House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA.) took her frustrations to Twitter Friday to express her discontent with her Republican dominated chamber of Congress. Ms. Pelosi has not been as visible in the public eye as House Speaker John Boehner (R-CA.) regarding the ongoing negotiations between lawmakers over extending the payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits.
However, her comments Tuesday certainly seemed aimed at the man who took her position in 2010.
“We’re on day 346 of GOP majority,” Ms. Pelosi tweeted Friday.
“Having a day that has defined the year of GOP-control: missed opportunities & made up crises,” the California Republican added.
Her tweet came amid ongoing talks in Congress to avoid a government shutdown, a day after The House Appropriations Committee introduced the final fiscal year 2012 Appropriations legislative package Thursday.
She has maintained her view that supports President Barack Obama’s sentiments earlier this week, as the president stated that members of Congress will not go home for their annual Christmas vacation until the payroll tax rate extension is resolved.
Ms. Pelosi was part of the minority in the House that voted against passing Republican backed legislation that would have extended the payroll tax cuts, but included a provision for an expedited approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
The House minority leader’s comment on Twitter echoed her comments at a press conference Thursday where she claimed that Republicans are avoiding the payroll tax extension in favor of a bill that was “doomed from the start.” She also stated that if the payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits are not extended, approximately 600,000 jobs would be affected.
“After avoiding the issue and opposing the payroll tax cut, the Republicans reluctantly passed through the House a bill that was doomed from the start,” Ms. Pelosi said Thursday.
“The best analogy I can use, it’s like someone saying to her fiancée: “yes, I’ll finally marry you, but I can only do that on February 30th.” That day is never coming. Nor is the day coming when the President will sign the bill that the Republicans passed, having issues that have nothing to do with payroll tax like the Keystone pipeline,” the California Democrat added.
Perhaps responding to the House minority leader’s comments Friday, House Speaker Boehner tweeted a link to a blog post on his website shortly after Ms. Pelosi’s “made up crises” tweet, that showed bipartisan support for the Keystone XL Pipeline project.
Mr. Boehner’s website showed support from a total of 6 Democratic senators and 4 Democratic Representatives, including Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA.), who slammed Mr. Obama in a blog post on The Hill earlier this week.
“I think the president’s wrong on this,” Mr. Cardoza said in the blog post on Mr. Boehner’s website Friday.
“He can veto whatever he wants, but those are both policies I support,” Mr. Cardoza added.
Democrats have indicated earlier this week that they would consider dropping the proposed “millionaire’s tax,” that Republicans are staunchly opposed to including in a bill to extend the payroll tax cuts, but only in the event that Republicans curtail some of their proposed measures as well.
Members of Congress and the president are scheduled to leave for vacation Friday, but at this point in remains unclear if that will happen, as the payroll tax cut legislation still has not been resolved.
