[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H7477]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FISCAL CLIFF DEADLINE

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, the American people are looking at 
Congress with disdain--and rightfully so. With the deadline on the 
fiscal cliff only hours away, we have failed to reach a reasonable 
compromise to move the economy forward and ward off painful tax hikes 
on the middle class.
  The majority of Americans have sent us a clear message of what they 
want--a fair tax system, an economy that works for everyone, and a 
strong social safety net. These are classic American values, and 
throughout our history Members of both parties have made compromises in 
order to protect them. Those compromises reflect not just the will of 
the people but the way normal people do business.
  Every day of their lives American workers solve problems and 
collaborate with their coworkers to meet objectives. They don't get to 
wait until after the deadline passes to get the job done; if they do, 
they lose their jobs. The American people can't just go home if they 
don't get their way. And yet that's exactly what House Republican 
leadership did earlier this month. I hope it's not what they plan to do 
again this week.
  Madam Speaker, if my colleagues don't wake up and respond to what the 
American people want, they will be the ones to ultimately lose their 
jobs--and rightfully so.

                          ____________________