W.H.: The President Is ‘Looking out for Middle Class Families’ with New Oil Tax

‘We’re not surprised ... that Republicans leaped to the oil industry’

SUPERVILLE: “To go back to the [indecipherable] tax for a second. Is that something that you are hoping to get in this final year? What was the  purpose of putting it out there knowing what the reaction will be from the Republicans?”
EARNEST: “Look, the purpose of a policy proposal, and this is what will be included in the president’s budget next week, but if you lay out your agenda, you lay out where your priories are, and you lay out what you think is the best path forward for the country. Again, I think this is the reason that you have budget hearings in the first place. The budget proposal that we will put forward will reflect what the president believes Congress should enact to move the country forward. But our expectation is not that Congress is just going to pass every single line that's included in the budget, we should have a debate and because Republicans are in charge of the Congress, and the Democrats are in charge of the White House, we are ultimately going to have to have a compromise. So we were not particularity surprised that wen we announced our oil [indecipherable] Republicans leaped to the defense of the oil industry. That's the indication that the oil's industry millions of dollars in lobbying in campaign contributions are money well spend. They have people who are really looking out for them in the United States Congress, they are all Republicans. The president is the one who’s looking out for middle-class families and we will continue to put forward ideas that we believe are in the best interest of our economy and the middle class families. Many of those ideas will be included in the budget and it is unfortunate Republicans will not have a conversation about it.”

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