Prepared Remarks Of House Republican Leaders At A Press Conference

Statement

PREPARED REMARKS OF HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS AT A PRESS CONFERENCE

PARTICIPANTS: HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH); REP. MIKE PENCE (R-IN); REP. GINNY BROWN-WAITE (R-FL)

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REP. BOEHNER: Good morning, everyone.

You know, all year long, Republicans have been reaching out to Democrats, offering what we think are better solutions to the problems that the American people face. Whether it was the budget, whether it was the reauthorization of the children's health insurance program or things like the stimulus bill. You know, the stimulus bill was supposed to be about jobs, jobs, jobs. Instead, it turned out to be more money for Jack Murtha's empty airport. This is not really what the American people expect ought to be done with their money. But Republicans are going to continue to work, this year, on what we think are better solutions. We're working on a better solution for health care, that will maintain the doctor-patient relationship, making sure patients can choose their own doctor and not be forced into some government-run health care program.

When it comes to the issue of energy and climate change, we can move America toward energy independence and clean up our environment. We don't have to have one or the other. I do believe that our all-of- the-above energy strategy that encourages the development of renewable sources of energy, along with nuclear energy - and yes, more American- made oil and gas - can achieve both more energy independence and make sure that we're cleaning up our environment at the same time. You'll see us continue to reach out to our Democrat colleagues. We hope that they will change from what they've done for most of the year, which is their 'go it alone strategy' and actually work with us to help solve the issues that the American people sent us here to solve.

REP. BROWN-WAITE: Thank you very much, John.

One of the things that all Americans are concerned about obviously is their health care and their ability to keep what they like in their health care. You know, if you can't afford the coverage that your family needs, and if you can't get the treatment that you need, obviously you're being denied access, and that is a crisis. And Americans believe that there is a crisis in health care. We've got to address the American health care challenges. We're working to find immediate, measureable ways to do that, and without jeopardizing choice and quality. That's what Americans want in their health care system. We must protect the doctor-patient relationship.

The Democrats' "one size fits all" program just is not being accepted by the American public. One of the things that they're concerned about is it's estimated that over 100 million Americans will lose their health care as a result of the Democrat plan. That's not going to be accepted by the Americans who like what they have. We need to work on what's good in the health care system and improve it, and we need to make sure that health care is there. You know, whether it's a senior in Florida dealing with their cardiologist or whether it is a pregnant mom dealing with her OB/GYN, we need to preserve that doctor-patient relationship. That's what health care should be all about, and that's one of the major factors that Republicans are fighting for every single day in whatever health care reform is out there.

Health care must be personal, and it must be tailored to the person's individual needs. And one of the things that John Boehner has entrusted to a working group dealing with health care is come up with exactly that. You know it's interesting that recently even some of the Blue Dogs expressed some concern about where the health care bill may be going in the House of Representatives, and I think that's a good sign. And we stand ready to work with the Blue Dogs to accomplish meaningful health care reform that puts patients first.

REP. PENCE: In addition to my duties as House Republican Conference Chairman, Leader Boehner asked me to lead the American energy solutions group in the House Republican Conference. Our task is to first do no harm by doing our part to stop the national energy tax the Democrats will be unveiling this week in the form of their Cap and Trade legislation. And also, as the Leader suggested, to develop a comprehensive energy alternative built on the "all of the above" foundation that Republicans unveiled in the last Congress. We look forward to doing that. We had a successful energy summit on Capitol Hill last Tuesday and will be headed out on the road before the end of this month. To Pittsburgh. To Indianapolis. And to a destination in California as well. Let me speak for just a second about the issue of energy.

When I was home in Indiana this weekend, there is a sense among many that the economy has bottomed out and that we may be beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But along with that sense of hope is a profound anxiety that this Administration and Democrats in Congress will short-circuit our recovery in the next two years by passing a national energy tax. And this we must not do.

Like millions of Americans, Republicans are anxiously awaiting the details of the Cap and Trade bill after months of asking Democrats to reveal the numbers it sounds like the horse trading is over. The American people hope the Democrats haven't horse traded away our prosperity in the cap and trade bill. The reality is the purpose of cap and trade legislation, no matter how it is deployed, is to discourage consumption of CO2 intensive products, energy and means of transportation by raising costs to consumers. It is a national energy tax. And the American people know this. It is a tax that falls most harshly on lower income Americans, fixed income Americans and if I may say with some sincere regional concern. Cap and trade legislation represents an economic declaration of war on the Midwest by liberals in Washington, DC and it must be opposed.

Republicans will offer better solutions, will offer a better energy solution built on more domestic exploration for oil, coal and natural gas, will embrace an all of the above strategy that embrace wind solar and nuclear we'll even advance clean coal technologies. But we must not allow this Administration and this Congress to pass, in these difficult economic times, a national energy tax that will raise the cost of energy to every single American household by thousands of dollars per year.

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