Scalise on Pelosi Admitting Democrats Would Raise Taxes if in the Majority: Not the Direction We Need to Go
WASHINGTON, D.C.— At the House Republican leadership stakeout today, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) slammed Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's comments earlier today admitting she and her fellow Democrats would like to raise taxes on Americans, and noted the record low levels of unemployment we have seen thanks to the economic boom from the pro-growth Republican policies like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Additionally, he discussed the importance of the work requirements reform included in the Republican farm bill being whipped this week to get more people into the workforce and fill these new available jobs.
Click here to watch his full remarks.
On Pelosi's out-of-touch admission:
"Late last week we got some more great economic news. We saw unemployment drop to the lowest levels that we've seen in almost 20 years, and clearly when you talk to small business owners, it's because of the tax cut bill that we passed, the fact that people have more money in their pockets. You see businesses reinvesting in their workers, hiring more people, giving bonuses and pay raises to employees and then being able to go out and expand their business so that they can compete globally.
"One of the things I got to do around the district last week is have some roundtables, and one of the roundtables we had was with a lot of technology companies in Louisiana – some large, medium and small size companies—and we had FCC Chairman Ajit Pai join us. And it was amazing when you hear a lot of these companies talk about the growth in the technology industry and the things that they're able to do now because of the tax cut bill that we passed. You know, just this morning, maybe an hour ago, Nancy Pelosi gave an [interview] and of course she announced that she wants to run for Speaker again, if the Democrats get the majority. You know what Nancy Pelosi said she would do on the heels of all this great economic news that we're seeing because we cut taxes? Nancy Pelosi said she would raise taxes if she were Speaker.
"It shows you the contrast and the differences in philosophy up here. We've cut taxes and because of this historic tax cut—the first time in over 30 years that we reformed our tax code and made America competitive again—we’re seeing this great economic growth. And on the other side of that, we see Democrats up here in Washington say they want to reverse that. They want to reverse the growth that we're seeing and take that money out of the pockets of hard-working families. That's not the direction we need to go."
On Republican reforms in the farm bill to move folks back into the workforce:
"And as we're looking to get more people employed, to get more people into the workforce, to get people out of poverty, we're bringing up a farm bill. And yesterday, we had the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue come and talk to the Whip team about this great farm bill that not only deals with farm policy but it also deals with reforming our broken welfare system. And at a time when companies are looking for workers, we have a bill that's actually going to help people get out of poverty and create independence out of dependency. These are the things that we're going to be working on to get more bills passed to help people have a real shot at the American dream because ultimately that's what it's about, seeing a great economy and giving more people the opportunity to get off of welfare and back into the workforce."