[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE STATE OF THE U.S. ECONOMY

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the declining 
state of our economy. What has happened to our economy in these past 2 
years? It is devastating. Health care costs and prescription drug costs 
are up. Employees are seeing their hard-earned retirement and 401(k) 
savings evaporate.
  Despite these economic hardships, the Republicans continue to support 
big corporate interests, ignoring the economic troubles of America's 
working families. It is time that we call upon this administration and 
this Republican House to acknowledge, to acknowledge the serious 
economic difficulties that we now face.
  We must stop draining the Social Security Trust Fund, and we must 
pass a Medicare prescription drug benefit that lowers drug prices and 
helps all seniors. We must get this economy moving in the right 
direction, and it is my hope that my colleagues will join me in trying 
to ease the economic strain facing American families.

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