White House Accuses GOP of Ignoring Jobs, Threatens to Veto GOP Jobs Bill
The White House tried to blunt Wednesday’s contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder with claims that Republicans were trying to focus on something other than the economy and jobs.
“At the beginning of this year, Republicans announced that one of their chief legislative and strategic priorities was to investigate the administration and damage the president politically,” press secretary Jay Carney told reporters today. “We are nine days away from the expiration of federal transportation funding which guarantees jobs for almost a million construction workers because Congress has not passed a transportation bill. We are 10 days away from student loan rates doubling, potentially impacting over 7.4 million borrowers.”
And that’s what President Obama focused on today as he notched yet another speech on student-loan rates into the schedule.
But the Carney spin came on the same day that the House passed the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, a package of seven bills focused on spurring job growth and lowering energy costs while embracing the country’s energy resources.
That legislation passed 284-163 despite a veto threat two days ago from Obama.
The package includes sponsor Rep. Cory Gardner’s (R-Colo.) Strategic Energy Production Act of 2012, which would require the administration to formulate a plan for new energy leases on federal land — with production output equal to that which is sapped from the reserve — if it decides to dip into the SPR.
It also includes Rep. Ed Whitfield’s (R-Ky.) Gasoline Regulations Act of 2012, which would freeze new EPA regulations that are expected to drive up pump prices; Rep. Scott Tipton’s (R-Colo.) Planning for American Energy Act of 2012, which would make the Interior Secretary develop an all-of-the-above plan that includes fossil fuels as well as renewables; Rep. Mike Coffman’s (R-Colo.) Providing Leasing Certainty for American Energy Act of 2012, which would implement a minimum acreage leasing plan and speed up the leasing process; Rep. Doug Lamborn’s (R-Colo.) Streamlining Permitting of American Energy Act, which would dial back the red tape for energy developers; Rep. Doc Hastings’ (R-Wash.) National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Access Act; and Rep. Bill Johnson’s (R-Ohio) BLM Live Internet Auctions Act.
“Through increased domestic energy production, states such as North Dakota and Oklahoma are enjoying unemployment rates significantly lower than the country’s national average of 8.2 percent,” said GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), leader of the House Energy Action Team (HEAT), after the vote. “However, this increased production is occurring on privately owned lands, not public lands – where the majority of our energy potential is located.”
Nineteen Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill, while five Republicans voted against it.
Two of the Democrats who voted “aye” also made headlines this week for confirming that they’ll skip the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., this September: New York Reps. Bill Owens and Kathy Hochul.
Owens said after the vote he was disappointed that the Keystone XL pipeline wasn’t part of the package. An amendment to expedite pipeline approval was offered by Reps. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Connie Mack (R-Fla.) but was later withdrawn.
I’m not even reading this crap anymore. It’s too predictable. It’s summer and I’m working outside. See you in October, it should be interesting then.
Just impeach him and put us out of our misery.
If the GOP leadership had a pair, they’d
1. frame the contempt charge as an investigation of how complicit the DOJ was in murder. Either merely incompetent, willful negligence or accessories before and after PLUS obstruction and perjury.
2. let Obama veto the bill – won’t get to his desk anyway, given the Cowboy Poet of the Senate and his crones. Then keep passing a jobs bill each week until “Obama understands how much he has hurt the American private sector worker”.
And when they blame Bush — just say “There they go again”.
And:
3) Refuse to provide a nickle for anything Obama or Reid want until the damned Democrats start acting like citizens instead of tyrants!
“There is no reason for the Senate not to act on this common-sense American jobs bill.”
Well, duh, of course there is, it’s a Republican jobs bill. Besides that, it might even work and that would make the Democrats look bad. We can’t have that, I mean come on, it’s an election year.
I agree, should have had the pipeline in there too just to PO them even more.
I think leaving Keystone out was a very smart move insofar as it eliminates one of the already established grounds for veto.
But, as mentioned by others, it won’t get out of the senate. Sadly.
I think I’m going over to Eric Holder’s side because he’s got a powerful message. Holder’s message is “Congress is irrelevant”. Holder’s done more to cut government in 1 day than the GOP has done in 200 years. Think about it… if Congress is irrelevant then the laws it passes are irrelevant, the Judicial Branch shrinks to almost nothing because you can’t enforce irrelevant laws, and the Executive Branch almost ceases to exist because its purpose is to implement Congress’ laws which are now irrelevant. And it’s not just Holder saying Congress doesn’t matter, it’s the mainstream Democrats, it’s the Press and it’s the President of the United States. Eric Holder has just voided every act of Congress by making the institution irrelevant. Who would have thought that Eric Holder was a strict Constitutionalist who believed that Congress, and the rest of government, only had those powers expressly enumerated in the Constitution?
All those cabinet level agencies that we complain about… gone! All those Federal Employees… gone! The Federal Budget… cut by 95%! Eric Holder has done more to jump start the economy than Reagan and all he had to do was get the left to confirm that Congress is a useless, irrelevant, over-reaching and unconstitutional entity. And Congress Agrees!!
Headline of the year, Ms. Johnson.
Congress is going to have to understand that we’ve reached a new stage in political evolution. The president, regardless of who it may be, is using the executive order as a way to force policy through congress without having to pay-pork or compromise unrelated policy.
Look at the recent immigration policies. DNC wants something like DREAM act, but bigger, however all DNC willing to sign DREAM act. GOP pulls out DREAM act, perhaps to ensure that Obama can’t take any credit for passing anything. Obama picks his favorite parts and simply orders it, undercutting the GOP and making them look like they can’t even pass their own policy.
The “dictator” accusation simply doesn’t hold much political weight if Congress can repeal an order and an incoming president can rescind it.
Anyway, I’m curious to see if this fails in the house, if Obama will pull out some executive order which will call for some of the favorite bits, and then wait to see if Romeny will be forced to say he’ll rescind those… or promise to get something through that black-hole of a congress…. or will he just do the same… we’ll see, won’t we.
A whole new age of political strategy.
Hell, if the House had a pair they would forget about “criminal contempt” and charge Holder with “inherent contempt” and try him in the House. Perfectly legal, just takes more time.
That vote total can’t be right- it adds up to 447, when there are only 435 House seats.
Better check the voter rolls, and start demanding photo ID.
Ms. Johnson,
Was the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act a bill that could only create/support a few thousand jobs? If so, do you realize that there are approximately 24 million unemployed/under-employed Americans?
Our entire economy relies upon cheap, dependable sources of energy. Increase energy supplies, or make it apparent that energy supplies will become more plentiful and less expensive, and businesses will expand accordingly. THAT’S HOW the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act will help “…approximately 24 million unemployed/under-employed Americans…”
I am often annoyed by politics and politicians, but generally manage to avoid real, deep seated anger. Today the combination of Keeper of the Lies Carney’s “press conference”/propaganda session and Nancy Pelosi’s comments on “Fast and Furious” overcame that. I have never heard anything so arrogant, condescending, dishonest and manipulative in my life.
That the MSM is cooperating with this BS by suddenly discovering it and supporting the lie that this is a brand new thing launched by the GOP to distract the public is just a further proof that it is now nothing more than the propaganda distribution network of the lunitic left.
That 50% of my countrymen will buy this as the truth is a condemnation of the educational system and of the state of society as a whole.
It is really hard not to despair of this society and to do anything but mourn the passing of that “Shining City” and the last best hope of mankind that this Republic once was.
I will continue to fight the battle, but I fear it has become a rearguard action which, at best, will delay the collapse until most of us who can remember what once was have passed in such peace as can be managed.
And for those who have and are betraying(if you can betray something you never honored in the first place) our Country, Carney, Obama, the witch from SF, Holder, virtually all of the top structure of the so-called “Democratic Party”, may they reap- personally- what they have sown for the rest of us.
God Bless the USA!
Nothing this administration or it’s supporters does surprises me any more. The total contempt they have for the American citizen speaks volumes as to their mindset. It’s not their jobs bill so it’s doa. I hope one of the columnists here comments on the actions of the gay activists that visited the White House last Friday. It’s just more of the liberal contempt for this country and us.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
Joseph Goebbels quote
hello…notrhing to say