[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 977 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         June 11, 2008.
Whereas many economists believe the economy of the United States is entering a 
        recession;
Whereas the economy lost 17,000 jobs in January 2008 and 191,000 in 2007;
Whereas the manufacturing sector lost 269,000 jobs over the past 12 months and 
        28,000 jobs in January 2008 alone;
Whereas manufacturing employment now accounts for less than 10 percent of the 
        job market for the first time since data began being collected in the 
        1930s;
Whereas in January 2008, 18.3 percent of those unemployed had been out of work 
        for 27 weeks or longer, up from 16.2 percent a year earlier;
Whereas manufactured goods imported from developing countries have grown from 
        just 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product in 1990 to 6 percent in 
        2006;
Whereas annually, total housing starts decreased in 2007 to 1,353,700, which is 
        a 24.8 percent decrease from the 2006 estimate of 1,800,900;
Whereas Congress and the President responded to the potential recession by 
        passing into law a bipartisan stimulus package that provides rebate 
        checks of up to $600 per individual and $1,200 per married couple, plus 
        an additional $300 per child;
Whereas the stimulus legislation will put money back into the hands of low-
        income and middle-income Americans, those who need it most;
Whereas the stimulus legislation will be most effective if the rebate checks are 
        spent on American-made goods and services from American-owned companies;
Whereas American-made goods are the best in the world;
Whereas every dollar from the stimulus package spent on an American-made good or 
        service, rather than a foreign-made good or service, will result in more 
        than a dollar increase in the short-term gross domestic product;
Whereas if rebate checks are spent on American-made products and services from 
        American-owned companies, an additional $10,000,000,000 will be infused 
        into the economy;
Whereas the annual trade deficit has grown to the $700,000,000,000 range in the 
        past decade, up from the $100,000,000,000 range in the early 1990s;
Whereas buying American-made goods would not add to the size of the growing 
        trade deficit, which many economists contend is unreasonably large;
Whereas there have been concerns about the safety of imported goods, spurred by 
        the fact that 60 percent of product recalls in the past year involved 
        Chinese-made toys, food ingredients, and other products; and
Whereas many countries do not follow the same environmental, labor, and human 
        rights standards of the United States, putting American workers and 
        companies at a competitive disadvantage: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages Americans to use 
their rebate checks from the stimulus package to purchase American-made goods 
and services from American-owned companies.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.