Governors Submit Letter to Congress on Jobs Bill

Letter from Democratic Governors to Congressional Leadership on the American Jobs Act

October 11, 2011

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker of the House

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Minority Leader

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Minority Leader

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner, and Leader Pelosi:

As governors, we believe that of all the difficult decisions we have to make as a country, our top priority must remain job creation, always.

We therefore urge swift consideration of the American Jobs Act, which draws upon many ideas that governors – Democratic and Republican alike – are putting into action in the states.

It is an economic and historic truth that, to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. As President Obama has stated, to create jobs, we must also be willing to educate, innovate and rebuild. Our global competitors are investing in their infrastructure and in the skills and education of their workforce. To create jobs in our communities, we must be willing to do the same.

There is nothing more important for a family than a job and nothing more important for our country, in these challenging times. The American people work hard at their jobs, and they rightfully expect us, the representatives of their government, to do ours.

Thank you for your leadership. We are ready to work with you on this most important goal of creating jobs and expanding opportunity.

Sincerely,

Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland

Governor Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii

Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., California

Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York

Governor Mark Dayton, Minnesota

Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., US Virgin Islands

Governor Chris Gregoire, Washington

Governor John Hickenlooper, Colorado

Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Connecticut

Governor Jack Markell, Delaware

Governor John Lynch, New Hampshire

Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts

Governor Bev Perdue, North Carolina

Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois

Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon

Governor Peter Shumlin, Vermont

President Obama Addresses the Nation on Dangers of Default

With eight days until our nation faces an unprecedented financial crisis, the President addressed the nation on the consequences the stalemate in Congress could have on the stability of our economy.

White House Briefs: Debt Ceiling Negotiation Update

Statement by Press Secretary Jay Carney

The President has been advocating a balanced plan that would reduce our deficit by $4 trillion by making large cuts in domestic and Pentagon spending, reforming entitlement programs, and closing tax loopholes for corporations, millionaires and billionaires. This sort of approach won support from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, but the House Republicans walked away after insisting that the budget be balanced on the backs of seniors and the middle class.

Now, faced with the “my way or the highway,” short-term approach of the House Republicans, Senator Reid has put forward a responsible compromise that cuts spending in a way that protects critical investments and does not harm the economic recovery. All the cuts put forward in this approach were previously agreed to by both parties through the process led by the Vice President. Senator Reid’s plan also reduces the deficit more than enough to meet the contrived dollar-for-dollar criteria called for by House Republicans, and, most importantly, it removes the cloud of a possible default from our economy through 2012.

The plan would make a meaningful down payment in addressing our fiscal challenge, and we could continue to work together to build on it with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes additional spending reforms and closing tax loopholes for corporations, millionaires and billionaires.

Senator Reid’s plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America can avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history. The ball is in their court.

Photo source: Cropped from http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5640484305/

Author: Peter Souza

Permission: Public Domain