| 00:01:1524 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Good afternoon, everybody. For the past couple of months, I’ve been working with leaders of both parties to try and forge an agreement that would... |
| 00:01:3914 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I still want to get this done. It’s the right thing to do for our families, for our businesses, and for our entire economy. But the hour for immediate... |
| 00:01:5333 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
We’re now at the point where, in just four days, every American’s tax rates are scheduled to go up by law. Every American’s paycheck will get... |
| 00:02:2620 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I just had a good and constructive discussion here at the White House with Senate and House leadership about how to prevent this tax hike on the middle... |
| 00:02:4632 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
But if an agreement isn’t reached in time between Senator Reid and Senator McConnell, then I will urge Senator Reid to bring to the floor a basic... |
| 00:03:1827 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I believe such a proposal could pass both houses with bipartisan majorities as long as those leaders allow it to actually come to a vote. If members... |
| 00:03:4534 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So the American people are watching what we do here. Obviously, their patience is already thin. This is déjà vu all over again. America wonders why... |
| 00:04:1927 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
The economy is growing, but sustaining that trend is going to require elected officials to do their jobs. The housing market is recovering, but that... |
| 00:04:4614 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Economists, business leaders all think that we’re poised to grow in 2013 –- as long as politics in Washington don’t get in the way of America’s... |
| 00:05:0041 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So we've got to get this done. I just want to repeat -- we had a constructive meeting today. Senators Reid and McConnell are discussing a potential... |
| 00:05:4121 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So if we don’t see an agreement between the two leaders in the Senate, I expect a bill to go on the floor -- and I've asked Senator Reid to do this... |
| 00:06:0215 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
But let's not miss this deadline. That’s the bare minimum that we should be able to get done, and it shouldn’t be that hard since Democrats and... |
| 00:06:1735 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
I just have to repeat -- outside of Washington, nobody understands how it is that this seems to be a repeat pattern over and over again. Ordinary folks,... |
| 00:06:5217 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
So I'm modestly optimistic that an agreement can be achieved. Nobody is going to get 100 percent of what they want, but let's make sure that middle-class... |
| 00:07:0933 sec. |
Obama, Barack - President
Thank you very much, everybody. |