House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Sunday blasted President Donald Trump's Executive Order that would provide a payroll tax cut for those making $100,000 or less.
"While it has the illusion of saying we're going to have a moratorium on evictions, it says, 'I'm gonna ask the folks in charge to study if that's feasible.' While he says he's going to do the payroll tax, what he's doing is undermining Social Security and Medicare, so these are illusions," Pelosi told Fox News' Chris Wallace. "These are illusions."
.@SpeakerPelosi is known as a "master negotiator" but Congress failed to lead an agreement in Congress. According to the speaker, @realDonaldTrump's Executive Order doesn't accomplish what he set out to do. pic.twitter.com/HSonoAGKIX
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 9, 2020
It seems as though Pelosi forgot what she said in 2012 on PBS about this very issue.
"[Payroll tax cuts] are necessary because our economy and our people need this boost. For individual families, 160 million American families, this will be a boost. From a macroeconomic standpoint, the demand is injected into the economy, will spend this money, will be a job creator" the then-Democratic Minority Leader said with a smile.
According to Pelosi, the payroll tax cut plan is an "immediate job booster" because people are more likely to spend money in the economy, which creates jobs.
And it wasn't just this interview Pelosi did on the payroll tax cut extension. She also released a statement applauding the bill's passage:
“Today is a victory for all Americans - for the security of our middle class, for the health of our seniors, and for economic growth and job creation. The American people spoke out clearly and, thanks to President Obama's leadership, 160 million Americans will continue to receive their payroll tax cut - nearly $40 per paycheck in the pockets of the average family. I salute the work of the unified House Democratic caucus on behalf of the American people.
“We still have work to do to ensure this extension lasts throughout 2012. Today, I have appointed conferees who will begin work immediately on a bipartisan bill that will create jobs, grow our economy, and strengthen our middle class.”
Isn't it amazing that Pelosi favored a payroll tax cut when the 2008 recession hit – under President Barack Obama – but opposes it now that President Trump is in office?
The truth is this: the American economy was booming before the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. We had record-low unemployment. Americans were feeling a robust economy that worked for them and what happened? The government asked Americans to stay home and stop working to help slow the spread of the virus. As a result, we ended up with a massive unemployment rate, the worst since the Great Depression. And it happened practically overnight.
Instead of wanting to see Americans prosper, Pelosi would rather play politics. Instead of working with the White House, she'd rather point fingers and see the American people suffer.