[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 11, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION NEEDS TO LISTEN

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if you ask Mr. and Mrs. 
America who are in the rural hamlets and the urban cities across 
America, they will tell you whether there is a recession or not. If you 
ask the automobile dealers, the home builders, if you ask the 
individuals who are attempting to put their children through college or 
even to make ends meet, they will tell you that bad news is already 
here; 63,000 jobs were lost last month.
  I am glad the Democrats are taking the opportunity to strengthen our 
economy and create jobs. Democratic leaders last week held a second 
economic forum. The forum convened national experts and talked about 
how we can create jobs. The New Direction Congress has already passed a 
bipartisan economic stimulus of which thousands of Americans will be 
receiving a payment because of the leadership of our Democratic 
majority. We are helping to create 500,000 jobs. But it is well to 
recognize that this administration just last month lost 63,000 jobs.
  What we need to do is bring our troops home, lower health care costs, 
and increase health care quality. We need to vote in the CHIP bill and 
stop the President's veto. We need to ensure that we lower energy 
prices through alternative fuels by creating hundreds of thousands of 
new green jobs. We have got to make college more affordable and K-12 
classrooms more successful.
  We can empower America with our own initiative and our own genius. 
But we cannot do it if we have an administration that doesn't listen. 
Sixty-three thousand jobs lost tells the story, and Mr. and Mrs. 
America say, ``wake up and provide an opportunity for Americans.'' They 
want the Democrats to lead and to be able to create the opportunity for 
the economic engine that will save jobs and create jobs.

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