JOHN BOEHNER

“Gasoline prices have never been higher this time of the year,” the Associated Press reported this weekend.  Americans are already feeling the pinch – paying higher prices for everything from gas to groceries, and now economists warn that the price spike could jeopardize the already-lagging economic recovery.  Here’s more:

• “POTENTIAL INCREASE TO RECORD HIGHS COULD SLOW ECONOMY, ANALYSTS SAY.” “[G]as prices are rising at a record pace, crossing the $4-a-gallon threshold in some parts of the country, and threatening to break an all-time high, experts say. … [R]ising gas prices could stunt the nation’s sluggish economic recovery. ‘I think it’s one of the biggest risks in the outlook,’ Gary Schlossberg, senior economist at Wells Capital Management in San Francisco, said of rising fuel costs.’” (Chicago Tribune, 2/21/12)

• “SURGING GAS PRICES THREATEN TO DERAIL ECONOMIC RECOVERY.” “[S]urging fuel prices are once again looming as a major threat to the financial health of U.S. consumers and the broader economy. … ‘It’s a big concern because it’s a big chunk of money,’ said William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business lobbying group. As he sees it, an increase of $1 a gallon at the pumps means an extra $20 million out of the pockets of consumers and businesses every day.” (Los Angeles Times, 2/20/12)

• “HIGHER GASOLINE PRICES COULD HURT RECOVERY.” “By summer, some analysts said, you could be paying $4 for a gallon of gas, almost as high as the record set in the summer of 2008. A price that high could cripple the still-fragile recovery, as millions of Americans might decide to spend their just-renewed payroll tax cut on gas instead of a new clothes dryer or TV set.” (The Kansas City Star, 2/20/12)

• RISING GAS PRICES “A BULLET ‘RICOCHETING’ THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ECONOMY.” “The calendar said Presidents Day, but at the gas pump, it sure felt more like Memorial Day. Prices have never risen this far this fast so early in the year. … Gassing up his pickup at the Uni-Martin Susquehanna Twp., Bruce Roberts described rising gas prices as a bullet ‘ricocheting’ throughout the entire economy. … ‘It changes delivery costs,’ Roberts said, ticking off the impacts. ‘It hits your food costs. All your trucking, they are going to charge more money. It all gets passed on to the consumer, and it's going to hurt.’” (The Patriot-News, 2/20/12)

• “OIL PRICES CONTINUE TO RISE, THREATENING U.S. GROWTH.” “Oil is raising the price of gasoline for American motorists. … That could crimp modest growth in the economy. … Gas prices are up about 25 cents this year. A 25-cent jump in gasoline prices, if sustained over a year, would cost the U.S. economy about $35 billion.” (Associated Press, 2/17/12)

• “RISING OIL PRICES ARE EMERGING ONCE AGAIN AS A THREAT TO THE U.S. ECONOMIC RECOVERY.” “Rising oil prices are emerging once again as a threat to the U.S. economic recovery just as it appears to be gaining momentum. … A prolonged increase can drive up inflation and drive down hiring. ‘It has the power to derail an economic recovery that’s not looking very strong already,’ said Paul Dales, an economist for research firm Capital Economics.” (The Wall Street Journal, 2/16/12)

President Obama has thwarted more American energy production at every turn – from his refusal to back bipartisan, House-passed energy bills to his rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline – and now Americans are paying the price every time they fill up.  Last week, Republicans passed legislation to increase American energy production, the most recent step in an ongoing effort, the House GOP-led American Energy Initiative, to roll back the Obama Administration’s moratorium on American energy.  Senate Democrats have refused to act on any of these bills.  With gas prices on the rise and Americans struggling, it’s time for Senate Democrats to quit playing politics and work with Republicans to help address gas prices and create jobs by passing these critical American Energy Initiative bills – including approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.  Learn more and like the American Energy Initiative on Facebook, and read more about the Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators at jobs.gop.gov.

In the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) highlights how President Obama’s budget breaks his promise to cut the deficit in half and continues his job-crushing policies.  The lawmaker notes that Republicans, as part of the Plan for America’s Job Creators, will offer a pro-growth budget that lifts the crushing burden of debt and creates a better environment for private-sector job creation.  Listen, watch, or download the weekly address, and check out early coverage:

“OBAMA BUDGET PROPOSAL UNDER FIRE IN GOP ADDRESS”: “…Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers used the Republican response to hammer the budget proposal he sent to Congress on Monday.  The president made no mention of his budget…  McMorris Rodgers … Argued that the president's budget would instead make the country less competitive with manufacturing giants such as China.  ‘Instead of leading the effort to bring down our debt and make tough choices, the president is proposing that we spend more and more,’ she said. ‘All his wasteful spending puts us deeper in debt to China. All his tax hikes would destroy jobs and make it tougher to compete with China.’  His $3.8 trillion proposal, she said, reneges on Obama's promise to halve federal deficits by the end of his first term. … And McMorris Rodgers argued that the spending cuts are not new sacrifices, but previously negotiated cuts and mirage.” (“Obama budget proposal under fire in GOP address,” CNN, 2/18/12)

“SAYS PRESIDENT OBAMA WON’T KEEP HIS PROMISES” TO CUT DEFICIT IN HALF: “In this week's republican address, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of the State of Washington says President Obama won't keep his promises on the economy.  Referring to a February 2009 White House Summit on fiscal responsibility, McMorris Rodgers says the president has failed to keep his promise to cut the nation's deficit in half by the end of his first term in office.  Rep. McMorris Rodgers says more broken promises seem to be coming, too. She says that when one does the math, ‘the president's budget only achieves, at most, about a tenth of the savings it promises.’ ‘More than half of the proposed 'savings' in the president's budget for the next year -- about $2 trillion -- are already law,’ McMorris Rodgers says. ‘These savings come from the Budget Control Act -- the bill congressional Republicans insisted that the president sign last year in response to his demand for an increase in the nation's debt limit.’” (“GOP Address: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers -- Obama's Budget Is 'Roadmap to Greece,’” ABC News Radio, 2/18/12)

“WARNS THAT OBAMA’S OVERSPENDING WILL SET THE COUNTRY UP FOR A FINANCIAL IMPLOSION LIKE THE ONE IN GREECE”: “Washington state Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers warns that Obama's overspending will set the country up for a financial implosion like the one in Greece.  She accuses Obama of ‘proposing that we spend more and more,’ instead of making tough choices to bring down the national debt.” (“GOP warns of spending,” Associated Press, 2/18/12)

“ACCUSED THE PRESIDENT OF GRANDSTANDING AND RELYING ON GIMMICKS”: “With President Obama's federal budget, all roads lead to Athens, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Saturday in the Republican's weekly national media address. … ‘The president's budget isn't a blueprint for America -- it's a roadmap to Greece,’ she said in a slam referring to Greece, which is struggling to meet fiscal targets so it can qualify for a $170 billion international bailout loan.  McMorris Rodgers also said President Obama had dropped the ball on a pledge to cut the federal deficit in half by the end of his first four years in office.  She accused the president of grandstanding and relying on gimmicks.”  (“GOP congresswoman slams Obama budget,” UPI, 2/18/12)

“MORE THAN HALF THE PROPOSED SAVINGS … COME FROM REDUCTIONS ALREADY IN THE LAW”: Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers ofWashington, in the Republican radio and Internet response, criticized the $3.8 trillion budget plan Obama proposed on Feb. 13 and the $831 billion stimulus bill of 2009, which marked its third anniversary yesterday.  The budget plan wouldn’t meet Obama’s pledge to cut the deficit by half by the end of his first term.   Rodgers said about $2 trillion, or more thanhalf the proposed savings in the budget plan, come from reductions already in the law, while another almost $1 trillion comes from a ‘war gimmick’ of ‘money that was never requested and will never be spent on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.’  ‘Do the math and you’ll discover that the president’s budget only achieves, at most, about a tenth of the savings it promises,’ she said.” (Bloomberg, 2/18/12)

“SAID BUSINESSES ARE LEERY OF HIRING”: “In the Republican radio address, a House member from eastern Washington state said businesses are leery of hiring because of the deficit spending and government regulations in Obama's latest budget.  ‘As we've learned from Greece and the European Union, no country can escape the costs of big government policies forever,’ said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wa. ‘The president's budget isn't a blueprint for America -- it's a road map to Greece.’”  (“GOP rips spending,” USA TODAY, 2/18/12)

“SAID THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET PLAN DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH TO LOWER SPENDING”: “Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R., Wash.), giving the weekly radio address for the Republican Party, said the president's budget plan doesn't go far enough to lower spending and the nation's deficit.  ‘If we keep on going like this, the consequences will be devastating. As we've learned from Greece and the European Union, no country can escape the costs of big-government policies forever,’ she said.  She continued, ‘The president's budget isn't a blueprint for America--it's a roadmap to Greece.’  She said the president hasn't lived up to his promise to slash the nation's deficit in half in his first term.” (Wall Street Journal, 2/18/12)

“THE PRESIDENT IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING THE TOUGH CHOICES”: “In the Republican address, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers accused the president of excessive spending that would lead the country into financial ruin, rivaling that of debt-ridden Greece.  She says the president is not taking responsibility for making the tough choices to cut into the debt and shore up the economy.”  (Voice of America, 2/18/12)

A year after President Obama signed an Executive Order instituting “a government-wide review” of existing regulations “to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive,” the gap between his rhetoric and his record is as wide as ever.  That’s according to several job creators, who told the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations yesterday that they are struggling to grow and create jobs in an “Over-regulated America,” as this week’s Economist cover put it.  Here’s more from yesterday’s hearing on how the president’s broken promise to rein in red tape is making it harder to put Americans back to work:

• “Government Seems to Continually Increase the Number and Complexity of the Regulations Governing” Small Businesses, “Restricting Their Ability to Grow and Prosper.” Andrew F. Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants Inc., which employs 70,000 people nationwide, says that excessive government regulations “are creating structural impediments to opening and operating American businesses that all too often cause those in business to give up in frustration, reducing economic growth and dampening the entrepreneurial spirit so essential to our prosperity.”  Puzder commented specifically on the small business franchise owners who “are concerned about the economic viability of their businesses in the current regulatory climate.”  As he explained, “rather than acting to assist them, the government seems to continually increase the number and complexity of the regulations governing their businesses thereby restricting their ability to grow and prosper.” 

• ObamaCare “Is Creating Significant Concern” Amongst Job Creators “With Respect To the Increased Costs and Regulatory Burdens it Will Undoubtedly Impose.”  Puzder is particularly concerned about the job-crushing impact of the maze of ObamaCare mandates, regulations and penalties.  According to Puzder, ObamaCare “is creating significant concern in the American business community with respect to the increased costs and regulatory burdens it will undoubtedly impose.  … When entrepreneurs and businesses are unable to forecast with reasonable certainty that a venture will return a profit they will not invest, they will not grow and they will not create jobs.  The predictable result is an uncertain and jobless recovery.”

• “Tremendous Volatility and Uncertainty Created by Our Regulatory System” Costing American Jobs.  Robert A. Luoto, president of Cross and Crown Inc., a commercial logging company in Oregon, cited Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that “from 2001 through 2011 the United States logging workforce declined from 73,500 to 48,400 – a loss of almost 25,100 jobs or 35 percent.”  Luoto said that the “tremendous volatility and uncertainty created by our regulatory system is one of the most significant” causes “for the collapse of professional loggers in the United States,” noting that “the regulatory system today creates uncertainty through numerous and ever-changing regulations.”

• “The Most Expensive Regulatory Program in History with Industry Costs in the Billions Annually.” The Obama Administration’s regulations on energy producers alone have created “the most expensive regulatory program in history with industry costs in the billions annually,” according Barbara Walz, Senior Vice President for Policy and Environmental at Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Inc., a not-for-profit electric cooperative.  Walz discussed several Obama Administration regulations – including the “Utility MACT” rule – that will raise costs for Americans “directly in their monthly utility bills and indirectly in the goods and services that they purchase,” and “have real adverse economic impacts on the public” and the ability of energy producers to provide “well-paying and meaningful jobs in communities across the country.”

• “Compliance Timelines for Multiple Rules, Final and Pending… Have Acted to Significantly Increase Unpredictability and Uncertainty.” Despite President Obama’s Executive Order, Kimber L. Shoop, Senior Environmental Attorney for Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company [OG&E], says the company does not see the Obama Administration “successfully balancing the Executive Order’s laudable objectives … with promotion of economic growth, innovation, competitiveness and job creation,” adding that “if anything the compliance timelines for multiple rules, final and pending… have acted to significantly increase unpredictability and uncertainty for utility investment.”  Shoop also cited several new energy rules and regulations that will impose massive costs on energy producers and have a direct impact on jobs and the economy.  As she explained, “jobs in Oklahoma depend on our ability to provide the energy and energy infrastructure to power the state’s economy.  We cannot afford to be cavalier with our customers’ money or with the impact such rate increases,” caused by the cost of new regulations, “would have on our state’s economy, jobs and competitive viability.”

House Republicans have passed nearly 30 jobs bills - several of which will roll back the Obama Administration’s job-crushing blitz of excessive government regulations – that are being blocked by Senate Democrats.  Speaker Boehner has repeatedly urged President Obama to call on Senate Democrats to past these bills, but, as he pointed out yesterday, the president has chosen to campaign instead of working with Republicans to help the private-sector create jobs.  Learn more about the Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators at jobs.gop.gov, and follow the progress of the nearly 30 bipartisan, House-passed jobs bills that have been brushed aside by President Obama and Senate Democrats here.

Usually travelers don’t have to worry about taking a hit at the pump until around Memorial Day, but the headaches are coming earlier this year.  Across the board, families are paying more for everything – from food to rent to clothing – thanks to soaring gas prices, according to the latest consumer price index released by the Labor Department today.  The Associated Press reports that surging gas prices “could crimp already modest growth” and cost the economy billions.  This is bad news for jobs, as the “prolonged increase” in gas prices “can drive up inflation and drive down hiring,” according to the Wall Street Journal.  Americans can’t afford any more of President Obama’s failed policies that are hiking up prices at the pump - and House Republicans are taking action.

Yesterday, the House approved – on a bipartisan basis – legislation “to expand offshore energy production, open less than three percent of ANWR for oil and natural gas production, encourage the development of 1.5 trillion barrels of oil shale in the Rocky Mountain West, and approve the Keystone XL pipeline,” according to the House Natural Resources Committee.  House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) notes that “this is now the third time the House has acted to force action on the Keystone XL pipeline” that “will bring secure energy to America, support the creation of thousands of jobs, and help bring down prices at the pump.” President Obama rejected the Keystone pipeline last month – over the objection of governors, labor unions and even fellow Democrats – despite the fact that gas prices have nearly doubled on his watch.

Three years of the president’s ‘stimulus’ policies have failed, and now he is saying no to more American jobs and lower gas prices by rejecting the Keystone pipeline and refusing to work with Republicans to get several House-passed, pro-growth energy bills through the Democratic-led Senate.  Learn more about the legislation House Republicans have passed to help address gas prices and create jobs on the Republican Plan for America’s Job Creators website at jobs.gop.gov and like the American Energy Initiative on Facebook to follow the progress of these, and other House Republican actions to remove government barriers to American energy and jobs.

In response to a question at his weekly press conference, Speaker John Boehner today called the botched “Fast & Furious” operation an “abuse of government power,” and said President Obama’s Justice Department must be held accountable. Boehner also said he continues to support the investigation by the House Oversight Committee and Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). Watch Boehner here:

BOEHNER: “I think Chairman Issa and the members of [the House Oversight & Government Reform] Committee have done a very good job of investigating this abuse of government power. And I continue to support their efforts and believe that this Justice Department must be held accountable.”

READ MORE: Myth/Fact: Speaker Boehner Backs Oversight Investigation of “Fast & Furious”

“Everything is going up – except the paychecks,” one man tells NBC Nightly News in a segment on the impact of rising gas prices. In fact, while middle class wages have been stagnant during the age of President Obama’s failed ‘stimulus’ spending and excessive regulations, gas prices have nearly doubled. Here’s the NBC segment:

“A prolonged increase” in gas prices “can drive up inflation and drive down hiring,” says the Wall Street Journal. According to NBC, “[a]nalysts say that every 50 cent increase in gas prices takes almost $150 billion out of the rest of the economy. That's bad news during a struggling recovery.”

More energy production would help address rising gas prices. Action is underway in the House this week on an energy and infrastructure jobs bill that removes government barriers to energy production to address high gas prices and create more than a million new jobs. And the House has already passed several bills that would lift the president’s energy moratorium and increase production.

The question is: why won’t Senate Democrats vote on them?

Learn more about House-passed jobs bills at jobs.GOP.gov, and “Like” the American Energy Initiative to learn more about GOP efforts to stop policies that are driving up gas prices and hurting job growth.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) met with the Vice President of China, Xi Jinping, this morning. For a readout of the meeting, please find more info here.

Speaker John Boehner and Leader Eric Cantor meet with His Excellency Xi Jinping, Vice President of China in the Speaker's Ceremonial Office at the U.S. Capitol. February 15, 2012. (Official Photo by Bryant Avondoglio)

NOTE: A high resolution photo can be downloaded here.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) met with the Vice President of China, Xi Jinping, this morning to discuss the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, economic and trade issues between our two nations, and religious freedom and human rights concerns.

Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor both expressed the U.S. government’s ongoing concerns with reports of human rights violations in China and denial of religious freedom. The Speaker’s staff delivered a letter regarding the plight of Gao Zhisheng, a dissident and human rights lawyer imprisoned in China.

Speaker Boehner said he believes improving the economic relationship between our two countries is important, and he will continue working to do so, but cited deficiencies in China’s enforcement of intellectual property laws as an ongoing barrier to stronger economic ties. Leader Cantor welcomed China’s peaceful rise and encouraged China to play a constructive role in international affairs. He expressed disappointment with the Chinese veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria last week.  Leader Cantor also highlighted concerns with Iran’s ongoing pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability and encouraged China’s cooperation with international efforts regarding Iran.

The meeting lasted approximately 27 minutes. A high-resolution photo of the meeting can be found here.

According to Politico, “an overwhelming majority of small-business owners surveyed” by Gallup – 85 percent – aren’t currently hiring. Among them, 48 percent cited concerns about rising health care costs and 46 percent cited new government regulations.

Gallup says it is “less typical” for small businesses to cite specific challenges like health care costs and regulations, perhaps underscoring the fact that President Obama’s policies haven’t only failed, they’ve made things worse.

In fact, recent studies have shown President Obama’s health care law is driving up costs and jeopardizing coverage – and a majority of Americans want it repealed. Several economists and small business owners have also testified to Congress that curbing excessive regulations is one of the keys to creating a better environment for private-sector job growth.

That’s why Republicans are working to remove government barriers to job creation. Under the Plan for America’s Job Creators, the House voted to repeal and defund ObamaCare, and has passed nearly 30 other bipartisan bills cutting federal bureaucracy and red tape -- bills that are collecting dust in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Learn more about the Republican jobs plan at jobs.GOP.gov.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) welcomed Georgian Minister of Education, Dima Shashkini to the Speaker’s Office at the U.S. Capitol today.

NOTE: A high resolution photo can be downloaded here.