[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          MIDDLE CLASS SQUEEZE

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, middle-income Americans are paying a high 
price for the Bush economic policies that have taken us deep into debt 
and to economic recession. While the prices of groceries, gas, 
education, and health care have all gone up, the purchasing power of a 
middle-income salary has actually fallen over the last 7 years.
  Unfortunately, Republicans and President Bush continue to defend the 
status quo, refusing to support our efforts to help middle class 
families feeling the economic squeeze. House Democrats are working on 
new solutions to deal with this immediate economic crisis, and for 
long-term economic recovery. We have taken action to extend 
unemployment benefits, insurance benefits, and also so that workers can 
continue to receive important financial assistance while they look for 
jobs in these trying economic times. We have also passed legislation to 
address the Nation's housing crisis so that millions of Americans will 
not be forced into foreclosure this coming year.
  Mr. Speaker, House Democrats also support a second economic recovery 
plan, and we hope we can gather Republican support for it.

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