[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18430]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       AVOIDING THE FISCAL CLIFF

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
implore the House GOP leadership to address the looming fiscal cliff. 
We have only a few hours left, and we owe it to the American people to 
find a solution, pass legislation, and send it to the President for his 
signature tonight.
  There is too much at stake to let this critical situation devolve 
into the same politics as usual that we have seen throughout this 
Congress. The consequences of failure or inaction are dire. According 
to the Congressional Budget Office, going over the cliff would raise 
the unemployment rate from 7.9 to 9.1 percent in 2013. We would also 
see devastating cuts to programs that pay for education, food 
inspection, and air travel safety, nearing $55 billion.
  Madam Speaker, there is no more time, and the American people are 
depending on us for a solution to avoid this fiscal cliff.

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