Transcript of Pelosi Press Conference Today
Washington D.C. - Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held her weekly press conference today in the Capitol Visitor Center. Below is a transcript of the press conference.
Leader Pelosi. Good morning. Things are moving along quickly on the floor, so we will move along quickly here as well. I guess the quickest way for me to give you my reaction to the President's speech is to say that last night after his speech I went home and I was flipping between the NFL game, the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints, and the U.S. Open. And they both reminded me that the President's speech I think was definitely a touchdown, an ace serve, in the spirit of the season, a home run, out of the park, tenth strike if you bowl. Any sports analogy you want to come up with, I think he achieved.
When the President began his speech he talked about the fact that--he said people are asking, the press is asking, actually, I think he referenced all of you--what does the speech mean to the President? What does the speech mean to the Congress?
After listening to the speech, it was clear that what was important is what the speech means to the American people. I think it was a speech about hope and confidence, about doing what is doable, initiatives that echo some of what we said earlier this week when we came before you about the ABCs, getting back to basics, Make It In America, build America, do so in a way that respects the public role of public education and public safety. We are very pleased with that. But it also did so in a context of initiatives that have enjoyed bipartisan support on a regular and ongoing basis, and recent, as well, basis. So it was, I thought, a doable initiative.
And his appeal to pass the American Jobs Act now is one that I think we must respond to. And for that reason, as you may know, I had written already to my ranking members asking them to ask their chairmen for hearings on the President's proposals. Also, I have written to Speaker Boehner, asking him to initiate those hearings on the legislation. You have it. You should have it. But it calls that--I have asked our ranking members that it would be a sign of our unified commitment to acting quickly, and acting in a bipartisan way, if you would similarly urge your chairmen to move expeditiously to pass the legislation and begin creating jobs and assisting businesses. Of course, the hearings would be a first step in that.
One other point I want to make is that this proposal comes at a time when it should again enhance the possibilities for the table of 12. I don't know how they have been characterized, but you know who I mean, and the actions they take. Some have said it will increase their challenge. Well, if it increases their challenge to create jobs, all the better. This should be the centerpiece. How do we create jobs, grow the economy, and do so--and how do we use the Tax Code, the timing of cuts or investments, again, to create jobs? I have called upon that table of 12 to act in a way that favors the entrepreneurial spirit of America and the role that small businesses play in creating jobs. And I was particularly happy that that was part of the emphasis of the President, recognizing that small businesses are the job creators. And reducing the disparity in ownership in our country in equity is very important, I think, to making sure that many more Americans participate in the prosperity.
Now, the response that we have received is overwhelmingly favorable. Some of the reports, I mean Mark Zandi, as you know, former economic adviser to John McCain, has said this will create in 2012, 1.9 million jobs, around 150,000 jobs a month, that it will increase the rate of GDP growth by 2 percent, taking us to around 4, 4.5 percent for 2012. That would be absolutely great. And that it would reduce the unemployment rate from wherever it is, 9 plus to 8 percent. So, again, whether it is in terms of objective analysis, or initiatives we have all been fighting for, or the bipartisan nature of the President's appeal, I think it was a home run, out of the park, touchdown, ace serve. What else? Tenth strike.
And again, this all happens at a time when our country is feeling, again, the memory and sadness of 9/11, at a time when many communities are affected by natural disasters, whether it is forest fires in the West, or fires in the West, or floods in the East and the Gulf Coast area. So it is a somber time for us in terms of the human toll that all of that has taken and is taking. I myself will be leaving, as soon as we make these votes, to go to California for our ceremony that we will have tomorrow morning in San Francisco, and then get on the plane to go to New York for the 9/11 ceremony, observance there. Other Members and leadership will be observing 9/11 all over the country. But again, it is a very sad time for our country, but one that speaks to our sense of community and our sense of strength as to how we go forward to honor our first commitment to the American people to keep them safe.
With that, I would be pleased to take any questions.
Q: Madam Leader, I wanted to ask you about this terror threat that has been reported, and see what you thought not just only of the threat, but do you believe that the government is prepared to handle any sort of an attack this weekend if anything did slip through the cracks? Do you think that we are prepared to handle it and respond?
Leader Pelosi. Let me say that even before hearing about the threat and being briefed about it, I think everybody thought there was a possibility with the significance of the 10-year anniversary. So I think there was a heightened alert anyway of asking people to be aware of their surroundings and report any strange behavior, and of course at the sites of observances of 9/11.
So I don't know how much it has changed things. I saw the report of Mayor Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, last night late, when he was reporting what the City of New York was doing. But I don't know that…I would have thought that everyone was pretty much in high gear in terms of what the possibilities were.
Q: Have you been briefed on…
Leader Pelosi. Yes, I have.
Q: And what is your understanding of how real the specific threat..
Leader Pelosi. You know, I really can't speak to that. Again, it is the 10-year anniversary of 9/11.
Q: Madam Leader, the Republicans say that the way to create jobs is to sort of roll back Federal regulations. I would like you to respond to that. And secondly, on Social Security, advocates for the program say the payroll tax cuts would damage the sort of structural integrity of the program. If you could respond to that as well.
Leader Pelosi. Because we have votes, I am glad your colleagues have allowed you two questions. And I will take them quickly. First of all, in terms of the Social Security, I think we pretty much have gotten to a place where there is general acceptance that that is going to be part of the initiatives. So I don't know, there may be some--let's put it this way. It doesn't mean that every piece of what everything the President said that everybody was saying, oh, my gosh, I am so glad about that. But this is, again, a compromise. And the President feels very committed to it. And think what was important about his speech last night was that not only what he said, but how he said it, and that he is taking it to the American people. And he believes that this initiative has an integrity to it, a oneness. He introduced it as one bill. One bill. So again, it fits comfortably in what he is proposing. Again, you have heard what I have heard leading up to this. But I think that there is a comfort level as to what it would achieve.
Tell me the second question again?
Q: The regulatory agenda of Republicans.
Leader Pelosi. Oh, yeah. I don't think we should have any regulations that we shouldn't have, but there are plenty we should have. And the President said it very well. We should subject any of those regulations to review as to if they are accomplishing the purpose they set out to do or if they are just a hindrance to businesses growing and jobs being created. But when you are in an arena right now where one of the goals of some on the extreme right in the country want to do away with all regulations, clean air, clean water, food safety and the rest, the President was very clear that he will protect the American people in that regard. But again, what is the purpose of it? The President has his own review, has made significant recommendations about reducing regulations where they are duplicative, obsolete, or just really are not fulfilling their purpose.
Q: Madam Leader, do you have confidence at this point that Republicans are a bit more conciliatory and ready to work with you on a number of these issues? Or do you think you expect some of the same old kind of partisan rancor?
Leader Pelosi. Well, I hope not. I think that the President's appeal last night was on the basis of proven initiatives…proven, that is to say, to have had strong bipartisan support, Republican support in the near and in the historic past. So he didn't reach for things that were divisive. He had a values-based speech which was unifying, and proposals that had enjoyed bipartisan support.
The Speaker has said, and I have his words in the letter that I sent to him, that it merited consideration. I said, 'I was encouraged by your statement that, 'The proposals the President outlined tonight merit consideration,' and 'hope that we can work together to…create a better environment for long term economic growth and private sector job creation.'' I am encouraged by that remark by Speaker Boehner. And again, others in the Republican leadership and in their conference have spoken in favor of some of the initiatives, including the payroll tax holiday.
Q: Madam Leader, how realistic is it to get a bill of this size through the House and the Senate, and they are divided government, in what amounts to a little over 40 legislative days?
Leader Pelosi. Well, it may be part of what the table of 12 recommends. But I would hope that we could get some of it passed sooner than that. Some of it, again, hasn't been controversial. The issues are well known. If we start right away, as we have asked for hearings on some of the specifics in the bill as they go out to different committees of jurisdiction, I think that we can advance it. The American people can't wait very much longer for some relief. A proposal has been put forth. Pass it, change it, make your own suggestions adding to it, but let's act upon it. So in any event, I think that a great deal of it can be done in the--is it like 98 days, almost 40 legislative days that we have before the big committee has to act, and another month after that that Congress can continue to act.
Q: Leader Pelosi, is there a concern that in this large bill, and with the limited time, are Democrats concerned that Republicans are just going to pick off the tax cuts and not go for the other provisions that the President proposed last night, some of the things that your caucus has called for?
Leader Pelosi. Well, we are about job creation. So what I was…I think the most encouraging thing that I heard last night was that the President was taking this to the public, so that they understood the values upon which his proposals were based. The suggestions were bipartisan in their nature and their history, and that he is going out there. What we have heard during the break on a--you know, House Members are always home putting their hand on that very hot stove listening. And what the President said last night responds, and actually takes the lead on many of the concerns that the American people have. So I think it is about not between the Democrats and Republicans, it is about the American people. And I think that will give an opening to working in a bipartisan way. But I think we have to be respectful. You know, I don't think we have to confront. I think we should just see where we can find our common ground, sift through those, see how we go forward, what other proposals could take the place of if somebody has a better idea.
What I do know is the ideas that have been put forth thus far in the nearly 250 days that the Republicans have had the majority have not created one job. And if it is just more tax cuts for the wealthy as a job creator, that didn't work during the Bush Administration, so there is no use going down that path again. So we will have that debate. But I think it will be a healthy one by the tone that the President set.
One more question.
Q: Yeah. Just to follow up on that, though, you saw Speaker Boehner show some…saying that some of the proposals regarding taxes merit consideration. Do you see any sign that Republicans would support any increased spending on infrastructure?
Leader Pelosi. Well, that has been a bipartisan issue inside and outside the Congress, whether it was--over and over again, the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have come together to support infrastructure initiatives. That is probably as low a partisan issue as you can come by in terms of the outside constituency for it. Many people outside, whether they are cement mixers or asphalt, whatever it is, everybody knows that there is a multi-trillion dollar deficit in our country in terms of infrastructure. And it is just not roads, highways, and high-speed rail. It is about broadband, it is about water systems in our country that are many of them made of wood and brick, and ancient, and really a health issue as well as an infrastructure issue. So it is a very exciting initiative, as the President acknowledged.
One of the bills that is there is bipartisan, Senator Hutchison and Senator Kerry. We would like it something a little broader than that. But that is the Congressional debate in terms of an infrastructure bank, and how we can finance these things in a way that leverages taxpayers' dollars, but we could never…there would never be enough taxpayer dollars to do the job without the public private partnership and the leveraging. And I think if there is any issue in the whole panoply of proposals, the infrastructure initiative has the most longevity in terms of bipartisan support inside and outside the Congress. And I would hope that that building America be…creates jobs here in America, and at the same time builds the infrastructure, including our schools, which was a special emphasis that the President had last night.
So overall, in conclusion, as I have to get to the floor to vote, I think last night the President made a masterful proposal to the American people, modulated by the need to be bipartisan, enthusiastic in terms of the urgency to get the job done. And one thing that we were very happy about is that he would be taking it to the public so their feedback on it would further validate the need or other proposals they might have on it. But at the end of the day, which is a short day, we will have legislation passed that addresses many of the proposals that the President put forth, hopefully all of them.
In any event, I hope that you all get home safe and sound in all of this weather. And again, we began our Caucus this morning with a moment of silence. That will be the tenor of this weekend now as we observe the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Really an incredible time in our country's history.
Maybe some of you were there when a month or so ago they brought the flag that flew over the World Trade Center. And it has been touring the country. An effort of two people…just took the initiative themselves to take it around the country. And it is being repaired by other remnants of other flags that are fragments of our history. Here we have the opportunity, many of us, to stitch the flag. And one of the most incredible parts of it is that they had stitched into it some of the threads from the flag that covered President Abraham Lincoln after his assassination, tying, tying again our country together.
President Lincoln spoke in one of his earlier speeches about the silent artillery of time. I hope that the silent artillery of time helps ease the pain for those affected by 9/11 very directly…our whole country, the whole world was affected but have the immediate personal loss. While it may hopefully dull the pain, it will never lessen the memory and the regard that we have for those who lost their lives that day.
Thank you all very much.