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Obama, Barack - President
Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Please have a seat. Good afternoon to all of you. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. |
| 00:01:0226 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We've been doing everything we can over the last few weeks to make sure that 160 million working Americans aren’t hit with a holiday tax increase... |
| 00:01:2841 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Now, on Saturday, we reached a bipartisan compromise that would do just that -- make sure that people aren’t seeing a tax cut the first of the year;... |
| 00:02:0912 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So far, the only reason it hasn’t landed on my desk -- the only reason -- is because a faction of House Republicans have refused to support this compromise. |
| 00:02:2137 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Now, if you’re a family making about $50,000 a year, this is a tax cut that amounts to about $1,000 a year. That’s about 40 bucks out of every... |
| 00:02:5835 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And that’s why we thought we’d bring your voices into this debate. So many of these debates in Washington end up being portrayed as which party... |
| 00:03:3337 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So on Tuesday, we asked folks to tell us what would it be like to lose $40 out of your paycheck every week. And I have to tell you that the response... |
| 00:04:1024 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
The responses we’ve gotten so far have come from Americans of all ages and Americans of all backgrounds, from every corner of the country. Some of... |
| 00:04:3416 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Joseph from New Jersey talked about how he would have to sacrifice the occasional pizza night with his daughters. He said -- and I'm quoting -- “My... |
| 00:04:5024 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Richard from Rhode Island wrote to tell us that having an extra $40 in his check buys enough heating oil to keep his family warm for three nights. ... |
| 00:05:1417 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Pete from Wisconsin told us about driving more than 200 miles each week to keep his father-in-law company in a nursing home -- $40 out of his paycheck... |
| 00:05:3119 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We heard from a teacher named Claire from here in D.C. who goes to the thrift store every week and uses her own money to buy pencils and books for her... |
| 00:05:5021 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
For others, $40 means dinner out with a child who's home for Christmas, a new pair of shoes, a tank of gas, a charitable donation. These are the things... |
| 00:06:1138 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
And keep in mind that those are just the individual stories. That doesn’t account for the overall impact that a failure to extend the payroll tax... |
| 00:06:4953 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So it's time for the House to listen to the voices who are up here, the voices all across the country, and reconsider. What’s happening right now... |
| 00:07:4240 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So, enough is enough. The people standing with me today can’t afford any more games. They can’t afford to lose $1,000 because of some ridiculous... |
| 00:08:2241 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
This is not just my view. Just a few hours ago, this is exactly what the Republican Leader of the Senate said we should do. Democrats agree with the... |
| 00:09:0327 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) |