[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 194 (Tuesday, December 18, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H16648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PRESIDENT BUSH IS OUT OF TOUCH WHEN HE SAYS THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IS 
                                 STRONG

  (Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, it's hard for this Congress to 
get President Bush to prioritize the needs of the middle-class families 
when he refuses to face reality and chooses to govern by veto rather 
than vision.
  Yesterday, the President surprised a lot of us when he said the 
economy is perfectly strong. That's news to them. You don't need the 
polls to tell you that the American people are deeply concerned about 
this economy. Who can blame them? With home values and wages dropping, 
and health care costs, home heating costs, gasoline costs, college 
tuition costs and food costs all rising, the hardworking American 
middle class is trying to make ends meet.
  This Congress is not satisfied with the economic status quo that 
serves a very few at the very top. We've made progress over the last 
year easing the economic crunch. We passed legislation to address the 
subprime mortgage crisis, increased the minimum wage, passed 
legislation that cut taxes on middle-class families and made college 
more affordable by investing in our children.
  We're proud of these accomplishments, but we know the American middle 
class is still struggling. And we look forward to working on creative 
solutions that actually address the problem instead of simply vetoing 
with no leadership.

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