Further Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule and the underlying bill, House Joint Resolution 44.

This bill is just another part of the reckless Republican no-jobs agenda. Instead of focusing on creating jobs, Republicans are trying to cut nearly 1 million jobs across the country. Republicans have been in control of the House for now more than 2 months. They have been in control of the House for now more than 2 months, and they have failed to bring up a single bill to create a single job.

I mean, they haven't done just a poor job. They haven't done anything. This bill is just a mini-version of a larger Republican drive that America soundly rejected a week ago. I am absolutely against starting down a series of short-term cuts, of short-term CRs, that result in a bleed of the American middle class. This is death by 1,000 cuts--a slow bleed.

As Speaker Boehner stated earlier this week before the National Religious Broadcasters convention, "If they won't eat the whole loaf at one time," he said of the Democrats, "we'll make them eat it one slice at a time."

This is what this short-term CR is all about, one slice at a time, with the goal of shoving a whole loaf down the throats of the American people. The American people don't want the Republican layoffs. They want jobs.

Let's be clear. The bill before us today is just one more fight in this battle to keep American jobs. It's the same job cuts that Republicans passed a week ago. This is just a 2-week version of it. The Republicans' reckless "so be it" attitude on spending destroys jobs that threaten America's economy. You don't have to take my word for it. All you have to do is read the report released by the chief economist at Moody's, Mark Zandi, if you want to know about the Republicans' "no jobs agenda" CR, which would cut 700,000 jobs by year's end if they make us eat one slice at a time and which would reduce economic growth.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

Mr. POLIS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. ELLISON. Let me quote economist Mark Zandi directly: "While long-term government spending restraint is vital and laying out a credible path toward that restraint very desirable, too much cutting too soon would be counterproductive."

The economy is adding about 100,000 to 150,000 jobs a month; but until that number reaches about 200,000 on a monthly basis, "imposing additional government spending cuts before this has happened would be taking an unnecessary chance with the recovery."

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