Politics

GOP Ignores Support for Ending Outsourcing, Admits Pledge Contains No New Topics

By Speaker's Press Shop

First, Congressional Republicans leave out one of the most popular suggestions on their website?ending tax loopholes to prevent corporations from shipping American jobs overseas. Now, according to Roll Call “only one provision appears to have come solely from that effort”:

Republican leaders launched in May an Internet-based initiative to collect public opinion on key issues, saying the effort would lead to a new governing agenda from the party. But when the agenda was revealed last week, only one provision appears to have come solely from that effort. The rest of the proposals that became part of ?A Pledge to America? already existed as a part of other House Republican initiatives or as bills offered by individual Members months before the website was launched.

The President said it best in his weekly radio address on Saturday:

The Republicans in Washington claimed to draw their ideas from a website called ?America Speaking Out.? It turns out that one of the ideas that?s drawn the most interest on their website is ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Funny thing is, when we recently closed one of the most egregious loopholes for companies creating jobs overseas, Republicans in Congress were almost unanimously opposed. The Republican leader John Boehner attacked us for it, and stood up for outsourcing, instead of American workers.

Then the GOP admits that ‘the pledge’ did not present any new ideas or new solutions to America?s challenges:

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH):

The House minority leader responded that the purpose of the Pledge was to “lay out the size of the problem,” not “to get to potential solutions.”

Republican Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL), Deputy Chairman of the America Speaking Out project:

?It?s not that big of a surprise if you think about it,? Roskam said of the issues that ended up in the pledge. ?Let?s face it, none of these topics are new topics.?

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), Chairman of the House Republican Conference:

?What, what we have in this proposal is not, not necessarily new. The idea of fiscal responsibility, pro-growth policies, openness and transparency in government are solid, American ideas. What Republicans are committing to in this Pledge to America is taking important first steps in this Congress to steer our national government back to those basic practices and principles.?

The GOP has voted against 7 out of the 8 small business tax cuts enacted so far in this Congress and against the small business lending and jobs bill last week?providing another 8 tax cuts for small businesses totaling $12 billion to spur investment, growth, access to capital, new starts and hiring?that will be signed into law by the President today.

Republicans continue to side with corporations that ship good-paying American jobs overseas and have voted against bills to help American small businesses and workers and close tax loopholes that encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.

Full post as published by The Gavel on September 27, 2010 (boomark / email).