Orrin Hatch: “I was somewhat appalled with the President's press conference, which is clearly as blatantly political a press…”

“I was somewhat appalled with the President's press conference, which is clearly as blatantly political a press conference as I believe has ever happened in this town, basically saying that the Republicans are tying up this legislation in the Senate today. How could anybody make that comment when his own side refuses to grant cloture on something as simple, as fair, as decent, as worthwhile, as bipartisan as the Billy Dale bill? And they do it all under the guise that they are not getting what they want on the minimum wage, and then they vote against cloture today knowing that Senator Dole said they can have a vote on their minimum wage. But if they want their vote on minimum wage, we are going to do something about the gas tax, and we are going to do something about the TEAM Act. I have to say I support Senator Dole in his effort to repeal the 4.3-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline that President Clinton and the Democrats passed back in 1993. While some critics might try to dismiss this bill as an election year gimmick, I believe they are missing the main point. This is about far more than just the 4.3-cent gas tax. The fact is the 1993 tax bill was the largest tax increase in history. We are now paying taxes at the highest rate in history.”