[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 48]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 A NEW VISION FOR INVESTING IN AMERICA

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, there's a certain irony: As the 
country is slipping towards recession, the Bush administration is 
backing away from its own study on infrastructure finance. The answer 
is simple. It's not a gimmick. Think of the subprime mess that got us 
into this situation in the first place. The solution is more money to 
invest. There are examples of where money may be available. For 
example, the carbon-constrained economy that we are moving into will 
create a great deal of value, some of which could be captured to help 
pay for infrastructure.
  It is critical, however, that we have a new vision of cleaning up the 
environment, rebuilding America, and making it more energy efficient, 
because people are not, nor should they put a lot of money into 
yesterday's plan. A new vision for investing in America in this century 
is a key, not just to fighting this temporary recession but making our 
communities more livable and making our families safer, healthier, and 
more economically secure.

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