Congressional Leaders React To White House Meeting
The immediate reactions are in from the congressional leaders in attendance for a small gathering at the White House today to discuss a jobs bill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:
"Today's meeting with the President was productive. I applaud his continued efforts to work on a bipartisan basis to strengthen our economy. One of the most important issues on the minds of people in Nevada and across the country is the need to create jobs. Last year we took steps that prevented a bad situation from becoming worse, but it's time to make our country strong again. Senate Democrats remain hopeful that our Republican colleagues will work with us this week to take swift action and pass legislation to help businesses thrive and create jobs."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi:
"I applaud President Obama for bringing together the leaders of Congress - Democrats and Republicans alike - to address the most pressing challenges facing our nation today: creating good-paying jobs for America's workers and reducing our nation's deficit."Nearly one year after the Recovery Act and other efforts prevented an even greater economic catastrophe, it is up to leaders from both parties to find common ground and work together to get our economy growing again. I look forward to building on today's meeting and working with our partners across the aisle to pass jobs legislation as soon as possible and to create a bipartisan commission to help reduce our deficit."
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
"We had a good meeting with the President, and, what I'd like to emphasize is there are some areas of potential agreement. He mentioned in the State of the Union his support for nuclear power, for offshore drilling, for clean coal technology and for trade agreements, presumable with Colombia, Panama, and Korea - the ones that have been languishing now for a year and a half, or so."These are areas where I think there could be pretty broad, bipartisan support to go forward on a collaborative basis. Obviously, there will be areas of disagreement. But, emphasizing the things that we might be able to work on together, I would mention those four areas, all of which I think would be job generators: nuclear power, offshore drilling, clean coal technology, and pass those languishing trade agreements which we know create jobs here in the United States."
House Minority Leader John Boehner:
"Immediate action to address Washington's out-of-control spending is needed to spark the economy and provide greater certainty to small businesses alarmed by Washington's spending, taxing, and borrowing. We cannot afford to simply punt the spending issue to a commission that won't even release its recommendations until the end of the year. If President Obama will use his authority to force Congress to start cutting spending now, Republicans will stand with him and help him get it done."