Pelosi: GOP Failing On Policy
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that while critics may quibble with some elements of spending in the President Barack Obama's $819 billion economic rescue plan, Democrats were willing to act - and Republicans were not.
Discussing the plan that the House approved on a strictly party line vote, Pelosi acknowledged Republican criticism that large sums of money are set aside for favored Democratic programs such as aid to education and Medicare. But she said "we are definitely stepping up to the plate to say we'll be accountable."
"Republicans asked for several things so that they could participate in the process, and we gave them all of the opportunities they asked for," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CBS News Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez.
"But it serves their purpose, when you're failing on the policy argument, you talk about process. And after that, you talk about personalities. They are failing on the policy aspects," Pelosi told Rodriguez in the exclusive interview Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a top Republican congressional aide says the economic stimulus measure could steer government checks to illegal immigrants.
Republican officials are concerned that the Democratic-written legislation makes people who came to the United States illegally eligible for tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple.
A House-passed version of the bill and one making its way through the Senate both disqualify nonresident aliens from receiving the credits. But neither requires a worker to have a Social Security number to get the credits.
An economic aid measure enacted in February 2008 that sent rebates to most wage earners required that people have valid Social Security numbers in order to get checks.
Mr. Obama's stimulus legislation is headed for the Senate after a surprisingly partisan vote in the House of Representatives, in which Republicans united in opposition.
Mr. Obama hailed his recovery plan, saying it would "save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years."
During Senate debate next week the measure is expected to pick up at least some Republican support. But Obama's hopes of changing Washington's partisan culture went unmet despite the popular president's separate high-profile meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with House and Senate Republicans.
"This recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years," the president said in a written statement released moments after the House voted. He later welcomed congressional leaders of both parties to the White House for drinks as he continued to lobby for the legislation.
Earlier, Mr. Obama declared, "We don't have a moment to spare" as congressional allies hastened to do his bidding in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The increasingly troubled economy is the first major test of Mr. Obama's presidency. How he handles the volatile situation, and the effect of his stimulus package on the economy, could set the tone for his first year in office, if not his entire term.
The House vote marked merely one of several steps for the legislation, which Democratic leaders have pledged to deliver to the White House for Obama's signature by mid-February.
Officials believe once the bill gets through the Senate - where they expect there'll be more cooperation - some house Republicans, having already made their point, will wind up voting for the new version of the bill, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.
The House's stimulus measure attracted criticism from Republicans and, privately, from some Democrats for spending billions of billions of dollars on Democratic favorites like education despite questions as to whether they would really put people to work.
"We want to see a stimulus bill that actually is a stimulus bill, a bill that will not only create new jobs but that will preserve those that we have," Rep. Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, told CBS News.
But with unemployment at its highest level in a quarter-century, the banking industry wobbling despite the infusion of staggering sums of bailout money and states struggling with budget crises, Democrats said the legislation was desperately needed.
The House plan largely reflects Mr. Obama's desires, but after zero Republican support, he suggested the House plan was hardly perfect.
"I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk," Mr. Obama said.
The 244-188 House vote registered 177 Republicans unanimous in opposition, along with 11 mostly conservative Democrats.
The program would send tens of billions of dollars to the states, which confront deep budget cuts. That money marks an attempt to ease the recession's impact on schools and poor people receiving Medicaid health coverage.
Money would also go toward school construction, road building and other provisions. There are big investments toward Mr. Obama's campaign promise of creating jobs that can reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
The centerpiece tax cut calls for a $500 break for single workers and $1,000 for couples, including those who don't earn enough to owe federal income taxes. There are also tax breaks for businesses making investments in equipment and renewable energy production.
Republican House leader Rep. John Boehner said the measure "won't create many jobs, but it will create plenty of programs and projects through slow-moving government spending."
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Discussing the plan that the House approved on a strictly party line vote, Pelosi acknowledged Republican criticism that large sums of money are set aside for favored Democratic programs such as aid to education and Medicare. But she said "we are definitely stepping up to the plate to say we'll be accountable."
"Republicans asked for several things so that they could participate in the process, and we gave them all of the opportunities they asked for," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CBS News Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez.
"But it serves their purpose, when you're failing on the policy argument, you talk about process. And after that, you talk about personalities. They are failing on the policy aspects," Pelosi told Rodriguez in the exclusive interview Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a top Republican congressional aide says the economic stimulus measure could steer government checks to illegal immigrants.
Republican officials are concerned that the Democratic-written legislation makes people who came to the United States illegally eligible for tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple.
A House-passed version of the bill and one making its way through the Senate both disqualify nonresident aliens from receiving the credits. But neither requires a worker to have a Social Security number to get the credits.
An economic aid measure enacted in February 2008 that sent rebates to most wage earners required that people have valid Social Security numbers in order to get checks.
Mr. Obama's stimulus legislation is headed for the Senate after a surprisingly partisan vote in the House of Representatives, in which Republicans united in opposition.
Mr. Obama hailed his recovery plan, saying it would "save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years."
During Senate debate next week the measure is expected to pick up at least some Republican support. But Obama's hopes of changing Washington's partisan culture went unmet despite the popular president's separate high-profile meetings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with House and Senate Republicans.
"This recovery plan will save or create more than three million new jobs over the next few years," the president said in a written statement released moments after the House voted. He later welcomed congressional leaders of both parties to the White House for drinks as he continued to lobby for the legislation.
Earlier, Mr. Obama declared, "We don't have a moment to spare" as congressional allies hastened to do his bidding in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The increasingly troubled economy is the first major test of Mr. Obama's presidency. How he handles the volatile situation, and the effect of his stimulus package on the economy, could set the tone for his first year in office, if not his entire term.
The House vote marked merely one of several steps for the legislation, which Democratic leaders have pledged to deliver to the White House for Obama's signature by mid-February.
Already a more bipartisan - and costlier - measure is taking shape in the Senate, and Mr. Obama personally pledged to House and Senate Republicans in closed-door meetings on Tuesday that he is ready to accept modifications as the legislation advances.
Officials believe once the bill gets through the Senate - where they expect there'll be more cooperation - some house Republicans, having already made their point, will wind up voting for the new version of the bill, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.
The House's stimulus measure attracted criticism from Republicans and, privately, from some Democrats for spending billions of billions of dollars on Democratic favorites like education despite questions as to whether they would really put people to work.
"We want to see a stimulus bill that actually is a stimulus bill, a bill that will not only create new jobs but that will preserve those that we have," Rep. Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, told CBS News.
But with unemployment at its highest level in a quarter-century, the banking industry wobbling despite the infusion of staggering sums of bailout money and states struggling with budget crises, Democrats said the legislation was desperately needed.
The House plan largely reflects Mr. Obama's desires, but after zero Republican support, he suggested the House plan was hardly perfect.
"I hope that we can continue to strengthen this plan before it gets to my desk," Mr. Obama said.
The 244-188 House vote registered 177 Republicans unanimous in opposition, along with 11 mostly conservative Democrats.
The program would send tens of billions of dollars to the states, which confront deep budget cuts. That money marks an attempt to ease the recession's impact on schools and poor people receiving Medicaid health coverage.
Money would also go toward school construction, road building and other provisions. There are big investments toward Mr. Obama's campaign promise of creating jobs that can reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.
The centerpiece tax cut calls for a $500 break for single workers and $1,000 for couples, including those who don't earn enough to owe federal income taxes. There are also tax breaks for businesses making investments in equipment and renewable energy production.
Republican House leader Rep. John Boehner said the measure "won't create many jobs, but it will create plenty of programs and projects through slow-moving government spending."
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-10,000 school-Furnish the names of these schools-Increase state park budgets-Neighborhood Stabilization/ Revitalization%u2026.pay for play for ACORN%u2026who wrote that in%u2026no economic stimulus there%u2026 just favored politicking and can%u2019t cover all neighborhoods-Hollywood...pay for play..the tax cut their getting should go to all businesses. These guys were big donors-Washington Mall ....(scrapped) -Contraceptives./Abortions...(scrapped)-Bailing out the states...they should be balancing every year... poor management. They are paying for services for illegal aliens and previously high gasoline prices%u2026.. and now it becomes all the taxpayers problem. California is the number one example. Never a grant %u2026.only loans%u2026.you make them pay it back and require and make it law they become balanced%u2026set regulations %u2026not free money%u2026the good states are being punished for their fiscal responsibilities.-Pell grants--Day Care for Military%u2026.not an economic stimulus%u2026.we do need it%u2026.but not under this.-Bike Trails-Off Road Trails-Hollywood%u2026pay for play-Dept of Ag bldng- Welfare and Food Stamps%u2026.what????-Tax Rebates to those who don%u2019t pay taxes-Amtrak..no profit in 40 yrs-TV coupons%u2026digital conversion-STD%u2019S-Carbon Capture Conversion-Federal Bldgs-Global Warming Research-Stop smoking program-Fish Barriers-Honey Bee Ins-Waterprk
It is really sad to see what has generally been a good party wrecked by extremist fools like Ann Coulter, Rush, Bush, etc. (and now Boehner). These clowns have dumbed down their own party and made their people such knee-jerk partisans that they may find themselves such a minority party that a new party has to form to give us some sort of rival to the Dems. These radical-right idiots have done more damage to the GOP than any Democrat or liberal could have dreamed of.
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Posted by nohope09 at 09:47 PM : Jan 29, 2009
Kansas is right and that argument is stale.
Bush wasn''t/isn''t a crutch, more like a crippler.
Nohope...Did you actually have hope when the
Repubs were watching our nation drown and enabling
Bush to do nothing?
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Posted by nohope09 at 09:47 PM : Jan 29, 2009
+ report abuse
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I think your screen name reflects your already negative attitude, but you really should brush up on history and quit listening to Rush. (He lies)
OK. Under Clinton, for eight years, the Republicans had the house and the senate. Under GWB, a Republican, the Republicans had the house and senate for six years. Total control until 2006. In 2006 Republicans lost both the house and the senate, but there was still a Republican president with veto power which he only used to stop things that would benefit large numbers of Americans, ie., stem cell research. So if you want to blame someone for this mess, blame Republicans. In four years, you can blame Democrats for any mess that is going on then.
Or, take the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a seemingly fairly popular/populist (if not inscrutable) piece of legislation on gender-based pay discrepancies. This was something that Barack Obama whacked John McCain on on the campaign trail, with McCain offering little rebuttal. In the Senate, five Republicans -- out of 41 -- voted with the Administration on Ledbetter, including all four Republican women. In the House, just three Republicans did -- out of 178.
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This is why Republicans will be in worse shape in 2010. They are voting against everything, including popular programs that benefit Americans, that are supported by most Republicans in the senate. The house republicans are spiteful boobs with nothing better to do than whine about Democrats. They are doing nothing for their constituants and if their districs can''t figure that out, then they deserve the representation that they get.
Posted by lopezf11 at 10:09 PM : Jan 29, 2009
Like I said...low information voter with name calling. You rather send $$$ to arabs than spend on American infrastructure. Maybe in 2010 the Neocons will lose 20 or 25 more seats in the house and lose 7 or 8 seats in the Senate.
Either way the Repubs are screwed.
Posted by holalanemeir
Repubs and Neocons is not name calling for self-rightous Obamites?
Posted by lopezf11 at 10:09 PM : Jan 29, 2009
Like I said...low information voter with name calling. You rather send $$$ to arabs than spend on American infrastructure. Maybe in 2010 the Neocons will lose 20 or 25 more seats in the house and lose 7 or 8 seats in the Senate.
Either way the Repubs are screwed.
Posted by beodishazmi2
Sometimes, no offense, it''s the language thing Gomer.
Actually Dems want to spend $$ right here in the good ol'''' USA on education, infrastructure, and green energy. It would be good for the American economy growing jobs and keeping money right here where it belongs.
A vast majority of Neocons still want to keep sending $$$ to Iraq and to Arab nations to keep buying their oil. What''''s the use in that? Anyone...anyone...anyone?
Posted by holalanemeir
Even feral southern pigs are smarter than you. . .suey.