Does U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent Agree With His Leader John Boehner That Pennsylvania Cops, Fire Fighters, and Teachers Are Nothing But “Special Interests”?
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August 9, 2010
Does U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent Agree With His Leader John Boehner That Pennsylvania Cops, Fire Fighters, and Teachers Are Nothing But “Special Interests”?
Republican House Leader John Boehner Reacts to Vote Tomorrow on Emergency Job-Saving State Assistance by Insulting Pennsylvania’s First Responders and Educators
Will Dent Condemn Boehner’s Statements – or Join Him in Voting to Fire Thousands of Pennsylvania Public Service Workers?
Washington DC – Americans United for Change challenged U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent to condemn outrageous statements made by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) that legislation to provide emergency state assistance that will save the jobs of 290,000 public service workers — including teachers, police officers, firefighters and nurses – amounts to a “pay off” to “special interests.”
Tom McMahon, Executive Director, Americans United for Change: “Republican House Leader John Boehner isn’t just out of touch with reality, he must be out of his mind if he thinks the folks working hard every day to educate our children and who are putting their lives on the line to keep us safe are nothing but “special interests.” Boehner has offered no apologies for insulting Pennsylvania’s cops, teachers, nurses, and fire fighters, and Congressman Charlie Dent’s constituents deserve to know: does he stand behind his leader?”
“Considering the Republican House Leader has perhaps the coziest relationships in Washington with CEO’s and lobbyists for the big Wall Street banks, big Oil, and the big insurance companies, he’s the last guy you’d expect to be preaching about “special interests.” Like Boehner, Representative Dent has taken money hand over fist from the real special interests and voted to protect their bottom line time and again over the interests of middle-class families in Pennsylvania.”
“But tomorrow, Representative Dent will have an opportunity to get his priorities straight by voting for emergency state assistance that will ease the burden on cash-strapped local governments and protect the jobs of nearly 300,000 Americans,” added McMahon. “Make no mistake: a vote against this emergency aid is a vote to fire hundreds of thousands cops, fire fighters and teachers across America and to leave those remaining stretched to the breaking point. Will Rep. Dent stand with Pennsylvania’s brave first responders and educators, or will he stand with his Leader that considers them nothing but “special interests?”
FACT SHEET: The U.S. House is set to vote Tuesday on an emergency state assistance bill that:
1. Saves and creates 290,000 American jobs (140,000 teacher jobs saved and 150,000 jobs created or saved, including police officers, firefighters and nurses).
2. These funds are needed immediately to prevent layoffs or actually rehire teachers and prevent law enforcement officers from losing their jobs.
3. Completely paid for, in part by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship American jobs overseas.
4. Cuts the deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.
SOURCE: http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=2439