Blog Post

This afternoon, Congresswoman Janice Hahn (D-CA) was sworn in:

Rep. Hahn was elected July 12, 2011 to fill the 36th district seat of California held by the Honorable Jane Harman who resigned on February 28, 2011. Rep. Hahn brings the House to 433 Members (193 Democrats and 240 Republicans) with two vacancies remaining (NV-2, NY-9).

House Republicans are playing political games with our nation's economy. Today, the GOP will vote on their "Cut, Cap and End Medicare" plan – a plan more extreme than the Ryan budget – that will destroy 700,000 jobs, harm our fragile recovery and end Medicare rather than work with President Obama and Democrats to find a balanced plan to grow the economy, create jobs, lower the deficit, protect Social Security and Medicare benefits and avoid an unprecedented default crisis.

Republicans have already voted not once, but twice, for the Ryan Republican budget that ends Medicare in order to give tax breaks to big oil and companies that ship jobs overseas—but now they're bringing an even more extreme budget bill to the floor this week as our economy, and the economic security of millions of Americans, hangs in jeopardy.

The Republican bill (the so-called "Cut, Cap, and Balance Act") is really a bill to Cut, Cap, and End Medicare.

On Friday, the White House announced President Obama would be meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama over the weekend--Leader Pelosi on the meeting:

President Obama is to be commended on the announcement that he will meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the White House tomorrow.

The Dalai Lama is a source of wisdom and compassion and a champion of human rights in Tibet and all around the world. As Americans, we must continue to stand with His Holiness to support his life's work of promoting peace, non violence, human rights and religious understanding.

Today House Republicans abruptly announced plans to bring to the floor their so-call "cut, cap and balance" plan – yet another outrageous ploy to advance their ideological agenda that ends Medicare while protecting tax breaks for Big Oil and companies that ship American jobs overseas.

PRESIDENT OBAMA

Today Leader Pelosi held her weekly press conference discussing the ongoing debt talks, 191 days of Republican control of the House with no jobs legislation, what's at stake for young people in the budget talks, and S'mores (really):

Transcript:

To: Congressional Republicans

Fr: Democratic Leader's Press Office

Dt: July 14, 2011

Re: This is Not What 'Adult' Looks Like

With the economic security of the American people at risk, the time has come for the "adult moment" your Speaker requested. This isn't the playground, and your disarray has serious consequences for our country.

Another day, another poll showing how out of touch the GOP priorities are with the American people. According to a new Quinnipiac poll released today:

A majority say they trust President Obama more than congressional Republicans to handle the economy (45 percent to 38 percent).

By a 14-point margin, more of those surveyed say they will blame Republicans for failing to raise the debt ceiling rather than President Obama (48 percent to 34 percent).