Today, the House of Representatives rejected H.J. Res. 2, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, when the measure failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote necessary for adoption. The amendment did not include any explicit guarantees to protect Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security; would have required federal government outlays not to exceed receipts; and would have required a two-thirds super majority to raise the debt ceiling. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) made the following statement in response to the House's action:
Today in a letter to President Obama, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) called on President Obama to raise the debt ceiling under the authority of the 14th Amendment. Below is the text of the letter:
July 30, 2011
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Today, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) criticized the Republican "Cut, Cap, and Balance" Act – an ideological assault on our democratic institutions that would eviscerate critical federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare.
"This anti-democratic proposal holds hostage the possibility of increasing the debt ceiling to avoid a disastrous federal default, unless Congress approves a so-called 'Balanced' Budget Amendment to the Constitution by two-thirds of the House and Senate," said Conyers. "Unfortunately, the purported 'Balanced' Budget Amendment would not balance the budget, but would have catastrophic consequences for our country.
Today, House Judiciary Democrats continued to fight back Republican efforts to impose extreme Medicare cuts with a constitutional amendment, in the Committee's third day-mark up of H.J. Res 1, the Republican balanced budget constitutional amendment.
H.J. Res. 1 would amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget and a super majority vote of both houses in order to run a deficit, increase taxes, raise the debt limit, or spend more than 18% of the GDP in any fiscal year. In order to achieve balance without increasing revenues, it would mandate cuts even more draconian than any considered by the House.
Today, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) opposed the Republican balanced budget proposal that would enshrine special interest tax loopholes into the Constitution.
In support of Congressman Mel Watt's (D-N.C.) amendment to eliminate the protection of special interest tax breaks, Conyers noted:
The Republican proposal would take more than $1 trillion in tax breaks for favored industries and millionaires off the table before the discussion of budget cuts would even begin. Meanwhile, Social Security, Medicare, support for our veterans and children would be decimated.
Today, at the House Judiciary markup of H.J. Res 1, the Republican balanced budget constitutional amendment, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), offered an amendment that would exempt Medicare from the draconian budget proposal.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) criticized conservative House Leadership for failing to take active steps to avert the looming government shutdown-one that would have a potential of hosting a devastating impact on the American people, particularly lower and middle-class individuals.
Mr. Conyers' statement is as follows:
Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued a report, "America on the Brink," detailing the impact of the GOP budget proposals as well as the impact of a possible government shutdown on justice and judiciary related areas.
On Thursday, February 24th, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) will host a forum on the impact that the GOP's budget proposal – and the looming government shutdown – will have on job creation, public safety, and America's justice system. Some of the federal programs that will be critically affected by H.R. 1, the Republican continuing resolution that passed the U.S.
Today, at the House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Committee Hearing on "Going Dark: Lawful Electronic Surveillance in the Face of New Technologies," Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) emphasized the dangers of legislating new requirements desired by law enforcement on all communications companies. Mr. Conyers criticized the possibility that the administration may propose that all communications providers, including Internet based companies, deploy mechanisms in their systems to allow for intercepts of communications.
Below is Mr. Conyers' opening statement from the hearing:
Today, at the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law Hearing on the Role of Public Employee Pensions in Contributing to State Insolvency, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. rejected the proposal to have states file for bankruptcy to relieve them of their contractual obligations, such as collective bargaining agreements and pension funding commitments, under bankruptcy law.
Late last night, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a budget proposal (H.R. 1) that will make immediate and drastic cuts to the Justice Department, Homeland Security Department, and other federal agencies.
Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement regarding the proposal:
Today, House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) challenged the Republican House's decision to spend ten hours of floor time and federal tax resources debating a function Congress already performs in overseeing regulations.
Today, House Judiciary Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement at the Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on the REINS Act, Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny.