"The House passed legislation with bipartisan support on August 1st to prevent tax rates from increasing on any taxpayers in January. The fact is that spending, not taxation, has been, and remains, our problem. It's the reason why our deficits are out of control and it's the reason why our credit rating was downgraded. Failure to address spending as the root cause of our deficit issue is unacceptable.
"What happened last night does not lessen my determination to ensure that taxes do not increase in the New Year. It is clear, however, that President Obama and Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid are determined to take the entire nation over the so-called fiscal cliff in order to avoid dealing with our spending issue. In the event we do go over the fiscal cliff, I will work expeditiously to ensure that as many taxpayers as possible are shielded from the President's tax increases.
"With the DFW Airport being situated in the 24th District, I stand ready to take action in Washington on a moment's notice."