[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR U.S. ECONOMY

  (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, thankfully, there have been a couple of 
bright spots over the past week in the economy. April was just the 
sixth month during this administration in which at least 250,000 jobs 
were created, a welcome relief for this struggling economy. Meanwhile, 
the trade deficit in March decreased from its record high level in 
February, though it is still on pace to become a record year, the 
highest trade deficit in the history of our country.
  Still, the positive news on the economy is often accompanied by 
equally troubling news. New statistics show that each paycheck American 
workers take home ends up buying less and less. The prices of many 
basic goods from gas to milk have shot up, but workers' wages have not 
kept pace. Americans are working hard and producing more, but they are 
not seeing the benefits in their buying power. This is terrible news 
for America's families. We have to have those wages at least keep pace 
with inflation.

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