Weekly Republican Address Richard Burr 02/08/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO

Weekly Republican Address Richard Burr 02/08/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO

The Senate will turn to legislation on Monday that would repeal a cut to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for some military retirees. While the Democrat COLA proposal would add to the federal deficit, Republicans have introduced legislation that would repeal the COLA cut without adding to the debt.

In the Weekly Republican Address, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, highlights a number of other veterans issues, including a dysfunctional VA disability claims system that is plagued by errors and delays and is failing veterans of all ages. "As the nation's military stands down from its war footing, veterans should not have to wage another battle here at home, this time against government bureaucracy," says Burr.

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FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT:

"This week, President Obama shared with all Americans his priorities and concerns about the serious economic challenges we as America are facing. I appreciated his optimism and agree with him that our country has the ability to overcome this significant economic challenge. "The strongest tool we as Americans have is our ability to rally together and to find solutions with unity of purpose. There is no limit to our ability and potential when we as a nation and as a people work together.

"Many times, disagreements between the two political parties in Washington get all the headlines. What's not reported is the fact that Republicans and Democrats agree on where we want to go, but we disagree on how we're going to get there.

"These uncertain times present us with a defining moment. The actions and decisions we make and the actions we take in our nation's capital and in the state capitals across this country will have a profound impact on the way of life for years to come.

"Families facing tough decisions at home know this because they are confronting the same challenges. Washington needs to understand this reality as well. It's difficult to fully appreciate, but every time Congress and the President spends a dollar, it's actually a dollar PLUS interest that our children and our grandchildren will have to pay back.

"We must remind ourselves of this fact every single day. Unfortunately, Washington is in a state of denial. Our spending habits haven't gotten better, they've only gotten worse.

"It seems that every morning you pick up the newspaper, you're reading about another multi-billion dollar government spending plan being proposed or even worse, passed. The numbers are so large, and the deficits so staggering, it's difficult for the average person to imagine how much money we're talking about. We become numb to what the dollar figures really mean, or the obligation that accompanies them. Let me take a moment to try to explain what is happening in Washington right now, and what it will mean for all of us down the road.

"This week, the president submitted to Congress the single largest increase in federal spending in the history of the United States, while driving the deficit to levels that were once thought impossible. If we just look at what our debt spending will cost us in interest payments alone, we are talking about 4 trillion dollars over the next 10 years, more than a billion dollars of interest payments every day. Think of that 4 trillion as a finance charge on your credit card bill -- you have to pay, but you get nothing for it in return. This finance charge obligates more than $52,000 for every family in America over the same 10-year period.

"These payments don't even make a dent in the balance we owe. In fact, the balance on our credit card continues to grow as we continue to spend. Like a family that finds itself choking under the weight of credit card balances and finance charges, the federal government is quickly obligating the American people to a similar fate.

"This is why we must keep our eye on the big picture. For two centuries, the American Dream has depended on the simple belief that men and women work hard so their children would have a better future. Looking at the spending priorities of Democrats in Washington in the proposed budget and over the past month, it's hard to escape the reality that for the first time we could see the American Dream vanish. Now, instead of working hard so our children can have a better life tomorrow, we are asking our children to work hard so that we don't have to make tough choices today.

"It's long past time to show restraint and to make the tough choices that will help put our fiscal house in order. Generations of Americans past have often been called on to make great sacrifices for their country. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice. Is it not time for government to make sacrifices for future generations? It's time for those elected to lead. Will we rise to the challenge, and make the tough choices necessary? Or will we simply hand the obligation to our children and wish them good luck?"

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Weekly Republican Address Susan Brooks, Gregg Harper, Martha Roby, and Fred Upton 02/01/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT PODCAST VIDEO

WASHINGTON, DC – In this week’s Republican address, Reps. Susan Brooks (R-IN), Gregg Harper (R-MS), Martha Roby (R-AL), and Fred Upton (R-MI) call on President Obama to support House-passed bills that address issues he discussed in the State of the Union. Among these areas of common ground are federal research, job training, workplace rules, and natural gas. The address echoes a letter House Republican leaders sent to the president on Thursday.

The full audio of the address is here. Download MP3 for PODCAST

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT. Weekly Republican Address Cambridge, MD February 1, 2014

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI):

You may not have been thinking about it at the time. but on Tuesday, when the president was delivering the State of the Union, we were observing a tradition prescribed by our Constitution. All branches of government and all walks of life gathering round in the people’s House. It is democracy at its finest. But these blessings do come with responsibilities. The Constitution also requires the president and the Congress to heed the will of you, the people, and work together to carry out the business of the country.

So in that spirit, Republicans have identified four areas of bipartisan common ground that the president talked about in his speech.

Even better, these are all areas where the House has already acted and we can move the ball forward without delay.

We’d like to share these ideas with you now.

Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS): Well, for example, the president talked about supporting federally funded research to unleash more great discoveries. 



We agree. More must be done to prioritize the resources we have for the research we need.

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act would eliminate public funding for political party conventions and instead fund pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health. 


We’re talking about everything from cancer, autism, and Fragile X Syndrome to the rarest genetic disorders.

No, we can’t fix it all, but surely creating a lifetime of hope and opportunity for our most vulnerable kids is more important than subsidizing week-long political pep rallies.

Representative Martha Roby (R-AL): We also want to do all we can to help hardworking Americans balance the demands of family and work.

Whether it's for taking a child to the doctor or taking care of aging parents, many Americans need more flexibility in their jobs.

The president talked some about this, saying we need to fix workplace rules from the “Mad Men” era.

I’m glad he raised this issue.

The Working Families Flexibility Act allows workers in the private sector the option of using their overtime toward paid time off – or comp time – if that's what they'd rather have.

Government employees already have this option, so why not give private sector workers the same choices?

Our bill would finally replace restrictions that, believe it or not, have been in place since 1938, long before Don Draper’s time.

Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN): Of course more must be done for the millions of Americans who are having such a hard time finding a job.

One thing the president talked about is ensuring workers can get the right skills for the right jobs.

We agree this is critical. As someone who worked at a community college in job training, I know our economy has changed, but the way we train our workers has not.

The SKILLS Act would consolidate the dozens of job training programs on the books and put the focus on programs that work. Programs that actually lead to jobs.

All while strengthening the vital relationship between our community colleges and job training programs.

I strongly believe this legislation would create an opportunity for every American to find a good paying job.

Chairman Upton: We not only want Americans working again – we want them building.

The president talked about how natural gas production is good for our economy and for our jobs.

We couldn’t agree more.

And in a bitterly cold winter, in my home state of Michigan and across much of the nation, where the demand for electricity is high, and heating bills even higher, the time is ripe for action.

But our infrastructure has not kept pace, which is why we must build an Architecture of Abundance to help create jobs today and keep energy affordable tomorrow.

The Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act cuts red tape to ensure that pipelines can be built. It connects natural gas supplies with new manufacturing plants. And it is another step towards a real all-of-the-above energy policy.

These four bills cover a lot of ground, I know, but they are all about making life work for more Americans. And again, they need only a vote in the Senate - because we’ve already passed them in the House - to make it to the president’s desk.

To help push things along, Republican leaders have sent a letter to President Obama laying out all this common ground, and we are eagerly awaiting his reply.

We believe that this can be a year of bipartisan action, a moment when speeches give way to solutions.

The American people never let us down, and we cannot let them down either.