House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R., Va.) has a message for Obama: “Our country’s not soft, Mr. President.”
“Our country’s been paralyzed by a Washington-knows-best mentality that’s coming from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,” Cantor said in response to some of the president’s recent comments.
At a press conference today, Cantor addressed the tasks ahead for Congress, as Obama continues to pressure lawmakers to take up his American Jobs Act.
“The president continues to say, Pass my bill in its entirety,” Cantor said. “The all-or-nothing approach is just unacceptable.” But that does not mean the House isn’t prepared to take action to help create jobs. Cantor said the House looks forward to voting on the pending the free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, as well as the repeal of a number of regulations that are bogging down businesses and pending legislation that would increase small business owners’ access to capital.
“Both sides have the desire to do big, bold things, “ he said, but added that it’s the House Republicans who are chomping at the bit to “curb the appetite for spending” that’s hampering many on the Left. The focus, he said, needs to be on job creation and Americans’ confidence that this is still the number one nation for innovation and growth.
As Cantor rose to leave the room, he fielded a Chris Christie question, but didn’t exactly answer it.
“I think that’s a decision that’s up to the governor … It’s a very viable field, now.”