Janice Schakowsky: “I am happy to be here representing the Progressive Caucus and talking about our fiscal situation now that I think a lot…”

“I am happy to be here representing the Progressive Caucus and talking about our fiscal situation now that I think a lot of people out there are worrying about, confused about, don't know how it's really going to affect them, wondering what the heck we're doing. Sometimes Members of Congress who aren't part of the negotiations are wondering what's going on too. But what I want to talk about today are the things that are at stake for ordinary people in our country, the things that are on people's minds as we deal with these economic issues that face our country. I am Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky, and I represent a district, a very diverse district, in Illinois, diverse in every way--economically, certainly by race and ethnicity--and I think in many ways a microcosm of the country. I know that we're getting a lot of calls from our constituents. The calls that I'm getting were reaffirmed by a poll that I saw on Tuesday in our National Journal Daily on page six that says: ``Poll: Entitlement cuts feared most in cliff talks.'' It goes like this: As President Obama and congressional leaders race to avert the fiscal cliff, Americans remain concerned that whatever budget deal they strike will cut too much from Medicare and Social Security, according to the poll. More of the Americans surveyed are worried about such cutbacks than seeing their tax bills rise, the latest United Technologies/ National Journal Connection poll has found.…”