[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DEMOCRATS WORK TO STIMULATE ECONOMY

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, when Democrats took control of Congress last 
year, we vowed to work on behalf of all Americans. Last year, we 
recognized that middle-class families were struggling to make ends 
meet, and so we worked hard to ease that economic crunch. We passed 
billions of dollars in tax relief to middle-income families. We 
increased the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, and we 
enacted an energy bill that will save the average family anywhere 
between $700 and $1,000 a year in energy costs, and help families 
better afford college.
  This is a good start, but as economic indicators continue to head in 
the wrong direction, we worked with the White House and House 
Republicans on an economic stimulus package that will provide a real 
and significant short-term boost to this economy.
  The House bipartisan economic stimulus plan is the most progressive 
package this decade. It will help jump-start our economy, and will 
provide real assistance to lower and middle-income families. I hope our 
friends in the Senate will act on this legislation this week.

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