mandate, which would require some employers to disclose anything they buy in excess of $600. ‘What is the point of making employers and entrepreneurs spend $17 billion to send all this paperwork to Washington, where it’s going to cost about $10 billion to log it in and file it away?’ Boehner plans to say. ‘Talk about overhead.’ (John Boehner: Fire Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers, Politico, 8/24/10)
>> “Boehner also asks Obama to urge Congressional Democratic leaders to stop obstructing GOP attempts to repeal what he calls the new health care law’s ‘job killing’ mandate and calls on the president to submit an ‘aggressive spending reduction package’ to Congress. (Boehner calls for Obama to fire Geithner, CNN, 8/24/10)
#5: ASK FOR & ACCEPT THE RESIGNATIONS OF WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC TEAM
>> “In a speech in Cleveland this morning, House Republican Leader John Boehner calls for their resignations. Going right for the top, too, he says: ‘We’ve tried 19 months of government-as-community organizer. It hasn’t worked. Our fresh start needs to begin now.’” (Summers & Geithner Should Go, National Review, 8/24/10)
>> “Although they rejected Boehner’s suggestion, Van Hollen and Levin stopped short of a full-throated endorsement for Geithner and Summers, reflecting the fact that both have come under criticism from Democrats as well as Republicans. In a hard-hitting speech in Cleveland, Boehner criticized Obama’s economic team as lacking ‘real-world, hands-on experience.’ He said that while ousting Geithner and Summers was not a substitute for creating jobs, ‘we do not have the luxury of waiting months for the president to pick scapegoats for his failing ‘stimulus’ policies.’” (Senior House Dems stand by Obama economic team, The Hill, 8/24/10)
If you want to help John as he works to get our economy moving again, join the Boehner Campaigners today and help us lead the fight for a smaller, more accountable government in Washington.
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