[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 43 (Monday, March 8, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COVID RELIEF PACKAGE
(Ms. WILD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, I know that no one in this Chamber needs to be
reminded that we are here to represent people. In my community and
nationwide, many people have been facing unprecedented financial
hardship and personal struggles for a year now. Despite that fact, some
people in this town will grow louder and louder in saying that the
American Rescue Plan is too large and that after passing tax cuts for
the super-rich, we can't afford to come to the aid of everyday working
people and small business owners.
The truth is that we are in danger of doing too little, not too much.
As Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz wrote: ``Congress must
pass this legislation or risk an anemic and devastatingly incomplete
recovery.''
After the 2008 financial crash, Washington bailed out the largest
financial institutions without passing a large enough relief package.
The resulting recovery was weighted heavily against working people. We
cannot make that same mistake today.
Passing the American Rescue Plan means saving as many as 4 million
jobs and returning to full employment as quickly as possible. It means
setting up more vaccination sites in our communities.
Let's pass this bill this week and get it to the President's desk for
signature.
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