“President Obama and his ultraliberal, anti-job creating comrades in the Democrat Party are apoplectic because Republicans are standing strong with the American people, refusing to hike their taxes during Obama’s Great Recession. Obama, again, is failing Americans, providing no leadership, and exacerbating our national debt to more than $15 trillion - over $48,000 for every American man, woman and child.

“We must immediately cut spending - for real, not the Obama way - and dismantle the barriers to growth. We must simplify the tax code, which my ‘9-9-9 Plan' does. According to former Reagan Treasury official Gary Robbins, of Fiscal Associates, 9-9-9 will expand our GDP by $2 trillion, create 6 million new jobs, increase business investment by one-third, and increase wages by 10 percent.

New leadership in Washington after Nov. 6, 2012 will unleash the American spirit of prosperity once again and toss Obama’s failed economic leadership into the history books.”

PRESS RELEASE from RickPerry.org  2:33 PM

Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on the Supercommittee

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement on the failure of the supercommittee:

"Ultimately, responsibility for this failure lays at President Obama's feet. The whole reason a supercommittee was created was because the President wasn't willing to lead, wasn't willing to even put on paper his plans for cutting spending. It's amazing to what lengths he will go to avoid making tough decisions.  And who pays the price for Washington's failure? The American people and our military personnel, who will now be subjected to a half trillion dollars in national defense cuts?

"The President and Congress should work through the Thanksgiving holidays, work through weekends and recesses to cut federal spending, undo the damage being done to our military personnel and fix the budget mess.  Our military gets the job done in life-threatening conditions every day, it's time the President and Congress get serious about cutting federal spending and balancing the federal budget.  

"The supercommittee's failure is the perfect illustration of how Washington is broken and needs to be seriously overhauled. As President, I will demand a complete overhaul of Washington, D.C. starting with a Balanced Budget Amendment, a part-time citizen Congress, and major tax and spending cuts to jump-start our economy and create good American jobs.  We can fix the system with my flat tax and serious reforms cutting taxes to a flat 20 percent, ending earmarks and corporate tax loopholes, and balancing the federal budget by 2020."

Dear Friend and Supporter,

I am honored to be a part of the Newt 2012 team, and I am so grateful that you have made the decision to stand with Speaker Gingrich as he seeks the office of President of the United States! Speaker Gingrich has the big ideas and bold policies that are the only antidote to the venomous policies of President Obama. As a student of history, Speaker Gingrich understands that this is our only opportunity to unwind the damage this administration has caused. Imagine four more years of radical judicial nominees like Kagan and Sotomayor and the kind of failed leadership exemplified by the “super committee.”

Today the “super committee” is expected to announce that they have failed to reach an agreement, and now dangerous cuts to our military are looming. According to Secretary of Defense Panetta, the $600 billion cut would gut our military leaving the smallest ground force since 1940, the smallest number of ships since 1915, and the smallest Air Force ever. The whole idea of this committee is idiotic, and one candidate had the experience to start sounding the alarm immediately after it was announced. As you might have guessed, that candidate is Speaker Newt Gingrich!

This is a perfect example of why Speaker Gingrich is the man we need in the White House. We have prepared an important video that shows exactly why we need a candidate that has enough experience to understand how Washington works and enough sense to know that it is terribly broken.

This week we are preparing for Iowa, whose caucuses are now just 43 days away. Please take a moment and watch and share this NEW VIDEO, and if you can help us reach our goal of raising $1.5 million dollars this week, there is a contribution page immediately underneath the video. With your support we will keep the Newt surge going all the way to the White House!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW VIDEO

Thank You,

Joe DeSantis
Communications Director
Newt 2012

Manchester, NH - Governor Jon Huntsman today released the following statement on the failure of the so-called "Super Committee" and their inability to reach a decision on combating our nation's growing deficit. 

“Today I empathize with Americans who are overly frustrated with our government’s inability to accomplish anything," said Governor Huntsman. "We face a historic debt, and people cannot trust their elected leaders to agree on even a modest level of spending reductions. The fact that the president's utter abandonment of leadership on our debt crisis necessitated a super committee signals his failure and Washington's dysfunction. It's time to get serious. We need bold solutions and principled leadership to renew and rebuild America."

To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.

###

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

5:44 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon.  As you all know, last summer I signed a law that will cut nearly $1 trillion of spending over the next 10 years.  Part of that law also required Congress to reduce the deficit by an additional $1.2 trillion by the end of this year.

In September, I sent them a detailed plan that would have gone above and beyond that goal.  It's a plan that would reduce the deficit by an additional $3 trillion, by cutting spending, slowing the growth of Medicare and Medicaid, and asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. 

In addition to my plan, there were a number of other bipartisan plans for them to consider from both Democrats and Republicans, all of which promoted a balanced approach.  This kind of balanced approach to reducing our deficit -- an approach where everybody gives a little bit, and everyone does their fair share -- is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans -- Democrats, independents, and Republicans.  It’s supported by experts and economists from all across the political spectrum.  And to their credit, many Democrats in Congress were willing to put politics aside and commit to reasonable adjustments that would have reduced the cost of Medicare, as long as they were part of a balanced approach. 

But despite the broad agreement that exists for such an approach, there's still too many Republicans in Congress who have refused to listen to the voices of reason and compromise that are coming from outside of Washington.  They continue to insist on protecting $100 billion worth of tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans at any cost, even if it means reducing the deficit with deep cuts to things like education and medical research.  Even if it means deep cuts in Medicare. 

So at this point, at least, they simply will not budge from that negotiating position.  And so far, that refusal continues to be the main stumbling block that has prevented Congress from reaching an agreement to further reduce our deficit.

Now, we are not in the same situation that we were -- that we were in in August.  There is no imminent threat to us defaulting on the debt that we owe.  There are already $1 trillion worth of spending cuts that are locked in.  And part of the law that I signed this summer stated that if Congress could not reach an agreement on the deficit, there would be another $1.2 trillion of automatic cuts in 2013 -– divided equally between domestic spending and defense spending. 

One way or another, we will be trimming the deficit by a total of at least $2.2 trillion over the next 10 years.  That's going to happen, one way or another.  We've got $1 trillion locked in, and either Congress comes up with $1.2 trillion, which so far they've failed to do, or the sequester kicks in and these automatic spending cuts will occur that bring in an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction.

Now, the question right now is whether we can reduce the deficit in a way that helps the economy grow, that operates with a scalpel, not with a hatchet, and if not, whether Congress is willing to stick to the painful deal that we made in August for the automatic cuts.  Already, some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts. 

My message to them is simple:  No.  I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending.  There will be no easy off ramps on this one. 

We need to keep the pressure up to compromise -- not turn off the pressure.  The only way these spending cuts will not take place is if Congress gets back to work and agrees on a balanced plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion.  That’s exactly what they need to do.  That’s the job they promised to do.  And they've still got a year to figure it out. 

Although Congress has not come to an agreement yet, nothing prevents them from coming up with an agreement in the days ahead. They can still come together around a balanced plan.  I believe Democrats are prepared to do so.  My expectation is, is that there will be some Republicans who are still interested in preventing the automatic cuts from taking place.  And, as I have from the beginning, I stand ready and willing to work with anybody that’s ready to engage in that effort to create a balanced plan for deficit reduction.

Now, in the meantime, we've got a lot of work left to do this year.  Before Congress leaves next month, we have to work together to cut taxes for workers and small business owners all across America.  If we don’t act, taxes will go up for every single American, starting next year.  And I’m not about to let that happen.  Middle-class Americans can’t afford to lose $1,000 next year because Congress won’t act.  And I can only hope that members of Congress who've been fighting so hard to protect tax breaks for the wealthy will fight just as hard to protect tax breaks for small business owners and middle-class families. 

We still need to put construction workers back on the job rebuilding our roads and our bridges.  We still need to put our teachers back in the classroom educating our kids. 

So when everybody gets back from Thanksgiving, it’s time to get some work done for the American people.  All around the country, Americans are working hard to live within their means and meet their responsibilities.  And I know they expect Washington to do the same.

Thanks.

END
5:50 P.M. EST

###

Super Committee Failure Demonstrates Institution’s Inability To Function

On December 13, No Labels Unveiling Congressional "Fix It Now" Agenda To Make Congress Work!

The impending failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach an agreement is a “clear demonstration of a broken system,” No Labels Co-Founder and former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) said Monday.

To fix the broken institution, No Labels will unveil its congressional rules agenda at a press conference on Capitol Hill on December 13. The rules agenda details the measures Congress can institute immediately after the 2012 election, each of which can be enacted in less than 24 hours.

“It has never been clearer that the current congressional system is broken,” No Labels Co-Founder Bill Galston said. “The No Labels congressional rules agenda will lay out twelve steps Congress can take to break the gridlock and make the system work again.”    

“We need to change the rules to change the game,” Bayh said. “This is the third high-profile debt effort to fail in the last year. Time is running out to get our nation’s fiscal house in order and we need a serious plan to reboot Congress now.”

For more information on the December 13 press conference or to arrange an interview with a No Labels co-founder, please contact Sarah Feldman at press@nolabels.org or (202) 588-1990. To learn more about No Labels, please visit www.NoLabels.org.

Heartland Institute Reacts to Super Committee Failure

The so-called “super committee,” a bipartisan panel of members of the House and Senate, announced Monday it would not reach agreement on a plan to cut $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over 10 years. The deadline for an agreement, part of the federal debt ceiling deal brokered in August, is Wednesday.

The following statements from budget and tax analysts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution.

“I expected the super committee to fail. It was probably unconstitutional anyway. No super committee or gimmick of any kind can control the federal budget. We need lawmakers who are committed to controlling it. That’s all. Unfortunately, almost no one in Congress has that commitment.”

Steve Stanek
Research Fellow, Budget and Tax Policy
The Heartland Institute
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            CONTACT:    Lauren Weiner
November 21, 2011                                                      Jeremy Funk                                             

For Immediate Release: November 21, 2011

Contact: Doug Gordon

Statement of Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org, on the Super Committee:

"The Super Committee failed because Republicans refused to budge on making millionaires pay their fair share in taxes," said Justin Ruben, Executive Director of MoveOn.org. "Instead of taking a cue from the thousands of people protesting in the streets against an economy rigged for the richest 1%, Republicans have once again sworn their allegiance to the millionaires on Wall Street. Make no mistake -- Republicans have made protecting tax breaks for the 1% their top priority. And even though Republicans like to talk a good game about deficit reduction, when it came down to it, they proved that protecting the richest 1% is more important to them than anything else."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:            Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
November 21, 2011                     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:            Contact: Blair FitzGibbon
November 21, 2011