Fiscal Cliff Deadline

Floor Speech

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, the American people are looking at Congress with disdain--and rightfully so. With the deadline on the fiscal cliff only hours away, we have failed to reach a reasonable compromise to move the economy forward and ward off painful tax hikes on the middle class.

The majority of Americans have sent us a clear message of what they want--a fair tax system, an economy that works for everyone, and a strong social safety net. These are classic American values, and throughout our history Members of both parties have made compromises in order to protect them. Those compromises reflect not just the will of the people but the way normal people do business.

Every day of their lives American workers solve problems and collaborate with their coworkers to meet objectives. They don't get to wait until after the deadline passes to get the job done; if they do, they lose their jobs. The American people can't just go home if they don't get their way. And yet that's exactly what House Republican leadership did earlier this month. I hope it's not what they plan to do again this week.

Madam Speaker, if my colleagues don't wake up and respond to what the American people want, they will be the ones to ultimately lose their jobs--and rightfully so.

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