[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15018]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




MIDDLE CLASS CONTINUES TO GET SQUEEZED AS ECONOMIC SITUATION GETS WORSE

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, for 7 years now, President Bush and 
Republicans have catered to the excesses of the wealthiest few while 
ignoring real needs of working Americans. Over the past 6 years, the 
median household income has fallen over $1,000 per year while prices 
for health care, education, food, and gas have increased well above 
inflation. How can we expect working men and women to continue to meet 
the financial needs of their families when they bring home smaller 
paychecks as prices rise?
  The Democratic Congress has been working hard to ensure that working 
Americans are not ignored. We passed an economic stimulus package that 
puts money into the wallets of working families. We've also passed 
legislation addressing the concerns of millions of Americans, including 
many of those from my home State of New Jersey, who are afraid of 
losing their jobs or are afraid they might lose their homes.
  Senator McCain's chief economic adviser claims that Americans are 
whining, that the economic downturn is all in their heads. House 
Democrats realize that we need to turn the Bush economy around.

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