McCarthy slams 'anti-taxpayer policies' like health bill in Republican address

Healthcare legislation that was recently made law is poised to destroy American businesses, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) said in the Republicans' weekly address.

The House GOP’s chief deputy whip made the charge against the health law, which passed nearly two weeks ago, a day after the Labor Department released March’s jobs numbers with which Republicans expressed displeasure.

“Major employers are already being squeezed because of the tax increases and cost hikes thanks to the new healthcare law signed by President Obama,” McCarthy said. “The new law is just the latest in a series of anti-taxpayer policies coming out of Washington that is making it harder for Americans to save, invest, and hire, but it is by no means the last.”

Republicans are continuing to offer a full-throated opposition to President Barack Obama’s agenda in the wake of healthcare’s passage.

Political observers are keeping a close eye on the state of the economy as the calendar inches toward the fall’s midterm elections.

Democrats lauded the employment report, which showed that employers created 162,000 jobs in March, the largest one-month jump in three years.

But Republicans focused on the still-high 9.7 percent unemployment rate, as well as growing long-term unemployment in slamming Democratic economic policies.

“I need not remind you that this is a time of great economic anxiety for almost everyone. Americans are rightfully asking, 'Where are the jobs? Why is Washington raising taxes in times of recession? Doesn’t anyone care about us? Is anyone actually listening?’” McCarthy asked.

McCarthy also took on the financial reform proposal that will soon come before the Senate, one of the last pieces of major legislation that will be considered before the election. The California Republican said that, too, will decrease employment.

“Now, President Obama wants Congress to pass job-killing legislation that would guarantee permanent bailouts for Wall Street,” he said. “Under his plan, unelected Washington bureaucrats would be granted virtually unlimited power to pick winners and losers – and hardworking American taxpayers would pick up the tab for the reckless decisions made by irresponsible bankers. What’s worse, this legislation fails to address the root causes of the economic crisis and housing meltdown – the lack of accountability in Washington and on Wall Street.”

With Easter and Passover this weekend, McCarthy did not dedicate his entire address to politics. He wished people “a year of peace and prosperity in this holiday season.”

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