Media Stakeout With Members of the House Republican Leadership After the House Republican Caucus Meeting

Interview

MEDIA STAKEOUT WITH MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP AFTER THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS MEETING
PARTICIPANTS: HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-WA); REP. MARY FALLIN (R-OK); REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN); REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA)

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REP. RODGERS: (In progress) -- work together to address these issues. No one party has all the good ideas. And as you look back on the history of this country, you can see where Republicans and Democrats have had their share of good ideas, and it is so important right now that we're working together.

House Republicans applaud President Obama when he says that he has a commitment to fiscal responsibility, accountability, and ensuring that spending decisions are made without burdening our children and our grandchildren. We can unite around that, and we can work together. It's not about party. It's not about -- but it is about people, and focusing on doing what's best for families and small businesses all across this country.

REP. FALLIN: Good morning. I'm Mary Fallin from Oklahoma.

American families and businesses are feeling beaten down. They're worried about our economy, and that is certainly reflected in the instability of our markets and our financial institutions. The Americans were promised change. They were promised that it would be a new day at the this Capitol. But yet what they have seen is spending and deficits rising at lightning speed, and they're very concerned. They're concerned about making their house payments. They're concerned about paying their bills. They're concerned about the direction of this nation. And we see that every day in our businesses and we -- as we watch the different news stories that are coming forth.

You know, President Obama promised that he would go line by line in the budget, and that he would eliminate wasteful spending. And what we have seen is an omnibus bill that has come forth with $410 billion of spending, with 9,000 earmarks in it that were air-dropped in the middle of the night, where we didn't even have time to read that piece of legislation because it came through so quickly. And that's -- and even -- the Democrats didn't even have time to read it because it came through in the middle of the night.

And so Americans are mad. They want us in Congress to control our spending. They want us to be productive with our money. They want us to get the economy back on track. And we have to give the American public hope and encouragement, and show them that we're going to work together, we're going to do the right things, we're going to work together in a bipartisan way. And the Republicans are willing to do that.

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