John Barrasso Weekly Republican Address TEXT PODCAST VIDEO 01/22/11

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) released the following weekly Republican address. The address is available in both audio and video format and is embargoed until 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, January 22, 2011.

Full text transcript of Senator Barrasso’s Address:

“I’m John Barrasso, a doctor and a United States Senator for Wyoming. “I’m pleased to talk with you today from my hometown of Casper. “Across our country, Americans remain shocked and saddened by the recent violence in Arizona.

“As we return to work in Washington, our hearts go out to Congresswoman Giffords, the other victims and their families.

“They remain in our thoughts and in our prayers.

“Earlier this week, the newly elected House of Representatives immediately kept its promise to you, the American people. It did so by voting to repeal the President’s health care spending law.

“Now it’s the Senate’s turn.

“The President’s party has wasted millions of your taxpayer dollars trying to persuade you to support this law.

“Well, in spite of the mailings and the misleading television ads, they have failed.

“A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans still want this law repealed.

“And the reasons are clear.

“Ask yourself – are you better off or worse off now that the healthcare law has been on the books for almost a year?

“Has the cost of your own health insurance gone down?

“Remember the President promised that the law would significantly reduce your costs.

“If you get health insurance through your job, are you confident that you can keep it?

“We’ve already heard how the new law forces many employers to choose between keeping workers and paying for insurance coverage.

“How about the availability of your care?

“As most Americans know, coverage does not equal good care.

“According to the government's own experts, it could get a lot harder for many Americans to find a doctor or a hospital to go to.

“Now, for seniors, the reason is because the law cuts 500 billion dollars from Medicare - not to save Medicare, but to start a whole new Washington program.

“And seniors are not the only Americans targeted by the President’s new law.

“Small-business owners now have to file burdensome tax forms for basic business expenses such as phone and Internet service, shipping costs, office supplies.

“This absurd provision only increases the costs of owning and operating a small business.

“Each and every day, more people pay the price of Obamacare’s mountain of mandates.

“As I travel across the country, I continue to hear from Americans who want Washington to take its hands off of their health care.

“Interestingly, the only way to get out of this law, is to have friends in high places – like in the President’s own administration.

“While the Administration is forcing most Americans to accept the new law, over one and a half million Americans now get a free pass.

“These people have been given special Washington waivers.

“Many of these waivers have gone to labor unions who supported the law in the first place, but now don’t want to live under it.

“Well, if you don’t have a lawyer or a lobbyist connected to this Administration, you’re out of luck.

“This isn’t fair and it’s not the American way.

“As a doctor, I have taken care of families for over a quarter of a century.

“I know that this law is bad for patients, it’s bad for providers – the nurses and the doctors who care for those patients – and it’s bad for taxpayers.

“As a doctor, I’m disturbed that the law will require more IRS agents to investigate you. To make sure you actually buy insurance – but it fails to deal in any meaningful way with the shortage of nurses and doctors to actually take care of you.

“Your health care decisions should be decided in your doctor’s office – not a Washington office.

“Nothing should come between you and your doctor.

“Not a government bureaucrat.

“Not an insurance company bureaucrat. Nothing.

“Republicans will fight to repeal this job-destroying law and replace it with patient centered reforms.

“Reforms like making it legal for Americans to buy health insurance from companies in other states.

“Ending junk lawsuits that drive up the cost of everyone’s care.

“And restoring Americans’ freedom over their own health care decisions.

“Thanks to the vote in the House of Representatives, we are now one step closer to victory in the fight for a health care policy that puts Americans first – not Washington.

“Our job won’t be done until we repeal and replace this bad law.

“Thanks for listening.” ###

TEXT CREDIT: US Senator John Barrasso [R-WY] Washington, DC Office: 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Main: 202-224-6441 Fax: 202-224-1724 Tollfree: 866-235-9553

VIDEO CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress

AUDIO VIDEO FILES CREDIT: Republican.Senate.Gov

Jim Jordan Scott Garrett Jim DeMint Unveil the Spending Reduction Act

Jim Jordan Scott Garrett Jim DeMint

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), Rep. Scott Garrett (R-New Jersey), chairman of the RSC Budget and Spending Task Force, and Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, unveiled the Spending Reduction Act, which begins to address the rapidly growing national debt by making substantial spending cuts immediately and throughout the next decade. “The national debt has grown from $8.6 trillion four years ago to more than $14 trillion today,” said Jordan. “This mountain of debt, nearly the size of our entire economy, threatens to create a whole new financial crisis. Every day we refuse to change course and instill some fiscal responsibility, the problem grows even larger. Unless Washington acts soon to cut spending, massive tax hikes, economic stagnation, and national bankruptcy will rob our children of the opportunity to reach for the American Dream.” “The Spending Reduction Act gives us a $2.5 trillion head start in the race to preserve the fiscal stability of the United States,” said Garrett. “This bill represents the first step in the process, not the last. To achieve long-term fiscal stability, we must finish the race by making the tough decisions Congress has put off for far too long. Only after we tear down barriers to job creation and make reforms to our entitlement programs can we truly resolve our debt crisis.” “Our nation stands on the edge of a fiscal cliff and we face a stark choice: go over the edge into bankruptcy and declining freedom or choose to make the hard decisions today to save our country for our children and grandchildren," said DeMint. "I'm proud to stand with Congressmen Jordan and Garrett against the wave of wasteful Washington spending. The Spending Reduction Act begins the difficult task of shrinking the federal bureaucracy that threatens our future prosperity. Congress must take the steps now to balance the budget, pay off our debt, and preserve freedom for future generations.” Compared to current projections, the Spending Reduction Act would save taxpayers $2.5 trillion through 2021.

It starts by keeping House Republicans’ pledge to take current spending back to 2008 levels and repeal unspent funds from the failed “stimulus.” At the beginning of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2011, spending is further reduced to 2006 levels and frozen there for the next decade. To help achieve these savings, the bill shrinks the size and cost of the civilian federal workforce and specifically targets over 100 budget items and spending reforms.

The Spending Reduction Act Download file in .doc fomat

TEXT and .doc CREDIT: United States Senator Jim DeMint

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