Speaking at the Georgetown Waterfront in DC, President Obama blasted Congressional Republicans for putting 700,000 jobs on the chopping block.
And no, it’s not socialism or an imperial presidency, “It’s not crazy, it’s not socialism. It’s not the imperial presidency — no laws are broken,” the President said, lightly mocking Republicans’ for their ongoing conspiracy theories about him. He continued, “We’re just building roads and bridges like we’ve been doing for the last, I don’t know, 50, 100 years.”
President Obama called out House Republicans for refusing to do anything, “All told, nearly 700,000 jobs could be at risk next year. That would be like Congress threatening to lay off the entire population of Denver, or Seattle, or Boston… I haven’t heard a good reason why they haven’t acted — it’s not like they’ve been busy with other stuff. I mean, they’re not doing anything. Why don’t they do this?”
Watch here:
Transcript from the White House:
Now, here is the problem. Here is the reason we’re here in the heat. If this Congress does not act by the end of the summer, the Highway Trust Fund will run out. There won’t be any money there. All told, nearly 700,000 jobs could be at risk next year. That would be like Congress threatening to lay off the entire population of Denver, or Seattle, or Boston. That’s a lot of people. It would be a bad idea.
Right now, there are more than 100,000 active projects across the country where workers are paving roads, and rebuilding bridges, and modernizing our transit systems. And soon, states may have to choose which projects to continue and which ones to put the brakes on because they’re running out of money.
Some have already done just that, just because they’re worried that Congress will not get its act together in time. Now, earlier this year, I put forward a plan not just to replenish the Highway Trust Fund, I put forward a plan to rebuild our transportation infrastructure across the country in a responsible way.
And I want to thank Secretary Anthony Foxx, who is here today, for his hard work in putting this plan together. (Applause.) Because we are not spending enough on the things that help our economy grow, the things that help businesses move products, the thing that help workers get to the job, the things that help families get home to see their loved ones at night. We spend significantly less as a portion of our economy than China does, than Germany does, than just about every other advanced country. They know something that I guess we don’t, which is that’s the path to growth, that’s the path to competitiveness.
So the plan we put together would support millions of jobs. It would give cities, and states, and private investors the certainty they need to plan ahead. It would help small businesses ship their goods faster, help parents get home to their kids faster. And it wouldn’t add to the deficits — because we’d pay for it in part by closing tax loopholes for companies that are shipping their profits overseas to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. Seems like a sensible thing to do. (Applause.)
Then the President threw down. “It’s not crazy, it’s not socialism. It’s not the imperial presidency — no laws are broken. We’re just building roads and bridges like we’ve been doing for the last, I don’t know, 50, 100 years.” Obama continued, “But so far, House Republicans have refused to act on this idea. I haven’t heard a good reason why they haven’t acted — it’s not like they’ve been busy with other stuff.” The audience laughed. “No, seriously.” More laughter at the idea of House Republicans being busy with actual work. “I mean, they’re not doing anything. Why don’t they do this?”
As funny as it is to consider investing in American roads as “socialism” and part of the Republican paranoia and conspiracy theories about the first black President, it’s sobering to realize the impact of GOP obstruction on working families. “Now, Republican obstruction is not just some abstract political stunt; it has real and direct consequences for middle-class families all across the country.”
Republicans might be able to sell investing in American roads as socialism to their itty bitty tent of tin foil hat wearers, but the rest of the country will be a harder sale.
It’s not an imperial presidency; it’s roads.
The real joke is on the American people over the House of Representatives’ commitment to failure.
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