[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 20, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9-H10]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          OREGON ISSUES AND THE PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, the most important thing the President can tell 
Oregonians tonight is what he will do to improve our struggling 
economy. All Oregonians hope for an improved economy that creates new 
and high-wage jobs. But the President must not let his hopes and 
expectations for future economic growth blind him to the current plight 
of the thousands of Oregonians who are out of work today. The 
unemployment rate in Oregon is a shocking 7.2 percent. But this is not 
a naked statistic. This is people losing their homes, losing their 
health care, losing their ability to send their children to college and 
a better future.
  I was on our solid light rail system recently and I met a gentleman 
who came up to me and said, ``Congressman, I have two master's degrees 
and I have been working in high technology for almost 20 years. But 
I've been without work for 18 months and I've lost access to 
unemployment benefits.'' To show compassion for that man, Oregonians 
and Americans across this country, the President must and should call 
for an immediate extension of unemployment benefits. For unemployed 
Oregonians, it is these benefits that keep their kids in college and 
prevent the loss of a home, a car or vital access to health care.
  Too many Oregonians know the heartbreak of a jobless economic 
recovery. To create new, high-paying jobs,

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we need investment in Main Street as well as Wall Street. I have 
sponsored legislation to give small businesses incentives to invest and 
grow, and I hope that the President will tell us tonight how all 
Americans can prosper together and not just the large corporations and 
the fortunate who are their shareholders.
  Mr. Speaker, the key to economic success begins with education. The 
President needs to keep his promise to truly leave no child behind by 
committing tonight to providing the resources that America needs to 
have the best public school system in the world. Also, we must make 
college affordability a national priority. Recent tuition increases 
have put college out of reach for too many Oregon and American 
families. I will be working on the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce to make college more affordable and accessible.
  In closing, we must work together to address the most important 
issues facing our Nation, extending unemployment benefits, investing in 
Main Street small businesses, and providing the best education possible 
to all Americans.

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