Press Release

Price Statement on House-Senate Conference Committee Discussions

Washington, D.C.– House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Tom Price, M.D. (R-GA) issued the following statement as negotiations continue between House and Senate conference committee members over an extension of the payroll tax holiday, unemployment benefits, and Medicare reimbursements for physicians treating seniors. Today Democrats will offer a Motion to Instruct conferees calling for passage of a compromise by February 17.

“The Senate’s window for negotiating a full-year extension of the payroll tax holiday, unemployment benefits, and a fix to the Medicare reimbursement formula is quickly drawing to an end. We are still waiting to see where compromise can be found on a bill that will get us through the year and provide a modicum of certainty for taxpayers, employers, and seniors,” said Chairman Price.  “Our Democrat colleagues have said they cannot support the House-passed extension as written.  So to help facilitate compromise through the regular order of a conference committee, House Republicans this week offered three examples of ways to save money and help ensure that we are not doing further damage to America’s fiscal situation.  These were proposals that have passed the House with bipartisan support and have been supported or signed into law already by President Obama.  This ought to be the low-hanging fruit of these negotiations.  One has to wonder what has happened in the past few months and past few days to make these once acceptable items seemingly no longer acceptable.

“The two-month bill advanced in December has already strained employers, employees, and physicians by inserting a needless level of uncertainty into an already struggling economy.  If Democrats truly can no longer support these bipartisan solutions, I hope they will return to the negotiating table with ideas of their own that actually have shown a chance of becoming law.  That is how to resolve our differences by finding those things we can support, not putting forth items – like a large tax hike on job creators – that have not received sufficient support in either chamber.”

###