House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who recently described anti-Wall Street demonstrators as “growing mobs," said today that the increasing frustration in the United States is warranted.
Cantor, in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” also predicted that the congressional supercommittee will be successful in its goal of cutting “at least” $1.2 trillion from the deficit.
“There is a growing frustration out there across this country, and it’s warranted,” the Virginia Republican responded when asked about his “mobs” remark made on Oct. 7. “Too many people are out of work.”
U.S. lawmakers, facing a 9.1 percent unemployment rate and a stagnant recovery from the 2008 financial crisis, are split on what is needed to spur economic growth and recovery. Republicans have pushed for a reduction in federal regulation, the corporate and individual rates and “significant spending cuts.” President Barack Obama countered with his $447 billion jobs proposal, aimed at boosting the economy through infrastructure spending, subsidies to local governments and cutting payroll taxes.
“Where I’m most concerned, is we have elected leaders in this town who frankly are joining in an effort to blame others rather than focusing on the policies that have brought about the current situation,” Cantor said of the anti-Wall Street protests.
Cantor said that “there has to be success” in the supercommittee’s deficit-reduction efforts.
Obama has been unable to get lawmakers to sign onto his $447 billion jobs package and has placed the blame on Republicans for lacking a plan and putting a halt to progress. Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, disputed that view in a personal call to Obama, saying that he wanted to make sure Obama “had all of the facts,” according to a readout of the call provided by Boehner’s office.
The U.S. Senate shelved Obama’s plan on Oct. 11 when it fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the proposal. Lawmakers and the White House said after the vote that they would begin looking for pieces of the White House plan that are amenable to both parties, and then hold separate votes on those parts.
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